New Beginnings: A Squad is Born!(Squad 3)

[Muon]

Sunlight arced over the horizon, creating a wall of colors in the form of a rainbow overhead. It was a frequent sight thanks to all the moisture in the air, yet it was also one that went unappreciated. Most in Kirigakure were not the type to stop and appreciate the natural beauty of a scene, especially something like a rainbow.

Standing at the edge of a cliff found within the base of the mountains surrounding the village, amidst the roar of one of the country's many waterfalls, Satsujin Muon was no different. By choice.

He stood there with his right hand hanging onto the trunk of one of the trees overlooking the cliff-face. Such a scene was soothing, beautiful even, but he was now a shinobi. He had come from a hard life, one that should have made him despise such beauty if for no other reason than spite. That he hadn't reached such an embittered state bothered him. He needed to kill his humanity to become a shinobi.

The small boy's brow furrowed, creasing and scrunching his pointed, angular nose as he often did. He was annoyed at how pathetic he had been.

He slid his hand off the trunk and leaned forward, considering the drop before him.

Just one mistake, one drop, and it'd be over. Gone, for good...[/color]

He blinked, readjusting his gaze between flickers of his optic lids, preferring to observe the cylindrical buildings that comprised his home village.

Somewhere down there was his parents; his useless, cowardly mother, and conceited, destructive father. But also down there was a new sensei - his sensei, and a new squad mate or two. He'd be meeting them soon... today in fact.

The small boy unsheathed the tanto from his concealed housing upon his back and stared at the all-black weapon. It gave no sheen, no reflection. It was perfect for assassination without catching any light. He hoped to put it to use and even make a name for himself with it. But that wouldn't be today...probably.

Muon started back down towards the village. The sun would be up soon and the day would be started, and with it, his squad.

[Kiriai]

The day had started out the exact same as any other with Kiriai sitting in his office, a large scroll on the floor beside him and his secretary speaking frantically as she did everything she could to make him look at many important documents. As she spouted off about the many things that were apparently necessary, he sighed heavily and placed a large hand over his rugged face, shaking his head. Completely ignoring the young woman, he placed his hands on the desk as he pushed his chair back, slowly standing up. Reaching down to grab the scroll, he would tie it to his back just under the long cloak that he wore. Stepping around the desk he paced forward and walked past the girl, opening the door before he spoke.

"I already told you, I don't do this stuff. I trust your judgement."

Kiriai stepped out of his office and down the hall, taking only a minute to leave the administrative building entirely. Avoiding the streets of the village, he would take a back route and travel through the mist enshrouded woods, preferring not to have all the people in the busy village talking to him. The giant of a man would walk slowly, yet his large size allowed him to move as fast as most people walking at a quick pace. It was only about ten minutes before he encountered a boy who was heading back down toward the village from the area. Bringing a hand up to the radio in his ear, he would speak into it.

"Someone go find the Genin by names of Izanami Etsuko and Yuki Jubei. Tell them to head toward training area fourteen. If it takes longer than ten minutes, someone is losing a leg so they have an excuse for being so slow."

Kiriai turned to head toward the kid, branches and leaves crumbling under each step of the giant's foot. He was completely unarmed, a strange and mysterious sight considering that he was a swordsman who lacked ninjutsu skills. He would stop about twenty meters away, speaking with a loud booming voice.

"Muon, your team is gathering. Wait here."

It was short and sweet, right to the point with no explanation if it wasn't needed. This was how Kiriai spoke and it would be no different with his team.

[Jubei Yuki]

As the sun started its way to start shining, its bare tip was just noticeable, if you looked. Yet, you could see the orange yellow rays, as the sun stood there. The birds started to chirp, and if you were truly watching, you would notice the mother bird going off on her journey for food for her chick. The sky looked clear, and the clouds looked puffy. But with the trees blocking your full view, you nearly had to stress your eyes out, to get a good view.

In the midst of Kirigakure, at the home of the Head Family of the Yuki Clan, you could see a female sitting on top of the roof, meditating. The girl was indeed young, and by the looks, small as well. She just sat there, as minutes passed, breathing in and out. "Ah... today is the day. Finally, after so many years of the academy... I can be in a squad." She slowly picked herself up, and jumped off her roof. The girl's face, went from calm and collective, to a bit hyper and excited.

She stepped inside her house, as she had to gather a few things before her departure. She quickly entered her room, and grabbed her pouch. She inserted inside of it, her weapons. Then, she walked over to her closet, picking out, the jacket she was to wear. As she picked one out of the closet, she placed it on. And started her way out the house.

As she slowly turned around, while closing the door. Trying her best not to wake her parents, she jumped back as a man stood before her. "Who are you?" She asked in a frightened, yet strong voice. As the man explained, what he was sent to do, she responded with a nod of her head. He was there, to report to her about where the squad meeting took place. "Very well then," Jubei spoke to the man. As she did, the man vanished with only one hand seal. Jubei started to walk. Only 5 minutes passed when she arrived to where one squad member, and the sensei were waiting.

[Izanami Etsuko]

Boom! Crash! Sounds of violence emitted from the Inzanami house, another typical day of furniture breaking, voices being raised, blood being shed. The front door of the house opened following the body of Etsuko flying through into the outside. The child let out grunts and groans as his body rag dolled a few feet away. ”..And don’t 'cha ever disrespect me ever again, ya hear me, boy?” Yelled out his father, who by this time was standing in the door way, fists stained with the boy’s blood. Slowly gathering to his feet, Etsuko simply flipped off his father figure, provoking another would-be assault before a shinobi appeared between them. Judging by his attire, he must have been apart of the Mizukage’s “do what I say and you’ll leave with your limbs in tact” squad.

”I’m here on the Mizukage’s word. Here to inform you that you better get your ass in gear, or lose a limb. Maybe one of those bony little legs of yours. Now get to training area fourteen.” The threat had promise behind it, and Etsuko wasn’t going to readily challenge him on it. Wiping his bloodied nose from his fight with his pa, Etsuko nodded to the messenger ninja before he departed to the designated training area. He wasn’t afraid of losing a limb, he wasn’t afraid that death loomed around every corner should he screw up. However, he wasn’t necessarily going to be rebellious for the sake of it. Not like he was strong enough to do so anyway. Within a span of six minutes, the boy had arrived; shortly after some bombshell of a girl with blue hair.

He didn’t quite get a good look at her face, but he did get a lengthy glance at her backside. Tucking his lower lip underneath the top lining of his teeth, the boy narrowed his eyes in visual pleasure. It was short lived, Etsuko now noticing the other two; one being around his age and height with an equally piss poor demeanor. The man closest to him was a towering beast of a man, the Mizukage himself. Wait.. the Mizukage was training them?! Oh boy. Shit was about to get really real, really fast. It was common knowledge across the land that the Mizukage was a well renowned bad-ass and wasn’t one for smart-asses or screw ups. Quickly straightening his facial expression and posture, he gave the group a slight wave. ”Izanami Etsuko, reporting for duty.”

[Muon]

Muon was weaving through the air, gripping branches and manipulating his body to swing under or around them, pulling and pushing himself further through the forest to get back from the cliff.

He was nearing training ground fourteen when he noticed the first signs of something mammoth moving through the woods, and it was coming closer to him. Muon landed on one knee, dropping to the ground. He placed a hand upon it and turned his head to produce his ear. He needed to listen. From the rhythm of the quakes whatever it was was bipedal and closing the distance.

The boy jumped up into the tree above him, concealing his presence as the Mizukage entered the field that was training ground fourteen.

"Muon, your team is gathering. Wait here."

The boy dropped down silently before straightening his form. His arms hung morosely at either side as he stepped squarely into the field.

Even as the girl arrived, Muon kept his gaze focused upon the Mizukage. He was hailed as an incredibly fierce swordsman, but Muon saw no blade upon him; only a massive scroll.

Summoning, perhaps?[/color] He thought.

He finally seconded a glance at the girl before one eyebrow perked.

Nice outfit...for a princess. Hardly practical for a ninja.[/color] He thought once again.

His dark eyes shifted beyond the girl as a barbarian of a kid came up to the scene. He had a long hair that suggested he spent entirely too much time grooming himself and a collection of tattoos covering him.

Great, another one that cares about their appearance too much.

Muon crossed his arms in front of his chest and scowled at the two new members.

"So, that makes three..."

[Kiriai]

Kiriai stood silently without moving a muscle as he waited for the other two genin to arrive so that the team would be complete. Luckily, it took only a few minutes; a good sign when he was feeling especially lazy and did not want to summon his swords just to get them dirty with the blood of pathetic youngsters. Although his appearance alone was enough to make most men tremble, his voice alone was enough to let everything in ear shot know that he did not joke or waste his time. It had been nearly two decades since he founded the village of Kirigakure, enough time for everyone to learn that he pushed every individual to their limits, feeling no shame in cleaving down even children if he viewed them as failures. He would not waste his time on them if they were not willing to give it their all, and if one of them acted in such a way that practically begged for him to remove their heads to use as an instructional tool for future speeches of hard work, he could easily get another genin to fill their position. The second that all of them arrived, the Mizukage's voice rang out as a dominant boom that seemed to demand unyielding focus and attention.

"Hesitation or holding back will be met with beatings or broken bones. Disobedience will be met with death. Mistakes will be met with scarring to ensure you always remember and never do it again. Teamwork is strong, but a weak link will only hold you all back. If your partners do not push forth with the same determination and effort as yourself; if they intend to make a choice that puts the mission in jeopardy; if they are so weak that you know they will never meet the standards of Kirigakure no Sato... Kill them."

The Mizukage spoke, the lack of emotion on his facial features or in the tone of his voice made it clear that he was being entirely honest. He had no need for fools in his village and viewed those without purpose as a waste of space. Turning his head slowly to glance over each one of the three genin, he ensured they were all paying attention. He carried no weapons and made no change to his posture to constitute being prepared for combat, yet he spoke again with the same demanding tone as always.

"Attack me and prove that you are worthy of my tutelage."

[Jubei Yuki]

As she continued to walk closer to the other squad members, she since a presence of another Shinobi walking not to far away from her. She did not turn around though, to see who it was, she just continued to walk. She couldn't help but constantly stare at the giant man standing right over her squad member. "Wow..." She said as she reached the two. Never in her life has she seen a man so big. She just kept staring, even though she knew it was a bit rude. That's the Mizukage, stop staring! Jubei was aware of the rumors that went around about the Mizukage. Some say, that the rumors, aren't rumors.. they are serious facts about him. Jubei gulped, and looked at the Genin which walked up, about 5 seconds later after she arrived.

She stood there with the two boys, as the Mizukage talked. "Hesitation or holding back will be met with beatings or broken bones. Disobedience will be met with death. Mistakes will be met with scarring to ensure you always remember and never do it again. Teamwork is strong, but a weak link will only hold you all back. If your partners do not push forth with the same determination and effort as yourself; if they intend to make a choice that puts the mission in jeopardy; if they are so weak that you know they will never meet the standards of Kirigakure no Sato... Kill them." As he finished, the last words seemed to stumble Jubei. K.. Kill them? Jubei thought to herself.

Just after her thoughts flew around her mind for a little while, she heard the last few words from her new sensei. "Attack me and prove that you are worthy of my tutelage." She smirked, as the Mizukage said this. Finally, she had her opportunity to show her teammates, and sensei that she was strong, and she wouldn't be a burden to the team. But before she did anything, she looked at her teammates, and then all the trees that stood in the distance. Hm... How can I use trees? Hrmm... Well I know I have to think fast, or else. Jubei smirked, as she figured a way to start off her attack. She first started with a hand spring, followed by a somersault, but before landing, she quickly pulled out six senbons, three in each hand, and threw it at the Mizukage. "Cha! There weee go!"

[Izanami Etsuko]

Etsuko couldn't help but feel the anticipation mounting; the words of the Mizukage instilling excitement. While he did acknowledge his weakness in light of the Mizukage and parents, he wouldn’t accept that to be his singular role in life. No, he will prove this day that he is worthy of being a strong arm of Kirigakure. When his sensei prompted them to assault, the girl took the forefront; doing meaningless flips and twirls only to toss six senbons indiscriminately at Kiriai. In the process of her performing her razzle and dazzle, Etsuko decided to seize the opportunity and launch an assault of his own.

Breaking off to Jubei’s right, the Genin swiftly reached into his ninja tool pouches to pull out a single flash bomb and two shuriken in his right and left hands respectively. ”Is this what my team is composed of?” he thought to himself as the bomb was tossed from his grip, flying towards the eyes of the Mizukage and exploding seconds later. He wasn’t going to take any gambles on if it would blind the behemoth and decided to initiate a follow up attack, hurling the two shuriken towards the man’s eyes as well. A section of the body that typically has less protection surrounding it and was more prone to piercing. His over all goals were to temporarily throw him off his game to allow vulnerabilities and to attempt to prevent further movements.

[Muon]

Great, a gymnast with a flair for theatrics.

Muon, who had closed the distance between himself and the girl in order to get a better look at her and the other newcomer, used her flips to his advantage.

Muon flipped through three hand seals while focusing his chakra. In a flash he retrieved a kunai from his holster and focused his chakra within it. When it struck the Mizukage, it would have to pierce that thick flesh of his...

The kunai was released in between bouts of the girl's flipping, timed so that his kunai would be just ahead of senbon.

Combined with the flashbomb and other shuriken, the three of them made a pretty hefty attack. Of course, it lacked the spirit of a one-on-one confrontation, but as much as Muon enjoyed combat, he enjoyed being alive more, and that meant not taking the Mizukage on directly...just yet.

For now, he stood with his left hand upon the ebony grip of his tanto, waiting to see what the Mizukage would make of their assault.

Considering this is the Hidden Mist, I doubt he'll need his vision to see, but perhaps the flashbomb will affect his hearing as well.[/i]

[Kiriai]

A small smirk crept across the Mizukage's face for a split second as the action started. All three of them immediately began their attacks the moment he told them to, expressing no hesitation, definitely a good sign. However, he was highly disappointed by the level of attack that they had done, using simple weapons rather than ninjutsu or more effective weapons. His eyes narrow into a dangerous glare as he saw the girl flip and spin quite dramatically before throwing a few measly senbon, yet from the corner of his eye he saw Etsuko's attack. A bomb came flying toward his face, thus he quickly turned his head and covered his face with his hand out of instinct. He was not sure what kind of bomb it was, but protecting his face from explosion or anything else was the safest option when he was unarmed. A bright flash overtook the scene...

As it cleared, Kiriai slowly lowered his arm to his side, standing straight up again, once more towering over all the children that had successfully attacked him. Glancing down at himself, he saw two shuriken stabbed into the back of his left hand, as well as six senbon parely poking into his skin, and a kunai that stabbed about an inch into his abdomen, luckily having avoided major organs. A quiet growl would crawl out of his throat, the deep sound attempting to grasp at their very souls. Taking a deep breath, he spoke out.

"If your maximum level of skill is throwing pathetic weapons, then I am going to cleave you all in half right now. The only one I am going to let live is Etsuko-kun, because he was at least willing to permanently blind me. That is the kind of dedication I want. You might not want to kill me, but I have no problem killing you if it means weeding out those that lack the drive that this village needs."

Most would accuse Kiriai of threatening them, but those that knew him were also wise enough to understand that he was not making a threat. He was being serious and honest. Blood dripped down to the damp earth from his hand, as well as staining his shirt from the wounds on his upper body. However, he did not express a hint of pain or discomfort, having trained his body over his life to take as much abuse as would be needed to kill him. Turning his head slowly, he looked over all three of them before he reached onto his back to grab the large scroll, holding it sideways in his hand. Lifting his arm, he let the scroll unroll, facing him so that the kids could not see what was on it. A small poof of smoke would appear as a flick of his arm rolled the scroll back up before sticking it against the ground so that it would stay there. He would not act yet, waiting for them to truly prove themselves as quickly as possible before he crushed them into oblivion. It was their choice - Act as if they were fighting for their lives, or continue pitiful attacks and suffer the Mizukage's wrath. As the smoke cleared, the weakest of his vastly unknown weapons was now visible in his left hand... Kubikiribocho.

[Jubei Yuki]

Jubei watched as the other two Genin used their attacks more skilled then her. She made a small pout, but then looked at Mizukage. On the inside Jubei gasped as the Mizukage spoke, telling how he was only impressed with the actions of the third Genin on the squad. On the outside though, Jubei kept a strong face. Slowly she grunted, and sighed. I'm not the fighter type. I have been trained to evade. How am I supposed to attacked? She slowly put her hands behind her back while she watched as their sensei, opened his scroll, then pulled out his weapon and she smirked

About five seconds before the Mizukage had finished taking out his weapon, Jubei already had a Kunai Knife, attached with a exploding tag behind her back, ready to be thrown. She slipped the Kunai Knife into her back pocket, and quickly took out three shurikens. Guess I can use this as the diversion first. By this time, it has only been a full second, since the Mizukage fully taken out his weapon. She threw the three shurikens, one by one, not more than a second apart. One for the middle part of his face, and the other two for his left and right arm. Aimed to be at the center of his arms. After the third shuriken was thrown, she swiftly took out the Kunai Knife and threw it at the center of the Mizukage's chest.

[Izanami Etsuko]

Etsuko was at a comfortable enough distance by this point, the entire assault only taking a few seconds. For the most part, the Mizukage did receive damage; unfortunately enough he wasn't blinded. When he spoke, that same vicious tone escaped his lips, but the praise he got made him satisfied inside. He could do much better though. Pacing to his sensei's immediate left side, he licked his lips in anticipation when he drew the massive sword from an equally massive scroll. He didn't get to see the contents littered on the insides, but that's okay. He's got better things on his plate.

Yuki took the direct approach again, tossing out her tools towards the Mizukage with an assumed goal of disabling his arms. Then she spiced up her attack with an exploding kunai to the center mass. Surely, once that kunai connected with something, it would blow, sending out a small cloud of fire and explosive force. Again, Etsuko took advantage of her direct assault, opting for something more clever. Pulling out two exploding tags, he placed the top edges in his mouth, performing the needed hand seals to utilize the Double Suicide technique. Afterwards, he submerged underneath the ground and swam beneath the giant man. Head and hands coming topside, the Genin quickly removed the tags from his mouth and would attempt to slap them behind the behemoths knees.

If he was successful or not he would submerged again, springing up from the ground five meters away. Should he be successful, it would take only a few seconds since the placement of the exploding tags to go off. His aim was to topple the giant backwards, allowing more vulnerabilities. Etsuko wasn't quite done yet, performing another row of hand seals, the boy slammed his palms on the ground, causing a light rumbling within the earth. A split second later, surrounding earth around the Mizukage would begin to quickly churn and twist up in an attempt to crush him.

[Muon]

Muon remained silent as Jubei threw a flurry of projectiles and Etsuko dove underground. A moment later, hands broke the surface below their sensei as Etsuko tried to covertly plant explosive tags upon the Mizukage. Unfortunately, as Muon could see, the Mizukage had jumped in the air as Etsuko dove underground.

Muon considered his jutsu but decided not to act prematurely. Instead, he retrieved three shuriken from his holster (one between each of his fingers) and fired them at the airborne Mizukage, who would be forced to take the attack or block it, as far as Muon knew.

Unless he's got some way of changing momentum midair... And for all Muon knew, their sensei might have. After all, he was the Mizukage...

[Kiriai]

Kiriai watched as the children attacked, though was heavily disappointed as it appeared to all be the same methods as before, yet this time including explosive tags with their various projectiles. The girl had attacked first, and with a flick of the large weapon in front of him, it would smack away the shuriken, with the explosion being diverted around him thanks to the width of the blade. With the snap of his head from side to side, he noticed the most risking of the three had gone missing, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. He was not sure what the kid was doing, yet genin had few moves that allowed them to simply vanish aside from one rather common Doton skill. Without thinking about it further, Kiriai lept high into the air, both to avoid a possible attack from the one he could not find, as well as to get a better view of all three of them. A few more weapons came up through the air which Kiriai easily blocked by gesturing the sword in front of him to stand in their way.

As soon as he blocked them, he brought the sword back before hurling it down toward the earth. If anyone was in its way, they would certainly die. Though lucky for them, it was not aimed at any of the three kids. Instead, it would hopefully avoid all three youngsters and pierce half way into the earth beside the large scroll that he had left behind, sitting on the ground. Coming down from his skyward leap, he would land on the ground over twenty meters away from them all, eying them carefully. He was now completely unarmed, for unlike most ninja, the Mizukage did not even carry a weapons pouch or supply bag on him. That scroll held everything he had, and it, along with his sword, were now a distance away from him and much closer to the three kids.

"So I have three kids yearning for my teachings yet none of them have ninjutsu or melee skills, and instead all specialize in throwing weapons... Pathetic."

Kiriai said, insulting them for the fact that they had seemed to do nothing but use basic ninja weapons thus far. He would crouch down, resting his arms across his legs as he hunched over, looking forward at them all. Clearly, he was now in no rush, proving that he did not feel any threat from the three of them, and would rather relax while unarmed then actually give effort. He decided that it would be best to give them a chance rather than it all be abrupt fighting without any clear plan or mission. However, his violent side hoped that one of them would make the mistake of acting alone, thus he could take them out for some momentary entertainment.

"I will not make a move until one of you attacks me, or attempts to touch my stuff. So advance wisely."