Trust Falls (p)

Jun Tengai looked into her mirror with a smile that glinted in the light. The wrinkled skin at the side of her eyes smooched up even more as she gave herself a proud look. That leaf Head Band hadn't just jumped up on her forehead all by itself. Oh no. That thing needed a whole bucket of sweat and blood to get to where it was today. Her pale brown eyes shimmered at her own reflection. Her plump lips pulled into a smile, and she fluttered her very full eyelashes. Her light brown eyes scanned her terrific form for any flaws. None what so ever. She was the role model for healthy and active women all around the world. No aches no pains, she had a rocking bod, and still had great hair was well.  All those hair roasting fogies at the beauty salon could eat their hearts out. This was her first day with her new squad and she wanted to make sure that everything was perfect. Didn't want anyone to accuse her of not taking care of herself. Jun knew that if a person didn't look like she could take care of herself, then she wouldn't trust that person to take care of anyone else on the team. That’s what the training had told her at least. Communication was eighty percent non vocal. The easiest way to gain a persons trust wasn’t by talking nice to them it was presenting a figure that that person found pleasing to have in their life. Whenever she traveled outside of the country she made sure to dress to the nines. She didn't want anyone to think that kono folk were a disheveled lot. As she was likely the only one they'd ever see she wanted to make sure the left a good impression for her homeland. So she straightened out her jacket lapels, making sure that it was perfectly in place. She brought the lint brush over her nicely ironed shirt. She took a step back her slacks were looking good and her boots. Dang. Dang. They were looking good. Jun smiled at herself and gave a thumbs up. "Looking good tiger!" She announced throwing her lint brush into it's drawer. She of course was dressed up just for the first few days, then she’d go back to dressing like the slob she normally was.
 
She ran for the door and grabbed her pocket watch off of its shelf. she tucked the faux gold watch into her pocket and ran out the door. She scooted down the halls of her family's farming estate. The old colonial house had been in the Tengai faimly for generations.  Her shoes making a alternating clicking, and  padding sound as she trotted across the polished wooden surface. “Hey mom hey dad!" She shouted whizzing down the hall way. He scooped a pair of toasted bread pieces out of the air as they flew out of the toaster. "K love you guys got to go!" I know, I know. ‘What a grown woman doing still living with her parents?’ Well you judgemental bitch, these people stole Juns child hood from her so the elast they could do was giving her a place to live.
 
"Now hold on there." Her mother scolded, looking exactly like a stereotypical 50's mom. Apron, dress, hair and everything. She even had a hand on her hip with a spatula clenched tightly. "Where do you think you're going in such a rush?" She held that spatula with more grace and skill than most ninja held their weapons.
 
Jun rolled her eyes, and stuffed some toast into her mouth as she crossed her arms. "It's my fist day as a genin duuuuh! I'm meeting up with my team. Don’t you guys keep tabs on my progress at all?"
 
"Well you never told us that." Her father announced taking a sip from his coffee. He didn't bother looking up from his newspaper. He too looked like a stereotypical 50's dad. With the gelled back hair, sweater vest, and a pipe in his mouth. He didn't look like a terribly powerful Ninja but the man had taught Jun everything she knew about being a weapon, as well as a great deal about their clan’s jutsu. Jun had always thought that they looked so innocent and harmless to fool their prey or something. A kind of ploy to throw suspicion off of the house named Akuma. The demon branch of their clan. Just with that name most people would be leery of it, no?
 
"Sure I did I told you guys that I graduated from the academy yesterday."
 
"I thought you were kidding about that." Hher mom sighed rubbing her temples.
 
"What? Why would I kid about something like that?" This was literally the reason that she was born. The fact that they weren’t taking her seriously just made her blood boil!
 
"Well you just joined last week how could you graduate so quickly?"
 
Jun rolled her eyes. "Because I'm 21! They just needed to give me a few exams and get me on the way." Jun was a living weapon was there ever any doubt that she would become a ninja? It was not only her purpose but her destiny. She would become the most efficient weapon that this weapon ever had to wield.
 
"Well you know." Jun's father announced flapping his newspaper out. "If we didn’t train you on you won for all those years you probably wouldn’t be able to make it this far.”
 
"Maybe!" Jun announced swinging open the door, stepping out, and spinning around. "But I would be twice as awesome!" With that the door would swing shut, and end the conversation. Come on Jun! Let's go have an adventure and make some friends.
Jun took heavy clomping steps forward across the road that led to the academy where she' be meeting her squad. Hopefully it would be her last adventure into the academy for a good long while. Those few classes she'd actually attended were absolutely humiliating. She was blistering with excitement and could hardly contain herself as she walked on down. She had both of her firsts clenched and at her side as she took her excited steps forward. She was going to be a ninja ninja ninja. And she was going to blow people out of the water. Her dedication to her art, and purpose would prove beyond all doubt that she was a powerful weapon.
 
 
She came to the academy not too long after that. A sturdy looking building that just seemed to scream history whenever you looked at it. Incredibly ironic considering that it was only a few months old. Just seeing the thing made you wonder what sort of exciting people and warriors traveled and learned in the same hall ways as these. Jun fondly remembered her time as a student here five days ago. And by fondly she meant that she looked upon it fondly because it was in the past and never to be repeated again. Because it was without a doubt the most horrid time in her life. It was hard, it wasn't sad, or anything painful. It was just very, very awkward being in a class with kids one fifth her age.  It'd been kind of embarrassing honestly. Being twenyt and walking in and learning with a class of 13 year olds. Not a very bright moment in her life. Luckily it'd only been a slight hick up. As soon as she'd been caught back up with everyone she'd be promoted to Genin, and that was pretty rad. The kids still said that right? She didn't want to add on to her old man persona even more!
 
She opened up the metal doors, and took a step on inside. She breathed in the education and traveled further in to see what could be seen. After a short walk she came to the room that was destined for her. Room 204. Strangely on the first floor, but never mind. She stood at it nervously preparing to knock on the wooden surface of the door, but hesitating momentarily. Her heart was bounding and her palms were clammy. Oh god she was so nervous how silly for a ninja to be nervous huh? Still she couldn't quite help it. This was the first big step into her life as a ninja and she needed to be prepared for anything! She gripped that cold brass handle and took a deep breath. "Here we go." She was ready for anyting. But for the love of god please don't be a team a child genius. Anything but that she could handle. But if she had to deal with kids who were more capable than an average Genin and even younger. Well she might just drop out!
 
She opened the door to see two excited faces greeting her with a ecstatic smiles. If she didn't know better she would say that they were looking forward to seeing her. Well now this was an incredible surprise. She'd known that she'd been looking forward to meeting her team mates but knowing that they too were looking forward to seeing her? Well that was just another pleasant surprise. Then again upon closer inspection she could see that their smiles were rapidly descending into disappointed frowns. There were two of them. A boy and a girl.
 
"Ah man." The Boy announced throwing his hands into the air to show his disappointment. "I thought you were our instructor. Aw man. I can't believe that out of everyone we're the ones that got another girl. First one girl and now this." The boy had two fang shaped tattoo's upon his cheeks, as well as spiky brown hair. Not to mention a loud mouth and a pretty terrible attitude.
 
"Hey what's that suppose to mean?" The girl scoffed putting both hands on her hips. She had some wavy shoulder length hair, and bangs down to her eyebrows hat helped frame her face. She had gorgeous brown eyes, and oh so plump lips. Jun blushed just a bit just by casting her gaze her way. If she was forty years younger. Well it's still be really creepy wouldn't it. Still this boy had caused a slight not only against her honor but the ladies as well. No something that Jun could take lying down.
 
Jun puffed out her cheeks. "Hey." she announced indignantly taking a step inside and closing the door behind her. "I am Jun Tengai. I am a Scion of the Tengai family. I’ve killed people just by getting close to them. I'll forgive your rudeness as some sort of defect with your raising. After all you can't help it since you were raised by dogs. So I won't take it personally, but I won't have you making this mistake again." That's right. Jun was calling out the Inuzuka clan. Risky Move ya'll. Risky. She straightened herself out. "Now that we have that bit of unpleasantness out of the way let's start again shall we?" She took a step back opened the door back up and exited. She could hear the giggling of the girl as she closed the door, and smiled. A good sign.
 
She entered once more and threw the door back open. "Hello team! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance! I am Jun Tengai, and may I have your names as well?"
 
Despite the new start Jun's boy team mate didn't seem to have warmed up to much. Understandable Jun had pretty much just insulted him and his entire clan. Jun wasn't entirely sure that she'd have forgiven herself. The girl however. She giggled with she walked back into the room, and Jun couldn't help but flash a set of sparkly white teeth at her when she did. At least she had her on her side, and that was good enough for her. "May I have your names?" Jun promptly walking over to the teacher's desk and setting herself down on it. She crossed her arms and waited for her teammates to answer.
 
"I'm..." The Girl announced going First.
 
"Payton Inazuka!" The boy interrupted. "You best show some respect too. Seeing that I'm the only one here actually from a clan, I guess that just means I'll be the team leader huh? My folks have been ninja's ever since wolves and Men became friends, so you better show some respect." he just have been pretty instant on that whole respect thing considering that she mentioned it twice. Jun might have thought that it was concentrated on her, had the boy not been looking at her directly. The boy's deep brown eyes tore Deeply into Jun's pale eyes. It looks like this was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.
 
"I don't give respect to people who don't show it." Jun countered turning her attention to the lady fair who stood before them. "What was it you were saying." Out of the side of her eye she could see payton go red, and Jun Cringed. She wasn't making a very good first impression it would seem. She wasn't trying to be rude, but this guy had interrupted a lady! Now that just wasn't done okay? Not that there was much that Jun could do in response other than being rude back. Not much of a defense, but something had to be done. There was a ladies' honor at stake don't you know? What had happened to the world where young men didn't show any woman any respect. Oh that was something she was going to have to change whenhe was one of the muckity mucks of kono. Just give it a few months and this village would be the most respectful villages in the entire world. It would become the village hidden in manners. Or something fancy like that. And if payton didn’t learn respect? Well Jun was just going to have to rip out the kids tongue and make him eat ti. Then he’d see that women are just as good as men.
 
The girl smiled sourly. "My name Is Suzika. Unlike the illustrious Payton over here I don't come from any clan. I earned my rank all by my own." She stuck her tongue out playfully to Payton to show that she was only kidding. "And I did it without any help from a man, thank you very much." This time she was addressing Jun. Message received: by Protecting her honor she'd actually ended up damaging it. Women were strange and fickle beasts weren't they? Jun had known them all her life and had yet to figure out anything about them at all. She crossed her arms and looked to her two team mates. "So do either of you know where our Instructor is?"
 
It was several minutes of conversation later that the three of them finally encountered the woman who would be their jounin. Tardy! If there was one thing Jun couldn't stand it was a tardy person. She always made sure she was at least ten minutes early for everything she went to, and she was only a genin! How could their leader a Jounin be so terribly late. It didn't make a lick of sense. She was a jounin she could probably teleport after all. There were so many ways that this man could just appear in the room and she choose to be late instead. And don't give jun that whole, well she couldn't help it thing. No a person chooses to be late or not. And this man had mad her decision. And jun had thought she'd made a bad impression with payton, this guy had just made a terribly bad impression on Jun, and she hadn't even said two words. She came into the room and instantly the smell of cigarette's filled the room, and caused Jun's weak lungs to give a bit of a cough. She kind of hoped that Payton hadn't noticed, less she get made fun of.
 
The woman had a flak jacket on with a red neckerchief tied around her neck. Her sandy brown hair was tied back with another red scrap of fabric giving her an extremely short pony tail. In her mouth was a senbon that she seemed to chewing on. Jun couldn't imagine that that was good for her teeth. Well considering the heavy smell of smoke that followed this woman around jun supposed that bad teeth would be the least of her worries. Man this gal had more character in her design than most twon. Jun opened up her books and took down a few notes. She was going to have to step up her game if she was ever promoted. She needed to look at least that cool if she became a jounin. She jotted down a few ideas of her own, to make her look really cool. Maybe she could ask the girl for some advice. If only she could stand the smell of heavy cigarette smoke.
 
She rubbed the back of her sandy hair and let out a guilty laugh. "Heh sorry about being late guys. I went out back to take a smoke."
 
The three Genin looked out at each other rather unimpressed. She was late to their introduction because she had to smoke? Smoke? How was a ninja suppose to go about her duty with chronic lung problems. Sure these three genin were unusually old but that was no reason to give them this guy! It was all very clear now. Jun had noticed that these other two teenagers were in their late teens, nineteen probably, and jun was and old man. This was The B-Team. Maybe even that was being generous. They were the left behinds. This class room was the island of lost toys, and Jun was the Charlie in the box.
 
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Dressed up in her red Track suit Jun traveled into the forest with her team mates and comrades. Their instructor hadn't really given them much information at all as to why they were taking a hike into the forest, only that they were and that they needed to bring a few day's worth of supplies to keep them alive while on the trip. Jun didn't mind in the least, she loved camping, and could definitely tell that this was going to be a team bonding kind of trip. Survival training had always been her favorite thing that her family would throw her in. Mainly because it was just her versus the world and not her versus various other ninja or test subjects. That defiantly couldn't hurt considering the kind of first impression that they'd all made on each other. Especially Payton and Jun. This would give them the perfect opportunity to sort things outs. Whenever jun went traveling but she found herself a little low on the old Funds a roonie she'd just hitch a tent and camp out where ever she was when the sky got dark. Their Jounin hadn't said anything about them camping out which made jun just a little sad. Dang jun hadn't been camping in ages. They'd have to go somewhere away from kono though. because this place was certifiably horrible. Looking out around the jungle they were passing through Jun had no intentions of pitching a tent here any time soon. Not only would the rain, and mud make this place a thoroughly unpleasant location to hike it, but it was also filled with snakes, poison frogs, and salamanders! Besides she knew a lovely little place in the earth kingdom that was just begging to be camped in.
 
Payton had brought along two dogs with him on the trip. Kaoru, and Hikaru he called them. Jun loved em'. They were as cute as buttons and she just wanted to pick them up and rub them against her cheek. They were so cute! It was perfect! This was Jun's chance to bond with her team mate. She loved dogs, Jun loved dogs. It's as if Destiny was winking at jun, and jun went a head and winked back. She used to have an old sheep dog when she was a little kid. For the life of her Jun never figured out why. Most of her early life had been all about her losing all emotional attachments, so maybe that was counterproductive to the whole theory that was her upbringing. Maybe they thought that she needed something otherwise she’d just go completely crazy.
 
"This should be a good place." Tori, their chain smoking Jounin Instructor announced setting her pack down in the middle of a clearing deep within the forest. Her bag clanged with a metallic note as it slammed heavily against the ground. Jun eyed it suspiciously. Did she have a frying pan in there or something?
 
Jun, Payton, and Suzika all followed suit and let their own packs fall to the floor. "Good Place for what?" Suzika ask stretching a kink out of her shoulder.
 
"Your First Bit of Training." Tori announced bending down to her back pack, and unzipping it. "As you all know you're the oldest squad of fresh Genin this village has. You all have your own reasons and I won't as you what they are, but that doesn't really matter. The point is that the village can't afford spending resources on training ninja your age when we can train younger soldiers for the same price, and much easier."
 
The three looked to one another. The worry on their faces was plain to see. What was she talking about? That certainly didn't sound like something the hokage would say. It was much to grim, and odwn right rude. She was better than that. If they didn't want jun to be a genin why bother training her in the first place. So why even bother getting her this far?
 
From her pack Tori dumped out a dozen Shuriken, Kunai, smoke bombs, and even a few explosive tags. A single short katana dropped to the ground as well. As well as some weapons that Jun had never even seen before. "What I mean is. The village is only going to let the strongest of you three become a Ninja."
 
A hot flash of heat echoed through Jun's chest. "What?" She gasped feeling like her heart had been encased in concrete. "They expect us to fight for it?" This didn't make any sense. Why wouldn't' they tell us this before? Why bother graduating her at all?
 
"No. " Tori answered. Her voice wasn't giving anything away, but some how Jun got the feel that this wasn't just a really bad pratical joke. "They expect you to kill for it." Then it does that dramatic anime thing when it flashes to all three of their faces to show their shock. Of which there was plenty. "Well at least survive for it." She sighed and chewed on the end of her senbon for a second. "In one hour I will come after you three, and kill two of you. The last one standing becomes my student. Of course you could try to kill each other right now. You'd have a much better chance against your teammates than me." Oh well, she seemed to say as she shrugged her shoulders and brought out a lighter. "I'm going to go for a smoke. See you guys in a bit. Or not." With that she dispersed into a cloud of smoke. Non-carsanegenic ninja smoke thankfully.
 
For a split second the pure shock and confusion of the situation filled the air with a pressure that even the smoke that Tori had dissipated in. It wasn't meant to last however. As soon as the smoke had fully cleared the landing the three of them shot into action.
 
Jun ran forward for the sword, as long as she had that it didn't much matter what else she had going on for her. As long as she had that sword she wouldn’t be caught completely flat footed. She jumped forward throwing herself for the sheathed weapon. She landed on her side with an 'ompf' and rolled over to sword. She felt for the sheath make contact with her hand and immediately she grasped it. She pulled herself to her feet, and tried to get a report in on her surroundings.
 
As soon as she looked up from the ground, she felt a fist collide with her chin and send her flying off in the opposite direction. She fell to the ground and let out a loud gasp as she felt the metalic tang of blood fill her mouth like a sick drink. She brought her hand up to her lip and let out another gasp as she felt the sting from it. Jun craned her neck back to see Payton scooping the rest of the weapons into the backpack that Tori had left on the floor.
 
he'd hit her! Jun couldn't believe it. Well actually it wasn't all that hard to believe, really. Payton hadn't shown even the smallest bit of honor in all his time as Jun's team mate. It hadn't been that long, but enough time for Jun to tell that she really wasn't that nice of a guy.
 
She swallowed her now metallic spit and got to her feet. She felt the cold shock of rain water run down her legs as she verticalized herself. She didn't have time to worry about what this guy was going. There was a Jounin some where out here in the woods looking to kill all of them. Jun burst into the forest, tearing down some folliage as she went. Best to put as much distance between here and herself as she possibly could.  She felt the wet 'fwap' of branches as they collided with her bare skin.
 
She burst through the under growth of the forest, catching bits and pieces of her track suit on the twigs and branches of the forest as she sprinted through. When she'd woken up this morning she'd been so excited now she didn't even know what was going on! Why would they do this? It didn't make any sense. Why even graduate them if they were just going to kill them anyway. It was insane certainly not how Jun would run an academy if she was given the choice. Well first she'd have to survive this then she'd think about what her future would hold.
 
She ran like the wind. Knowing that she wouldn't do very good in combat if it actually came to that. Which she desperatly hoped it wouldn't. She knew herself she simply didn't have the will to hurt another living being. It just wasn't inside of her. If it came down to a matter of living and killing. Well Jun was already dead. Her only hope was to run and hide and hope that she lasted long enough to be the only one left. She wouldn't get in any one's way but she had to look after herself too. IT was selfish she knew, but she had a grand daughter to take Camping.
 
She burst forth from the forest with a gasp. Blood was running down a cut from her freckled cheek. She came forth into a clearing in the forest. For a second she thought that she'd gone in one big circle and ended up back where she'd started. Not something that would contribute to well to her whole run and hide idea. However after a few seconds of looking about she was able to notice a few key differences. But let's face it. One clearing in the forest was just as good as another.
 
She made her way across it. Not willing to slow down even the smallest bit. Especially because she was BEING HUNTED! She ran forward, but was stopped short when two Senbon dug into the earth before her feet. She stopped in an instant and wildly looked around for the source of the attack. She couldn't believe that some one had actually attacked her! Well she could believe it but after all that friendship she'd dreamed about as she sped her way through the examinations wasted on one afternoon of broken trust how terrible. "Hold it right there Jun!" It was Suzika's voice. How'd she forgotten about her? She hadn’t seen her in the initial scrap for the weapons she wondered how she was able to get a hold of those senbon. "I don't want to hurt you but if you get any closer you'll forever my hand, by god."
 
Her words were harsh. But the tone that she spoke wasn't as harsh. It still carried the scared tone with it, but Jun got the foolish idea that she didn't mean her harm. Whole hearted harm at least. "I don't want to hurt anybody!" Jun yelled despatly tears running down her face. How had this day gotten so rotten so fast? She knew she talked a big game when people asked her about keeping up with the younger generation but now she wasn't so sure! These kids grew up around parents who could shoot fire balls. Who know what they had up their sleeve? All Jun knew how to do was how to plow a field.
 
"You think any of us do?" Suzika shouted back, her own voice trembling. "But We've got to! I'm not going to die here okay?" She was somewhere in the bushes 20M Ahead. Judging from the tone and volume of her shouts. Still that was a pretty big distance for her to judge, she could be anywhere in that approximate area.
 
"Neither am I." Jun whispered taking a bold step forward then several more. Before heven she knew it she was fully walking towards the other side of the clearing. She gritted her teeth and held her breath just waiting for the inevitable pin pricks of Senbon to rip through her, but much to her suprise the horrid pricks never came. only the stinging bites of the rain. The weather was turning foul, just because the day was going so well without it.
 
Don't be fooled another salvo of the neigh invisible needles came at Jun. Their stinging bit getting so close as to rip fabric away from her track suit but never coming so close as to draw blood or do her harm. "I swear to god Jun! You come any closer to me and I'll make you look like a Pin Cushion." Dire threats indeed, but her voice was still tattered and frayed like a sailor's rope.
Jun burst into a spring across the clearing. The senbon had stopped flying and Jun felt safe in her assumption of where Suzika was now hiding. She ran for the bush, pulled it apart and looked at her prey with a small glint in her eyes. She'd found her.
Curled up in fetal position with snot rolling down her nose. She looked absolutely terrible. Hardly like a strong Kunochi who Jun had met only yesterday, though Jun supposed that she too looked nothing like the gentle man she'd tried so hard to present to everyone. "Please don't hurt me." She begged burring her big bleary brown eyes into her knees. How could she when she was like this?
 
Even if she'd presented her with a proud and strong visage Jun would never be able to hurt another person. Never. "I told you I'm not hurting anybody okay? She crouched down and put her hand on her cheek. "We're going to get out of this alive together, okay?" She looked at her for confirmation and she meekly nodded her head.
 
"Okay." She whispered.
 
"We just have to watch our backs and we're going to be A - okay ya get me?" Again she weakly nodded.
 
A third voice sounded out from the tree tops not to far away from them. "Speaking of watching your backs!" It was payton. His voice still had that some cockyness that he'd held since Jun had met her. She should have known that she'd be the first one to turn on everyone. Both he and his two dogs jumped down from the tree tops. Each of them presented Suzika and Jun with a firce look.
Jun opened her mouth to speak but she noticed herself sucking in a strange white cloud of particles. She coughed for a moment and turned her attention to the clearing. There was what looked like a white fog rolling in from the middle. Which by now was immersed in a solid cloud of the stuff. Jun couldn't even see the other side from where she was, and she'd only been there seconds before.
 
"She's here." Payton announced giving his best  The Shining impersonation.
 
"What is that stuff?" Jun gasped as she looked out at the field. She hadn't taken any noes on anything like this before. Was it a Genjutsu perhaps?
 
"Hidden Mist Jutsu." Suzika intoned sharing the same gaze. "The User infuses her chakra into a nearby body of water in order to turn it to vapor and fill the air. Even advanced bloodlines can't see through it. But now we know she's a water user." Jun pulled out hist not book and took note of this. Not the first time she'd heard of a ninja's element being spoken of in such a vital way. Jun hadn't learned the lesson about that yet, however she was sure that elements would turn how to be important somehow. So a person's element could be determined as easily as seeing what jutsu they used? Intresting! She made sure to highlight this passage in her notes for further research.
 
"Ha!" Payton announced jumping from the bushes and into the opening. "I'll deal with you two later." he formed a hand seal and her two dogs turned into exact clones of him. "She may think that she's got us with eye sight, but we don't need that. I can transfer chakra into my nose and enhance my sense of smell ten-fold. She can hide from sight all she likes, but she won't be able to hide from us." With that he formed the confrontation seal. Jun could feel the chakra coming off of her. An interesting set of moves indeed. Her clan must have been a terribly interesting set of people to have devolved such bizaree skills. She almost felt bad for insulting them like she had yesterday. If not for the fact that they produced such a rancid son.
 
However it would seem that it was all in vain. The moment Payton took a whiff of the air he clenched his hand over his nose and wheezed. He began coughing and both he and his dogs dropped to their knees. Their dog knees at least.
 
"Smoking Veil Jutsu." Announced Tori's voice from within her cloud of smoke. "First rule of combat is always know more about your enemies than they know about you. Shouting you clan's name about might work well for heraldry, but in a fight the more you tell about yourself the more ammo you give your enemies."
 
As this lecture was going on Jun looked to the tree tops. Now the thick headiness of the smoke was getting to her. As she looked up to the tree tops she could see that there was no smoke crawling up them into the sky. The chakra must have been weighing the smoke down keeping it from flying upwards. Coming to that conclusion Jun jumped to a tree branch above her head pulling herself up and away from the smoke. With her keen eyes she noticed that Suzika had already figured the same thing out and was yet ten feet above her already. 'Clever girl.' She channeled Chakra through her feet and finger tips to allow her to scale up the slick wood.
 
Tori continued speaking. Though none of the ninja could see her they could feel her voice growing closer. "The most clever of enimies can turn even your greatest advantage into a down fall."
 
Jun's eyes rapidly scanned the field of smoke, even Payton had vanished from her view. She sighed and bit her lip. How could she run at a time like this? How could she live with herself as a ninja if it meant having her team mates die? Blast it all! She pulled her sword from her sheath. It was better to die defending something, than to live through a betrayal. Out from the smoke her keen eyes could pick out a figure, one matching that of Tori. Jun gritted her teeth as her Heart pumped her body fool of adrenaline. 'Here we go.'
 
Leaping from the tree branch she held her sword overhead, aiming it for the man she should have been her sensei. She brought her sword down, straight through the form of Tori. "Gotcha." She whispered sheathing her blade. Like a bad ass she stowed her blade away, and when she did a gush to blood came spraying out of Tori, so very gory.
 
"So you'd think." Came Tori's voice from behind Jun. Her heart blazed inside of her chest. She'd killed her she knew she had! Before she could even turn around fully she felt her head be wretched down to the ground by her hair. She let out a girlish gasp as she fell to her knees. The smoke seemed to clear as Jun caught view of Payton still wheezing.
 
"This isn't fair!" Payton coughed. "You're a Jounin how are we supposed to beat you?"
 
"We're not!" Jun announced somehow not wheezing from the smoke. "We're supposed to die."
 
Tori laughed. "Well at least one of you were listening."
 
"You're our sensei! You're suppose to be teaching us!" Jun cried trying to pull away but her hair screamed in protest. Tori seemed to have her grabbed by the very roots of her black hair. This guy was actually going to kill them! Jun was going to die! Vanish from this earth! There was still so much she had to do.
"Lesson two: The world is unfair and people die. But since you seem so keen on learning something from this I'll move onto lesson three. She drew her own sword from what seemed from the thing air. I'll let the person who answers this question correctly live for five more minutes. Is this Jutsu a Ninjutsu or Genjutsu?"
 
Each of the ninja were desperate to answer. "Genjutsu!" Called Jun. She'd seen Tori slain before her very eyes only to seem her reapear. Only the work of Genjutsu could pulling something like that off without a substitution. Jun had taken some pretty thurogh notes on the different types of jutsu that a ninja could learn. She found it all unbelievably fascinating.
 
"Ninjutsu." Exclaimed Payton, he to terribly desperate for her own life. The burning of his lungs was very much real.
 
"Wrong on both accounts." Tori sighed shoving her blade through Jun's chest, and letting her fall to the ground dead in front of Payton. Who cried out in anguish upon seeing her team mate fall. For all his spite and bile Payton was not a man willing to see his comrades die.
 
However From her position above the battle field she could see Jun slump over from her position in the tree and fall to the ground. It seemed to her that she'd been caught in a genjutsu after all. Her mind was reeling. Should she let the battle go on? Let them both die? They were the most immediate threat. Tori would kill them both and let Her live. It was terrible. Indisputably wrong, but, but she wanted to live.
 
The sword which pieced Jun's heart vanished in a willowing whip of smoke as Tori approached Payton by stepping over Jun's dead body. "It was a trick question it was both. Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Ninjutsu. The three sides of the great ninja pyramid. All terribly strong on their own, but no one leg can hold as much weight as all three working in tandem. My smoke is two fold. A smoke which burns your eyes, and sears your lungs hiding me from view. While also acting as a medium for genjutsu. Which you are currently under.
 
She rose a newly formed sword above her head. "Seeing that the answer was both I'll have to kill you too."
 
Payton who even now could not find the strength to stand to her feet closed her eyes. Even in her great pride she could not find a way to see how she could live through this. Except for... Deus Ex Machina! Chakra threads! From the tree tops gripped onto Payton's form and pulled her into the tree branches where Jun was slowly awakening.
 
"I didn't need your help!" Payton barked. "Now my pups are down there with no one to defend them." he turned his attention back to the smoke filled air.
 
"Hey!" Jun shouted her voice for one growing harsh. She grabbed Payton by the shoulder and wretched her around to look Jun in the face. "What's your deal? First you try to attack us and now Suzika saves the both of us and you treat her like this? If I was your father I'd put you over my knee and teach you some respect. In fact I might do that anyway!"
 
"Attack you?" Payton scoffed. "What are you going on about? I was tracking you two down so we could hunt as a pack. You'd think I'd kill my fellow team mates? Are you an idiot? And my dad's done plenty worse than that, so stop trying to act like you're so mature."
 
"You punched me!" Jun whined still feeling the burn from her busted lip.
 
"Oh that." Payton scoffed again waving her off. "I saw you jumping for the weapons I thought you were going to try to horde them all for yourself."
 
"Me horde?" Jun shouted at the ridiculousness of the accusation. My parents trained the desire of loot and physical objects out of me. I desire nothing other than to serve my village.
 
Payton shrugged his pack off of his back and opened the thing open. "There look it's all yours. I don't care. I just wanted to make sure we were all armed but whatever! He threw the pack into Jun's arms. Take It I don't care! I'm going to go save my pups." He turned back away and went to jump from the tree.
 
"Wait!" Jun shouted once more grabbing her shoulder and wretching her back around.
 
"Listen Mate! I'm getting really fucking tired of you doing that!" She pointed her finger right into Jun's face. "You hear me?"
 
Jun blushed in backed away. "I was just going to suggest that maybe we. We work as a team to save them." She looked to Suzika for support. "Yeah?"
 
Fade to black
 
Payton flew across the smoke covered field to where he knew his pups were trapped. he got to his position without incident. He crouched down to the ground over her pups. Both knocked out but still breathing thankfully. He pulled a flash bomb from his pouch and threw it into the air.
 
Seeing the position where the flash bomb went off Suzika threw her four paper bombs across the field. Their explosions clearing the smoke from the area. The smoke was blown away revealing Tori's form within it all!
 
"Round two!" Jun announced as she burst forth the bushes and slicing her teacher in half for a second time.
 
"I didn't fall for it once what makes you think 'round two' would go any better?" Tori laughed appearing behind Jun once more another sword ready to finish her off.
 
With a grunt Suzika pulled on the chakra threads she had connected to Jun's body. Forcing her to spin arround faster than even she could react. As she spun she cut Tori in half. Even if she hadn't been able to see through the Genjutsu Suzika who sat vigil in the tree away from the maiasma of the smoke could. Allowing her to easily manipulate Jun's wiling body perform as her puppet.
Jun gasped as she saw the body of her sensei explode into smoke and transform into a log. "Substitution?"
 
"Lesson Number... oh I forget. Always have a back up plane for an attack. You had yours but you didn't account for my own plan B." Her voice came from right behind Jun.
 
"Didn't we?" Payton's voice came shouting. "Fang over fang!" He spiraling attack went straight for Tori who was mid air in her attack of Jun. With no options for avoidance he was hit by the attack. taking out a large chunk of her side and sending her flying into a nearby tree harshly.
 
Tori grunted lightly, and let out a long moan. "That was pretty good. But it's time for Lesson Number... oh I forget + 1. Always pay attention. I told all three of you that you were in my Genjutsu but none of you made any effort to dispel it." With that Tori appeared behind Both Jun, and Payton. With a swish of her hand the two felt their bodies being evisorated. The two of them fell aginst the same tree that Tori had been thrown against. "Or perhaps I misjudged you skill and used a genjutsu that was too powerful?" She kneeled down over the two boys, and whislted slightly. "I have to admit you made me proud at the last moment, but let it die out all too soon." With a sigh Tori released the three little ninja from the genjutsu. They found themselves sitting in the bushes where they’d been when the smoke first hit them. Tori had gotten them this early?
 
Back in reality Jun awoke from the Genjutsu,  bringing her to instant awareness the moment she awoke from her stupor. She shot up from the bushes where her comrades were currently still passed out. Well they were starting to awaken now. In the clearing was Tori who was now coming out of the genjutsu herself. Jun drew her sword and swung for the decisive victory!
 
... Well she'd been hoping at least. She felt a sharp pain in her knee and ended up tumbling to the ground like a disgrace. When she opened her eyes she could spot a senbon sticking out of her knee. She glared at Tori in anger. The bastard had spit a senbon into her kneecap! Must have hit a pressure point or something. Jun Sighed they were just too out classed.
 
 
Suzika and Payton found themselves peeling themselves out of the bushes where they'd been before they'd even noticed the smoke rolling in. "She caught us this early?" payton grunted pulling himself up from the ground.
 
Standing over them was Tori who was clapping her hands. "Not bad you three." She laughed. "You managed to pull of a pretty good come back there at the end. Still if that was a real life situation you'd be dead. Should have released the genjutsu when I mentioned it and not let poor jun take me on all on her own." She sighed and held her fingers up to the bridge of her nose. "Still you all show Promise. So I'll let you three live." The three Genin began to smile slightly. "But before we go too crazy still only one of you is allowed to train under me. So, which on of you came up with that plan. I'll allow the tactical Genius among you protect your village."
 
No dice Tori, no Dice. "All of us!" The three of them announced resolutely. "It was a team effort."
 

Tori snapped her fingers and gave a devilish smile. "Darn. One last chance for you to betray each other." She sighed and leaned forward to help the three of them off the ground. "I guess I'll be training all three of you then eh?" She let out a chuckle. "I think I'm getting soft. Usually it takes a few more fake deaths before they realize the purpose of that exercise!"

(8013, +40 stats.3k Lord of the pit, 4k and superiority sinker)