Reizo Path to Jounin Pt. 1

Mission:

Having now gone on a couple of missions and spending time as a medical nin in the EMT Corps, Reizo felt he could now undertake the first trial mission to prove that he could be Jounin. It was a fresh new day, just past daybreak. The Chuunin would wake up and hop into the shower after stripping out of his pajamas. His body had undergone some changes since he had been promoted. He was 15 now and had grown quite a bit. He still had yet to go through his major growth spurt, but he had definitely gotten taller since his Genin years. It was crazy to think back on his days at the Academy. They felt like a lifetime ago, yet it really hadn’t been that long. He hadn’t even known his team that long, even though it felt like they knew each other for their whole lives. Team Red had been through so much together. With Senshi being a Jounin now, Reizo felt he had a lot of catching up to do. He always felt like he was in the other’s shadow, but unlike his more youthful years, Reizo didn’t see it as a challenge anymore. He had to admit that his teammate had been putting a bit more work into his training lately, so the Chuunin had to respect him and his effort.

Today, though, was Reizo’s day to try to prove himself to the village elites. It was only a preliminary round, so every Chuunin in the village was eligible to take it at their leisure, but the blonde saw this as just as important as his Genin and Chuunin Exams. It was more to prove to himself that he hadn’t been slacking and was just as qualified and able as Senshi as long as he put in the work. All of these thoughts and reflections entertained Reizo while he showered, making sure to completely clean his body of any toxins and dirt. Ten minutes after he started, Reizo was drying off. His hair had gone quite long, and so it was taking longer and longer to dry. He didn’t bother with drying it entirely anymore and instead would let it air dry as he got dressed in his shinobi attire. He wore a black tank with his clan name emblazoned on the front in the palest blue, black pants with a scarlet-orange flame print down his right leg, black shinobi sandals and a black shinobi headband, and of course his flak vest and dark indigo jacket. He took care to strap both his tantos to his back, parallel to one another, and his weapon pouches with all of his equipment in them to his leg and waist. Giving himself one last look in the mirror, Reizo was surprised to see the image looking back at him. This wasn’t the innocent and cheerful child that had graduated the Academy not so long ago anymore. His eyes were drained of their brilliance, his face hardened through combat and trials. His expression was far duller and more serious. Despite his youthful features, his expression reflected that of a jaded middle-aged war veteran. Between the Chuunin Exams, the bandit raids, the encounter with Maku, fighting the Raikage, and watching as his team nearly be slaughtered before his eyes, it was hard to believe he had anything in common with himself from years ago. No one could possibly go through all he had gone through and come out as the same person.

Reizo nodded to himself to confirm his feelings and his review of his past experiences, and headed off to the recruitment site. His mom was already up, preparing for the day’s work in the kitchen as she got everything ready for the dumpling cart. She gave him half a dozen dumplings and rice, packed neatly into a bento box, for lunch, and after kissing her good bye he left the quaint 1 story house. He was only a couple of blocks from the recruitment center, and so he took almost no time at all getting there from his house. In only a few minutes, he had arrived and entered the building.

It was pretty empty, only a couple of Chuunin and Kumo higher ups were present. They had only just opened, and Chuunin and Jounin had until noon to stop by the site and figure out their teams and contact them. By 2 pm, it was expected that they had met up with their teams in person, and then at 8 pm the Chuunin and Jounin were to reconvene to discuss their teams and their potential. Tomorrow would be when the first big trials began.

The first part of the Jounin Trials involved the assignment of a team for him to lead. The trials themselves were based around how well a Chuunin could lead their team of three Genin given various situations and challenges. First, Reizo would have to receive his team assignment, which is why he was at the recruitment center. The most recent class of Academy graduates had been split into teams in order to best group them by their abilities and balance their strengths and weaknesses against one another. The recruitment center had the list of all of the fresh graduates, their team, and their Chuunin leader. Unlike most villages where Jounin almost exclusively held command over Genin squads, Kumogakure had higher expectations for each ranking. They assigned both Chuunin and Jounin to teams, with the Jounin typically getting the most talented teams to raise to their full potential while Chuunin were given more diverse and balanced teams.

Reizo had been fortunate enough to be placed in a team under Itami Terumi, one of the villages leading Jounin shinobi. His teammates, Max Yamaguchi and Senshi Kobayashi, were equally talented. They were known as Team Red, as their generation used a naming convention based off colors. It seemed that this outgoing class from the Academy had their teams named after elements and attributes. Reizo scanned the list that was posted on one of the billboards of the recruitment center for his name. He went through each of the teams; each one listed with the elemental title first, followed by the leader name, and then lastly the three Genin to be led. Water, Wind… Team Light, Team Sky… Oh there I am! Team Fire, nice! Let’s see who I’m leading, Reizo thought to himself as he read the massive list. Hmm… Takumi Suzuki, Saizo Mitsubishi, and Azura Toyotami. Oh perfect, they listed their contact information too, Reizo observed, somewhat surprised that the trial was so lenient as to list the info and not have him going on a wild goose chase for the better part of the morning trying to get in touch with his team. Their addresses were all listed, and so he’d have to pay them all a visit.

The blonde Chuunin grabbed a pen and paper from the nearby signup desk and wrote down their addresses. He then drafted up three identical letters that directed his new students to meet him at the top of the recruitment center at noon. Running to each of his trainee’s homes, Reizo would knock a couple of times and slide the note under the door. By 11 am he had successfully tracked down everyone’s address, and made his way up to the roof of the recruitment station. It was a flat roof with a couple of benches, like it was made for meetings. Reizo had the whole roof to himself for the next hour, and so he ate the lunch his mom had prepared him with earlier that day while he waited, contemplating just what types of personalities his new students would have. He hoped they wouldn’t be too much of a pain. He wouldn’t be that much older than them, so he figured they might have some trouble listening to him. He’d have to set them straight early on in order to get their respect. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t – that’s what the trial tomorrow was for after all. It was supposed to be an initiation and a training exercise, but he hoped the stakes would at least get them into the right mindset to not fail.


This first trial was a weed out for all the teams. By the end of this trial, far more than half of the teams would be eliminated and would have to try again next quarter. Some would lose their match and be automatically disqualified, others would be disqualified for poor performance despite a win, and still others could be disqualified for lack of teamwork and cohesion. For the Chuunin, this meant 3 months longer of being Chuunin and even then only having a CHANCE to try again. Most Chuunin took between 3 and 5 years of going through these exams at minimum in order to become Jounin, but the risk was far greater as often times the Chuunin might not even live through them. Even if they do live, there’s not always the guarantee that they can retake the Jounin Exams every time. If the Chuunin proved to be incompetent or exceptionally unworthy to lead a team, they could just be permanently stuck as a Chuunin with no more room for advancement. There were other ways to become Jounin, such as being distinguished in combat or proving to be an invaluable asset to the village, as Senshi had been, but those were far rarer than the common exams.

For the Genin, helping their Chuunin sensei along would give them permission to partake in the Chuunin Exams and try to promote themselves. In some rare cases, these trials could even serve as Chuunin Exams too, should the Genin prove themselves particularly worthy. It was a high pressure situation for all parties, and he hoped his team would be talented and dedicated enough to work together and pass these trials and exams.

At 11:45 am, not long after Reizo finished his lunch, his first student would walk in from the door leading to the stairwell. The blonde was a bit disappointed that she had chosen such a basic route, but he wasn’t sure he expected much else out of a fresh Academy graduate. ”Umm… are you Shoyu-Sensei?” she directed the question toward Reizo, who was seated on the edge of one of the many vents presumably used for heat and air conditioning. ”You can just call me Reizo. I take it you must be Azura? I’ve heard many good things about you. Just have a seat wherever while we wait for the rest of the team to show,” Reizo would say, very casually. From her bio, Reizo recalled that Azura Toyotami was a straight A student who excelled in chakra control. She was likely suited for genjutsu or medical ninjutsu. Her interests were singing and music composition. She seemed to be fairly timid, so Reizo found it hard to believe that she could sing in front of people.

The Chuunin took the time to memorize her chakra signature. Not only was he aiming to memorize her base signature, but the Chuunin was also learning how to improve his sensory abilities as a whole. He had been trying to extend his sensory range further and further, and also pinpointing peoples’ exact locations. He had been attempting to open the Mind’s Eye of the Kagura, but hadn’t experienced much success. He was hoping that by memorizing the three incoming Genin that he would gain some much needed knowledge as to how to do it. He’d been studying up on the process, but he didn’t have the resources to test it on brand new chakra signatures. With his three students, however, Reizo hoped he could now gain access to the elusive and powerful sensory technique.

Reizo felt it would be inappropriate to strike up a conversation before the rest of the team showed up. It would be unfair to the rest of the team as he told them to be here at noon, and starting before then felt disingenuous. The two would sit in relative silence, although the Chuunin could’ve sworn he could hear very faint humming, but he wasn’t paying too much attention. At noon exactly, another twelve year old dropped in. He had scaled the side of the building with the surface walking jutsu and leapt onto the rooftop. He wore a black mask that covered the lower half of his face, and was dressed nearly entirely in black except for a royal blue scarf around his neck. He had reddish auburn hair, and a fiery yet stern look in his eyes. He looked like someone that took his shinobi duties very seriously, and lived every moment of every day respecting his strict ninja way. After getting to his feet, the boy would rise to attention, straightening his posture as though a pole were shoved up his spine. ”Saizo Mitsubishi, reporting to Team Fire, sir!” he would shout to Reizo. Azura giggled at Saizo’s antics, while Reizo just gave a vacant expression. ”At ease, soldier. Go have a seat with the young lady. Your teammate’s late,” Reizo would say, nodding in Azura’s direction. The ninja would hasten to a seat next to Azura.

The Chuunin would take a moment to study the new arrival’s chakra signature and try to stow it in his memory banks. He closed his eyes briefly to try to picture his team and those walking inside the recruitment center using only his sensory abilities. Although he had a pretty clear idea of their general locations, most people were hard to picture, especially when tracking through multiple floors. Even though he had been practicing a lot, it was still difficult to pinpoint exact locations and heights of people based solely on their chakra signature. Reizo would keep working at it for a little while while he waited for the last Genin to show up.

A few minutes passed. It was nearly 5 minutes past noon. The last boy was late. Reizo was sure that he did not have a valid excuse, and so he scanned the area for a weak chakra signature nearby, hoping he could pinpoint Takumi’s location. To his surprise, there seemed to be one clinging to the side of the building, near the roof, but unmoving. ”Wait here,” Reizo would direct his two juniors as he walked over to the edge of the roof where Takumi had nearly emerged. The Chuunin stood on the edge, staring down at the struggling Genin as a bird swooped at him repeatedly. He wasn’t using the surface walking jutsu, but instead was clinging for dear life to the side of the building, futilely swatting at the bird with his free hand. Reizo’s shadow cast over him, drawing the Genin’s attention away from the bird for a brief moment. ”Takumi?” Reizo would ask, laying on his stomach to extend his hand to hoist the Genin onto the roof. The white-haired Genin blushed and cast his look away as he sheepishly accepted the blonde’s assistance. With a single jerk, Takumi was hoisted over Reizo’s head with one hand and settled to the ground.

”You’re late, you know. I don’t want to hear the excuses, just make sure this is the last time, or it’s back to the Academy,” the Chuunin solemnly stated, tossing the threat around rather casually. He remembered how scary any threat of being sent back to the Academy had been, whether they held any weight or not. ”Now that you’re all here, we can start with some formal introductions,” Reizo would say to his new team. Takumi scrambled to be seated alongside his two teammates. The three of them all seemed fairly mature, even Takumi who initially seemed like he could be a clown was respectful to Reizo when he spoke. This made things much easier, and the Chuunin was grateful for his team. ”I want each of you to introduce yourselves. Give your name, age, specialties, why you want to be a ninja, and any elements if you know them,” Reizo would tell his team. These were the basics that he recalled Itami had them state, so he felt it was appropriate. Even though he had received a bio on each of his Genin trainees, the kids hadn’t been afforded such convenience, and it was important for every team member to know what they and their teammates were capable of. ”Takumi, since you were late, you get to start. I’d prefer if you stood while you spoke too,” Reizo said, directing Takumi as though he were in a classroom.

The Chuunin tried to get a read on the newcomer. First thing to do of course was to memorize and study his chakra signature. Reizo was trying to imagine what Takumi’s intentions were and how he would act in certain situations, but at this point there were too many variables. The blonde really wanted to figure out where he could slot each Genin’s role on the team, and how they would work in a combat scenario. The only way to truly figure it all out though, was to wait for their responses.


”Ok. Sorry for being late. I know you don’t want to hear excuses, but I really…” Reizo shot him a quick and penetrating gaze to tell him to get on with the introduction and skip the excuses. Takumi gulped and was visibly nervous as he continued to speak, ”R-right… I’m Takumi Suzuki. I’m 12 years old, and I’m a Weapons Specialist. I know it’s not too popular among shinobi, but I prefer to use a bow and arrow to attack from afar. I know a little bit of wind jutsu, but I don’t have a great deal of experience using ninjutsu or chakra in general, aside from what we needed in the Academy. I have a strong sense of patriotic duty to the village and the Raikage, which is why I want to be a ninja. I want to pledge my bow to the service of the Raikage and protect the village from invaders,” Takumi would say. Reizo remembered that Takumi’s grades were slightly below average, but his Genin Exam grades were well above average. It seemed like he was one of those kids that didn’t care for school, but his motivation for being a shinobi was strong enough to make him sit down to prepare for his trials. He would probably be easy to keep on task knowing that his Chuunin rank was at stake.

”Noble intentions for sure, I can respect that. Saizo, your turn. Remember: name, age, specialty, element, and motivations. Go ahead,” Reizo motioned toward the red headed ninja.

Saizo would bolt upright at his name being called, standing straight even though Reizo had not directed him to do so. ”The name is Saizo Mitsubishi. I’m 13 years old as of today. I’m mostly a Ninjutsu specialist, but I’m pretty good with weapons and stealth as well. I already know two elements, Lightning and Fire, but I’m not comfortable enough to use them in combat just yet. I have a sworn and solemn duty to defend my family name and become the clan leader just as my father is, and his father had done before him, going back many generations. I plan to uphold my clan’s honor, and defend it to the death,” the red-haired Genin would say, putting his right fist to his heart.
I’ll have to keep a close eye on Saizo then. If he fights for his clan, there’s a chance he might stand against Kumo in the future. I doubt that will be the case, but it’s always cause for concern, Reizo thought to himself. ”Very good. And you, Azura?” the Chuunin would say to the remaining member of the squad.

The girl would remain seated as she spoke. She was rather quiet, but she didn’t seem all that shy. At least, that’s not the impression Reizo got when she spoke. Her voice was strong, likely from years of vocal lessons; she was just soft-spoken. She parted her long turquoise hair behind one ear before she spoke. ”My name is Azura Toyotami. I’m 14 years old. My main interests like in Genjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, and Fuinjutsu, but at the moment my specialty is Fuinjutsu. I don’t know any elements yet, but according to the test they have us take in the Academy now I’m naturally inclined to the water element. I want to be a ninja to protect the land and the people I love most. I can’t stand when I’m forced to sit idly by while I watch innocent people get hurt,” the golden eyed singer would say, with a bit of emotion behind the last sentence. Reizo simply nodded in confirmation at her introduction, a bit surprised to hear that she wasn’t even 1 full year younger than he was. The Chuunin would move on to introduce himself, staying seated on his vent box.

”Now that you all know each other, I think it’s only fair for me to talk about myself a little bit, since I sat here so patiently listening to you guys. I’m Reizo Shoyu, and I’ve been tasked with being your sensei. I am to teach you guys and guide you on your way to becoming excellent shinobi, learning everything there is to know about the basics of survival, stealth, combat, tracking, and trap detection. I don’t plan on doing much teaching myself, but rather I expect you to each forge your own path and make your own choices as to how you develop. If I feel at any point in time that you are struggling, I may provide a little bit of assistance, but if it becomes commonplace I will not hesitate to flunk you out of this development period. In the same manner if I find you to be exceptional, I’ll put your names forward to tackle the Chuunin Exams. Now for a bit about myself. I’m 15 years old and became a Chuunin not too long ago myself. My specialty as a Genin was Taijutsu, and now I’ve extended beyond that to learn Medical Ninjutsu. I fight to protect my friends and those I care about, but most importantly I fight for the sake of the village. I don’t fight for any one man or woman, I fight for the ideas that founded Kumogakure, and I vow to protect it and those that support it.

“Since we all know each other now, our first exercise as a team will be held tomorrow at training site 6. We are to be fighting against another Chuunin and his team of similarly skilled Genin. I don’t mean to put additional pressure on you, since we only just met, but this is an important step to my Jounin promotion as well, so I expect nothing less than full cooperation. I’ll do my part and protect you guys, and you guys fill in the gaps wherever needed. Be at the training site by 9:30 am, no excuses. Think of this as a first impression to demonstrate your strengths. Until then, you’re all dismissed. Have a good afternoon and evening, and have a good night’s sleep!” Reizo concluded his long-winded speech. It was nearly 1 pm. After his students had left, Reizo stretched and headed home. He couldn’t wait to brag and talk smack to all the other senseis tonight about how well-behaved and how solid his team was. They all had different specialties, no one was particularly boring, and they were at least seemingly respectful of Reizo. It was a good group of kids.


8 pm rolled around and Reizo was back at the recruitment center. He wore the same clothes, including his Chuunin Flak vest. He had never been to one of these affairs before, and was a little nervous at the prospect of hanging out with all of these elite ninja, almost all of whom were older than he was. In place of the Raikage was a village Jounin, whom Reizo recognized from leading his Chuunin Exams. He asked around with a clipboard in one hand, taking notes on the initial encounters the Senseis had with their teams. When he came to Reizo, the Chuunin detailed how he felt the Genin were well-behaved and that the team seemed like they would get along, although they hadn’t done much more than introduced themselves and gone their separate ways. The Jounin made a worried expression, mentioning that many of the other teams had shared a meal with each other and that the teams tended to stay together once they were dismissed by their Sensei. Reizo assured the Jounin that the team got along fine, and he lied, saying that he had gotten dinner with his team, even though he hadn’t. The Jounin nodded and patted Reizo on the shoulder, and then went on to talk to other Senseis.

Reizo didn’t feel like staying very long. He didn’t know anybody here, and the food they had catered wasn’t anything special. Once he felt certain that there would be no further questioning, Reizo snuck out of the event and went home. He wondered how his team planned to prepare for their first team exercise, and how they would fight together. He imagined it might take a while for them to get used to each other’s fighting styles, which is why he told them to meet up at 9:30 instead of 10 am, when the exam started. He wanted to get a solid plan to go in with, and hopefully they would stick to it.

The Chuunin fell asleep around midnight, excited for the events of the next day.


Reizo woke up without the aid of an alarm at 7:30 am. He never seemed to be one that needed all that much sleep; even the seven and a half hours he got this night was more than usual. He would get ready for the day as soon as he woke up. No time spent reading, just straight to the shower for him. The sensei thought about a game plan to outline how he would command his team to victory while he was in the shower. Using the information he learned from their team discussion yesterday, he figured Azura would function best as support. She wasn’t much of a fighter, yet, but she could provide decent support using the basic Academy jutsu, as she was the most proficient in school of all of them. Takumi would be a ranged damage dealer, assuming he actually possessed skill with the bow and that it wasn’t all for show. Saizo, although he wasn’t a Taijutsu specialist, seemed to be the most avid ninja of the bunch, and so it made sense for him to be on the frontlines with Reizo. The Chuunin himself, while he could probably solo the whole exercise, wanted to give his team as much of an opportunity to show case their skills, and so he would intentionally hold back and just occupy the opposing sensei.

He exited the shower with those thoughts dancing in his mind, and quickly got dressed and equipped for the upcoming exercise. Most notably, he donned his flak vest and Piercing of Swiftness. He didn’t wear his usual jacket today, and opted for a basic black long sleeve shirt and ¾ length pants. His longer model black sandals covered up his calf and ankle, providing additional support, and hiding any skin that the pants would’ve revealed. He left his tantos at home since they likely wouldn’t be that useful. He didn’t want to actually maim or hurt anyone- it was just an exercise after all.

Reizo headed to the exercise site at 9 am and would arrive at 9:20, before he expected any of his pupils to be there. Just his luck, Azura was there early and had been waiting alone. ”Sorry Azura, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting alone; I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again,” the boy apologized. Azura shook her head and went to apologize herself, but Reizo shook his head and cut her off before she could continue any further. The two waited in silence for the next 10 minutes for the other two to arrive.

Takumi and Saizo arrived together, which relieved Reizo. It seemed that his concerns that the team wouldn’t get along yesterday were nothing more than fantasy. He recalled the Jounin being critical of the freedom he gave his team to choose whether they were friendly outside of the unit, but it appeared as though they were getting to know each other regardless. They were even a little bit early, a couple of minutes before 9:30. The Chuunin was proud to know they listened to him and at the very least followed directions. Today, though, would be the day they learned to respect him. Performing a string of hand signs, Reizo would coat himself in water chakra, imbuing his skin with a new jutsu of his own creation (40 power/health). It was a water based personal defense. Although he wasn’t using it to disguise himself, it was completely possible for him to mask his true power and appearance using this chakra armor. It was something he had developed after witnessing Komori Hozuki’s hydrification ability to turn into water. He knew he couldn’t simply turn liquid like the twin could, but an easily accessible defense such as the one the Hozuki wielded would prove invaluable for Reizo, who lacked proper defenses despite always being in harm’s way as a Taijutsu specialist. This exercise would be the perfect opportunity to work out any holes and flaws in the armor, as it probably wouldn’t be too serious of a fight.

”Glad to see you all made it on time. I was thinking about this exercise a lot. We don’t have any intel to go off of for what our opponents are capable of, but I’m going to assume the Genin are every bit as capable as you all are. That is to say, they probably only know the basic Academy stuff, and know how to fight at a basic level, but probably haven’t been in any real combat situations. This exercise is planned with you guys in mind, so I really want you guys to showcase the best of your abilities and your combat acumen. I think the best way to approach this today is with given roles and trying to stick to those roles as best as possible. Since I’m the only Taijutsu specialist, I think it makes sense for me to take point with Saizo. Azura, you’ll provide midrange support with clones and ninja tools, while Takumi provides long range support with his bow launching attacks from afar.

“Because it’s the heat of battle, odds are we won’t be able to keep this formation. In the case we break ranks, I want you guys to find somebody, any of us, and provide additional support. Don’t try to do anything on your own unless it’s a direct order. While I don’t want us to go out there with the intentions of a death battle, that doesn’t mean the other Chuunin has given his team the same instructions. Treat this as if your life is always in harm’s way. There’s also a good chance that we may end up in separate 1v1s. I want to avoid this as much as possible because there’s too much variance, but if it happens make your goal to stay alive and stall for help. I’ll be there as soon as possible, I won’t let you guys die, believe me,” Reizo lectured. His team listened intently, even Takumi seemed to be interested in what Reizo was saying. The Chuunin supposed that had to be because it had to do with combat, and Taku was definitely primarily concerned with fighting. ”The exercise is gonna start soon, let’s get going. Make sure you know your roles, and don’t hesitate to ask for help from your teammates,” the blonde said, leading the way to the exercise site, only a couple of minutes’ walk away.

The four walked in silence, each of them contemplating about the upcoming fight. When they arrived at 10 am exactly, the other team was already present and waiting. A tall slender man with almond eyes and long straight brown hair greeted them upon their arrival. His voice was deep, and he was certainly older than Reizo, probably in his mid-twenties. ”Reizo Shoyu, I’m glad I can finally meet you. My name is Morimoto Ichida of Team Ice. I’ve been watching you pretty closely, along with a lot of the other Chuunin. You and the rest of Team Red have a reputation for being rising stars. Your progress has served as an inspiration to us. It seems fate has drawn our teams together to fight for their first exercise, and our first Jounin Examination. I wish you and your team the best of luck, I’ve been looking forward to seeing just how strong you are,” the opposing sensei would say. He seemed kind, but at the same time, Reizo felt something was off about him. He wasn’t sure why, but the blonde felt like he had personally accosted Morimoto in some way. His introduction felt very forced and fake, and the more Reizo thought about it, the more obvious it seemed the man was hiding something. It worried the younger Chuunin; he wasn’t sure what this man would try in open combat. Clearly, though, it wasn’t going to be a friendly spar. Although he didn’t know it, Reizo had his Mind’s Eye of the Kagura practice pay off. He was passively using it to detect lies and fluctuations in Morimoto’s chakra and emotions without even realizing the extra effects of it. He had it active to properly identify and memorize Team Ice’s chakra signatures, and to finalize his memory of his own team’s chakra signatures, but he didn’t intentionally use it to recognize Morimoto’s deception.

”It’s a pleasure to meet you Morimoto-kun. I’m flattered that you have such a high opinion of me, I’ll make sure I don’t disappoint you. Shall we begin?” Reizo would ask, responding to the Chuunin’s complements. The man grinned and nodded, and the two teams immediately jumped back to 20 meters apart to begin.

As soon as the distance was created, Reizo called out to his team. ”Remember your roles! Fall into formation accordingly. Saizo – on me!” he commanded. Saizo positioned himself beside Reizo, with Azura only a couple of meters behind them. Takumi on the other hand scaled a nearby tree to gain a vantage point as the long range support to pick off opponents with his bow and arrow. Morimoto, however, positioned his three Genin as the frontline while he stood behind them, as though they were to shield them and not the other way around. The formation concerned Reizo a bit for his opponent’s leadership ability, as he felt a real leader lead his team and gained respect through action, not words. He gave him the benefit of the doubt, however, as it’s possible his team was simply more suitable for close range combat while he was a long range fighter.

The enemy Genin drew kunai in each hand, all of them fairly generic 12 year old males with short hair and black masks similar to the one Saizo wore. Reizo and Saizo advanced on them 2 v 3 and they all clashed. Reizo held back a great deal so that he could see how Saizo, Takumi, and Azura would fight alongside each other. Two of the opposing Genin slashed at him in futility, Reizo easily deflecting their blows and tripping them up, but he failed to strike at them in any meaningful way. Azura created 2 clones that ran in to cause a distraction in the fight, but they were quickly handled by the opposing Genin who weren’t fooled, understanding that Azura herself failed to enter the fight. One of the Genin broke from their ranks and charged Azura. She wasn’t one for close combat, and she attempted to dodge to the best of her ability. He managed to grab her hair while she turned to flee and dragged her to the ground. Just as he was going to kick her while she was on the ground, an arrow flew from the tree branches and sprouted from the boy’s calf. He fell to the ground, and cried out in pain, giving Azura the chance to back off and take cover under the tree by Takumi. ”Thank you, Takumi-kun,” she would say in a frightened and somewhat sheepish voice.

It seemed his team still had a long ways to go before they were a competent fighting crew, but Reizo was thankful that they at least were looking out for each other. ”Reizo-san, why do you waste your time fighting them. Dispatch of them and fight me!” Morimoto would call out, clearly disgusted with how Reizo was holding back. This annoyed the blonde Chuunin, who felt that it was far more important that his team learn to fight together rather than settling some personal vendetta that the other Chuunin was holding against him. When the young Chuunin tried to ignore him, Morimoto grew even more offended and frustrated, realizing that his team was losing despite Reizo completely holding back. He noticed that Takumi’s arrows were proving to be quite a problem, and so he moved to target him.

Forming a string of hand signs, Morimoto’s hair grew to be far longer than any hair Reizo had ever seen in his life. He could feel the intense chakra emanating from the hair, and knew that this could be a potentially deadly attack. ”TAKU! TAKE COVER!” Reizo turned and shouted. He then kicked the nearest Genin down to the ground with a decently strong kick (40 strength), breaking his ribs, before getting ahold of Saizo and yanking him down to the ground with the Chuunin turning his back to Morimoto and diving on top of his student. In a brief moment, the hair shot out in a flurry of a thousand needles. They doused the whole field of combat in front of the cunning long-haired Chuunin in thousands of senbon-like hair. The barrage primarily hit Reizo and the tree where Takumi had been standing only seconds earlier. All surrounding trees in the area were torn apart, and Morimoto’s Genin were even being struck and cut up pretty horribly. The three of them all bleeding from dozens of cuts all over their body. Who the fuck would do this to their own village’s shinobi… his own team?! This bastard is going to pay,” Reizo thought to himself. He was uninjured, thanks to his effective 100 extra health from his chakra based defense, the needles sticking to him briefly before dropping. His clothing was very torn up from the attack, however. ”Saizo are you alright? I hope I didn’t hurt you,” the Chuunin asked his student. Reizo stood to give Saizo space. The masked Genin winced as he tried to stand, and the medical specialist quickly determined that he had accidentally dislocated Saizo’s shoulder when he had pulled him down to earth. ”Here, let me help; just relax,” Reizo assured the red-haired ninja, setting his arm back into its socket. There was a terrible grind, and the masked shinobi let out a brief squeal of pain. Afterward, Reizo performed a few hand signs to use another jutsu he had been practicing in his hospital volunteering: the Mystical Palm Technique. The blonde’s hands glowed a faint blue color as he put his hands to Saizo’s shoulder, bathing it in a soothing light that healed any discomfort the ninja had been feeling.

”That should do it. Go back and check on Azura and Takumi, I have some serious business to take care of with this bastard,” Reizo would solemnly direct Saizo. When Reizo turned around to face Morimoto, the opposing Chuunin just grinned. ”You would do that to your own teammates… forget your fellow Kumo shinobi, but your own team? You’re crazy! I could tell something was up with you from the moment we met, but I never expected you to be so sinister, bastard. You’re going to regret ever crossing me,” Reizo warned Morimoto. ”With those fools out of the way, I can finally see how strong you are. You’re severely underestimating me, Reizo-kun. We’re not even close to the same level. I can tell from your chakra that you’re overrated and not a threat to me. Truth is, I’ve been holding back,” the slender Chuunin retorted. The blonde chuckled; at least he was right about one thing: they were nowhere near the same level.

Reizo no longer suppressed his chakra. By suppressing it, his chakra appeared to only be 40 due to his False Skin Jutsu, but now it had doubled up to 80, higher than Morimoto’s 70. ”I hope you didn’t take me so lightly that I was actually trying against those kids, right? I guess I’ll just have to show you how wrong you are,” Reizo responded, the last words the two would exchange. Morimoto weaved a few hand signs and expelled a thick purple gas from his mouth. Reizo recognized it as poison gas. Soon the whole immediate area would be enveloped if Reizo didn’t do something. It didn’t extend far enough to reach the Team Fire Genin, but all of the Team Ice Genin were in the immediate potential range. The blonde’s eyes widened. This guy was truly ruthless and wicked. He was going to kill all of them just to settle some personal grudge. Reizo could hear someone shout his name from behind him, one of his Genin, clearly, but he paid it no mind. He had held his breath as the mist came over him, and soon the mist would be gone. With one swift kick upward, a vortex 1 m in radius and 20 m tall would be whipped up, sucking the mist high into the sky where it would dilute and fizzle away. The first part of the Full Moon Elephant was rather useful, even if he didn’t plan to use it for a deadly attack. The Genin in front of him began to spasm, clearly having inhaled the poison, or at the very least absorbed it through his many wounds. The other two Genin appeared unaffected.

Once again, Reizo would weave his hand signs for the Mystical Palm Technique. His hands would glow blue as he bathed the seizing child in a warm light. His wounds would soon all heal, and his seizures stopped. The jutsu wasn’t capable of breaking the poison down, but it would at least suspend the poison’s progress until he could be treated. Intentionally, Reizo would over-heal him so knock him out from the overloading of his chakra system. He didn’t want to deal with any more enemies than the nefarious Chuunin in front of him. ”GAH! Stop ignoring me Reizo-kun!” the pissed Chuunin exclaimed, his hair growing once more for a similar attack to the previous one. This one seemed to have a bit more venom and power behind it, at least from what Reizo sensed. It didn’t matter either way, it still wouldn’t be strong enough to break through the water elemental chakra armor that he had applied earlier. The Chuunin extended his right arm beside his body and lowered his stance, much like a bull would before he charges. In a single dash, the blonde closed the distance. Before Morimoto could even launch the needles, he would be struck head on with the Lariat. Reizo was far faster than Morimoto- he wouldn’t be able to react in time to the 185 speed, 160 strength Lariat. He was struck dead on in the chest, blowing his chest apart and leaving him in critical condition. It was a much stronger blow than he had intended to inflict, but Reizo didn’t feel sorry for the Chuunin at all. Still, he felt morally obligated to prevent the man from dying, as he was still a fellow Kumogakure shinobi, even if he was a total scumbag.

Reizo formed the hand signs once more, his hands glowing a light blue. He treated Morimoto’s wound, and closed it up, but he would still need additional treatment in the hospital to fully recover. The blonde turned around to see his team standing behind him, Takumi with his arms around the shoulders of Azura and Saizo. Takumi’s right arm seemed torn up a bit from the hair senbon, but they had all suffered no serious damage. Takumi’s face lit up when Reizo showed concern for his injury. ”Don’t worry about it Reizo-sensei, I’ll be fine! It’s just a battle wound,” Takumi would cheerfully say. Reizo was a bit more responsible, perhaps it was his age, and responded logically, ”Just be thankful that’s all it is. We need to get that treated as soon as possible.”

Within moments of the fight’s conclusion, a Kumogakure Jounin, whom Reizo recognized as the leader from the night before, appeared to congratulate Team Fire. ”Good job, Reizo Shoyu, Azura Toyotomi, Takumi Suzuki, and Saizo Mitsubishi. We’ve been watching the fight closely, and you are the clear victors. You pass your first team exercise and are dismissed. Reizo, though, I will need to speak with you alone,” the Jounin would say. With those directions the three Genin would step aside, and other Jounin and Chuunin came by to pick up the bodies of Team Ice to take them to the hospital. Takumi got the attention of one of them, and soon followed them to the hospital. Azura and Saizo followed closely behind him, concerned for the well-being of their teammate.

Once the Jounin and Reizo were alone, he would begin to speak to the Chuunin again. ”Congrats on leading your first successful team exercise. That said, this doesn’t mean that you pass the first Jounin Exam; that is still under review. We will be looking over our notes from this exercise and will let you know shortly whether we allow you to advance. I’m sure you’re already familiar with this process from the Chuunin Exams. Go rest up, you’ll be needed on the frontlines soon. It’s a shame you won’t be able to continue your exams for the time being, but the village comes first,” he said. Reizo still didn’t know his name, but knew he was clearly an important player in the administration’s decisions. ”Of course,” Reizo replied, knowing that under Maku’s leadership, the village would be fighting other villages soon. It was an interesting expansion of power, but Reizo didn’t really mind it as much as the initial announcement had made him worry about it. The intentions behind the war might not be pure, but it still meant an opportunity to prove himself, and a chance to get stronger. He wasn’t thrilled about the war, but he accepted its implications.

Reizo shook the Jounin’s hand and thanked him for his time, and soon headed off to the hospital to see to Takumi’s speedy recovery. He had started to feel for his team, and was glad he had been put with competent team members, even if they weren’t the most talented bunch. They had a strong will to learn and an urge to not disappoint, which would prove to always be more valuable to Reizo than talent alone. He could still sense his team’s chakra signatures, and soon he would catch up with them, being far faster than they ever could be.

”Congrats guys, good work. You all pass your first exercise. How’s Takumi doing,” the sensei asked his team. ”That’s awesome! He seems to be doing hanging in there. How did your exam go? That’s what he was talking to you about, right?” Azura asked. She was astute and clearly didn’t miss a beat. ”Yea I’m doing alright, but what about your exam? Did you pass?” Takumi eagerly asked. ”Well, I don’t know yet. I’ll find out the results shortly, but my gut feeling is that I’ll get to advance. Unfortunately, with the war coming up, I’ve been called up to the frontlines, which means I won’t be around to take you guys on missions for the time being, sorry. When I get back though, I’ll be sure to help out. I promise,” Reizo promised. The Genin all nodded simultaneously, and they entered the hospital together to admit Takumi.

-------------- EXIT --------------
8061 / 8000 words
Claims:
Mystical Palm Technique 3000/3000 words (max stat discount)
Mind’s Eye of the Kagura 3000/3000 words (max stat discount)
False Skin Jutsu 1500/1500 words (max stat discount)
A-rank Mission Complete
4000 ryo
10 AP

Bump