Team Senshi assembles (P, Team Senshi, NK)

The day was finally here, Renji was to meet at the training grounds at nine am to see who he would be teamed up with to start his ninja career.

Renji would jump out of bed and gets dressed, making sure to tighten his headband securely. Growing up he did not have many friends outside of his brothers, so he did not know what to expect when meeting his teammates. And the note did not help out much either, all the message said was to meet at training ground three at nine am for team selection. A bit nervous, Renji barely touches his breakfast, leaving half of it sitting on the plate. He would then get up and throws on his jacket and heads out the door.

Renji would take the short walk to the training grounds from his house, thinking about his teammates and who they could be the whole time.

Once he finally gets to the training grounds, Renji would look to see if he was the first one there if he was he would walk over to a nice sized tree and takes a seat under it, closing his eyes and resting his head against the tree. Activating his byakugan so that he would know when someone approached.

If he wasn’t, he would walk up and greet whoever was there, activating his byakugan as he walks up to them to check them out.

WC 236
- 1AP for the Byakugan

Saya tugged on her sleeves, silently adjusting the hidden steel plates comfortably against her forearms. Today was the first time she was going to be meeting with fellow genin that will make them a team. The word reverberated in her head. It was something that she had suppressed herself from wanting, but after meeting Sakana and him talking about his own teammates…  Well, Saya had been looking forward for the day to arrive.

Inhaling and exhaling slowly, the young girl straightened her posture before exiting the small house she and her mother occupied. Her destination was one of the basic training grounds used by many other genin teams. She didn’t recall what it looked like exactly, but she suspected it would be a couple or a few acres in size with different sections like woods to one end, a small reservoir of water, and an open area. Then again, it could totally be different.

The trip to the training area wasn’t long, taking the petite girl about ten minutes to reach the edge of her destination. For a moment Saya thought she would be the first one, but as she took a few more steps into the field she spotted a figure sitting beneath a tree. Were they part of the team too? It was more than likely they were, but there was also that small percentage that they would be an enemy ninja.

Saya approached the person with caution, however some of the tension in her seeped out once she spotted the Kumo headband on him. Dark hair and somewhat older than her, and as always taller than her. He didn’t need to stand up or stretch his legs for her to see that. His eyes were closed, but she could clearly see bulging veins around them. The first thing that came to her mind was “Hyuuga” as their dojutsu traits were quite well-known.

Still, maybe it was something else. A disease or condition she didn’t know of yet. Saya stood a few feet away, wondering if she should bother the boy. She opened her mouth but quickly shut it. What were they going to talk about? Saya knew that she wasn’t a big of a talker and sometimes she was just bad at expressing herself.

Pursing her lips, she decided to keep quiet unless she was spoken to. Saya took a couple of steps to his left and settled herself down, pulling her legs to her chest as she rested her chin between her knees. She stared straight ahead into the distance, though she sent a few curious glances at the boy who hovered at the edge of her vision.

WORD COUNT: 443
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 443

Max would look down at the letter that he received, noting the names and location of the meeting place. He had his puppet pals all wrapped up on his back as he made his way to the training grounds. It had been some time since he had been here, but he could use the opportunity to knock off some of the rust that had no doubt accumulated while he hadn’t been training as hard.
 
He would stop at the pretzel stand, making sure to grab at least enough for everyone on his new team. It had been an odd feeling, knowing that he was being reassigned to a team, though such was to be expected. All of Team Awesome had moved up and now had responsibilities and likely their own team to look after. In fact, if he was reading this correctly he had been assigned to Senshi’s team. At least he knew his team leader, and his team leader was very familiar with his own skillset. This would prove to be useful in assigning roles and positions within the team.
 
Walking into the training grounds, he would eat his pretzel while keeping his eyes out for his team. He might have been the first person there, but normally speaking he was always last to these things so he figured his team would already be there. Finding the team was normally a simple matter, as two other Genin were likely introducing themselves to one another. Looking around, Max saw no such grouping. There were some folks sparring and some looked to be playing a game of some sort, but none matched the image that he had painted in his head. The fact that he knew one of the names on the list should have also helped, but he wasn’t spotting them.
 
It wasn’t too long before he noticed two people sitting by a tree, not seeming to speak to one another.  The one he had recognized to be the young girl he had met only a few days ago. Saya was her name, and he knew that she was assigned to the team. That must mean the other boy sitting close by was the other, or at least it would seem to be the case. Max would walk over, waving to his new teammates as he approached.
 
Those looking at the boy would notice that he had been in a plain white t-shirt and baggy black pants, his metallic prosthetic arm gleaming in the sun as he waved. A happy smile would on his face, as life had been fairly good to the boy as of late. He would approach the other two and scratch his head. “I’m pretty sure that I was told to meet my new teammates here. You folks are the team, right?” He would ask, trying to break the silence. He knew that this was most likely the team, but they had seemed to be incredibly quiet, not even really looking at one another. Max would note the veins bulging from around the eyes of the boy sitting down. He had seen this firsthand before. It looked identical to the Byakugan that Komon had utilized. Interesting...
 
Max would hold out the bag holding the pretzels, offering some to his teammates. “Hello again Saya! Looks like we will be teaming up together now on official missions, not just fun ones on the outskirts of town.” He would say this with a slight bow, respecting his fellow teammate. "Want a pretzel?"
 
Max would take a big bite of his pretzel, making sure to finish chewing and swallow before trying to talk. He would turn to the young man he suspected to be a Hyuuga and introduce himself with another slight bow. “Hello! My name is Maximillian Yamaguchi, though my friends call me Max. What might I call you?”
 
It was a strange difference in the boy’s demeanor and attitude since he had met with friends that treated him like a human. The boy that used to only talk to his “friends” now only spoke to them every once in a while and spent a lot more time interacting with the living. The boy had grown to be a lot more outgoing, the others slowly chipping away at the shell he had been in. 


WC: 715
TWC:715

Sitting there under the tree with his eyes closed Renji would, through his byakugan, notice when a girl around his age walks into the training grounds. ‘I wonder if she’s on the team?’ he would think to himself.  Renji would watch her as she cautiously walks up to him. While she is walking towards him, Renji would further activate his Byakugan in order to check out the girls ninja pouches. Upon further investigation he would note the kunai and shurikens in one pouch and explosive tags and smoke bombs in the other pouch. Renji would also note the senbon needles the girl had. ‘I wonder who should be the cautious one here’ he thinks to himself just as the girl walks up in front of him.

Seeing the girl loosen up a bit would let Renji know that she indeed must be one of his teammates or at least not here to take his head off. He watches on as she goes and sits next to him. Renji would try to open his mouth to speak but quickly stops himself, as he did not know what to say to start up a conversation. ‘do you come around here often? Hi? Who are you? Hi my name Is Renji? Are you my teammate?’ all of these questions would run through Renji’s head as he tries to figure out what to say.

Renji would not have to think for to long as after a while he would see another person step into the training grounds, or more so a kid who couldn’t be more then eight or nine years old ‘is he on the squad too?’ Renji would ask himself in his head. Looking at the kid through his byakugan, Renji would take notice of his Kumogakure headband, and prosthetic  right arm, and assumes the kid must be a highly skilled child prodigy or something. ‘well one things for certain, this is kid definitely gets points for the pretzels.’ Renji would think to himself as he is reminded that he only ate half of his breakfast earlier.

Upon hearing the boy introduce himself, Renji would open his eyes and deactivates his Byakugan,  his eyes returning to their natural black color and the veins around his eyes disappearing. Standing to his feet, a smile would appear on his face as he says “hey Max, my name is Renji, Renji Hyuga.” He would say this as he holds out his hand towards max. Whether he shakes his hand or not, Renji would walk over towards the girl and extends his hand towards her “hi my names Renji what’s yours? Sorry I didn’t say anything when you first got here, I was a bit nervous” he would say with a nervous chuckle. If Saya accepts Renji’s hand shake, he would also help her to her feet if she wasn’t already standing by now. He would try his hardest not to pull to hard on the girls arm.
Whether she accepts or not Renji would return to standing under his tree. Resting his back up against the trunk, trying to act as cool and not nervous as possible.

 “I just graduated the Academy not to long ago!” Renji would say in a rather loud and proud voice. “ I was told to meet my teammates here, I’m assuming it’s you guys?, say what happened to your arm?” Renji would say the last part looking in the direction of Max. Renji would quickly realize that his question may be a bit to intrusive and quickly tries to change the topic, “so is this it, the note was kind of cryptic, anyone know what we are supposed to be doing?” a nervous chuckle Escaping The Young Shinobi’s mouth, followed by a nervous smile and a head scratch with his left gloved hand.

Not wanting to make a fool of himself Renji would refrain from asking any more questions for the time being,  he was simply glad that he had finally made some friends in the village. Instead of talking more, Renji would give the floor to his two new teammates, he would then tighten his headband around his head and begins doing light stretches in front of the tree to warm up his muscles anticipating some type of training or mission to follow their introductions.

-1 AP Byakugan
WC
717
Total WC
236 + 717 = 953

The silence between the boy and girl was palpable. From a distance both seemed to be at ease with one another, seeing as they were seated within a couple of meters of each other. However, upon a closer look, Saya had seen the barest hint of the dark haired boy attempting to initiate a conversation but decided against it. That small action immediately sent Saya on edge as thoughts of making an effort to start communicating crashed into her. Again, sentences and questions like: “I saw you opening your mouth. Aren’t you going to say something?” or “What do you want?” or “What is it?” flew through her mind.

After going over the words again, Saya reconsidered speaking. It was taking her a while but she supposed she was getting better at spotting what was rude or inconsiderate. She shifted slightly in her spot, slightly proud of herself for not going with her initial thoughts but she was also quite put out that she had nothing to say to a potential teammate. Hopefully with the addition of a third person Saya would be able to orientate herself in the team’s dynamic.

And it wasn’t long for their last piece to make himself known. Saya hadn’t really seen Max arrive since her back was slightly towards his waving figure. It was only until his blonde hair came into her peripheral vision and adolescent voice that had her twisting her body to see over her shoulder. She easily returned his wave, not exactly sure how to react to this development. While Saya had read the the note in its entirety, the girl had simply blanked out at the end where the memo listed the names of her teammates.

”Mornin’ Max,” she replied and returned his well-mannered greeting, not bothering to answer his question. It was obvious to her and everyone else present that they were the team, but Saya had also just assumed it was a rhetorical question. A means to get some dialogue going. Despite the obvious, however, seeing Max’s familiar face and recalling their little adventure did bring a small smile on her face.

She heard a rustle of movement and the unfamiliar genin had moved to greet the youngest member of the team. As they were making their introductions, Saya eyed the bag of pretzels being offered. They weren’t the type of food that she normally ate as she found their taste to be odd and salty, but in a good way. But should she take one? If this was their first meeting, there was a likely chance of them having to demonstrate their prowess in combat and Saya didn’t want to have her stomach jostling around full of food. It would feel too awkward.

Just as she came to the conclusion of picking a pretzel or not, Renji (she did pick that up in the background) offered his hand to help her up. Saya blinked. She certainly didn’t need his help, however he was being courteous and there was no reason for her to be impolite about it. Placing her hand in his, Saya was easily pulled into a standing position. ”Thank you, Renji.” She gave him a slight bow of her head in thanks before patting out the dirt and pieces of grass that may have clung to her person.

Once she was satisfied that there wasn’t much debris on her, Saya turned her full attention to her teammates. Max had already earned her deference and respect after their first meeting. Renji, on the other hand, was someone she had to get to know. And the first step was to give him her name despite the blonde boy mentioning it just moments earlier. ”You can call me Saya and congratulations on graduating. I think I was in the class before yours.”

Her words were a bit… dull, but at least the younger girl was trying to contribute to the conversation. Nevermind the fact that she had forgotten his small apology at not greeting her earlier. She too was at fault for keeping quiet. ”If this is our first team meeting, we’ll probably have to do something to demonstrate our skills.” Saya commented before pointing an index finger at Max’s bag. ”Is the offer still up, Max? I was in the middle of thinking about getting one or not.”

WORD COUNT: 730
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 443 + 730 = 1173

Senshi had been hiding in a tree watching quietly as the three Genin assembled. He had read each of their files, even Max's, just to ensure he knew as much as possible about them. Unfortunately he would not be able to be directly involved with their training just now. The S rank mission he had just recieved was taking him away from his duty that he had to the three below him. Still, the powers that be, had seen fit to assign him Max as well. Max who was an extremely competent Genin, who was only lacking the Chuunin rank due to the fact that he had not conducted the exams yet. As such, Senshi felt safe in knowing that he could rely on Max to watch over the team, take them on missions, and even train them for the time that he would be gone on his mission. With a slight sigh the Jounin, finally pushed off the branch landing so that he was standing directly next to Max, a mere meter away from him. His dark hair and bear, swayed slightly in the wind as he looked each of the three Genin in the eyes.

His green and brown mixed eyes were hard as he assessed them each. He was currently wearing his new armor. The full heavy duty leather jacket and pants hiding his muscular figure. The metal breastplate with the red cloud of Maku prominently displayed. His hood was down and his mask was clipped to his belt, leaving his dark hair and beard completely open to view. His massive sword, Gureto, strapped to his back to hopefully give him some sort of intimidating presence to the three Genin. Well at least the two he didn't know yet, he doubted Max would ever be intimidated by him at all. Once he had completed his assessment of the three Genin he spoke, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing two scrolls. One had a note on it, that said to open when he was alone. Handing the two scrolls over to Max he finally spoke to the two new Genin. 

"Good Afternoon, I am Jounin Kobayashi Senshi and the nominal leader of this team. There is a lot that I need to teach you, unfortunately I have been assigned an S rank mission so I will be unable to assist for a shortwhile." Senshi paused looking for reactions from the Genin before continuing, "As such, Max here will be acting as the team leader. You will follow his orders, train, and conduct missions under him. I have given him a scroll giving detailed orders, that include teaching the two of you how to command missions as well. Though I will not be here directly, you will be under constant surveillance so that I know how well you are progressing." He paused again looking over the Genin, before deciding to throw the two new kids a bone, so to speak. "Should your progress be acceptable in my absence, I will provide you each with two things. The first, is an earing that using Fuuinjutsu, enhances your speed. The second, is permission to conduct the Chuunin exams and progress in your career. When I return from my mission we will have a mock battle where the three of you will fight me."

Senshi gave a slight smile, using his display of power to ratchet up the tension in the area. "I expect you three to use each other to learn new techniques and strengthen your bodies. Their are also other shinobi still in the village that you should seek out and train with. I expect you lot to complete at least two E rank missions and two D rank missions by the time I return. For your training today, Max will assess your skill levels. Saya, Renji, the two of you will work together to capture Max. Once your skill levels have been assessed conduct some training, share some techniques amongst yourself and then break for the day. Tomorrow I expect you to start missions, and conduct more training." He looked over the three for several moments quietly, before giving a final nod. "I appologize that I do not have time to answer any questions, rest assured that Max is more than qualified to lead you three and teach you the basics of leasing himself. Once I return we will have a more formal meeting where you may ask any questions you wish. Have a good day, Genin."

Senshi turned then, pausing to place a hand on Max's shoulder and squeeze it reassuringly. The look in his eyes and his face was pure confidence that Max could handle what was placed before him. With a final nod to Max, Senshi disappeared in a blur of speed that the Genin could not hope to see at their current level. 


----EXIT-----

Note:
Gave Max a Scroll containing the headless body of Nanaki

Max would listen to the introductions of the others, noting that his hunch was right about his new teammate. He was in fact a Hyuuga, which should prove incredibly useful in their team for missions and such. He would grasp the hand that was presented, as he had learned that much was expected when offered. Max would then watch as the Hyuuga helped up Saya, noting that he seemed friendly enough.
 
Despite it having been a tender subject for some time, Max hadn’t really minded informing his new teammate what had happened. “Oh, I was on a mission with my team and...” Max wasn’t sure how he should word the next part. Should he simply say that it had been Maku, the man that had now been in charge of Kumo’s military? Such a thing might shift how the others see the village leadership. Of course, it had also been the truth…
 
“And Maku attacked my team. He bested us rather easily and sliced off some of my limbs.” Max would say, banging on his metal leg as well to signify that it too had been modified. “It was a real eye opening experience, that’s for sure. But, thanks to my skills ay building things and advanced knowledge about puppetry I was able to make replacements. Don’t worry, they don’t slow me down any. I’ll still be a useful member of the team.” 


When Saya had asked if the offer was still on the table, he would happily nod and hold out the bag for her to grab a pretzel. Max wondered where Senshi had been. It wasn’t like him to be late. In fact, he was always the first one ready and waiting on the rest of us. Maybe Senshi was here and watching from afar, testing us to see what we do.
 
So, Reiji had been fresh out of the Academy, and Saya hadn’t been out much longer either. He wondered how skilled they must be, as knowing the other members of one’s team is something that is always highly useful. Since he had been the only one of them to have been in this exact same team meeting position before, he would help guide the introductions. “Well, since we are all going to have to be on the same page, what would you say your strengths and specialties are?” Max would ask. He already knew a little bit about Saya, but it would be best for everyone to know what to expect from their team. “I specialize in the art of puppetry. I use my friends here to support the front lines from afar while staying a safe distance from the action.”



“How about you folks?” The boy would ask, eagerly awaiting to hear from the others. 


Just as he was asking this question, Senshi appeared before them. Max’s hunch had been correct, Senshi seemed to have been here already watching them. Senshi handed over two scrolls to Max, and he would accept them. One was likely a more private matter, as it said to open when alone.
 
Listening to Senshi speak, an almost stunned look would befall Max’s face. He was going to have to spearhead their team training and missions for the time being. This was likely Senshi’s way of helping push the boy towards Chuunin rank.
 
Max would take note of the end goal of this all. A mock battle between the team and Senshi. It had been some time since Max had sparred with Senshi, and that was before Senshi had developed enough to achieve Jounin status. If they were going to have to face off against Senshi, they would have a great deal of work ahead of them.
 
Max would look up at Senshi as the hulking man placed his hand on his shoulder. He would give a simple nod, showing that he had understood what Senshi was asking of him. With that, the Jounin had left, likely preparing for his important mission.
 
“Well, it looks like our first objective is for me to see what you guys can do.” His chakra strings would find their ways into some of the puppets on his back, their wrappings unravelling and revealing skeleton puppets. Napa would crack his neck and immediately reach for his weapons pouch.
 
The boy would walk back so that he would be 10 meters away, his puppets following him. He wasn’t entirely sure how he should handle this but he would do his best despite the fact that such responsibility wasn’t something he had been used to.
 
 “I’m ready to start whenever you folks are.” He would say, allowing them any time they would need before the test would begin. He would toss the bag of pretzels on the ground beside him roughly a meter or so away.


WC: 798
TWC: 1513

---Accepting Scroll of Nanaki's body---

‘So she’s just as new as me at this’ Renji would think to himself as he listens to the girls introduction. Renji would be a bit relieved to know he was not the only newbie on the team.

Renji would pause from his stretching when Max mentions that it was Maku who he lost his arm and leg in battle to. Renji did not know much at all about Maku but he did know that he was running the show and a powerful ninja in his own right. Renji would look at Max kind of perplexed ‘so this kid fought against Maku and lived huh. Yea he must be a prodigy, totally gots my respect’ Renji would think to himself. Not wanting ignore Max, Renji would simply reply “wow that’s pretty bad ass dude, sorry Bout the limbs though”

As Max is giving his short speech on strengths and weaknesses, Renji would begin to wonder where their sensei could be. As most three person team has some one over looking them.

Renji would not have to wonder for to long as just as he is about to open his mouth to answer Max’s question, a man jumps down landing next to where Max was standing.

Seeing this, Renji would at first be shocked not knowing what to expect. The man was dressed as if a battle could breakout any second. Renji’s stress  would disappear once he saw the man’s face and made eye contact with him,  it was his proctor from his Genin exam; Renji could never forget a face that he had transformed into.  Realizing that the man was not hostile renji would give off a sigh of Relief.

As Renji stands there listening to the man’s introduction,  he would smile as he had finally gotten the name of his proctor and now sensei. ‘so that’s his name.’ Renji thinks to himself as the man introduces himself to the group.

Knowing that max had fought against Maku and lived, Renji would have no problem with max taking the lead on the team while Senshi was away. as Senshi pauses from his speech. Renji would shoot Max an approving thumbs up and says “you got this Max!”

Renji would be especially happy by the news that he could possibly get a enhanced speed earring. A smile beginning to grow on his face. He knew that he would have to up his training  if he wanted to get it though.

Renjis smile would quickly disappear when Senshi uses his display of power having never senses or felt this type of power before sweat would begin to build atop renjis head. As he stands there trying not to look affected by the display of power, Renji would listen to the rest of Senshi’s speech, making mental notes of all the requirements and expectations that Senshi had of his team. Renji would take a Deep gulp and the sweat building on his forehead would begin to run down the side of his face when he hears that the three of them would be fighting against the jouinin. ‘is he serious, he would kill us, but this should be interesting’ Renji would think to himself, however not wanting to be rude or give off any signs of weakness, he would simply reply “ can’t wait!” in a loud half nervous kind of voice, half trying to convince himself, as he wipes the sweat from his face.


Once senshi is done speaking, Renji would watch in awe at how fast the ninja moves taking a few steps in the direction as if to try to run after Senshi only to realize he could never keep up with his speed “I want to be as fast as that someday” Renji would say aloud to his two teammates.

As Renji turns back towards his teammates he would hear as Max says “well, it looks like our first objective is for me to see what you guys can do”. And watches him as he sets up ten meters away.

Seeing this, Renji would activate his Byakugan. his eyes turning white and the veins around his eyes bulging. Renji would then examine Max and his puppets. Renji would see the strands of chakra connecting the puppets to max, not being to versed on puppetry jutsu, Renji would not know that they are chakra treads and instead assumes max is simply controlling them with his chakra.

Renji would then walk over towards where Saya was standing, and says “ I don’t know if you got any plan or anything for this but, taijutsu is my specialty. I don’t have much range but my punches and kicks are powerful. Oh yea, there seems to be some kind of chakra or something connecting the puppets to Max’s hands. I think that’s how he controls them.” He would say this under his breathe or in a way that only Saya would be able to hear him.  Renji would wait a moment to see if Saya had a plan for how they were going to tackle this match with Max.

Renji would then take a few steps over so that he was now 3 meters to the left of Saya and still 10 meters away from Max. He would then look over to Saya to see if she was ready.  

Renji would then launch a flying front kick (Dynamic Entry ) aimed at one of the puppets, hoping to take it out of the match early, or at least be a enough of a distraction so that Saya can find an opening.

WC
905
TWC
905 + 236 + 717 = 1,858
-1AP Byakugan
-10AP Dynamic Entry

Their conversation was typical of a group just barely getting to know each other. It was also much different in terms of atmosphere and subject of talk. Saya had already experienced it before in a couple of occasions yet it still surprised her. She listened to them as she nodded her head to Max and plucked out a pretzel, taking a small bite out of it and savoring the the salty taste in her mouth. She knew she wouldn’t finish it or even have the time to eat half of it, but at least it was something to curb the hunger that was beginning to gnaw at her.

Before she could comment on Max’s replacement limbs and inform the team of her own fighting style a hulking figure appeared right next to the blonde, making him look a lot smaller than he already was. This new person, Jounin Kobayashi Senshi, stood more than six feet high with shortly cropped black hair and a beard to match. The man was decked in an intimidating fashion - a huge sword was strapped along his back whilst his unique armor with a red cloud demanded their respect and attention.

Saya had jumped in place, almost chocking on a piece of pretzel, before her body naturally reacted. To someone like Senshi her movements probably moved at a snail’s pace, however, to herself and possibly Renji she was quite quick in retrieving a kunai and holding it defensively in front of her. She must have looked pretty foolish. Her body had automatically turned sideways so that there was less of a target on her, but in one of her hands - raised slightly behind the hand with the kunai - was the rest of the pretzel she had been munching on.

Fortunately for the young girl, the jounin was more into delivering his instructions and expectations than to pay attention to her silly reaction. Seeing as Renji and Max remained unperturbed by his presence (and her finally taking note of the obvious Kumo headband slanted across his forehead), Saya tried to be subtle in returning her weapon to its case. She stood straight, trying to reign in her focus at her new teacher and what he was telling the group. Nodding at the appropriate places, Saya had no qualms at all when Max was given the title of leader of the group while Senshi was attending to his duties.

Missions. The Chunin Exam. That was certainly a  surefire way to get Saya riled up for the day though the thought of having to spar against their sensei in the future was a bit daunting. All the positive thoughts and plans waddling in her mind were suddenly washed away, however. Senshi’s overall presence was consuming, towering and growing more frightening than he had appeared. Her skin prickled, shook at the need to flee from the area. And she would have if she hadn’t been rooted down at his display of power.

It was a little difficult for her to concentrate on the words flowing from her teacher, but Saya managed to deal with it. Her hands clenched tightly by her sides, crushing the breakfast that Max had gotten for the team and instantly regretting putting away her kunai just moments ago. Just as fast as Senshi had appeared, he was gone within seconds after placing a hand on Max’s shoulder. With their sensei gone, so was the overwhelming pressure he exuded. Saya felt her body sag in relief; not that she was glad Senshi had left, but more of a mental alleviation.

The petite genin couldn’t relax for long though. Soon after their little meeting Max had initiated their little spar. Saya straightened up, pocketing the pretzel into one of her pouches and switching it with a kunai as Max jumped back with his unraveled puppets to put distance between them. Renji, at the same time, reactivated his dojutsu and came close to talk strategy.

Saya gave him a side-glance before returning to keep an eye on Max, ready to duck and dodge if he made any miniscule movements.

”Unfortunately for you I’ll be more of a deadweight in this fight than an active helper,” the girl responded, not sparing herself any sweet words. It would also be detrimental for Renji to even remotely believe that he could rely on her to execute a combative move. ”Not that I won’t try to help, but I specialize in the medical arts so my skill set at the moment is rather basic.”

Ideally, if they were fighting against other genin from their level Saya would have no problem rushing in with her teammate. Fighting against Max and his puppets will definitely be a one-sided battle. However, this spar’s purpose was not to win but to observe and get a feel for each other’s style of fighting. With that firmly in mind, Saya followed up Renji’s attack by trying to rush past the two in hopes of closing the distance between her and Max.

Of course there was the other puppet to worry about, but she was banking on it to intercept her.

The plan was already unfolding itself in her mind, but to her dismay she didn’t know how to convey it to Renji as they were already in the midst of their battle. Perhaps, if they had a chance to reconvene, she would be able to tell him.

WORD COUNT: 902
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 902 + 1173 = 2075

TL;DR ACTIONS: Saya runs past Renji & Puppet #1 to Max.
NOTES: 100 AP; none used.

Max watched as the two of them took only a brief moment to devise a plan of attack. Considering how short their conversation was Max figured that they must be rather gifted to formulate a strategy so quickly. The two skeletal puppets were at the ready while Max watched his teammates for movement. The eyes of the Hyuuga would grow white again, the veins bulging in his face.
 
They would both start dashing towards Max, the young blonde noting their speed and form. Renji would seem slightly faster, his body launching a kick towards the puppet in the front (Napa). Napa would watch as the boy lifted himself off of the ground to attempt to strike at the puppet. The puppet would merely sidestep out of the way (Speed: 45) and tap the boy in the torso as he would glide by (Same speed, power: 1). “You should be careful doing that. It’s a risky move to launch a leaping kick at an enemy, especially one that you don’t know the capabilities of.” Napa would say, shooting a dirty look at Max for not following up with anything of his own. The puppet would push forward despite Max not pressing the attack, deciding that he would see what the boy was capable of. Napa would thrust his arm towards the Hyuuga (Speed: 20, Impact force: 10) fully expecting the Genin to be able to react accordingly.
 
Saya on the other hand was pushing towards Max, ignoring Napa and aiming for the source. Smart play on her part. The other skeletal puppet would draw out two blunted kunai (though she would not know this) and ready itself to defend its master. She too was fairly quick. They were both faster than Max had been upon reaching Genin rank. Max would use his chakra sensory to try and pick up how strong their respective chakra signatures had been. They both sat at a reasonable amount, though Max didn’t expect them to have the ability to master any of the more advanced chakra based techniques.
 
Seeing as the young Kunoichi had been closing the distance at a respectable speed, Max would strafe sideways, circling towards the tree that the others had been resting at (Speed: 20) while the puppet would move to intercept the attacker (Speed: 25) meeting her only a couple of meters from Max. Once in front of her, it would slash at the chest of Saya (Speed:20, Impact force: 10) while Max would watch and see how she would react.
 
There was still much to evaluate, and it was still too early on in this assessment to truly make any real thoughts on them yet. So far he had seen what looked like a Taijutsu move from the Hyuuga, and Saya still had been conserving her energy while looking for an opportune moment to strike at the puppeteer. Renji’s ability to use the byakugan would prove to be an interesting thing to study as well. Testing just what it is capable of should prove useful.
 
Max would stop his circling once he reached the tree, or if one of the other attackers had pressed towards him.
 
AP: 523/528 
- 5 AP for Ventriloquism Jutsu (to make Napa talk) 

OoC: It is a good idea to list speeds and powers of attacks and such so that others cannot/don’t vague you. Just for future reference :) More important for actual battle than here, but something to keep in mind.