The Kage's Unconventional Squad [Karukaya or Invite][Training]

“'Least no one can get pissy if I leave the office for a squad meeting...”, Temaki grumbled underneath of her breath as she leaned back in her chair. Her elbows rested on the sides of the massive wooden thing: it resembled a throne more than a chair, all except for the claw marks that scarred its surface from Temaki unleashing her frustrations once too many times on the thing. Still, better she unleash her stress on the chair then another person. Her heavy oak wooden desk was no better: the neatly stacked papers revealed portions of the scarred surface which was covered now with a clear plastic mat so that when she wrote she didn't poke through the paper each time she hit a groove. Eventually she would have to replace the chair and desk set but she was holding off on doing so because they'd been with her since the day she first stepped into the office and realized that the puny substitute that was there simply wasn't going to do: Temaki wasn't a dainty female, she needed a desk that could keep up with her hardcoreness.

Even though Temaki had memorized the files of the three students she had decided to take on she picked them up once more and flipped through the pages. The first was a male named Karukaya Kaname: a sixteen year old. The second was a male named Lee Yang: a seventeen year old. The third and final member she had chosen for this special squad meeting was yet another male named Huang who claimed no last name: he was sixteen as well. Each file came with a picture and she saved the image of each face to memory to use later when she greeted them.

As the thought crossed the females mind she glanced up at the clock that hung above the double doors to her office: it was about eleven thirty, and the meeting had been set for noon. She had sent the notices out that morning: about eight o'clock so that her potential students would have a chance to be ready. She left little instructions savee for a greeting, the fact that they had been chosen as potentials for her squad, and that they were to meet her at noon in a specified training field she had ensured would be completely empty for the day. Figuring she didn't want to be late Temaki stood up and glanced over to her Kage robes and hat that hung on the pegs in the corner of her office: she never bothered to wear them unless she absolutely had to.

Today? She didn't have to. She adjusted her bikini styled black top that showed rather more chest then she likely should have: but what was she to do? D cups were just impossible to hide while being comfortable: besides, any student she took on was going to be taught to be desensitized to females or males – because when you started ogling some guy or girls ass you could get distracted and that could lead to death. Over this was a black leather jacket with the color popped upward. The kage's legs were covered in a pair of cut off shorts that had a black belt around the waist. A pair of simply black shinobi sandals were upon her feet. She pushed her two long blue braids behind her shoulders and stepped around her chair and away from her desk. She glanced at the double doors to her office and then to the windows.

She was a rather unconventional kage after all.... so, windows it was! She stepped over to the windows which were floor to ceiling, and opened one of them. She stepped out onto the ledge and after closing the window behind herself she took off, jumping from one roof top to another as she went – it was faster this way then attempting to travel across the ground after all. So, within just a few minutes she arrived at the training grounds. She moved from roof tops to trees as she went; ignoring the ground completely. When she reached the exact area she had specified she came to a stop on a particularly sturdy branch. She sat down on it, leaning her back against the tree trunk and crossing her legs – which were laying on the top of the tree branch – at her ankles. She picked at the underside of her nails as she watched and listened, wondering who would show up first...

.oO(I'll RP out the other squad members joining in my next post.~)

Word Count: 766

So. The fact that he'd been on a mission when the message for him came in was his own fault, but thank god said mission was so short. He'd had plenty of time to get home, shower, bathe Coen, pack a bag for him just to be safe, brush his fur so that it was shiny and soft, get his pouch ready, and still be on the road and heading to the meeting with enough time to not be late. He didn't have a lot of wiggle room, but enough to were he would be fine unless something catastrophic happened.

Coen had his head out of the special pouch; he was rotated inside of it to where he could cling to the front of Karu's uniform through the cloth, but still look around. They'd bonded pretty easily, what with Karu being able to sneeze fire the same way Coen did, and Coen finding it extremely amusing. Between that and Karu's apartment being about as fire proof as it got without being super sterile and bland... yeah. They just got along perfectly from minute one, and Karu was doing a pretty good job of spoiling the baby while he still could. He had a few months before Coen would be old enough to take the pouch away, and once he did he'd have to start training it to deal with living with a herd, so no more spoiling all the time.

Well, if he did give him back.

He had half an idea to try and get Coen registered as a ninja pet, he met the qualifications, but as Karukaya didn't actually own him... well, legality. Plus, he felt like that'd be asking too much, specially this soon. He'd wait and see, do his job as he was told; and maybe he'd get lucky again. Depending on how Coen's innate abilities developed, he might end up too dangerous to put in with his mother's herd, at which point the best option would be for him to be used as a ninja pet; at which point he'd make his move.

He shifted the backpack on his shoulders and scratched at Coen's ears a bit. The little guy liked that, or seemed to, as he tended to relax and make a sound not that dissimilar to a large cat purring. They where almost there, and he needed Coen to be calm. He fished a small bag of carrot sticks from a pocket of his vest and offered it to Coen, who reached out with a paw and took it so that he could hold it while he nibbled; those strange paws of his where almost as dexterous as a human hand, and he had a clawed digit that was similar to a thumb, so he could grab pretty effectively. "Aright buddy. I have no idea what's gunna happen here, but just stay in your pouch and you should be fine. The Kage wouldn't hurt you, although she might hurt me if I'm not careful. She's got a legendary temper..."

Coen just looked at him and kept nibbling; the beast had zero idea what Karu was saying, far as Karu knew anyway. Ninja beasts tended to be as intelligent as humans, so there was every possibility that Coen could already start to understand human speech. Maybe he was picking up a few words here and there, but just not enough to fully understand what was going on.

Lets see... the area designated was a lesser used training area; it was too close to one of the newer parks, so the ninja had moved on to places that where quieter and father out so that they didn't have to worry about errant jutsu and the like causing problems for someone. He stopped at the edge of the clearing and glanced around; taking in the layout with a slight smirk. It was set up to be used by Taijutsu users by the looks of it; plenty of targets to hit and move around, a slightly overgrown but still usable running trail, space to work. Not bad. Most of the trees had scars from nameless ninja training against them. It felt like home, to him. He walked into the clearing and headed toward the tree near the middle, figuring that would probably be where the Kage would want to meet exactly.

WC: 744

Temaki glanced up to the sun, using its position to inform her that it was nearly noon. Her violet colored gaze then turned to the first of the three who were supposed to arrive: from the picture in the file and the basic information that had been provided she could tell that this was Karukaya. She took the moment to take in the young male's appearance before something caused her attention to snap over towards the north-east: a noise the likes of twigs snapping and foul language reached her ears while the wind brought the coppery scent of blood to her nose.

A frown formed upon the Kage's face as the second arrival made it: Lee who was covered in scratches, having obviously fallen into a bush when he was busy reading the book still in his left hand. The kid was dressed in a t-shirt that was a little too long for him and that once was white but now that was covered in dirt from him falling, and a pair of tan pants. “Damn bushes... why did we have to come to this training area?!”, the kid grumbled, his temper causing him to scowl around at everyone and everything he could see. The kid obviously wasn't expecting an answer and was about to shove his nose back into the book in his hand when laughter announced the arrival of the last male.

“Still clumsy as you were in the Academy, eh Lee?” Huang teased as he came in from the south: he was dressed richly, and if he held his nose any higher in the air he would likely end up with a nose bleed. The kid had black hair sleeked back with what appeared to be oil, and his eyes were a beady black that automatically made the kid look untrustworthy.

Lee scowled at Huang but didn't offer up a retort: it spoke to Temaki of there being bad blood and probably a lost fight or two between the two. Great... this was going to make things more interesting then she had intended. But whatever, she would deal with it. Temaki kept still, taking in the appearance of each male while allowing some awkwardness to hang in the air, with her sitting apparently still unseen in the tree above the three: though the smell of explosives began to drift on the wind – it was her natural scent after all.

The sound of a bush rustling to the left would cause Lee and Huang to suddenly look over, apparently expecting the kage herself. However, it was simply Blast – her horse sized pure blood wolf. Blast kept his distance; staying a good fifteen or so feet away though he did sniff the air in their direction: the wolf gave off the distinct scent of explosives as well. Blast yawned once, came over to the large tree that Temaki was in, and laid down at the base: offering only that as a hint that the Kage resided within the tree.

Figuring it was finally time to let her presence be known shifted on the branch she was in, allowing her legs to dangle over the edge for several seconds. She then pushed herself off, slipping free from the branch to drop the ground below. She landed next to Blast on her feet, shared a quick look with the giant over-grown beast, and then leaned her back against the thick tree trunk. She folded her arms across her generous chest as she got comfortable: Huang was already staring like a dog in heat, and Lee was making it a point to look at the ground – apparently Lee was more worried about offending the Kage then Huang was. “So..”, she said, ignoring the stares for the moment “It would seem that at least two of you know each other already. For the purpose of this though I'll require introductions from everyone. Your name, what you specialize in, what elements if any that you can use. Plus, hobbies and what have you. If I'm going to work with you then I want to know about you. If you have problems with it you can walk away now and not turn back.” Okay, so it was a little harsh perhaps, but Temaki was a rather feral creature: and she felt the need to assert her dominance now when it would count instead of trying to do so later when one of them had it in their head that they were in charge. So, now the question was.. who would step up and go first? Haung was already looking offended at her manner of speaking to him, and Lee was blushing so red in the face he was the color of a ripe apple.

Word Count: 793 + 766 = 1,559

...Wonderful. While not in his class, he remembered seeing those two floating around the academy at roughly the same time he had; and from what he remembered, neither was all that great. Well, if nothing else, he had nothing against them, so as long as they didn't start bullshit with him, he'd do his best not to be a raging jackass to them. Ignoring them for the moment, he approached the Rakuenkage in a respectful manner, not hesitantly, but at the same time showing proper respect for someone of her rank compared to him. He was just a Genin after all, and nothing special for one either.

When he was at the distance that manners dictated, he offered a deep bow, low enough that Coen's tail slipped from the pouch and brushed against the ground. Upon straightening up, he kept his gaze respectfully lowered and cleared his throat, "Kaname Karukaya, reporting as requested, Rakuenkage-sama. My specialties are Taijutsu, and I have trained to use Katon chakra. I work at the Exotic Wildlife Center while not on duty, and I am currently in charge of hand raising one of the center's baby kangaroo." He motioned to the pouch across his chest, from which Coen's head had reappeared when he shifted to bring his tail back inside where it was warm and comfortable. "This is Coen, my lord. He must remain with me at all times, as he is too young to be left alone for the moment, and the day shift at the center doesn't have the people to look after him without locking him in a cage all day, which would be extremely detrimental to his health and growth. Please forgive my presumption for bringing him." He bowed again, as manners and proper respect would dictate.

"If it pleases you, Rakuengake-sama, may I be permitted to take a moment to place him in a safe spot, so that he is not a distraction?"

WC: 331 + 744 = 1075

Temaki was beginning to think, considering the lack of response from Lee and Huang, that this squad was simply doomed for before it even really got to take off. Of all of the hopes and prayers she had had for it, for an excuse to bail out of her office once in a while, seemed to be crashing around her and with this realization brought to head her anger: not that this was something that was hard to do at all, her temper was well known after all.

However... all seemed not to be lost. Respect was finally offered the kage in the form of Karukaya. Her attention snapped on the male as he approached, bowed respectfully, and then began to speak – Temaki noticed the creature in the pouch and couldn't help but smile a little; just the smallest lifting of her lips. There was something about those who stopped to care for those weaker then them, who cared for animals in general, that touched her heart in ways most things and people couldn't anymore. Between the respect, and the situation that the kid explained dealing with the kangaroo he was taking full responsibility for, Temaki couldn't help but think that they were getting off on the right foot. Now, if only the other two could prove even a little bit hopeful they could perhaps get this squad meeting on track. “No trouble at all, Karukaya: not many people would be willing to take on such a great responsibility, it speaks volumes as to who you are as a person and who you will one day become. Feel free to put him where you wish.”

Lee was the first of the two to break his silence: Huang was still too busy mulling over the demanding nature of the kage to find his voice yet – which was probably a good thing because the kid still looked pretty pissed off. “My name is Lee Yang, ma'am.”, Lee said, offering what respect he could stutter out while offering a bow that was rather clumsy and had him nearly falling on his face – Haung laughed sneeringly and Lee blushed even redder. “I am proficient in the use of water, and rely mainly on ninjutsu--”

“Poorly, at that.”, Haung added as a snide comment while not bothering to keep his voice down. Lee, too embarrassed to speak further, simply shut up. The kid didn't seem to have a backbone when it came to dealing with Huang, and while Temaki felt bad for seeing him bullied in such a manner, she knew in the long run he likely wouldn't work in this squad – Temaki was a force of nature, and while she wasn't a bully she was demanding, and she simply didn't think he would be able to handle the stress.

“Since you seem to have a comment for everything, why don't you introduce yourself next.”, Temaki said, eyes narrowed into slits as she focused her gaze souly on Huang.

Haung puffed up his chest; obviously thinking that he would look more impressive if he made himself look bigger. Temaki simply thought it made him look like a buffoon. “My name is Huang. I am capable of using Raiton, and I was top in my class at Ninjutsu usage.”, the kid spoke with pride he obviously thought he earned, but Temaki doubted so. “My father works in the administrative building and is a great man. I wish to one day be as great as him.”

Temaki thought over Haung's description of his father: she knew who he was speaking of: the man was a janitor while his mother had inherited a great lump of money through an Aunt that had passed many years ago. However, Haung obviously wanted to make his family seem like more than what they were, especially with his haughty tone of voice. Temaki wanted to knock the kid down a few notches, outright claim that she knew his father was nothing more than a janitor, but as the Kage she couldn't stoop to such levels and therefore kept her mouth shut and her thoughts to herself.

So, now it was apparently her turn. She couldn't demand they offer up information without her providing at least a little bit herself. “As you all know my name is Temaki Inu. I have been Rakuenkage for five years now: a title I earned through the dedication to my village and my willingness to do whatever was required of me without question or hesitation.” She nodded her head towards the giant wolf at her side while allowing those words to sink in. “This is Blast; where I go he goes. Don't let his appearance fool you, he is just as lethal as I am. Just as I demand respect so does he.” She then let a slight smile play on her face. “In my time off I enjoy offering my time at several of the animal centers in the village: though I must say I prefer dealing with the wolves more than the other animals – let's just say we see more eye to eye.” A playful twinkle gleamed in her eye for a moment.

Temaki then focused on the three of them as a whole. “So, let's get down to business. This squad is a bit more unconventional then usual. You see, while three of you stand here today only one of you will stand here tomorrow. I will not be taking on a traditional squad and will in fact be taking on only a single student. You must prove to me today that you are worth the time and dedication I will be putting into your personal training.”

Lee simply stared at the ground, while Haung puffed his chest out even further as if he hoped that by making himself looking even bigger he would stand out. “Now, while most sensei's would just have you fight each other I will not. Obviously there is some bad blood here and I will not be giving you the opportunity to add to it.” Huang, who had been looking hopeful, suddenly slumped his shoulders. Lee meanwhile picked up his head, looking hopeful for the first time since Huang had embarrassed him. “Hidden somewhere on this training field is a small gold token. This token is no bigger than an inch in side. You must find it. You can work together if you wish; however I must reiterate – only one of you will become my student. Use any means necessary to find this token. You have all of the time in the world: if you do not find it tonight then you will simply keep looking until someone either finds it, or you all give up. The only hint you will get is that Frost has hidden the token... You may begin.”

.oO(The token is hidden in an opening in a tree about twenty five meters away.)

Word Count: 1,157 + 1,559 = 2,716

He was patient, even when given leave, he waited to hear what she had to say. He wasn't the type to ignore when an elder or superior officer was speaking; a ninja's life could depend on reading between the lines of what was told to him. Once she finished her explanation, he offered another bow and moved off to the far edge of the clearing; near where they came in from. There were a few downed logs that hard partially rotted and sprouted several thick, large leaf ferns. He settled the baby in the shade, making sure to get one of the special bottles full of the juice that Coen was allowed to have in addition to water and the formula he was still taking with his dinner. It was warm enough for the little guy to dehydrate if this took to long, but this would be more than enough for several hours. Beyond that, he made sure the bag of carrots and Coen's favorite travel toy where nearby so that he was happy. "Stay here, buddy. I'll be back as soon as I can."

In the moment before he turned to return to the group, Coen reached out and grabbed at Karu's wrist, tugging gently to get his attention. Attention returning to him, "What's up, little one?" Coen began pointing with his free arm, toward a spot in the thicker brush near the other side of the clearing. "See someth-..." Was that a trail? That must have been where the wolf, Blast, came through. Why was Coen pointing to it? "Something on the trail...?"

"'The only hint you will get is that Frost has hidden the token... You may begin.”"

Oh. Ooooh. It clicked in his brain as what his kage had said played across his mind. It was a good place to start looking, and his training at the center was giving him an eye for detail in the wild lands. Between that and the smell of... gunpowder? or something very close to that, coming from both the dog and his Kage... This was either going to be supremely easy, or insanely hard. "Thanks, Coen. I'll check it out. You'll get some extra apple slices tonight for that." He scratched the 'roo's ears the way he liked it, made sure the pouch was situated properly, and then made his way back to the group finally.

Addressing Temaki one more time, "Thank you, Lord. You honor me with your patience and understanding." Since they had been given permission to begin, he at least attempted to be a team player by focusing on the other two males for a moment. "So... do either of you actually want to try and work together, or is this an outright free for all?"

"I'll find it so fast that there is no point for you two to hold me back."

"I'll be fine on my own, thanks."

Wundabah. "As you wish. Good luck to you both." He took off toward the far edge of the clearing, right into the brush, but not the start of the trail. He'd move a few meters in, until he couldn't be seen, then check out the trail. It curved pretty obviously, so he wouldn't be seen checking the area. One he broke onto the trail, he knelt down and checked the signs: it was super fresh, paw prints from Blast where fairly obvious in the slightly damp soil. While it hadn't rained recently, it had been foggy that morning, which allowed dew to collect on every surface and drip onto the dirt, shadows keeping it cool so that it didn't dry out. That gunpowder scent was everywhere, but it was localized to the trail. Hmmm...

Wait. The paw prints didn't make sense. It looked almost like... Oh. Hah. Hahahahah. Blast had walked the trail twice, hadn't he. The prints where deformed from being walked over at least twice, if not more. Once in once direction, once in the other, likely at least twice in both directions. Which means the token could likely be near by the trail. Or, the trail would lead him to it at least. Lets see... the most recent direction was into the clearing, so that was from when Blast walked in and mad himself known. So, track backwards then. Stay in the bush just in case one of the others got lucky, don't look where it'd be too obvious. It was too easy to look for obvious places; but animals where smart. Smarter than humans gave them credit for, and Blast was a ninja pet. He would be human levels of smart, if not more so in this case due to his wolven heritage. If I was a large wolf hiding a shiny token from idiot humans... where would I hide it.

Well, if he was half as smart as his master, and Karukaya had every reason to believe he was exactly as smart as the Rakuenkage was... higher rather than lower. A coward and a pompous ass where his competition. One stared at his shoes, the other was so far up his own ass all he could see was the back of his teeth. They both looked down on the world, not up to the sky. So then, a high spot, with good hiding space...

An old owls nest? It looked like a a knot had rotted out and been turned into a nest dozens of times; it was fully of leaves and dried grasses, but even from nearly 2 meters away, the smell of the wolf was strong here. Worth a shot. He darted across the trail with a leap, leaving no prints in the open area and staying in the brush. The opening was a good 5 or so feet off the ground, so he was more than tall enough to reach it with ease. He used a kunai first, gently poking into the dark space with the ring end to make sure it wasn't occupied by a pecking bird or chicks. Empty so far. He dug the same end into the debris until he felt something small and hard. Maybe a rock, maybe his token. He wouldn't know until he had it in his hand. Reaching into a pouch at his side, he pulled his fingerless gloves out and put them on, they'd offer some protection in case of a stinging insect or sharp objects. Digging around quickly, he wrapped his fingers around something hard, cold, and distinctly metallic.

Holy shit it couldn't be that easy could it?

Shiiiiiiiny.

Holy shit, it was indeed that easy. Well, fuck. That was going into the front pocket of his vest.

He quickly removed himself from the area, staying well hidden to be safe. He was moving to where the brush was closest to his Kage, ninjutsu users had more range than he did, especially without his staff; why he'd left it at home was beyond him; so he didn't want to risk open ground and a fight.

Up into a tree he moved, it was almost connected to the tree in the center by large branches overlapping; he could easily jump the open space and not be seen by the others; he was almost certain he had better speed than they did, given how physically weak they both looked. Shimmying out onto the largest branch, he looked around. Lee was sitting in a bush, seemingly tangled by his clothing. Pathetic. Huang was... where was he?

"WHY WON'T THIS DAMN PLANT COOPERATE!?"

He... was hacking away at a thick vine with a kunai and doing basically fuck an all. Even better. With a gentle snicker, he shifted his weight to his knees and leaped across to the larger, central tree; dropping down roughly 10 feet from where his Kage stood. Bowing, "My Lord Rakuenkage, I believe I have found the token." He retrieved what he had from the pocket it was sitting in and presented it to her. "If I have failed, I will return to my search, if allowed."

WC: 1400 + 1075 = 2475

REA C0-C3 Training. 2475/1500

975 WC Remaining.

Temaki paid close attention to all three of them; though more so to Karukaya. Even though she had given him permission to deal with the animal companion with him he had waited around to hear what else she had to say first: that showed smarts which happened to be one of the traits she was looking for.

She noticed out of the corner of her eye as the companion with him grabbed his wrist as he was turning away and began to point in the direction of what she knew to be Blast's trail: she kept her face emotionless while inside she was grinning – she didn't, after all, want to give anything away to the other two and make this unfair: this was a test of skill after all, and a ninja had to know how to use everything around them. It was just too bad for the other two that they weren't paying attention...

Temaki held back on shaking her head as Karukaya offered to work together but was shot down by the other two: it made her quite glad that she had decided that she wasn't going to try and force them all to work together as a squad – it wouldn't have ended well.

As the three took off to find the coin she nodded to Blast who got up, stretched, and then followed to keep an eye on the three of them: however, Blast would move about unseen – he might have been a large wolf but he was damn good at keeping himself hidden when needed and that was what Temaki wanted for this – watch, but don't encounter. Temaki remained leaning by the tree wondering who indeed would return with the token: though, if she was truthful with herself she suspected it would be Karukaya.

She didn't shift, or move at all for that matter, while she waited for someone to return with the token – she had patience when it came to things like this. However, it would seem that her patience weren't truly needed after all as Karukaya dropped in about ten feet away and bowed before addressing her not long after the start of the task. At his words a grin spread across her face and she reached over and took the token from him. She ran her thumb across it and then turned it over in her fingers as she looked carefully at it.

Blast emerged from some bushes to her left and came to a stop near her; sitting. The wolf looked towards Temaki and began to speak in a series of growls and short barks: obviously communicating without doing so in a language most people spoke. Temaki tilted her head, listening closely to whatever it was that Blast was saying. When Blast stopped speaking Temaki nodded, gave the giant wolf a scratch behind the ears, and then reached into her pocket and pulled out a rather large bit of jerky which she tossed to the wolf who began gnawing on it like a happy pup.

Temaki then focused her violet colored gaze over to Karukaya and nodded her head. “You've found the right token, great job.” She then looked off in the direction of the other two potential students and gave a sharp but low whistle. “Oi, get your butts over here. The token's been found.”, she called out. She could hear obvious grumbling and even some under the breath cursing from Huang as he arrived first: he was clearly a sore loser, followed by Lee who looked defeated and was staring at the ground with a look on his face that said he was holding back tears.

Temaki took a moment to take in the appearance of all three males before she shook her head slightly. “There is something I purposely forgot to mention for the point of this exercise: finding the token had nothing to do with whether I would take you on as my personal student or not. I said you had to find it, I never said that you being my student counted on being the one to do so.” Huang and Lee both looked at her: Huang angry still and Lee looking hopeful.

“Then why have us find it at all?”, Huang bit out, angrily. He obviously through the exercise was a waste of time. Blast, who was obviously reaching his limit with what he would take let out a vicious snarl in Huang's general direction: Lee took several hurried steps away from Huang and closer to Karukaya.

A dangerous gleam entered into the Kage's violet colored eyes as she focused her attention completely on Huang while reaching a hand down and grabbing hold of the fur at the back of Blast's neck: she didn't pull on it, but the pressure would keep him from launching himself across the little clearing at the kid. “If I were you I would watch my tongue. The point of this exercise was to see who could be a team player, and what skills you could utilize when given a task. A ninja must be willing to work with anyone and everyone if it helps them to accomplish a goal or task they are given: you and Lee failed to accept Karukaya's offer to work together: you both were so focused on getting the token first that you passed up an offer by someone who could help you. A ninja must be able to use anything around them as a tool when needed and must be capable of reading their surroundings: you both again failed to do what Karukaya accomplished in a very short period of time. You also failed to pay attention to each other: Karukaya's companion clearly pointed to the trail Blast had left but you were either too busy staring at the ground or at my chest. That speaks volumes. Add in your lack of respect? Unless you get a hold of your attitude Huang you will never become a great shinobi.” The words were spoken with a deadly calm, like a storm that was brewing underneath of the surface.

Lee, who was hanging off of the Rakuenkage's every word suddenly lifted his head and stared straight at her face: he squared his shoulders and stopped looking so defeated – obviously her words weren't reaching deaf ears when it came to him, even if he wasn't chosen today he was going to use today's lesson to better himself in the future.

Huang however... well, he was a different story. Huang was obviously someone who was used to getting what they wanted: and when it wasn't just outright handed to him he was obviously used to being able to bully it out of someone. He would find that Temaki was not someone he could bully. “I can still be a great shinobi! Who are you to tell me I can't?!”, Huang practically yelled, his hands balled into fists.

Temaki's grip tightened somewhat on Blast who was now on his feet though he hadn't lunged yet for Hunag's throat – however, the beast's teeth were bared in a vicious snarl that spoke of that being exactly what he wanted to do. Temaki spoke sharply to the wolf in the same manner he had spoken to her moments before. Whatever Temaki said had Blast sitting down suddenly with a rather smug look on his face: this was going to be good was what the face said. When Temaki was certain that Blast wasn't going to rip Huang to pieces – because by the God's she didn't want to deal with that paperwork today – she released her hold on Blast and took several slow steps towards Huang as her already feral appearance seemed to become more pronounced with every step she took. As she reached Huang, who was several inches taller then her, she grinned wickedly. “I am your mother fucking kage who at the young age of twenty was able to secure myself the spot not by bullying or buying my way into it but by pure terrifying skill.”

As Temaki had been speaking the smell of gunpowder filled the air more pronounced around her as explosion release chakra was pulled into her hand and shaped into five small bullets. With little more than her peripheral vision she aimed and fired at five separate boulders across the way: each bullet hit dead center. Huang, however, was still looking too haughty for Temaki's taste and figuring she needed to scare him a little more into submission she gathered more explosion release chakra in her hand while continuing to stare him straight in the eyes. This chakra unlike the first formed one rocket shaped bullet instead of five small ones. When she 'fired' it it hit the largest rock and blew it to pieces: the blast far enough away just like the others not to harm anyone in the clearing.

Huang pissed himself. Temaki took several steps back before turning and walking back over to Blast. She leaned herself back against the tree once more and scratched at Blast's ears. “Huang, you need an attitude check and I hope this little demonstration of mine gives it to you. Go home, rethink how you treat people and how you act. Realize that no matter how strong and powerful you get there will always be someone better and more powerful then you that you might one day have to deal with. Use that to be willing to help others, not hinder them.” Huang bowed, his nose almost brushing the urine soaked grass, before he turned and ran away – quickly.

Lee was looking terrified and stunned, but also amazed: like he had just found someone to look up to and an example to follow. Temaki's face softened from the hard-ass feral expression it had been when dealing with Huang to something a bit more friendlier as she looked towards Lee. “You have great potential, Lee. Stop letting others stand in your way of your goals: stand up for yourself and one day you might be Kage. I am glad I got to meet you, and I'm sorry that our time together is not meant to be: but maybe one day in the future we can meet again and you can show me your impressive skills you learned.” Lee grinned, bowed in a far less clumsy manner then before and took off running.

Temaki then turned her violet colored gaze to Karukaya and grinned outright. “I gotta say, I kind of expected you to be the one I took on as a student, and I'm glad that's so. You showed a great deal of impressive skill today.”

Word Count: 1,778 + 2,716 = 4,494

Karu was completely silent the entire time she was speaking. The only reactions coming from him was a slight twitch when she complemented his ability; he was the type that didn't look for or expect them, so when he did receive them they made him rather happy. Even while she was ripping the pompous ass a new one, he remained perfectly still and completely quiet; a lesser man would have bragged, a normal man would have giggled. While he did find it highly amusing, he would take his giggles later on when he met his buddies at a local bar and told them what happened here; that's when the amusement would be appropriate. He was on duty, and in the presence of his Kage. He held himself to the standard of being a representative of the village; which was part of what all ninja where supposed to be. He would live up to the standard he held others to. It was only fair to, after all.

Once the others had left and it was just himself and his Kage, he allowed himself to respond finally. Addressing her kind words, "Thank you, ma'am. I am... the closest word I can think of is flattered, that you would have that much faith in me, after such a short period of time." From off in the distance, a strange yipping chirp noise grabbed Karukaya's attention instantly. "One moment, please. Coen is calling me."

He was gone in a flash, sprinting to his ward and kneeling beside him in record time. "What's up buddy? You alright?" He lifted the baby up out of the pouch and started checking his paws, tail, feet, face; basically anywhere and everywhere he could have gotten hurt or bit by a bug or whatever. "Thirsty? Hungry? Something happen?"

Coen's odd noise changed the moment that Karu picked him up, changing from one of almost distress to something more akin to a cat's purr, or a happy canine rumble; something in between the two that was distinct to his species. It was a sound of contentment, Coen was lonely and wanted to be with Karukaya. He didn't like being separated for long, and while he was smart enough to understand the concept of 'work', that didn't mean he wasn't gunna complain the instant he could get away with it. He was a well behaved baby overall, but he was still a baby, and babies want what they want when they want it. Recognizing what was going on, Karu chuckled softly and packed up Coen's stuff, then tucked him safely back into the pouch, slinging it across his front and carrying him back to where Temaki stood.

"My apologies, I heard him calling and I had to go to him. He's rather attached already, and doesn't like being left alone, even while I work. Thankfully, I've been able to schedule my days so that he's sleeping when I run missions. A friend on the night shift lets him sleep in his office, so long as he behaves, so he's not left alone." He nudged the bag, causing Coen to poke his head up and glance around. The bright sunlight had him lifting a paw to shield his eyes while his attention turned to the elder human. Ears twitched and his head tilted curiously, nose flaring as he sniffed the air and took in the odd scent the woman released. "This is the Rakuenkage, Coen. She's very important, so you need to behave around her, understand?" Coen turned to him and placed his paw on Karu's cheek, his way of saying he understood the boy's words. "That's my smart boy."

"My Lord, if I may be so bold, what will being your student entail? I do not wish to be presumptuous, merely... prepared, so that I do not disappoint you."


WC: 682

REA C0-C3 Training. 2475/1500

975 leftover.

SPD C0-C3 Training.  975 + 682 = 1657/1500

157 WC Remaining

“Well, I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true.”, Temaki responded before nodding as Karukaya went to tend to his companion: she had spoken the truth at least, she wasn't one to compliment and make others feel good simply for the sake of doing so, she only did it when she truly felt the other person deserved it as Karukaya had. Blast, who had been staring off in the direction that Hunag had gone, looked over the same as Temaki did at the noise the small creature was making. Blast knew better then to approach without being told he could so despite his ears perking and his head tilting to the side in curiosity he remained glued to Temaki's side and simply watched.

“No worries, Karukaya. I understand all too well dealing with a young companion.” She grinned and nudged at Blast. “Blast here used to sneak into my school bag before I left just so he could come with me to class.” Ah yes, those days had been fun... if it wasn't Temaki accidentally blowing something up then it was her wolf companion who was just as equally dangerous as her. Fun times, fun times indeed. But, now was not time to let her mind slip into the comforting past and so she let the thoughts go.

“Soon Coen likely won't let you leave 'em behind... I know Blast got to that stage fast. It's nice though, having someone so loyal to you. There's a loyalty that animals have that most humans can never comprehend.” As she finished speaking she reached over and scratched at the top of Blast's head who instantly made a sound of pleasure and all but flopped onto the ground and rolled over: his tongue hanging out as he stared up at Temaki, demanding silently for his belly to be petted. Temaki obliged the giant ball of orange and red fluff while thinking over Karukaya's question. Now that the tension was gone Blast was going to act like nothing more than a giant puppy until given a reason not to.

“I suppose we'll do the same as any other sensei who takes on a student or squad. We'll train: enhancing what you already know to lethal levels while adding more to it. My goal is for you to reach your true potential. While I can't promise to go on every mission with you I will be likely bringing you along on more... not deadly, but dangerous.. missions as soon as I know what all you're capable of. - I don't want to throw you into something you're uncomfortable with or cannot handle. Also..” She grinned a bit at this, “If, for any reason I need to leave the village as my student you have ever right to come with: if anything it'd be a good learning experience. And Coen is more than welcome to come as well.”

Temaki finished scratching at Blast's belly and stood up straight. “I also will be here if you need anything at all, no matter how big or small. That to me is the biggest part of being a sensei: being there for your student or students. So, if you ever need help with anything, advice, or anything at all, don't hesitate to ask.”

Word Count: 548 + 4,494 = 5,042

“I suppose we'll do the same as any other sensei who takes on a student or squad. We'll train: enhancing what you already know to lethal levels while adding more to it. My goal is for you to reach your true potential. While I can't promise to go on every mission with you I will be likely bringing you along on more... not deadly, but dangerous.. missions as soon as I know what all you're capable of.

"Thank you, my Lord. I didn't spend much time with my originally assigned Genin squad; we drifted apart rather quickly and our sensei just sort of... disappeared one day. By then, I was already in training at the wildlife center, so I never bothered to request a new one. I will do my best to live up to your expectations. Thankfully, we do have overlapping skills, so this should make things easier for the both of us." Remembering that he still had his gloves on, he slipped them off and tucked them safely away in the pouch he stored them in, right next to his  kunai holder. It made for a quick and easy grab, and he preferred not to wear them all the time if he could help it. Beyond the fact that they would ruin faster that way, there was no reason to wear them twenty-four seven; he had several types of work gloves for around the house, and those got too sweaty after a few hours. He'd need to get gloves that breathed better if he wanted to wear them all the time.

Coen twisted in the pouch, reaching up to touch Karukaya's face to grab his attention. The little 'roo burbled sounds much like a baby would, something that he'd started doing extremely recently. It was extremely similar to what a human baby would do when learning to speak, and according to Saito at the center, it was likely another manifestation of his father's heritage; more confirmation that Coen was indeed half ninja 'roo. The more these little signs showed, the more likely that he'd end up removed from his herd permanently; instead of just being hand raised and then released back to it. "What's up?" Karu was instantly focused on him, trying to figure out what the little guy wanted. Coen freed an arm from the pouch and pointed toward Temaki, then toward himself, then touched Karu's face again. The way he was holding his ears and the look in his eyes told Karu he was asking a question, and it took a moment for the male to come up with a possibility. "Are you asking if you can stay with me when I'm with her?" More burbling, and a decidedly human nodding of his head had Coen agreeing with the question. "Of course. Unless it too dangerous for you come along; in which case you'll stay with Sanji or Megumi, okay?" Coen nodded again and dove into the pouch; he'd had enough of people for the moment and needed some alone time to himself.

"What now, my Lord? Would you have time for a bit of training, or do you need to get back to running the village?"

WC: 567

REA C0-C3 Training. 2475/1500

975 leftover.

SPD C0-C3 Training. 975 + 682 = 1657/1500

157 leftover.

567 + 157 = 724

Temaki smiled gently. “Don't worry. My expectations are high but they're not extreme: they're the sort of expectations I hold for myself. I'm only a hard ass when needed. As long as you give something all you got then I won't complain: I don't expect perfection, I expect dedication.”

Blast, who was picking up on Temaki's far more relaxed nature as they spoke just simply rolled on his back in the grass, getting a great deal of it in his thick fur. Temaki glanced down at the giant puppy acting wolf and grinned crookedly. “You're just looking for a nice long hour with the brush, aren't you?” Blast stuck his tongue out, letting it hang out of his mouth in an obvious 'well duh!' sort of look on his face.

Laughing Temaki turned her attention back onto Karukaya and Coen as he finished explaining to Coen that he would get to come with unless it was too dangerous – Temaki had no problem at all with it, as she always had Blast with her after all. “I'm not in any rush to be stuck back behind my desk again; plus my days paperwork is done. Unless an emergency comes up I have the rest of the day to focus on this little meeting. I actually have a jutsu I've been hoping to get a chance to train but I've been too busy to do so. You saw the parent of it: those bullets I popped off with.” Temaki grinned: she had no issues training with her student at all, if anything she figured it might give her new student some ideas too. Besides, she knew as a Kage that some things had to be kept a secret, but that didn't mean that everything under the sun had to.

“Is there any area in particular you're hoping to approve in more than others?” She figured the best step would be to see where Karukaya wanted to start at and go from there: there was no point in forcing him to do something he didn't want to do – even if considering the amount of respect he'd been giving her he likely would if she told him to. No, it was just much better to do this the right way: see what he wanted to train and improve on and then go from there. See where his interests lied, and that sort of thing.

“What's your over-all goal in all of this?” Yes, that seemed a better question. “Where do you want to see yourself a year from now? Or five, or ten?” Hard questions to ask, and it was a bit nosey of her, but she needed to know if she was going to help him as best as she could.

462 + 5,042 = 5,504

Explosion Release: Bullet Jutsu – 1,500 / 5,504
Remaining: 4,004
Explosion Release: Rocket Launcher – 2,000 / 4,004
Remaining: 2,004
Explosion Release: Machine Gun – 2,000 / 2,004
Remaining: 4

“Don't worry. My expectations are high but they're not extreme: they're the sort of expectations I hold for myself. I'm only a hard ass when needed. As long as you give something all you got then I won't complain: I don't expect perfection, I expect dedication.”

Welp, if that was her policy, they'd get along just fine. That was pretty much his own personal policy. He rarely took on 'leadership' positions, even in school; but when he did, he expected everyone working with him to give their all in equal measures. He understood that not everyone was the same, but so long as you applied yourself you could make up for your failings. He listened to her speaking to her wolf and had to smile a bit. The bond between them was extraordinary, he'd never seen anything like it before. It gave him a little twinge of hope deep in his heart and mind; that little place that had been driving him toward working at the center, finding Coen, and keeping him since the moment he'd laid eyes on that older joey all those long weeks ago. If that was the kind of bond ninja had with their partners...

It was a wondrous thing to see.

“I'm not in any rush to be stuck back behind my desk again; plus my days paperwork is done. Unless an emergency comes up I have the rest of the day to focus on this little meeting. I actually have a jutsu I've been hoping to get a chance to train but I've been too busy to do so. You saw the parent of it: those bullets I popped off with.”

Oh... ooooh. Oh this excited him. To see how a Kage trained? Yes please. That was something few ever saw; he'd heard stories from the older Jounin that had trained with the previous Rakuenkage and they where always so... vague about things. Almost like they where speaking third hand about their experiences. He'd come to believe that was exactly what was going on; they refused to give details not because they were sworn not to or something similar, but because they couldn't. "You would honor me by allowing me to watch how you train, my Lord... As to how, or where, I wish to improve... I've focused heavily on my natural talents, which have so far been with Taijutsu and Katon. I have managed to... diversify, within these bounds; I am proficient in several different fighting styles, and have managed to mix them into what has served me well as a personalized style. I would like to be able to see where I can take my fire-based skills... I have heard from my elders of the wondrous things that fire users can do with practice and training; strange skills that turn fire almost into a liquid form; the legends of those warriors of ancient times that could harness the stars themselves..." He knew it was a bit childish, to believe in those old legends, but everyone had something that they held onto, that drove them as children; and that they never really let go of until the world crushed their spirit and soul under it's heavy boot. He was still lucky enough to be mostly intact; his life had been fairly easy, he'd never wanted for anything, never experienced serious loss. So he still held onto a bit of childlike innocence.

"As to goals..." He'd never really gotten that far, While not the type to be horrendously short-sighted, he tended to only think as far ahead as he needed too; a few months, maybe a year at the most; even that was only in the sense of making sure his affairs where enough in order that he could focus on missions when he needed to, and not lose his apartment or something cause he was gone for weeks on end. Now? His focus on making Coen comfortable, keeping his needs met above his own. Almost parental, in a way; although given his age, Karu's idea of parenting wasn't fully formed, as he was still a teenager, and no matter how mature he was, his brain and his skills where still developing. "I don't... really know. I've been doing the classic 'Genin Grind' for so long, that I stop bothering to think about it. I figured I'd think about it when I made Chunnin, but... then I made Chuunin and nothing changed; outside of taking on Coen, so... I guess I fell into that teenager trap of 'nothing will ever change until it does, but once it does I'll know what I want.' Only... I don't; yet. I could give you the whole 'I want to be the best Jounin!' line... but I don't really care about being 'the best', in the sense of being famous. Improving my skills, sure; but that's not really much of a goal."

WC: 836

REA C0-C3 Training: 2475/1500

SPD C0-C3 Training: 975 + 682 = 1657/1500

CHK C0-C3 Training: 724 + 836 = 1560/1500

WC Remaining: 60

"You would honor me by allowing me to watch how you train, my Lord... “ Temaki knew that most if not all Kage's no matter what village they were from were very secretive, especially when it came to their own techniques... however, Temaki was the unconventional Kage. In fact, it made more sense to her for Karukaya to get used to her rather explosive manner of fighting: if they took a mission together that turned out to be very dangerous and she suddenly popped off with a jutsu he wasn't expecting and he was too close by... well yeah, that would not end well. Plus, she just didn't care all that much: she had too much fun blowing stuff up to want to hide it – especially when half of the explosions, if not more than half, that went on in the village on a day by day basis were caused by either herself or Blast. “Well, I figure it would be better you be prepared and know who you're dealing with: especially if we go on dangerous missions together. You'll have to know what to look for, and it'll make it safer if you can see first hand what I'm capable of. Don't want to accidentally get caught up in the cross hairs of one of my nastier jutsu after all.”, Temaki responded simply before continuing to listen to him speak. It seemed like the best plan to her: it was after all the reason why it took squads several missions before they could usually work together as a flawless team – everyone was so secretive that it took them getting to see what each other were capable of before they could begin to anticipate each others reactions. Temaki was simply aiming to shorten that time frame.

“As to how, or where, I wish to improve... I've focused heavily on my natural talents, which have so far been with Taijutsu and Katon. I have managed to... diversify, within these bounds; I am proficient in several different fighting styles, and have managed to mix them into what has served me well as a personalized style. I would like to be able to see where I can take my fire-based skills... I have heard from my elders of the wondrous things that fire users can do with practice and training; strange skills that turn fire almost into a liquid form; the legends of those warriors of ancient times that could harness the stars themselves..." Oh! Oh oh! She had heard of these stories back when she was a young girl, rather well in fact after it became quite apparent of what she herself was capable of. It was something she would do anything to get to see, and something that made the Kage rather excited. ”I've heard of these stories you speak of. When I was a little girl and my family realized my affinity for blowing things up. I studied many things about Katon and the different ways it can be used. That will definitely be a goal I can try and help you reach.” Once more she fell silent, listening to him respond to the last question she had asked of him.

"As to goals... I don't... really know. I've been doing the classic 'Genin Grind' for so long, that I stop bothering to think about it. I figured I'd think about it when I made Chunnin, but... then I made Chuunin and nothing changed; outside of taking on Coen, so... I guess I fell into that teenager trap of 'nothing will ever change until it does, but once it does I'll know what I want.' Only... I don't; yet. I could give you the whole 'I want to be the best Jounin!' line... but I don't really care about being 'the best', in the sense of being famous. Improving my skills, sure; but that's not really much of a goal." A thoughtful expression fell upon the Rakuenkage's face as she thought of what Karukaya said: it sounded very much like something she would have said at his age – she cared little about future goals when she was hit age unless it had something to do with seeing her father get well or blowing something up. It seemed they were far more alike then originally thought. ”You and I seem to be much alike, Karukaya. I too would have answered like that at your age. I didn't have many goals outside of seeing my father get well and finding something bigger then the last thing to blow up.”

Blast rolled over, got to his feet, stretched, and then sat back down with a yawn. He nudged his head underneath of Temaki's hand, obviously demanding more attention which she gladly gave him. ”Well, if not future goals then what are your immediate goals? Such as with Coen? Blast here was my motivation. Our companions can be a great place to start, after all.” Her hand continued to move in that automatic scratching motion as she waited for Karukaya to answer her latest question.

Word Count: 845 + 4 = 849

" “Well, I figure it would be better you be prepared and know who you're dealing with: especially if we go on dangerous missions together. You'll have to know what to look for, and it'll make it safer if you can see first hand what I'm capable of. Don't want to accidentally get caught up in the cross hairs of one of my nastier jutsu after all.”, "

That was by far the most logical thing he'd heard from the mouth of a superior officer in months. The culture of secrecy was well ingrained once you reached Jounin, so finding any sensei that would train with you was hard. Most of them just trained you, then went off to train alone, or with a very small list of people that they trusted; usually former squad mates or partners. Hell, he didn't even train with his former squad, but that was less because he refused to and more that there was never a chance. One of too lazy to train, and the other refused to work with him. His former sensei was never around either, which was why he'd taken to running missions solo, and taken on his job at the center. He had the time to spend, and it looked good on his promotion applications to be volunteering like that even with his high mission success rate. It was why he'd had such an easy time getting a promotion recently; and while he'd been taking it a bit easy since then; a little vacation if you would; he planned on getting back into the swing of his work pretty soon.

That she knew of the old legends make him happy in a way. He'd always had a soft spot for the old tales, even as he'd grown up and become an 'adult', since ninja where treated as such legally once they graduated the academy. Genin where soldiers after all, just not very powerful overall. He wasn't so much interested in power as he was being useful; and to be useful he needed to be strong and effective as a ninja. He was effective enough as a grunt right now, but that wasn't good enough. He wanted to be able to protect the people he cared about, as well as his village. To do that, he needed to learn more and be better than just a standard nameless grunt.

'”You and I seem to be much alike, Karukaya. I too would have answered like that at your age."

Well, if that wasn't a fairly large boost to his ego, he didn't know what was. To be like his Kage was a great honor, and a goal many strove too. To find out that he managed that just be being who he was... that's kind of nice thought. He held his leader in extremely high regard, she'd proven that she deserved her rank, and treated her village well. That was what he wanted in a Kage, a competent leader that treated their people well. A simple enough desire, right?

"”Well, if not future goals then what are your immediate goals? Such as with Coen? Blast here was my motivation. Our companions can be a great place to start, after all.” "

"Well, currently I have very few. Taking care of Coen is about the only major goal I have. Sadly... he's not 'mine' in the sense of I'll get to keep him. The point of the hand-raising program is to make sure the animals are socialized to their human keepers, so that we're able to safely work with them in the enclosures, and to make maintaining their health easier. They don't fight and struggle against the vets when they've been raised this way; it's safer for everyone around and less stressful. The chances of my being able to keep him are fairly small; at least right now. Depending on... thing... that might change. We're not completely sure, but Coen's father might have been a rouge boomer from one of the 'ninja' herds; there's a few herds of 'roos with rudimentary chakra abilities out on the plains you see; and if his father really was one of them... he won't be able to go back to his mother's herd. It'd be too dangerous. In that case... I would put in a request to have him assigned to me, but there's no guarantees they won't send him off to one of the specialist centers or something. As much as I love him and want to keep him, I have to be prepared for that possibility. That hasn't stopped me from taking him everywhere and keeping him with me as much as I possibly can, though. Loneliness is a terrible thing for anyone to have to deal with, and I wouldn't force it on anyone; 'roo or otherwise."

WC: 835

REA C0-C3 Training: 2475/1500

SPD C0-C3 Training: 975 + 682 = 1657/1500

CHK C0-C3 Training: 724 + 836 = 1560/1500

END C0-C3 Training : 60+ 835 = 895 /1500

"Well, currently I have very few. Taking care of Coen is about the only major goal I have. Sadly... he's not 'mine' in the sense of I'll get to keep him. The point of the hand-raising program is to make sure the animals are socialized to their human keepers, so that we're able to safely work with them in the enclosures, and to make maintaining their health easier. They don't fight and struggle against the vets when they've been raised this way; it's safer for everyone around and less stressful. The chances of my being able to keep him are fairly small; at least right now. Depending on... thing... that might change. We're not completely sure, but Coen's father might have been a rouge boomer from one of the 'ninja' herds; there's a few herds of 'roos with rudimentary chakra abilities out on the plains you see; and if his father really was one of them... he won't be able to go back to his mother's herd. It'd be too dangerous. In that case... I would put in a request to have him assigned to me, but there's no guarantees they won't send him off to one of the specialist centers or something. As much as I love him and want to keep him, I have to be prepared for that possibility. That hasn't stopped me from taking him everywhere and keeping him with me as much as I possibly can, though. Loneliness is a terrible thing for anyone to have to deal with, and I wouldn't force it on anyone; 'roo or otherwise."

Temaki listened quietly and patiently while Karukaya explained about Coen. A thoughtful expression crossed the Rakuenkage's face once more as she fell into deep thought while listening. It was quite clear to her that Karukaya definitely cared for Coen; more so than just an average caretaker who was doing the job simply for the credit or extra money – no, this was definitely a bond that went far deeper than something like that. This was true commitment: this was like the bond she shared with Blast: who at the moment was rolling around in the grass again and not seeming to pay a single ounce of attention to the conversation at hand.

”Well... let me know if they give you any issues. If you want to keep him that badly and they give you a hard time I'll step in on your behalf and make it possible for you to keep him. The kind of dedication you have with Coen and the bond you have reminds me of myself and Blast; and it's a bond that could actually cause problems if broken.”

She grinned, a bit wickedly. ”If I tell 'em you can keep Coen no one will dare defy me.” Oh yes, one of the small joys of being a Kage: her word was law, and people were often too frightened on principal to argue, add in her explosive personality? Yeah, no one would try and convince her otherwise if she said it was to be so and that Coen was to remain with Karukaya.

Temaki opened her mouth to say something else but just then Blast, who seemed to be paying absolutely no attention at all to what was going on around him, suddenly rolled over and got to his feet in one lethally fast move. A snarl ripped through the air: a warning and a threat mixed into one. The scent he had picked up when the wind blew indicated that someone was either lurking nearby or on their way over – and given the way he was reacting it wasn't someone he knew exceptionally well. Temaki closed her mouth and looked off in the direction that Blast was looking in: leave it to the wolf to spot anyone possibly coming to interrupt their meeting. Mere moments later a rustling of bushes announced the arrival of a young Chuunin who had been sent with a message for the kage. The Chuunin paused at the edge of the clearing, obviously testing the waters as he looked wide eyed towards the wolf who was still looking a bit too ferocious for comfort.

Temaki chuckled, and waved the Chuunin forward. “S'alright. He won't bite unless you try something stupid.”, she explained simply. The Chuunin paused for a second longer and then approached, holding out a little scroll with a message written on it tentavily. Temaki took it and the Chuunin took several steps back from Blast who was sniffing in the kids direction. Temaki unrolled the scroll, read it quickly, and then frowned. She looked over to Karukaya. ”It would seem our meeting has to be cut short; but we can pick up on training tomorrow or later this evening. This matter shouldn't take long to sort out. I apologize: I was looking forward to getting some of this done.” With that the Kage was gone as was Blast who seemed to just disappear right after her. As the pair left the Chuunin relaxed, kicked at the dirt on the ground for a moment, and then left too: obviously releived to be away from big old scary Blast.


Word Count: 870 + 849 = 1,719
Chakra Stat E - C1 = 1,400 / 1,719
Remaining: 319

//Exit//

"It would seem our meeting has to be cut short; but we can pick up on training tomorrow or later this evening. This matter shouldn't take long to sort out. I apologize: I was looking forward to getting some of this done.”"

Well damn. He knew it was a miracle that they'd had this much time together to just talk and such at all; he wouldn't have been surprised, or even disappointed, if half way through the initial testing she'd been pulled away and left a shadow clone to finish up. Or sent a shadow clone in the first place. I mean really, something as simple as a test to see who you planned to take on as a student could be handled that way. That she came in person was enough to humble him, and boost his pride a fair bit at the same time. He took the time to assume the proper respectful bow; sensei or otherwise, he wasn't about to forget his place. "Thank you for your time, and your confidence. I hope to continue to earn it as best I can."

He waited for her to depart before moving to get Coen ready to go. That was to say, he gave Coen a chance to move around and explore the area a bit while he sorted the bag and set out a quick snack for the kangaroo to enjoy before they went home. While Coen poked at plants and played with sticks and rocks and anything else that he fancied, Karu mixed his formula and poured a juice bottle before setting out a plate with various cut vegetables and fruits, a few special grain cookies that Coen liked. Coen had discovered a few leveled stumps and was attempting to leap from one to the other like it was a game of hopscotch, laughing the way only a kangaroo could. He was highly entertained, he loved to jump around and such, it was in his nature to stretch his legs like that. Or, maybe not exactly like that. If he was with other of his age, he'd be racing and play boxing by now; but Karu was spoiling him a bit. That, and there really weren't any other joey's his age at the center, they where all too old or too young to play with him the way he'd want to play; so he was stuck playing alone or with Karu. Not that Karu minded, he loved to play with Coen as much as possible.

"Coen, come eat!" Karu waved him over, sitting down with a little snack of his own. He tried not to let Coen eat alone, keeping a small snack on him at all times so that he could eat with the baby when needed. It was much for him as it was for Coen; Kangaroos are social creatures, and the herds grazed together. Eating alone wasn't something in their nature, and he didn't want to upset the baby by forcing him to choke down food he didn't want to eat, or to eat without a friend. Coen bounded over quickly, flopping down beside Karu and clapping his paws together excitedly; he'd seen Karu do it once and had copied the motion, making it his own. "Alright, alright; eat your lunch and we'll go play at the park. Sound good?"

Coen squealed for joy and dug into his food, grabbing at the carrot sticks with glee and working through the plate with impressive speed. He made it to the cookies and slowed down; he had a little quirk where he almost rabbit nibbled cookies and such, he really liked them and tended to take more time to enjoy them. Karu was snaking on leftover apple slices, he'd brought home more than normal for Coen, who'd never finish them, so he was eating them. He liked apples, so it worked well. After Coen had finished his food and polished off his bottle of formula and a bottle of juice, Karu packed away the leftovers and put Coen into his carry pouch. "Park time, little one." They made their way out of the training area and toward the parks near by, the kids would get a kick out of seeing Coen, and Coen would love to see them. Fun times for the rest of the day, yep.

WC: 748

REA C0-C3 Training: 2475/1500

SPD C0-C3 Training: 975 + 682 = 1657/1500

CHK C0-C3 Training: 724 + 836 = 1560/1500

END C0-C3 Training : 835 + 748 = 1583 /1500

83 words leftover.