TotR Part 2: The First Students... (Goryo Tenzo)

[The Dude]

Kiyoshi stepped out onto his front door stoop shielded from the rain above by an overhanging roof attachment to his house. He numbly fumbled for his pack of smokes finding them after some absent minded searching and putting it to his lips. With a soft glow he heated his finger tip tapping the end of the cigarette and coaxing the tobacco into a peaceful ember. He inhaled deeply before expelling a thin churning plume of smoke the whisked away in breeze and rain.

He looked out around his neighborhood in the cold morning air before realizing his mail box was marked that something had arrived. He felt he knew what it was and his hand trembled slightly at the thought of what occured over the last few days. He had been the sole survivor of a team and had already debriefed his superiors with the missions relative 'success'. They merely told him they would discuss what exactly this outcome meant for his future.

As he finished his smoke he flicked it into the street gutter and walked towards the mailbox. Opening the box he retrieved the letter he had been expecting for some time now sealed with the kiri symbol branded on the scroll. He jogged back to the house and walked inside sitting at the table before slowly and fearfully unrolling the scroll to read,

"Tenzo Kiyoshi,

After reviewing your recent mission we have concluded this mission and the actions you have taken to be a remarkable success in the face of dangerous odds. You made a tough decision and no doubt carry the costs with you. We however believe your sacrifice demonstrates how you've matured and even your readiness for Jounin status and your own team. You will find accompanying this letter an instruction set to follow as well as the roster for your new team of green genin. Amegakure still trusts you now more than ever. Ensure these young ninjas training and harden them for the trials they will come to face in the days ahead.""

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[Tenzō]

His name is Goryō Tenzō; he is five years old, a genin even though many believe he is too young for even that much responsibility. But he is heir to the most noble family of Amegakure, the 'chosen', and though his parents died years ago, their wish that he would be raised to standard of excellence uncommon amongst the rest of Amegakure is no secret amongst the village elders and their Kage. He is 'special'. Gifted.

And there is something maddened in his silent, proper gaze. Something wicked beneath the nobility.

Tenzō-sama.

He says, without emotion, coming to a stop at the mailbox.

He is already far taller then he should be at his age, and the dark black circles outlining his eyes add a certain world-weariness that can easily distract one from his youth and inexperience. He bows politely, and adds only his name.

Goryō Tenzō.

[The Dude]

Kiyoshi found in the scroll a small folded set of instructions just as the letter had said, and quickly unfolded the paper now anxious to see what the brass of Amegakure was up to now. The instructions included a list of names of the genin that were meeting here at his house for their first day of training and preparing to work as part of an actual team. The basic gist of the instructions was to run some sort of team building or training drill and begin to prepare them for actual field work outside of the village. Something small, manageable and simplistic for the young kids to follow but still something that would challenge them. But at the bottom in bold thrice underlined characters read, "TAKE IT SLOW!"

Kiyoshi placed his thumb over the bold print and turned his head to address the first of his ninja team to approach. Goryō Tenzō. Kiyoshi grinned at the corner of his mouth at the young and creepily tall boy. His features are rather apathetic and tired just as his reputation as the heir of the entire tenzo clan, but there is something peculiar. How could a five year old boy be tired and bored being assigned to his first team ever?

Before Kiyoshi can think anymore on the matter however, two more shinobi approach together down the road. Kiyoshi recognizes them from the list as well as two additional Tenzo clan members. The first is a boy in with a long tangled mess of dark hair that partially covers his face and a pair of blue eyes that reflect what they see clearly. The second is a young black girl, or at least Kiyoshi assumes as much from what little of her skin is seen underneath the full body wrapping articles of clothing. The first covers her from the stomach up to her shoulders and arms and stops just below her light blue eyes. The second from the waist down to even her shoe-less but wrapped feet.

The first introduces himself loudly like a small child and more to Kiyoshi's general assumption of anxiety and eagerness, "Hi boss! I'm Terekota and this here is Etsuko! We're ready to get to work! What are we doing? Assassination? Scouting?! SPYING?!?!" Thanks to the timely arrival of Etsuko's palm to the back of Terekota's head both Kiyoshi and Goryō are spared a long and unnecessary list. She then with a slight nod of her head greets Goryō as they all were likely students together in the Academy.

Kiyoshi looks down in his hands once more reviewing the names of the three to ensure that he had the right ninja mumbling their information quietly to himself. Names, ages (Terekota 6, Etsuko 7, Goryō 5), blood types, etc etc. A full team of Tenzo? It was unlikely that such a team just happened by crazy odds and this smelled of favors and strings being pulled to have a full Tenzo team under a Tenzo Jounin. It meant Tenzo kept to Tenzo and their higher standards but also that these children had parents that believed they would do well in this full Tenzo team. Likely parents would check in on the progress of their young protege's. Moving his thumb Kiyoshi glanced back at where the bold text had been written but there was nothing now but a small slowly burned whole through the paper.

He looked up at all of them with a straight serious face, "Come on." Kiyoshi turned on his heel and sprinted down the street fast enough for the young ninja to keep up at a nearly dead sprint racing further into the heart of Amegakure. Running towards the center of Amegakure, he realized that though they were Tenzo there was still a chance either their parents or their teacher had not taught them proper chakra control such as simple wall walking. To test this theory, when the streets became thicker he would run up and along a wall parallel to the road but continuing for the downtown district he glanced back to see whether his team was doing alright so far before continuing on to the very heart of the town, sliding down the wall and coming to a stop on the curbside. He looked up and around him at all the vast silver buildings that towered all around them in splendor before looking back as his students caught up and joined him on the curbside. He could think of no better place to train these students to survive outside the village than at the very heart of it.

SPOILER: Click to show

Terekota ( { [|] } ) Etsuko

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[Tenzō]

Goryō liked Etsuko. He always had. There was something about how she was quiet, quieter even than he was, and did not burst into situations loud and spewing tangential nonsense like the buffoon known as "Terekota the Talker" during their time in the academy. He'd never said anything to Etsuko of his affection, but she was older than him, and he felt...uncomfortable at times when she would stare and blush at him. Though she'd only nodded in his direction, his admiration of her demeanor carried with it respect, and he returned her nod with one of his own, and a simple greeting.

Hello, Etsuko-senpai. . .

The rarely used honorific left his lips as if it were a secret shared only between them, yet he pivoted, his face gaining a slight snarling grimace as he addressed their final companion.

Terekota.

He said the name almost as if it were a curse, and looked away quickly before awaiting their next set of orders as the group followed their elder into the center of the city. Past buildings blurred gray beneath the ever-presenting rain, up and over neon signs coating complexes like barnacles, they were off, and something like happiness filled the boy with what he would come to know as the few truly happy moments of his early life.

[The Dude]

Kiyoshi lead the team further now spring up onto the side of one of the nearby skyscrapers scaling it at a walking pace now. Vertically they climbed until they reached the roof and looked about to realize the were on the tallest skyscraper in the immediate area. Clouds drifted just above their heads and the rain began to fall gently now in a mist dampening everyone.

Turning to face his new team, Kiyoshi brushed the bangs of his dark long hair back into his pony tail. He wore a rather unfriendly scowl behind his high collar but he was just in a bad mood and perhaps not in the fittest position to be a leader. "Alright then, let's get to know each other. Every team that meets does this exercise and it seems like a waste of time but it isn't. Knowing everything you can about the members of your team creates a cohesiveness and sense of loyalty. This should especially be a reinforced ideal in our team as we are all from the Tenzo branch. If you can't count on family, who can you count on?"

The Jounin rubbed a bare hand over his glove hand stroking the material thoughtfully before continuing. "So we all talk about ourselves for a moment or two then. Just anything about yourself will suffice but it has to be something important that has made you how you are today. I'll let you know when we've heard enough for now, but until I tell you to stop keep talking. Like my first leader did for me, I'll be the first to go."

Kiyoshi's face wore a slight frown and looked at the ground collecting his thoughts before looking back to the team, "I've only just been promoted to a Jounin today. I feel like I should be thrilled but I'm only sick to my stomach knowing how high the cost was for this." "See, the reason I was promoted was basically because I successfully completed a dangerous mission. The only reason I'm a Jounin is because I'm the only one who's alive after that mission."

Kiyoshi turned his gaze on the strangely tall boy almost immediately after desperate to find a subject change, "Goryo, you were the first one here when the team assembled. Why don't you go next?"

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