Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf: Chapter 1-Enter Sensei
 

The large Jounin ran to towards the second Hokage's memorial field. As he sprinted he hoped his genin had found their way to the statue of the once unbeatable warrior. The Second's true name was Hayate Sentari, or the White Fang of Konoha. His statue stood tall, with his rigid jawline and spikey hair he stood as a man caught between childhood and manhood. Although he eventually lost his life due to illness he was never beaten on the battlefield. A record that Kenei shared.

It was for that reason that Kenei had progressed swiftly to the rank of Chuunin and to Jounin a year later. In his childhood his dream had stood firm. To become Hokage at whatever costs. Now after witnessing first hand the pressures that had aged his former teammate so rapidly, Sarutobi Kenei was glad to have avoided that fate by a simple game of straws. As the Jounin cleared the forest into the lush meadow he caught glimpse of his team's medic, Haruno Houtai.

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Haruno Houtai had been waiting in the shadow of the second's statue since sunrise. The morning had been nearly at an end when he caught a glimpse of his sensei tearing a new channel into the meadow's fields. His Sensei was twice his age and weight. Although his age could only be discerned by the lost glow of his now grey eyes. The wind of Kenei's wake reached Houtai moments before the middle aged Jounin stopped and ceased his erosion of the meadow. It was not his place to comment on the elder shinobi's lack of grace or timliness, so Houtai held his tounge from unleashing a surely powerful quip.

"I see you have prepared the flag, Houtai, good job. And the kunai are they ready too?" asked the slightly fatigued nin. Houtai nodded. "But the Genin aren't here are they?" Houtai shook his head in a negative fashion. "Good. I want them to think I'm timely. Who are my genin again?"

Houtai sighed and ruffled his pink hair. He had gone over their names about twenty times with the elder ninja. "Hyuga Shinpai..."

"Was he main house or branch house?" intejected Kenei.

"Main house, sir." Houtai continued "Mitarashi Sithis..."

"Ooh! A Mitarashi, is he related to Tenrara. He was in my genin team."

Houtai sighed, pretending not to have heard his team leader's question. "Shinreiku Naharu..." Houtai paused waiting for Sarutobi Kenei's interruption. After a few moments, Houtai drew a breath and began to resume his account of the members. "Abu -"

But he was cut off again. "Remind me, what is that kid's jutsu?"

Haruno sighed, he was starting to become annoyed. "He uses the Kage tsume no jutsu. Next is Aburame Kyocho and we have one late addition sent to us from Etsui's team."

Kenei cringed. Etsui was a fellow Jounin that had gone missing two day's ago. His apartment was covered in blood and shuriken indicating a struggle, but as of date the Anbu had not found a body or a suspect. "Well, I guess we will accept this one as our own, huh Houtai?"

Haruno Houtai did not answer. His thoughts had also drifted towards Etsui. Haruno knew that things were going poorly for Fire country, but losing nin inside the chakra barrier was bad, it meant that either a ninja had managed to break through or their was a traitor in the Hidden Leaf. Either one meant disaster for the already weak shinobi village. At least this year's academy exams had shown promising genin. As his thoughts wandered back to the genin Houtai caught sight of the sillouhette of four young children walking towards the statue...

As he walked towards the statue of the second Hokage with the other five Genin Sithis meticously made sure that all his poisoned Kunai and needles were in their right places. Sithis was excited, but it didn't show. Almost no emotion ever showed on Sithis' face. Sithis was looking forward to his first day on his Genin team. Feeling a slight breeze Sithis looked up to spot two distant figures standing next the the statue of the second Hokage with a flag.

Ahead of the other genin, one boy kept silent all the way to the statue. Perhaps he was engrossed in deep thought, having thought about what lay in his future. Perhaps he had been making plans, seeking to fulfill an ambition that Kenei had had.

Or perhaps he simply didn't like to talk.

When he finally reached the statue the genin looked around the meadow and then to the Jounin in front of him. After a moment or two he shrugged and said, "I'm Kyocho."

Shinpai eyed his fellow genin nervously. He had wanted to show up alone, but somehow the five had converged somewhere on their way there. He didn't remember where exactly they had met, but he thought he knew most of them from the academy. He knew Sithis. The kid had a weird name. Shinpai suspected that he was up to something. Wasn't he in the Mitarashi clan? Didn't they wield poisons as weapons? That kind of family wasn't to be trusted. Shinpai had sat near him when they were students. The kid was amazing at ninjutsu, but had the stamina of a little girl. Shinpai thought, "My little cousins could probably whup him. Even so, can't be too careful." He started to walk a little faster, trying to leave them behind. He knew that that would put them behind him, but if he suspected anything, he could always eliminate that blind spot. He arrived at the statue behind Kyocho. "My name is Shinpai. Please tell me your names, sirs," he said with a small, very quick bow, his eyes never ceasing to dart around.

Houtai looked up at Kenei and realized he was to remain silent.
Kenei however, barked "I rather wait until everyone's here. Less talking."

'Naharu had kept himself for himself since he was sent to the academy, and now he had to be in a five mans team?' Finnaly, He thought when he could see the jounin and the other. Naharu leaned towards a tree and remained silent.

Sithis was faintly amused at Shinpai. During the academy he had heard and witnessed his legendary suspicion and it never failed to give entertainment. After Sinpai introduced himself Sithis walked up to the statue and gave an exagerated bow. "My Name iss Ssithiss I am Honored to meet you Ssenssei"

Kenei nodded to each one of the genin. However he noticed that they numbered but four. With a swift jab he motioned Houtai toward him. Kenei whispered into the chuunin's ear and the chuunin ran off with extreme speed. When he had left the field, the aged Jounin cleared his throat. "I am your Sensei Sarutobi Kenei. You may address me how you wish, however you will respect my position of authority. The ninja that had just left my side is Haruno Houtai. He has graduated to the rank of field medic and will make sure you live much longer than odds would allow."

Kenei paused viewing the statement's meaning sink across the genins' faces. He remembered a similar speach being given to him by the second, a mere week before he became Hokage. The statement seemed much less truthful then. Then the Hidden Leaf was not at war. Then, the Fire country was still the most powerful nation of this continent. Now the opposite was true.

Kenei realized he had been daydreaming for much longer than he had intended. "Today you will be given two assignments. The first is to have your own Nindo created. A Nindo is a ninja's way of life. The word's they live by. You will not need to speak your Nindo aloud, but be sure that you have established one. Without one a ninja may lose track of what matter's most to them. "

Kenei again paused as he let them consider their Nindos. "Second, you must obtain this flag and bring it back to your base. Now if you would follow me." Kenei made a sharp flex that could pass as an idication that they should follow him. Kenei walked five hundred feet past the edge of the woods and scooped up a silver blanket. He turned and unfolded the blanket and revealed five balls. Holding one ball between his thumb and fore finger he raised it high. " These are shock orbs, they will dehabilitate those that are struck by it at a high velocity. They have been sealed with a jutsu that breaks after one use. The easiest way to obtain that flag is to take it by force. I will be guarding it. Oh and if you need some advice ask Houtai."

Kenei grinned and dissappeared.

"Sso then, let uss get down to trying to get the flag" Sithis said as he smoothed his hair back with his hand. Bending down to take one of the balls he commented "We sshould probaly each take one and ssave the lasst one unless we really need it". "I believe we sshould sstrike together to have the besst chance at getting the flag, but that iss my opinion, what iss yourss" Sithis speculated as he stood up with one of the balls in hand.

'Naharu took up one of the balls and examined it'
"Looks good enough, It might get usefull" He said after puting it in one of his small pockets.
"I guess since we are going to work togheter I need to introduce myself, My name is Shinreiku Naharu, whatever you've heard of my clan most of it is just lies. I will try a frontal attack with my special technique, you guys can back me up."
He said and started making several Seals.