Alright. Today was the day he was meeting his new platoon leader. It was an intimidating thing, to be sure. This guy held his future in his hands more than almost anyone else in the village. He was gonna lead, teach and be the one who might bring him to the Kazekage's attention for better or worse. If this guy didn't like him, it was all over as far as his Konishi Senior was concerned. Which was why they spent all night figuring out how to make the best first impression. After his dad finished ranting about how it just had to be an Uchiha. Daichi understood why his father was always so prejudiced, but so long as this guy would be a good teacher Daichi didn't care too much where he was from. But those words still lingered in his heart...[break][break]
The shinobi clenched the bag in his hand tightly as he approached his destination where they had arranged to meet for their one on one. It was a at the entrance to the city, but he wasn't quite sure where they would end up after the initial meeting. Even if it was just a quick 'how do you do' handshake sort of affair, he came equipped to make it something more than that. Something that would hopefully endear him to his instructor and put him in the man's good graces.[break][break]
It couldn't be too hard, right? After all, the guy was lucky to have him as a student! Yeah, he just had to keep telling himself that. So long as he was confident in himself and his abilities there was nothing to worry about. Hell, he might even be so impressed that he offers a couple of private lessons to help explore his true potential! Not even a prodigy such as himself could turn down such an offer from his senior! By the time he reached the meeting point the boy was walking with confidence in his stride, looking rather self assured of himself and the paper bag he held in his hand.[break][break]
This was no time for nerves, Daichi! It was time to show this guy that he was working with a proper professional. Wait, no! He should be cool and casual, keep it real aloof. Yeah, that'd be more impressive. Show that he wasn't scared just because of the gap in their position. And so with a hint of swagger in his step he approached the man he assumed to be Anotsu Uchiha. The guy fit the description and was in the right place so hopefully he wasn't about to make a fool of himself. "Hey there, Chief. You're Anotsu, right? Name's Daichi." He nodded his head in acknowledgement to the older man, head tilting a bit to comfortably meet the gaze of the taller shinobi. "Guess we'll be workin' together, huh?"
The rain was absent at this time of day, an almost perpetual autumn weather greeting the Uchiha as he ambled toward his destination. His hands were pushed casually into his pockets, the usual, as his ninja sandals crushed rock and flora alike. A pensive look was etched upon Anotsu's features as he reached the intended meeting point, his Jounin garb snug against an impressive musculature. A long scarf flowed gently against what winds were present, the hum and bustle of technology within Amegakure accompanying conversation he began to engage in as an elder approached. Daichi would be hard-pressed to hear what was being spoken. As he arrived, the sound of distant barking was prevalent to Anotsu's listening ear. As the young Genin approached and introduced himself, the corner of the Uchiha's lips turned upward into a smirk. [break][break] "I am....Chief", Anotsu replied with clear dissatisfaction. He'd have to address Daichi's lack of respect later. For now, there was a far greater pressing matter to attend to....one that Anotsu could have easily brought to a close. "And yes, we certainly will. And it just so happens that your first assignment is here." A small ball of fur zipped past the pair, its speed enough to create a gust of wind that was sure to create an unstable footing for the Genin before him. "Or rather....was." [break][break] The elder chuckled heartily as the small pup dashed off and into the distance, heading for forestry and barking with volume. "Your assignment is to bring back this gentleman's pup. I'll be following behind to make sure all flows smoothly." An expectant gaze fell upon Daichi as the barking decreased in volume, signifying its increasing distance from the pair as it raced off. Anotsu's hands clasped behind his back as he leaned in, offering Daichi a word of advice. [break][break] "....I suggest you get a move on if you're going to catch it." [break][break] "Thank you so much, Anotsu!" the old man exclaimed as he turned and slowly trudged back toward his home. Anotsu merely nodded, adjusting his sleeve before giving the Genin in front of him his undivided attention. "After you," the Uchiha stated. [break][break] Let the games begin. [break] [10:31 AM]
...Uh oh. He could already tell the jonin wasn’t too fond of the approach he chose. The smile quickly vanished from his face, eyes widening slightly as his lips pressed together. Maaaaaybe the ‘too cool for school’ act wasn’t the best play when dealing with a teacher. And maybe his dad was right and Uchiha were born with a stick up their asses. Whatever the case, he couldn’t go trying to play it casual if this guy was gonna be a professional. Being cool was important and all, but it was even more important that the head of his platoon thinks he’s capable. But if everything went to plan, he’d manage both.[break][break]
Daichi took a moment to straighten himself out a bit, clutching the paper bag in his hand a bit more tightly. A quick glance was shot toward the civilian Anotsu was speaking with, only to double take when the manw as referred to as his first assignment. Wait, was he gonna beat up this old man!? In his moment of shock and confusion the hound would buzz past them, catching him completely off guard. Eyes widen as he’s nearly knocked off his feet, forcing him to take a step back to stablize himself. ”What the hell was that?” His eyes focused on the speedy pup as it ran off, brows furrowing a bit as it went off into the wilderness. If he wasn’t trying to establish a good first impression at the moment he would’vebolted off on instinct to try and keep the dog from getting lost in the woods. But unfortunately he couldn’t do much about it right now.[break][break]
Wait…Was? Attention turned back to the two men, brows pinching together as he tried to figure out what exactly was going on. Things quickly started making a lot more sense as the instructions came out. ”A-assignment? I thought we were just gonna...Talk or something?” The boy was clearly caught off guard by this whole thing, attention rapidly flicking between the two adults. This was it? Straight to business? He was about to question it, but it seemed like there wasn’t much time to talk. The moment he opened his mouth, his superior made it very clear what he was supposed to do next.[break][break]
There was a moment of hesitation as Daichi watched the Uchiha with wide eyes, the gears still turning in his head for a beat before he started after the dog as fast as he could. Daichi may not have been the strongest genin in the village, but he was at least above average in terms of speed. Though he wasn’t sure how he would compare against that bullet of a dog. But maybe speed wasn’t the only solution. He brought his fingers to his lips, blowing out a sharp whistle to try and capture the pup’s attention. ”Hey buddy! Wanna treat? I got a treat for ya! C’mere!” He kept his voice light and friendly as he ran, doing his best to sound welcoming to the pup. He may have been a bit frustrated at the unexpected situation, but that wasn’t the poor dog’s fault. Little guy was just having fun.
Astonishing. Not only had Daichi been slave to assumption, but now the objective had increased the gap betwixt them considerably. There was little doubt that Anotsu, himself, could have delivered the Genin from the arduous task at hand. But he was a "hands on" teacher, and this was the perfect opportunity to further familiarize himself with Daichi's abilities. Full lips parted to sigh, the exasperated groan thereafter Anotsu's reply to Daichi's words. "A true shinobi should always be prepared to jump into action at a moment's notice," Anotsu finally replied. He shifted his weight to a single foot before kicking off from it. The very speed at which Anotsu dashed forward was almost otherworldly. He'd allowed the young prodigy a head start, matching his travel distance in only a fraction of the time. "We can talk while we work. This isn't an ordinary pup," the Uchiha continued, thrusting a finger upward and toward the trees. [break][break] Vaulting forward, Anotsu's feet left earth and landed upon a tree branch with expert precision. Wordlessly, he'd given Daichi the signal to follow. As the pup vanished further into the forestry, it was the Uchiha's intent to at least ensure that the assignment would come to no harm. Of course, he wasn't going to make Daichi privy to such information. "This is an animal companion in training, and the focus has been his speed and ability to track. It's up to you to catch him. There will come a day when our intended protection detail has hands and not paws." Already, Anotsu had taken Daichi under his wing in the simplest sense. They were veiled by the trees and their shade, Anotsu's eyes carefully watching the pup's movement as it dodged to and fro into bushes and through shrubbery. [break][break] "Always expect the improbable just as much as the probable. We're ninja. Getting caught off guard is the quickest way to a kunai in the back. Always remember that." Anotsu continued tailing the pup, silently monitoring Daichi's ability to maintain an equal focus. [break][break] [9:10 AM]
Oh no not the a true shinobi stuff already. Who would expect a meet and greet to turn into a mission!? Usually if he was going on a mission he would be given a briefing or something, right? Or if there was a random attack on the village there would be something that made it obvious it was time to spring to action. But a random dog running around? How was he supposed to know? He had to keep himself from letting out a groan of frustration as he lamented his situation and forming more excuses for his lack of an immediate reaction to his sensei telling him to jump. He had a task to focus on, so it was vital that he shift his mindset into shinobi mode. This guy wanted to make this into a test? Fine. He was gonna show him just how much of a badass-[break][break]
"Woah! Where'd you come from?" Thoughts were cut off by the older shinobi suddenly appearing beside him, the burst of speed catching him by surprise. Fortunately his steps didn't falter, his eyes quickly turning back ahead to try and pick up the trail of the hound. But a moment later, the jonin was gone. Silver eyes flicked up to where he now stood, legs bending before he kicked off the ground to follow after the other. While his movements weren't quite as precise, this was something he was quite familiar with. he couldn't count how many hours he spent jumping and maneuvering his way through the trees that surrounded the wind country. And so he did just that, moving from branch to branch while keeping his eyes on the hound below and his ears turned toward his teacher.[break][break]
So that was why this little guy was so quick. At least he didn't have to feel too bad that the pup was so tough to keep up with. This would've been pretty humiliating if it was a normal dog. His head bobbed along with Anotsu's instruction, doing his best to be attentive to the information being given. "So it's a tracker? Do we have any idea what it's tracking right now?" If they knew where the little guy was going they may be able to to predict its path, cut it off at the pass or at the very least have an easier time following it. Considering how small the little guy was, he wasn't quite sure he was comfortable letting him out of his sight.[break][break]
Lips pressed together as Anotsu went on with his lesson, pushing out a soft sigh of frustration through his nostrils. He didn't quite understand this whole 'keep your guard up' mentality when in the comfort of his own home village. Did being a shinobi mean never being able to relax? Never being able to unwind and have fun because that would mean letting your guard down a little? Whatever the case, he didn't have much time to contemplate the words too deeply at the moment. He was too busy trying to focus on the job at hand, which meant those words would have to be stashed away for later consideration. Instead he would just reply with a quick "Yes sensei." and continue with his pursuit.
Daichi was asking the right questions, a clear sign that he was at least able to follow directions despite questions. It was trait that Anotsu made mental note of, though his countenance was no indication that he'd made an inward checklist. And so he replied to Daichi's question. "Lean on me to focus on the objective. Your sole role is to ensure that we don't lose sight of the tracker and fail to protect it as a result." The words were followed by the distant sound of whistling. As if on a dime, the Uchiha landed upon a tree branch in a crouch with expert poise. If Daichi were aware of his surroundings, he would hear the same audible, distant but closing in with swift proportion. [break][break] Two arrows sped toward their tracker's position, the flora tearing and scattering as they made approached their intended target. The Jounin watched on, well aware of all that was transpiring. In preparation did he place a hand beneath him at the branch, a moment's notice all it would take for him to rescue their companion. "Careful. East and west arrows." Calmly he spoke, though loud enough and with enough urgency to alert Daichi to the task at hand. [break][break] This was no mission. This was a single instance in which Anotsu would test the Genin's improvisation and reaction skills. Ambition would only get Daichi so far. There had to be substance, an effect that responded to the cause with no less than complete submission to duty and purpose. [break][break] Could the Genin handle it? [break][break] [2:03PM]
Lean on him, huh? That made sense, considering he would be the team leader. It was up to the team leader to call shots, and for those beneath him to follow along as ordered. So surely he wouldn’t get in trouble for doing anything so long as he said it, right? Maybe spending too much time with his father made him too paranoid of trick questions and misguiding words designed to catch him off balance. This guy seemed pretty straightforward, so hopefully that wouldn’t be an issue.[break][break]
The whistling took half a beat longer for the less experienced shinobi to catch, the distinct whistle of arrows tearing through the soft foliage to make their way toward the target. It was something he heard countless times over the years of watching Aiko’s handiwork. Everything was happening quickly, forcing him to make snap decisions without room for time consuming consideration.[break][break]
While the jonin came to a stop, the genin continued forward in order to keep pace with the pup. He didn’t have the speed advantage of his superior, and his top priority was keeping eyes on the dog. At the same time, his hands would work quickly, placing the paper bag between his teeth before forming a few hand seals while silently hoping he would be fast enough.[break][break]
Before the arrows could reach the target, the ground would suddenly rise by about a foot under the dog’s paws, the sudden shift possibly lifting it off its feet for a brief moment. But so long as the path continued forward, it would find itself moving on a descending slope. Assuming the arrows were what they seemed and not some manner of trick, they should’ve collided into the sides of the stone formation, allowing the hound to keep travelling without interruption.[break][break]
Eyes would remain trained on the dog, the sole objective of his task continually ringing in the back of his head. At least he had the presence of mind to remove the bag from his mouth before speaking again. ”Do we have a source on these arrows, Sensei? Should we grab the target and investigate?” Daichi knew what he wanted to do, but right now the coolest thing he could do was follow procedure. At least until he could find a slam dunk opportunity to really wow the guy.
An appropriate response, to say the least. Daichi's reaction time was appropriate for that of a Genin, the canine passing through unharmed as the arrows collided with the earthen defense that had been erected for him. Lifelessly, they pierced the earth and buried themselves deep within the terra. The canine, its speed consistent, seemed unaware - fearless - as it continued its pace. "No. Stay the course," Anotsu replied as he vanished into thin air. Yet again, he appeared close to Daichi with an almost effortless burst of kinetic energy that propelled him forward. [break][break] Minutes passed as they continued to track their target. Through the foliage they continued, a watchful eye placed on both the pup and the Genin that followed it. Without warning, however, their current trajectory was altered as the four-legged animal stopped on a dime. "There." The singular word was followed by a landing, Anotsu's feet firmly planted atop a branch meters behind the tracker. Silence prevailed as eyebrows furrowed, listening intently. Wordlessly, Anotsu cast a glance backward to his Platoon member. Quiet, the glance signaled. [break][break] "Ha. This is great. Who needed 'em, anyway?" a voice shouted just meters ahead. What looked to be a young Genin bit into a leg of chicken, sitting indian style and hidden beneath the canopy of the trees and their coverage. The puppy sat on its hind legs, still quiet as its tongue rolled out in usual fashion. The Jounin lofted a hand to rub his chin, shaking his head at the sight before him. A side glance at Daichi. [break][break] "This is our target. The elder's grandson is a Genin with less than...a responsible spirit." A dip of his chin south, a furrow of his eyebrows to signify that he was targeting the young boy below them. "You're to approach the target however you see fit and convince him to get back to the village." [break][break] Daichi would be given no more instructions, Anotsu completely still as he continued to watch - spectate - from his perch. [break][break] [8:44AM]
If it were up to him, Daichi would've been scooping up that dog and investigating why the hell anyone would've tried to attack it like that. But after a brief moment of consideration he remembered oh yeah this is just a test, huh? That was probably just a trap Anotsu set up in advance to test his reactions. Those were probably blunted arrows or something that wouldn't cause the dog any harm of they connected. At least he hoped his teacher wasn't the kind of person who would put an innocent animal in harms way just for a test.[break][break]
Whatever the case, Daichi would only let his mind wander briefly before focusing back on the objective. His eyes never left the pup and his pace never slowed, even if he was starting to feel the first signs of burn in his legs. Moving at full speed continuously like this was definitely something he was familiar with from his training so he was confident he could go for a while longer. But he couldn't let himself show any signs of slowing down, even just a little bit. Not during an important test like this.[break][break]
Though these movements came to a welcome pause as the jonin spoke once more, Daichi taking advantage of this to catch his breath. Brows pinched together as the sound of an unfamiliar voice caught his ear, a hand immediately reaching toward his tool bag. But then he caught sight of the source, a young shinobi just enjoying some alone time in the woods. Was he off engaging in some secret training too? Anotsu's further instruction made it clear he was doing exactly the opposite, which was a bit of a relief. The last thing he wanted to worry about was some kid showing up while he was trying to do his how private routine.[break][break]
"Yes sir." The instructions were clear, and the young shinobi already had a plan of action. He took a moment to run a hand through his hair, fixing it up a bit while collecting himself and blowing out a breath of hot air. Now it was time to put into practice the one thing he learned from his father. Lying through his teeth. Daichi silently walked down the side of the tree in full view of the other genin, lips pulled back into a friendly smile. "Huh. Wasn't expecting to find company all the way out here." Daichi approached his target, shoulders squared as his well practiced expression oozed a casual confidence. "You skipping out on training too? Nice. Mind if I join ya for a bit?"
It was as if the young Genin had forgotten his training. Anotsu would have sighed audibly had it not been for the necessity of stealth, eyebrows furrowing as he watched the display below. Coincidence to a shinobi was few and far between, a lesson that Daichi was about to learn with no less than hardship. The stray Genin, eyes darting north to match Daichi's gaze, narrowed his gaze as he stood to his feet. "...Fool." The single word was followed by a symphony of foliage and wire. With blinding speed, Daichi would find himself snatched into the arms of an appropriately placed set of traps designed to halt the advance of intruders. [break][break] "You're a shinobi, but you just walk up to a stranger in the forest without canvasing first? What a loser!" the young boy laughed. The prodigy of Ame could only dangle upside down, every limb tied and strapped with reinforced mechanism to ensure that he'd go nowhere. And yet, Anotsu did naught to assist. The Jounin continued to watch from his perch, silently contemplating Daichi's ability to improvise and persevere. [break][break] The freckle-faced Genin pulled baggy pants up, sniffling and circling Daichi's position with quiet scrutiny. "You don't look like much.." the Genin stated. "Who sent you out here? No way anyone just shows up here specifically after this being my first day of skipping." A rub of his double chin, the Genin evidently an Akimichi Clan's student. [break][break] There was little for Anotsu to do, the Jounin standing to full height and pressing his full weight against bark with a shoulder. Arms lofted to fold across his broad chest, the Uchiha took note of them whilst remaining statuesque, quiet and hidden from view. [break][break] [10:09AM]
Daichi was a trusting sort, the kind of person whose instinct would always lead him to have faith in a member of his own village. They were comrades, all working toward the same goal of protecting the village and the people of their territory. Why would he ever assume that a fellow Ame Genin would do anything to harm him? That being said, he wasn’t a total fool. Though his approach was casual, his senses remained sharp. Especially after that strange attack that was launched on the dog. There were traps everywhere in these woods, it seemed. And this boy was likely the source.[break][break]
So when the trap was sprung, Daichi was quick to react. Although not quite quick enough. Three out of four limbs managed to escape the cables as he launched himself back in an effort to avoid the snare. But the foot used to kick off the ground wasn’t so lucky, the snare quickly wrapping around his ankle and dragging him up into the air. ”Woah! Someone’s paranoid.” The genin was less surprised by this and more amused, a bit of a laugh escaping him as he dangled there. Even as his heart was racing as he felt the judging eyes of his teacher above, he would maintain his projected confidence and keep any signs of anxiety well hidden.[break][break]
”This may be your first time skipping, but this is my hundreth. I practically live in these woods.” As he spoke he would open up the paper bag and toss it to the genin’s feet. Inside they would see a pair of sandwiches they may recognize from one of the local shops within the village.. ”My dad said I was supposed to share with my sensei, but I said screw it and dipped on the guy. But I gotta admit, this is a pretty nice trap. You can have one if you want.”
[break][break]With both hands now free, Daichi reached into his tool bag to pull out a Kunai, giving it a bit of a twirl as he revealed it. ”Speaking of losers, the only reason we crossed paths is because I got curious and followed the pup over there. You know you wouldn’t have to set all these traps if you just covered your tracks properly. You did notice the dog, right?” As he spoke he would start to pull himself up, moving to casually try and cut himself free.”I’ll be down in a minute. Sit tight.”
"Well, well." It was a beautiful execution, the corner of Anotsu's lips lifting until a grin existed for seconds. He continued to observe from the distance, completely shrouded in foliage and nature as he watched the interaction unfold before him. Daichi had even brought tools, improvising and using everyday objects to create a makeshift blanket of deception. As if on cue, the small animal emerged from the thick of brush to bark gently and shake any stray leaves or dirt from his coat. Such a dance of show and tell was easily exercised as a means to cover his story. The Genin's eyes fell upon the contents of the bag, the intrigue clearly drawn on his features as green eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh yeah!! Now THIS is how you greet a guy!" The words were shouted with impatience, tearing at the contents and attempting to free himself - eyes taken off of Daichi. [break][break] How would the Genin take advantage of the situation? The sound of flora and fauna continued to carry on through the forestry, the day furthering as beams of light broke through their grassy cover. Terrain stretched out for as far as the eye could see, even the bustling sound of the village perishing with how deep in they'd traveled. Which approach would Daichi take? One of a continued facade? One of violent proportion, subduing his quarry? Such questions were critical to observe. Anotsu was adamant in this scenario, neither a muscle or appendage relinquishing the idea of no interference. [break][break] "O-of course I noticed the dog!" the Genin shouted at Daichi, a defensive air cascading him. "If you knew the forest so well, maybe you wouldn't have gotten caught!" The Genin's greedy fingers hurried at the wrapper, his eyes still locked onto the prize that awaited him when he'd uncovered it. "Who's the loser!? You're the one who has to cut himself down!" A belly full of laughter broke out and into the atmosphere. With little more separating the gluttonous Genin from his distraction, Anotsu watched on with intrigue to view - scrutinize - Daichi and his next set of ministrations. [break][break] [3:51PM]
Ok, so maybe this kid actually just kinda sucked. His attitude was rotten to the core, from the way his attitude immediately changed when something was offered to satisfy his greed to the way he turned to insulting others when his own pride was wounded. Though it did make the genin pause for a moment as he was cutting himself down, brows furrowing a bit as he glanced back toward the other. Was this what he sounded like when he tried to act cool? Had he ever gone and put somebody else down as he scrambled to elevate himself in one way or another? It was a painful thing to consider as he got back to work cutting himself down. He could only hope that nobody looked at him the way he was looking at this Akimichi brat right now.[break][break]
His descent wasn't a graceful one, as he wasn't high enough off the ground to right himself before falling to the forest floor. He only managed to catch himself a bit with his hands to keep himself from faceplanting in the dirt. But now that he was free, it was time to decide his course of action. The target's guard was down and he was distracted with a meal, which meant this could have been the perfect time to strike and apprehend him by force. But the Akimichi were a strong people, which meant that trying to restrain him to drag him back home would've been very difficult. Even if he could win in a fight, he really didn't want to bring the boy back home bloodied and bruised. So after a brief moment of consideration he pushed himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. "Alright, big shot. If you're done with the trash talk, how about we have an actual chat?"[break][break]
He could only hope his sensei wasn't too disappointed with his approach so far. It seemed like the obvious solution to this problem was to overpower the opposition and bring them back by force. But that just wasn't Daichi's skillset. For now all he could do was use what skills had been passed down to him and see what happened. "Gotta admit, that was a pretty good trap you had set up back there." Daichi approached the target, reaching into the paper bag to pull out his own sandwich. May as well enjoy his snack now that it was practically part of the mission. "Lemme guess, you think you're too talented to bother with training. So you decided to skip out today and come hang out in the woods cuz that's somehow a better way to spend your time." He took a look around the clearing where the other genin had set up, keeping a close eye to watch his step as he took a few steps in. All the while he was careful to keep the other in his field of view, just to make sure he didn't try anything fishy.[break][break]
"You must be pretty good if you're not worried about the rest of your platoon passing you up while you're messing around. Like I remember this one kid that was a real prodigy, just like us. Really thought he was goin' places. But then he just started skipping class, talking about how he already knew all this stuff and whatnot. Shame he failed the final exam like that. Would've been a pretty cool guy to work with." Daichi shrugged casually as he bit into his sandwich. Did the kid he was talking about actually exist? Was there even an ounce of truth to this story at all? That didn't really matter. After all, he was just a guy telling a story. Whether it's true or not, maybe there was some sort of lesson to be learned from it.
[attr="class","exhausted"]A lion concerns itself not with the opinions of sheep..
[attr="class","rhythm"]
❝
So often, we run from consequences. Do as you please but do it without regret.
Daichi was taking further advantage of the situation. Anotsu continued to watch with what was now a budding interest. Not only had he managed to close the proximity betwixt himself and his quarry, but he was now gathering intel besides. The curl at the end of the Jounin's lips was one that confessed to having underestimated his Genin, one that would be rewarded with the completion of the exercise. A single handseal delivered Anotsu from the tree branch in a blink, his form reappearing only a few meters away from the pair as he scooped the pup into his arms. "A surprising approach, Daichi," Anotsu muttered. The Genin stranger turned to the Jounin in mock surprise until Anotsu lifted a hand and waved it. "You can drop the act. He's surpassed expectation."
It was then that a plume of smoke erupted from where the boy once stood. In his place was the old man, chuckling and nodding alongside the Uchiha. "That's right! I expected a kunai or shuriken, not intelligent conversation and attempting to blend in! Why, this boy's got the makings of a great Genin!" Anotsu nodded. The small animal barked happily as Anotsu approached Daichi, pushing the white furball into his arms. "You've done well. Return to the village and see to it that this tracker gets back into the hands of the Kage Tower. As for myself, I've some business to attend to. I'll be along shortly."
The elder's face grew more serious - a grim expression upon his countenance - as Anotsu turned back toward him. His hands placed behind his back, fingers clasped, he would wait until the young Genin was out of earshot to continue conversation.
It felt like things were going well. He was totally getting inside this guy's head, and soon enough would be convincing him to head back home of his own free will. Surely for a mission like this that was the best way to approach, right? No, apparently not. As before the target could even respond, Anotsu appeared before the genin's very eyes. His jaw clenched as he sucked in a deep breath, the air hissing between his teeth as he recognized this as a sign of his own failures. Was all of this wrong? Was he supposed to be more aggressive? Did he say something wrong? His thoughts raced as he stared at his teacher, who he could only assume was here to do the job correctly in his stead.[break][break]
So when he spoke again and the young man suddenly poofed into the familiar face of that old man from before, Daichi was shocked and confused. "Wait. Wait you're- But I-" A hand moved to rest on top of his head as he looked between the two of them, trying to figure out what the hell was going on here. Was this...just a test? His worries were all put to ease as the 'target' spoke again, his expression softening into a soft smile as they spoke his praises. "So...I passed?" Attention turned to the jonin as he approached, his smile growing as he happily accepted the dog into his arms. Though this smile of his was different from what had been seen before. His previous air of confidence and swagger had faded, instead replaced by a look of pure innocent joy as he received his praises.[break][break]
"Yes, sensei! Right away!" He turned quickly to face the elder, bending at the waist to offer him a bow. "And thank you too, sir. I'll keep doing my best." He was feeling so warm and fuzzy inside from all of this that he didn't even think to put up any sort of facade, his gratitude and joy far more powerful than his desire to be 'cool' within this moment. Though he couldn't help but notice the look on the man's face, that shift from that pleased smile he wore before. The genin shot a quick glance between the two older shinboi, pondering if he should ask what was the matter. But should he really risk ruining all this good will he built today? Probably not.[break][break]
"...I'll keep my radio handy in case you need to reach me after this, sensei." With one last bow, the genin darted off into the woods, his enthusiasm carrying him like the wind at his back. The makings of a great genin... He had his eyes set a bit higher than that, but it was definitely a good start!
