"Haha! That all you got? Can't believe they made someone as weak as you a Genin!" Laughter followed the explanative. In the middle of a crowd of three teenage boys was a younger teenage boy that was on his knees on the ground coughing up the air that was kicked out of him. The three teenage boys were ninja, all the same as the younger one on the ground, however they were Chuunin ninja. They'd already graduated two years ago and were as close as a waste caked on a dumpster. They were always seen together. Kururu Xaisho, Kazuya Youtenshi and Katou Zangetsuhou. They were fairly skilled trackers, probably some of the most skilled in that area when it came to Chuunin, and they were mostly adored ninja. They graduated early and were promoted early and they were extremely patriotic, thus the situation. 

The three ninja didn't like certain other types of people. They didn't like people like Shin Uzumaki, the spawn of Sai, simply because he was related to the very bastard that ruined their lives. As such, they also didn't like people like Taiho Suzuna, whom came from two generations of men that worked for Sai. They terrorized the boy constantly and today was specatucaly special, because today was the day that the pitiful offspring of the late Iron Dragon was promoted into a Genin of Konohagakure. They felt that they had to be some of the first to offer him his [i]congratulatory gift[/i]. They were even generous enough to offer the gift in the middle of the market place, in front of plenty of people that weren't ashamed to turn a blind eye to the squabble. 

"Come on, that all you got, scum?" Kazuya, the leader of the group, would crouch down to Taiho's level as he asked the question. He looked at his hand and waved around the shiny little headband he managed to take from the kid, "You don't even deserve this...Someone like you is better off doing some tree cutting or something. Something someone as stupid as you could manage," Kazuya would say, which his two buddies would find absolutely hilarious and would cackle and holler as if it were the greatest joke they'd ever heard in their life. 

"Technically..." Taiho started, managing to catch his breath. Kazuya looked at the boy intently, curious as to what he'd say. Taiho spoke in his usual slow tone. His voice was never rushed or raised and was as devoid of any energy or motivation, "I scored higher on my tests than all three of you combined..." Which was true, because Taiho scored at one of the highest levels in his class. He wasn't a graduate for just any reason. He studied and did all the required work and excelled. His marksman scores were higher than all three of them as well. 

Kazuya took a moment to register the information, which made his two friends a little nervous. 
Kazuya was quick to stand and kick Taiho right in the face. 

"Well, bastard!" Kazuya would say, a frustrated smile spreading on his face, "I didn't even try on those damn tests! There's no way a disgusting retard like you would do better than me! Someone from a cursed family like yours couldn't be better than me!" Kazuya would exclaim, stomping clean on Taiho's stomach. Taiho let out a painful gasp but it was muffled by yet another kick to the face. Taiho rolled to his side as he held his face. The pain was excruciating. It was hot and mind numbing and the kick had been hard enough to make him feel slightly lightheaded and dazed. Despite the hazy feeling the painful throbbing didn't vanish or dissipate. It hurt. 

"H-Hey, Kazuya! People are still watching..." Kururu whispered, motioning his head towards the spectators, whom still didn't bother to interfere. At this point, even if they did want too, the boys were ninja. It wouldn't turn out well for them. 

"What-the-hell-ever!" Kazuya exclaimed, punching Kururu in the face, "Forget this punk! He's shit! Garbage! He's the reason that-" Kazuya stopped himself. There was no way he was going to get emotional in front of his team. He wouldn't lose face because of some bastard brat Genin pissed him off. He wouldn't mention how it was Taiho's family that killed off his own. No. He wouldn't do that. Even if everyone, excluding Taiho himself, knew it. 

"Forget it!" Kazuya would say, chucking Taiho's brand new headband. It landed in a muddy puddle beside some store, "I have to get to the Training Field anyway. I'm not gonna waste anymore time on this loser," Kazuya would say, kicking dirt at Taiho, whom was still holding his face. Katou would help Kururu as Kazuya stormed off. The two followers would be after Kazuya in a second. They also needed to get to the training fields. 

As was normal, no one came to help Taiho. 
There were more than a few people that felt the same about the boy. His family caused a lot of suffering. His father killed many and his grandfather killed many more. Even those that held some sympathy for the kid didn't come to help him, because they didn't want to be the ones associating with the kid from that lineage. They didn't want to be connected to Taiho, the cursed boy. There were more than a few that had suffered directly from the hands of a Suzuna and that bore a festering grudge that couldn't be put aside even for the boy that did nothing. 

So, like normal, when the pain started to die down, Taiho picked himself up. His face was bruised, like he'd been hit with a baseball bat, and his clothes were dirty. He looked like he'd been in a fight and all the spectators would righteously claim that Taiho was the aggressor and instigator. It was normal for the orphan to be subject to the hatred of the people here and it was normal for his being bullied by Kazuya. Still, even with his chest, back, belly and face pounding with residual pain, he calmly walked over to his headband, tears falling down out of instinct. He wasn't crying. Taiho never felt the need to cry. It would be better to say that the boy lacked the capacity to cry. The tears that fell were simply out of reflex from the excruciating pain running through his body and that was all. 

Taiho picked up his headband, the brand new band dirtied, and he pocketed it. He wiped his face with his sleeve and headed to the training field. Although Kazuya managed to get Taiho's letter, and preemptively burn it, before he had a chance to read it Taiho already knew where the meeting place would be. It was lucky that he was observant, else he would most likely have had to ask one of the instructors. 

Today had been a fairly normal day:
He had to skip out on breakfast, because there wasn't any.
He was teased by Shuuha Yamanaka, a beautiful kunoichi that graduated with the last class. She really didn't like him and made sure to ensure that other girls didn't either. 
He went to the academy, it was graduation day, and sat in his usual place at the back without talking or participating. He really only participated when asked, but he was always attentive.
During break he was teased by Zuto Sarutobi, an instructor actually. He didn't like Taiho either, but he was usually more reserved than the students. 
After the graduation Taiho was given his headband and letter. 
It was when Taiho left the academy that he bumped into Kazuya and his two followers. After taking his money, letter and headband Kazuya went through the usual motions of taking his frustrations out on Taiho. 

Wouldn't be any breakfast tomorrow, apparently. 

This was the usual for Taiho. If it wasn't Kazuya it was someone else, and for the days that he wasn't bothered he was avoided. People really didn't care for him. But he didn't mind it. His entire life had been that way, but he wasn't worried about it. He didn't have many worries in life. He was always emotionless and unreacting. The teasing and the fighting and all the pain didn't upset him or frustrate him. Instead, Taiho was his usual apathetic. He was unphased by how he was treated, the misfortunes he endured, and, at the sametime, he didn't really care about what others thought of him. The moments he interacted with others just passed by him and, the moment they were out of sight, he was no longer even focused on them or what they had done. 

Now was just meeting his teacher. 
Off to the training grounds.

---------

Kirugetsu Hozuki.
Taiho knew a little about the history of this ninja, but nothing spectacular. Taiho did know that Kirugetsu, at sometime, killed someone important, but he wasn't aware of any specifics, nor did he care to inquire. Taiho only studied things related to the academy, which were necessary for graduation, so he wasn't really familiar with things like the biographies of popular ninja. There was another beside him, Shisen Inuzuka. She was apart of his class. Taiho looked at the two only for a moment, noticing that everyone else was already grouped into teams. He'd missed the entire announcement by Shin Uzumaki, thus was somewhat at a loss of what to do or where to go. He wasn't sure of his team assignment because, unfortunately, his letter, which may have held such crucial information, had been burned by a senpai.

Taiho was pretty late. He'd had a full hour just to reach the training grounds, yet he was almost 20 minutes tardy. It wasn't unusual for him to be late. Many of the instructors assumed he had a terrible attendance, actually, but it was only due to Kazuya's interference usually. Taiho wasn't the sort to be distracted by anything, thus he was typically at least on track to be on time. This wouldn't be the first time he showed up looking a little abused either. If he actually had parents some would probably question his upbringing...But everyone just assumed he did something to ask for the bruising. He was a troublemaker, after all. He would have a reputation as one too. He had one before the academy and, when he decided to enlist into the academy, his reputation as a terrible person only seemed to expand. He was a no-good, deceitful, rambunctious, insulting, ignorant, arrogant child that came from an equally as evil family. No one wanted to be around such a terrible child and it was assumed that was due to good reason.

Still, being this late was not a good first impression, but he wasn't worried about that. He was never worried about the interruptions he caused or the assumptions people made of him. He was only here because he needed to be here, not to try and show off or come off as impressive. Reguardless, he was scruffed up, which his face looking so swollen that his eye looked as if it were half opened. If anything, the beaten up Genin was all the more unimpressive. Any instructor that saw their student in that state was bound to be disappointed. They'd gotten a weak, spineless student that couldn't even take care of himself.

The boy didn't groan or complain. He looked strangely calm. Almost too calm for a boy with a face that looked like that. You'd expect a little misery or anger or hesitancy from someone that'd went through that sort of beating, but Taiho was uncaring of his own injuries and casually looked around the training field, avoiding eye contact with the others that were there. He was closest to Kirugetsu and Shisen, unaware that he'd coincidentally stumbled upon individuals that would be waiting for him. 

"..." Taiho wasn't entirely sure how to approach the situation, nor was he going to approach the others close by for information. He just looked around, searching for anyone that looked as if they may be searching for him. He was about to take a step away, wanting to go more to the center of the training field. If Kirugetsu or Taiho's teammates said nothing he would do just that.