An unfortunate amount of rumors about the man before him were immediately confirmed. Jiro figured this was a bad sign. Though, Jiro never put much stock in hearsay. Jiro would not let gossiping civilians mar the good first impression his teacher had given. The man was gruff, certainly. Unorthodox as well. Jiro did not hold it against the older man: anyone who lives long enough in the service of the Village is bound to develop some mental abnormalities. Jiro did not doubt that he would have eccentricities of a similar magnitude if, [i]when[/i] he was a Jonin. Jiro even smiled when he heard the teacher's motivation. His honesty, though almost certainly misleading, was refreshing indeed after Jiro's morning.

Jiro already liked his teacher. What he did [i]not[/i] like, was the vagueness of the assignment. He spoke up immediately, his mind racing for hidden meaning, doublespeak, easy solutions.

"Excuse me, teacher." Jiro waited a brief moment for a rebuke, moving on before a spirited one could be given. One had to be polite, after all. "What will [i]you[/i] be doing while this exercise? What is this exercise a prerequisite [i]for[/i]? Is there a failure state for us? What would the consequences be if we failed?" Jiro stopped himself before he carried himself into dangerous territory. There was one question he desperately wanted to ask, but did not.

[i]Why does the test cater to Ms. Mizushima, the only one of us you know to be a ranged specialist, so heavily?[/i]. Jiro had never liked favoritism, ever since he had been on the wrong end of it. He certainly hoped his master would not lose all the respect Jiro had begun to feel.