Kirugetsu waited patiently for his students to arrive at the field. The morning was cool, calm, and sunny... perfect weather, really. Birds chirped, bugs were buzzing around, frogs were hopping... on his foot. A sickening squeal erupted from the frog as it was impaled and killed by a kunai. [I]"Eh. Good snack, I guess. Didn't have much breakfast anyways."[/I] and so he dug into the squishy little creature, a smile on his face. But his snack-time would be interrupted by the arrival of his two remaining students. Kirugetsu tossed the remaining portion of the frog to the side as the kids approached, not wanting to gross them out. Shisen was the first to step up to the plate. The girl gave Kirugetsu something unexpected... a new scabbard for his favored blade. An interesting thing, this sudden gifting. [B]"While I appreciate this gift, I have to ask what it's for. Are you trying to br..."[/B] his question was interrupted by the Hyuga boy, Maruki. He was being overly respectful, as he seemed to do often. One question warranted an answer, though. [B]"Kirin has been recalled from our squad. Likely on family affairs. She will not be joining us today."[/B] ... and then the boy offered a gift as well. A scroll of some kind, in fact. [url=http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/132/1/4/zero__s_derp_face__3_by_hetaliajapan123-d4zjsjo.jpg]Kirugetsu's expression[/url] made clear his feelings of exasperation. [B]"So let me get this straight. You both go home after getting a good meal and a fight... each failing one of the two tests I gave you... and magically come here today with things I want? I know bribery when I see it."[/B] He thought for a moment on what to do next, and just as one of the kids went to speak... he would shout: [B]"CAN IT, GENIN!"[/B] ... not the most polite, but Kirugetsu wasn't exactly a conventional teacher. Regaining his composure, he would speak again. [B]"In light of this blatant violation of procedure and ettiquette, I am forced to fail the both of you on the final test. As such, you fail my tests as a whole."[/B] He gave that a bit of time to sink in, watching the student's reactions. Before either of them lost their cool, he would stop them by raising a hand. [B]"However. We're rebuilding things here and we're in need of capable shinobi. So I offer you both a way out of being sent back to the Academy."[/B] The Hozuki smiled, exposing his shark-like teeth. [B]"You can both fight each other. Right here and now. Winner stays, loser goes. Having fought you both, I'd say it's a fairly even match. So who's ready?"[/B] He knew they both wanted to prove themselves. He knew that Shisen, despite her shyness and anti-social tendencies, would not have come this far without something to prove. Similarly, Maruki was of the proud Hyuga, and wouldn't abide by failure. The plan was perfect, really. He could watch the kids, evaluate them more fully, and get a grasp on where they needed to improve. Question was... would they accept his proposal? Or would they accept failure?