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[hr][indent][h1][u][b][color=white]Hatake Toshiro[/color][/b][/u][/h1][b][color=gray]Shinobi Academy, Konohagakure[/color][/b] [color=gray]-- [i]Present Day, Daybreak[/i][/color][/indent]
[indent][indent]Hatake Toshiro stood in silence outside of the Konohagakure Academy, preparing himself for the celebration that was to come. The celebration of the accomplishments of this generation of students and all of the hard work they had put into their ambition to be officially recognized as genin of the leaf and continue on their journey as kunoichi and shinobi. The only thing he wished would be different was the weather. 

It had been raining for two [abbr=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_clock#Traditional_Japanese_time_system]strikes[/abbr] before dawn; a heavy torrent that was as unyielding as it was distressing. The more spiritual denizens of the leaf would’ve marked it as an ill omen, precedence that the new generation of shinobi were doomed, and that the ancestors themselves were making their voice known. These were things Toshiro did not believe. However, what Toshiro [i]did[/i] believe was that it was a dour and unpleasant thing that would only dampen his student’s morale, especially those who were already dealing with emotional troubles. He feared how they could be inspired by the promotion when all they could think about was the weather. But worst of all, his students were going to be [i]wet.[/i] They were going to be wet and drag all of the rain in with them; rain and [i]mud.[/i] The thought of it just made him feel anxious beyond all realm of sense, despite him very well knowing it was ridiculous to be so mincing given his line of work. It was a trait of his that had carried over from when he was an academy student, even with all of the hazing and jokes his friends and comrades-in-arms used to make.

It was like the [i]Momomaru incident[/i] all over again.

If there was some silver lining to the graduation ceremony it was the fact that he no longer had to dread about Kegawa’s canine companion. Beyond light-hearted incidents like that, there wasn’t much for Toshiro to grief over. The students had diverse personalities. There were some who had their troublesome traits, but overall they reminded him a lot of his day as an academy student himself. He just hoped that he had prepared them better than his class had been prepared. That was his nindo, after all; to prepare them for the future that was waiting in the shadows to strike.

As for the results themselves, they were better than anyone could imagine; even someone as meticulous and demanding as he. He was proud of their accomplishments of the [i]entire[/i] class doing well and all graduating to genin. He was content that he was a contributing factor for their growth, though he knew their paths following this day were in another sensei’s hands. He had read over the scroll handed over to him by the Hokage’s right-hand agent more times than he could count. More than half the class had been remarked upon by the Hokage herself as ‘exceptional’, a feat that had earned them accolades among the inner circle of the leaf. Whether she would arrive to personally give a speech to the aspiring genin was something she had teased at in her private dissertation. But Toshiro wasn’t good with things that weren’t spelled out for him; so he wasn’t sure if she was going to arrive later in the morning or not. Even as a child Tsugumi of the Hyuga Clan was an anomaly to him and it appeared that fact had not changed in the last twelve years. 

He wondered if the jonin she had listed as her choice for team leaders had retained their personalities from their youth as well. Especially one specific individual on the list; an individual he didn’t even realize had [i]returned[/i] to Konohagakure. Kagetsu Kitanai. The Vagabond Doctor of the Leaf. A man who he was unaware had been ever promoted to the rank of jonin; a man who had never even led a chunin squad in his life. Toshiro didn’t doubt his qualifications per ce, but it did certainly seem suspicious since Kitanai and Tsugumi were especially close in their youth. It was a curious decision that he didn’t really wish to contest. The genin chosen to serve under him did indeed make some modicum of sense.

[i]What would the elder council say though?[/i]

A wide smirk formed on Toshiro’s face as the thought came into his mind as he began to head back into the building. As a member from the lesser clans of the village there was only one thoughtful reply he could give himself.

[i]Who Cares?[/i]

However, as his hand reached for the door something stopped him—a sharp noise that filled him full of dread and panic. A noise that represented true fear for the Hatake instructor.

The sound of someone tumbling into the river.

As if a hungry dog hearing the rattle of a pile of bones, Toshiro turned on a dime; his widened eyes scanning specifically where the sound of weight hitting the river had occurred. It didn’t take him long to see it—the opposite end of the wide lake on which the academy’s main facilities had sat. A student had missed the Suiren bridge. A student who did not likely intend for it. Toshiro moved forward, his feet clapping against the water as he walked across it. Standing in front of the shambling student who stumbled back onshore.

[b]“Tensai.”[/b]
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