[Right][H1][color=darkgray]Minoru[/color][/h1][/right] He hoped that his studentswere excited for this mission. He...well, he was, but he was also a little nervous. They'd been a fantastic team so far, despite a few setbacks. They were growing as shinobi and he knew their families were proud. That didn't stop him from worrying though. Oddly enough this was the first time since they'd been assigned to him that he was actually on time. Along the way he'd met up with Koharu, a tiny but serious faced girl that no doubt would grow to be a wonderful woman. He towered over the girl and often he had to look down to make sure he hadn't lost her in the crowds. Theur walk had been quiet, as most walks with her were. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. He knew that she was quiet, did quiet things and generally went about her business without a fuss. She was...different than he'd expected. Hearing you were training an heir to a clan wasn't the best news. Most were spoiled and expected for this whole experience to go by as easily as their lives did. But this one, and Kazuhiko, were different. They strived to be the best, to take all of their challenges head on. [Color=darkgray]"Are you excited, Koharu?"[/color] He glanced down at the small girl agian as they approached te other two genin that were already waiting for them. He didn't miss the way her lips quirked up at the corners as she watched her teammates. The focus was returned to Minoru and she nodded. [color=a187be]"Yes. Mother thinks I'm too young but Osamu-san says I need a real mission."[/color] She spoke so formally that Minoru gave a small defeated sigh. Well hopefully having Natsuko around would break that shell of hers. And the one around Kazuhiko. He felt his own lips twitch into a smile and he gave a soft laugh. [Color=darkgray]"Go easy on them, Natsuko. It's still quite early."[/color] Indeed it was early. A good portion of the village wasn't even awake yet. That was fine though, they had a long journey to the Land of Lightning. No doubt his two serious, sticks in the mud would find this to be an adequate challenge. D-rank missions could only hold their interests for so long. No one wanted to be stuck finding lost dogs or delivering packages throughout the village for a year. [color=a187be][h1][right]Koharu[/right][/h1][/color] There was always a bubble of nervousness that welled up in her stomach, settling heavily in the base of her throat, when she had to greet her teammates. During training she could distract herself with sparring or something. There was no buffer during a time like this though. Koharu nodded at each of her teammates briefly before looking at their sensei. She liked Mimoru so far. He'd neen welcoming of her, even after her rough introduction into his group, and she enjoyed that he didn't pester her with questions about why her clan had immigrated. She could no longer remember the land of her birth beyond the cold and snow, and while she knew why they had left in the first place, she didn't know the fine details. Or why so many were suspicious of the Wakahisa clan. They weren't spies. When the question was presented to Minoru, she looked up at him curiously with an obvious desire to start their mission soon. [Color=darkgray]"I'm having doubts now, Kazuhiko. I think we should head home."[/color] [color=a187be]"But sensei! You said that we were ready. Have you ever spent a year doing kiddie missions? They get dull. Fast."[/color] Koharu felt a little embarrassed at her minor outburst. Minoru omly smiled at her and reached out and put a large hand on her hair. [Color=darkgray]"I was joking. We'll leave soon. I promise. We need to stop at an estate close to the border. We should get there by noon."[/color] Koharu scowled up at the mam and batted his hand away from her head. He laughed quite loudly at that. Such a tiny thing with such an impressive amount of courage. Most would have been disappointed and returned home. [@Dusksong]