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[i]Noon // Land of Fire: Konohagakure - Training grounds[/i][/right]



The white haired genin had been standing patiently with her hands laced behind her back. Her katana had been strapped to her obi again and she looked around the training grounds with a rather blank look. Part of her was trying to not draw attention to herself. Among the genin that had been training was Kouji Tataki, a boy who'd picked on her in the Academy, calling her hair weird and telling her that her ice didn't belong. She hadn't seen the boy since graduation. He'd pushed her into a wall, although she understood that it had been entirely an accident. He'd tripped and well, she'd been standing in the way. Still, she doubted that Kouji had matured at all since then. Her attention was snagged away by the pretty Hyuuga heiress approaching them. So she noticed that Kazuhiko had sent a clone with them. That spelled trouble for Koharu, as [i]she'd [/i] be the one putting up with Natsuko's ranting over the matter. 

There wouldn't be any way to make te situation better. Natsuko was a little oblivious to social cues but she knew the girl was far from stupid. It wasn't the first time one of the heirs had sent a clone out instead of going, although most of the time they'd done it due to needing to tend to their clan business rather than staying away from Natsuko. [color=8882be]"Sorry Kazu-kun."[/color] Koharu took a few steps closer to the clone and punched him in the stomach. He disappeared with a brief blue spark. It had been better to come clean rather than lie to her. [color=8882be]"He probably needed to talk to Minoru-sensei. Please don't be upset. He at least made an attempt to include himself."[/color] If Koharu condemned him then she'd be a hypocrite. Her green-gray eyes shifted to the other genin and she sighed softly. 

[Color=darkred]"You're a cruel traitor, Wakahisa."[/color] Kouji said, coming up from behind Mariko. He was taller than any of the girls before him but he was still shorter than the silver haired boy who was looking at the ground a few feet behind them. [Color=darkred]"Selling out Taketori like that. Some teammate you are."[/color] 

[Color=darkcyan]"T-that isnt fair, Kou!"[/color] The other boy piped up. Despite his intimidating size, his face was bright red and he stuttered his words. Black eyes flicked quickly to the girls and his face grew into a darker shade. He looked uncomfortable standing there and he fiddled with his fingers. He was impressed that the short girl hadn't started to tell at Kouji or anything. Kage didn't think she'd cry like he did when he was teased; if anything she looked pissed.

Kouji snorted. [Color=darkred]"Whatever Kage. You can't even look at them without blushing!"[/color] He jabbed a finger at the other boy. Their sensei was watching from a few dozen feet away so he wasn't as mean to Kage as he normally was. He turned back to scowl at the girls, folding his arms over his chest. Kouji tried to ignore the glare the white haired girl was giving him. It was concerning just how much she looked like she wanted to kill him. Kouji tried to glare back but his wasn't as cold as hers. It didn't help that the air around her cooled rapidly and frost formed below her feet. The ice crept closer towards Kouji's feet the longer their staring contest went on. 

Kage looked like he was going to cry, although he usually looked like that anyways. [Color=darkcyan]"Hey please d-don't fight! Come on you guys!"[/color] Kage wasn't a total chicken, he knew he could use his size to break up most fights. He wormed his way between them, pushing Kouji back slightly. He would have pushed Koharu back too but she was just so small compared to him.

[Color=tan]"Let them fight, Kage. It'll do Kouji some good and the girl needs to calm down."[/color] Their sensei, Reiko, approached them, long hair swaying in the breeze. She folded her hands in front of herself, hiding them within her long sleeves. 

[color=darkred]"But sensei!-"[/color]

[Color=tan]"You can handle insulting the girl, who'd done nothing to you...but you can't handle trying to fight her."[/color] Reiko watched as the small genin unsheathed her katana and lashed out at him. She noticed that the girl used controlled moves, as if she'd done them a thousand times in the exact same way. Reiko knew of the Wakahisa and their reputation for being excellent swordsmen. Perhaps this child would live up to that. [Color=tan]"You there, girl, that little one is of the Wakahisa clan, is she not?"[/color] She asked Natsuko. Reiko wrapped an arm around Kage, who looked dangerously close to crying. He wasn't a fighter, she'd learned that quickly. He was a little too gentle for this world and she's asked hm many times why he wanted to be a shinobi in the first place if he was afraid to fight. Kage had told her that he wanted to save people as a medic. 

Reiko didn't bat an eye at the fight that she'd allowed. The short girl wasn't letting up on Kouji, who only had kunai to defend hmself with. Koharu was taunting him softly as they fought and she used a combination of her sword and her ice to keep him moving. He'd been able to land a few good hits, seeing that her moves largely followed a pattern but it was easy to tell who had the advantage. Kouji hadn't been expecting her to use her saya in the fight--most didn't. It was a good way to momentarily stun someone. Koharu hit him in the stomach with it, making the boy double over and gasp for air. 

She paused to let him regain his breath. This was training, not a real fight, so she had to play fair. Kouji was a lot stronger than she was and his hits had hurt. If she hadn't gone at him with little room for him to breathe then she'd likely be on her ass in the dirt right now.

[Color=tan]"You kids can spar too."[/color] Reiko would probably end Kouji and Koharu's fight soon. She was sure the boy had learned his lesson.



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[i]Afternoon // Land of Fire: Konohagakure - Kawaguchi Household[/i][/right]



Minoru hadn't been surprised when Kazuhiko stepped out of the bathroom once the girls were gone. He'd been acting a little odd, like there was a weight on his chest that he couldn't wait to get off. Minoru had been doing the dishes while Azumi packed away any of their left overs. They paused what they were doing as the boy apologized for his father's behavior. He gestured to his wife to take the lead. It was clear that he was apologizing to her more than to him. Minoru knew that his wife had a soft spot for both of his quiet genin and he loved her for that. She was such a kind woman. 

"Kazuhiko," Azumi stepped closer to the boy, "it is okay." She gently pushed him to stand to his full height. They were rougly the same size, so she could look in his eyes. "You have been raised one way, with one frame of mind. You do not need to apologize for anything." She said, pulling the boy into a hug. The slight swell of her stomach was a little more pronounced when she hugged people. "You are one of our first children, you know? We love you, Kazuhiko. You never have to feel bad around us." 

[Color=gray]"Yes. You are our first son. We will always love you, and you being able to apologize for...something that isn't your fault is admirable."[/color] Minoru joined their hug, standing on te other side of the boy. [Color=gray]"We want you to be a big brother to our child. You are a good kid and one day you will be a great man.[/color] Minoru smiled at the genin. He really did think of his genin as his kids. He'd been their sensei for a year. He'd trained them and learned from them.

[@Typical]