The spring air was crisp and clean with barely a hint of a breeze as the newly-crowned genin streamed into the courtyard in front of the ninja academy. Children of all kinds of backgrounds and experiences walked towards the bulletin boards, eyes bright and eager as they searched the lists for their names, the names of friends, and the names of the teachers that had been assigned to them.
Natsuko was one of those eager genin, although you'd never hear it from her. When Natsuko's eyes caught on her name, they quickly made a circle around and up to take in her full team--team twelve, led by Jinn Kokono, consisting of: Tetsuba Zaisette, herself, and Kazuhiko Taketori.
A grin crept on to Natsuko's face when she realized that she'd been sorted into the same team as the resident genius, Kazuko Taketori. There was no shortage of girls who fawned after him secretly, and although he often came second to the the descendants of the Uchiha clan, there was nonetheless much to be said about the quiet boy who aced exams both written and performed. In fact Natsuko had the sneaking suspicion that the Hyuuga heiress was interested in him, although she was sure her friend would never admit such a thing. As Natsuko was the type to hold off judgement until she met someone in person, she didn't think much of the Taketori other than the fact that he was talented and a team member she would rather fight with than against.
If she knew little about Kazuhiko, she knew even less about the name listed with the other two. "Zaisette Tetsuba" sounded unfamiliar on the tongue and strange in her mind, like some sort of long-lost tribe or such. Of course, this probably wasn't far off considering that most of the Leaf children had run amok in Konohagakure, playing pranks and teasing each other. Natsuko had thought she'd known everyone in town, being among the more social and persistent children that didn't let up even if someone refused to leave their house. She'd stand by their door all afternoon if need be, and need did ask the very thing of her several time when it came to lazier or shier children.
Because of this, Natsuko didn't know what to think of the fact that she'd never heard of this "Tetsuba" boy. Was he some sort of recluse that never left his house? A rich, sheltered boy that thought himself too high to be bothered with the rascals running around in the streets? Or someone from somewhere else altogether. Natsuko couldn't help a cringe when she realized that, because her team had been alotted the genius that was Kazuhiko Taketori, they may have also been alotted the worst of the crop as well. The cream and the leftovers balanced nicely in books, ensuring no distinct bias. This was, of course, assuming that Nasuko was "average," which she hoped she was.
Their team captain and sensei, Jinn Kokono, was a mystery as well, although that didn't come as a surprise to Natsuko. Most genin didn't have the luxury of landing a famous captain like a candidate for Hokage or a village hero, so that she couldn't attatch a face to the name for this particular individual didn't bother Natsuko.
Looking around, Natsuko grinned when she spotted a familiar boy with a head of short black hair and a pair of light grey eyes. Skipping over, Natsuko skidded to a stop beside Kazuhiko Taketori and waved ethusiastically. “Kazu-chan!” she said, grinning. “Guess what? We're teammates now!” the girl said, a brilliant smile stretched across her face as she spoke.
Kazuhiko, having arrived a little earlier and already seen the rosters, didn't offer much of a response other than a curt nod, but Natsuko wasn't so easily deterred.
“So, do you have any idea who the Tetsuba kid is?” she asked, coming to a stop beside the black-haired boy. “I've never even heard of him.”
Well that's a surprise, Kazuhiko thought, frown deepening slightly. While he was by no means uninformed as to the going-ons around the village, he had expected someone as rambunctious as Natsuko to know everyone. To hear that she didn't meant that this "Tetsuba" character... is most likely a new arrival, Kazuhiko realized, his frown now carving a shadow in his young features.
The boy's silence and contemplative frown told Natsuko that she was far from losing the battle of starting a conversation with the broody boy. "So, how has your morning been?"
@tex
Natsuko was one of those eager genin, although you'd never hear it from her. When Natsuko's eyes caught on her name, they quickly made a circle around and up to take in her full team--team twelve, led by Jinn Kokono, consisting of: Tetsuba Zaisette, herself, and Kazuhiko Taketori.
A grin crept on to Natsuko's face when she realized that she'd been sorted into the same team as the resident genius, Kazuko Taketori. There was no shortage of girls who fawned after him secretly, and although he often came second to the the descendants of the Uchiha clan, there was nonetheless much to be said about the quiet boy who aced exams both written and performed. In fact Natsuko had the sneaking suspicion that the Hyuuga heiress was interested in him, although she was sure her friend would never admit such a thing. As Natsuko was the type to hold off judgement until she met someone in person, she didn't think much of the Taketori other than the fact that he was talented and a team member she would rather fight with than against.
If she knew little about Kazuhiko, she knew even less about the name listed with the other two. "Zaisette Tetsuba" sounded unfamiliar on the tongue and strange in her mind, like some sort of long-lost tribe or such. Of course, this probably wasn't far off considering that most of the Leaf children had run amok in Konohagakure, playing pranks and teasing each other. Natsuko had thought she'd known everyone in town, being among the more social and persistent children that didn't let up even if someone refused to leave their house. She'd stand by their door all afternoon if need be, and need did ask the very thing of her several time when it came to lazier or shier children.
Because of this, Natsuko didn't know what to think of the fact that she'd never heard of this "Tetsuba" boy. Was he some sort of recluse that never left his house? A rich, sheltered boy that thought himself too high to be bothered with the rascals running around in the streets? Or someone from somewhere else altogether. Natsuko couldn't help a cringe when she realized that, because her team had been alotted the genius that was Kazuhiko Taketori, they may have also been alotted the worst of the crop as well. The cream and the leftovers balanced nicely in books, ensuring no distinct bias. This was, of course, assuming that Nasuko was "average," which she hoped she was.
Their team captain and sensei, Jinn Kokono, was a mystery as well, although that didn't come as a surprise to Natsuko. Most genin didn't have the luxury of landing a famous captain like a candidate for Hokage or a village hero, so that she couldn't attatch a face to the name for this particular individual didn't bother Natsuko.
Looking around, Natsuko grinned when she spotted a familiar boy with a head of short black hair and a pair of light grey eyes. Skipping over, Natsuko skidded to a stop beside Kazuhiko Taketori and waved ethusiastically. “Kazu-chan!” she said, grinning. “Guess what? We're teammates now!” the girl said, a brilliant smile stretched across her face as she spoke.
Kazuhiko, having arrived a little earlier and already seen the rosters, didn't offer much of a response other than a curt nod, but Natsuko wasn't so easily deterred.
“So, do you have any idea who the Tetsuba kid is?” she asked, coming to a stop beside the black-haired boy. “I've never even heard of him.”
Well that's a surprise, Kazuhiko thought, frown deepening slightly. While he was by no means uninformed as to the going-ons around the village, he had expected someone as rambunctious as Natsuko to know everyone. To hear that she didn't meant that this "Tetsuba" character... is most likely a new arrival, Kazuhiko realized, his frown now carving a shadow in his young features.
The boy's silence and contemplative frown told Natsuko that she was far from losing the battle of starting a conversation with the broody boy. "So, how has your morning been?"
@tex
