The Start of a New Beginning

'Welp... The time has come.' Daiki thought to himself as he heard his name called by his teacher to send him to his examination. He stood up from his seat and walked out of the classroom down a hallway that led to a room with a closed door he'd never been in before. It was most likely another classroom but this was the setting that was going to determine where his future would go from here. Would he graduate and become a shinobi of the Sand... or would he fail and have to go through so many more trials just to get to this point once again. He couldn't think of failure. Now was the time to feel confident and find success in how far he's come to get here.

He took in a breath before opening the door that led into the classroom and he walked in to find that the room had nothing in it save for a lone chair behind a single desk at the front of the class facing a few meters of blank space. Light shone through the windows and provided the only source of light for the room as he walked in and closed the door in order to walk over to one of the windows and look out of it. He had a view of the village and the people walking along the roads, just going about their day, as he would look at his watch along his left wrist. It was always nerve wracking having to wait for important things to come and he tried to suppress his nerves by closing his eyes and meditating a bit as he waited. He could hear the sounds going on outside and used those to help soothe his nerves as he waited for the test to begin.

WC 303

Making his way from the Spire, Guren was ecstatic for the upcoming plans he had. Today would be a marvelous one indeed, as he had assigned himself as a proctor for an up and coming academy student. Interestingly enough this student was older than Guren, being one of the older academy students Guren had heard of. Yet the Kazekage didn't judge the man, as everyone's journey began at different times. And besides the possibilities of this Daiki being a late bloomer was very real. Should he have a deep affinity within him for the shinobi lifestyle, Guren wanted to make sure that it would be realized. And so as he strolled into the oak double doors of the academy, he immediately was overcome with a wave of nostalgia. He had logged many hours in this very place: studying, reading, and researching. This was all on his own accord, as his curiosity all got the better of him. But simply being in an academy in general made him long for simpler times when he was enrolled in the Kumogakure academy. His mind wondered, but he quickly shook these thoughts off as he approached the room where the genin exam would take place. The door, closed shut.

*Knock, Knock*

He turned the handle to the door then lightly pushed it open. It swung open until it lost momentum, just before it would collide with the doorstopper. Upon entry, he'd fold his arms and take a brief look at Daiki. He looked nothing like an academy student. He was tall, muscular, and appeared mature. Perhaps this was a good thing, as many students too young didn't take their training serious enough. But based on physique alone, Guren inferred that he was at least competent and serious.

"Daiki, sorry to keep you waiting. I am Guren Chinoike, Third Kazekage of New Sunagakure. A pleasure to meet you."

Guren introduced himself as he walked across the room and towards the big, brown desk situated two meters in front of Daiki's seat.

"I hope you've found your time in the academy both enjoyable and enlightening. But before we begin, I'm curious on your story. When did you begin in the academy and what motivates you to become a full fledged shinobi?"

The Chinoike would seat himself, and simultaneously attentively listen to Daiki's backstory and what led him to pursue the path of becoming a genin. Guren was always particularly interested in the resolve a shinobi had, and what made them unique. So he would appreciate whatever level of detail that the academy student provided to him. When this was concluded, Guren would softly smile and fold his arms across his chest. Little did Daiki know, this question was a part of the test. How he would answer would let Guren know if his intentions were in the right place, and if his words and voice carried the required confidence of a genin.

"Thank you for that, Daiki. I am trying to get to know our shinobi force more personally, so I appreciate your openness. In any case, let's begin shall we?" Guren said as his smile widened in excitement. Standing from his chair, he'd walk over to the board behind him and grasp a piece of chalk. In clear and large font, he'd print the words "Clone Jutsu" and "Transformation Jutsu", one on top of the other.

"In order for you to advance to the next stage of your career, you must demonstrate both the Clone Jutsu-" pausing from his speech, he'd weave a series of seals and an identical clone of himself would spawn adjacent to him. "-and the Transformation Jutsu!" Again, he'd form a series of handseals but this time the newly created clone would take on the appearance of Daiki. "Fun right?" Guren and the clone would say in unison. In an instance, the clone would be dispelled into a puff of translucent smoke. "Show me what you got!"

WC = 656

Suddenly Daiki’s meditation was interrupted as he heard a knock on the door. ’Crap. I don’t feel any less nervous.’ rang in his head like a scream as he turned to the door to see who was coming in. He was floored by who it was. ’Really? Are you serious, fate? You’re going to give me the freaking Kazekage?’ Daiki’s thoughts were all over the place as he tried to put up a strong front for the Kazekage’s introduction about his name and title, Daiki’s body acting upon an Academy trained instinct to move into attention and bow, as he watched the village’s most powerful ninja take a seat. ”N-Nice to meet you too, sir.” He didn’t feel comfortable about whether or not he could speak plainly during this test but he knew ninja had to be relaxed as he scratched his head nervously and relaxed his stance as he listened to Guren speak.

Upon hearing the question about Daiki’s interests in becoming a Shinobi he knew it was an interview. Thus he knew he’d need to be very comfortable else he would stumble over his words and seem untruthful. ”I started my journey in the academy about three months ago and have had a wonderful time learning about this village’s history in terms of how it got it’s start and how it sustains itself through it’s Shinobi military. I’ve learned quite a bit over my time in the academy and intend to put my knowledge to great use should I be honored with your approval to grant me the rank of Genin today. As for why I want to pursue this path the simple answer I could give you is that I look up to Shinobi and have great respect for them enough that I wish to join their ranks and provide my own expertise to better the village among them.

“The long version of the story is that growing up I didn’t have the greatest lifestyle. I learned very quickly that I was gifted in the ways of chakra and could use it to help people whenever they were hurt. I learned how to channel my chakra in order to use it strictly for the purposes of healing other children or even adults if they ever got a scrape or bruise. That was all I wanted to be for people at the time: a on hand doctor for whenever people needed help even if it was just a little bit. My foster father as well as bullies I constantly encountered caused my focuses to turn elsewhere. I took to training my body as well as my chakra control so that I could better defend myself and others against those that sought confirmation of their power over those that were significantly weaker than themselves. I learned combat techniques from my teacher in how I could utilize my chakra as a way to strengthen my punches and kicks and after training in these ways for so long I found that I still wanted to learn more. Thus I joined the academy and have learned many different ways to help people in both the gentle ways and violent ways. I want to serve as a symbol of hope to people who are currently growing up in situations similar to my own that no matter how hard times get they, too, can grow and thrive as I have… or at least feel as though I have.” He scratched his head in embarrassment knowing he had devolved into a very long tangent that was probably unnecessary. He bowed with respect to Guren as he seemed appreciative of his openness and he watched as the Kazekage started writing something on the board.

’Oh the clone and transformation techniques? he thought to himself as he watched Guren demonstrate the two techniques. ’Hmm… What can I do that would possibly impress Guren.’ He thus brought his hands together in order to form the Ram seal as a clone of himself formed through a puff of smoke that looked perfect in looking just like him. He then formed the Dog seal as his chakra activated around his body causing it to be engulfed in a puff of smoke as the clone stood directly beside the smoke. He had decided upon taking the form of his academy teacher as the smoke cleared and he looked very similar as he was a bit taller wearing sand ninja gear that belonged to high ranking ninja as well as a Sunagakure headband that was tied over both of his eyes. His lips turned into a grimace as he took even more of his teacher’s likeness by using a technique he’d been practicing which allowed him to use or replicate any voice he wanted. He started speaking in a much gruffer voice to the clone that sounded more like a commanding yell as his clone got into attention. ”Listen up, maggot. If you wanna be a strong ninja you have to put your body through exercises you never knew were possible. I want you to give me fifty push-ups from the ceiling on the double!”

The clone blinked in confusion as he looked up at the ceiling and then looked as though he was about to speak but the original Daiki interrupted him in a much more commanding voice. ”DID YOU NOT HEAR ME YOU SPINELESS KNUCKLE DRAGGING DUMBASS MAGGOT?! ON THE CEILING ON THE DOUBLE!!” This was clearly all meant to be a joke as the clone fearfully jumped up and used his surface walking technique to stick to the ceiling as he performed rapid fire push ups on the ceiling comedically. After the show was done the clone disappeared along with Daiki’s transformation as he stood there scratching his head in embarrassment hoping that he hadn’t just caused more harm than good with that stunt. When he spoke it was in his normal voice as he released his ventriloquism technique. ”How was that, sir?” He would resume his stance in attention as he waited for a response.

WC 1,007; TWC 1,310

Guren softly laughed to himself as he saw Daiki's nerves settle in when he discovered who his proctor would be. True, it really was something that was outside of Guren's typical duties; but nevertheless, this was something he wanted to personally oversee. As the Kazekage, Guren wanted to have a hand of involvement in all of his shinobi's growth. And a genin exam would be the perfect place to begin for Daiki. 

Even though Daiki seemed a bit worrisome regarding who his proctor was, after he began speaking more Guren could discern the student's composure becoming more relaxed. It seemed as if there were a direct correlation between the more he spoke, and his confidence level. Words came naturally to the young man, as he spoke eloquently and concisely. Guren learned much on the boy's history: how he enlisted, who his motivators were, and what he had honed thus far. And Guren was quite pleased. He did an excellent job at giving the Kazekage a glimpse of who he was. Following this came a bow of respect, to which Guren responded with by expressing his gratitude.

After presenting the prompt and performing the demonstration, Daiki seemed to have the wheels in his head going. The expression on his face was a tell all, and shortly after some time to think the student sprung into action. With precision he weaved the required hand seals for the clone technique, from which would produce a carbon copy of Daiki. Impressive thus far. But what would he do for the transformation technique? Guren's hand rubbed the beard upon his chin as he watched in anticipation. 

An ode to education. When the smoke cleared, Daiki had been converted into a doppelganger of the teacher he had been assigned. He was equipped with typical Sunagakure fatigues and carried a certain swagger to him. Rough and rigged would be the best way to describe this teacher. And this was apparent by the drill sergeant persona that he seemed to maintain. The events to come seemed like something out of a comedy sketch, by immediately commanding his clone to perform a ridiculous exercise. The routine got another chuckle out of Guren, who watched in awe.

"Quite theatrical!" he'd exclaim with a singular clap in response to Daiki's question. "Clearly you have been practicing...and it's paid off. Thank you for taking this exam seriously. Many students see it as nothing intense as it's just performing the basics. But to me, the foundations are exceedingly vital to match. Without them, we lose the inspiration to develop terrific techniques and devise successful strategies. Daiki, please keep that ambition burning in you like a fire. And most importantly...Congratulations! You are officially a Genin of Sunagakure!"

With this commencement, Guren would reach under the desk and retrieve the preplaced headband. Its plating was shiny, and etched with the star shaped insignia of New Sunagakure. The band, best described as some combination of purple and blue. As he held it in his hand, he extended it outwards towards Daiki. 

"Take this headband, and by displaying it on you, you now represent our village. Know that the responsibilities and expectations that come with it are grand, but nothing that I doubt you can handle. Additionally you will have an account set up in the Sunagakure bank, and you will receive weekly payments. And of course, your pay per mission will be raised. Thank you again for your commitment. Now then, is there anything else that you might need me for?"


WC = 582. TWC = 1238

Daiki was getting more and more excited as the kazekage spoke as he was complimented on the performance of his examination and was given the headband that now qualified him to call himself a real shinobi of the Sand. He took the headband with a nod, giving out a "Thank you." as he took it, and felt it's texture and admired it a little bit before wrapping it around his forehead as his blond hair would hang over the top. He heard about his salary being increased due to his promotion as he nodded and tried to contain himself over his accomplishment. "No lord Kazekage. I think I have everything I need. I will do my best to not let you nor this village down. I swear it." With that he would wait to be dismissed from Guren's presence before making his way out of the room and back into the halls of the academy. For now the halls didn't look so big and scary anymore as he walked along them over to the exit and made his way out into the streets as a newly minted ninja.

WC 190; TWC 1,500

{Exiting}

Claiming: Rank up to both Genin and D power rank, 15 stats (5 in speed, strength, and chakra each), and upgrading my E rank version of Basic Medical Jutsu to the C rank version (650 WC) as well as claiming Chakra Anesthesia (500 WC)

approved for Daiki! congrats

Guren nodded in approval of his newfound genin. What a glorious day it had been. Proud of Daiki, he walked over to the door and turned one last time offering a thumbs up to the boy. "Again, congratulations and thank you for your efforts. Until next time!"

- Exit - 

WC = 47. TWC = 1285

WC towards Blood Mirror Armor once it is approved

approved