Team Ten's First Meeting! (Specialty Flashback)

Nyguyen waited with great anticipation for Ashitaka's response. He stared at the boy as though he were waiting for a cancer diagnosis. His heart raced and sweat began to form on his brow as ran through the possible reactions he could get. Ashitaka appeared to be just as paralyzed as Ari and Nyguyen was about to go over to him when he finally spoke. The words that came out of his mouth, however, was not at all what the Jounin expected to hear.

"I don't mean any offense by this, but... how do I put this... are you still bleeding?"

Nyguyen sighed. He looked at his still juicing knuckles and nodded.

"Yes Ashitaka....yes I am. I'll look after it soon enough but...." What is your answer to my question? he wondered. He was about to complete the thought when Ari woke up and addressed him. The girl appeared exhausted but uninjured. Hopefully any psychological damage would be fleeting and if not, he'd book her a therapist to work through the residual drama. She seemed to be alright though as the very first thing she asked him was about the technique he had used.

"What I used on you is called Genjutsu. It is essentially the use of chakra to create illusions and hallucinations that weaken the enemy's mind. Chakra can be applied to the physical world to cast magic that has elemental and non-elemntal effects, this is known as Ninjutsu. Chakra can also be applied to one's own body to create devastating physical strikes, this is called Taijutsu or Bukijutsu or Kyujutsu and so on.....when chakra is applied to an opponent's brain it can destroy their mental state and confuse them....leading to effects such as paralysis, hallucination, psychological trauma, and so on. This is the essence of Genjutsu. Anyone can use Genjutsu but the form of Genjutsu that I used on you is unique to the Uchiha Clan. It is known as Genjutsu: Sharingan and its history is quite interesting actually......"

Nyguyen would then launch into a 5 minutes explanation on when the technique first appeared, who was its suspected creator, and what the reactions at the time were to it. This was a rather boring lecture. It was so drab not even the author of this post cared to write it all out so you can imagine how his students felt. Recognizing their boredom, Nyguyen quickly got to the point.

"Basically, the Sharingan is a magical eye ability that allows me to do various things. One of them is to put someone under the influence of Genjutsu just by making eye contact. Its a strong ability but it can be countered. Ashitaka!"

Nyguyen said the young man's name fairly loudly.

"You will be responsible for catching Ari up to date with Genjutsu. Cover the basics: how it functions, how it can be recognized, and how to break it. I have some reference materials that you can borrow to aid in your instruction. As squad leader I am entrusting you with this vital task. Don't let me down."

If Ashitaka would not give him a direct answer then Nyguyen would make the decision for him. Perhaps it was better this way. Usually when your commander died in the heat of battle and you were the next in the chain of command there was no formal process by which you took up his position. People below you just started asking you questions and looking to you for guidance. People above you started giving you tasks and instructions. You could, of course, refuse but that onus was on you. If Ashitaka neglected his duties without formally resigning from the squad, Nyguyen would hold it against him. He'd make the boy's life very difficult if he opted to not do anything. Nyguyen would tolerate his resignation and would try to find him another squad. He would tolerate him being incorrect or making mistakes (it was why he was his Sensei). What he would not tolerate is Ashitaka refusing to take ownership of his own life. If he gave up on teaching Ari without alerting Nyguyen then he'd be punished. If he bucked the system, then he'd be thrown in the brig. It was part of the hard-knocks of being in the military.

This was probably the best way to go about it. Rather than having to make the big choice himself, Nyguyen would just assume a yes and proceed from there. Meanwhile, Chika was taking it all in stride. He seemed the most content with how events had played out. He was sitting down and waiting for further orders which was good. Nyguyen would pause and give himself a breather. If there were any more questions he'd be happy to answer them, if not, then he'd take to the task of organizing his thoughts for dismissal. The last thing he wanted to do was jump into another historical lecture.

"I thought you were doing it on purpose. Otherwise, you should have stopped by now..." the kid said quietly, leaving it to the others present to actually listen to him for a change or have to read his lips to register what he was saying.

Ashitaka's question was actually a test. He wanted to know whether Nyg-sensei was suppressing his true abilities as Ash himself was, or if he was really as incompetent as he seemed. The answer was... heartbreaking to say the least. The boy was certain he felt actual pain in his chest and a slight case of vertigo as reality came crashing down around him. Contrary to his beliefs, authority came neither with nor from any apparent sort of virtue. Human civilization really was built on a foundation of lies, and people were ready, if not eager to kill each other to protect their own share of lies.

For all of their bluster, in spite of the heaps of disrespect they dished out -mostly onto him, and regardless of the minutes and even hours of diatribe they rattled off with no apparent notice of their audience's attention... all of them were weak. In spite of his youth, he was as far as the other two present were in their teens. And Nyg-sensei, an adult, was not much further ahead. He had gotten where he was by passing so many tests of merit and prowess that the Academy gave up teaching him and just made him an official shinobi. And they were calling him weak? Dismissing him when they weren't being condescending? These, his supposed friends and compatriots? It was sickening.

He put away the notebook that he'd once again pulled out and prepared when he saw Nyg-sensei assume the stance that indicated that he was going to launch into yet another lecture. So even "considering his options" prompted such a response. Ashitaka was a studious boy, but this was more than even he could bear. Apparently no one had ever taught his teacher that brevity was the companion of genius. Finally, though, he had realized the error in his decision and invited Ash to do the teaching for him.

This would prove to be a terrible mistake, and not because of Ashitaka's inability.

"All right, listen up."After prodding his teammates in the event it was necessary, he proceeded to summarize Genjutsu for them. "Since Nyg-sensei can't explain even a basic facet of ninja life without boring statues to tears, I guess it falls to me to do so in his stead. You two don't look or act like you can handle any concept more complex than the basic elements, so I'll try to keep this simple. Ari, Genjutsu is in every conceivable way the complete opposite of Bushido. If you somehow managed to remember your 7 Tenets, you need only imagine something that fully embodies a terrible violation of all of them, and you'll have a basic grasp of the Art of Illusions. Chika, Genjutsu is to the Uchiha what the Gentle Fist is to the Hyuga."

As he proceeded from one order to the next in his formal but admittedly savage farewell to the doomed-at-birth Team 10, he stood up and cocked his hip to the left, putting the same hand on it as he gestured with his right.

"You can generally recognize Genjutsu by the failings of its user. It is a purely mental product, so its power is strongly limited by the imagination or empathy (or lack thereof) of the person employing it. Sharingan Genjutsu, incidentally, tends to tint your vision red because it has an inherent defect that forces its victim to see as its user sees. As for breaking it? There are two methods, and they're both actually quite simple. Assuming you're trained in the art, they include in the lessons a jutsu to break it by forcing chakra directly into your own brain. If you're not..." Ashitaka removed his hand from his hip, pulled a kunai from its holster and stabbed it through the palm of his left hand. He grimaced slightly as he applied and removed the weapon. "It takes a certain degree of pain to free yourself or your allies."

He slung most of the blood from the blade of his kunai and wiped the remainder on his outer thigh before sheathing the weapon. Then he removed a forest green handkerchief from a pouch inside his leather vest and began wadding it between his palms, apparently only bothered enough by the blood dripping from his hand to hold it out a bit away from him so he wouldn't get any more on his clothes. The flow of blood seemed to be... slowing unusually quickly.

"Next lesson! And this one's a freebie: First Aid! This is important because the likelihood of having a medic on the team is virtually nonexistent and dying to untreated wounds probably really sucks. Today I will be covering bleeding injuries. So! Step one, get a bunch of (preferably clean) cloth, wad it up, and use it to apply pressure to the wound." he gripped the wad tightly in his left hand, using his fingertips to press the cloth against his injured palm. Using his right hand, he pulled a roll of bandage from an external pouch mounted on his leather vest and began unwinding about a foot of it before tearing it off with his teeth. "Step two: use a (also preferably clean) bandage or strip of cloth to hold the aforementioned wad against the wound. Tie it securely so it doesn't move independently of the person who needed it. Step three: keep the wound elevated above the heart for a good 30 seconds or so, and voila!"

After suiting his actions to the instructions of the final step, he untied the bandage and removed it, revealing the injury's absence.

"Anyway, for those of you who haven't been paying attention (as is typical), Sensei has delivered unto me an ultimatum: lead this misfit band or leave it. As it happens, I don't handle ultimata well, and there isn't a snowball's chance in hell I'm taking responsibility for the words and actions of you two idiots. So I guess that means I'm leaving. But some parting words for each of you before I go:

Ari, regardless of what you may think of the way people here do things, you live here now. If you don't like the local customs and aren't willing to put in any effort to adapt, get out. Nobody here had any incentive to take you in, and from what I've seen, you've developed a habit of making everybody who meets you regret it.

Chika, I've been your friend for all of two days and have since met about twenty of your clanmates. Nearly all of them have pestered me relentlessly with questions about how I put up with you and forced me to spend hours defending our association. But contrary to what they believe, it's not the ways that you are different from them that make you insufferable.

Sensei, I have nothing to say to you. Good-bye.

The gist and basic concept of genjutsu was something Ari already knew, but she was specifically asking what technique or sorcery Nyguyen pulled to paralyze her. Ari’s eyebrow twitched a couple of times with impatience, but she endured the lecture to figure out what Nyguyen was saying. Something about a Sharingan or something like that. Apparently the trigger is the eye sight, and the chakra infiltrates the brain. Problem is that kind of chakra is not something Ari can physically see. Her stormy grey eyes lowered to look at her opened hand. Compared to her, with the way Chika fought, and what little Ashitaka demonstrated. Once again she felt insignificant to the team, and while she was paralyzed her fears became very apparent.

Ashitaka took a different tone as her eyes shifted over to him. It was aggressive, his tone was, and she could feel the anger in his voice. His explanation of the genjutsu was straight forward, although the mention of bushido caused the girl to wince as that brought up another memory. Another memory where she was forced to spend days, months even to memorize the entire code by heart. There was even pain involved as each time she got the code wrong, Ari would get smacked by a bokken on the wrist until it turned purple, and then her tutor would strike higher.

All of the laughter of mockery rings in Ari’s head as Ashitaka proceeds to stab himself with his kunai without even flinching. It causes the girl to part her lips as her focused demeanor dissolved into astonishment. He was about her height, possibly a bit younger than her even. Yet he was just as determined as everyone here if not more so. Ashitaka proceeded to demonstrate the basic first aid stuff which Ari already knew, and the guilt mixed with doubt strengthened within her mind as Ashitaka commented if they even listened to him. Then like a hammer of judgment, brought down the cold hard truth to Ari that she can’t even deny.

”No, you shouldn’t be taking responsibility over what transpired here, and in fact should be our… your beloved sensei here. Regardless, no matter how anyone slices it this team seemed to be better off before I came into the picture and ruined everything.” Ari admits to Ashitaka before she gives off a sigh. Her mind was in such turmoil as it warred between what she should be doing and what she wants to do. Yet the third part of her psyche brings down her will of fire so much that it barely smolders a trail of smoke. Ari crossed her arms over her chest as she opened her lips, yet she took a moment to push through this monumental change.

”With all due respect to you… I never caught your name yet, and for the rest of you. I don’t think you should throw away your chances here. Sure you might find another team, but stick to this one until then. If it is any form of consolation however, instead of you leaving, it should be me.” After the words left her words, Ari shook her head as if she was disappointed with her own words.

”No, it will be me. While I haven’t seen much of your fighting capabilities, I’ve seen enough that compared to the rest of you. I just don’t have the ability or talent to provide any contribution to the team. I can’t paralyze somebody with just a look in their eye, and I can’t use those wires or weaponry as well as you guys. Not to mention, it seems you all have some kind of gift. A special power if you will, one that I simply lack.” Her stormy eyes drift downward to the ground, and while mentally she struggled to keep any form of contact with people. As Ashitaka put it, it was time for her to get out. Ari shakes her head once more before turning on her heel and strides outside of the facility.

[Attempted Exit]

Chika's eyes glazed over, first from Nyg's lecture on Genjutsu, then from Ash's speech on Genjutsu. He'd finally come back to his senses when Ash had said his name. He'd listen to him talk about first aid, but didn't understand what had riled up the kid. Then the parting words were spoken, and it started to make sense to him. What did he mean it wasn't the differences?

Then Ari had spoken, and his confusion had grown once more. Whatever she saw while she was KO'd seemed to have killed her spirit. And what did she mean she didn't have a special power? not needing hand seals was something to behold. But he wouldn't voice these thoughts, the mood making it hard to speak. If he had been a bit braver or a little more confident, he might've stood up and pulled them back with his chakra ziplines, but instead he sat there. Instead he just watched as his teammates walked off, wondering what he had done wrong but not finding anything that he did to be wrong.

Looking up at the Uchiha, he'd speak. "Well that could have gone better. Does that mean the meeting over then?" While he'd try to hide his confusion, his voice would have hints of it, and a part of himself was now worried what it'd mean if the team really was disbanded. Of what his sister and family would do to him.

Nyguyen didn't hear Ashitaka's comment, because if he did, it would have prepared him for the absolute savagery that was about to be unleashed. The boy broke out his notebook at some point before or during the lecture, Nyguyen couldn't be too sure as he was too busy talking. What came out of his mouth next was a total surprise.

Ashitaka explained Genjutsu as was requested of him by his Sensei. Although to be truthful, Nyguyen intended for Ashitaka to give this crash course at a separate time. It would give him and the foreigner a chance to bond and might perhaps give him an oppurtunity to show his leadership skills. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. Ashitaka launched into an explanation right then and there. He did so while showing the most grievous disrespect to his sensei. Asihtaka began babbling mistruths and hearsay about the Sharingan: Genjutsu but Nyguyen was so astounded by his impudence that he didn't even have the wherewithal to correct him. He then proceeded to demonstrate how Genjutsu can be broken. He did so by stabbing himself.

"Ashitaka N-"

Nyguyen was too late. The boy punctured his palm and then instructed his squad as to how such wounds could be dressed. He then turned his attention to Nyguyen's ultimatum. The black Uchiha froze where he stood as the boy categorically rejected the position, his squad, and Nyguyen's tutelage. The grown man's shoulders slumped as he realized that Ash must have felt this way from the very beginning. He did not think Nyguyen was a man worth leading and so he heaped on abuse at him and his squadmates. Ordinarily, Nyguyen would break the lad and send him back to the Academy like a defective product. But today, he had no room to chastize him. Ashitaka's quitting was rather dramatic and not at all the dignified response he expected, but it was at least partially valid. Nyguyen was frustrated with his own performance as their mentor and so he allowed Ash to curse his name and his teachings. He had expected this kind of sass and vitrol from Ari but if he was getting it from Ash as well then that meant he had failed as a leader. The Uchiha bowed his head in shame and waited until the genin was finished.

He only looked up again when Ari spoke. She not only blamed him for the squad's failures, she blamed herself. It appeared his speech had had no effect on the youngsters. He was the weak link and he had been so weak that he had broken any hope of them reuniting under a different Squad Commander. Ari seemed to think she could not stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Despite Nyguyen's heart felt pleas, she still felt like an outsider. His passion was not strong enough to hold him together and so Ari walked away.

He did not chase after her. She had been through enough for today. He had used Genjutsu to get her to listen and listen she did. She didn't yell, curse, or sass him. She stated her truth and moved on like any kunoichi would. Nyguyen's heart was broken. He felt like a failure and a hypocrite. Had he only not just lectured Yui on the importance of being a great leader?

Nyguyen remained silent for awhile. He didn't respond directly to Chika's question. He just stood there stuck like a statute. Eventually he'd sigh and say:

"Yes. It is over. Team 10 is formally disbanded. I am dissolving our squad and tendering my resignation as Jounin of the Hidden Leaf Village"

As it happened, Ashitaka did not immediately leave after saying goodbye. As with every other action he took today, he had to spend a moment physically mustering up the courage. In that moment, the rest of the team shattered around him. He didn't understand it, having been under the impression that he was the one everyone thought was the weak link. It was how they were treating him up until this point. Ari sounded genuinely broken, which was odd seeing as how what he said to her wasn't any more harsh than what she'd said to him. Chika had mentally checked out and probably didn't register anything after Nyg-sensei opened his mouth, not that Ashitaka could blame him.

"Are you all serious right now?" he suddenly shouted incredulously. Every passing second cost him his ability to believe these three. "I'm only quitting because Nyg-sensei told me that was my only alternative to leading you, and you're just doing it out of hand? No. Sensei, I'm not allowing you to abandon this team. I don't know if you've noticed, but Konoha seems to be suffering from a critical deficiency in talent lately. We can't afford a failure of this magnitude. We. Are. At. WAR!"

He dashed after Ari and reached out with the intent of forcibly grabbing her by the forearm, and upon success he'd turn her so he could glare directly into her eyes as he spoke in a quiet but emphatic and forceful tone.

"You don't get to quit. This isn't a job, it's a way of life. More than that, it's our way of protecting lives. You walk away now, and the hole you leave behind in the front lines will be one which the enemy can slip through so they can come here and destroy everything. Do you want to be the reason why other kids suffer as you have?"

Of all of the rare and powerful abilities brought to the fore here, it looked like actually listening to what other people say continued to be the one most undervalued here.

Ari's mind was in such turmoil that she didn't even notice Ashitaka running up to her. Not that he wasn't quite, she was just so preoccupied dwelling in her thoughts. So when Ashitaka grabbed her forearm and turned her around to find herself being glared at. Ari blinked as Ashitaka's low tone, and in the end she grits her teeth as she attempts to smack his hand away. Not necessarily to say that her fire was ignited, but more so she found the idea ludicrous.

"Don't give me any of that crap! You can only protect what you care about if you have the power to do so! I do not have that power, unless you're saying I should be cannon fodder for these people then to hell with you and them!" Then Ari will attempt to grab Ashitaka by the collar of his shirt as her eyes grew dark, like a dark storm clouds looming over them.

"Since you God damn know so much about Genjutsu, then you should know the kind of tricks they can pull on me. Imagine with just a single look into somebody's eye and suddenly you can't move, you can't blink, and you can't breathe. You just lay there on the dirt as you watch helplessly someone flay you alive and you can't even scream. Just silently endure it." Ari is of course talking about how Nyguyen paralyzed her with Genjutsu. Then she let's go of Ashitaka assuming that she grabbed him to begin with, but her eyes hold the same dark grey.

"I can't protect anyone, not even myself. Most of all, you are lumping me in with the same cloth as the Samurai, but their sense of honor is what got them killed in the first place. I fight for survival, and I'm not going on some suicide squad just because some dumb ass leader says so." Ari then smirks as she shoon her head.

"I suppose it doesn't matter what I say so long as everyone pretends like everything is fine. That you keep playing this stupid charade like the world is made out of rainbows and flowers. You people have it so damn easy, you've never experienced your own being burned to the ground. Seeing the people you knew around you vanish in a blink of an eye. And all the while powerless to stop any of it."

Chika couldn't help but be a bit disappointed when Nyg said the team was disbanded. One of the major things that was keeping him from having to engage in clan politics was the fact he was a shinobi, and with the team disbanding before it even had a proper foothold...well that was that. Or at least it would've been if Ash hadn't decided to come back and start things up again. Then after he had targeted Nyg (and maybe him? it wasn't that clear) Ash had turned to face Ari and make an odd contradiction about her not being able to leave when he himself was trying to. And of course Ari then popped off at him about, well a lot of things. And during all of it, his lack of bravery had turned into even more frustration and confusion, giving him enough false confidence to do something.

There was clearly only one thing he could do. He would have to do something left field enough that emotions would have to temper.

So, he'd open the back of his puppet, and would pull out a decent sized pot and wooden spoon. It was supposed to be in case they did any survival training, but clearly this wouldn't be the case today. He'd then close up the back and, after double checking that the latch was secure, Chika would take each of the two items in his hands. After letting a few seconds pass in case any of them happened to notice him while looking like a mother who just wangled up her sextuplets in a superstore for the fifth time that day, he'd smack the pan with the spoon several times.

*CLANG CLANG CLANG*

Looking at all three of his...well they weren't teammates right now, maybe co-shinobi? Yeah, looking at his three co-shinobi he'd give a deadpan stare, tired of the emotional rollercoaster they'd all had been on.

"Okay people, if we're all going to keep having this pity party, we all need to stop and take a deep breath. Yes, that even includes me."

He'd take a deep breath, and would wait for the other three to do the same. if they didn't, he'd raise his eyebrow and make a small motion to the puppet that he still hadn't used yet beside him as motivation to do so, hoping that the fact they didn't know it's capabilities as motivation enough. Once they all had taken a nice, deep, long breath, he'd continue.

"Now that we're all a little less riled up and a little more focused on reality, I'll make this quick. Ash, you said it yourself, we don't get to quit. So ultimatum or not that's Nyg's decision to let us go and not ours. Ari, the point of a team is to make sure we all get stronger. I don't know what you've been though, but using that as an excuse for acting weak when not even five minutes ago you were using it as a reason to become strong is an insult to those who tried to help you get here. Nyg, honestly just grow a backbone, cuz whatever you did to earn those eyes certainly doesn't show now." He'd then address all three at the same time. "We all knew fully well that when we agreed to become shinobi that we'd have rough patches with people we don't like, even our current selves. So as far as I care, the team is saying together and no one is getting switched out. He didn't expect this to fix everything, but hopefully it'd get them somewhere.

He wasn't having it. The young boy, whose venom had contributed to Nyguyen's re-entry into retirement, was not through with this squad. He admonished Nyguyen for quitting in these trying times and the older man looked up Ashitaka. He was amazed by the lad's persistence. He was fed up with his squad yet he could not leave it. He did not respect Nyguyen's leadership but he insisted on having it. Nyguyen's expression contorted into annoyance and frustration. Normally you couldn't blame a child for their indecisiveness but this "child" was mature beyond his years. As Nyguyen had noticed earlier, he had tried to alleviate the tension within the team. Prior to Chika's provocation he had been doing a rather good job too. Now after insulting his sensei and declaring Team 10 an abortion, he was trying to save it with the same vigor as Nyguyen himself had earlier.

The man shook his head and put his hands on his hips. He processed the boy's words. Ashitaka had been insubordinate in his speech but like the rest of his lecture it was mostly accurate. The world was coming apart at the seams and the village had precious little in the way of talent to protect it. If he left now, he'd be committing the same sin as those who had not been there to protect Satomi. In a moment of weakness he had given up and while he wasn't sure if it was his place to lead this particular group of young'ins, he knew that he could not resign from his position as Jounin.

Not content with berating Nyguyen, Ash stopped Ari from leaving and began to chastize her as well. Ari's response was rather predictable. The fire that Chika had stoked earlier was reignited. She was still insecure about her ability to deal with Genjutsu and he couldn't blame her. Ashitaka's lecture only covered the basics and there was much to learn on that subject.

Nyguyen was growing increasingly agitated by the noise and confusion. He could barely hear himself think and yet he refused to interject. He continued to watch with morbid curiosity as the two bickered. Could they not follow simple orders? He didn't mind them walking away from the squad but if they were going to stay on then they'd need to obey his orders and treat each other with respect. Somehow they had managed to not only walk away from Team 10, they had also found a way to continue antagonizing one another. They were far worse than his daughters he realized. His daughters were insolent but at least they were united in his disdain for him. These kids not only despised him, they despised each other and they lacked the basic communication skills to resolve their differences. Suddenly there was a loud clanging and Nyguyen turned his attention to Chika. He ordered everyone to take a deep breath. The Jounin did not comply. He didn't interrupt though and instead he allowed Chika to say his piece. The puppeteer delivered a biting criticism to each of them. At this point, Nyguyen was rather unphased. He was well aware he had shown weakness and inability to lead which is why he gave the speech he had given. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The shinobi didn't appear to be moved and they were right back at square one.

Before Chika's biting review of the team's character could cause another round of arguing, Nyguyen held up a hand and spoke in authoritative voice:

"Okay that's enough!"

Nyguyen turned to Ashitaka.

"Ashitaka, once more you demonstrate why I insisted on having you lead this squad. You possess the characteristics of proper leadership even if you lack the uh....whatever it is that makes you how you are" at this point Nyguyen wasn't sure what was this kid's deal. The contradiction in his words and actions were so apparent that Chika couldn't help but call it out. Nyguyen decided he'd sort that out later. "You clearly believe that we are all capable of more than what we have shown today. I agree. Therefore, I am willing to reconsider tendering my resignation, but I think before we decide what steps we want to take regarding this squad, we all take a breather for much longer than what Chika has suggested. I will not dissolve the squad but I will suspend it for the time being. I will give you all a chance to think, train, work with others, go on missions, fix your deficiencies, and cultivate bonds with people you can see yourself one day working with...including the people here. After about a month or so we will revisit the potential of Team 10 and hopefully we'll be able to have a productive discussion on whether its worth moving forward as a squad"

Nyguyen turned to Ari. He would offer her a final piece of advice.

"Genjutsu is a staple in every shinobi's arsenal. Everything I said earlier about your talent still stands and when I made those comments I did so knowing full well of the areas that you might have trouble with coming from a non-shinobi background. Everyone here believes you can overcome visual based Genjutsu if you put in the effort....its time for you to believe in yourself as well."

Interestingly enough, she had shown how unlike his daughters she was and that lessened her intimidation factor by quite a bit. Unlike Ari, Innocence and Mercedes did not storm off after losing. Their self-confidence was much sturdier than what the ex-samurai was displaying. There were obviously different life circumstances at play, but now that those circumstances had come to light, Nyguyen was better equipped to deal with her without second-guessing himself.


Nyguyen turned to Chika:

"While you could have delivered them more diplomatically, your points were sound but as far as keeping this squad going...that will be up to you all not me. My previous offer to walk away from this still stands, I'll contact you when I need an answer but as I said that won't be for about another month."

Nyguyen paused as if he was  going to say something poignant. A historical quote? A Nindo for them to live by? The identity of the reserve member? He remained silent. He had decided that this squad wasn't really suited for those kinds of endings. He had said what he needed to say, the rest he'd leave up to them. Fight. Reconcile. Train. He'd leave them be. Maybe if he put time and distance between himself and Team 10 they could truly decided what they wanted to be as individuals and as a group.

The Uchiha deactivated his Sharingan and walked away without another word.

Exit

"If you were only paralyzed, then Sensei was being ge-" The clanging of the spoon against the pan was like hot knives in the sides of his skull. For a minute or so, the voice that assembled the various trains of thought in his mind into something that could be presented to the people around him or made use of later was drowned out by the agonizing ringing in his ears. Reflexively, Ashitaka covered the sensitive sensory organs with his hands and applied as much pressure as he could without adding a new dimension to the pain.

He saw first Chika's lips moving, then Nyg-sensei's, but the sounds they were making weren't getting through to him. Now he was feeling like a right ass for neglecting those lip-reading courses, incorrectly believing them to be irrelevant addenda to the tremendous volume of information he'd had to absorb and process in the 5 years it had been since he'd been welcomed into civilization. Well, that was a mistake to be corrected at another time. For now though, he might as well finish paying for it. Ashitaka released the pressure on his ears, allowing normal noises to once again start competing with the ringing for his attention.

Nyg-sensei wrote:"...I'll contact you when I need an answer but as I said that won't be for about another month."

Oh no, that sounded important. Which was odd, given how little time their teacher spent on the subject. He had just opened his mouth to ask the man to repeat the request or question when Nyg-sensei walked off in a huff, lending to Ashitaka closing his mouth without a sound. He could see the adult was angry, but that was better than being crushed by despair and promising to come back a month later was far more preferable than not at all. And at least Chika was admitting his problem of being deliberately provocative and Ari had by some miracle let go of her petty pride. Which meant that now Ashitaka had no excuse not to accept the position presented to him by their jounin. Especially since the other two had both, at least verbally, acknowledged that he had it.

"To be honest, Ari, I don't think that it's power you lack in when it comes to protecting things. After all, you also paralyzed Nyg-sensei with a look whether you intended to or not, and when he finally acted, it was to defend Chika from you," he looked at the ground, briefly mourning the minor speech he had prepared to inspire her faith in herself back to life. Then he returned his gaze to hers. "I think that what you're lacking here, is something that you care about enough to put yourself at risk. Maybe you should spend the time Sensei gave us to find such a thing."

With that, he gave her a short bow and walked over to Chika, who he hadn't talked directly with (other than the half-assed barb) since the meeting started. As he walked, he stared at the terribly misshapen earth along the way, and a million trains of thought steamed up and almost immediately derailed. When he finally reached the distance of a quiet, polite conversation, he crouched so that their heads were level and looked directly into the teenager's eyes.

"Chika, you were the first person I've met to ever ask me to be your friend. And while I don't like to be asking favors, I'm going to need three from you." Ashitaka said, holding up three fingers, then grasping each in turn with his other hand as he counted them off. "1: Don't ever do that thing with the spoon and the pot again, please. 2: Please do not treat people like you treat your puppets. You left Faithful in my hands like it was a burden to you and a distraction to me. And finally: Please stop overtly antagonizing your family. The events of today have confirmed my suspicion that the Hyuga are blind to anything they don't perceive as a potential threat. If they don't think that you're going to be a problem later on, I'm willing to bet that they might stop treating you like one."

With that, he stood up and moved to a position where he could address them both at the same volume.

"Anyway, I'll see you both in a month or so, I guess. I hope in that time, I'll have found the strength to help you two carry your burdens. If not, then the chance exists that I'll have suffered enough to understand them. Until then, try not to kill each other!"

Ashitaka vanished.

[Exit.]

Ashitaka started to make a comeback when suddenly the sound of clanging on a pot reverberated in the large room. Which seemed to have brought everyone's attention over to Chika. Who proceed to poke into everyone's loophole, and once again disrespect Nyguyen. Honestly she's surprised that the sensei didn't throw any of them yet. However it was clear that Nyguyen was upset with a fire in his eyes.

There was a bit of a shame in her face, as Ari's pride seems to have been crushed into being ashamed of herself. Normally it wouldn't bother her too much, but with the recent events and her own grief didn't amount too much stability. That feeling of being singled out, and unable to defend herself even against Genjutsu. That makes her as a heavy liability, and Ari has never lost so badly before. Sure she would come home with bruises and dirty. But either she fights hard to put up a decent one or win. The thought of her losing just by looking at someone's eye frustrated her.

"None of you would understand." Ari muttered before she let's go of Ashitaka, and with a turn on her heel. Ari storms off shortly after Nyguyen done so. It wouldn't be the last they've seen of her, but her mind is so clouded with confusion and turmoil that frankly she doesn't know what to do.

[EXIT]

He'd stay quiet as each of them spoke. While Nyg and Ari's comments weren't relevant to him, Ash's comment on his clan... bothered him. While he was now tempted to buy a dog whistle to see how the boy would react to in from the 1st request, and he dismissed the second as the thought of not treating puppets and people as different things was a ridiculous notion in his mind. But the third he gave thought to.

As far as he was aware, he wasn't antagonizing them, but did he see them as a threat? His sister sure, but the others? Sure they were annoying, but other then their monthly checks to see if he was worthy of his eyes and maybe the higher-ups they didn't seem too threatening. So how did he come off as antagonizing? Was he antagonizing them? He'd be in a mental loop trying to figure this out, and after a while he'd exit it as it was getting him nowhere.

When he stopped thinking inwards though, Chika would realize the other three had already left, and the final nail in Ash's comment stuck. He really was blind to those he didn't see as a threat, as he hadn't even realized his byakugan were off.

"Well that worked...kinda."

Shrugging, he'd notice a certain little girl with no noticeable pupils sitting on a nearby rock, and he knew that whatever was in store for him was going to suck, but at least the team, however dysfunctional, was going to survive a little longer.

{Exit}