(Whoosh...)
(Izuna, Ayaka, and Hanabi flicker on top of the roof of the academy.)
(Swoosh...)
(Yakumo joins them shortly.)
Izuna: "So, you decided to join us?"
(Izuna curiously asks her.)
Yakumo: "Yes, I don't want to be left behind. Not anymore!"
(Yakumo resolutely nods her head.)
Izuna: "Alright! All of you take a seat."
(The three girls sit on a bench on the roof.)
Izuna: "Let's start with introductions."
(He turns to the girls.)
Yakumo: "Introduce ourselves? What are we supposed to say?"
(Yakumo asks him.)
Izuna: "Hmm... why don't we start with your name. Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies, and things like that!"
(He points towards Hanabi.)
Izuna: "Why don't we start with you?"
Hanabi: "Alright!"
(Hanabi nods her head with confidence.)
Hanabi: "My name is Hanabi Hyuga. I am a member of the Hyuga clan. Things I like... Umm..."
(Hanabi ponders for a while.)
Hanabi: "I love my Onee-chan, Hinata! She is the best! Umm!"
(Hanabi nods her head.)
Hanabi: "As for the things I dislike... I don't like very spicy food. For my dreams... I will be the future leader of my Hyuga clan. As for my hobbies, I like to train a lot, especially with my Onee-chan!"
(Hanabi nods her head in satisfaction.)
Izuna: "Alright! Now, it's your turn!"
(He points towards Ayaka.)
Ayaka: "I am Ayaka Uchiha, a member of the Uchiha clan and sister of 'Silent Shinigami."
(She turns to Izuna and smirks.)
(Izuna rolls his eyes as Ayaka continues.)
Ayaka: "For my likes, I love my Onii-chan! He is my idol, and he is the best!"
(Ayaka has a smile on her face as she speaks these words.)
Izuna [in mind]: 'Now even I am embarrassed by myself!'
(Izuna scratches his head.)
Ayaka: "I dislike bitter things and rude people. As for my dream... Umm..."
(Ayaka places a hand under her chin and ponders for a while.)
Ayaka: "Hmm... I got it!"
(She smacks her tiny fist on her palm.)
Ayaka: "I will become the Second Strongest Shinobi of the world!"
(She nods her head in satisfaction.)
Izuna: "Oh! Why not first?"
(Izuna curiously asks her.)
Ayaka: "Because that spot is reserved for my Onii- chan!"
(Ayaka nods as a matter of fact.)
Izuna [in mind]: 'My cute angel Ayaka!'
(Tears streams through Izuna's eyes.)
(He quickly hides them under a layer of illusion.)
Ayaka: "As for my hobby... I like to cook for my Onii-chan!"
(Ayaka nods her head in satisfaction.)
Izuna [in mind]: 'Ah!'
(Izuna's expression freezes as his face turns pale.)
Izuna [in mind]: 'Ayaka! What you call hobby is simply torture for others?'
(He speaks these words in his mind.)
Izuna: "Good! That's quite the dream you have there! You have to work quite hard to achieve it!"
(Izuna weakly nods his head.)
Ayaka: "Of course! I will never shy from hard work!"
(Ayaka pumps her tiny fists.)
Izuna: "Now! On to you!"
(He turns towards the last member of his squad.)
Yakumo: "I am Yakumo Kurama from the Kurama clan. I don't like anything in particular as for my dislikes..."
(She turns to Ayaka and Hanabi.)
Yakumo: "I dislike overconfident people who lack the ability to back their confidence. My dream is to become the greatest Genjutsu user of the shinobi world. As for my hobby... I like painting. It eases my worries and soothes my heart."
(Yakumo finishes her introduction.)
Izuna [in mind]: 'Hmm... she is quite a handful. Looks like I will have to slowly discipline her!'
(Izuna nods his head.)
Yakumo: "What about you? We also want to know about you?"
(Yakumo stares at him.)
Izuna: "Hmm... I am Izuna Uchiha. Things I like and things I hate... Hmm... I don't feel like telling you. As for my dreams, it's to play beach volley with anime girls!"
Ayaka, Yakumo and Hanabi: "Huh!"
(The three girls tilt their heads in confusion.)
Hanabi: "What's that supposed to mean?"
(Hanabi turns to Ayaka.)
Ayaka: "I don't know!"
(Ayaka shakes her head.)
Izuna: "As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies!"
(Izuna finishes his introduction.)
Yakumo: "Umm... but you never really told us anything about yourself other than your name?"
(Yakumo complains.)
Izuna: "Is that so? I thought I told you plenty!"
(Izuna shakes his head.)
Izuna: "Alright! Since our introductions are over. We will have our first mission tomorrow!"
(Izuna stares at the trio of girls.)
Izuna [in mind]: 'Should I pull a Kakashi on them? I mean it has become a Konoha tradition at this point.'
(He stares at the cute face of Ayaka.)
Izuna [in mind]: 'Nah! I will skip the breakfast part. I don't want to see my cute angel collapse from hunger!'
Hanabi: "Sensei!"
(Hanabi raises her hand.)
Izuna: "Yes, Hanabi! Any questions?"
Hanabi: "Sensei! What kind of mission will we do tomorrow?"
Izuna: "Hmm... it will be a task which the four of us will do together. It will be a survival exercise!"
Hanabi: "Survival exercise! But we already did it in the academy. That's how we reached here!"
(Doubts appear in Hanabi's mind.)
Izuna: "Haha..."
(Izuna chuckles as he stares at the group.)
Izuna: "It won't be your run-of-the-mill survival exercise under a safe environment. It will be a life and death exercise with your life on the line. For other tests, if a genin fails the exercise he will return to the academy. But for my test, if you fail it; you will move on to the afterlife."
(Izuna has a scary expression on his face.)
Ayaka, Yakumo and Hanabi: "Gulp..."
(The girls gulp their saliva as they stare at Izuna.)
Izuna: "Alright! Then we will meet tomorrow!"
(Fwoosh...)
(Izuna's figure disappears into countless fragments of light.)
Hanabi: "Wow! So cool!"
(Hanabi has stars in her eyes.)
Ayaka: "Hmph... Nii-san is such a show-off!"
(Ayaka snorts.)
Hanabi: "Gulp..."
(Hanabi gulps her saliva.)
Hanabi: "Still, I am scared of his parting message!"
(She turns to Ayaka.)
Hanabi: "Ayaka! Do you know anything about it?"
(Yakumo perks up her ears as she eavesdrops on the duo.)
Ayaka: "I think it's the bell test. I saw Naruto and Sasuke Nii-san's bell test with my own eyes. But I am skeptical of Onii-chan! He always likes to mess around, so I don't think he will follow the usual test. There must be something more to his test!"
(Ayaka speculates.)
Ayaka: "Let's forget about that! Why don't we go and celebrate in Yakiniku-Q? We should invite Konohamaru and his team too!"
(Ayaka suggests.)
Hanabi: "But!"
(Hanabi inserts her hands in her pocket.)
Hanabi: "I don't have money to pay for the food!"
Ayaka: "Daijoubu! I have enough money to pay for everyone!"
(Ayaka takes out a stack of cash.)
Ayaka: "I receive pocket money from lots of places."
(She extends her pinkie fingers and counts.)
Ayaka: "Izuna Onii-chan gives me pocket money! Shisui Nii-san too! Itachi Nii-san! Dad! Uncle Yagami! Uncle Fugaku! Kushina Nee- san! Tsunade Nee-san!"
(She curls up another of her finger.)
Ayaka: "I receive quite a lot of money!"
(Hanabi silently stares at her.)
Hanabi [in mind]: 'Why do I suddenly feel like my family doesn't love me?'
(Doubts appear in Hanabi's mind.)
Ayaka: "Will you join us?"
(Ayaka turns to Yakumo.)
Yakumo: "No! I have to decline!"
(Yakumo shakes her head and slowly walks away.)
Ayaka: "Well, later!"
(She turns to Hanabi and pulls her hand.)
Ayaka: "Let's go!"
(Back at the Hokage Office.)
Izuna: "Hah!"
(Izuna returns and lies down on the couch.)
(Tsunade glares at him, but he ignores it.)
Shizune: "Izuna! What's your plan for their survival test? It's an academy tradition of Konoha to test their newly graduated student through combat in survival training?"
(Shizune curiously asks him.)
Izuna: "Well, it will be too much for those little girls to fight against me! I want to train them as a shinobi, I don't want to hurt their confidence."
(Izuna shakes his head.)
Izuna: "It will be quite difficult for me to hold back! At this point, even Jounin battles look like kids playing house to me!"
(He sighs in melancholy.)
Tsunade and Shizune: "...."
Shizune: "Suffering from success!"
(Tsunade and Shizune roll their eyes.)
Tsunade: "Hmm... it makes sense! So, do you have any other plans?"
(Tsunade curiously asks him.)
Izuna: "Of course! It will still be a survival test! Just the venue and the examiner will be different!"
(Izuna chuckles and doesn't reveal anything else.)
Tsunade: "Hmph... You and your cheap ideas!"
(Tsunade snorts and makes a shadow clone to help with the paperwork.)
Tsunade: "I want to finish work as soon as possible! I want to enjoy that wine!"
(She engrosses in the paperwork.)
(Later in the evening.)
(Swoosh...)
(Mei teleports inside the house.)
Izuna: "Good work out there!"
(Izuna walks out of the kitchen in an apron.)
Mei: "Fufu... Fufu..."
(Mei chuckles at Izuna's outfit.)
Mei: "Why does it feel like I am the husband and you are the wife? Our roles are reversed!"
Izuna: "What can I say? My wife is an office worker and slave driver!"
(Izuna sighs helplessly.)
Mei: "Really? You want to sleep on the couch!"
(Mei snorts at him.)
Izuna: "No, please! I don't!"
(Izuna frantically shakes his head.)
Mei: "Haha..."
(Mei bursts out in laughter as Izuna's expression turns ugly.)
Izuna: "Hoh! You sure like to press my buttons but this time you pressed the wrong button?"
(He picks her up and walks towards the bathroom.)
Izuna: "You must be exhausted from the work! Let's take a bath together to relive your exhaustion!"
Mei: "Wait! Izuna!"
(Mei protests.)
Izuna: "Not this time!"
[To Be Continued...]