Lead By the Blind(Team Shadow)

[Shadow Goon-Ju]

Shadow hung upside from down in a tree, as he waited for his students to arrive. He was enjoying the quiet of the night air as he thought of what his team would be like. He wasn't sure what it he going to teach them but he knew he had to make them like each other enough to work together.

With a sigh, Shadow thought about how his team will handle the fact that their sensai was blind that when a few thoughts occurred to him."could pull one from your books sensai" said Shadow as he took out some wraps from his pockets. Shadow thought about his idea and figured that they should walk a mile in his shoes before they question weather or not he was a good teacher or not. "Besides, For one to be able to work with a blind person he must fist be able to see things his way first" He said as his Ears picked sounds of movement.

[Kisho Hyûga]

Today is the day! Today is the day, Kisho would finally start his long journey towards becoming a jounin and prove himself worthy of the Hyûga name. He had an actual team and an actual sensai; no more academy grade assignments or having to deal with those idiotic waste of spaces that he had to accept as 'classmates.' No, he was about to be paired off with people that actually had some measure of worth to them. It was only natural, seeing as how he was a member of one of the, if not THE most superior clan of shinobi to ever step out of Kohona. No lesser team would do for a Hyûga!

For most of the day, Kisho had made sure he had everything that would make the day go just as he planned. His kunai and shurikens were properly sharpened, his clothes were neat and clean (Though he doubted that will last for very long), and he had his stress ball in the waiting, but he didn't expect to need it if his team was anything as he would imagine.

It didn't take him long to find the designated area where he was told to meet his sensai and the other two genin that he would be calling allies for the next few years. However, he didn't know much about who exactly he'd be teaming up with, other than his sensai's name. It was Shadow Goon-Ju, it was an odd name for sure but he had to respect his senior and sensai. Other than that, he had no idea what the man or even woman looked like.

The young Hyûga gazed around the area for any signs of life, and after a moment, his pale eyes landed upon a figure hanging upside down from a tree. "Hm, is that Shadow Goon-Ju? I don't see anyone else here. Must be him..." Kisho thought to himself, as he carefully made his way over to his possible sensai.

"Hello, my name Is Hyûga Kisho. Are you Shadow-Goon Ju?" Kisho asked politely and proper. Hopefully this man was indeed the one Kisho had been looking for, he didn't want to waste his time talking to some crazed tree bum.

[Ryu Honomoeru]

Ryu walked with his brother to the place they were told to meet their new teammates after their sparring match. His mind was calmed considerably after the mock fight with his brother. He was unconcerned about their meeting with their new teammates. These were the people he was going to have to work with until such a time where he became a higher ranking ninja, but the only one that really matters was his brother.
He knew nothing of the third genin that was to be on his team, but he would find out soon enough. He hadn't heard anything about this teammate except that he was a Hyuga, and that had been information gotten from his brother; his brother's resources were known to be..... unreliable at best, so he decided not to give it much credence.

He had over-heard tales of his new sensei, however. He was Shadow of the Goon-Ju clan. An odd name to hear around Konoha, but that wasn't the part Ryu found interesting. The interesting things was that Ryu had heard he was blind. A blind shinobi, a Jounin even. His teaching methods were unknown but had been rumored to be odd. Ryu had spent the past few nights mentally preparing himself for anything.

He was desperately trying to ignore his brother's incessant talking, nodding his head and giving uninterested grunts, when they came across the assigned meeting place. They arrived, only to see a man hanging upside down from a tree, and another boy with the tell-tale traits of the Hyuga talking to the man. Ryu raised his right eyebrow as he saw the man hanging from the tree, obviously intrigued at the ludicrous sight.

'Why is he hanging upside down? And what are those pieces of cloth for?' he thought to himself. It didn't matter, in all honesty. It would soon be clear enough.

He and his brother approached the clearing and awaited his brother to introduce them, as was their custom.

[Ryo Honomoeru]

As Ryo walked with his apathetic brother, he couldn't help but feel the excitement well up within him. These would be people he would work with for maybe the rest of his life. The only fact he didn't much like was the fact that his teammate would be a Hyuuga. Hyuuga's tended to be dicks.

Well, according to Daiichi it was gonna be a Hyuuga. You sometimes didn't know with him. Sometimes he was right, and at others it seemed like he was just making shit up. But Ryo didn't see why Daiichi would lie about this. And he seemed quite sure of himself. Sometime being good friends with a chuunin sensei at the academy had its perks.

"So, Ryu, you think our teams gonna be awesome?" Ryo spouted at his brother, trying to get his brother involved in some sort of conversation. At his grunt, Ryo continued. "Yeah, I know. We're likely gonna be the best around. Thats just the way the Honomoeru roll. Hard and fast. Yeah!" Pumping his fist in the air, Ryo did what he thought would be the coolest pose he could at that point. His smile was wide, and seemed to glint with the sun. The effect of the pose was lost considering the fact he didn't stop, and Ryu was the only one around and ignored him anyway, but he felt his point was made.

Soon they made it to the meeting place that had been designated to them. The sight they came upon was an odd one indeed. An older man, likely their sensei, was hanging upside down in a tree, likely trying to show off. He held in his hand some long cloths. Why? Well, that had yet to be seen. What he assumed was their teammate was also there, looking to be already speaking to the man in the tree. He looked like a Hyuuga...kind of, anyway. Definitely had some odd traits not often seen from them.

They came upon the two quickly enough, and Ryo knew immediately he would have to introduce them both...as usual. He sometimes wished his brother was at least a little bit more social. Social enough to introduce himself, in the least. Eh, he was used to it by now, so it was all good.

"Hey there! Names Ryo Honomoeru, of the Honomoeru Clan! This bastard right here," Ryo said, grabbing his brothers shoulder, "Is Ryu Honomoeru, my brother, and also of the Honomoeru, if you couldn't guess. This our team?"

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[Shadow Goon-Ju]

Shadow smiled as the first of his students arrived.His bat like hearing sent him constant images a a human body. Shadow wasn't sure what he looked like but he could tell he was young. The boy then stopped in fount of him and spoke "Hello, my name Is Hyûga Kisho ". Shadow raised an eyebrow, well lowered see he was upside-down. "A Hyuga this is will be interesting" he thought to himself.

Shadow began to speak when he heard two other people coming.Shadow could tell it was two people most because one person was talking and other was completely ignoring him. Shadow smiled as they stop in front of him."Hey there! Names Ryo Honomoeru, of the Honomoeru Clan! This bastard right here," Ryo said, grabbing his brothers shoulder, "Is Ryu Honomoeru, my brother, and also of the Honomoeru, if you couldn't guess. This our team?" Shadow let out a small chuckle as he flipped himself right side up.

"Hello Everyone, My Name Is Shadow Goon-Ju" he said as he grabbed his pole and slammed it agents the tree. the sounds reverberated around the area before come to give him an image of his team. "it's nice to meet you all" he said with a smile as he was now ready to be a teacher. "Before we start any thing i would to know your name so everyone here can know it lastly, please describe yourself to me" He said "I also like to know if your a boy or girl he at your age you guys sound the same" he said as wait for them to answer.

[Kisho Hyûga]

Kisho could only raise a brow at this man's strange request. He wanted to them to describe themselves to him AND state their gender? It certainly took a moment for this to really sink into the young Hyûga's mind, but when it did... He came to a rather surprising revelation. (One that he should've probably caught on earlier but that was when he thought the man before him was just a crazy tree bum.)

The jounin that would teach Kisho the skills he would need to become a jounin himself... WAS BLIND?! On the outside, Kisho appeared stony and indifferent but inside, he was trying to rationalize what this meant.

"Hm... My sensai is blind, and a jounin. Normally losing one's sight would be the end for a normal life, especially if they want to be a shinobi... Yet, here he is.... A jounin." Kisho didn't know how this Shadow Goon-Ju lost his sight, but that wasn't important. All Kisho knew was that that man in front of him, had proved himself to the world, and that certainly brought a quick flash of happiness through the Hyûga.

At least his new teacher was, in Kisho's pale eyes, respectable... Unfortunately, he couldn't really say the same for the two other genins that would be his teammates. They were from the Honomoeru clan, Kisho didn't know much about this clan other than they were small, and had no territory to call their own. He wondered if that was the case, why even bother to call yourself a clan in the first place?

Taking a glancing look at the two Honomoeru, The Hyûga took a few mental notes of his teammates. One wore so much black, that it was amazing the world hadn't been drained of color, and the other... Kisho hadn't even spoken to this one, and already he annoyed the Byakugan user.

A rather audible, and slightly irritated sigh escaped Kisho's mouth. His team wasn't exactly what he had expected, but it was out of his hands. Maybe there'll be a silver lining to all this, perhaps these two Honomoeru were actually quite skilled and worthy of being on the same team as a Hyûga. For now, he just had to bare with it and keep the day moving forward.

"Right... As I mentioned before, my name is Hyûga Kisho." He repeated for the two newcomers, he didn't really like to say the same thing twice in such a short amount of time but he had to deal with it. "And I'm a young man, though that shouldn't really be an issue that causes confusion." He explained, sounding somewhat indifferent, but suddenly changed to a tone of smug pride.

"And all I need to say to describe myself... Is that I'm from the most superior clan of shinobi to come out of Kohoha: The Hyûga clan." Kisho couldn't help but let out a little smirk as he said these words. Some would say he was bragging, but how can you brag undeniable fact?

[Ryu Honomoeru]

Ryu stood silently as the Hyuga described himself to their new sensei. Ryu noted the apparent arrogance in his voice but paid it no mind. This Kisho seemed to be proud of his lineage, which is fine.

Ryu felt the young Hyuga's eyes on him and he stared right back at him with blank, passive eyes. This kid thought he could intimidate them. He was wrong.

Ryu took another look at their new sensei as the boy described himself. He seemed like a kind person. Ryu was actually surprised that his brother's contact was right. The man WAS really blind. He must be an excellent shinobi to have made it this far without the use of his eyes. However, Ryu could see that the man relied heavily on his other senses. He could see his ears move at the slightest sounds.

"Good morning, Sensei Goon-Ju" Ryu said respectfully after the other boy was finished. "I am Ryu Honomoeru. I am a male. I am generally very quiet. I train in the arts of kenjutsu. I am tall and very skinny with very long hair. You may be able to identify me by the sound of my hair flowing in the wind, should your hearing be as excellent as I have a hunch it is."

Ryu fell silent after introducing himself. This is probably the most he's talked in weeks. He wouldn't want to have his brother to have a mock heart attack at the amount he'd spoken.

[Ryo Honomoeru]

Ryo couldn't help but feel accomplished. Daiichi had come through for him. The man WAS blind! Now that he thought about it, though, maybe it would of been better had Daiichi NOT been lying...I mean, how good of a ninja could a blind person be?

Now that he truly contemplated it, probably pretty damn good, considering the man was in fact a jounin. You had to be pretty damn good to be a jounin. There was a reason they were called the elite. Something Ryo hoped to be someday. Not just one of those ones who stopped at chuunin and stayed there the rest of their lives. If Ryo was going to do something, he would go for broke.

And if that meant learning from a blind man, well, Ryo would sure as hell do it. And he sure as hell wasn't going to disrespect the man. Not when he seemed to have been from hell and back, losing his sight along the way. That just wasn't Ryo. He gave his respect to those who deserved it. And this man, this blind man, was his new sensei. So respect was to be given.

The Hyuuga, though. The Hyuuga. Well, he certainly didn't look like a regular Hyuuga. That was sometimes good...Generally when someone changed their look from the norm of their clan, it sometimes meant they didn't agree with what their clan stood for...And then this Hyuuga let out that insufferable sigh.

Whelp, that settled it. Ryo did not like this Hyuuga, just from his sigh. In reality, he expected it from the very beginning. The Honomoeru and Hyuuga had never gotten along since the villages inception. Something about the Hyuuga being all around douche-bags or something. It was the same with the Uchiha, until one of them decided to go crazy and kill the rest of them. But his sensei was speaking now, so he decided to listen.

Introduce himself? Didn't he just do that? Well, Ryo guessed the man wanted an 'official' introduction. He listened to the Hyuuga's, first name Kisho, reply. His dislike for him grew exponentially. This was gonna be a fun genin experience....

Before he could introduce both himself and his brother, again, Ryu actually spoke. ACTUALLY SPOKE! Like, a lot! Throwing his hand over his heart, Ryo's face twisted into one of mock horror. "By the gods he spoke! This is the most I've heard him say at once in WEEKS! This team has witnessed history today!" Ryo said this in as dramatic a voice as possible, as if this was actually some big thing. It was actually just to annoy his monotonous brother, but he didn't need to say that.

"Uhm...anyway, moving on..." Ryo said once he got over his little dramatic phase, "Names Honomoeru...Ryo Honomoeru. From the Honomoeru clan, who aren't nearly as arrogant as...some other clans..." At this, he snuck a glance at the Hyuuga, a small smirk crossing his face. "I'm all man, and a beast of one at that! I excel at anything and everything I want, because I am awesome, and thats about all you need to know about me!" With that he laughed heartily, making it quite obvious he was joking.

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[Shadow Goon-Ju]

(sorry for the long post but it was needed also watch for the clues theirs a reason for the bold letters)

Shadow listens to to his team introduce themselves and smiled as they seemed very proud of themselves. Kisho seemed very proud of his clan and wasn't afraid to tell anyone about it. This was good, have pride for one's own clan is something any ninja should show.at the same time one shouldn't let what his clan can do blind him of his own skills.

Shadow then thought about Ryu as he seemed to talk as he haven't spoke in a while. The boys speech was none the less respectful and was very straight forward with out hit of arrogance but, he did sound monotone which wasn't good nor bad.He seemed well informed of about Shadow's blindness and was nice enough to give him as idea of how to identifiably him if and when needed,something his brother is would have seem didn't.

Shadow then thought about Ryo and listen to him speak. Shadow could tell that he was the "loud" one of his group and he knew that he was going to easy be able to find him just from how he acted. The boy seemed sure of himself and wasn't easily intimidated by the hyuga's remark. This was both a good and bad thing, Good because, one should always stand up to an opposition, but bad because it can lead to unneeded conflicting especially amount a team.Of course the boy could be joking and his analysis could be off if not wrong.

Overall, This team had all the workings of something great, and even the rivalry of clans made it so they'll push one another to be stronger. At the same time it won't do any good if they don't learn to accept each other as teammates. Shadow also had a remedy for that and he was about to cure their in difference.

"it's nice meet all of you and I'm to "see" that you guys know of each other" he said with a smile. "it also seems you guys are don't seem will be more reluctant to work as a team then to do it naturally,so i found away to to "blind" you of your clan rivalry" he said showing the the wraps. "your job is to find me in fifteen minutes but you must be blindfold the whole time" he said as he made a hand sign and the wraps flew to their eye covering them.

"Remember You must find me in that time AS ONE! maybe unable to find me." he said. "also it one can'tFIND me then he will be sent back to the academy" he continued. "So make sure to fine ME" he said as he vanished from the spot he was at.

[Kisho Hyûga]

Now that introductions were over, Kisho had a bit more to think about these two Honomoeru. They seemed to have SOME skill, or at least Ryu did anyway. The young Hyûga heard of kenjutsu, but he had thought that was a skill set more comfortable to a samurai than a shinobi. Sure, he knew plenty of shinobi who had swords and such in their inventory, but he never really met one that focused mainly on the art of the sword... That actually interested Kisho a bit, Ryu might be worthy of some respect... But then we come to the other brother...

It was like every word that plopped out of Ryo's mouth just poked and prodded the annoyed part of Kisho's brain. At first, he wanted to give Ryo the benefit of the doubt, seeing as his brother was seemingly intelligent and tolerable... BUT NOOO, the spit lick just had to open his mouth and toss that subtle jab at the Hyûga clan.

It was mere jealousy that was coming from Ryo, but Kisho couldn't fault the boy on it. Ryo couldn't help that his clan paled in comparison to that of the Hyûga clan. It was a sad thing, but you can't fight absolute fact. However, that wasn't going to keep the Hyûga from scoffing at the Honomoeru's little remark.

Kisho knew as long as that spit lick was on his team, it was going to be a very, very long couple of years... Hopefully Ryu's presence would some how make being with his brother somewhat tolerable, but Kisho doubted that greatly.

He needed to clear his mind and focus, Kisho couldn't dwell on that fact that he had a magnet for all his ire on the same team as him. For now, he had to focus on Shadow-Sensai's little exercise. In Kisho's mind, the task of finding the jounin blindfolded seemed like a rather difficult, if not impossible task... If he were anyone else that is.

Once that piece of cloth wrapped around his eyes, the young Hyûga could only smirk as if he had already won. "It's an interesting little test for certain, Shadow-Sensai... But for a Hyûga, this contest will end with my victory." He proudly proclaimed, standing with both hands on his hips.

"Allow me to show you the very thing that makes the Hyûga clan so superior...." He smugly stated, quite sure that victory was in the bag for him at least. Kisho had no idea how the other two will do, maybe he'll lend a hand to the Honomoeru after they struggle for a bit.

"....BYAKUGAN!"

[Ryu Honomoeru]

Ryu had expected what was happening next. As soon as sensei had pulled out the sashes and Ryu had confirmed that Kisho was a Hyuga, he had a plan already set out. If the young Hyuga had the Byakugan dojutsu, Ryu's plan could go off without a hitch.

Just as he had verified the plan in his mind did he hear Kisho speak.


"....BYAKUGAN!".

Ryu let his mind feel a certain amount of pleasure before returning to business. He took the band off of his wrist an put his hair up into a pony-tail, signing that he had gotten serious and was doing serious thinking.

"Hyuga-san, we must work together. I implore you, don't get too ahead. Goon-Ju sensei said we must find him as one, else we all fail. Your eyes see what ours can't, but my ears hear when you are deaf. And while I can't see, and you can't hear, neither of us can feel. My brother, however, can. We must stick together." Ryu told the other two. "You must allow my brother to wrap a wire around your arm so that you may lead him. I shall follow behind listening for all that I can hear. Ryo, with the other arm, send your wires out to clear debris and wrap around trees and other things in case sensei is hiding behind them. Hyuga-san, if you try to get too far ahead, I will have my brother burn you, as I'm under the assumption he would be all too pleased to do. Also, give me directions in where I need to clear things out of our way with my sword by using the face of a clock as our directions. For example, '8 o'clock, tree branches'. Understood?" Ryu went into full strategy mode. He loved the feeling of being able to think steps ahead of everything else.

"Brother, when we find sensei, we must make sure he can't run and hide from us again before we can catch him. Can you try to wrap him up if your not already using a wire?" Ryu inquired.

If they all worked together, they just MIGHT be able to get this done in only a few minutes. 15 may just be more than they needed. But with his brother's stubbornness and this Hyuga's ego, a clash of heads may be inevitable. He was going to have to try to keep strict control over this situation. Keep all openings closed, just like in his katas. However, this time he was going to have to close off words.

[Ryo Honomoeru]

Listening to the Hyuuga, Ryo's face curled into a scowl. Arrogant bastard. Their sensei was either stupid, not knowing about the Hyuuga's Byakugan, or he just didn't care. He was leaning towards the last one. Only a complete and utter fool wouldn't know about the Byakugan. But why would he let him and Ryu flounder. He knew his brother had some experience in the field of fighting blind, but their mother didn't particularly focus on that aspect. If he needed, he could probably fight blind, but it would be hard. He sure as hell couldn't FIND someone blinded.

Suddenly, Ryu went into planning mode. He'd almost forgotten this aspect of his brother, considering the fact that him and his brother had barely spent anytime together in the last couple of months due to last minute training from their parents. But now he was glad for it. His brother's plan was sound, though he couldn't see them finding their sensei anytime soon. Hell, their sensei was blind for God's sake. Goon-ju-Sensei had to know what he was doing when it came down to stuff like this. If the man didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. So hopefully the man would make it easy on the trio of genin.

"Ya, bro, I can do that. Now, the only question, Kisho Hyuuga, is can you? You willing to work with the Honomoeru?" He said, this time his voice was actually kind. He may of kind of sort of disliked the Hyuuga, but he was willing to give second chances. This would of been a much better scene if the three hadn't been blindfolded and Ryo wasn't facing the opposite direction of the one he was speaking too...

Regardless, he let his wires fall from his arm warmers into his hands. These were his weapons. His lifelines. Without these, he was nothing...Well, that wasn't true. Ryo, like all Honomoeru, was trained in the art of taijutsu from a young age, so he still had his fists if nothing else, but the Honomoeru also taught their children that their weapons were their most...well...deadly weapon. So, to him, and likely to his brother, his weapon was a part of him, and to not have it was to lose a massive part of himself.

[Shadow Goon-Ju]

Shadow stood in the trees and "watched" his new team come up with a plan to find him. He laughed as he watch the Hyuga use his dojutsu to seek him out. Shadow had forgotten that about the fact that this test would be easy for him. Shadow then thought of the Hyugas words as he figured that if everything went right that meant that he'll be a disadvantage because now he'll have to guild the others.

Shadow then listened to Ryu as he he seem to be the first to come up with a plan. The plan was good and had the ability to work if Shadow wasn't so close by. Shadow debated weather or not if he should exploit this but decided agents it in order to see if he even need to use this info. Besides they were genin so he kind of had to go easy on them at first.

[Kisho Hyûga]

Once his byakugan activated, Kisho was more than assured in his previous claim to victory. While the young Hyûga's experience in the use of the byakugan wasn't as skilled as older members of his clan, no one alive could escape the Hyûga clan's powerful gaze, and Kisho wasn't going to be the exception...

He carefully surveyed the area that his 360˚ vision could see, taking a mental note of the two Honomoeru's charka and its color. With that little tidbit of information gathering finished, Kisho was about to formulate a plan of attack, but that thought was interrupted with Ryu's own planning.

After listening to Ryu's strategy, Kisho didn't really enjoy the prospect of having to literally lead the blind, but he wasn't stupid either. He wasn't going to tackle this test by himself, sure he had thought about letting the Honomoeru flounder about a bit, but that was more for his own temporary amusement... He was going to work with them... Really he was.

He could've gone without the little burning threat, but Kisho would address that later, for now the other Honomoeru, Ryo seemed to agree with his brother's plan of action. To be honest, the byakugan-user was somewhat surprised by the loud mouth's tone. He had expected Ryo to completely deny the idea of working with him, due to the fact that he disliked Kisho... Don't be wrong, Kisho disliked Ryo as well, but even if they hated each other... They still needed to work as a team.

"Heh... With your brother's sound logic, it seems I have very little choice." He chuckled lightly, his tone sounding a lot less condescending than before, there was some still there of course but not as much.

The Hyûga walked over to Ryo and took a wire from the Honomoeru's left hand. "Oh, and how about not threatening the one that can close charka points." He added on, sounding like both as a joke and a return threat, before taking a length of Ryo's wire and tying it around his left wrist.

Kisho gave a little tug to test whether the Honomoeru that he was now connected to could feel it. "Right then... Let's begin this little game in earnest." The Hyûga said, following Ryu's plan and heading up the front. Like mentioned before, Kisho might not be an expert at the byakugan but he now had 50 meters of vision length and a near 360 degrees of area coverage, and he was going to use it!

[Ryu Honomoeru]

"Heh... With your brother's sound logic, it seems I have very little choice." Ryu heard the boy say and follow up with a chuckle. Of course he had no choice. If they were going to pass this test they have been given, they must work together. If not, they would all be the oldest children in the academy. Of course, Ryu had already planned ahead for this occasion, and had decided that should he fail now as a ninja, he would move to Tetsu No Kuni and become a samurai and train more with his sword.

Ryu stood and listened to the Hyuga's footsteps as he walked a little closer to him. He heard the metallic sliver of metal on metal as his brother's wires came out of his arm warmer. 'Good,' Ryu thought 'Logic prevails and we move forward with this test'.

"Oh, and how about not threatening the one that can close charka points.". Ryu heard the boy say, half threatening, half joking. Ryu decided to ignore this remark; telling the boy the abilities of his clan or if he'd even if he'd inherited them,should he know what they are, would be foolish. Even amongst teammates, secrets must be kept. He only hoped his brother wouldn't feel like taking another jab at the Hyuga and letting him know their advantages over him.

"Right then... Let's begin this little game in earnest." . Another excellent sign. Not only was he willing to cooperate, but eager. This test shouldn't take very long at all.

"Hyuga-san can you see anything with your dojutsu?" Ryu asked. "I don't think he would have gone very far."