Trepidation of The Red Sand

Chapter 2

Trepidation of the Red Sand Chapter 2.

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    The Mizukage, a man the size of a boy named Yagura sat behind his desk. A tall, slender man with white hair stood beside him with a large sword on his back. Across from them stood a stout, muscular man and a girl with bright red hair. "The boys, they have high scores but push themselves too far, and that Hozuki girl. She seems to understand the studies well enough, but she doesn't practice." The woman spoke.

Mangetsu spoke up. "Mai-chan is a pacifist. She doesn't like to fight, but I can assure you that her talent is unparalleled under the right circumstances. She might not like combat, but when she has to, well, I think she'll surprise you Riku." He replied with a small measure of pride.

The Mizukage glanced at the man beside himself, "Mangetsu has promised me that I will not be disappointed." He responded.

The muscular man, academy teacher Ikoba Rito, shook his head. "I just don't see what you’re expecting from her and Shiro. I thought the entire purpose of this squad was to find suitable holders for the next generation of the Swordsmen. Nozawa is a clear candidate, but the other two-" He cut himself short at the glares from the rest of the room.

Sensing the hostility in the room, the man stayed quiet until the woman in red, Riku, spoke again. "Shiro is the most concerning. You say he used a puppet and controlled his weapons using chakra threads, the villagers won't respond well to that. His entire offense goes against that of our usual ninja. They'll likely demand his transfer, if not an execution." She warned.

Yagura smirked. "I think it'll be interesting to see how he does. Imagine, if he were to pass your little test the Mist could have its very own puppet user." He chuckled at the thought.

"And the very next day his corpse will be hung out on a limb for all to see." Mangetsu sighed.

The next morning Hemato, Maigetsu, and Shiromaru sat out in front of the Academy doors. The three didn't speak to each other much at all. Instead, they sat in tense silence until a woman in red stood before them. A slender sword was tied to a wire wrapped thinly around her waist and her long, fiery hair was tied in a braid going down her back. She had cloth wrappings around her left bicep and fishnet stockings going up her leg stopping just before the hem of her dress at her mid-thigh. "My name is Terumi Riku, I'll be leading you from now on. You'll do what I say when I say it. I won't tolerate any backtalk or any bullshit, is that understood?" She snapped at the young group in front of her.

 They all looked up at her with a mixture of fear and admiration, but her annoyance was clear on her face. "I asked you a question!" She snapped again.

The three nodded before Hemato smiled up at her. "We heard you, I just didn't expect my first team leader to hold the legendary sewing needle." He remarked with a toothy grin.

The woman grimaced at him. "You recognize my sword? Smart boy. Tell me about yourself, all of you." She said in response as she looked them over.

"You first, Sensei." Shiro requested.

She let out a sigh. "My name is Terumi Riku, I'm the former head of Kirigakure's interrogation unit, two-time Tracker Captain and current holder of one of our village's sacred seven swords, the legendary blade Sewing Needle. I am twenty-eight years old and you little shitlins will be my first team as a jounin leader." She informed them, voice filled with pride.

Her history was enough to make even the most experienced shinobi fear her and was certainly impressive enough to scare a couple of kids, but Shiro didn't flinch or shudder or show any fear at all. "Now you, little guy." She ended by pointing directly at Shiro.