Private [Exam] Over The Top

[Akira Kazan]

It hadn't been long since Kazan obtained the rank of Main Branch Sennin, and with her suggestion to begin shoring off the village's defense, he found himself reading files about current students. In truth, he was hoping to find a few members of the younger generation with potential. There were quite a few who showed promise, but rather than picking favorites and taking risks, he looked through countless files to find students who were ready to take the next step. Among them, a young man named Sato Daigo. As Kazan sat in the head masters office, he sent a letter through a courier ninja summoning Sato Daigo before him to participate in a private exam in the head masters office.

At the moment, Kazan would be sitting behind a temporary desk; clad in his usual armor like attire, with his red cape slightly lifted as to not sit upon it. The Desk before him would be covered in vanilla folders, each containing the files of students who were ready for an exam. Sato Daigo was just one of them, but for some reason he alone had caught Kazan's eye above the others. There would be two chairs sat infront of the desk, opposite of him. In the corner, a book shelve full of numerous books detailing the history of the academy and past students labeled by year. The windows curtains were pulled shut, and the room was dimly lit; all for the sake of comfort and mystique. "Hmmmm" Kazan thought, as he slowly began to collect and organize the files.

Today, Kazan would be administering his first exam; one unlike any other he had thought of before. He would question the boys his aspirations and career goals, and then test problem solving skills in a unique way. Once Daigo got the news, he'd find the school seemingly empty; minus janitorial staff cleaning the classrooms and tending to the grounds. There'd be no one to direct him; not even a secretary. It would be up to the boy to simply knock and enter the room.

Letter to Daigo:

Daigo, please report to the head masters office at the Academy. I, Akira Kazan, will be awaiting you. As the new Main Branch sennin, I am eager to meet you and administer an exam that could result in your promotion to the Rank of Genin. Come prepared as if you were about to attend your first official mission. I will be here all day, so no rush.

[Wc: 400+] [Marked For Training]

 

[Sato Daigo]

Daigo nearly forgot about the letter that Aiko gave him this morning. It was a letter from the main branch sennin requesting his presence to start his exam to genin. Of course, Daigo was excited to not only get the opportunity to become a genin but to be proctored by the main branch sennin, himself.

However, Daigo can be forgetful at times even vacuous at times when he was focused on other things. These other things was his passion for the esoteric and historical arts. His small body was buried behind a stack of heavy books like a soldier behind an impenetrable fortress. He was sitting alone in the library at Aurora Eruditio with only the sound of occasional chatter as patrons walked by. During one of his lectures, a symbol of a bird was drawn on the chalkboard that he vaguely remembers. He would have sworn that the symbol was that he had had seen in one of his father's notebooks. He had to find out what the symbol meant and what was trying to find.

And so, this is why the young Daigo was stuck at the library instead of going to his exam. Fortunately, he had realized his mistake when he turned enough pages in his father's notebook to see the summoning letter square in center on the page. His tan skin turned a shade of white as his memory his him hard like a sudden tornado storm.

"I got to go...." He mumbled to himself as he grabbed his father's notebook. He didn't have time to put the books away but he was generally forgiven for this. Daigo was a frequently patron so the staff were very accommodating of him, not to mention his father's work had made many contributions to this library. His family practically owned most of the library.

He jetted out of the library and headed toward the Kazan's office. He was moving so fast he didn't really take the time to knock at the door before bustling in. His face drenched in sweat gripping one hand on his glasses and the other holding his father's notebook.

"My apologies Kazan-sama." He said as he venerated himself before the grand sennin. "I nearly forgot the exam. I was too much into my studies again." He said with a terse chuckle trying to alleviate his awkwardness.

[Mark for Training]

 

[Akira Kazan]

Although Daigo was going to make him wait, Kazan had plenty of files and reading to do. He had always been on the front lines, but now paper work was quickly becoming his greatest adversary. Hours would seemingly pass, until Daigo would bust through his office doors in a hurry. Immediately alerted to this, Kazan would just stare at the boy with a stern look upon his face. "Oh Geez...." He thought, as his stern expression quickly turned to a smile. Leaning back in his chair, Kazan would would fold his arms across his chest. "Don't worry about it, kid. Just have a seat." He'd tell Daigo before turning to the side and kicking his feet, still adorned in his armored boots, onto the edge of the table.

Immediately after doing that, Kazan would begin having a little chat with the student. "So, Sato Dago huh? I'm Akira Kazan, the new Main Branch Sennin. This is my first time doing this, so your exam's gonna be a little different than some of the stories you've probably heard about before. How about we start with you telling me why you want to become a Shinobi? Also, i'm curious about what branch you might want to ride out your career in, and your goals in doing so." Kazan said, more so instructing the kid explain himself and his goals to him. There was only so much one could learn about someone else from some files, and right now Kazan imagined this kid as more of an intellectual type. Though, that thought only came from Daigo telling him he almost forgot about his exam because of his studies.

[Wc: 275] [Marked]

 

[Sato Daigo]

The whole experience was just as new to Kazan as it was for Daigo, except there was more riding on Daigo then Kazan. Kazan gave a calming smile as he leaned back soaking in the atmosphere as he began to address Daigo. He asked the young man what was his reason for wanting to be come a shinobi. It was a very simply and good question. Many students have entered the academy for all various reasons. Daigo had only two reasons.

His small body walked toward the large chair in front of him. He was only a little over five feet so as he plopped down on the chair he looked like one of those small children on the swings at the park with their legs dangling about like two lazy dangling caterpillars on a leaf daring gravity to kick them off.

He paused for a moment to formulate his words.

"I am hoping to find my parents who have been lost to me for many years but more importantly I want to continue their work with discovering esoteric artifacts crafted or used by shinobi. My father was an architect and my dream is be like him. As a shinobi I will be able to discover ancient artifacts that will help and protect Kumogakure." He replied.

[Marked for Training]

 

[Akira Kazan]

As the young Shinobi would be before him sat down, Kazan noticed how small he actually was. An opinion was beginning to form, though appearances were deceiving; hopefully this was the case. While waiting for the boy to finish his explanation as to why he wanted to become a Shinobi, Kazan sat quietly and listened. "To find his parents, and to hunt artifacts." Kazan would tell himself, as he pondered how something like that could be of use to the village's new problem. His first concern was 'shoring up the defenses of cloud' by finding highly capable individuals that could defend it. Though, the Main branch was much more than just an infantry unit. Skilled Shinobi could be used in hundreds of different ways, and he was more than open to the idea. "So, you wouldn't consider yourself a combat specialist then?" He'd ask, as he lowered his feet off the edge of the desk.

Sitting forward in his seat, he'd scoot his chair closer to the table before leaning over it and placing his arms down on the desk top. "To find your parents is admirable, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Do you think you could abandon that cause, if a life or death situation arises? At the end of the day, we're shinobi and missions for the sake of the village are part of our duties. It's how we keep the place afloat, for the most part anyway." He'd tell Daigo, as he tried to divulge deeper into the kids mindset.

Cursing the kids spirit, or pushing him to far, wasn't what Kazan wanted to do. These questions were more so Kazan could understand why type of Shinobi the kid before him would grow into, and how to better use him for the sake of the village as a whole. A combat specialist was what he was looking for, but an educated individual capable of making tough decisions was always just as valuable.

[Wc: 300+] [Marked]
[OOC: Sorry for the wait, it's been a tough work week.]