[Okada Sakuraba]

The last thing that many would expect would definitely be an Okada deciding to specialize much more in Ninjutsu than the general wrestler from their family. And yet, this shitton of chakra deep within him beckoned him to stick out some more from his fellow clansmen, and the greatest factor to that decision… might’ve been Mitsu-chan herself. Never had he felt more driven before dating her, that was a fact – and hearing about her aspirations within the Blast Corps made him feel like she was out-competing him career-wise. Despite how much he loved her… he was still quite competitive in that regard.

So what was the opposite of the Blast Corps that Iwagakure boasted of? The spear of the village needed an equally strong shield to boot, and that was where the Guardian Corps joined in. Practitioners of various, defense-related and buffing Jutsus for the purpose of protecting the village both from outside invaders and inside affairs, the Guardian Corps sounded like the perfect place to make a new name for himself.

The Guardian Corps did comprise of a handful branches… but Sakuraba had just made his way into the branch where he’d get the chance to meet Mitsu-chan’s super-cool big brother, Morihito! Just like back at the ship, Sakuraba’s manners had grown to the point where he’d actually knock kindly on the door to the tall mountain man’s office and wait for permission to excuse himself in.

"’Sup, Morih- I-I mean, wassup, Taichō! It’s Sakuraba, ya know, da Okada with da Raiton… uh… I’m datin’ ya sis… dunno if she toldja… did she? Rite?”

[Tantetsu Morihito]

✪ Yamatate Captain ✪

Morihito’s second in command would come in "Taichou?” "Yes Chūi.” "A young shinobi is here to talk to you?” He would reply. "Why? Go deal with it yourself. I am busy right now. Or what did Mitsu do? Or tell him that tryouts and recruitment are later this afternoon. If they want a meeting before the tryouts they should know that there will be no favorites.” The lieutenant would leave and then come back and say "He says his name is Okada Sakuraba.” To which morihito would say "Oh I know that young man go ahead and send him in he is on Mitsu team this ought to be interesting. He was on that ship mission I was on and telling you about.””Yes sir.” Morihito would wait and see Sakuraba walk in. Morihito would also stand up as per customs. They would do the customary bows and then sit and Sakuraba would just blurt out his statement. "Well that was brave to say. No she has not told me but I knew you two were getting closer. I have a lot of friends and people trying to be kiss ups who are wardens. They have told me their suspicions. But you are from the respectable Okata clan so she could and probably has done worse. And as long as she is happy there will not be any problems.” He would say this why doing his favorite and one of his most intimidating moves of changing his fist from steel and back to flesh and doing that over and over but he would continue. "I figured she would tell me when she is ready. So young Sakuraba,” he would say while leaning back in his chair. "I doubt you came here to talk to me about your dating status. What would you like? I am very busy with the tryouts and new recruit training coming up.”

✪ Yamatate Captain ✪

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

[Okada Sakuraba]

B-Brave… oh shit, he was dead. Only now did it dawn on him what had occurred – he had basically bragged about his close relationship with Mitsu-chan right in front of her fucking brother, man. What a marvelous first im- second impression, right? At least, Morihito stated that he was aware that they were close… so it wasn’t a total shock. No menace behind his eyes…

… Until his fist had turned to steel and back. "I-I-I-I-I weh- I will make sure she’s happeh, I promiz’ ya,” he tried to reassure with multiple bows, mostly out of anxiety… a rather uncharacteristic show from Sakuraba. Still, it felt as if he had avoided the purgatory, but Morihito moved on to demand what the young Okada had come here for. Thankfully, the tall Tantetsu mentioned the reason behind it!

"Ye, ‘bout dat… where do I sign awp for ett?” he replied with direct eye contact with Morihito, should the latter allow it, "Morihito-taichō. I wish to join da Guardian Corps… I know it might come outta nowhere, bawt I ain’t jokin’. I wanna do mo’ dan wrestlin’ here in Iwagakure… I wanna be on duty.” It could’ve been likely to spot that, since Mitsu-chan was an apprentice in the Blast Corps, that Sakuraba wanted to be something similar in that respect. Still, the fact that Sakuraba bowed reflexively was telling.

"Am ah… Am I too late? Shiet, I shoulda arrived earlier-" he began speculating, reminiscent of what Morihito just told him about tryouts and new recruit training coming up as they were speaking.

[Tantetsu Morihito]

✪ Yamatate Captain ✪

I know you will because if you think I am scary you should see her angry. So I am not too worried about it. Because she will kill you way faster then I will and then no one will find you." He would laugh loudly. Then they would talk a little longer. And the young Okada would show interest in joining the guardian corps. He was not sure if this was just a ploy to get in his good graces. But he also understood wanting to do more for the village. He was not sure why Okada joining was pretty rare but oh well. No, in 2 hours there will be a line out there in the courtyard with two tables. You need some sort of ID with your current rank. Then fill out a small questionnaire with which division you are interested in. You should already know this but if you have any questions let me know. There are 4 divisions. The Yamatate, Sensors, barrier, and wardens. Most Okada I know join Wardens if they join. We expect absolute loyalty and sacrifice if needed. But whatever you want to learn you should try to show off during your interview with the captains. Then we decide which branch wants you to join them and you can pick if multiple choose you. So be out there and ready there are usually a few hundred applicants and only 20 spots per division right now to fill." He would say this kind of jokingly but also seriously. He would wait to see if the young man had any questions and answer them.

✪ Yamatate Captain ✪

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

[Okada Sakuraba]

… He’d seen her angry before, yeah. The day they first met – when Uta and her got on each other’s nerves regarding Mitsu-chan’s weird first impression to Sakuraba. I mean, having hung anyone upside down like that on the first day would tilt anyone’s heads, but he remembered clearly… the look of a serpent on her face. Ohhhhhh, he better not make her angry – this was the type of anger that made any husband fear their wife, right?

It did make Sakuraba sweat pearls with whitened eyes. He took it to heart, fully.

He still had 2 hours to make it to the line-out in the courtyard. Two tables, and he’d have to prepare ID with his current rank – he could do that. Although, he couldn’t help but squint at the notion that, according to Captain here, most Okada that he knew joined the Wardens… but since Morihito-taichō was a Yamatate, Sakuraba had already decided. It wasn’t just a last-second decision – the lad had spent a week mastering a specific Jutsu to strengthen his decision. Walls and defense, that was what the Yamatate specialized in.

At the end of Morihito-taichō’s briefing, Sakuraba bowed once more and wore a solid smile on his face, showing no signs of doubt at this point. "I’ll doh ma best, sir! Das pre’eh much da best I know ta do,” he proclaimed before tilting his head at a thought that popped up, "Also... ya feelin’ bettuh? Since da seas, I mean...?” He was still a tad anxious for the lad’s health, perhaps something he caught from the Captain’s scary sister Mitsu-chan.

After the big lad’s reassurance or reply, Sakuraba would respectfully bow and return to where he came from to gear up... and then Morihito would see him fill out the questionnaire later. Yamatate was his field of interest, and he’d do his damn best to prove to Morihito-taichō that it was more than just due to Mitsu-chan’s influence.

[Tantetsu Morihito]

✪ Yamatate Captain ✪

”Good Luck with the try outs later today I will be there watching. After the physical test, knowing you, should not have any problem making one of the more physical branches. But I will not actually be watching that. I will get your results while you show us any jutsu you and the other Genin would like along with the basics. Since Genin take a different test to chunin. And start out as apprentices and recruits. So get your jutsu ready you only get a 10 min break after which should be the time between physical test starts then if you make it pass both of those you will have an interview in front of the 4 captains. So be prepared and hydrated. I will see you in a few hours I hope. This also explains why Mitsu said she would be coming to watch the tryouts Morihito would begin to laugh. Then say”I am heading out, let me escort you out. I told Mitsu I would come get her so she can get into the tryouts and get a good spot He would go back home to get Mitsu and return

A few hours would pass and the physical and written registration would be completed. He would look through the files and see that in fact Sakuraba did fantastic at the physical and read that he was interested in the Yamatate. Usually, Yamatate is full of Doton users. But he was determined we will see how the boy does here. He saw his number was in the middle of the pack and would watch the others finding a couple here and there to be recruits. Morihito really hates this time of year but it is necessary. After a few hours "Now Presenting Okada Sakuraba”

✪ Yamatate Captain ✪

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

[Okada Sakuraba]

Mitsu-chan was coming to watch too?!?!?!

Ain’t no way he’d drop such a pristine opportunity to show off, then! Sakuraba’s eyes widened slightly at the notion of her, and it’d be obvious that her involvement interested him greatly. Who didn’t want to show off in front of their babe?! This would definitely be a nice alternative to, say, rolling into a wrestling ring in front of all of his cousins like the eternal Jobber that they thought he’d be… here, he had a fresh, new start. If he wanted to become more than just a jobber, then he’d have to give them a great first impression – therefore, he prayed… that he wouldn’t end up as a burden again.

…

The physical registration went smoothly – surprisingly, his Taijutsu skills were higher than average for a Genin. Maybe it was because of all of his training to surpass the other Okadas, but things went smoothly – like cutting through butter. Now, the waiting time until he could face the 4 Captains… that was rough. He was somewhere in the middle of the list, but Sakuraba had hyped himself up too much, and now impatience was grinding him down.

Once his name was called up by one of the Captains, he knew it was time to shine. On the field in front of the four Captains, there were debris and other materials left from previous Genin and Chūnin showing off many types of Jutsus to cater to each branch, but up until now, Sakuraba hadn’t seen anyone utilize the Jutsu that he’d trained his ass off to master for this very occasion.

To thoroughly showcase his Jutsu, upon walking up to the stone field in view of everyone, Sakuraba clapped his hands together and took a deep breath. Since he desired to join the Yamatate, one of the captains wanted to test his defensive skills by launching 4 shurikens his way – and that was when Sakuraba realized something…

Outside of his clan, he was killing the game!!!

His hands weaved the necessary handseals just in time and slammed down onto the ground, but instead of the expected earth, dirt and gravel shooting up from below, a bright aura flared up around him and formed what looked like a cylinder wall. Then, the terrible shrieks of thunder echoed across the entire field, revealing the wall to be flickering in thick sheets of lightning that electrocuted each shuriken and sent them away.

Lightning Release: Lightning Entrapment Wall!

Oh, it felt good to leave many of the other Genin with their jaws hitting the floors. He wondered if Mitsu-chan was watching right now, too… she’d definitely be blushing madly, like the cutie she was. She probably wanted his autograph after this, and perhaps also the rest of the evening just smooching by the roadside. Sakuraba had never felt so damn good about himself before… but enough fantasies. The lightning wall dropped and revealed a totally fine, unharmed Sakuraba presenting himself in front of the Captains.

"Okada Sakuraba is presn’t! Ya luv to see ett…”

[Tantetsu Morihito]

✪ Yamatate Captain ✪

Morihito would be in his chair and taking notes on the applicants. It is the same thing over and over. Sensory here and there. Few want to be cops. A few kinsjutsu and pure barriers here and there other wise it’s Doton barrier here and Doton barrier there. Maybe a few Katon and Suiton. Nothing new to catch his attention. He would be barely watching by the time Sakuraba was up. He would watch him do the normal stuff wall climb, clone, blah blah blah. Till he heard the familiar crackle of Raiton. Morihito would raise his eyebrows and lean forward to get a closer look at the barrier. He would lean to his lieutenant and whisper "It’s a little weak. But have the tester throw some more kunai.” After watching that go again he would see the lighting stop the kunai. He would get visible excited but not lose his cool; he still had to be and act professional.

The lieutenant would say to all the applicants after the day of testing "Today's test is over. Interviews will be in 2 days if you are chosen, you will receive an official letter requesting your presence in front of the council. Now thank you for your participation.”

Morihito would be trapped in an office debating over candidates who should pass and who each person gets. Because it is a secret but the interview is mostly a formality. There are a few alternates chosen to interview, maybe 5 or per captain in case someone completely fails the interview or in case two captains want the same guy they have a back up. But the choices have been made before letters are sent. Which is what was happening with Sakuraba. So he would have to choose but a letter would be sent to Sakuraba.

It was written: Dear Sakuraba,
Please come for an official interview with the council of captains in two days. Be there at 1400 anyone late will not be considered. Good luck on the interview. If more then one captain is interested you will have 24 hours to decide.

Then the official seal of the guardian corps.

✪ Yamatate Captain ✪

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

[Okada Sakuraba]

Sakuraba did manage to throw a glance over to the judges of this test performance, and… well… Morihito did a good job at looking professional, ‘cause Sakuraba couldn’t really tell whether he was impressed or not. Shit, maybe this would be harder than he thought – he did think that he was being a bit out of the norm compared to the other participants, but maybe Morihito thought otherwise? Maybe Raiton-based defensive Ninjutsu wasn’t it?

But alas, he went back home. 2 days left until he’d receive a letter… granted that he’d passed the test, that was.

… Those were the longest 2 days ever. When awaiting something as exciting as joining a special corps, it just made time run sooooooooooooo slooooooooooooooow! Even beating himself up at the mountainside during training didn’t make time go fast enough! By Taki’s abs…

But to his surprise, a letter did reach him! His father had spotted it first and brought it to the young man who swiftly opened and read its contents with widened eyes. Since he got a letter, did that mean that he… he…

HE PASSED! They requested for his presence for an interview in 2 days from now, at 1400 sharp. And if more than one captain was interested, he’d have 24 hours to decide…

"YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! DAS HOW I’M MEANTA DOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

He jubilated like a roaring lion, much to the enthusiastic but slightly shocked looks on his parents’ faces when he leapt all around their restaurant.

He did exactly as planned and returned to the Guardian Corps HQ at 1345, finding his way towards the captains’ room with help from other members awaiting the other participants who had passed. Soon, he found himself present in front of them all, including the steel-clad Morihito and his iron-sharp eyes…

"Greetz! Neat ta meetcha again, cap’ns!” Sakuraba greeted with a salute, flashing them a proud grin on his face from how joyous he was to actually be here. He passed, damn it! Right?! No way would they ditch him like this…

[Tantetsu Morihito]

✪ Yamatate Captain ✪

A lieutenant from the guardian corps would come out to the hall way and Say "Okada Sakuraba! Please report.” They would lead the young man to a good size room where he could sit on a chair in front of a long table with the current head of the core in the middle and 2 captains on each side. The head of the corps would ask him "okada Sakuraba, I see you used an electric barrier pretty rare in our parts and for an okada. But you also use a lot of taijutsu. So before we continue any further. I will ask you one question and the others who are interested have a couple of questions. I believe the two who are interested are the wardens and morihito but first why do you want to join the Guardian corp?” They would allow him to answer and maybe have a few follow up questions as to why. Then it was morihitos turn to ask if he would have a few questions. "What elements are you proficient in and what elements would you like to learn?" After the okada answered, morihito would continue "How many barrier techniques do you know so far?" Then "how large is your chakra reserves and how long can you last in a battle?" Morihito would continue with a couple of more battle related questions about his training and mission experience. Then the warden would start asking questions that morihito would not really be paying attention to because most of it was not related to his preview. At the end of it the head of the corps would say ”Ok all questions have been asked. Who is interested in Okada Sakuraba?" Both the warden and Morihito raised their hands. "ok go home and think about it and make a formal letter with a declaration and bring it back tomorrow" And the the lieutenant who works with morihito would rush over and would come and get him and whisper "Do not say anything yet. It is considered rude so just write a letter. If you need help with the formalities you can ask me or maybe Mitsu to help"

✪ Yamatate Captain ✪

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

[Okada Sakuraba]

Oh… well, damn. He got quite a performance going on, alright – no, that was wrongly put, he put up quite a performance prior to this fated meeting, which meant that all was going according to plan! The Head of the Guardian Corps spoke up first, commending him for using such an unorthodox technique for a barrier earlier, and frankly, this was very unlike the static shit he had to deal with back at the clan’s gyms where everybody was a good fuckin’ wrestler in the end. Something new and exciting, and he was taking his first steps towards that realm… great, simply great. He couldn’t hide the smirk of joy on his face, with his flashing teeth of vigor shining through.

"Ahh, been waitin’ for ya ta ask dat queshion…” Sakuraba responded quickly to the Head’s invitation, "Ya said it ya self befoh, rite? Pretty damn rare for ya Barrier usahs ta use Raiton? Why nawt be da first ‘un den?” Honestly, that was the main driving force here – to become someone more than just an Okada. Taki wasn’t just an Okada, Goro wasn’t just an Okada- okay, wait, the latter might’ve been a bit too Okada for everyone else’s good, but that wasn’t the point here!

To stand out a little more than being the jobber… was ultimately his strongest… strongest… was it? No, it might’ve been in the past, but-

"Besides… I got a girlfriend. And nawt gonna lie – I kinda been fallin’ behind ‘er lately. N-No offense, she a cutie and I fuckin’ love her, a’rite, but she gun laugh at meh all deh if I stay da same all da time. If I wanna be moar dan just the other Okada… den I gotta stick out laik a sore thum’.” And that was why he dabbled in Barriers, of all things.

"Raiton is ma jam! Doe, Doton soundin’ lit too… and perhaps Fūton too,” he explained about his desires in what elements he wanted to learn, starting off with his Natural Affinity for Raiton, "Only got da one, sir. I, uh… I wuz a bit rushy in mastering ett.” Okay, that was a little awkward, but… maybe they were still impressed by an Okada’s ability to throw a barrier up. Then again, that sounded an awful lot like Taki’s deal.

"Oh, das eezy! I can last for moh dan an hour, mate,” he responded to the question concerning his chakra pool, "Always had humongous lotsa chakra- want me to demonstret?” In the end, they politely declined his request to blow the room off with chakra, but they were also interested in his recent duties – his mission overseas with Morihito and Mitsu was one such point that was brought up, which showed that the Jobber shinobi could fare well outside of his comfort zones.

Then… the Warden and Morihito raised their hands, and Sakuraba simply had to choose one. Before he opened his mouth again, the Lieutenant working with big bro rushed over to the Genin and told him to just write a letter later instead of verbally choosing, since that could be considered a dick move. Good thing that the Lieutenant stopped him before he could make the room more awkward again… so that was what Sakuraba did.

Back at home, he pulled up a piece of paper, a pen and some brain power to write his letter of declaration. Next day, he found himself at the Headquarters once more- it was obviously Morihito that he chose. More big brother time, man! Mitsu would be thrilled to hear this, eh?!

"Ain’t got no regrets ‘bout dis… can’t wait to surprise Mitsu later.”

[Tantetsu Morihito]

Morihito would wait for the next day to see who wrote letters in. He would head home the night before and sleep, not really thinking about the day except knowing that Sakuraba was a potential new recruit made him excited. He would head to his office and see All the letters of acceptance on his desk. He would read through and see the letter from Sakuraba. He would read it and see that he had chosen morihito’s group which made him happy. He would call in his lieutenants and say. ”alright men these are the new crop of recruits. You know what that means it’s time for the first three weeks to weed out the weak. And see who can make it. Alright you know the assignments, make sure the families know what’s happening on Monday. But it’s Friday so all non essential personnel can call it a day. Also get the others ready for the training. And bring me the chicken and the star. It's about to be fun around here.” The lieutenants would all cheer at the prospect of a half day and they would bring out one of those rubber screaming chickens. It would be a boring weekend and the members would inform the families of what would happen on the first day and tell them to keep it a secret and apologize ahead of time. So Monday morning would come and all the lieutenants would go to the houses and go into each of there rooms at about 2 in the morning and yell "this is the start of training, it could be an emergency how long will it take you to get to the headquarters? Let’s go! Let’s go!” Then they would apologize to the families again and start chasing them to the headquarters. To which they would see morihito standing there menacingly. ”welcome to training, these next three weeks will be the hardest in your life. We need to see what you are made of and break you so we can rebuild you stronger. At the end of each week someone may be eliminated if they are not performing well enough. However if you earn one of these stars you are immune from that 1 time per star. Any lieutenant, trainer, or I can hand one out. If this training becomes too hard or you want to leave all you have to do is ring the bell as loud as you can so everyone can hear it. Good luck. ”

[Okada Sakuraba]

Sakuraba’s family got the news and the information – it would be some hell of a training montage awaiting him upon entering Morihito’s squad, but Sakuraba was ready. He’d proven his worth once – he could do it again. Repeat – he’d proven himself once with his Ninjutsu skills, and he could replicate that wonder again.

Now… the weekend was long. Prickly. Agonizingly slow. The sudden announcement from outside of his room by the lieutenants was like electricity running through his body – after two days of waiting, Sakuraba finally had his moment to shine once more. His moment to… evolve, in a way. To solidify his well-earned spot in the Guardian Corps and work by Morihito’s side. Damn the scare tactics, he’d show them all.

Why he had to be chased like a prey all the way to the HQ was another deal, though. "Damn, mane, I’m goin’ fastuh dan a rat ‘ere! Woh weh all dat screamin-" Like cat chasing mouse, Sakuraba quickly appeared at the HQ, already fully awoken and forgotten that it was freaking 2 in the morning- holy shit, it was 2 in the morning. Upon laying his eyes on the clock, they widened in shock… so this was what Morihito was built of.

The next three weeks would break them, snap them, turn them to dust so that they could be rebuilt as the pillars holding safety and security within Iwagakure high. Sakuraba heard nothing else – you think he got all this way just to throw the towel?! No, no, no, no, no! These next three weeks would become fodder compared to the grandeur he wanted to lay out before his career. The battle had only just begun…

…

…

Three weeks later, on a cold day in Iwagakure. Sakuraba’s skin was darkened with bruises and dirt, his hair a mess, and his Okada uniform absent from view – instead, he wore a new uniform. New, shinobi attire to solidify the last part of his training. He’d broken himself too many times – Morihito bore witness to that – but Sakuraba would rather stab someone in the eye than have them even insinuate that he had to quit. At one time, he almost threw hands with a loudmouthed fellow participant who didn’t know when to shut the fuck up – now obviously, chaos within the future crew was intolerable, but they had settled it fair and square.

Sakuraba beat back every obstacle in his way to reach this position. Now, in the end of the three weeks, he looked… sleepy. Quite sleepy, in fact – that 2 am workout routine had yet to become a fully integrated habit of his. However, the three weeks had grinded down on the rocky structure that was his body – well-toned musculature, longer hair, and it looked like a few brushes were popping out of his chin.

He stood forward at the HQ’s training grounds in a smaller group than before, due to the number of participants who quit in the midst of their gruesome training regime. Sakuraba had his eyes glued towards Morihito at all times, awaiting none but a word of approval to really nail it in that Sakuraba… won. He won. He came out victorious and stood out in his own way at last.

[Tantetsu Morihito]

Morihito would stand infront of the graduating class and salute them as they diluted back. He would give a speech saying "You have made it through the basic training of the Yamatate and it means that you are a full fledged member of the guardian corp. However, as part of this organization it is expected and demanded that you keep learning everything you can to help us build defenses and protect this village by any means necessary. This means that as hard as these three weeks were you cannot and will not slack off as long as I am incharge and running this unit. You will learn that these three weeks were actually some of the easiest because no real lives were actually at risk from now on. If you mess up it could be the life of a fellow shinobi or worse case scenario a civilian, both of which are unacceptable outcomes. However if you have made it you answer the highest call a shinobi can make because you will probably not get a lot of recognition. We give up the opportunities to hunt down the big criminals and the glory that follows that but we protect not only this city but anyone that the rulers and the kages need us too. We may never get the the glory of conquering our enemies but never forget we are the shield and wall between the enemies and your families, friends and the city as a whole. So I salute you. Now go celebrate tonight because tomorrow we start assigning you leaders and to teams.” He would get off the mic and go and congratulate some of the students especially Sakuraba