New Beginnings, Team 23 Assembles

It was a foggy morning in the Land of Water, though the sun was just barely peeking through. It had rained the night before, leaving the land soaked and a bit icy in the early hours of the morning. Dotting the islands of the land of water was a village here and there, some great, some small. The people were a hardy folk, simple and strong. Unlike its past, the Land seemed peaceful this chilly morning. On one island stood a village larger than most, yet still smaller than one. It was the Village Hidden in the Mist, or as some called it the Bloody Mist. It was a village whose past, present, and future were bathed in blood. But today, today seemed to be different, as the mist seemed to not hold the grudge of the past, but a hope for the future. The world had seemed to wash its sins away for at least this one morning. It was a great day for new beginnings, but how long where would the beginning lead?

First Impressions
Gatou Akadou, newly minted genin and resident wild animal, was up early this misty morning. While he normally was up in the mornings, it was rare for him to be up shortly after the crack of dawn. It was especially rare for him to be in the village itself this early in the morning, as he rarely spent any time at the house he had never truly called a home. To him, his home was where the animals roamed, and that forest was where he spent most of his time he was not in the academy. He ran as a wolf, hunted as a bear, and feasted as a tiger. But right now, he was a hawk, flying through the realm of eagles above the village. He had spent the night in that house, owned by his parents but barely lived in. He had showered twice already, making sure to clean especially well behind his ears. He was not normally surrounded by humans, but today was a special day. He had graduated from the academy, and was now on his way to meet his new pack, his new team. He even had forgone his usual route through the city, in favor of a more direct route. He wanted to make sure he was on time, and what better way to be on time than to be a half hour early. This sort of behavior was new to Gatou, he had never fit in that much, and he knew it. He didn't care though, this was his chance for things to be a bit different, the young man hoped. Seeing his objective, the balcony of the Academy building's second floor, Gatou angled in for a landing. As he hit the ground, he vanished in a cloud of smoke, revealing a teen of a moderate height and weight, with heavily tanned skin for one of the mist. However he held this form for naught but a moment before transforming again, this time into a common gray wolf, before waiting for his new team, and life, to arrive...