After she graduated from the academy, she was treated to a special visit by Kashato Onnato, who stayed for dinner. Even though she had received her Leaf Village headband, she did not want to wear it, feeling that it could impede her senses, disturbing her perception. Onnato, instead, gave to her a gift: a staff that was about as tall as she was and about 3/4 inch thick. On it, he explained, were four black stripes, each one a virtue of the Kashato: love, honor, strength, and perserverance. The very top was of metal and bore the insignia of the Leaf Village, making it similar to the headband in that respect.
Taifa loved it, thanking Kashato Onnato until he asked her to stop. Her parents were also open in sharing their gratitude for all that he had done. "It has been my honor," he replied, "to instruct Taifa and also learn from her. I'm sure that we'll see great things from her in the future." He also offered Taifa any assistance she may need in the future if it was reasonable.
However, he also knew that now that she was a Zinga she would be working with another full Kashato and it was not proper to give too much attention to someone else's students. He promised, also, that he would introduce her to her Kashato the next day when she would be put on a squad with two others. Taifa gratefully accepted the offer, knowing that Onnato could describe her new teacher adequately with sufficient detail.
And he was as good as his word. The next day he arrived at her house, finding her carrying her headband in one hand and the walking stick in her other, a grin on her face. The two of them walked back to the academy, Onnato's hand resting gently on her shoulder to guide her, knowing full well that she'd walked this path a hundred times on her own. He spent the time giving a description of her Kashato, whose name was Anko Mitarashi, and answering most of her questions about what she could hope to expect. He didn't tell her everything, though, knowing that it wasn't his place to reveal certain details.
He led her to one of the classrooms where she would meet up with the other students in her class, and then waited outside of the door after he said farewell. She was the first one there and when she entered she took a seat, taking the time to relax and prepare herself for what was to come. As the others filed in the murmur of questions gradually rose, individuals wondering who would be on their squads, commenting on who they hoped and feared they would be with.
Even though they tried to keep their voices down, Taifa still heard her name mentioned. Some thought it would be interesting to be paired with her, but most shared the same sentiment, that while she was currently a model student, they didn't know if she would be able to keep up with the Zinga training that they would receive. They didn't think that she could truly make it through all of the missions on which they would go, wondering if she would only be a liability. She did not listen to them, though, nor did she react in a manner that would suggest that she was even listening.
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