Maikeru sat in thoughtful silence at Yuukio's words. It wasn't anything he hadn't at least partially expected to be said. He shifted in his stance as he prepared to speak, his thoughts racing a thousand miles an hour. It was a constant reminder to himself not to be disrespectful. He wasn't Riku, he had to handle this in his way, which meant playing the game a bit. Give and take between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha.
"Well, sir, to address your first concern. This squad was not built with the effort of stopping the frost invasion in mind, that would be ludicrous for me to assume that we will be strong enough to do that given the progression of the event as it were. No, my idea behind this was for it to be a future deterrent. I am not planning for the present, I am planning for the future of the village. That is where my head is at now. We will continue to serve in our branches, and do our best there to end this event, and when it's over and the frost is naught but ash at our feet, this squad will come into it's own."
"If I were to rate our combat proficiency on a scale, say from E to S, there's a bit of variance in our abilities. I would say that myself, Reicheru, and Katsu fall on the low end of a B, while Danerisu falls into a mid to high C. That makes sense considering that Danerisu is the youngest of us, but, as a Nanjirou she has been training with a blade since before she could walk. With time, she will undoubtedly be one of, if not the most, proficient among this division. I can go to a bit more detail, if that is what you wish."
Maikeru walked to Yuukio's desk, and began to flip through the files he had organized. As he flipped through the manila folders, he spoke as each picture of the applicants were shown to both him and Yuukio.
The first is Nakiri Katsu. A boy with genjutsu skills that could rival any Uchiha, and I don't say that lightly as one from the clan. His unique style of genjutsu swordsmen-ship will tear at both the enemies mind and body, making him a potentially destructive force among us. He was my first choice, given these qualifiers. I also believe that a source of family outside of the so called 'academy crew' could give him a sense of belonging, and help him straighten out his behavior. This is just conjecture on my belief with what psychology we learned in the academy. I cannot confirm this to be true.”
“Next, are Saitou Reicheru and Nanjirou Danerisu, both have Nanjirou heritage inside of them. I think you and I can both agree than the Nanjirou breed some of the best swordsmen this world has ever seen, holding a blade is quite literally their birthright. That alone makes them opportune candidates for this squad. When you factor in the history that Danerisu and I have, being friends since before either of us wielded a Kunai and her being like a little sister to me, and the bond of friendship between Reicheru, Katsu, and myself, these are two individuals that will put their life on the line to protect their fellow swordsmen.”
He let the Hokage Advisor read the files, giving him a brief moment to absorb the information. Partly because he was proud of the filing system he had used in them, but mostly because he wanted Yuukio to have as much information as he needed to make an informed decision.
“Lastly, you have myself. I am probably the least qualified for this position I will admit. My swordsmen-ship revolves around using the burning intensity of the Uchiha’s will of fire to wear down and burn my enemies as they bleed out. Most importantly though, I love everyone of these people as family. I would do anything to protect them, which is the most important quality in a leader I believe.”
He stepped back from the desk, returning to his attention pose, with his hands folder firmly behind his desk.
"The most important thing for you to understand sir, is that this squad will not show dividends immediately. It's an investment into the leaf's future. I understand your need as the appointed leader to be wary of recruits, but, I do ask just one things of you sir."
This was where Maikeru paused the longest, biting his lip in thought. It was completely possible this would back fire on him, and he would be outright denied. If that happened, he would have no option but to walk away from all of this. It was a last resort, but, it was really the only chip he held.
"You may wish to add more swordsmen than what I intended, and that is your choice. However, I ask one thing. The four of us, I believe us to be the core of what this squad represents. Give us final say on any new applicants. Allow the four of us to have a vote on anyone who joins our squad. If there is no trust between us, and the new addition, I believe this will crumble before it is given a chance to blossom. I may still be an Academy Student, and I do not have the experience you have, but there is something I have that you do not. Trust. Trust of the other members. That is why I believe the Hokage named me second in command. I believe this compromise will be the best for the squad, that is all."