a/n: thank you for the comments! i will, actually, end up doing the ones people ask for continuations for, at some point. alas until then you have whatever the hell this is. i have also, by the way, updated my profile as to where you can drop me a message for anything!

The true test of a man's worth was in adversity.

This was a philosophy Reborn lived and would die by. It was certainly the philosophy that he had trained young Dino under. Words, speeches and the like, they could tell you a great number of things about a person – likely more than any person could guess. And yet, it was only when it came down to it, that a person was put under pressure – do or die – that their true nature was revealed. That one could find out if another person was cowardly or brave, reliable, or not, someone who would hold steadfast in their beliefs or someone who'd run away.

Reborn had all the records – school reports, hospital visits, community group activities – of the upcoming Vongola Tenth. Hell, he even had Tsuna's dental records. He'd been staying in Namimori long enough to scout out the area, to map out the kid's daily routine, and whatever he couldn't find out immediately was only a phone call away. It was ridiculously easy to get a civilian's personal information.

So for all that Reborn could make a frighteningly accurate, assumption about Tsuna's character, under his own philosophy there was only so much he could truly know about the boy until he saw him in confrontation. Reborn had even held back from immediately testing out the dying will bullet, just for this. The arrival of the smoking bomb.

Gokudera Hayato would be Tsuna's first and most important experience with the mafia world, and Reborn couldn't wait to see how it went.

Gokudera came in quick time. Despite the nickname 'smoking-bomb' he was a surprisingly professional freelancer. The kid managed to arrive in some no-name town, grab accommodation, and enrol into some no-name school with very little complaint, despite not knowing much other than it was a job paid by the Vongola. It was a plus in Reborn's book, at the very least.

For all his professionalism, he certainly looked the part of a delinquent. Gokudera rocked up to Namimori middle in trousers far too baggy to be regulation, a graphic t-shirt he wasn't even bothering to hide, and numerous metal chains dangling from seemingly any place he could get them. Even his hair colour, natural as it might be, added to the image.

He arrived late to class, making an entrance, and, by the look of things, a lasting impression. Reborn looked to his student. Would he be afraid of the newest school thug? Would he shy away?

But no. Tsuna was staring at Gokudera with a weirdly intent look.

Gokudera walked over, and maybe he'd have issued a challenge – or at least kicked over a table – if not for Tsuna.

"Hey," the ever-surprising brunet said. "Who the hell are you?"

Gokudera, to his benefit, didn't falter. He scowled quite dramatically and slouched over Tsuna's desk. "I'm the smoking bomb," he started. Tsuna cut him off with a scoff.

"Never heard of you."

Now, Reborn was thinking, Gokudera might have been getting a little too invested in his role. Indeed, the young assassin grabbed Tsuna by the collar.

"And what the hell would you know?" He spat. "You're just some scrawny nobody!"

Tsuna for his part, wasn't intimidated. "Oh yeah? I'll show you a nobody! You, me, after school. Bring your best."

"Fine." Gokudera spat.

"Fine!" Tsuna shouted back.

What the hell? Reborn thought.

Gokudera abruptly let go of Tsuna, who glared back quite intensely.

This was not the sort of behaviour Reborn would even begin to anticipate from his newest student. Of all the research he'd done on one Sawada Tsunayoshi, nothing gave the impression he was antagonistic in the slightest.

Oh well. Reborn would see the true measure of his pupil after school.

The end of the day came both quicker and slower than anticipated. Gokudera, at least, appeared agitated for the rest of the day, shooting glares whenever he could at the seemingly unaffected Tsuna.

When the last bell rung, Tsuna got up calmly and walked out. Gokudera followed.

"I'll meet you in the gym," Tsuna said, hurrying down the wrong corridor and leaving the other boy behind. The reason for it was clear, five minutes after Gokudera arrived in the gym, when Tsuna walked in wearing a change of clothes.

"Wouldn't want to get myself dirty," he said simply. Reborn, from his perch on the rafters, frowned. He wasn't dealing with another Xanxus, was he?

"As if," Gokudera replied. "I'll destroy you before you have a chance to even try."

"Let's go then." Tsuna said, becoming serious. His demeanour changed, his presence becoming sharp and focused. Reborn watched intently. Gokudera grabbed his first set of dynamite.

Loud, heavy hip-hop music started blasting in the background.

"Is he…" Reborn muttered.

"Are you breakdancing?" Gokudera shouted, bombs forgotten.

Tsuna finished off with a surprisingly difficult looking body twist, before staring intently at Gokudera. "Show me what you got, then."

"What?"

The music continued to beat, entirely at odds with the serious atmosphere.

Tsuna scoffed. "You can't expect to challenge me on my own home ground and think I wouldn't put up a fight. I'm not the leading breakdance champion for nothing."

"What?"