Fandom Naruto: Seiryūden

[Pariah Stark]

@Seraph Darkfire @Hanarei

Ichir? released his jutsu, shrinking back down. For the most part, he just wanted to show Ko what he could do. The increase in size also offered a massive increase in strength, so it was better to show then tell. "I believe I already see the issue with being trained by you two," Ichir? said aloud. "You seem to have no idea how shinobi work outside of wherever you're from. If Cale would have kicked either of us like that like, we would have been dead - period," Ichir? explained. He looked down at Ko with the set of condescending eyes. He literally had no faith in either of them at this point.


"I personally don't think either of you can scale yourself down far enough to properly train us," Ichir? said. He kept his stare down at Ko, meaning every word he said. He was already frustrated with how they both acted, so at this point, he was just voicing himself. "Tell me, what are you without that strength? How much of it is natural? 'Cause the way I see it, I have to regulate my chakra daily to stay in control - to even use techniques. You seem to just use the strength that comes natural to you. Had you been born in my village - in my world - with your attitude, you would have died in the front lines. I don't see how you're at all fit to train us when you don't seem to understand what it is to be a shinobi."


"We're not monkeys and you can't train us like we are," Ichir? finished his little rant. He was already tired of his new sensei and he hadn't even formally begun training.

 

[DreamBeat]

@Sha @Pariah Stark @Seraph Darkfire
​

"Ah, good morning to you, too, miss Suzume," a gentle voice said, "I would suggest taking a note from Sora, though. Introducing yourself when you greet someone." Suzume raised her head to look at Hatake-sensei. "Ah, hai! My name is Suzume Muranami from the Muranami Clan," she introduced herself and smiled. His hand came up, and she tensed. She did not expect him to ruffle her hair.


Her first impression of Hatake-sensei was that he was gentle. Was her sensei really this kind of a person? But the things he'd done... Hatake-sensei is an elite shinobi, she knew, so she couldn't lie and say that she'd been expecting someone more stern. Like Hayato-sensei. Hayato-sensei tested them right from the get-go although she thought that his actions towards the end were unnecessary. She knew that Hatake-sensei could be deadly, but never was she expecting a person like this. Would this person be able to train her? Would he be able to help her become a kunoichi that made her parents proud without being too gentle or too strict? Would she be able to handle him if things got too hard? She wanted to say yes to all of these questions, but there was doubt. No, she would become stronger. Sensei was a respected shinobi for a reason. To have such a sensei was an honor.


Shortly after, Juro came in. Suzume was about to say hi, but Hatake-sensei did something strange. He put a finger on Juro's forehead. Genjutsu, Suzume deduced. Hatake-sensei turned to them and smiled, but this time, it didn't seem friendly at all. It sent a chill down her spine "Lesson One is being learned the hard way by Juro right now. You do not get to complain about your sensei. We are assigned for a reason. If you think Hayato was harsh, understand this: Kokuro and Kyoka are half-dead in the hospital right now, Kyoden was removed from the Shinobi Forces all together and apparently Ichiro is such a threat that he's being put under one of the only shinobi that could effortlessly put him in the ground if need be. You will respect me, and if you don't, I will make you fear me - like I intend to do with Juro. You can thank him later for this treatment; his complaints over this stupid little puppet were enough to get Hayato reassigned to the Eastern Front while I'm training you. I'm not a difficult person to get along with, but I do demand respect," Hatake-sensei explained all of this with an expression that confused Suzume.


Respect was not something that could be demanded, Suzume thought, but this person already had hers before he demanded it from her. Despite her already existing respect for him, she couldn't help but smile out of a mix of feelings when he mentioned Juro's "stupid little puppet." Haya was his partner, yet both of her sensei said that it was stupid. Was it really that stupid? Haya was an object, yes, but wasn't it important to Juro? Like a part of the team? But she supposed it caused Hayato-sensei to get reassigned. Her first impression of Hatake-sensei was better than Hayato-sensei. And the lack of interaction with Hayato-sensei on top of her first impressions didn't make her feel much for Hayato-sensei for getting reassigned.


"Juro will snap out of the genjutsu I cast on his any moment, and I want you to take note of his condition after. I don't like to do that to you kids, I really don't. I don't want to have to do it, either. But, I absolutely will. You need to be conditioned for war, and you won't get that being spoiled. You can't complain and get new enemies on the battlefield because you don't like the old ones. You will die, it will likely be painful, and you will never get to become some stupid hero. You need to learn to survive and it's my goal to make you survivors," Hatake-sensei kept going on.


"I see..." Suzume realized. It wasn't whether this sensei, this shinobi, would be able to train her to become a kunoichi that made her parents proud. Rather, it was whether or not if she could learn how to survive this war with his guidance. A fight to win. War... What an unfortunate time she was born into. Dying was something she didn't want to do. It was something she wanted to avoid. Maybe at one point in time, she would want to die, but right now, she wanted to survive.


"The way I see it, you can either tell Juro right now that you want to become survivors or I can show you all the hard way that you should be afraid of. This is your new dynamic. Two-thirds vote wins and if I ever catch one of you going off on your own because you were outvoted, I may literally kill you myself just to get a new Genin that won't be so petulant."


Suzume looked at the Hyuuga and then turned to Juro. She made her way over to Juro, who was now coming out of his genjutsu. His eyes were wide and his normal blank face wasn't there. She didn't know what he saw, but it was most definitely not pleasant. "Juro? Juro. Are you okay? Ohayo, Juro." Suzume smiled gently as she repeated his name. She hugged him, almost crying because the realization that they could all die came crashing down on her. This was war. "Let's not die. We can survive, right?" Her voice cracked. She was weak now... but she would become stronger.

"So guys, what will it be?"

​

 

[Sha]

@DreamBeat @Pariah Stark @Seraph Darkfire

Juro Ningya



​

Juro hadn’t taken two steps into the classroom before he felt a finger gently touch his forehead. His face remained impassive as the world around him began to swirl – it wasn’t dizziness, the world itself was contorting. He couldn’t even make out his new teammate before the Genin’s silhouette vanished alongside Suzume’s in a swirl of mist. The whole world seemed to take on a shade of grey. Knowing that Sui was a Genjutsu shinobi allowed Juro to quickly deduce what had happened, and given his experience with Hayato’s teaching methods, he held onto little hope that this would be a pleasant experience.


His eyes darted around the room and the color was slowly drained from the air around him. Then, just as Juro’s fellow Genin vanished into the grey ambience which now pervaded the world around him, Sui, The White Death, appeared before him with a kind smile. Juro’s hand twitched as this kind, loving face smiled down at him in a way which even his own father had never done. For a brief moment he assumed this sensei would have a kinder teaching method than his predecessor. Needless to say, this assumption of his was quickly dispelled.


The man spoke: "Do you know what the difference between me and your former sensei is?" Before Juro could respond, Sui answered his own question: "When you complain about what I do to you, every single member of your clan will be too scared to do anything about it."


Beneath a dangling black sleeve his left hand twitched once more. The words stung; there was some truth to it. The White Death, as was his given title, was known and feared as one of, often touted as the, strongest Genjutsu user in the Leaf. There were experienced, battle-hardened shinobi within the Ningya clan but whether or not they could defeat Sui in battle was a thing none would seek to test. Still, though, Juro wondered why it was brought up at all.


Before the young man could compose a response in question of Sui’s accusation, the man turned to glass in front of him before abruptly splitting in two. The left side of glass startled him as his own image was replaced with Kami. The wide smile and piercing gaze of the lifeless doll stared back at him. He could hear the plastic teeth clatter as though the doll were shivering. Juro would have taken a step back out of reflex; however, his body soon informed him that it was no longer his to command. Of its own accord, his body turned.


The points at which his body was forced to move were the same points which were used to move the joints of a puppet. He could feel the strings tugging at his flesh. Now, as his body was turned for him, he saw a man standing there with a condescending grin – this shinobi was controlling Juro. He was sure of it. If not for the patronizing smile Juro might not have recognized him; he seemed somehow younger. It was Hayato.


Then he noticed it floating before him: Haya. As far as Juro was aware the puppet still lay in pieces, scattered about the ground just outside the village. Juro never did go back for the remains. The Genin’s eyes widened as he realized all too quickly what was to come. Then Hayato confirmed the thought as he spoke: "I've never got to play with a puppet before. What's this one called? Juro? It seems bland. Let's test it."


Juro’s eyes widened as he dashed forward despite his inward efforts against the action. His legs dangled beneath him as he floated under the control of this younger Hayato before clashing with Haya. The two struck at each other. Blow after blow; all Juro could do was stare straight ahead. He didn’t, he couldn’t, blink. The air felt real as it stung the eyes which he felt unable to close. He knew this was a Genjutsu and he doubted his new teacher would actually kill him, but that didn’t lift his spirits; he felt as though he were going to die as blood began to seep from his arms and torso and then, as the pain began to grow unbearable, he lost.


Juro spat blood – he could taste it. The warm crimson splattered abruptly from his mouth as his heart thumped loudly one last time before being silenced by Haya’s blade. One cut through his heart, the other through his left lung. His own creation just ended his life. The emotion which rushed through him at this moment was fear: Pure, unadulterated fear. Juro never expected it. Life was a simple commodity to him, whether due to his upbringing within the Ningya clan, or due to his own personality, he never viewed his own life as something he wasn’t willing to lose. Now, as he felt his soul leave his body, he realized his own worth. Not to the world. Not to the Leaf nor even to those he was to protect as a shinobi, but to himself.


A will to live which Hayato had failed to instill in the young boy suddenly surged through him. He felt his heart beat again despite the sword which impaled itself therein. Then, just as instantaneously as the nightmare had begun, everything vanished. The grey tint which had only moments ago consumed the world around him swept the creations of his mind away as he now stood, staring straight ahead, petrified and with an unusual grin planted upon his face.


The right corner of his mouth shifted upward in a soft but noticeable way. The way his eyes peered forward might have given him the appearance of insanity when coupled with this subtle grin; but he was alive. He was happy to be alive. It was a strange sensation which now engulfed the young puppeteer. For as long as Juro could remember, he was told that it was a shinobi’s duty to die on the battlefield. For as long as he was alive, whether by nature or nurture, he never gave much thought to the prospect of death nor did he much care if it consumed him.


He was ignorant.


He was not only prepared to die but, with true sincerity, he was ready and willing to die. Having faced a death which felt so real despite its falsehood Juro, in that moment which color returned to the world and he felt his heart beating faster than it ever had before, cherished life. He was so engulfed in this sensation, in this euphoria, that he didn’t hear the words of Sui and Suzume until he felt her arms wrap around him. He blinked calmly but didn’t flinch. The grin remained beneath his usual blank eyes. It truly was a gift the way Juro had grown able to suppress his emotions and compose himself with such quickness.


"Let's not die. We can survive, right?" Suzume’s voice cracked as she spoke so near to Juro’s ear. His arms rose and wrapped themselves around her just as she finished speaking. His grin faded and his usual face returned before he spoke; a hint of softness invaded the usual dull, melancholic nature of his voice.


“Right.”

 

[Hanarei]

Tsukiashi watched Cale approach, looking almost uncertain. She was caught off guard as he suddenly struck her head, the girl gasping out. She fell onto her rear looking up at him holding her head. Her full fierceness returned as she looked to him. "Nnn! What the heck is that about! You go dropping us and then you go randomly kicking me! Its not my fault what you are doing doesn't make sense." She called out fiercely in response as she removed her hand from her forehead. It was a strong sense of anger and confusion based off the man.


She shuffled forward onto all fours, looking at him with a stern glare. "You hurt us and then go calling yourself some teacher! Nnn, you don't seem to know the first thing about teaching even my..." She spoke as she realized she was about to say something her own stubbornness wouldn't allow. She shook her head with a light blush on her cheeks. "You're just throwing us around and doing stuff that makes no sense! You aren't being some teacher!" She called out in retaliation looking up at him.


The girl's ears seemed to almost 'perk' up with her hair shifting to vaguely hear her companion. She focused on Cale sniffling the air naturally before showing a sign of unease. "Nnn... not to mention you smell funny..." She spoke as the scent seemed to come to her mind, almost steering away some of her ferocity. She shook her head shifting a little staying on all fours looking up at him. Her eyes kept locked on him as she seemed to have some resolve to prove herself... even if she knew it wasn't likely something she could even manage to do.


@Seraph Darkfire @Pariah Stark

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Caillte Leanaí and Inpu Ko

Inpu Ko and Cale looked at each other before laughing "This kid, what does he know about anything?" the small monkey said grinning "Our strength is trained and beaten into us over years of training, you say you have to regulate your chakra to stay in control? We can do that subconsciously at this point in our lives, we'd be dead otherwise" Ko looked at his small hands "Neither of us are actually monkeys you know..." he frowned.


Cale sighed and looked at the Akimichi "Listen kid, we grew up with monkeys, my friends and I, but we weren't born this way" his tail flicked back and forth "A few of us were lucky to get away with some minor things, such as my tail" he stared into his eyes "Others turned into full on monkeys and even worse, some of them died"


He raised an eyebrow "What world are you talking about? The one where you were trained nicely in your academy? Or the one where you suckled on your mom's tit?" Cale was getting upset now. Normally he was a good natured person, but seeing this little brat complaining was grating on his nerves. He was made to fight and survive, not teach.


"I'll set you straight right now, we are not Shinobi and we aren't going to be soft teachers" he cracked his knuckles as he looked at Ashi "We are fighters, you will get hurt, often"


"We will make you the strongest in the village, even if we have to break every bone in your body to do it" he looked at Inpu Ko "Teach him properly, I want him to at least be able to take a decent punch without falling" he then turned back to Ashi.


"Now, you are to easy to get upset, much like myself" he said with a firm grin, ignoring her complaint about his smell. She had animal senses like him, she was probably either smelling his natural wild scent. "But anger is a good tool, if used properly, my true first lesson is teaching you to control it" he looked thoughtful "Now how was it explained to me...? Oh, imagine your anger like steam, it is hot and does whatever it wants, eventually cooling down, but if you pull it in close and keep it warm and only release it when needed, it can do a lot of harm to your enemies"


Meanwhile, Inpu Ko continued to stare at Ichiro "We aren't actually training you like monkeys, you have already had previous training so it would be useless, however, I am going to teach you the basics of one of our martial arts, to make your current fighting style better" he walked around the boy "My earlier questions were to make sure you wouldn't have any easily exploitable physical weakness, Stone Monkey is a defensive style, like a stone in the middle of a river, if that stone has cracks, the water will rip it apart"


"Another added benefit of learning this style is the reduction of your chakra use and an increase in control" he gently tapped the boy's arms and legs, moving them into the proper positions "First off, meditation" this stance had Ichiro standing in a wide stance, his arms slightly out with his closed fists facing outward, as if he was bracing for an attack. This was a stance that could be uncomfortable for those without proper training.


He then stood across from Ichirō in the same position "This stance is to strengthen your body against blows, at the same time, you will begin spreading your chakra evenly throughout your body" if he could expand his body, this should have been easier for Ichirō than anyone else. First he would get the boy used to the stance, then he would begin the physical training.


@Pariah Stark @Hanarei

Sora Hyūga

Sora was trained by the Hyuga, he knew when to listen to his elders and immediately activated his Byakugan. He was promptly surprised when Sui vanished in front of him without a trace. He hadn't seen a burst of chakra, so there was no way Sui'd simply left the room with a jutsu.


His eyes flicked back and forth as he searched for his sensei before he spotted Juro's chakra change from his forehead 'I didn't even notice the usage until it affected Juro' he thought. It was scary knowing something could hide from his eyes.


Then he had a thought 'Can he completely hide his presence?' instead of looking for Sui, he began looking around the area he'd seen the man vanish. Changes in the air and shifting of the dust on the floor would be a good indicator of where his Sensei was. Luckily, the room wasn't used as often as others. To his eyes, he could see the changes in the dust from when his teacher had turned to face Juro.


He then realized that he was focusing too hard when he felt his eyes begin to sting slightly and released the dojutsu. He thought he still had a ways to go, even if he could find out where Sui had been standing, it didn't really help against someone who was actively trying to kill him.


He listened as the man spoke before Juro came out of the genjutsu he'd been placed under. He also saw Suzume go over and hug him 'That is right, they were on the same team before as well' he thought. He and their Sensei were the new factors. He felt a little odd, but this was his team now.


Silently, he walked over to the two and placed his hand on Juro's shoulder "I'm not the strongest person, but I am a hard worker and I'll certainly do my best so that our Team survives" he said awkwardly "If you two will have me at least?"





@Pariah Stark @Sha @DreamBeat

 

[Pariah Stark]

@Seraph Darkfire @Hanarei

Ichir? scowled at the little monkey. They were laughing at him, yet they still knew nothing about shinobi and even admitted to it. At this point, he was steaming. Still, Ichir? had learned to temper his rage. If he let it grab hold of him, he would have given into the Cursed Chakra long ago. Besides, both of them were too strong for him to do anything to regardless. In that instant, Ichir? decided - probably out of his petulant youth - that his best course of action was a verbal assault. His mentors might have been stronger, but that still didn't make them right.


"For all your talk, you still lost," Ichir? said. "The little monkey said you lost again. To a shinobi. Obviously, your training didn't cut it," he added. This was the logic Ichir? had been following for this entire scenario. Ko said that Cale lost to Shin. Regardless of whether or not Shin was revered as the God of Shinobi, he was still a shinobi and Cale still lost to him. Being trained by someone whom openly lost - twice apparently - didn't sit well with Ichir? when he sported this type of attitude.


"I'm going back to the village to get a real mentor. I won't be trained in some style by a loser. Apparently, your chakra control can't be too fantastic, either, considering one of you is a literal monkey and the other has a tail," Ichir? spouted off before turning around, heading down the road that exited the training grounds. "Maybe you'd stand a chance if you understood anything about shinobi," Ichir? added. He was dead set on getting a different sensei. Ko and Cale at this point were just being ignorant. He lost and he lost for a reason: he knew nothing about Shinobi. He could train them to fight, but Ichir? was staunch in his belief that he couldn't teach them anything about the combat environment outside of the village. Shinobi had to do more than just run in with raw displays of power.

"Besides, I'm not a defensive fighter."

​

 

[Pariah Stark]

@Sha @DreamBeat @Seraph Darkfire
​

"Then it seems unanimous," Sui said once the group effectively all agreed that survival was their new focus. Sui walked through the classroom, dragging his hand along a few desks. This act also removed him from the doorway Juro was previously standing in, granting them all access to the room. "Now that we're on the same page, let me tell you the one and only exception to that rule. You may only ever forfeit your life if it is for someone you care for deeply. You're Genin, so you likely won't be on any mission that puts the whole village in danger... but even if so, you are not to just toss your life away. There is always an alternative. Always another strategy. Always a way to escape. You will breathe your dying breathes looking for a way to live another moment because if you don't, you have failed me as students," Sui said to them in a piece of rhetoric.


The entire way Sui spoke made him sound more harsh than Hayato and filled the air with a tone completely different than that of Hitori. His calm demeanor and his authoritative voice made his words sound absolute; as if he was the puzzle master that had long solved the puzzle and was now helping them put it together. Not only that, his words weren't uplifting. They didn't invigorate anything. He told them that if they absolutely did not find a way to survive, they would be failures. The logic was sound. If they died, they had failed. But, the way he said it made it sound like that in all situations, their potential deaths would be their own fault for simply not trying hard enough. Always. That word in his speech resonated. There would always be a way. Maybe the only endearing thing about his speech was how he started it. It wasn't abysmal at first. He told them the only exception to not being a failure in death, and that was to die for someone they cared for deeply.


"I spent most of my shinobi career alone," Sui explained, "but don't think that I don't value teamwork. The fact of the matter is that no single shinobi has ever gotten close to killing me. The only time my life has been in danger was against a group. Put simply, your chance for success increases exponentially in a group. And, under my tutelage, your chance for success equates to your chance to survive." Sui then turned around, having faced the blackboard before he said any of that. "Look at the other two genin in this room. They will grow with you. Juro, someday, you'll get married, expand the Ningya Clan, and you'll likely have Sora be your best man. Know why? Because there is no one you trust more than someone who has fought with you and even saved you on the battlefield. Same goes for you, Sora. Suzume, in time, these two will become like the brothers you absolutely never wanted. A team that grows together like this is significantly stronger than any force just thrown together for a mission," Sui said, now lecturing them.


"No rhetorical questions this time. The answer is simple. If you grow, fight and learn together, you will eventually learn to care for each other. You will eventually put the survival of your teammates above your own and you will fight harder to save them than you ever would fight to save yourself. Take thought in slow because its an important one. If all three of you fight for the others, fight to protect each other, than you will be greater than the sum of your parts," Sui explained. He had unbuttoned his flak jacket and pulled up his black undershirt and mesh. On his chest ran a long horizontal scar. "I nearly died because of a team like that. If you survive long enough, I'll tell you the story," Sui said before lowering his shirt.


"Lastly," he said while buttoning his tight, flak jacket again, "Do you have any questions? I'm sure most of you know who I am. The White Death. The Boogeyman of the Leaf. I've trained a generation of genjutsu users and probably have killed more men than anyone in this village. Ask anything you want with one exception. I will not tell you war stories. You will forge your own, and once you do, I will tell you one of mine so that we can share a story. Shinobi do not just tell stories; they share them."

 

[Hanarei]

Ashi blinked keeping on all fours as if ready to strike. Her expression seemed more dumb founded then anything. Their retort to Ichiro had left her even more confused just he was a teacher. She frowned not hiding her displeasure hearing such a thing. It wasn't as if she wasn't a bit unhappy hearing his story... it was far more of her being displease by the tone. Ashi had a natural rebellious nature about authority or the 'know it all' which only made the tone strike her in the wrong way.


At his mention of her becoming angry uncontrollably, the girl naturally proved him right without intending to do so. She flared up much more then beofre. She clutched more on the ground as if getting a grip as her fingers acted like claws getting more grip. She growled a bit looking to him as if attempting to prove him wrong.


"Nnn! I don't get angry like that all the time!" She called out with a frustrated expression gazing towards him with a fierce glare. Her teeth showing like she was just some rabid dog, looking almost jagged at that point. The girls eyes fixated at Cale keeping locked to him as if it might change his mind. She crouched back as if to charge in though she hesitated to do just that as she tried to show she wasn't upset and lacked control though it was easy to see she was struggling not to jump at him.


Her attention shifted as she looked to Ichir? hearing him as he seemed to storm off. The girl shifted a little seeming a bit taken back uncertain of what she should even say as he went a step beyond completely rejecting and walking off as to shrug off their supposed teacher.


@Seraph Darkfire @Pariah Stark

 

[Sha]

@DreamBeat @Pariah Stark @Seraph Darkfire

Juro Ningya



​

Despite the Genjutsu lasting a mere minute, it took Juro a moment to regain his bearings on the world; because of this, he was confused when Sora placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke: "I'm not the strongest person, but I am a hard worker and I'll certainly do my best so that our Team survives," He said awkwardly, "If you two will have me, at least?" Juro was saved the awkwardness of a stuttered reply when Sui spoke up.


Juro released himself from the embrace with Suzume and gave Sora a simple nod indicating his agreement. He had smiled enough for one day. Sui then spoke of life and the value of living, indicating that there was always a way to survive. Juro took the lesson with a grain of salt despite what he had just experienced. He was still coming to grips with being something more than cannon fodder and, though he doubted there was no such thing as a situation in which he could not escape, he was overall thankful for what he had been taught in such a short span of time. It was a lesson which could not be learned on the battlefield, for if it were, he would die with regret instead of being able to change his outlook and move forward with life, as he was now allowed.


Sui’s words began to feel like those of a lecturing teacher from the academy as he told them of the bond they were sure to one day share. Even Juro couldn’t help but turn a bit red at the mention of his future marriage. To the twelve year old boy, such a thing never even crossed his mind.


“Shinobi do not just tell stories; they share them.”


Juro wanted to share his stories with Suidemaru-sensei. The strange thing was that, one day, he knew he would. At this moment, though, he wanted to ask ‘why?’ He wanted to know the reason for his new sensei’s attack but, at the same time, Juro felt as though he didn’t need a reason. He didn’t need an answer because what he had gained in so brief a time was a thing so valuable that he wasn’t entirely sure he could ever repay Suidemaru-sensei for it.


“Thanks,” Juro said, staring up at the man with his usual apathetic stare but without stating what he was thankful for. Juro realized the value of this teacher and so took Sui’s words of solidarity as an absolute truth. “One day, we’re going to hear that story, and you’re going to hear ours,” He paused, mulling over the words in his head without fidgeting outwardly, “Even if we don’t have the scars to show for it.”

 

[DreamBeat]

@Sha @Pariah Stark @Seraph Darkfire
​

[QUOTE="Seraph Darkfire]Silently, he walked over to the two and placed his hand on Juro's shoulder "I'm not the strongest person, but I am a hard worker and I'll certainly do my best so that our Team survives" he said awkwardly "If you two will have me at least?"

[/QUOTE]
Suzume nodded as she was released from her hug with Juro. Being with a familiar person just made her more secure... Suzume's eyes followed Hatake-sensei as he walked, further talking about what he expected from them. She listened with a slight lift to the corner of her lips despite the seriousness of this talk. He talked about death. He talked about war. He talked about how they should always look for a solution and a way out for the sake of the people precious to them. As of right now, Suzume honestly did not have the self-confidence in her own ability to save people she cared for deeply. She honestly thought that she would always look for a way to survive. Because she didn't want to die. Other people might think that trying their best to escape is a coward's way out, but she thought that after hearing Hatake-sensei speak, she thought that this wasn't true at all. It was like a lecture. Stern, blunt, harsh - it was like a bit of a wake up call. Yet, his words sunk deep into Suzume's mind. They were a team. Would they die as a team?


He even talked about the team's future as if it was already set in stone. He talked about the team as if they would forge a bond closer than her own family's. She wasn't going to become strong alone. If she was going to get stronger to protect something, then she would gets stronger to protect her team. Her team would be by her side, becoming strong along with her, together.


When sensei showed them the scar, Suzume stared. She was so used to seeing scars at the clinic, but this one seemed significantly different although it looked normal. More important. Hatake-sensei had been in this room for less than thirty minutes, yet his words had already shot right through her. One day, she hoped that she and her team could share a story with him, and he with them. There will definitely a lot of suffering through training and battles, but wouldn't they get through it as a team? Right now, she didn't have much faith in her team, but as she knew from the day she met Hayato-sensei, she would entrust her life to her teammates as her teammates would entrust their lives to her.

“One day, we’re going to hear that story, and you’re going to hear ours,” He paused, mulling over the words in his head without fidgeting outwardly, “Even if we don’t have the scars to show for it.”

The girl chortled shortly and said, "Well said, Juro. I ditto that." A smile overtook the small quirk of her lips present at the beginning of the lecture. "Thank you, sensei," Suzume said and bowed. It just had to be said. This was her new sensei, a seasoned shinobi who would teach her many things. She didn't get to say it to Hayato-sensei, those words. And although she wasn't that happy with him after their first meeting, he still taught her the first lesson that there were many people out there who were stronger than her and that teamwork is important. All sensei were important, and she wasn't about to let their teachings go to waste.

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Caillte Leanaí and Inpu Ko

Cale gave a dark grin as he watched Ichirō begin to walk off "Good luck with that, losing your mind and attacking your allies certainly limits your choice of teachers" Cale knew why Ichirō had been assigned to him. He acted like an idiot, but he still possessed a brain. The boy was strong, that was true, and while both students shared Cale's anger problems, Cale knew the difference between an opponent and allies, even when he was beyond reasoning.


He looked at Inpu Ko who nodded in response and began to follow Ichirō.


Cale turned back to Ashi "Ignore your teammate for now, our current lessons are not about teamwork, it isn't something I'm good at" he said chuckling. Like Ichirō, he wasn't a defensive fighter, though he understood the necessity of having a defensive style. Wooden Monkey was his defensive style, even if it wasn't strictly one. The style focused on grappling the opponent, when that was impossible, strong, powerful strikes were used.


Cale grinned "Back to your anger, it is weak because you don't control it, you can't turn it into a weapon that way, let me show you what real, controlled anger is" his eyes narrowed as he focused on her, his mind pulling up images of Shin defeating him, over and over again, using that as a tool to grasp his anger and pull it free, then he let it flow.


The feeling of his killing intent filled the training area, and even overflowed. Any animal nearby would have instantly frozen in fear as their instincts told them that something dangerous was nearby.


Then he released his breath and the pressure on the area simply vanished, as if it had never been there before "Anger is just a tool" he said before smiling "Your anger shouldn't use you, forcing you to become reckless, instead, you should hold it and use it to pin down your enemies"


Of course, he was just repeating what he'd been told, but he found it to be good advice.


Around the same time, Inpu Ko, leaped onto Ichirō's back and held onto his clothing tightly "If you aren't going to be training, you could at least show me around town" he said grinning. Of course, he had his own ideas of how to train someone who wasn't willing. Inpu Ko was a master of Stone Monkey, to the point where anyone who lacked sufficient strength, found it impossible to move him.


'Never allow the river to move the stone' Ko thought as his body slowly began to gain weight. This was a purely defensive technique, making it impossible to use any others while active. By regulating his chakra properly, Inpu Ko could increase his own weight by several times, making himself denser and much harder to knock back. He'd only increase it to the point where Ichirō found it hard to move, but not impossible. He'd developed this skill while training with Cale, who was much stronger and bigger than himself.


If the boy didn't want to train the normal way, he'd have to train his endurance this way "If you get tired, let me know, but you seem to be a strong guy, you should be able to handle my small size"


"You may not want to be trained by us, but until you have the strength to pick your own teachers, you are going to be stuck with us" the small monkey chuckled "So stop moaning about whether we have the right to train you and just learn"


@Pariah Stark @Hanarei

Sora Hyūga

When their sensei asked them if they had any questions Sora immediately nodded "Actually, I want to know about that invisibility you used" he said "How did you hide from my Byakugan?" he knew his eyes weren't all powerful, there were plenty of things that they couldn't do. But he still held some pride in his family doujutsu.


If, by some chance, someone else had gained a similar ability as his sensei, they could easily capture another member of his family, or even kill people without fear of being found. As a Hyūga, he couldn't just let this ability go unchecked. Without some way of beating it, there would always be some danger.


Sora eventually wanted to increase the range of his eyes to the whole of the village, to be able to look anywhere for any sign of trouble. Even if he never became stronger than he currently was, he would be of some use in the field.


@Pariah Stark @DreamBeat @Sha

 

[Pariah Stark]

@Sha @DreamBeat @Seraph Darkfire
​

"Good question, Sora," Sui replied to him. Sui leaned nonchalantly against the large, wooden desk reserved for a teacher. These rooms were significantly smaller than the lecture halls designed for the shinobi classes, so the desk was far more prominent here.


"That technique is a perfected combination of the Transparent Escape Technique and Chakra Suppression. I began working on it during the Purge when a group of mine was securing lost archives on the world before the Fourth War. Many legendary shinobi were documented. Most of it's still classified, but I can tell you the specific person that inspired me. One of the Tsuchikage, named M?, mastered a technique that used water particles to bend light and chakra around him. Made him impossible to detect and a legend. That technique is apparently a lost Hiden of Tsuchikagure... I never got the chance to learn it. But, I focused on perfecting two basic jutsu to such a degree that I didn't need to. I trained alongside many of the Hy?ga, including Hayate. I considered the technique perfect when even he couldn't see me. There is a drawback, though. These two techniques will never be as powerful as the original one. M? was capable of using almost any of his jutsu while remaining invisible. I can only use a handful of mine, and even then not the powerful ones. Long story short, more powerful, advanced techniques will always be superior to lesser ones."


What Sui had just given them was their first lecture. A lot of information never touched in the academy. Combination techniques were never brought up and collaboration techniques were only quickly glanced over. Lost archives and legendary shinobi were out of this world, and a Hiden from another village was something that was never brought up. The idea that there was so much more history out there somewhere, locked up now, was something few academy students ever gave a thought to, but Sui just told them outright. Not only that, Sui just informed Sora that Hayate Hy?ga, the Clan Head of the Main Branch with the most powerful Byakugan, could not see him with his. This meant Sui trained alongside the nobles of an already noble clan with a technique that countered them perfectly. Yet, even still, the technique didn't measure up to the real thing used by a legendary shinobi of a lost era. From a lesson standpoint, the fact that Sui told them lesser techniques together were not the same as a single advanced one was probably a solid bit to take out of the lecture, too. Sui bombarded them with information that Hayato never could have.


"Now, I already know all of your abilities, so this next task is to see where we should go. Now that we're all on the same page, I'll introduce myself and what I work. My name is Suidemaru Hatake, most that know me well call me Sui. You may call me Sui-sensei if you like. I am a veteran shinobi from the Purge. I helped take back Konoha during the last Great War. According to the databooks, I have the highest kill count in the village. My techniques center around stealth, genjutsu and assassination. I don't like large, flashy techniques, I rarely take part in any form of destruction, and ideally the best fight fought is one where I'm not even seen. Every shinobi should always be looking to get stronger, but unfortunately kids, I'm a bit over the hill. My goal isn't really to improve, but to preserve my strength. The last technique I created to push my limits is now a kinjutsu called Pulse Storm. You've probably never heard of it and you'll probably never see it. It was developed to fend off a large amount of enemies if I was caught out numbered. It's a kinjutsu because it does not discriminate who it kills. If you get to close, you'll be electrocuted. By the time I perfected the technique, I could already feel I was out of my prime. So, I took up missions to keep myself sharp and began creating a teaching method for new genjutsu users. To date, I've trained eleven Jounin that are genjutsu practitioners."


It was another lecture, but this time, it seemed to be a bit more of a lengthy introduction. Not once did he refer to himself as The White Death. Instead, he explained more about himself. The facts that were otherwise daunting now were met with more humanizing ones. He was aging and unfortunately he wasn't someone from the Uzumaki or Senju that aged well. His body was slowing down, so he explained to them that instead of trying to become stronger, he was trying to remain strong.


"The way I see, you survive in one of two ways. Be smart or be strong. I can teach you to fight smart. You can and will kill enemies significantly stronger than you. That is the concept of stealth, manipulation, misdirection, so on and so forth. The problem becomes fighting an enemy that is also smart. Just recently, the tactics used by Kumo were enough to result in a few losses from the Hy?ga and they hospitalized two of our own. That is because the enemy was smart. We had Ayaka Uzumaki - the Nine-tailed Jinchuuriki - fighting, yet she was losing. The captain of the enemy squad was a very smart man. In that case, it was Kokuro, Ayaka and three genin. Like it or not, they as a whole were weak. Against and a smart opponent - even if they're not as smart - your strengths become your tools. In short, you need both in tandem. I will train you to become strong, but you must understand that fighting smart means doing things you don't like and fighting in ways that don't deserve to be told. I've killed over a thousand shinobi, deserters, traitors and Cursed Seal Users using my Night Terror Technique. It locks them in a nightmare, gets their heart beating fast and wildly, then I send a jolt of electricity to them from a distance away that causes their heart to stop. Works the same every time. There's no fight. No glorious battle. Just mission accomplished. Hear it once, you hear them all. So, Team Four, tell me what you want to learn. If you want to become smarter, tell me how. Tactics? Maneuvers? Teamwork? It's not just one element. Equally, if you want to become stronger, tell me how. Your personal techniques? Utility? Elemental Release? Maybe you're interested in my techniques. Whatever it is, I want each one of you tell me what you want to learn from me. Have no shame and there is no need to answer like your friends."

 

[Pariah Stark]

@Seraph Darkfire @Hanarei

Ichir? realized what Inpu Ko was doing rather quickly. At this point, Ichir? was just getting frustrated with the monkey and he allowed himself to delve into his rage. What Cale said didn't both him. He came to terms with it. In fact, he was praised for his ability to overcome the Kyuubi to begin with. While he was sure he was a liability, he was far from someone to just be tossed aside. While Ichir? naturally grew in strength with his frustration, that wasn't what he was banking on. Instead, he clasped his hands together to create the Akimichi handseal and he funneled his own Cursed Chakra into it. The unnatural spike in his chakra could easily be felt by anyone around, and if Cale could sense it, then he'd likely understand what this chakra was far better than most of the rest of the village: it was natural energy combined with physical energy. What Ichir? was presently doing was adding his mental energy - his willpower - to the mix to create true Natural chakra. That is what Cursed Chakra was. Physical energy and natural energy without thought.


Nevertheless, the effects from the jutsu were noticeable. Ichir? began to grow. And grow. And grow. Twice his size, three times his size, eventually towering over the twenty-foot trees that surrounded him. He was still significantly smaller than before, but this was what happened when a Hiden like the Multi-Size jutsu was used with Natural Chakra. It was significantly more powerful, and Ichir? had control over it. "Get. Off. My. Back," Ichir? said before diving backwards into the clearing, trying to crush Inpu Ko with his immense size and weight. At this point, the force he could put out was potentially great enough to do real harm to the little monkey regardless of how much he reinforced himself.


Once Ichir? found himself mid air, Cale released the wave of Killing Intent. While other animals froze, Ichir? was sent back to memories of the Kyuubi. The raw hatred. The Killing Intent of a true animal. Cale was nothing compared to the Kyuubi. Cale couldn't even begin to grasp a being molded of true hatred, but Ichir? could feel it in his mind gnawing at him. Before this, he was feeding off his rage, but now his rage was seething through him. It spiked alongside his Cursed Chakra and only made his own strength double over. Ichir? had immense size and strength with him now and Cale showing off only made it worse.

 

[DreamBeat]

@Sha @Pariah Stark @Seraph Darkfire
​

Suzume nodded a couple of times as Hatake-sensei finished his lecture, and stared into space.. So even sensei had someone to look up to. In a way, Mū played a significant role in shaping Hatake-sensei's shinobi career kind of like how Hatake-sensei would have a role in shaping her as a kunoichi. There was no doubt that Hatake-sensei is a powerful shinobi, but to think that even he was once as weak as she was... It was an eye opener. She had no idea why she didn't see that before. Maybe she couldn't get as strong as Hatake-sensei, but she would aim high. If she didn't, she probably wouldn't survive long enough to grow her own farm of tangerines.


And to be honest, she was more than a little shaken by his lecture. What did she want to learn from him? So many things. There were so many things to learn. Suzume was, and still is, bad at tactics and thinking quickly on her feet. She didn't have any flashy jutsu or any special skills other than the hiden from the Muranami Clan, and even the two hiden she'd learned so far were practically next to useless on the chaotic battlefield. Could she perhaps use genjutsu to hide her weaknesses? No... Is that wrong? Wait...


Her eyes focused onto the teacher once again, not smiling but looking to him curiously. "Would you be able to teach me how to be sneaky? How do use genjutsu? I don't want to rely on my clan jutsu all the time, but I feel like it might be useful. I still can't weave chakra as fast as the more experienced shinobi, so I'll have to learn to be sneaky, won't I? Other than that... I still need to get used to using earth jutsu. And.. I have a question. For genin like me, is it better to have a specialty or to be a jack of all trades?"

 

[Hanarei]

Ashi looked back hearing him speak. Her eyes fixated on him keeping a sharp gaze on him. Me angry? I'm not angry at all! I don't got anger issues, what is that jerk talking about? She thought in her own frustration. She could get angry, though her emotions were often like a spark. They were very wild and out of control. It was primarily her own stubbornness that kept her feelings running more then anything. She was a dog that had plenty of bark, though often lacked carrying out the bite very well.


Her head turned a bit despite Cale urging her to ignore her teammate, watching him grow in size. She seemed a bit uncertain, looking to him like a lost puppy unable to help but look back to him and to Cale. She vaguely knew about Ichiro, primarily that he was part of the Akimichi clan. She didn't have much experience around the clan in person, primarily due to her own clan being more protective over her. She mostly knew them for them being overweight. Ichiro was the odd one out she had seen. It wasn't something she quite understood about the clan.


Ashi's attention was suddenly shifted back to Cale as her body trembled. Her animal instincts kicked in quickly feeling that killing intent. Her hairs stood up on her body as she clutched at the ground, her natural instinct to flee peeking in her mind. Fortunately it was a feeling that had slipped from her mind as he settled down. Her breath was a bit heavy as she kept on all fours, her body leaning back a bit showing evidence of her being prepared to jump back. It wasn't something Tsukiashi would ever admit though out loud. Even now she felt embarrassed she allowed herself to react in such a way.


She looked away as her 'fierceness' had diminished a bit as she acted rebellious in a much more tame way. Her eyes darted away trying to conceal her embarrassment as she blushed very lightly. "Hmmph... you said that already... and... I'm not that angry..." She spoke out keeping her eyes away from him. She hadn't imagined she would find herself in such a spot. Truthfully she still was uncertain about him. He didn't see like much a teacher. He admitted himself he wasn't one good with teamwork. It seemed almost contradictory to her time at the academy to view it as such.


It doesn't matter anwyays, I'll show em all I'm the best! She prepped herself up mentally. The girl looked back towards him as to block out her team mate as best she could for now. Truthfully she wondered just how Ichiro was doing. Where Ashi's anger seemed to erupt in a brief spark flaring up into a great ball of flame before vanishing, his was a smaller flame that never seemed to go out. Her head glanced back briefly to him before back to her supposed sensei.


@Seraph Darkfire @Pariah Stark

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Caillte Leanaí and Inpu Ko

With a flick, Cale pulled free his staff and returned it to its original size before spinning it "Expand" he said softly. It quickly stretched out towards Ichiro "Lets see, given his size it should be about this much?" he said thoughtfully as he flicked the staff upwards to meet the Akamichi's descent. The two opposing forces countered each other, leaving the boy's large size being held up by the staff. He'd also made sure that the staff struck the boy's behind. He looked at Ashi "This right here is why I don't want him being a forward attacker, he has no care for his surroundings or allies" he said lowering the boy to the ground before returning his staff to normal and then shrinking it to place it where it belongs.


He then gently patted her head "Alright, the lecture is over, now is the exorcising part, first, how flexible are you?" he asked.


"Alright" Inpu Ko answered slithering from Ichiro's back and onto his torso. There was far more surface area now and he figured Cale was going to handle the boy's descent. When he felt the impact from Cale's staff, he grinned as they were lowered down "That was really dumb you know? You could have damaged the surrounding area and possibly killed your teammate, all in your eagerness to get rid of me" he chuckled as he patted his chest as he increased his weight even more "Such a lack of spatial awareness makes you a liability in battle"


He then touched a small spot of Ichiro's chest "Also, and I said this before but, growing to this size makes certain parts of your body very vulnerable" he said thoughtfully "Such as your Solar Plexus" he pulled his fist back and struck that spot firmly "Side effects include pain, nausea, dizziness, and even the inability to catch your breath"


((I've actually experienced this when my stepdad showed me. It was awful.))


@Pariah Stark @Hanarei

Sora Hyūga

Sora nodded 'So I just need to make my Byakugan stronger than the Head's' he thought 'Or maybe develop a technique to make invisibility useless?' he was running ideas through his head as he listened to Sui-sensei's words. He already knew that he'd be facing people stronger than him, he wasn't exceptionally talented or gifted, just a hard worker.


"What about...making people weaker?" he asked "Many shinobi are strong because of their best techniques or their trump cards, but what if we had the ability to strip away their best techniques when they needed them the most?" he was just thinking aloud now "Everything should have a counter..." seeing that his own doujutsu could be made useless had given him some ideas.


"Like Rock, Paper, Scissors" he said "If my opponent uses Rock, then I can beat him with Paper" he nodded "Will you teach me to counter any attack my opponent may throw at me? I know I can't learn every jutsu to counter every attack, but I want to know how to use what I do have to my advantage"





@Pariah Stark @Sha @DreamBeat

 

[Pariah Stark]

Cale would have easily landed his strike onto Ichirō had the boy not immediately began shrinking mid-air. There were no hand-signs, no screams - nothing. Ichirō lost his size without any action of his own. While this might at first seem tactical, it was far from it. Presently, Ichirō had no control. As a matter of fact, neither did anyone else. Cale, Inpu Ko, Ashi and Ichirō all fell victim to an incredibly powerful Shadow binding that held them in place perfectly, only allowing movement from the head up. Ichirō continued his descent into the ground, but once on the ground, he couldn't move. Even Cale in his immense strength wouldn't find the ability to break these bonds. Not without using Natural Chakra, and he was soon to find out that wasn't an option.


The technique used on them was a simple staple of Konoha: the Shadow Imitation Technique. Ichirō had created an immense shadow with his technique, and in doing so made it literally impossible for it not to hit. This wasn't exactly the confounding part of the situation. The fact that every ounce of Natural energy in the air was vanishing before it could be molded into Natural Chakra was. The answer to that question lied in whom was using this ability more so than the ability itself.


"Caillte Leanaí," a voice said aloud. It came from the woods just in front of the group, and it was met with a man in a long, grey jacket with a tall, stiff collar that covered most of his face. "It felt like it took an eternity to meet you," this individual added, revealing more of himself. The individual wore half of an ANBU mask that covered his upper face and eyes, leaving only small patches of skin visible where his collar did not cover. Aside from that, he also had long, dark-brown hair that seemed splintered and spiked and his demeanor was entirely relaxed with one hand in his pocket and another forming a single hand seal.


A single handseal. One seal from a nonchalant shinobi using a Hiden was all it apparently took to bind the Sage. Cale might not know the mechanics of the jutsu, but Ashi likely would if she weren't too infuriated to overlook it.


"Which is rather unfortunate given how long I spent training solely to beat you," he added. "You may call me Phantom after whatever obscenities you find suitable," he then told them, introducing himself. Wearing an ANBU mask, this was also common. The ANBU never handed out their true identities - some even ceased existing as who the once were. Phantom was no exception. Meanwhile, Ichirō was resisting the bindings as much as he could to no avail. Being held back only pushed him deeper and deeper into rage, yet despite being fueled by such, his strength never even neared that of this technique. After Ichirō began to show incoherent cursing, Phantom simply pulled out his other hand and performed another hand seal with it. A shadowy hand stretched up and around Ichirō, ultimately choking him out. The Genin was slowly losing consciousness, but that's all Phantom intended. He didn't want to kill him.


"A short explanation: when you left, Shin wasn't sure if he would be able to beat a Sage. A Senjutsu user. That's what you are to us shinobi. So, he had me specifically trained to counter Natural Chakra using all of the research found about it. I specialize in the jutsu of the Aburame and Nara, and what you're seeing is the first ever collaboration Hiden. It's rather simple. I've bred a unique insect that eats Natural energy. This entire field is now devoid of it - except for those little bugs. They turn to stone or explode, but they do still contain the energy. Neat trick, huh? Each bug can do something I can't: convert some of that natural energy into natural chakra mixed with my own chakra, which is now what I'm using to hold you with. They die, sure, but I have entire fields of them I can summon that are in hibernation," Phantom explained to them, again in his nonchalant tone. By this time, Ichirō was out cold and no longer a distraction.


"Oh, and if you're wondering why I took the time to explain that to you, it's rather simple. My current mission, Cale, is to make you understand shinobi. Shin appointed it to me pretty much as soon as he made those two Genin students of yours. The first lesson about being a Shinobi is that you cannot brute force your way through every scenario. If I wanted you dead right now, you would be. If I wanted that little monkey dead, he would be. I'm considerably weaker than you. In fact, I know virtually no taijutsu, yet I literally have you in the palm of my hand," Phantom explained. "So now begins your classes, Cale. It's time you learned what being a shinobi is all about," Phantom told him. "Oh, and Shin made sure I deliver one message. You may leave my training at any time, but if you do choose to leave - return home or go to a different village - he will consider it a forfeit to all future duels," Phantom tacked on.

 

[Hanarei]

Tsukiashi watched as Cale looked to try addressing Ichiro. She looked at him with another pout, looking at him sharply. He seemed to enjoy showing off, something that reminded her far to much of her step father, granted Cale was perhaps far more so at that point. Her eyes starred sharply at him as she remained as she was like a wolf looking as if she might be ready to pounce on him though holding back. She had to admit it was tempting to try and sneak an attack on him to just show him she was better then he thought. It was a temptation she had quite a bit of difficulty to hold back.


The girl went to shift back a bit more as he seemed to reach for a pat, finding his hand stopped. Her own body which tried to shift back found itself frozen in place. Her eyes were wide, the girl rather confused as she tried to move despite all efforts seeming to have little to no effect. She sparked up fiercely trying to move. She watched the man approach looking over him with a fierce glare. Her own stubbornness didn't allow her to back off despite being unable to move. She didn't even think of the fact he was doing a hand sign as she tried her hardest to break free.


She couldn't see Ichiro as her light tugging and pull continued as she tried to break free. Where as Ichiro's rage was endless, Ashi's spunk and stubbornness rose. She hadn't the slightest clue what the man was talking about Natural chakra. It was all confusing and even more annoying that it seemed as if her and Ichiro were just little pawns in the way. They weren't even really any importance to anything going on. It had sparked some anger in Ashi that caused her to tug more to break free though she only gave one pull to try and move.


Ashi shifted her approach as the ANBU spoke, trying for more subtle motions trying to break from of the hold that held her in place. As impatient and direct as she could be, Ashi's instincts worked much to her benefit. She did small little attempts at shifting, trying to weasel her way out of the situation as her eyes kept fixated at the man as he spoke to Cale. She seemed to be testing the situation out (though the girl herself wouldn't recgonize that is what she was doing) trying to find some escape.


@Seraph Darkfire @Pariah Stark

 

[Sha]

@DreamBeat @Pariah Stark @Seraph Darkfire

Juro Ningya






​

One unfamiliar with Juro might assume the child was bored as he watched Sui speak with that usual apathetic glare of his. Despite this outward appearance, Juro was indeed listening as intently as he could given what had just occurred within his mind. The lecture drew on. Sui moved from a brief introduction of combination techniques to an introduction of himself, even alluding to his own goal of retaining his strength instead of growing stronger. Sui was growing old and was at risk of becoming weaker with age but Juro was young, and all he seemed to care about was getting stronger.


Getting stronger and staying alive.


Just as Juro began to grow weary of his sensei’s introduction, Sui shifted the focus of what felt like a lecture once more. The man spoke of stealth and killing from a distance. Juro was a mid to long range fighter, and though he wasn’t entirely helpless in close quarters combat, it wouldn’t take much to outmatch him. Despite this, puppets were often loud and used in open combat. For a moment, Juro wondered if it were possible to create something which could move in silence.


The teachings of his clan, as if through instinct, invaded his mind. He almost felt guilty for considering tactics which the Ningya might call ‘honorless. Juro pushed the thought from his mind with a blink which made him look as though someone were pinching him. Being one still at an age where a parents’ word is law and indoctrination is not easily eluded; the boy silently struggled to open up to his new sensei’s way of thinking. Whether or not he agreed with what was said, he determined himself not to brush it aside.


Suzume asked about stealth and Genjutsu, the latter of which was out of Juro’s depth. Sora went a different route, asking about direct combat and countering an enemies’ attack. When Juro’s teammates had asked their questions, Juro still felt unsure of what Sui could teach him in regards to his Jutsu. The regret of having lost Hayato as a sensei resurfaced briefly but, just as the thought of Hayato flashed through his mind, he remembered that first battle with his former sensei. Juro remembered how he had called to his teammates with a plan and how Hayato had simply listened and responded accordingly. If it weren’t for the Jounin’s carelessness, coupled with Suzume and Kyoden’s bravery to fend him off, the old team three might never had captured that silly golden bell which now hung on a string around Juro’s neck just beneath his robe. Juro was an analytical person behind the dead of his eyes. He was one to watch silently and observe; not one to rush headfirst into a fight.


He moved his right hand over the bell and touched it lightly through the black cloth before speaking in his usual way: “Well,” He paused, staring up at Sui, “I want to learn to communicate with my teammates.” Juro turned his head to look at Sora and Suzume, “So that we can stay on the same page without letting the enemy know what we’re planning.”

 

[Pariah Stark]

[/SIZE][SIZE=8px][COLOR=#000000]@Sha[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=8px] [/SIZE][SIZE=8px][COLOR=#000000]@DreamBeat[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=8px] [/SIZE][SIZE=8px][COLOR=#000000]@Seraph Darkfire[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=8px]
​

"And, I can learn so much from three just by what you want to learn from me," Sui replied to them. He had listened to them intently. Suzume was curious in her question about the techniques he could teach her. Could he really? Or, was it that could he teach them to her? Which was the curio? It seemed she had an odd lack of faith in herself. An insecurity. Her question opened up the fact she had so few abilities already and she wanted to add more to the team, and to some degree, that seemed true. Sora had the Byakugan and Gentle Fist, Juro had his puppetry, but Suzume had just a little bit less and Sui felt she knew that. At least she understood it, though. At her tender age, sparking a passion to become stronger would be a good thing, if tempered.


Juro and Sora, though different in what they wanted, both wanted the same general thing: a tactical advantage. Sora was likely so sure in his training and the ways of his clan that he wanted to become better at applying them. Sora was from one of the proudest clans in the village; he didn't feel the same insecurity that Suzume did. He didn't want to stray from an already well-established and immensely successful path. He wanted to master what he had and apply it in the best way he could. Sui had no qualms with that. Juro, on the other hand, had a more unique thought. Communication. This was an important part of teamwork, but at the same time, it wasn't one that Sui was well-suited to train nor was it one that could easily be trained. The real question was why. Why did Juro desire to communicate? Did he see his allies as puppets, maybe? Or was it his recent encounter with Hayato? Could be either, could be something else, but regardless, his motivation is what interested Sui.


"From what you three describe, two of you wish to seek to fight smarter while one of you wishes to become stronger. Suzume wishes to learn my techniques, Sora wants to learn tactics and Juro wants to better communication. All of those require effort. You think communication means an open line, but fact is, most open lines can be tampered with. Radios, speech, signals... the best communication you can develop is through team drills. Not just learning the drills, but learning each other. Learning to communicate non-verbally. To read a quick glance of the eyes that only allies can interpret. Those are the types of teams that give me trouble. And, they're why years and years of training together pay off. So, Juro, if you want better communication, work with your team. Stick with them. As missions go, you'll figure out more and more ways to talk to them without ever saying a word," Sui began to explain. But still, this was only the beginning.


"As for Sora, the answer is... mostly. No one in the world can prepare you for every battle and fighting style. Even my fighting style is different, Sora. The man whom used it before me used it purely offensively in combination with ninjutsu, not genjutsu. Changes the way you fight entirely. I can teach you to deflect every element from every angle, but I can't teach you how every opponent will use them. Tactics are amazing, but you will need skill to augment it. This ties directly into you, Juro. I could teach you to communicate as a team, but you will need skill to augment it. I think you will both learn a lot from team drills and then even more so from real world experience. Learning how your team functions will help you decide how to counter an opponent and how to interact with each other. Real experience will test that communication and show you just what you need to counter."


"As for what I can you, Suzume, is something I will be teaching all of you. Stealth. I am a master thereof and like it or not, you will become such. I know there are ANBU members that use silent puppets for assassination. I will do my best to get the schematics for you, Juro. I hear there are sacrifices to making a silent puppet, but I want you to have at least one to take on these missions for stealth. As for the rest of you, I will be teaching you the ways of the shadows. It may require I learn some remedial jutsu weaker than my own to teach you, but I will do it. On that note, if you want to learn genjutsu, I am the best in the village for such. A technique called Landscaping is what I use to teach genjutsu to high effectiveness. If that is what you want, we can try it together while Juro and Sora pick up another skill. Juro, I do believe, will have his hands full working on new puppets."


After his, yet again, long rant, Sui turned to Sora. "The way I see, Sora, you can either stick to your clan's teaching or try to pick up some of mine. I don't mind either. As much as you three will need to train together in drills, you will also need to develop yourselves individually. I don't particularly like having a pet student, so I don't want to favor Suzume. I will teach you anything you want, if you can think of something that interests you. Same for you, Juro; although, I do feel like you will need plenty of time to work on stealth-puppeteering. However, I can help you with that as well, so that may be our time together," Sui said, effectively wrapping up his speech.


On a note of finality, he added, "in short, I want you guys to practice a lot together, a little lone and some with me. We'll work on team-specific drills soon enough."

 

[DreamBeat]

@Sha @Pariah Stark @Seraph Darkfire
​

At Juro's response, Suzume almost smacked herself in the head. Of course. How could she forget about teamwork? Was she already forgetting her first meeting with Hayato-sensei? Yes, she needed to get stronger, but she also needed to be able to communicate with her team. Furthermore, Hatake-sensei's response was something that confused her. Him learning from them? How? How could a teacher learn from a student? She didn't understand yet, but she decided to worry about it later.


During Hatake's sensei's lecture (although this one was different), she found herself listening to all of it even though his words were directed to her other team members. The topic of Sora's clan teachings caused another thought to pop up: The Muranami clan's teachings. Although the Muranami's clan's fighting style wasn't as structured as the Hyuuga clan's, they did have their own style of fighting: Stealth and deception to make use of their weaving techniques. Yes, she wasn't particularly good at either, but she hopes to get there. That, and she wants to learn how to weave as efficiently as possible before her first real battle. One thing she was thankful for (very thankful for) was Hatake-sensei's mastery in stealth and his willingness to oversee the team's growth.


"A technique called Landscaping is what I use to teach genjutsu to high effectiveness. If that is what you want, we can try it together while Juro and Sora pick up another skill."


She nodded in response as she kept quite, knowing that he wasn't quite done yet. His talk didn't go on long after that. There was one thing she knew for sure after he finished. One: She and her team would be seeing each other around. A lot. Two: They would all master stealth to the point where it was like breathing naturally. Once he finished talking, she nodded once more and smiled.


"So, you heard Hatake-sensei." Suzume looked to both of her teammates, still smiling. "I'm looking forward to seeing you both around a lot. I might be a little slower than you both, but I'll be trying my best to not drag the team down." She turned to look at her sensei next. "And sensei, I'm looking forward to learning from you too." And then, she bowed to all of them. Admittedly, she was bowing way too many times today, but she felt like bowing... So, she bowed for the nth time that day. Suzume wondered if this was going to become a habit for awkward situations.

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Caillte Leanaí and Inpu Ko

As Cale listened to the Anbu appeared and introduced himself. At first, he'd been startled to find that he couldn't move. It was an unusual feeling, having the no way to move, despite not being physical restrained. Not even his fingers could move. Despite what the man was saying, he could still feel the natural energy in the air and land, but it felt wrong. He supposed that was the strange bugs he'd been talking about. It was very hard to pull natural energy from other living beings. Well, it wasn't like he could do it while frozen in place anyway.


Cale suddenly grinned "Really? Shin felt threatened by me? Awesome, that is really cool" he said and laughed "And what is this ability to hold me in place? I can't move an inch" he shook his head "Well, I can move my head, but there is only so much damage I can do without my hands and feet"


"Pleased to meet you Phantom" he said grinning "Though I do have a hard time believing you could have killed me, even after stopping me, Inpu Ko is a summon, he can leave anytime he wishes, without needing a handseal" he looked thoughtful "and I'm confident enough in my chakra control that I could avoid you long enough for him to reverse summon me" of course, he also didn't mention that he could just absorb the natural energy from his staff. It wasn't enough for even a fraction of Sage Mode, but it would be enough to pull off a powerful Monkey Yell.


"Well, that is neither here or there" he said "Had Shin really wanted me dead, he would have just killed me during our fight, I was certainly out of it enough"


"Alright then" he said nodding "I don't really care about being a Shinobi, but this could be interesting enough, besides, if Shin cut me off from dueling him, I'd have to hear about it from the other Monkey Sages and Inpu Ko" he looked over at the grinning monkey.


"Oh go home, I'll call you later" he said firmly.


With a laugh, the monkey suddenly exploded in a puff of smoke.


"So, how are we going to do this, Sensei? Are you going to take me out on missions? I'll say this right now, you will be paying for my food if we are leaving the village. I have absolutely no money to my name" he grinned. Strangely enough, he wasn't being condescending by calling him Sensei. If there was one rule he followed, it was to respect anyone who was trying to teach him something.


@Pariah Stark @Hanarei

Sora Hyūga

Sora looked thoughtful "My clan's techniques are important, but if you could teach me some things to make up for a few of their weaknesses, I'd really appreciate it" he said smiling "As for doing drills as a team, I am excited to do so, I haven't really done much team training, even among my clan" the Hyūga style wasn't one that was designed for team fighting. It was more of a one on one type of style. The better you were in the style, the more people you could fight, but it was mostly effective against single people.


He looked at Suzume "We are a team now, so if you feel like you are falling behind, don't hesitate to say so" it wasn't that they'd slow down to let her catch up, but Sora believed that they could help her step up her own training. He looked at their Sensei "I hope that we become a good enough team to make you proud" he said.


@Pariah Stark @Sha @DreamBeat

 

[Sha]

@DreamBeat @Pariah Stark @Seraph Darkfire

Juro Ningya




​

Juro listened as Sui told him what he had already learned from Hayato: Open communication can, and will, give the enemy everything they need to know. Coming to know his teammates so well that they could play off of each other without a word sounded ridiculous to the boy. The only way to interfere with his puppets was to sever the Chakra threads; however, his teammates weren’t puppets for him to control. Instead of giving a command, Juro would have to simply know what they were going to do – whether he liked it or not.


It seemed a tedious endeavor, but regardless, it was one the three of them would have to master to be truly successful. That’s what Juro believed, anyway. He would do what he always did and silently pay attention. ‘Watch and learn,’ as they say.


After Sui finished replying to each of them Suzume implied her worry at being a bit slower than Sora and Juro before bowing yet again. Sora was quick to offer reassurance after responding to Sui’s advice.


Juro felt as though it were his turn to say something as the conversation fell into a brief lull. He didn’t have much to say. He still had his reserves about what Sui could teach him and didn’t care much about making his new sensei proud. Juro was confident in his new Sensei’s ability to teach them strategy which would give the team a tactical advantage. Still, though, more than anything, he was just disappointed that he may have to continue honing his puppeteering under the guidance of his father. Juro was, at the very least, excited to get his hands on those new puppet schematics Sui mentioned.


“When do we start?”

 

[Pariah Stark]

[/SIZE][SIZE=8px][COLOR=#000000]@Sha[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=8px] [/SIZE][SIZE=8px][COLOR=#000000]@DreamBeat[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=8px] [/SIZE][SIZE=8px][COLOR=#000000]@Seraph Darkfire[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=8px]
​

"Good question," Sui said. It was a directly reply to what Juro asked, and such a direct reply transitioned them into their next set of instructions. The old Jounin slid his hand over his vest to one of his top, padded pockets and pulled out a short scroll. He let it drop in front of the genin, and out from it poofed three sets of vests, ankle weights and wrist weights. Each was a different color: a dark hue of a green, red or blue. Each was also adorned with the Hatake Clan symbol. Most importantly, all of the equipment was relatively thin and compact with just a few slots for weights and a thick, mesh underlay. It honestly didn't look weighted at all, but that was primarily because it wasn't that heavy.


"Weighted equipment, but don't worry: it's not meant for strength training. It's for endurance. To put it straight, you kids will slow me down at your pace. Plain and simple. So, from now on, whenever we train, we train with these. That way, you'll be faster and last longer on missions. Not to mention, the strain will simulate injury. Fact is, you might have a bleeding gash on a mission, yet still need to fight. The strain these put on you can't simulate pain - although my genjutsu can - but they will make it harder for you to function. That's important. Lastly, it's good protection. The bracers have metal plates - good for deflecting kunai or shuriken. Ankle weights can do the same, but they're more for the endurance. That vest, however, will stop a slash or a hard blow, but it won't stop a stab. Might make it more shallow, but it won't stop it. Pick your colors; I just thought you'd like diversity."


Sui then started to head for the door while waiting for the genin to pick up their new gear. It honestly wasn't all that heavy. Seven pounds per ankle, five pounds per wrist, twenty-two pound vests. Granted, they were just genin and barely teens, but the weight wasn't that difficult to bare. They would adjust. They had to. "We're going to a training grounds. I'm going to run you through your first set of group exercises, and tomorrow, I'll have everything prepared for your individual training. Except for Suzume. I can teach her the fundamentals of genjutsu today, and it wouldn't hurt all of you to listen. Byakugan or not, knowing how to fight off any enemy - including those with genjutsu - is an asset," Sui explained to them, at this point waiting by the door for them to get their new gear on and go.

 

[DreamBeat]

@Sha @Pariah Stark @Seraph Darkfire
​

Suzume took Sora's words with sentimental value because she wouldn't let herself fall too far behind. Even if it would be strenuous, she just had to do double, triple, or maybe even quadruple the work to keep up with her male teammates. She just hoped that she didn't die from training before being on the actual battlefield. It was a strange and disturbing, yet amusing thought.


Juro didn't say much, as usual. He hadn't been her teammate for long, but she knew that he didn't say a lot. Uptight in a way, she would say. They would have to understand each other, though, as teammates. Might as well make note of his habits now.


Poof! The cloud of smoke cleared, and in front of the team, there was a set of vests in different colors and what looked like weights. A symbol was present on each of the items. Where had she seen that symbol before? Hatake Clan, her mind supplied from her studies at the academy. Suzume listened through yet another explanation, but this time, it was a brief look at what they would be experiencing on the battlefield. Injuries. She would have to get used to getting wounded, she supposed. From looking at all the patients at the Muranami Hospice, she usually watched people get hurt and never had any major injuries herself. Getting majorly wounded was definitely something she wanted to avoid, but she knew it would happen. She sighed, and a corner of her lips pinched up as she accepted her fate. At least there were the bracers.


"I'll take the green one then."


She was the first to move forward and put on the new equipment. She tested the weights. The weights felt tolerable for now, relatively light. The vests weighted on her developing chest, and that made her slightly uncomfortable, but she would have to deal with it. The weights on her legs felt okay. The problem, she knew, would be these wrist weights. They would get troublesome if she trained for long periods of time... she just knew it. It already was warm.