Academy Orientation [All Students and Instructors]

[Shoda Haru]

It was a quiet day in Sunagakure, or what seemed quiet anyways. Being underground, especially in the tunnels, you were able to lose track of what time of day it was quite often, and if it weren't for the odd light shaft here and there, you wouldn't know what day it was at all without taking the lift to the surface.

It was orientation day in the Halls of Learning, and Haru was an early riser that day. Probably 3 hours early according to his alarm that had just went off. He wasn't in bed, he'd already showered, and eaten. During the time he didn't need to do those things, he'd been practicing what techniques his father had taught him, so not as to appear under-trained when he went to today's orientation. He didn't know what went on at an Orientation, but all he knew was that he'd be meeting others that were to be with him in his classes. 'Will I meet who may be in my squad when I become a Genin?' he had thought to himself. He was excited, but that was obvious, as he isn't usually an early riser. Running out the door, his mother had yelled to him, "Be careful Haru! Hurt yourself and I won't be there to clean it up!" "Yeah, Mom, I know! I'll be fine!" Haru yelled as he was half way across the stone structure that would be his house in the Residential district. His father had been called away to a mission, so he only had his mother there with him, but she took wonderful care of him anyways, so he didn't mind too much.

It wasn't long of running full speed down the corridors that he'd caught sight of the entrance to the Grand Halls of Learning. Upon entering, he'd noticed he was the first there. "Figures. I get up early, leave early, and I'm still here first. I figured someone else would have felt the way I did, and had gotten here early!" He sat down, patiently awaiting the arrival of his sensei and classmates. He may have been patient, but excitement ran through his veins.

[TOPIC START]

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Akira woke Ko up this morning to send him to his first day at the academy. He was, for once, actually happy. For the first time, in a long time, Ko had a real smile on his face. After the basic morning things, Ko put on his black suit, and pants. He felt estatic. It was the first time in a couple of days that he could leave the house as well. After the incident with Shira, he was afraid that he was never going to leave. As he walked out of the house, he headed for the academy. He couldn't remember when the event started, but he knew he wanted to be early.

When he arrived at the Grand Halls, he noticed he was in fact very early. No one was there. He pushed through the doors and headed inside. He looked around to see who might already be here, but he only saw one boy. He looked away and sat down a few seats over. The white haired boy wanted to be this kid's friend, but he didn't know how to ask. Ko sat there, looking away, hiding his face and his scar from the other boy. Then the throbbing of his arm slowly started to comeback. He grabbed hold of his left shoulder and squeezed it, trying to release some of the pressure building up in it.

 

[Matsumoto Mamoru]

Mamoru slinked in through the front doors to the academy. He was probably the least stealthy 12 year old under the sands. Towering over his comparatively under-developed classmates, Mamoru gave one the feeling of talking to a genin, not a first year, first day academy student. His size wasn't a trait he was particularly fond of, but it was him and who he was, just as his father was a bean pole, his grandfather not much different, and his great-grandfather... well, Mamoru probably took after him more than anyone else. The thought scared the child to death.

"Alright, I'm signing up for medical classes, taijutsu classes, some ninjutsu, and maybe some genjutsu.... or maybe I'll cut out the ninjutsu and focus on genjutsu and taijutus.... but what if I need ninjutsu some day?"

It occurred to Mamoru that maybe someone would choose his classes for him, and he brightened a little at the thought. School was not something he had been very well prepared for over the course of his short life. Some ninja techniques, sure, he could do some of the most basic chakra manipulation thanks to his father's spattering of tutelage, but that had all been hands on learning, and Mamoru was a hands on kind of kid. The thought of musty books and boring, old teachers nearly put him to sleep standing up.

"Alright, whatever happens, I need to stick with it. There's no backing out now."

He absently scratched his lower back, as was his habit whenever his train of thought made a stop at the My Family Has Been Disgraced for Generations station. It had been happening more and more the closer he got to his first day at the academy. His face whitened a bit as he sat down next to a kid with hair even whiter and a thought occurred to the child;

"What if I have to take off my shirt for taijutsu class?"

Mamoru sat un-moving as he pondered the thought. He couldn't see a way out of it, and simply hoped and prayed to whatever god or deity had been punishing him for 12 long years that the situation wouldn't arise.

 

[Midori Mayu]

Mayu was lead by his parents as far as the door to the academy. The trio; Mayu, his fater Minato, and his mother Kumiko stopped to the side of the entrance, apparently for the elder two to give words of advice to the 10 year old. It was mostly standard first-day-of-school advice all parents gave their kids: be safe, make friends, pay attention, etc. Mayu wasn't really listening though. He never really was a good listener. He found himself zoning out and looking around him. The other children arriving to the orientation for the most part didn't have their parents with them, that was weird. Mayu's parents never let him go anywhere by himself, even though he always tried to complain about it. Stupid parents, I can handle myself. Maybe the academy wouldn't be as stupid of an idea as Mayu had originally thought. After all, what use did the most recent in a line of Jounin stretching back to the first men have with academy classes? His father could teach him all he needed to know.

When his parents had finished their (rather long winded) words of advice, they hugged Mayu and sent him inside. Mayu gave them a wave before the doors behind him shut. It wasn't long before he saw the other students, or at least, some other children. The pale boy tightened his sash on the desert robe his parents insisted he wore.

"So are you guys supposed to be my rivals or something?"

Mayu remained standing. There was obvious confidence in the way he stood, and perhaps a bit of arrogance in his words. What more could be expected of the son of a proud clan though?

 

[Shoda Haru]

Haru watched as the white haired boy came in, sitting many seats down from him. 'Is he frightened of me?' he had thought, looking at the boy across the row. Not too long after that, another.....student had walked in. This guy was monstrous opposed to the two of the boys in already. Haru figured he'd be some kind of Taijutsu kind of guy, and that he was a Genin or Chuunin sent to look after the ceremony or something. He'd sat down by the white haired boy. Were they friends, or was it unconsciously knowing that the taller one had sat himself next to the shy, or frightened boy?

Again, it wasn't long after that that another student had walked in. Haru stared at him as he spoke, and when he finished, Haru stood up and turned around. "Wild guess. You mean am I some kind of rival with this kid here?" He pointed at the boy with white hair. "I don't plan on making any rivals my first day, but you seem rather confident. Wanna give it a go?" Haru laughed as he walked up to the newest arrival, hand outstretched. "I'm kidding, of course. My name is Shoda Haru. My father had been training me in basic Nin and Genjutsu, so I'm not much of a Taijutsu user yet."

 

[Kioku Kasure]

Kensai smiled. It was almost time for the fun to begin. He kept himself hidden and waited, this was one of the parts of the job he really enjoyed, a guilty pleasure. Only difference this year was new faces, these one's would be starting on the long road to success today. And why not begin by a trial by fire? Kensai had argued this point with parents again and again. It was lucky he had the backing of others, students he taught mainly who seemed to agree with his methods. It was not quite time yet. They had to wait a few minutes more.

[104]
[Topic Entered]
[Oh the fun we shall have!]

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Ko sat there, twiddling his thumbs when a taller boy sat beside him. He instantly was shocked someone sat beside him? Did, did he want to be friend Ko? The small boy looked over at the taller boy. His face was red with embarrassment. What was he supposed to say? He tried to smile. A friend? It was all new to Ko. He forced a smile on his face and he tried to introduce himself to the boy. "He-h-hell-o... I-I-I'm K-k-k-o." The boy stuttered, as always. He instantly looked down in shame. What was he doing here? He would never be able to become a ninja if he couldn't even talk to another kid. He rubbed his left eye, the one with a unique scar on it, with his left arm. The sleeve would slowly move allowing the skin between his sleeve and glove be seen. He wiped a tear from his eye with that arm that was as red as blood. He was crying again, but this time with out sobs. Just a tear. He had to become stronger. He had to stop his crying. Then he heard someone talk about rivals. What a sudden topic. Ko slowly turned to see the kid, he looked serious. The small white haired boy instantly looked away, and rubbed his left arm. He didn't want any confrontation, what would he be able to do? He hadn't trained to be a shinobi at all. He didn't even know the basics.

 

[Matsumoto Mamoru]

Mamuro heard the boy next to him stutter out an introduction. To be honest, he'd hardly noticed the white-haired boy. He turned his head to face the child and saw him wipe away a single tear. The sight both confused and touched Mamoru, to see someone so visibly upset reminded him of the times he'd have to stifle his own desire to weep. It reminded him of the day he'd decided to be a shinobi.

"Hi, I'm Mamoru. You said your name is Ko? Are you new too?"

He tried to smile, hopefully setting the smaller boy at ease. He was aware of how intimidating his appearance could be, and the child seemed rather easily intimidated.

"I'm trying to decde what classes to take. Do you know if the teachers decide our schedules or we choose our own? I hope they choose the schedules for us, I really don't know what to take!"

Mamoru smiled again as he waited for the small boy's reply. He hoped there wouldn't be any more tears. Crying just made everything so.... awkward.

 

[Mienai]

Shira hadn't been in all that much of a hurry to get to the academy. She wasn't exactly the most social person in the world. Her morning hadn't started off all that great either. She had thought it a good sign that Ko wasn't in the house when she had gotten up, but she then found out he had just left for the academy earlier than she...coward. Then her mother had tried to tell her that she couldn't take her doll with her because she needed to make other friends. Shira had then went on to throw a fit until her mother just gave up. She looked up at the academy and let out a drawn out sigh. "Fantastic. Let's just get this over with."

Shira entered the building rather quickly after standing there for a little while. After walking for a little while, she found an area with what looked like other students and chairs. Shira looked for someone to sit with, considering she wasn't going anywhere near that cry baby, Ko. It unnerved her a little bit that all of the other students here were boys. The silver haired girl decided the best course would probably to be just to pick a seat away from the others. She still had her doll, Kokoro, after all. Shira finally found a seat that was alone, yet not too far away from the other groups and sat down. Even if she wasn't one for talking, the information she could gather while listening could prove useful. She gently set her doll on her lap and started playing with the bow on it's head.

 

[Midori Mayu]

Mayu almost would have had to improvise some flashy moves when he was challenged, but it seemed the other boy was merely kidding. Mayu gave a half-smile to acknowledge the joke, and diffuse any illusions he may have had about his own hostility. Seeing the boy's outstretched hand, Mayu reciprocated the gesture and they shook hands. It was a bit weird to the boy, but he'd seen his dad shake enough people's hands to know it's how strangers greeted each other.

"My name's Midori Mayu. My dad sent me here because he says the instructors are more patient with handseal stuff than him. He did teach me how to use my knife though."

Mayu looked around. He'd yet to sit down, since he'd just have to stand back up as soon as anyone who mattered came in. There were a couple other students talking among themselves, and a girl had just shown up and was sitting by herself, not talking to anyone. Where were the instructors? Mayu wasn't used to not having any adult supervision. Unless they were watching, but trying to show off how good they were at being ninja by not letting themselves be known. That'd be weird though, because what adult had to show off to a kid? By this point Mayu's face was clearly showing that he was deeply concentrating on his thoughts, perhaps a little frustrated that the answers to his questions weren't presenting themselves to him. Almost out of nowhere though, his face returned to its relaxed state, and he took a look around the room before speaking again.

"This is boring. I hope every day isn't like this."

Mayu was talking to himself, although it was audible enough for the entire room to likely hear it. Was he seeking attention? Maybe. Perhaps he just didn't realize how much his voice carried. Perhaps still he just felt the need to say something, not caring what exactly. Whatever the case, the boy was beginning to grow a little restless.

 

[Kioku Kasure]

As though as a response to the sarcasm a Kunai flashed towards Midori, it would go over is head by mere centimeters. A clicking sound came from the doors, it seemed like they had been locked from the outside. A second or so passed, then the whole room erupted into a war zone, fire streamed up from parts of the floor and kunai flew from every direction, and the entire room was filled with sounds of battle, steel on steel, explosions and screams. None of the students were in serious danger, unless they were stupid they would be fine, it was after all just a test of their mettle.

In his hiding place Kensai smiled as he watched their reactions, he would use this knowledge later on in their training, he wondered what was going through their minds right now, chaos and confusion most likely. He would have to knock that out of them as soon as he could.

[159]

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Ko looked over at his new friend Mamoru. He was happy someone was actually accepting his existance, he was afraid that he would be pushed into the background as everyone else progressed. He put on a smile and tried his best to answer. "Y-y-yeah, I-I'm new." The boy kept stuttering, but it wasn't his fault. It was just a part of him. He had no control over it. He listened to Mamoru's string of questions, to be honest Ko had never thought of this. He looked down and shrugged. He obviously didn't have an answer. He looked away, and in the corner of his eye he saw her. The one that had made his life living hell. Shira.

He looked back over to Mamoru. He had the look of pure terror. "Sh-she's here..." The boy's voice was quiet and trembled. He didn't know what to do. Did she see him? He was frightnend, but then came the roar of flames. Ko looked up to see that they were under attack. He pulled up his hood and stood up.

Spoiler

The black veins in his left arm activated. His arm quickly turned into a blood red. He was going through a slight metamorphosis, something Shira helped him go through, but then his arm went a step further. His arm grew in length and became a metaillc hand with sharp claws. Was this what the black veins were meant to do? Whether or not this was the plan of the wicked soul that did this to him, or not, he was going to use the arm to his advantage. He looked over and saw kunai heading towarsd him. he lifted his arm, and sure enough, they wer deflected by his metallic arm. "Ice Release: Ice Dome!" He let out a breath of air. A sphere of ice developed around him and if Mamoru was close enough, his new friend. He would protect his friend no matter what. Then he remembered Shira. He looked over to his foster sister and pointed an open hand to her. He focused what little chakra he had left towards her. In one final jutsu, he attempted to create a ice crystal around Kokoro, thw wooden doll that Shira treasured deaply. Ko used up most of his chakra, but he should be safe, for now. He dropped down to a knee and started to pant. He was exhausted.

 

[Matsumoto Mamoru]

"Sh-she's here..."

Mamoru looked back to Ko, noticing the white haired boy seemed to have taken an interest in the girl who had just walked in toting a wooden doll. Mamoru thought nothing of her, except that Ko might like her, similar as they were in size. He began to suggest he introduce himself, but got no father than "Why don't you...." before Ko stood up, put on his hood, and somehow grew a metallic appendage where his left arm should have been. That was more then enough for Mamoru to left nearly speechless.

"Wh-w-w-w" was all he could get out before a flurry of kunai was launched in Ko's direction, from where Mamoru didn't see. The big boy rolled out of his chair to crouch on the floor, trying to see what was going on to make the tiny boy turn into a clawed monster. No sooner had he assumed his position to the side of the row of chairs than Ko used an ice prism jutsu, apparently to protect Mamoru and himself, and followed that with an ice prism around the little girl's doll. Apparently wasted, the boy dropped to his knees panting.

Mamoru was in a state of complete and utter confusion. As dramatic as the scene had been, its results were rather anti-climactic, and as far as Mamoru could see, entirely and utterly unnecessary. Standing up, the Matsumoto wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, faced the little girl, and asked as nonchalantly as he could muster,

"So....... what was that about?"

 

[Mienai]

Shira was waiting with a bored expression for something of interest to happen. The trivial conversations that the boys were having were of no concern for her, though she was able to grasp some idea of personality. She looked around for some form of authority when a kunai past her. Her eyes grew wide and before she could react the fires came ablaze around them and she felt herself panicking. "MOVE!"<i></i> The 'voice of her doll' screamed in her head. Her first priority was instinctively to save her wooden doll, however before she could do anything, she found her hands frozen to the doll as it was encased in a layer of ice crystals. Shira looked over at Ko and ground her teeth together. "You bastard! Now I can't do anything!" Still, while that was true, Ko had gone out of his way and his body limit to make sure her prized possession was protected from the ember's blaze.

She let out a growl as she saw him fall, exhausted. "I'll deal with you later!" Shira went into an offensive defensive mode. Ko seemed fine for the moment, not that she cared, so now she had to worry more about herself. In a line of attack, Shira would normally rely on Kokoro's guide. That seemed a bit much at the moment, considering her hands were a bit compromised. "You've fought without your hands before. Remember, you have legs too, and your fighting style is quite good."<i></i> Shira hadn't thought of that. Perhaps this situation could be much worse. Shira saw flames creep up close to her and kicked the closer chairs away from her. Since the ice was fairly thick around Kokora, Shira tumbled forward and rolled onto her back, shifting her body weight around as she bent her legs into the spin. She would spin herself faster and faster on the floor, creating a wind current that could suffocate the flames while also snuffing them out. After a few moments, she would have cleared a small area of the flames away from her, hopefully leaving herself with enough of a safe area. She would then spring back up perfectly with a frustrated expression, wondering what exactly was going on.

She turned her head when she heard the faint sound of muffled speech coming from the ice dome her foster brother had created. She thought she noticed someone trying to get her attention. She thought she could make out 'someone let me out'. Shira always loved destroying things of Ko's, she decided to try assisting the boy. "Gladly, stand back." A devious smirk made it's way onto her face as ran forward, drawing her leg back at the last second. She decided to drive her foot forward at an upward diagonal angle in order to place more power into her kick. She would end up striking the dome with a loud smack, leaving a large hole in the side of the ice. Once that was finished, she would casually lean against the ice, since it seemed their side was out of danger for the moment. She still wondered how she was supposed to break her hands free...

 

[Shoda Haru]

Listening to the boy saying how boring it was in the room kind of annoyed Haru. Yeah, it was boring at this point, but either of the students could have changed that. Standing there wasn't helping any of them. He noticed a girl walk in, and seem to sit away from the others on purpose, almost as if to keep herself away from the crowd like she could be hiding something.

"Listen. It's boring in here, but it's a choice you make in order to become a shinobi. The start of the orientation day is apparently rather boring, but things pick up quickly." Haru stared at the boy, a serious expression on his face as the kunai began flying. "If you know how to use that, I'd do so now." With that, Haru turned, running toward the nearest kunai he had seen stick into the ground and had grabbed it. He wasn't defensive in the least, but he figured if he could pinpoint where each of the attacks were coming from, he could at the very least attack back. It was then that he'd heard the door lock. "Guess there's no leaving this place until we win, guys!" Haru's voice was loud, and it echoed throughout the room. "Be careful of the flames erupting from the floor, and note the direction of the kunai!" As he mentioned the fire, a stream of it had sprouted up underneath him, as he jumped out of the way just in time.

Surveying the room, noticing a rather small area the kunai had been steadily coming from more-so than others, he runs towards it, being in the north-east of the room, up in the corner. He was lucky his father had taught him enough about kunai and taijutsu to hold his own against whatever had decided to come after them in here.

 

[Kokomo]

[OOC: I just realized this says 'ALL students and instructors'--now is this a serious requirement for me as a professor, or is it just a request? Because my slots are filled to the brim.]

 

[Shoda Haru]

((OOC: It's just a request. No worries if you can't get in the topic due to being full with other topics.))