Not for the first time in his so far relativley short life Sazawari found himself praising his choice of outfit. Had it not been for the worn, leathery longcoat he sported he would undoubtedly have found himself brushing sand from the most awkward of locations around on his body, and the welding goggles usually found strapped around his forehead that kept the birds nest of long, sandy blond strands of hair from falling into his face protected his eyes from the constant grinding of crushed stone and dried particles of soil. He had visited the Diamon Maelstrom before, of course, but never like this. Usually, it had been stray visits with his mother for various purposes, be it recreational mother-son time or more pressing matters, or during some of the academy classes with his fellow students and the teachers from the facility. This time, however, it was a completely different reason for his excursion.
Two days earlier
”In the realm of animals, especially two species stand out as particularily adaptive, and several techniques, weapons and infiltration strategies has been inspired by them.” Sazawari tried to stifle a yawn, quite unsuccessfully he noted to himself, at the back row of the tables in the class room. It was just like any other day. Wake up early in the morning, go to some boring class, head back home and get on with his chores before he could finally sit back and relax. OF course, considering how most of his time at the academy was spent relaxing, paying half an eye of attention to whatever the instructor was talking about, one could argue that most of his day was spent relaxing.
”Lizards, like reptiles most, are cold-blooded creatures, siphoning energy from the sunlight, thus making the desert which our village reside in a prime example of a natural habitat for which they can thrive. In the lizard family one can find a myriad of traits and abilities worth emulating. For note, the geckos ability to climb walls through millions of microscopic hairs on their feet which functions as an adhesive has provided us with the idea of wall climbing for which we utilize chakra molding in our feet and hands in order to stick to the surface. The chameleons natural ability to change its color in order to blend in with the surroundings for either defensive purposes or for stealthy sneak attack upon its prey, which is performed through advanced cell and pigment manipulation, is the base for several strategies utilizing techniques or equipment designed for the exact same purpose. And of course, several lizards have developed more deadlier methods; Namely poison.”
Sazawaris attention was slowly starting to focus on what the teacher was saying. Camouflage. Wall climbing. Poison. These were all methods of combat which he could find an interest in utilizing, considering how they’d let him dodge a lot more trouble than simply heading straight in for a fist on fist brawl, which he would surely lose against most opponents.
”The other example, putting forth several similiar abilities, is the spider. Spiders are some of the most adaptable creatures on the planet, and can be found anywhere from the coldest mountain peak to the most scorching desert. Masters at finding ways to survive in the most cruel environment, they appear in an infinte different shapes and colors, and with different abilities evolved and suited for their respective environment, predators and prey. The most common traits, shared by the species in general, is their ability to climb walls, and their utilization of poison in order to immobilize their preferred meal.”
The lecturer took a short break, sipping from the water bottle standing on the table before him, his scrying eyes swiping over the crowd, confirming that he had everyones attention, before he continued. ”And as many of you might know, shinobi has developed a mean to put not only these ideas, but even the creatures themselves, to good use in combat. Summoning techniques lets one call forth animals who have signed a mutual contract and ask for their aid.” Sazawari sat up. Now he was definitely awake.
Present time
The constant assault by the whirling sandstorm made the progress slow, but Sazawari was determined. It was one of those few moments in his life where he felt truly tenacious about something. The idea of summoning creatures, to call forth beasts to fight at his behalf was perfect for him. In his own mind, he had already created a certain idea of how he wanted to fight, and if he could add another force to this idea, he’d do whatever it took. Bending his neck and pulling up his hood to protect from the relentless rage of the desert, he kept pushing through.
Moments turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, and eventually hours would come to feel like forever. The sun had yet to set, so he was certain he hadn’t been wading through the Maelstrom for days, even though the slow progress could make it feel so. But Sazawari was not a man of stamina, and despite his persistent will to see this through, he felt the energy being sapped from his every fiber. And it was with great joy in his heart that he found what first seemed like a crack in the mountain side which proved to be more of a cave of some sort. Finally a place to let his tired legs rest.
WC: 905
Two days earlier
”In the realm of animals, especially two species stand out as particularily adaptive, and several techniques, weapons and infiltration strategies has been inspired by them.” Sazawari tried to stifle a yawn, quite unsuccessfully he noted to himself, at the back row of the tables in the class room. It was just like any other day. Wake up early in the morning, go to some boring class, head back home and get on with his chores before he could finally sit back and relax. OF course, considering how most of his time at the academy was spent relaxing, paying half an eye of attention to whatever the instructor was talking about, one could argue that most of his day was spent relaxing.
”Lizards, like reptiles most, are cold-blooded creatures, siphoning energy from the sunlight, thus making the desert which our village reside in a prime example of a natural habitat for which they can thrive. In the lizard family one can find a myriad of traits and abilities worth emulating. For note, the geckos ability to climb walls through millions of microscopic hairs on their feet which functions as an adhesive has provided us with the idea of wall climbing for which we utilize chakra molding in our feet and hands in order to stick to the surface. The chameleons natural ability to change its color in order to blend in with the surroundings for either defensive purposes or for stealthy sneak attack upon its prey, which is performed through advanced cell and pigment manipulation, is the base for several strategies utilizing techniques or equipment designed for the exact same purpose. And of course, several lizards have developed more deadlier methods; Namely poison.”
Sazawaris attention was slowly starting to focus on what the teacher was saying. Camouflage. Wall climbing. Poison. These were all methods of combat which he could find an interest in utilizing, considering how they’d let him dodge a lot more trouble than simply heading straight in for a fist on fist brawl, which he would surely lose against most opponents.
”The other example, putting forth several similiar abilities, is the spider. Spiders are some of the most adaptable creatures on the planet, and can be found anywhere from the coldest mountain peak to the most scorching desert. Masters at finding ways to survive in the most cruel environment, they appear in an infinte different shapes and colors, and with different abilities evolved and suited for their respective environment, predators and prey. The most common traits, shared by the species in general, is their ability to climb walls, and their utilization of poison in order to immobilize their preferred meal.”
The lecturer took a short break, sipping from the water bottle standing on the table before him, his scrying eyes swiping over the crowd, confirming that he had everyones attention, before he continued. ”And as many of you might know, shinobi has developed a mean to put not only these ideas, but even the creatures themselves, to good use in combat. Summoning techniques lets one call forth animals who have signed a mutual contract and ask for their aid.” Sazawari sat up. Now he was definitely awake.
Present time
The constant assault by the whirling sandstorm made the progress slow, but Sazawari was determined. It was one of those few moments in his life where he felt truly tenacious about something. The idea of summoning creatures, to call forth beasts to fight at his behalf was perfect for him. In his own mind, he had already created a certain idea of how he wanted to fight, and if he could add another force to this idea, he’d do whatever it took. Bending his neck and pulling up his hood to protect from the relentless rage of the desert, he kept pushing through.
Moments turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, and eventually hours would come to feel like forever. The sun had yet to set, so he was certain he hadn’t been wading through the Maelstrom for days, even though the slow progress could make it feel so. But Sazawari was not a man of stamina, and despite his persistent will to see this through, he felt the energy being sapped from his every fiber. And it was with great joy in his heart that he found what first seemed like a crack in the mountain side which proved to be more of a cave of some sort. Finally a place to let his tired legs rest.
WC: 905