Open Elemental Channeling [Class]

[Honnou]

​

A class… the lad had never held a class before. Believe it or not, it was apparently quite common for shinobi at his age to have had a few handful classes under their belt, but Hon was late in the game. And a bunch of new Academy Students and Genin were showing up at the Academy in these times, which provided him the prime opportunity to tick the achievement of having been a teacher for a class off his bucket list…

But what exactly should he teach them?

Hon was a seasoned shinobi, no doubt, but he was also very young. Relatively speaking, that was… and he couldn’t just apply his ANBU habits to these students, that’d be ridiculous. However, after a thorough brainstorming, he came to a conclusion – a topic about channeling chakra, a very useful and sought skill in the shinobi world. The ability to transfer chakra to another object in order to amplify it… like channeling chakra through one’s weapons! Yes! He betted that the students would love it.

…

On the day of the lecture, he stood in front of a large desk at the front and center of a large classroom. There were five boxes on the desk, each containing a specific handful of one-handed weapons:

A box with war fans. A box with knuckledusters. A box with tonfas. A box with wakizashis. A box with shuriken.​

He’d await all interested students to attend to his class, simply standing in front of the desk with all of the weapons. His garments consisted of his traditional Tai Chi shirt, white in color with black outlines and buttons, accompanied by black leggings and a black cloth wrapped tightly by a sash.

​

And as soon as enough people were present, he’d start the class with a simple order: “To everyone who showed up… thank you for coming to my first class. My name’s Hyūga Honnō, but everyone calls me Hon. Before we start, I’d like for all of you to pick one weapon from either of these five boxes in front of me. Simply choose one and return to your seat with it – no, no, you’re not going to stab each other or anything. Please don’t do that…”

 

[Eichi]

Eichi looked into each box, examining each weapon. Wondering what weapon he’d be fluid with, he took a moment to choose his weapon. He looked up to Hon, wondering how he’d be judged, not only as a cousin, but as a student, and most importantly, as a clan mate. Looking back down, and with a confident expression, he picked up a pair of knucledusters. He tried them on. They fit like a glove. He looked to Hon once more and gave a nod before returning back to his seat. It was a plus to be in a clanmate’s class. He was recieving a teaching from someone he knew. It calmed his spirit while at the Academy. Meeting a few of the other students would be interesting as well. He wondered how they’d make it in the village. The boy figured after class when he and Hon would make it back to the Clan house, he’d get a late training session. It also had the Clan Dojutsu on his mind. If he couldn’t unlock it within the next few years, he’d be forced out of the Clan home. He doubted he’d have any trouble, but not having it gave him the cold at times. He wouldn’t allow himself to fall behind.

He gave a few swings with them on back at his seat. He was careful not to get too close to anyone. After his display he would take his seat. They were comfortable around his knuckles, he contemplated on getting a pair for himself. Maybe taking them out on a mission would be beneficial. He awaited further instruction, being careful not to give away Hon or his own ranking away. He wouldn’t allow anyone that wasn’t in the ranks of the ANBU know that they were in the secretive organization. He would sit back for more, and not of the other students choices.

 

[Shinrya Riko]

There was something about service that made Riko feel whole. She wasn’t sure how she could be so lucky to have met someone like Honome, but somehow she had a sense of guilt at how much she enjoyed Honome’s company. Riko liked the way her voice sounded. She liked the feel of her soft skin and though Honome couldn’t see her eyes which glowed like the pale moon. The thing that Riko worried about the most was that she was taking advantage of Honome. Riko enjoyed her company so much that she had to wonder if it was Riko that needed the escort and not Honome. Honome was a qualified kunoichi after all. She didn’t even need someone to guide her around.

’One thing is for certain… I hope that I can continue to do this.’ Riko thought, her mind briefly wandering to a future where she’d find the courage to have a more committed relationship than just escort.

Since they needed the time to make their way to the classroom, Riko had arrived on Honome’s doorstep early. She got to see an all too brief glimpse into Honome’s home life. As Honome had exited the door, Riko offered her arm so that they could make their way to the academy together. ”You know, I got my own place - would you maybe be interested in rooming with me?” She would ask during her travel to the academy. ’I’m moving too fast. I need to hold more horses. Maybe I should’ve asked her on a date first?’ Riko kicked herself mentally over the suggestion, but she didn’t let the feelings seep into her body language. She knew Honome would feel it.

The path to the academy was perhaps a more direct path than Honome had ever taken. With someone guiding the way she didn’t need to count each crack in the ground or each door as they finally arrived. As they entered the classroom, Riko was surprised and somewhat embarrassed that the young man from the hospital was here as the teacher. He wasn’t wearing a hospital gown anymore so she hoped that he was feeling better.

Riko guided Honome towards the front and the box of weapons, after Hon’s brief introduction to the class. ”Do you have a preference for a weapon? There is a fan, Spiked Brass Knuckle, some tonfas, a wakizashi, and some shuriken.” Riko would wait for Honome to explain which one she would be interested in and guide her to that weapon so that she could take the weapon in her own hands. Riko would take a Wakizashi for herself.

Once Honome was ready, Riko would guide her to the back corner of the class next to the window - back here Riko would be able to help Honome if she needed it without interrupting the rest of the class. It was also the spot where the main characters always sat.

 

[Kagami Miro]

A pale ear turned to her advisor who leaned in to whisper. The skill could not even read his lips, the ANBU were to thank for that, as he whispered to the Sennin about her captains. Hyuga Honnou had scheduled a time slot at the academy to teach aspiring ninja the ropes of the shinobi way of life. “I see. Quenchin, I’ll be on my way.” A smile crept across her pink lips as she broke away from her group of advisors that surrounded her near the skirts of the village. The academy was off the pathway to the Sileo but she had become more and more interested in Kumogakure’s hero. Even though the report found on her desk from that she-beast Rei talked about his mishaps during a mission.

A sigh escaped her. ‘A genin out-performing one of my own captains?’ Mirō scoffed, ‘Absurd. Genin lie all the time to dodge trouble and penitence.’ She continued to move down the road laid out to the academy. Not before long she found herself at the doorway that led inside. Down the hall and up a flight of stairs the black silhouette of a woman eclipsed the doorpane to the classroom.

Fingers coiled around the door handle and with a subtle and swift movement she found her eyes had landed on Hon. The chakra that surged within her veins radiated outward in an invisible veil, what would be seen as tin and light to the trained eyes felt physically heavy with the burden of antagonism toward those who’ve wronged her. The weight carried never bothered her but it forced her summon to speak up. ‘Retract your aura of dread. I can’t rest when you’re like this.’ A light giggle escaped her lips. A finger pulled black tresses of her long black hime-cut hair behind her ear to reveal her piercing red hues and prominent scar across her face. In a split second Mirō dialed back her chakra to be hidden once more, graciously she moved to an open desk in a corner away from the students.

Her eyes matched her attire, a red blazer with silken black trim lining the cuffs and collar. A clean white button-up dress shirt and black tie paired nicely with her checkered thigh high skirt and black loafers. It had seemed her Master had rubbed off on her when it came to fashion, but Mirō wasn’t always stuck in a suit like the Raikage. With an outwardly kind smile that made the normies abandon all negative judgment to her, those who know the Sennin knew something maniacal lurked within her mind. Mirō spoke outward to Hon, “Don’t mind me, Hon. I’ve been instructed to simply observe. Carry on.” Her smile never waivered. Handing over the attention, if any, back to Hon her red hues would subtly observe the interesting new faces that joined the Academy. Her duties always pulled her away from seeing the new faces. She wouldn’t let that happen this time.

[Topic Entered]
[WC:491]
[Grammar Edits]​

 

[Hashigaki Honome]

Honomi moved with a silent grace that came with being led around by her mother and father when she was young, and by their maid when they were away, and by their servant when they had one. It was always more comforting and less jarring being led by someone rather than walking with the walking stick. The stick had the tendency to get stuck on larger curbs than just a little rise in the sidewalk, and was almost completely useless when it came to cobbled streets. And determining if a crack was indeed just a crack or a large chasm into which she supposed that she could fall at any time.

She had started to pick up on the movement of things around her when she was a child, and aided by this, she had learned to grope around for a wall and move along it, counting doors and hearing people behind them. It made for silence when she walked, so that she could ‘see’ the world around her.

Riko, the woman leading her, had a tough skin which was still tight and pliant so she knew that Riko was at least a young woman. She hadn’t really bumped into her at all yet, being a follow in a dance, always, she had the perfect cadence to stay with the person as long as they didn’t make any sudden and unnecessary jerky movements.

The question came, quite out of the blue as it was described, though she hadn’t a clue what the color “blue” was. She supposed that it meant that something came out of the sky that wasn’t indicative of there being anything. She was always the first to smell rain and feel the pressure change, so she couldn’t understand the people that looked for the weather up in the sky, rather than feeling it in her bones.

Regardless, the train of thought shifted just as easily to the question that was posed to her. Perhaps a room-mate would be good for her. She had stayed with her mother long enough, and was probably starting to become a burden. She walked with slow, measured steps along with Riko. Riko’s next footfall indicated a slight raising of her foot, so a ledge of some sort, accompanied by a slight raise of her arm. She lifted her own foot and planted it on the ledge of a doorway.

“I uhm, I suppose that would be amenable.” She nodded, her voice barely above a murmur so as to continue listening to her surroundings. She was close enough that it shouldn’t matter how loud she was anyhow. The poor girl that she was holding onto seemed tense at the question, or perhaps it was her answer. She gave the arm attached to Riko a light squeeze, continuing to follow dutifully as they walked into the classroom. Something about the teacher sounded familiar. Was he the youth that had been at the hospital with the large canid?

“Preference for a… I don’t use weapons.” She admitted, “I um, I usually toss kunai. Um. Let me see.” She put a finger to her mouth, her brows furrowing and her eyes were unfocused, looking off the side of the table where the weapons were. “Tonfas feel a bit heavy to me, a Wakizashi is too sharp and it’s hard to tell which side the blade is sharp on without touching that end, the brass knuckles don’t fit my fingers.” She showed her delicate fingers and wiggled them in front of her at nobody in particular, “Shuriken I always end up poking myself with, why do they make them bladed on all sides?” She frowned, “So I suppose a fan would be best.” She nodded at the decision, before being guided to the box, and taking one for herself. She flicked her wrist expertly and the fan opened with a loud SNAP. before she flicked her wrist again and it closed with a similar crack like a whip.

“Durable.” She noted, before being led to the back of the class, very far away from the entrance they had come in.

The girl that came in with the aura of dread made her shudder, and she wondered whether or not there was a window in the class she hadn't identified or some sort of fan that she had caught a draft from. Perhaps a vent that went unnoticed. She looked around for the source, not suspecting that it was a girl that had entered the class with a dread aura hanging on her shoulders like a mantle. She tugged the open part of her kimono tighter, so that it covered her neck as well as she buried her mouth into where the fabric met. "Cold." Was the only word that she said in response to the sudden change in atmosphere.

[Thread entered]
[794 WC]

 

[Honnou]

And Hon nodded back to his cousin, relieved to see him attend this class. Hon emphasized the importance of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu in unison with his own fighting style, and that method would be displayed in front of them all today. Interestingly, Eichi chose the knuckles – shaped to inhibit the Gentle Fist Style and the flat palm formation, he wondered what implored Eichi to go for it. However, that in and of itself was part of what they would learn from this class, so he accepted any explanation, really.

Besides… Eichi looked comfortable with them on. And Eichi likely would’ve noticed that while Hon’s left eye was azure-blue and crystal-like – an evolved Byakugan – his right eye… was simply a pale lavender, akin to many others of Hyūga blood.

Riko walked up to the box of items along with Honōme, two kunoichi that Hon had met while recovering at the Aesculapium prior. The latter, however, didn’t have a preference for any weapons and took a bit to decide… with quite a few, weird reasons behind her choosing. Tonfas were a bit heavy? Wakizashis were too sharp? Poking herself all the time with shurikens? Poor girl… no, he wasn’t being sarcastic. He’d learned of her blindness, and all the challenges that came with that disability. If anything… was it alright to bring all of these sharp, lethal weapons to her? No, no, no, he wasn’t only tutoring her… and she chose the fan, in the end! He could still leave behind a valuable lesson, after all.

…

He could’ve sworn he heard a loud siren go off. For the briefest of moments, a pair of ghastly red orbs floated behind him, increasing in size with black tomoe spinning about and the shivers resembling the sensation of ants running down your entire back following in tow. And just as quickly as the dread slammed into him, it disappeared… and the ANBU Sennin, Mirō-sama, had entered the classroom. He didn’t know why she decided to come here… but their eyes met. And she looked… entertained? Intrigued? He knew her better than that – this felt like a damn hostage situation all of a sudden.

But he couldn’t show it… it’d be too confusing and make certain secrecies fall apart. Therefore, he simply smiled back and replied: “I see… understood!” He looked rather bashful, even resting a hand behind his head as if this was a mere soft surprise, but there was more to it than the typical eye could see…

“Now that you’ve picked up a weapon, I can showcase today’s topic – Elemental Channeling,” he explained to all, following up by picking up a single tonfa and pointing the long pole to one side, “It’s a very special kind of Ninjutsu. It manifests when you channel your Elemental Chakra through a weapon, and the results vary between elements. Say, if one possesses the Lightning Element-”

*BRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!*

The entire classroom lit up, and particles in a crooked line excited with the surge of excessive energy traveling through them. They formed a forked, dancing wither of hair that turned out to be living lightning flickering through the tonfa that Hon was holding, with the sound alone brimming in the backs of people’s heads. Yet shinobi were accustomed to this level of decibels, and those who had an affinity for lightning would barely be startled. The cloak of lightning shrank in size, until a flickering outline of the tonfa was created from it, surrounding the weapon like a cloth hung over it. “This tonfa, which could normally just be used to cave an enemy’s skull in, now also has the ability to run electricity through their bodies upon mere contact… but that’s just when channeling the Lightning Element through it. Lightning often travels in very sharp lines, so a weapon that compliments such a straightforward approach could prove most optimal, but not all of you chose a tonfa now.”

He'd end channeling Lightning through the tonfa, and the room would return to its normal hue once more. Hon had to readjust the frequency at the beginning, given that he… might’ve overdone it for a split second. Just a little bit. Either way, the channeling was now over, and he’d look over the class again. “You all chose different weapons – knuckles, wakizashis, and fans. What elements do you think would suit when channeled through your chosen equipment?”

 

[Eichi]

As Eichi took his seat, he wondered why Hon’s eyes were different colors. He was used to seeing the Clan Dojutsu active. The pale eyes seemed to pierce through one’s soul at times, but the lavender eye struck him odd. Was it some kind of contact? He didn’t know for certain, but he became curious about the unique eye. Maybe he’d ask about it after class.

The kunoichi after him chose… the blades and the fans. ”Nice style.” The boy tried to say under his breath. He almost chose the fans as well. They seemed to benefit hand to hand combat, but he figured that they had their uses with Ninjutsu as well. Maybe even Genjutsu? ’I couldn’t think of a way to use those fans along with Genjutsu. But each shinobi is unique. I may not have the answer, but someone else will.’ Hearing a voice closer to the back, Eichi turned around in his seat to see another unfamiliar character. He didn’t know why she wasn’t taking part in the activities, but she caught Hon’s attention for a brief moment before letting him continue with the class. Her eyes and aura gave Eichi a sense of awe. ”Are those?… Nah” The woman seemed tough with the scar across her face. He thought her eyes were that of the Uchiha, but he shook it off. When she gave a smile, Eichi figured she was a good hearted one. ’Hmm… I shouldn’t be messy, I might scare away his cousin’s girlfriend.’ He watched as Hon began to blush and shy away. He assumed she was dating Hon. It just made sense to him, her visiting his class and he shying up.

He turned back to the boxes of weapons in front of the class, now paying attention to his cousin as the teacher began speaking to the class. As the Senior Dojutsu holder began a demonstration of his lightning elemental channeling, Eichi’s eyes widened. The thought of using elemental chakra along with a weapon never crossed the boy’s mind before. There were more styles of fighting than the boy could imagine. Watching the electricity dance along the weapon was like watching a neon light show at night. He was amazed by what he saw going on, but already asking himself the question as to how he would mimic such a technique.

When asked the question, Eichi stood up, figuring a demonstration would be the best answer. ”Hmm… I believe the fire element would go nicely with the knuckle braces.” It wasn’t his element of choice, but imagining beating his opponent with knuckle braces that shot fire gave him a rugged scene in his mind. The boy made sure the braces were snug around his fists. He went into a stance known by the Saito that accommodated his hand to hand fighting style. With a graceful spin and backflip while staying in place, the boy took a graceful swing with his right arm at his air opponent. As his shoes neared the ground, he finished with a left uppercut, now landing and striking another air attack with ease. He landed in a crouched position, bowing as if he’d finished a fine performance.

”But if done correctly, I believe your trying to teach us that every element can be channeled through any weapon to form a unique technique.” He now opened his eyes as a shatter came from the window area. A huge gust of wind blew into the room. He didn’t have as great control over his chakra as he thought.

The technique was just above his grade. He still needed the step by step of this elemental channeling thing.

A bead of sweat dropped from the boy’s head, sliding down his left cheek. He continued to hold his landing pose for a minute. ’Uhh… I hope he didn’t lose points from his girlfriend.’ The younger Saito stood up, an expression mixed with cluelessness and guilt upon his face. Upon seeing the damage, Eichi looked over to Hon.

”Uhh, after class clean up?” The boy half asked half suggested. The few windows that were broken now let a breeze into the room. Glass was scattered about on the floor, random leaves off of the trees found their way into the room, but everything else seemed ok. A small bird flew into the room, landing atop Eichi’s head, using it as a nest. It only adding to the scene. The boy sighed, his face now back bland as he continued to stand by his seat.

Unless instructed otherwise, he would grab a broom and dustpan from the storage in the room. The boy would move over to the broken glass, beginning to sweep up what he could into the dustpan. The bird atop his head would flutter away.

[ MFT | WC: +300 ]

 

[Shinrya Riko]

Riko knew figured that this would be a difficult choice for Honome. She had come to see that Honome wasn’t the kind who subscribed to violence. She had an almost sacred deference to life, and few things seemed to ignite her passions like learning about medicine and how to apply chakra to mend bones and knit muscle together. She almost regretted guiding Honome to any option other than the fan in the first place. Ah but the fan, she seemed very capable with it. Riko was surprised and nodded approvingly at the sound of the sharp SNAP as Honome expertly compressed the fan together. She commented on the durability and Riko shortly had led the Hashigaki to back of the class where the main characters sat.

As they were sitting down, a new person entered the room. With their entrance a heavy weight seemed to roll in as if it were a fog. The air became somewhat heavy as if it were dense with humidity. Home shivered, so Riko scooted her desk to be beside Honomes and put an arm around the delicate Hashigaki’s shoulders. A Light giggle escaped Miro’s lips and soon after she toyed with her own hair the oppressive heaviness in the room dropped. Riko didn’t see the point in this, but so far she hadn’t been impressed with the elite of the elites' behavior, finding all of them incredibly eccentric. Riko didn’t know if this woman was counted among them, but it didn’t take much effort to read their teacher’s face, lending credence to the theory that if this woman wasn’t one of the leaders of the village, she was at least superior to Hon.

Now it was from here that Hon began his lecture proper. With her other hand, Riko set the Wakizashi, still in its sheath on her desk in front of herself. Hon channeled lightning chakra through his tonfa as part of his demonstration. Running electricity through a tonfa, it was a shocking idea. The Tonfa was mostly made from sturdy wood, wasn’t it? She didn’t think it was very capable of channeling the lightning element chakra properly - but the wakizashi she had selected on the other hand… hmph. The metal was certainly conductive. Riko looked over at Honome’s fan and considered that Fire or Wind would work well with a fan. Her own family had a tendency to fire, thanks in part due to their affinity to the Sharingan, but then Riko had already known that her own chakra nature might variate from that.

Riko glanced at the young boy who was with the class with them, too young for puberty of any kind, but already well on his way to be a soldier. She wondered if he had similar questions to her or if it all came naturally to the children. He seemed to suggest that fire would work nicely with the spiked knuckles - an idea that didn’t come naturally to Riko. The Material was largely metal, so wouldn’t the chakra transfer the heat to the metal and rise its temperature? Perhaps it was just a lack of imagination on her own part. She had a hard time imagining fire on her own weapon, despite her family’s natural affinity.

The boy closed his eyes and tried to focus his chakra, resulting in a burst of wind chakra that shattered the window. Riko used the Body Switch technique, to move Honome out of danger from the shards bursting from the window next to them, and she lifted her metal bracers and faced them towards the glass, deflecting them away from anything vital. Riko had become a [Human Shield] as she applied her Defensive Technique to protect Honome. An unwelcome breeze come through the window now that its pieces were shattered and the places were Riko had been cut bleed. She was turning into something of a [Bloody Mess] it seemed. Bleeding ones opponents didn’t seem to be such a bad idea.

”Are you alright?” she checked on Honome. ”That kid over there blew up the window by our seat, would you like to move to a different seat?” After addressing Honome, Riko made sure that she quickly got her own questions in before moving topics - dabbing at her injuries with a cloth she pulled out of a pouch. She was pretty sure she had shards of glass in her arms.

”Common Experience tells me that the metal weapons are better suited for Lightning.” Riko drew the blade a few inches from its scabbard and examined it. ”How do we know which element we have the best affinity with?” Riko postured the question to her teacher. The format of the class seemed small so she thought that speaking out would be permitted, even if it was somewhat out of turn.


WC: 817

 

[Hashigaki Honome]

Honome heard the lecture start, nodding along as she felt the patterns of the fan's upper and lower guards, making the shapes in her mind in bright colors and forming a general layout of the soft fabric between the ribs, the fabric was strong, but soft and she wondered whether it had been reinforced with anything. Of course, to unfold and re-fold the fabric had to be made of something pliable. Perhaps a velum? She continued to stroke it as Honnou started to talk about the lightning element. A large electrifying noise and a few sharp pops were enough to make Honome cover her ears, letting the fan fall to the table in front of her. He could have warned them that he was going to be making a display like that in front of them all. A faint ringing in her ears left her a bit disoriented as the smell of ozone clung heavy to the air and the crackle of electricity could be felt in the hairs that stood on end on her arms. She didn't particularly like this form of study, but flashy antics seemed to hold the attention of the others better than just a straightforward explanation anyhow, so she uncovered her ears just a bit to hear the last of his words.

A boy, it sounded like, was talking about how the brass knuckles leant themselves to the fire element. Honome couldn't quite picture that, but there were more strange things that happened in the shinobi world, so she kept her lips tightly shut as he walked to take a stance, apparently, from the creaking of his soles as he settled down, the tightening of fabric, and also because Riko held her breath for just a moment before he channeled his jutsu into the knuckles. Two taps, feet hitting the ground, was he doing gymnastics? Then a rush of cloth as he punched something, but didn't collide with anything, and then another rush of wind from the young man. Perhaps he was boxing the teacher?

"Is he attacking the-" Honome started to ask before the shatter came from a window near her. She covered her head reflexively, knowing that the shards would sting, having fallen through a glass table when she was younger. She felt a rush of wind and heard the glass hit something near her right. Was there someone there? She patted to her side and found Riko there, inexplicably, instead of to her left. She moved her hands, not knowing where they were going, exploring Riko's body for any sort of wound. She winced in empathic pain as she came to the first bit of glass as she almost cut herself on the sharp hard piece that wiggled, lodged in Riko's shoulder opposite from her, "Turn around." She murmured, sternly, before taking out a first aid kit that she had on her person, pretty much always. "I'm going to see how bad it is, glass can cut really deep and we need to treat it fast." She had forgotten all about the lesson.

Riko, apparently, had other plans and continued to ask how they could find the elemental affinity that they were best suited to. Honome's fingers stuck to the bag, tacky from Riko's blood, as she fished around in it to produce a medical kit, which she put in front of her. "Hold still." She commanded Riko as she moved her fan out of the way, and moved her fingers over each bit of the medical kit, gauze, bandages, adhesive, antiseptic, curved needle, thread, scissors, tape. She would continue to mutter to herself as she tended to Riko's wounds.

[wc:605]

 

[Kagami Miro]

Those ominous red orbs panned over the young shinobi that sat attentively at their desks. Each one just from first glance, had different personalities that forced interesting preconceptions into her mind. This had been what Mirō wanted to study. To see how her mind conceived new faces with judgment and see if she were correct. Nine times out of ten the coin flipped in her favor. There was always one that got away, thankfully Hon created a demonstration interesting enough to garner a reaction out of the up and coming shinobi.

The technique, on paper, was simple enough. To channel your chakra properties into your weapon enhances its qualities. This allowed an increase in the weapons impactfulness and a bit of stylish flare to boot too. A spark and crackle of lightning flashed off the tonfa in quick succession. A lavish display of the basics that captured everyone’s attention. So much so that one of the shinobi could not contain their excitement.

The young shinobi in black leapt out of their seats and into a trained stance. With curiosity Mirō watched them flail about, her sharingan that never lay dormant spotted the spike in his chakra. At the uncontrolled spike of chakra Mirō found out what affinity came naturally to him. A window shattered, sending shards of glass throughout the classroom. Her calloused manicured hands silently clasped together on her lap. To the naked eye it would look as though the glass would cascade into an invisible wall.

Her pink lips remained pursed together in a kind smile. Red eyes focused on Hon to see his reaction before her eyes moved over to the other students. At the first sign of danger one of the students around Mirō’s age at first glance, acted quickly. With a stalwart defensive stance the shards of glass broke on her bracers, whatever pieces she managed to deflect. Unfortunately for her glass and often unpredictable which lacerated her bare skin. Mirō made note of her fearless attempt to stand in front of danger, for a friend.

Her sharingan moved to watch the other girl's reaction. Another woman her age who was forced back by the other woman. A silvery voice chimed into her mind. ‘They’re about your age huh? Think you’ll make a few friends?’ Her spirit bound summon teased. Naibu’s giggle echoed through Mirō’s mind. A mental eyeroll followed in suit. ‘I’m interested in their past. What do you think? Normal upbringing into society?’ She thought. ‘Must’ve. They’re not weeping on the streets like a freak. However, you can’t trust old genin.’ Naibu referred to her traitorous apprentice.

Mirō withdrew her attention from her spirit and back to the woman. With a unique preparedness to a shinobi class she pulled out a first aid kit. With a few taps of her fingers on the woman's cut arm she spotted the glass piece. ‘Blind?’ Naibu questioned. Mentally Mirō fanned her outburst away to watch her patch up her classmate. ‘Full of energy. A readiness to defend. And someone with a knack for support. The power combined would synergize well in a party.’ Her sharingan analyzed the class once before before her focus returned to Hon. Her red hues eagerly awaited a response to the situation and how he’d answer the one girl's question. She had been trained by the Raikage. A woman with endless doodads and invention but stuck to the traditional way of finding an affinity. Hell, it’s Mirō’s own mastered affinity. ‘Ironic.’ Naibu chimed in. ‘Chattier than normal. You like classes then?’ Mirō teased back at her bloodthirsty companion. Enough so that Naibu remained silent and embarrassed.​

Cast Sharingan 1 AP Using Initiative
Cast Anti-Gravity

 

[Honnou]

Eichi came up with the idea of channeling the Fire Element through those knuckle braces. At first, even Hon was intrigued by the choice of element – fire was fed by wind, and fans could push wind around, so by all means, a fan should be able to accommodate the Fire Element. As in, that should’ve been most obvious… but Eichi was sharp. He saw through Hon’s intentions.

Unfortunately, Hon couldn’t give him right on the deduction nor compliment his little performance. Why was that, huh? Well, a moment after Eichi called him out on his lesson – which, by the way, rather rude to steal his thunder like that, Eichi – a couple of the windows shattered abruptly. It happened so suddenly, leaving cuts on Riko’s body and a bunch of shards on the ground, all while Hon only just managed to stand in front of Eichi. His speed didn’t prevent the short burst… but holy shit, Eichi done fucked up.

Like a true elder, Hon’s eyes were burning. Widened, sharp as knives, angered. Eichi knew exactly what he had to do, and Hon left it at that. The brat needed to stop going all-out like that, for he clearly had next to no control over his chakra. Riko could’ve gotten off worse if those shards were any bigger – props to Riko, by the way, for being able to deflect them that efficiently despite some cutting through – and… Hon hadn’t even given him green light to make a try.

Hon turned his attention to Riko first. Her wound looked bad, but Honōme leapt into action with her medical kit immediately. The fact that Riko still found it necessary to ask Hon about channeling elements spoke volumes about her tenacity, but Honōme had right to be stern towards the outwardly reckless defender. Hon sighed deeply and asked back: “Before I answer, sorry. I-I didn’t mean to get any of you hurt like that in my class… and thanks for the help, Honōme.” As understandably pissed off he got at Eichi, the little runt, Hon also got angry at himself and his inability to prevent such a stupid accident. It made him wonder if holding the class indoors was even a good idea to begin with… but it was the only room available. He had to do with what he had.

As she asked him about what sort of Element they even possessed to begin with, Hon decided to entertain her curiosity despite her damage. “I was planning to have you all figure it out by channeling it through your weapons, but the method was that you’d have to aim it at me, the teacher today… AND NOT WITHOUT HOLDS BARRED, EICHI,” he expressed with big letters, sending a couple daggering eyes towards the poor Saito who was busy swiping up glass shards, “That’s why I made sure that all the weapons were relatively small and light to wield. If you want to figure out what your preferred Element is, point the blade’s tip at me and channel your chakra through it – trust me, I’m the only one who can afford any possible injuries in this class. Not that it’d be that easy to injure me…” Hon walked up from the front of Riko’s and Honōme’s desk and into the middle of the classroom, inviting a hopefully patched-up Riko to walk up to his front – preferably a few meters away – and do what he told.

“A shinobi’s body is capable of channeling a multitude of Elements. Therefore, it’s up to you what Element you prefer, but you can’t just tell yourself that it’s this and that and run with it… let your body speak for you. Aim the Wakizashi at me and channel your chakra – then we’ll see what your body wants to channel first.” The way that the wakizashi was forged, the release of chakra would definitely be a blade shot through the tip and towards Hon like a bullet. However, he was no slowpoke…

“Aim it at me, and not just at the air around you – abstract targets make your chakra run rampant, like Eichi so kindly reminded us…”

 

[Eichi]

His mood dampened a bit as he noticed he ruined the lesson somewhat. He didn't expect to pull it off perfectly in one attempt, but he didn't expect to make such a huge fail. He dumped what leaves and glass he could sweep up off the floor into a bin with a sheet of plastic within the container. Noticing that he hurt one of the kunoichi as well made him feel down on the inside. The Academy was a place that he visited these days to enjoy the scenery and build off of it's inspiration. The actual classes seemed to give more insight, but it also took some time and even effort to get this task down packed. He looked over to the one that sat in the back, it seemed that she was unfazed by the surprise. It was amazing that he did such a feat, but he didn't do it in honor and neither code. He was already down that he couldn't activate his Dojutsu while a student, but to be messing up at this phase was a weakness to him. He thought about the Captain's mood as he continued to stay out of the way from the next demonstration. As Hon finished his comment, Eichi took the cue to apologize to the class. "I apologize everyone. I thought it would be simple to carry out such a task, but now I see that I may need a little help to work on things. If anyone here wants to help me out with a few trainings in the future, it'd be nice to know so that I could keep that in mind." Of course training with classmates could lead to other things, such as completing missions and such, but Eichi would keep his mouth closed after such a failure. Maybe the work of one of his other classmates would inspire him to do a little better.

Moreover, how would he make this up to Hon back at the Clan Home. He'd take some time to think things through. It'd been a while since they'd had a sparring match. He secretly kept from Hon that he wished to awake his Dojutsu soon, and took it upon each sparring match they had that his would wake up and impress his older cousin. But through each match, his eyes were never taken to that level. He refused to give up however, he even took this as an opportunity to have a sparring match with Hon. Maybe this time they would awake. Also, the eye that Hon now possessed was something new. He didn't notice the eye during their last match. He wondered what abilities Hon had come up with with such a unique fix to the situation.

[ MFT | WC: +400 ]

 

[Shinrya Riko]

The room had come alive with movement, and Riko seemed to have made the wrong choice with trying to keep up with civil decorum for the class. She had obediently turned to face Honome and remained motionless while she checked the wounds on Riko’s shoulders. Thanks to the metal plating all the serious harm had been deflected - but Riko’s bare shoulders on account of her sleeveless high neck halter top had been on the receiving end of some superficial cuts. It was hard for her to check the seriousness of her own wounds so she left things to Honome and put on a brave face as the gentle minstrations stung. She made sure to let Honome know when something stung more or less.

Riko looked over at Eichi who had made his apologies. For a prebescent kid he was well behaved and rather somber. Amusingly he seemed to act more like an adult than some of the comical characters that Riko had run into in this business so far. It was hard for Riko to judge how much was the ignorance of a child versus how much was the failing of the teacher. She weighed it on the balane scales of her mind and decided simply that have a class where the ages were so drastically apart, it was practically doomed to failure. Riko thought she recognized now why they preferred to train academy students as children instead of adults - with a class of like age peers it would be easier to teach to the age group. There was a certain kind of logic to it. ”No worries Saito-san, It was just a few scratches.” She addressed the young Eichi, recognizing him for his clan based merely on their shared characteristics.

They were a large enough clan and prominent enough that she would known them anywhere. It was perhaps like how she could be called Shinrya from a glance, though she lacked the tell tale Red Eyes. Riko didn’t feel like a Shinrya sometimes, having lived more of her life apart from the main branch despite having a line to it through her mother.


As Honome tended to her wounds, she listened to what Hon had to say about the subject. He talked about channeling the chakra through the weapon and pointing it at him. Now she had gotten to know Hon just a little bit, but she was starting to think he was a glutton for punishment. There had to be another, safer way to determine one’s chakra affinity outside of trying to channel raw chakra at a jounin. If channeling the chakra was the only way, why not a practice dummy? Riko decided to bring this very point up. ”Honnou-Sensei - Why should we focus an attack on you instead of using, say a practice dummy? I feel like there has to be a safer way to do this.”

WC: 490

 

[Hashigaki Honome]

Honome danced through the motions of treating the wounds, her fingers in gloves playing the tune of healing Riko, pulling out pieces of glass and either putting a bandage over it or some of the medical grade super-glue that she had in her kit, depending on the severity of the cut. She ran her finger across each in turn, when she felt the sticky pull of the blood on the glass, she knew how deep the wound was. Honome tried to glare at the small boy Echi, but ended up glaring a good five feet to his left, though her ire was pin-point accurate. Her lips forming a thing line and her eyes narrowing, obscuring the iridescent pools behind her white eyelashes.

When Riko said that it was no worry, she scoffed, shaking her head and pulled the last piece of glass out of Riko. She muttered something rather coarse under her breath as she applied the medical grade super-glue to the wound, smearing it on the open bit of flesh and waited for it to dry, pulling at Riko as she got up to go to the front of the class. "Don't overdo it." She warned, as she started to pick up the loose scraps of paper, in a tidy pile where she had left them. They stuck to the gloves which were still tacky with the medical grade super-glue. She gripped them, pulling the gloves off the way she had been taught in the hospital to dispose of them in a bio-hazard waste. She'd have to figure out where one was after class. Moving her fingers over her kit, she counted the compartments, and came to the slick feeling of plastic biohazard bags which she had stocked in there not a week prior to the class. Pulling at the bag, she ran her nimble fingers over the bag to find the perforations, the resulting tear sounded like a zipper in the classroom, followed by a crack as she opened the bag expertly with one hand, flicking the ambient air into the opening, inflating the bag before she stuffed the bio-hazard contaminated waste, into the bag. Moving to the hand santizer, she rubbed the cold liquid over her hands and forearms, worked it into the spaces between her fingers, and then rubbed her fingernails against her palms to make sure she had disposed of the blood in a safe manner.

Turning her attention to the front of the classroom, she had caught the conversation that Riko had started, which was that he should choose a better target. Honome found herself fingering her fan, which she had found again, flicked it open and closed twice with four sharp cracks, sounding like the fire-crackers at summer festivals. She was hoping that she was glaring at the right place, leveling the look in Honnou's general direction.

She wasn't.

The ire coming from the iridescent eyes was aimed directly at Riko, accidentally mind, but still directed there. Honome let out a sigh, then flicked her medical kit closed with the fan, resting her hand on it, waiting for another accident to happen. Heat radiated from Honome's face, her jaw was set, and her eyes were slightly narrowed.

 

[Honnou]

… Shit.

Maybe he’d put Eichi in the spotlight unjustly. He ought to apologize to the kid later… but still, Eichi must’ve learned his lesson plenty now. Hon knew that the lad was a quick learner and that he looked up to Byakko quite a lot. He couldn’t trample on that admiration, not in a million years. Part of what pushed him to execute his duties within the ANBU… was to impress him too. Ironically, his faint, fleeting desires of heroism – so quickly shut down by the ANBU Sennin’s realism – were somewhat fulfilled through the eyes of his little brother figure. Hon could find peace in that.

The classroom was big. It was clear that small bursts of chakra were possible without smashing the windows… well, especially now due to the lack of some. And others were training outside, so Hon figured that doing it indoors was alright as long as people took to his lessons well. That was his first mistake – Hon wasn’t an educated teacher. He should’ve known to act accordingly to the differences of each student, and what each student would bring. Otherwise, he’d be a lousy teacher.

Riko did ask a valid question, and Hon had thought about it earlier. “Well, that was the initial plan, but… huh, maybe there’s a dummy free down there, be right back-“ he explained before his form appeared to vanish in the blink of an eye. Some students didn’t see him move, but other Genin were able to see his blurred form run out through the destroyed window and descend towards the lower floors in search of something.

…

He returned just as quickly, through the opening at the window without too much noise, now holding a stuffed but sturdy fiber dummy under his arm – approximately his height, wide and with random, black bullseyes painted onto it. “… I-I mean, I wouldn’t have minded showing off a little… I mean, hey, I found a dummy, after all. Riko, if you’re still ready, then take your shot – I’ll just place it here in the middle of the room…” he spoke rather hastily, ignoring his very first words as he planted the dummy in the middle of the room.

“… Before you go, let me reinforce it – give the others a chance to try as well,” he warned before weaving a handful handseals – a strangely rare occurrence for the ANBU who used to stick to a very select bag of Jutsus for his missions that were poor on handseals. Planting his palm on the dummy made its contour light up a clear, white hue… and visibly, nothing more. “Okay, now we’re ready. Remember what I told you – your body already knows what Element it wants to channel. Your job is to let it happen.”

 

[Eichi]

Eichi stood to the side, watching the training session. He wondered if he would be the only that needed some extra practice. As Hon went to grab a training dummy, the younger Saito began to jab a bit at the air. He then watched as Hon entered the classroom through the broken window. He now became part of the audience as he looked to watch Riko as she would attempt to take on the dummy with an elemental attack. He wondered if she was going to attack with a different element. 'It's a wonder to see such a teaching put to work.' The class was simple, he just had to perform a bit better when it came to carrying out his duties.

Watching Hon activate a rather advanced looking jutsu, Eichi wondered if he could gain that type of control over his chakra. He wasn't one of the masters, but he was an elite under the ANBU Captain. It takes lots of training to keep up, but he wouldn't fall behind because of a lazy attitude.

 

[Shinrya Riko]

Riko winced but kept a strong face as Honome’s careful fingers danced across her wounds like butterflies, plucking out the shards of glass. Those splinters that might be overlooked because of their clear crystalline forms couldn’t deceive Honome, because she had never relied on her eyes her entire life. Finally, the wounds were sealed with glue. As Honome’s operation had proceeded Hon had vanished to obtain a target dummy. In his Absence, Eichi was doing some shadowboxing. He just seemed incredibly neutral about the whole thing. A realization clicked in Riko’s head. Was she being… no, it couldn’t be right? She recognized the pleasant feeling she was having at Honome’s medical care and medical attention. She had felt perfectly safe in Honome’s hands, and to a large degree, she recognized how much she had wanted some kind of attention. She felt a little guilty at abusing Eichi in this way, but she wouldn’t take it back at this point.

Hon returned and announced the presence of the training dummy. She was directed at it by the teacher, and with a bit of a sigh at having to leave Honome’s side she stood up to make her way over towards the dummy. Honome suddenly took her by the hand and Riko paused. Don’t over do it. Riko took Honome’s hand in her own. ”I think you’re the first person to say that to me. Don’t worry, nothing fancy.” She answered back to Honome.

Thats right, she didn’t need to be as flashy as Eichi. She had the benefits of belonging to the Shinryu clan, so she had a fair expectation of what element would come most naturally to her. As she channeled her chakra to what was natural she could feel it taking on a hot quality. Just like she had expected. It didn’t make much sense to channel this hot chakra into fire and coat her short blade but instead she lined up her hands on the hilt so that they touched the pins - which in turn were in contact with the tang of the blade. She was grateful for the handle as all of the metal had begun to turn red hot. She walked over to the dummy and chopped at it in a deliberate but controlled manner. The smell of hot steel and burning wood.

”Fire? Should have figured.”

 

[Hashigaki Honome]

Honome listened as the class continued, her fists clenched on top of the table in front of her, waiting for Riko to get hurt again, hoping she wouldn't get hurt again, glaring at the back of the person in front of her's head. It wasn't her fault, couldn't tell where she was 'looking' but the glare was visible anyhow. She just hoped that Riko understood the implications to channeling chakra like the teacher had told her. Already something unforseen had happened, and she was hoping that no one would get too seriously burned by the fire that Riko spoke of.

 

[Honnou]

Yeah… yeah yeah, just like that, Riko! She had that shit under control in no time… and it appeared that her fated element was fire. But enough about that – Hon was madly interested in the Riko x Honōme bonding that was occurring as the latter was patching up Riko’s glass-caused wounds. Somehow, Eichi’s stunt brought the two closer together, and y’know what?

Bless.

“That’s a good start, Riko – you’re able to channel Fire Release chakra through that tantō. I take it that Fire is your fated nature,” he complimented her, turning his gaze towards the next one up – the fancy fox befriender Honōme who wielded a fan (thank the heavens that it wasn’t a sharp weapon) also had the opportunity to try this out.

“If Riko’s Fire… then maybe Honōme’s Wind? I’d bet on that,” he humored himself, crossing his arms in anticipation, “Honōme, do you wanna give it a shot?” Like, he knew about her ailment, but he also knew how capable she was. He knew how strong she was. And he knew how kind she was, from Ayaka. Giving her an opportunity to show off in their class sounded like a great idea for support – besides, Riko was by her side… oh yeah-

“Riko, please help her aim at the training dummy. Eichi, we'll continue training when we get back home. I'll show you this neat trick my dad taught me...”

 

[Kagami Miro]

The pressure of her presence weighed heavily on her captain. A telling sign had been his demeanor that changed to discipline Eichi. Stricter and with a more pointed gaze of disappointment that struck like daggers to a kawarimi target. The smile on her lips never swayed, even though she believed his strictness had been unjust. In her mind, a class in chakra control to academy students and genin alike usually were best suited for outside. Unless the teaching method resulted in minimal danger at best. On the other hand, children within the ANBU’s training program picked up technique rather quickly or they walked home without a branch to call home in the best of scenarios.

Regardless the class continued on and even Eichi returned to his normal self the second Hon returned with a training dummy. Red hues sparkled as they watched the interaction between Riko and Honōme. A small fling of interest between the two of them bespoke a timely history. The brute of a woman had the control and demeanor of an Ox. The highlight of the class replayed in her mind again and again. ‘Impressive.’ Given her readiness to defend the Sennin could have believed in an earth affinity at first glance. The idea quickly swatted itself away when her red hues witnessed the hue akin to her irises. Red hot the blades began to condense and ripple with her chakra. Again, her control meant experience. To Mirō’s surprise a unique interest in Riko began to blossom in her mind.

With a mighty swing the woman’s fiery strike pounded the unsuspecting dummy with a satisfying slice. As Riko suspected? Mirō subtly nodded with approval. Carefully Riko withdrew her weapon and turned to face Honōme most likely. It didn’t matter, the Sennin turned her attention to Hon who predicted another wind affinity within the classroom. Wind felt correct with the choice of weapon that Honōme clacked together.
​

Mirō decided to take him up on the bet. ‘Water.’ Her sense of chakra was unable to assist her before the bet as the white haired girl remained focused on Riko without any spikes in chakra. Water had been an affinity she dealt with before. An easy trip to the hospital from a fight with Konoha’s own Medical Sennin. The power of water was about to douse any flame. ‘Let’s hope you’re right.’ Naibu giggled at the idea of a water user stamping out the flames of love from a fire enthusiast. ​