Going back to my Roots (open)

[Yomoko]

(OOC: I havent RP'd in roughly 3 years. I apologize if this isn't up to par of anyone that joins. Gotta get back into the swing of things somehow right?)

The young Sunaku Genin walked into the academy training grounds after talking to an old Sensei from his academy days about possibly being a tutor one day. Yuko was 14 and young in his career with many things he could go do. Maybe become an ANBU? maybe a medical profession or maybe just stay in the popular workforce of Mother Suna. On this especially hot day at the academy in the training grounds, he wasn't especially thinking that far into his future. He still needed to make his chuunin exam whenever that would be and then he had to start prepping for his Jounin exam.

" ah man... what am i gonna do? the Old fogies want me to figure out what i want to do with my life and i just made Genin last year. I don't even know what i want to do. I'll figure it out though. I got all the time in the world. Maybe a tutor for the new academy students. Maybe a Teacher one day like Sensei." What started to be a downer and confusion, turned into an upbeat thought process. The kid who could turn anything into a positive swing stroke again. "I mean heck, I learned runic terran. I could learn more of the history of that. Maybe even learn something hidden and become an expert on it." He sat down on a bench on the side of the training grounds with his back to the entrance of the area.

"i'll figure something out. It will just take a little time." He looked up at the sky with the burning sky scorching the sand underneath his feet. If he wasn't a native of this land it might have been too hot for him to be sitting out there today. Not a cloud in the sky. Maybe i'll make a sand cloud for cover.... or maybe I'm too lazy for that... He thought to himself in a chuckle. He wore his long dark blue robe with his messy brown hair. While it was hot there was a nice breeze. Its a nice day in the academy grounds.

[topic entered]
[MFT WC: 353]

 

[Kyuuji]

Riku was training. Totally training. Yeah, he was doing, uh… physical training! Obviously! That was why he was running around the training grounds with a puppy chasing at his heels. For endurance and speed. Duh. That was obviously the reason, and definitely not because he had gotten distracted by the dog. Nope. Of course not. Because he was responsible and respectable and did not engage in games of chase. His mindset of seriousness was thrown out the window as he let out a giggle as the puppy tripped and stumbled. “C’mon, ‘samu!” He encouraged. “Y’can do it!” The puppy determinedly got back on its feet and promptly resumed the chase. Another joyful laugh left the young Inuzuka as he played.

He slid to a stop when he heard the voice of someone else in the training grounds, though. Isamu didn’t realize that they were stopping, and instead ended up running right into his human companion. “Aw, ‘samu, s’okay,” He petted the dog. He idly kicked at the ground, listening the best he could to the other person. He was talking all about life choices, or something like that? Riku wasn’t all too certain what the guy was going on about. To him, it sounded all kinds of complicated. More than that, though, it made him wonder.

“Why y’talking t’yourself?” He called out, genuinely baffled. ”Are ya an Aburame? Are y’talking to y’bugs?” It would explain why the guy was talking out loud to no one that Riku could see. It made perfect sense! “Can I see y’bugs, Mister Aburame?” He asked hopefully. Then he paused. “S’that rude…?” He frowned, before shrugging it off. “Can I?”

 

[Ryu Hime]

It is not easy being a genin at times. Sure growing up when you are young as a student is a blast as most of life's troubles people experience does not seem to be even a problem. You don’t have to worry about getting enough food to eat or if you’ll have a place to sleep for the night. Within a caring family things are grand and peaceful. However as one grows older and enters adulthood, one would realize they would need more money than a genin rank can offer. As a Genin you can only take missions of a certain risk and that does not pay much. For this reason it is not uncommon for genin to get a second job especially the older ones. Hakuren after saving his money from missions he had bought his very own yatai, a mobile food stall. Perhaps one day he will raise enough money to own his own restaurant.

In the training ground is little shack that house various weapons for students to train with if they did not possess their own. Hakuren was placing a poster advertising his yatai it hopes to get more customers. From there he overheard the genin determining what he wanted to do with his life. Then some student who apparently ‘training’ in the training field comes up to the genin and asks some odd question. Giving a sigh Hakuren walks onto the scene in full chef attire. “You’ll understand when you get older kid. Sometimes we just ask ourselves questions. Saying them outloud forces one to confront them.” Somehow Hakuren expects the young one to still not understand, but that’s alright. “As for you.” He looks straight at the genin. “Don’t be afraid to part from the norm. Look at me. I am trying to make a new section of shinobi.” As he told the former Kazekage, ‘I like to think of myself as a cooking-nin. Yes I am well aware that such a position does not currently exist. However it is my hope that one day I could make it a thing.’

 

[Yomoko]

A fellow genin trying to find their way and an academy student that is full of bliss. Sounds like two new friends for the young Sunaku Genin! Could this day get any better? only if a third came! He smiled as he heard the academy student talk and shook his head "Nah i'm not an Aburame." As he spoke those words sand swirled into the air and created a replica dog of the younger child's companion. Being a Sunaku he did so without hand signs using his sand chakra manipulation. The sand dog sniffed the real companion and gave an approval smile. "I'm of the Sunaku bloodline. He released the chakra and the sand dog turned back into a pile of sand that was whisked away by a small breeze. As if the dog never existed at all.

After that moment another person came. Someone a little bit older than himself though he wasn't sure exactly how much older. He wore a complete chef wardrobe, quite impressive looking actually. Wonder if he gives free food... nah never mind. He wouldn't make any money that way. Yuko rose from his seat on the bench to greet the new comer to the little group that started to form on the grounds that day. "Forcing us to confront our problems or questions. I don't think I've heard someone say it out loud before like you have. Though I'm more than positive that everyone thinks the same way on the manner. As for your choice of employment, i commend you for it. I'm not much of a cook myself but i do hope your business booms. I get paid in a few days from a mission a bit ago. I'll swing by and by some food from you. Always gotta support each other right?" The optimistic genin was probably smarter than he should be at times, either that or he was very gravely naive. One could make their own assumptions on the matter.

"Names Yuko, Sunaku Yuko. Just a lowly genin trying to find out where he fits in the world." he said to the both of them. He then looked at the youngest of the group, no headband on him so Yuko assumed him to be a student still. He spoke to him saying "Whats your plan once you get out of the academy? I'm sure you aren't that far off from graduation. ANBU? Medic? Main branch?... or maybe entrepreneur like our friend here?" He was curious what the youngest had to say. They were normally the most brutally honest and one could learn something about them selves by listening to others.

Spoiler

Copied from the Sunaku Bloodline to make life easier for all.
Sand Manipulation - Passive
"With sand, anything is possible." This is a quote of the Sunaku that perfectly describes their adept control over this element. Their affinity shows perhaps the greatest control seen throughout the land when it comes to manipulation, for the Sunaku can use sand to create any image they vision within their mind, whether it be a complex jutsu, or even a small weapon. Nothing is beyond their capability to create, and so long as there is ground around the Sunaku, they will never be without their natural element.
Notes: - Sand Jutsu require no hand seals.

 

[Kyuuji]

“Oh.” His shoulders slumped for a moment, making the eight-year old seem even smaller for a moment as the genin denied his guess. He had been so sure that he was correct… But the sadness didn’t last long, because the genin decided to show exactly what bloodline he was a part of. Riku gaped, momentarily speechless at the creation of the sand puppy. Isamu wagged his tail at the other dog, giving a sad whine when the dog dissipated back into sand. “Oh, wow!” He exclaimed. His eyes were practically shining with delight. “That’s so cool!” A wide smile spread across his features. If he had a tail in this form, it would be wagging in excitement.

The interruption of the other guy made him frown, though it looked more like a pout. The words that the guy said to him confused him, but the words following it, saying that he probably wouldn’t understand, those words upset him. “‘M not stupid!” He protested. But the rest of what he said to the red-haired genin sounded like good advice, Riku grudgingly admitted.

The red-haired genin seemed really nice to him, offering to help out the other shinobi like that, and then he went on to say his name. “‘m Riku! Academy student!” He introduced himself. He went wide-eyed when a question was turned on him. “Me?” He asked, startled. “I… dunno. ‘M new to th’ academy.” Still, he thought about it as deeply as he could. “‘Aybe… main branch? I dunno any medninjutsus… bu’ helping others sounds… s’nice.”

 

[Ryu Hime]

Hakuren just smiles at the boys comment. He would likely corrected him but wished not to create an argument over something so small. There is the difference between naivety and stupidity. Naivety is the lack of experience while stupidity is the lack of knowledge. Hakuren did not think he would not understand due to lack of knowledge, but lack of experience. Hakuren considered him naive, which some might still find as an insult.

“Would you care for a sample of my work?” Hakuren reaches into his backpack, which mostly hand fliers and stuff inside, and pulls out a small bento box. Opening up he reveals four rice balls. “You and your dog can have one too if you like.” Should they accept his offer they would find something interesting happening to their bodies. Of coarse Hakuren would partake in eating a onigiri as well, but would be well aware of its effects. Karmic Blessing was an ability of his that allows him to apply the effects of a self-targeting Nin/Genjutsu such as a buff, barrier, chakra armor, or clone jutsu to another along with himself. Hakuren performs this ability through food.

For those that ate the onigiri a shroud of darkness would form around them as they are given a Shadow Garb jutsu. This was a jutsu to aid one’s ability to hide and would be way above anything the young student could hope to perform at his rank. Hakuren then summons a white mask across his face. “Anbu can be helpful as well.” Hakuren was not actually in anbu, but with the shadow garb and the white mask, he did look the part.

 

[Yomoko]

He smiled at the youngest as he gave his answer and learned his name."riku is it. That's a nice name." he gave a small smile as he said it. The new comer who still had not introduced himself as customs would dictate that he do so once others do, gave a kind gesture for them to sample his work. Yuko looked at the rice balls carefully and then smiled as he took one. " why thank you very much! he spoke as he took a nice big bite of them enjoying the flavor. As he opened his eyes from tasting the delicious rice ball, he found himself inside of his sand cube. His bloodline technique to shield himself from danger or what could be perceived as danger. He didn't understand how or why he got inside of it but it must have been a foreign energy that his body sensed. He hadn't fully mastered his bloodline control to the fullest extent yet so his instincts sometimes took over in a defense mechanism.

He moved his hand out in front of him and the sand started to dissipate as he saw the dark shadow around himself and their chef now had a plain, faceless anbu mask on. either he's a true anbu or he's a pretender which makes me that much more wary of him. he thought to himself internally. He showed no outward concern or shock., just curiousness as to who this person really is.

So what made you want to join the ANBU? Also what did you say your name was? he said to their chef friend. He would give him the benefit of the doubt. He might just be trying to prove a point and may be harmless after all. He hoped that Riku wasn't too freaked out if he tried the rice ball too.

 

[Kyuuji]

His exclamation was ignored, making him frown, but the boy smiled brightly at the compliment to his name, the smile unwittingly showing off his fangs. His smile faded when the older man offered them food, though. Riku eyed the food suspiciously, shaking his head. “No thanks,” He politely declined. To be frank, he really didn’t like this guy, not helped by the fact that he hadn’t introduced himself when the rest of them had. Riku knew better than to take food from strangers, and he wouldn’t let Isamu eat something that he himself didn’t trust. He was startled when Yuko accepted the food, he watched with trepidation as the older boy brought the food to his mouth and took a bite, only to promptly be surrounded by a cube of sand.

Riku’s head whipped towards the unnamed man. “What did you do?” His voice was very near to a snarl, and beside him the puppy gave its own growl. While not a particularly intimidating noise from a child of his stature and a baby dog, it was nevertheless a threat of some sort. His fangs were bared, on display now on purpose. His eyes were narrowed and his posture tensed. While he was only an academy student, he had significantly improved since the first day he had walked into the academy. He was relieved when the sand started to dissipate, but was further unnerved by the dark aura which covered both the man and Yuko.

He didn’t get how Yuko could dismiss this so easily. His sand had reacted as if it was a threat, so why didn’t he get that this could potentially be dangerous. He frowned at the ANBU mask. ANBU weren’t supposed to reveal who they were, he knew that much. They would never show off their face unless they were stupid. While Riku wasn’t ruling out that this guy could be a stupid ANBU member, he really didn’t think the man was ANBU in the first place. Still, it was smart of Yuko to remind the man that he’d never introduced himself, even if Riku would have preferred Yuko to have thought of that before eating offered food. Yuko was nice and trusting, and that meant he could get hurt easily.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Hakuren was happy that the genin took the riceball, but was a little disappointed that the kid did not. Hakuren was most definitely not expecting a reaction of this nature from the genin. Truly this one must lack control over his powers as Hakuren rarely sees such a defensive reaction to a buff. Was it due to the nature of the jutsu? Sand is Earth and Wind, while Shadow is Fire and Water. Earth beats Water, but Fire beats Wind. Could the fire part of this element be triggering this reaction? “Perhaps a more submissive element would have been more agreeable. Maybe a plan Water jutsu would have done better.” The young student seems to think he was attacking the genin and demands an explanation.

Hakuren did not even look at the boy, as he was not a threat in the slightest, but continues to stare at the orb of sand in front of him. “The type of shinobi I am attempting to become is a support role. I enhance the capabilities of others with my food. The jutsu I bestowed upon him is one that would increase one’s ability to enter stealth.” Hakuren was not sure if the kid got all of that, but it was what he asked for.

Hakuren stops maintaining his jutsu and thus both Shadow garbs and the summoned mask dissipate. “Merely stating an option. I am not Anbu myself. I like to think of myself as a cooking-nin, but where I belong is up in the air.” Hakuren hammers a fist into his empty palm like he just remembered something. “Oh right, you guys have that odd custom of introducing yourself without being asked. My mother taught me most of her family traditions. Sorry if I come off as rude. My name is Hakuren by the way. “ Hakuren’s mother did had some interesting traditions with some that were just plan superstitious.

 

[Yomoko]

(OOC: sorry you two. its been pretty crappy at work. I should be back now.. also wasn't sure on how to respond. haha)

Yuko concentrated his attention on the younger shinobi. he clearly thought that something wrong had happened, and who could blame him. Yuko went full berserk defense mode, not that he meant to. " Easy Riku. No need to go crazy. Hakuren did nothing wrong. The jutsu he used was a buff, a positive jutsu, called Shadow garb. I don't know it myself but I've seen a few of my Senseis use it in the past. It helps you become more stealthy, if i recall correctly. The sand cube was my bloodlines sand shield. I haven't learned to completely control it yet. I've gotten better the last few months but it takes a lot of training."

He looked over to Hakuren "I do apologize for that. Like i said i'm still learning how to control my Kekkai Genkai. Most of it is instinctual hence why it does it by itself. The more i learn from it the more control I get.

Yuko wasn't sure what to say or do after that. Hakuren had explained he wasnt an ANBU. Which made sense usually ANBU masks are geared toward the shinobi and wasn't so plain. But hey what does he know. Yuko was looking around and unsure of what to do. So he asked the first question that came to his mind. "So have you guys ever met the Kazekage or acting Kazekage. Whatever the official title is. I haven't. I haven't even met a Sennin to be honest. But hey, i'm just a genin. Who would I have met right? " He chuckled at the end of his last sentence. Maybe one of them had something more interesting to talk about.

 

[Kyuuji]

The nameless guy rambled on about components, not even answering him at first. When he did finally answer, he didn’t even bother to look at him The feral part of him was plenty enraged by that. Riku wasn’t the strongest yet, but he wasn’t the weak kid he had been when he had first joined the academy. He continued to growl even as Yuko tried to calm him down. As he’d said before when he was first ignored, he wasn’t stupid. He was getting pretty angry with how this guy was treating him.

“Stop doin’ that,” He growled out. “Don’t dismiss me.” Riku understood plenty, and what he was understanding right now was that this guy thought that he was nothing. “I migh’ be an academy student fo’ now, but I won’t always be,” It sounded very close to a warning. His gaze was narrowed, and the instinctual part of him was closer to the surface than ever.

Yoko tried to changed the subject to something miscellaneous, and Riku shot him an incredulous look. “Y’can’t just accept that! ‘e should’ve said somethin’ first!” He protested. “Y’can’t go feedin’ people stuff like that withou’ telling ‘em! S’not right!” He continued to glare at the man.

All the while, the puppy beside him continued his quiet growl, sharp little teeth bared, looking about ready to strike at any moment. If he did, Riku wasn’t so certain that he’d call Isamu off. If things kept up the way they were now, he might just join the dog.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Fine it looks like Hakuren is going to have to give a speech. He gives a deep sigh before giving Yuko an apologetic look. He then turns to Rikuto and looks him straight in the eye, “I dismiss you out of kindness.” Hakuren would only expect a smart comment from that statement to which Hakuren would completely incinerate a nearby dummy with a Sol Fire Tempest in response. It was an extremely high powered jutsu to be used on a dummy, but it did give a message of how short Hakuren’s patients was. “You signed up to become a shinobi and thus you are no longer a civilian. Disrespect to a superior officer would not be shown kindly in this line of work. If you can’t treat a person with respect simply because they out rank you, I suggest you leave the academy now. Because as a shinobi you are expected not to need any other reason than that.” Are there people that Hakuren thinks as jerks? Yes, but Hakuren would never treat them like this kid has treated himself, because they are of higher rank. Hakuren hopes the kid learns how to control his feral instincts for he may very well end up dead if given a stern teacher. “Now we are changing the subject before I have to deliver due punishment for insubordination.”

After giving Riku the talk on respecting the chain of command, Hakuren goes back to facing Yuko again. “I apologize for that. Words needed to be said.” Hakuren takes another deep breath. “Now you asked if I have ever met the Kazekage or acting Kazekage correct? In fact I have met the former kazekage. He quite enjoyed my curry and his noble friend was quite a big tipper.”

 

[Ryu Hime]

(left topic due to inactivity)