GRUNTLINGS!

[Aoi]

"I guess smell and taste genjutsu both can be viable ways of distraction?" Aoi muttered, obviously trying to cater to their sensei's weird fascination with other senses, trying to not make her feel bad? But then again, the woman looks strong enough to handle such things though. Maybe he shouldn't have done that but he feels that if he hadn't, he would've felt really bad about it. Guess there's no other way around the situation though. His finger's fidgeted on his desk as she continued her lecture about genjutsu. On other matters, it looks like someone else got to Yami before he did. Maybe he can be friends with both of them? But he kind of lost his will after that loud guy seemed to hit it off with Yami. The pale boy pouted and decided that maybe Raito would be a good friend too. At least, he can talk without being that loud like that Daichi guy. Oh it really is irritating but he would have to calm himself down and try not to look flustered. But the crease on his forehead, unknown to the boy, never did disappear, as well as the slight pout on his lips.

The boy decided to try and focus all his attention on the class and not on Daichi and his loud mouth. 'The nerve of that boy.' he angrily thought. He shook his head and listened to their teacher telling them that being trapped in a genjutsu is like being trapped in a cage but that there's a technique called "cancel" to fight it. She also told them that some genjutsu have a set duration, or turns off when the caster is unconscious or if it is a doujutsu, breaking vision is another way to get out. But something ticked in that pretty pale little head of his.

"Sensei, how do we know we are in an illusion in the first place?" he inquired. "Wouldn't it be pointless to just keep using cancel if you are not really in an illusion? Also, does cancel also have any requirements or limitations? I wanna know these things because I wanted to be good at illusions myself."

OOC: Sorry for the extremely late and crappy post but I wanted a class.

 

[Naragaki Sora]

Raito was curious about this "cancel" ability, since his brother seem ed to like the idea of illusion casting, and Raito really didn't feel like being his guinea pig when it came to testing new ideas. but he was getting restless. so far, all the class had been this woman ranting about the various types of skills one could use during battle, and nothing concrete was actually taught. The nervous kid spoke up, asking a valid question regarding illusions, and how to tell if you were even trapped within one, which Raito took as his opportunity to speak up. "I agree with him," He began, speaking boldly, and leaning back in hiss chair, arms folded at his chest, "How does one discover they're being manipulated? I highly doubt shinobi are just a bunch of paranoid protectors that use this "Cancel" technique with every step. That just sounds like a waste of energy."

Raito just wanted to move the class forward; to get to a point where actual learning took place. Harupia-Sensei's class had more going on than this...

OOC: short post, I know, but I'm having the worst kind of writer's block right now. sorry =/

 

[Takahashi Aki]

(I kind of wanted a few extra posts, but hey let's keep the motion going, I've put some links in the post to some of the abilities and the actual cancel jutsu)

"Smell especially works on those with higher senses, like a member of the Inuzuka clan."<i></i> Mako addressed Aoi. "Trust me , Gruntlings, when you're being hunted for sport by three Inuzuka Trackers, and you need to get out alive, you'll be thanking me for thinking about this."<i></i> A grin appeared on Mako's face. It was the sort of grin that suggested that she was slightly cracked. She laughed weakly after. The grin vanishing from her face. "It's not fun being hunted. I'll tell you that much. The day that you kids invent a smell genjutsu, you let me in on that. I fully expect some of you to invent something new in the theatre of war during your lifetime."<i></i>

Most questions followed upon the nature of genjutsu. "When it boils down to knowing when you're in a genjutsu, it boils down to your gut feelings, and your surroundings. Say for instance ... you're in a cold room. You feel like you're being eaten alike by mosquitoes? Chances are ... you're being toyed with."<i></i> She responded. "Cancel does have its limits. Don't expect yourself to be able to easily cancel out a high level genjutsu. Luckily cancel isn't associated with an element, so learning it isn't too hard. ... There is also the concept of being constantly paranoid. It works for some people, but not for me."<i></i> Mako held up her hand, and showed the one handed seal version of it. Given her disability of only having one hand, she picked up the chalk and quickly drew what it looked like to use it with both hands.

"Some of us out there are so used to genjutsu, that we can see that we've been effected by it with utter clarity. "<i></i> She paused for a moment. Had to let the Gruntlings grasp this concept. Mako was used to teaching and working with adults. Children were very different. "Takes months of practice to get it right. Sometimes you get it by having genjutsus casted on you, and you work your way out of it by working. Other times you get it right because you work so heavily with the stuff it becomes second nature to you."<i></i> Mako would grin again as an idea came to mind. "Now my lovely Gruntlings. Let's see what you make of this little simple trick of the mind."<i></i> The Veteran formed a series of seals and unleashed a very simple genjutsu upon the class. Each of the students would begin to feel like they were being tickled. Everyone had a ticklish spot. The Veteran knew this was probably the best of ways to get them initated to the feeling of being trapped with a genjutsu. Silly? Yes. She could have used a higher genjutsu, but she didn't want to break their young minds just yet. "Fight it my Gruntlings. Fight it. Laugh and you're doing five push-ups."<i></i>

 

[Naragaki Sora]

Yea, I'd rather not live paranoid.. Raito thought as the teacher continued, explaining Cancel takes concentration, even when the genjutsu is pricking away at there senses. So it's an act of control. both of self and the surroundings. Raito thought back to his last class, how the Sensei had told them that controlling ones energy was like a step above meditation. you needed clarity of a certain level just to get the ball rolling. To stop genjutsu though.. I need to work on my focus, then...

just as he thought this though, his feet started to tingle and twitch. At first, it was just a nuisance, a slight irritation, really. The teacher had said something. he was only half listening, too. Dammit, what did she say? wait, is this Genjutsu? she's testing us, got it! focus!! Raito struggled to maintain his focus, moving his feet under his desk back and forth, trying to escape the sensation. it felt wierd, but familiar, and then it hit him, with a slight increase in intensity, just as the teacher said something about fighting the urge to laugh. It's a tickle! Gods, when was the last time I was tickled.. NO! focus!

Raito was losing his fight with his concentration, and he knew it, but he had to prove he could do something in this class. He was determined, and felt like he, not having been raised in a shinobi home, had to prove something. Maybe to the teacher, maybe to the other students, maybe to himself. Whatever the cause that motivated him, he needed to succeed. He felt it, he needed this more than anything at this moment, and that's what made him fight for it.

He felt it; the sensation from Harupia-Sensei's class that caused the chakra paper to react. Straightening up, he slapped his hands together, felt the energy inside him surge, and muttered to himself, "Cancel!" The tickling seased, and he opened his eyes. The rest of the class seemed to still be working on the release, save for one other kid, and he, the street urchin, had successfully broken out of his first Genjutsu. He smiled, and chuckled quietly to himself. I did it.. oh shit! I hope she didn't hear me laugh! Raito suddenly thought in a mini-panic. He'd succeeded, but the teacher threatened push-ups to whomever laughed, and in a way, even though the illusion was broken, he laughed... That had better not count!

MFT: WC: 407

 

[Aoi]

Aoi smiled at his classmate when he heard Raito agreed with him. It was one of the few times people agreed with him. Well, that may be because most of the times, he kept his opinions to himself. He then turned to their sensei.

"I see."

'I guess that makes sense.' he thought 'I guess getting chased by Inuzuka's are not fun and abusing their sense of smell would be one way of getting them off your trail. However...'

"Sensei, wouldn't a ninjutsu that completely hides your scent be more effective than inventing a smelly genjutsu to get out of being tracked?" he inquired, hoping he wasn't being too inquisitive or annoying. Getting hurt because he's too curious was the last thing Aoi wanted to happen. But then again, he really can't help himself sometimes. He sighed and decided to listen to what their sensei told them next. Apparently, it all boils down to gut feel and the ability to discern when something is out of the ordinary, or if something is really weird or out of place. And, as expected, the cancel jutsu has limitations on how effective it can be on genjutsus depending on their level.

She then went on to discuss how some people are just so attuned to genjutsu that they simply know they are hit by one or they may have been working with it for so long that they just know when one hits them. He nodded at this and then their teacher decided to give them a little test. He shrugged but then he started feeling ticklish and they weren't supposed to laugh. He blocked his mouth with his hands, trying to stop the laughs from coming out as his face turned a very visible red. However, it wasn't very long until he let out his high pitched laughter. After a while, it wore off and he frowned, obviously displeased with himself, hands curled into tight fists, embarrassed that even though he was studying genjutsu, he still couldn't get himself to fight this. Looking at the floor, he resigned himself to his fate and stood up, stepped forward a few and dropped to perform five push ups that looked as if they were the most difficult thing in the world, his arms looking as if they were gonna break every time he tried to push himself up. After completing the set of five push-ups, he shakingly stood up and sat down quietly, too ashamed to look anyone in the eye.

OOC: A very crappy post. I am sorry. It seems all I am able to do these days are these crap posts.

MFT - 417 words

 

[Takahashi Aki]

(You've been doing well Shinji, hope you're feeling better sport, we'll finish this up in one more round)

The expression on Mako's face was one of satisfaction. The gruntlings fought hard against it. They really did. Most of them grinned, giggled, or broke out laughing. Gruntling Aoi though took a different approach. Instead of trying out the jutsu he just covered his mouth. He had the right idea, in a way. He broke out laughing, but he was the first to drop to the floor. By the end of it, Mako's grin was gone. "Gruntling Aoi is a man who knows his orders. He's a shining example of a man who keeps his word. He had a different idea. Not the text book one, but he used his hands to force a response to counter the genjutsu."<i></i> Mako turned her gaze from the brooding child to the rest of the class. She stomped her foot. She asserted her military authority. "Come on Gruntlings, follow his example. Gruntling Raito time to get familiar with the floor. You chuckled, but you managed to pull off the jutsu at the end. You owe me five pushups. I've the ears of a fox."<i></i>

The Veteran stalked about the room. "That's a text book genjutsu that plays with the sense of feeling. Could have been worse. Could have had you all wondering if you got electrocuted, or if y'all were suffering a fever."<i></i> Aoi spoke up once more. The inquisitive Gruntling deserved this answer given the fact he almost just passed out from a little physical exercise. In time Grunting Aoi would sport a sixpack if Mako had anything to say about it. Mako tapped her chin. "You could make use of a ninjutsu. Hiding your scent through doing something like burning something, that much is true. Trackers though can pick out scents though. It happened to me. I tried burning leather. It stank the place up, but I was still hunted. Points to you kid, you've thought this through it would seem."<i></i>

The Veteran eyed the clock. Few minutes left before the bell rang. There was still some time left to bring up a few more items. "The mark of a true genjutsu master is when they're capable of extending their genjutsu lengths. They can shorten it too to deliver more of a punch. General rule is the more intense it is, the lesser it'll last but the worse it is for you. The less intense it is, then the longer it may last. Always considering time being a factor here. Some fights you want to end quickly before your enemy draws out their big guns. Other fights you simply want to exhaust your enemy. You've got to read them. Figure out who they are and then take your best guess as how to proceed. Bear in mind you may need extra time until your fellow Gruntlings come to aid you. Consider that too in the field of war."<i></i>

 

[Aoi]

Aoi was so busy berating himself that he tuned out most of what their sensei told them about taking punishments and such. He so busy thinking why was he so weak? How was he supposed to protect everyone important to him, everyone that have been very very kind to him even though he's a terribly quiet company? His neighbors and landlady would understand but he wanted to impress them, to make them see that he can take care of himself now and that he can now take care of them too? How was he supposed to do all that if he can't understand such concepts like cancelling genjutsu in a small amount of time, like how Raito did? He looked at Raito with jealousy and a bit of anger. Angry that Raito was so much stronger than him and jealousy because he knows he could have done better, researched better but he was just too stupid to even think properly. He sighed. He punched his lap repeatedly, telling himself he should train twice as hard as everybody else, telling himself he was too weak as he is. Maybe someday he would be useful to someone, to everyone. But today, maybe he should just endure all of this and use this somehow to strengthen himself.

As his mind cleared, so has his ears and he started hearing what their teacher told them next. The rule of genjutsu intensity being inversely proportional to its duration. He nodded, taking it all in. But one thing bothered him though.

"Sensei, which opponents do we need to tire out and which do we need to finish quickly? How will we know? If I have an incapacitated friend with me, does that mean I have to take the enemy out quickly? But what if he is stronger than me?" the boy asked.

 

[Naragaki Sora]

"Gods be Damned!" Raito muttered angrily, and he pushed his chair away from the desk with a violent shove, and dropped to the ground. This is horse crap! I did your stupid little test, and passed. punish me. stupid scarred up hag. Riato fumed with irritation as he did his five push ups. It wasn't a hard task to accomplish, he just didn't want to exert more energy than was needed, and in his mind, this wasn't needed.

Jumping up and doing a very rude and mocking bow, he sat back down in his chair and put his hood up over his head. He just wanted to be left alone now. Even the little timid boy in front of him looked at him angrily. Raito shot him a threatening glare, mostly as if to ask What in the 7 hells do you want?! He was upset now, and paying less attention. Although he did catch something about the use of intensity over duration. Aoi, as the teacher had called him, said something about how to know when to use one over the other. How does one know when to use a short strong burst, rather than a long drawn out attack.

"If you feel like tormenting and torturing your vict- your opponent, a long, drawn-out attack would do the trick, or if you simply want to tire out a strong guy, right Sensei?" Riato was familiar with the uses of tiring out your opponent. he was never good at a frontal assault based mentality, and more of a "hit the guy with a bunch of little things until he snapped" sort of person. "So why use a big heavy hit? what's the point?"


OOC: Short post, I know, I'll try to get a better one next time.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Mako cracked a grin watching as Raito threw a temper tantrum of sorts. Raito followed up with a mocking gesture of sorts. "You'll be finding something else to damn because the gods don't really care Gruntling. Remember that as I'm considering having you do a lap around the school for your insubordination."<i></i> The veteran half though about applying extra weight to the boy's back by pressing down with her boot. Heck, she could even put a bag of bricks on him and see how he fairs to that. She reminded herself that these were children after all. Children needed discipline. Children needed to know where they can run, walk, and then crawl if necessary. "More sass and y'all get to do laps around the school."<i></i> Mako announced to the class.

"Say it Gruntling Raito. Victim. Say it. We're all at one point or another going to be victims to war and cruelty. That's the nature of life, and we're here to make sure you survive it better than the others."<i></i> Gruntling Aoi spoke up. He inquired about knowing when to tire out a foe, or when to finish them quickly. "Sometimes Gruntling Aoi it's better to run and live to fight another day. When you've got a fellow comrade down it's best to flee when you're not confident. If you are confident in your ability you can burst down an enemy."<i></i> Raito got some it right. She snapped her finger and pointed to him. "Points to you Gruntling. That's part of it. I'm thinking less now of having you run that lap."<i></i> She snapped her finger again. She paced about for a moment. "Why use the heavy attack? Sometimes you want to send your enemy, or his or her employer a message. This branches off into the mental state of things. If you use a big heavy hit that ends the way you want it, you may cause your enemy to fear you. That is one of the few things that are best in life. To see your enemy flee in terror before you. It also boils down to timing too. If you think you're gonna pass out, but you're confident you can kill your enemy before passing out, then knock him or her flat. Being a prisoner of war is something you don't want to experience. It's a I-do-what-want card."<i></i> The veteran paced about once more.

"That brings us Gruntlings to the stinger."<i></i> She removed a zippo from her wear and played with it. Clapping in back and forth. She really wanted her cigarette. Maybe two. "Next week, we'll take another poll. Work on some ninjutsu or taijutsu. Don't worry Gruntling Aoi, we'll toughen you up yet. We'll have you breaking boulders with your pinky finger."<i></i> A smirk surfaced on her face. "Gruntling Raito. We'll show you how to not die or burn yourself with fire ninjutsus if we're doing ninjutsu. Skaddle Gruntlings."<i></i>

(We're done here!)

 

[Aoi]

Aoi was really concerned when Raito started cursing and damning gods - he was pretty sure those words were one and the same but what was said was said - but in reality, all he ever did was flinch and stare. He did not have the courage, or the mere capability, to say something comforting, or something to pacify the situation. He felt useless. He wanted to help but he couldn't. He was stuck there, stiff and flinching. Weak was how he viewed himself now. The boy wished he was useful, he was stronger like Raito. Was he jealous? Aoi thought about it. He doesn't really know. He doesn't hate or feel anger towards the boy but there was something. He sighed as he waited for the commotion to ease, for their sensei to stop. As Raito, told his opinion on when to tire out an opponent, something about torturing or simply wanting to tire out a strong person, Aoi thought if he could actually do it. He had never harmed anyone in his life, verbally, physically or otherwise, so he was wondering if he had the ability to hurt people. Then he was told that if he wasn't confident he could defeat the opponent, he should just run. Again, he felt weak, useless. He wanted power. Power to change things. The power to subdue people who hurts those he felt he had to protect, those he cared about. Maybe, just maybe he could feed off of this need to protect people to make himself stronger. Maybe. Hopefully.

"So, sensei, I should be using fear against my opponents? I have heard there is a sort of genjutsu that does that to opponents. I think I might be interested in it." Aoi muttered, though he was sure there was something else in his voice that was not confidence. Something dark and subtle. Something he doesn't agree with. Maybe he should take a rest. A holiday for a few days to clear his head. He might end up hurting himself, or worse, other people, if this continues.

"But from the books I've read, fear eventually turns to anger and then violence." he muttered to himself, softly, worriedly. And then, their lesson was brought to a halt. Next week would either be ninjutsu or taijutsu. He needed to strengthen himself.

"I will prepare for next week then sensei. Thank you for the lesson." He bowed to their sensei and walked slowly toward the door. He turned for a moment, looking at Raito. "Its an honor being in a class with you. I hope to see you soon."

With that, he walked slowly away.

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