Hey Look, A Falling Man [Tsubaki]

[Samejima]

[col]

Mine Rintarou​

|It's a hot day. Very hot day. He was not used to working under the sun, despite having been born and raised in the desert. He hoped that the future generations would regain their resistance to the sun. Yes, he thinks about evolutionary patterns, it's not uncommon to wonder how living in a biome that's known for heatstroke and yet not being at risk of getting one would affect his physical make up. The bandanna covering his head had had a cooling effect for the past couple of hours but it was getting stuffy and he didn't want to stop working just yet, having gotten a rhythm going with the construction of what was to be a shelter specializing in books. Imported of course. They wanted to plan ahead for the masses of books that'll be sent in so the place was being built with several stories, and they were working on the third at this point.
Wiping sweat from his brow, he took the bandanna off in the same gesture, using it to wipe his face and stuffing it in his back pocket before continuing with said rhythm. He heard the bell for lunch, though that day was his weekly eat-a-big-breakfast day and he felt like he could join the others for some shogi spectating later on anyway while munching down some bread, so he carried on working, all the way through the hottest part of the day. He was vaguely surprised he'd even made it that long, and when he stood up from the crouched position he'd been in for the past ten minutes or so, he thought he was about to close a productive half-day of work. He also felt faint.
Hey, what's that boxed lunch I see there? Oh wait it's a hallucination. It's in midair. "Yaaaaaaaah!" And so the construction man who thought he could fell to his death, without a harness on because he'd just taken it off to descend the construction area..[/col]

Naoki was walking by and had been about to try and lend a hand somewhere, if not here, in order to try and help with rebuilding. Was there anything she could help with? She hadn't been assigned to patrol up here today, but she didn't usually find anything going wrong in the Diamond District and was frankly getting tired of drawing attention with how she usually dressed over there. Sure, she could just stay hidden, but then people wouldn't stop the wrongdoings they might have been up to when she walked by, saving her the trouble of confrontation! ...is what she likes to tell herself. Still self-conscious about a lot of things when it comes to how she's viewed, she realizes that she might just not be comfortable with sticking out so much... But then she drowns it out with thoughts of wanting to be helpful where help is needed. There wasn't much noise where the construction was supposed to be happening. Is it time for lunch? I could go for some lunch... I'll just help afterwards to pay it off! And so the hungry little genin wandered over to the crowd gathering around some shogi players and a table of food in the corner of the tent-like structure. She was quite focused on how to get there, and figured that everyone would be in the tent anyway. At least until she heard a yell coming from close by. From above?

The sound brought her into a state of high alert, and she was able to sense a good number of things. One, that someone else was walking towards her form behind. Two, that someone was falling from the building under construction, and that he was the source of the yelling. Without a third thought she dashed towards the building, using her chakra to boost her movement speed to make it there faster and run about a dozen steps up the building in order to catch the man before he got too close for comfort with the ground. Figuring a straight up clothesline to the gut would be tough on the guy, she tried to catch him from the side to land on the ground, turning and kicking off to the left as she drew closer to where the man would fall, based on what knowledge she had about how quickly gravity worked. Catching him safely and landing feet first afterwards, she froze for a second before giving a loud "Uwaaah, that was close!" and setting him down gently. "Are you oka...y?"

It seems he's fainted. What now?

[MFT]

 

[Kazumi]

Soft steps faded into obscurity as a young woman walked along the bustling surface side walk. The blazing heat of the midday sun ground down against the lining masses as many of them fought against both the desire to recede into the cool building's interior and the need to forage for food. Tsubaki was not immune to the effects of either, and she, unlike they was still heavily affected by the brunt of noon-sun heat. Resettling the brown back slung under her arm, stuffed with a number of scrolls, books and other study aids, she hurried along with the others as she mentally attempted to urge them to walk faster.

A sudden yell of fright sliced through the crowd's murmurs and gossip, the movement coming to a near dead halt as the masses paused to see the silhouette of the man falling to his certain death from the skeletal building high above their heads. Some souls' breath caught in momentary fear for the man, some relaxed in silent amusement from the event, but most simply did not care for the misfortune of a random citizen that they had no association with. In truth, Tsubaki had a mixture of all three, though she might scold herself for the latter if she were to reflect on this later.

The piercing silence reigned over the block as a figure, shaded by the bright sun, flew off from the side of that building with such speed that many of her peers had no clue as to what transpired. Tsubaki, while not a shinobi yet, was at least able to comprehend what, though not who, had seemingly saved the otherwise doomed individual. Over the span of the next few dozen seconds, movement began up once again and the citizens continued on their routine as if nothing had ever even occurred, such was the might of hunger, heat, and casual disinterest. Tsubaki, on the other hand, womed her way through the people as she worked her way towards where the figures had landed. It must have been one of the shinobi after all, and her time in the academy so far had done nothing if not grow her interest and curiosity of the village's mysterious ranks of super soldiers.

A space had opened up around where Naoki had landed, most people not wanting to get close to the scene, even if to only offer half-hearted offers of assistance. No blood was splattered, and aside from the curiosity of the unconscious man, no one could will them to get any closer. None, save the eldest of the Koizumi, who slipped her way into the circle. Sudden recognition of her friend urged her to rush towards the circle's center as she knelt down by the man, looking between the two in confused curiosity.

 

[Samejima]

There was no response from the man, whose body temperature seemed to be very much off. Naoki was at a loss as to what she could do but bring the man someplace cooler, and the building in construction was the closest thing there. Someone had actually approached, and the sounds around her were enough to tell her that someone was someone she knew. Not having any hands free at the moment, she couldn't do much but breathe a sigh of relief and try to stand up. "Oh, Koizumi-san, good timing! Do you have any water with you?" she asked, lifting the man up with both arms with a little "yoi-sho... tto", putting her knees into it to keep from jarring him too much. "Feels really hot, I think he might've fainted from how hot it is up there or something... Let's go inside," Naoki jerked her head towards the unfinished building.

Once inside (unless stopped), she set the man down and turned her head towards Tsubaki if she followed. "He'll probably recover in a bit... Is there anything else we can do to cool him down..." Having an idea of sorts, she decided to try and use Shredding Touch to do so. After a series of handseals, she was able to manifest a sort of body barrier made of wind on just her hands. If I don't touch him, he won't get hurt with it... And so she sat with her legs crossed on the ground and kept her hands hovering just above his neck and abdomen, hoping he'll come to soon.

 

[Kazumi]

The young woman was no medic. She knew the effects of some herbs, how they accelerated healing of certain ailments, provided boosts of energy or even caused bodily harm, but her practical skills were limited and she doubted those skills would help them now. Listening intently to Naoki as the girl asked for water, she nodded and reached to the half-empty canteen at her side. One of the first things she had learned was the ease of dehydration here in Wind Country, something she would have assumed all of the residents would be more than aware of. Perhaps the extended seclusion underground dulled their inherited survival abilities.

Once they had made it inside of the building, and away from all of the casual prying eyes, Tsubaki uncapped the lid and tried to check to see if the man was in any condition to drink some of the water. Kneeling next to the man, after taking a reverent moment of watching Naoki somehow generate a burst of air from her hands, she tried and failed to get the man to drink some of the water. Grimacing, she quickly stopped her attempt and focused on what she had remembered her guide telling her on their travels here.

Suddenly the thought came to her and she waved to try and get Naoki's attention. Setting the bottle on the smooth ground beside her, she moved to tug at the man's shirt and gesture that she wished to remove it before doing the same with the man's pants. The thought of stripping a man down caused blood to heat her skin, but she knew he had to be cooled down immediately. After only a few seconds of hesitation, she began working to try and remove his shirt without needlessly jarring the man; the last thing the pair needed was to slam the man's head onto the ground by accident.

 

[Samejima]

"Hmm? Uh... Oh! H-hmmm..." Realizing her vocalized confusion wasn't going to help, she nodded her understanding and dispelled the jutsu to help Tsubaki prop the man's head and a bit of his back up as she got to work on his shirt. Times like these, it'd be faster to cut the shirt open or something... But it'd probably be worse if he didn't have clothes when he got up... aaaah, never mind, don't mind it! Would the pants have to be taken off too? They're the stuffiest piece of clothing right? She continued supporting the man's head as the shirt was removed carefully, and in that same manner she lowered his head hoping it was helping. A snap of her fingers told her that the man's expression seemed to be less tense, and he didn't feel too hot to the touch by this point.

Taking a deep breath, she started taking the man's pants off as well, and since jostling him wasn't too much of a danger when not involving the top half, she felt it would be alright to try and pull this off (literally) herself. "Sorry Koizumi-san, but could you call someone for help? I think there's a bunch of people having lunch crowded around... Hmm..." She took a few moments to think at this point, and continued sheepishly, "A-actually, I should probably go, I don't think a lot of the people there know sign language... Can I leave things here to you?" Naoki began to stand up, and if she received no complaints she would carry on back towards the tent she'd originally planned to mooch off from.

 

[Kazumi]

As Naoki prompted her to go fetch assistance, she had already popped the lid of her canteen open and began to pour the contents gingerly over the man's chest. The other girl would feel a sudden tug on her pants as Tsubaki tried to fetch the younger girl's attention. Once stopped, Tsubaki would purse her lips and blow air through her lips, and then proceed to make a few fake handsigns before finally gesturing towards the man's chest. Rapid evaporation of the water from the man's body should help to lower his temperature at a rapid, but safe, rate.

With a quick smile of appreciation, she once again gestured towards him, mimicking the position Naoki's hands had been in when she was using that technique earlier. Hesitating a moment to see if Naoki understood, she then began to bundle the man's discarded shirt into a small ball and place it under his head. Once all that was dealt with she stopped, closed her eyes and thought about what they should do next. It wasn't obvious, and Naoki would do a better job of fetching assistance but... they had things handled. Between her passively gathered knowledge of what she assumed to be heatstroke, and Naoki's skills, they were saving the man's life! A small prideful smile crept across her lips as she looked down to look to the man as a tentative hand reached out to press its back against his forehead.

 

[Samejima]

The tug was felt, and Naoki turned back to ask if there was something of concern when she remembered that she hadn't opened her eyes yet and gave her fingers a few snaps. Revealing what appeared to be Tsubaki mimicking her position from earlier, she tilted her head wondering what that would do before noticing the water now on his chest, associating it with the faint flowing earlier. She wants me to do it again? Oh! Does cooling the water down help with cooling him down more? Vaguely, she wondered how Tsubaki knew this as she sat back down and performed the jutsu once more over the man's chest. She kept her hands steady, though due to boredness decided to move her hands to relieve it.

A little while passed after the shirt was formed into a makeshift pillow, and Naoki thought she might try to talk a little... But I can't really talk to her right now huh... Well, we'll have time later anyway. For now I should probably just start focusing on my eyesight? Ah but I don't know if I can keep the jutsu up if I try it... It'd be a lot simpler if there was a jutsu I could perform to get my eyesight back for a bit though. A series of handseals... Ah, almost lost it there... I'll think something up later.

"...how much longer should I keep this up...?" she mused aloud, as Tsubaki smiled and reached her hand down towards the man's forehead. Sitting on the man's other side, she caught the smile as it appeared on the young lady's face, which she interpreted as an expression of success mixed with relief. She sighed, a little smile forming as well. "How is he?"

 

[Kazumi]

Pressing the back of her hand against his head, he was still quite warm, but that was to be expected. Blood moved through tthe body rather quickly, but that didn't mean the body cooled or heated up at any reasonable pace. If she had some sort of thermometer, they would know how he was doing, but unfortunately such niceties were only a pipe dream. Shrugging off the impossible, she looked over towards Naoki and gave her a thoughtful smile. How long did they need to do this? The building was shaded, yes, but not air-conditioned yet. He seemed stable, if unconscious, though she likely knew little more thatn Naoki did on the human body.

Pondering that thought for a second or so longer, Tsubaki gestures with her hand for Naoki to cease her technique. Assuming she complied, she would perch herself up onto her knees as she reached over to try and place a hand onto Naoki's head. This technique was becoming much easier for her, at least in comparison of her past efforts, however it still required physical contact with the person's head in order to send any coherent thoughts. Unless Naoki attempted to move, Tsubaki would place her palm upon the other girl's head as she closed her own eyes and concentrated.

A few long moments of silence ensued as the faint vestiges of external thoughts pierced their way into Naoki's mind. "We should get him to the hospital. He seems stable, but I am no medic. Can you carry him, and I will meet you there? Move quick, but do not jar him overly so." The man was quite sizable compared to Naoki, but she knew that when it came to shinobi, looks were a poor judee of skills. It was likely that the smaller girl could carry five of this man with ease, though that may have simply been Tsubaki's skewed perception of the highly capable girl.

 

[Samejima]

Naoki couldn't sense much when they were in an isolated space, and didn't catch the gesture made to have her stop the glorified fanning. She did sense some movement however, from the occasional loud laughter coming from outside, and started to lift her hands up away from the man in case Tsubaki wanted her to do something... Then she felt a hand on her head, tensing up and losing focus on the jutsu. Her thoughts were in a jumble before hearing that cool, mysterious voice again and remembering she could communicate this way.

"O-okay... Should I go as fast as I can without shaking him too much, or just make the non-shaking the priority?" She stayed rigidly still while Tsubaki's hand was in contact with her head, wanting to be sure she didn't cut off contact randomly or something if she moved her head. When she was carrying him earlier, he was just about as heavy as a five-year-old boy would feel in the arms of a normal girl her age, and this was a relatively tough weight to carry for too long. "Would it be okay to carry him on my back...?" The weight would be more evenly distributed, but it would run the risk of jostling him quite a bit. "Maybe I can suspend him with a jutsu... But the focus..." Seems like there was no going around it. Well, if she got there quickly enough she might have energy left to complete the patrol after this.

 

[Kazumi]

Another smile accentuates her features as she kept her eyes closed, trying to focus past her amusement. '"Just try to get him there quickly and safely. I doubt he is in any immediate danger, however I would feel better having him in a hospital with professionals." She began to lift her hand from Naoki's head, paused a moment and added, "it would also be less of a... mess if he awoke half naked in a hospital, rather than here with two girls hovering over him." She suppressed a small chuckle and finally removed her hand, returning to her upright position on her side of the man.

A few slow deep breathes relieved the minor strain that put on her body. It was easier now, yes, but it was still far from natural or simple. She could have brought out her pad and pen, of course, she did always try to keep such items with her. However, she needed practice, and there were scarce few others who knew she had this ability, not even her parents. With an affirmative nod, she gestured down towards the unconscious man and began to gather his clothes to carry with her. Her travel to the hospital would be much longer than Naoki's even with the other girl's load and so she would need to set out immediately.

Opening the door to the building, she looked back and held it open for the girl, awaiting her friend to make sure that she had no difficulties or needed no assistance from the prospective genin. She would wait for as long as necessary, and give any assistance that Naoki required to get the man into a carry able position before she would follow the girl outside and make her way towards the entrace to the underground section of Sunagakure proper.

 

[Samejima]

Naoki released a breath she didn't realize she was holding as Tsubaki removed her hand, and giggled in a delayed reaction to the last sentence she heard. "I guess so... Just quickly and safely right? He should be okay on my back, and I'd probably be able to get there faster." Lot less strain on her arms too. She knelt down with her back to the now stable NPC construction worker and reached backwards to take both his arms and pull them over her shoulders such that his head lolled forwards over her left shoulder. "Okay- oh thanks, we'll meet at the hospital then... I'll tell you how it goes when you get there, be careful!" she nodded at Tsubaki as she opened the door and let her out, taking off in as balanced a fashion as she could.

She'd taken to using some of the more out-of-the-way streets as running around with a half-naked man would draw far too much attention for the main roads. That and she didn't care much for jostling through crowded streets too narrow for a regular person not to squeeze through let alone someone carrying another person. Wish I'd gotten something to cover him up in... Or that I'd taken this cloak off before lifting him up, then I coulda wrapped it around him and pretended to be a really fast hunchback or something! Cursing herself for her lack of foresight, she just ran as quickly as she could, taking long strides to minimize jostling.

After having the man's condition explained and nodding in understanding, Naoki started thinking about why her father always told her to head back inside after a couple hours helping him outside on the deck of the little fishing boat. She would make a point of learning about some of these things more, these precautions to take when out in the open. Like scorpions, or poisonous plants, or a sandstorm! Or just running out of water. It's a dangerous place for sure... She sat herself down, waiting for Tsubaki to come by, and observed the people walking around. Remembering the girl's media of communication, she started on restoring her eyesight by the time she did get here.

 

[Kazumi]

Tsubaki did not delay in her travels, but she was no shinobi. Even burdened with the extra load that weight her own weight twice over, Naoki had arrived, admitted the poor man and had fifteen minutes of time to burn before Tsubaki finally arrived. Slightly winded, she stepped inside the threshold of the hospital, leaning over and breathing with mild labor as she worked to peer upwards in hopes of spotting the genin. Giving herself a few long moments of respite, she pushed herself back up and walked her way over towards the blind nin.

Her hands reached out and presented Naoki with a tribute, though not one befitting the status of life saver, the wrapped budle of the man's clothes. She gestured her head towards the desk and let Naoki take the bundle so she could give it to whomever was appropriate. She hadn't visited the hospital here before, but she had seen it on her travels to and from the academy to the surface. Patiently she waited, taking the opportunity to partake in a few long and relieving breaths as she waited for Naoki to deliver the parcel and return.

Upon her arrival she would receive the expected look, one of curiosity. She had expected everything to proceed smoothly, and truth be told, she was glad she was not the one to deliver the half-naked man to the hosptial. Explaining this was not her strong suite, although she was not necessarily bad with dealing with people. A momentary tinge of guilt pricked her for having relief in passing that duty off to Naoki, but that too passed in a few beats of her heart.

 

[Samejima]

Naoki had time to go through how she managed to get the man admitted in the first place, in the time that Tsubaki took to catch up.
---
"Excuse me!"
"Wha- You- Uh, may I help you?"
"This guy! Way too hot! Fainted outside!"
"F-faint... okay, do you know this man?"
"No, just outside, construction..."
"Why is he naked- no um, I'm sorry, could you bring him over to this room?"
---
And that was how she managed to get the man some professional medical attention. It's doubtful that the receptionist would've given her the benefit of the doubt if she wasn't wearing her headband, but she took it off now to try and focus on her surroundings to start her eyesight up. Ah right, see if I can make some handseals to focus my attention on to the gate... After about a minute or two though, it didn't seem to be working and she ended up doing it the regular way after all, trying to hold on to it as she waited.

"Koizumi-san! Oh, the clothes, right," she nodded and took the clothes to hand over to the receptionist, who took it with a small bow and a polite smile. Naoki walked back towards Tsubaki with a grin, slipping her headband off, "Thanks for your help today! How did you know how to treat him? Did you study up on like, desert illnesses or something? Going to go into the medical branch? Ah-" she cut herself off, remembering that Tsubaki can't really cut in to answer. "Ahahah sorry, I do talk a lot... Did you want to start walking back? Oh, what were you up to out there anyway?" Naoki would start for the exit if she did, holding the door open for her this time. Otherwise, she'd likely nod and try to continue the conversation.

 

[Kazumi]

Tsubaki may not have typically spoken up, if ever, but that did not mean she couldn't interject herself into a conversation with a few demanding handsigns. That did not occur today, of course, as Naoki was polite enough to interject on Tsubaki's behalf. An appreciatve smile was followed by a set of slow handsigns. She saw that Naoki had her eyes uncovered, and while she did not fully grasp how Naoki manages such, she knew that her gestures were much easier to follow when one could see them. "Guide told of dangers when arriving at village. No obvious sign of trauma and little sweat. Overheating or lack of water was most likely."

She paused, waiting to make sure Naoki seemed to understand before she continued. "I was out for lunch. Need to study on off day, decided to get while doing so. Mom and dad are busy today, was nice to get out of house." An affirmative nod and a pleased grin ensued before they made their way out of the hospital and onto the unnaturally lit streets of the subterranean village. The temperature was much cooler down in the dark depths, though it had an oppressive and unsettling feeling for the older of the pair. She still had not yet decided if she prefered the streets above or below, but neither was truly that appealing.

Instinctively, she felt at the bag slung over her left shoulder that hung under her right arm, packed firmly with cloth scrolls and books that she had borrowed from the academy. "You deserve reward for job well done. We are not wealthy, but I will buy you lunch at place of your choice. My treat on behalf of man you saved." As always, the gestures were slowed down for the uninitiated girl, and were simple and straightforward. Literally translated, either in speech or written word, she might have sounded somewhat slow, but subtle gestures and nuanced movements of sign language were lost on people who did not live with it daily.

 

[Samejima]

Still getting the hang of sign language, it took Naoki all the moments Tsubaki gave her to fully understand what the latter was saying. "Still, knowing to use water and stuff like that... I mean, I definitely wouldn't have considered taking his clothes off if you didn't tell me to, since well..." she trailed off, looking over to the side. "I mean, I didn't even know it might result in his death! The nurse in there told me just now, he got heatstroke and it's pretty dangerous... I just thought he was super tired and would recover as long as he got a little rest..." Shaking her head in disbelief at what had just happened, she ended her string of words with another string of words, "Anyway, that really cool!" and another beaming grin, eyes open and reflecting her excitement and awe at the older girl's quick thinking.

They then got outside and Naoki experienced a momentary lapse in focus when she caught sight of another one of Tsubaki's smiles, this one appreciative and reflective of a kind nature, kind being the first word Naoki could think of when trying to form enough of a coherent thought to tell herself to blink. "Oh, you were studying? How is the Academy going for you?" Naoki tilted her head, partly to crane her neck to see the bag, though she could sense it more clearly without seeing it anyway. "Lunch places down here are pretty good, though some of my favorite street snacks relocated up top already... Which was part of why I was up there when it wasn't part of my patrol route, but don't tell anyone," she added, snickering.

At the mention of lunch, her stomach grumbled. Ahh, I didn't get to grab any of old man Gen's croquettes! "O-oh, um... Thank you for the offer, but I wouldn't have been able to do much without you there, Koizumi-san! Were you about to eat or did you eat already?"

 

[Kazumi]

Tsubaki paused and made a firm gesture of denying Naoki's rejection of her offer to treat the genin. "I insist. My help mattered little if man had fallen to death." From that height, unconscious, he likely would have either died or sustained severe injuries from the fall. Broken bones or otherwise, he likely would have never been able to work at his job again. He was quite lucky to have a random hungry kunoichi nearby to be his guardian angel. "You choose place. I pay, No arguments." Tsubaki's stern glare broke after a short silence, accentuated by a prideful grin and a final nod as she turned and waited for Naoki to take the lead.

As they began on their way, it suddenly dawned on her to try something. It, like many things, made no sense, but it would be an amusing find if it worked. She began to softly wistle as she stood to the back right of Naoki, moving along with her as she began to make handsigns. Logically she was being a silly fool, but experimentation was how she had managed to progress through the academy so far. Making a fool of herself often came as the result, and so she had learned to brush those off as Naoki would minor scrapes, burns and bruises. "The academy is nice. I had expected violence and cruelty, but found stern teachings, rigid rules and eager teachers. Much different from what the tales that are told out in the other countries."

 

[Samejima]

Taken aback at first, Naoki let out a laugh when she saw Tsubaki's grin and scratched her head, which was tilted down and to the right in thought. "Ahh, okay, got it..." Facing the headstrong older girl once more, she smiled with a hint of intrigue, "Thanks, but I can't accept that offer without giving something back. I wanted to get some croquettes on the way later, so at least let me treat you to some of those! Ever had any? They're pretty good~" she said, attempting to share in the food bills of the day and turning to walk ahead a little. Koizumi-san's kinda stubborn... That's... Hmm... It was a quality for sure, but what kind of quality was it? Naoki found that she couldn't quite decide on a category for this one. It was... interesting. That was the extent of her understanding right now.

Hearing some soft whistling while also sensing signs, Naoki figured Tsubaki wanted to be sure she was able to hear what she was saying from behind as well and refrained from asking about the tune. "What kinds of stories have you been hearing about it? My parents used to go there or something so they never told me any of the rumors..." she asked, head turned backwards just a little to offer some semblance of the common courtesy of looking at people when talking to them. It was like talking to a friend walking behind you, and once reminded that you were walking in the lead you'd naturally try and slow down to talk at a more level pace... Which Naoki attempted, slowing her pace down until she was walking next to Tsubaki, unless the latter was visibly avoiding walking next to her.

 

[Kazumi]

"Very well," she signed, allowing Naoki to try to reposition herself beside Tsubaki. Seeing that the other was not able to see her, she ceased her experiment. A silent smile graced her as she continued onwards, proud that her hunch seemed to have struck true. "Today I pay. Next time you can pay. Now, lead on to where you wish to eat today." BY now she had finally regained all of her breath, jogging on through the village's streets still was a tiring affair for the eldest Koizumi child. Perhaps she would not be cut out for the more rigorous aspects of shinobi life, certainly not to the extent that this other girl was.

"You have not heard the stories? Surely you can imagine them. Demons. Cruelty. All manner of magics. Outside of the village people do not understand shinobi. One can only imagine what they would think of the place that trains then." She recalled back to those months back when she too was subject to those same prejudices and expectations. It was a wonder she ever actually wanted to the academy here while under those presumptions; perhaps she wished them to be true, or perhaps she knew that they were not. In either course, it was all in the past to her now.

"It is strange. Being oldest in class, nearly as tall as the teachers. It is certainly interesting, however. DO you miss your time spent there?" She assumed Naoki had attended; as far as she knew, any who would wear the title of shinobi was required to attend one of the Hidden Village's academies. A passing though drew her attention away from the bustling unnaturally lit streets on which Naoki lead them through, and off towards thoughts of how other villages and academies trained their students. Were they all as strict and disciplined as Sunagakure was?

 

[Samejima]

"Next time... Hahah, alright, time to start saving up!" she joked, and continued, "Well, there's a cool ramen place nearby, but curry might be good too since it's so hot out... Hmm... Do you like spicy food Koizumi-san?" The curry house in mind had some spicy selections, perfect for hot days where one needs the extra kick to keep their stamina up. It also had milder, almost sweet-tasting curries for those who couldn't handle the heat very well, but it was definitely known for the spiciness of its Dragon's Hell Fire Jumbo Curry Challenge, with enough spice to give a challenger a fiery feeling at both ends for days. There's also a soup kitchen somewhere here... Oh! Or we could go to a sweets buffet~ Probably not for lunch... Ah, and a little corner shop specializing in fried rice too if I'm not mistaken, and they've got some mad chicken skewers... The area's cuisine seemed to have been fully assimilated into the genin's mind.

Naoki considered Tsubaki's mention of what the stories contained. There were demons for sure, and one could call ninjutsu magic after all, plus she didn't know what was so bad about genjutsu at this point but her parents have told her to swear it off so it's gotta be bad right? "Hmm... I don't know about cruelty, but there are demons here, or half-demons I think... Not a regular thing though, being demonic, so far I've only met the Toraono clan, who're all half-demon but are really hospitable to everyone! Well, everyone not a threat to Sunagakure anyway, they can get... pretty scary." Naoki paused, recalling the revelation she came to a few years ago as she thought of the Cabal battle and the Main Branch Sennin's capabilities. Scary, scary... She shook her head and returned to the conversation. "Have you met anyone of the clan yet? Could be worth heading in the Toraono Dojo to train since they've opened it to everyone, and they've got some awesome equipment there!"

Looking genuinely surprised, "Oldest in the class? Huh... I guess some of them graduated already! Back when I was in there, some of the students were several years older than I was... I mean, I only ever had the money to start attending classes after a couple years as a genin but it was worth it, so many basics I didn't know about..." She paused again, and remembered she still had something to explain. "Oh right, I came to the village... at a bad time, so I got promoted to genin really quickly, didn't have to go to the Academy. Figured I should go anyway though, and really I wouldn't still be here without those classes..." She nodded thoughtfully, thinking of the many times her falls might've ended badly without her knowledge on how to absorb impact. "It's a nice place, pretty tough back when I was still in there. If you're studying though, you're already doing a great job~" she laughed heartily.

 

[Kazumi]

Tsubaki's smooth stride faltered as the blind-not-blind girl pointed out the existence of literal demons in their village and thoughts of food and hunger suddenly evaporated into the dry air that permeated the caverns.. It only took a moment for her to regain herself and continue on her walk as if nothing had ever occurred. "There really are demons here?"" She signed in as smooth of a manner as she could manage without giving away her sudden concerns and worries. Part of her was still trapped with past prejudices and country exceptions.

Demons were evil and soul sucking beings of myth and legend, which is why they were given such a title. She had believed they all were a myth by the time her eldest brother was able to walk. However... the events that transpired back then, and now when she sleeps, it had caused her to question how much of a myth such things truely were. Part of her true motivation for attending the academy was to try and discover what she could about what had happened, and the opportunity to finally pursue that possibility seemed to be presenting itself. Would doing so be wise, however?

"I might do that sometime?" she continued, looking over towards Naoki as she gestured, giving her an appreciative smile all the while. "So, you were able to become a genin without ever even going to the academy?" This girl must have been even more capable that Tsubaki had first imagined. She had already learned so much in her short time at the academy; the thought of somehow jumping straight into performing missions and embarking on life risking adventure seemed mind boggling to the prospective shinobi.