Masked Attempt V.1 [Tutor][Private]

[Kodoma Yoshihisa]

”Good afternoon, Izumi-san, glad that you could make it in time.”

Hanging upside down from a tree branch by the soles of his boots, Yoshihisa greeted the junior ANBU operative with a slight wave of his palm. Strewn across the ground were the remains -some reduced to mere giblets at this point- of the Forest of Death’s unfortunate few inhabitants unwise enough to challenge him: Ranging from the boar-sized vermin the area was know for to the two-story centipedes, it became increasingly clear that the local wildlife was at least aware of his presence at this point and had pulled out all the stops.

”My apologies for the mess, it is peak season around the forest, so I doubt these will be the last we’ll see today. But they will serve their purpose for today’s training.” The brush behind Izumi would rustle, accompanied by twigs snapping and eventually the sound of mandibles menancingly clacking together: Another gargantuan centipede had joined the fray, towering over the humans as it approached with a steady pace. Before it could even as much as process the desire to strike at either of them however a figure would drop down from the trees with blinding speed, promptly impaling the insect’s plated body as if it were tissue paper. The creature would wiggle in vain as it tried to break free, and it wouldn’t be long before its form would go limp, the newcomer pulling free the spear he had used during the ambush. ”This is Rokkoyō-sama, he’ll be your tutor for the first half of your training, while I’m in charge of the second half.”

”Greetings, young one. As the more powerful sensor between the two of us I will be filling in for Umakaki-san in order to test your capabilities in masking your chakra signature.” A warm and radiant voice would drone through Izumi’s mind, the mysterious figure standing next to him cocking his head ever so slightly before gesturing towards the woods spread out before them. ”You’ll have to perform under the direct threat of the wildlife, finding a perfect balance between the desire to survive and the obligation to remain hidden. Before we go over the details, do you have any questions for the time being?”

[MFT]

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Silent stumbles were coming from the room where this white-haired male was staying. His bedroom was still dark but the window was open, Izumi had taken a trip towards the roof where he sat there. His clothing typical just as he had gotten out of bed, a shirt that was just 1 size too big and sweatpants. Once he had situation himself on his behind on the roof tiles. He wasn't wearing any shoes or socks regarding so that he was more silent and kept his grip on everything. He did wave to the guards before they would check him out and disturb the peace he had right now at the moment.

Izumi turned his head towards the east and saw that Dawn had broken through. The sky in the opposite direction was still dark and looming, but in the eat, a mixture of yellow and orange on the horizon beneath a dark neon blue ocean of night had begun to evaporate. Against the tri-colored rainbow sky, trees and rooftops of houses were looking like shadows. Roughly twenty minutes later, the sunrise had become even more astounding and beautiful as the sun peeked over the horizon. The sky was now painted with a pink like the sea of cotton candy, the light of the sun coloring the clouds above with a pinkish hue... As the sun slowly ascended, the sky in the west became a deep neon blue as the light reached further out. By the time Izumi started to get back inside again the pink had become a pale yellow mixed with the color blue.
"This... was one of the most... beautiful one sunrises I have seen before.."

Izumi then started to jump off the building and go towards the spot they had talked through, once he was there he started to turn his head left and right, seemed like it was indeed peak season. He gave here often many pieces of training to others and he and his summon also had made sure that there was no one near, to tell the truth, Inya often had to fight one off but he had been glad about it. Still strange that he was the one being tutored now for a change. "Hmm..." His old habit was already back and he started to sign towards Kodoma, mostly in the hope he was understanding this language of the death. More than glad that his captains and family did understand it though. 'Thank you for having me, I want to apologize, but I think I never caught your name.' He had signed and tilted his head, please let him understand. Was a single thought going through his mind at this moment? Not even two seconds later and there was a rustling sound behind him, it was rabbit season easier said! Izumi started to go towards his bow and bit his lip already thinking of a jutsu to use, but this didn't seem necessary to do so... An impressive high creature landed and had killed it off in a single strike. "..." Izumi let a soft whistle going. He really found that amazingly done and slowly looked a bit around the place. This was going to be a tough cookie... he already knew, he had always a habit to let charka slip. Slowly he nodded and started to ask in sign language how would they do that, what were the set rules, use all or use nothing. Questions like that were being asked.

---

WC: 580/1500

[topic entere]

 

[Kodoma Yoshihisa]

Yoshihisa dropped down from the branch, dusting off his clothes as he approached. ”The name is just Umakaki, simple as that.” A smile briefly crossed his features before his gaze shifted towards the being he had introduced as Rokkoyō, whom by then had turned to the task of carving up the latest prey with the katanas he wore on his person. With each slice came a shower of ichor, and as each masterful stroke reduced the body further what remained was little more than a collection of unidentifiable gore. And yet despite the mess made, it was almost inconceivable to see the creature’s attire had managed to remain completely spotless afterwards.

”Namu Amida Butsu.” Rokkoyō clapped his hands together and his head dipped in deep reverence. A flurry of hand seals followed and the remains would promptly smolder into ash, only to be near instantaneously swept away by the slightest gust of wind. ”Oki o tsukete itte rashite kudasai.” The words were now nothing more than a low hum, barely to be distinguished from an increasingly longwinded sigh. Yoshihisa patiently looked on as his companion seemingly got caught up in its ritual, but knew fully well that Izumi hadn’t necessarily) joined them here today for spiritual enlightenment. ”Not to spend our whole lesson bouncing apologies back and forth, but he is still adapting to being.. present, if I must choose a word to describe it.”

He beckoned Izumi to follow him further into the woods, the mantras eventually getting drowned out by the chittering of the wildlife. ”I want to cast aside any doubts you may have that he isn’t reliable, it is more that some of his customs are really astranged from the present day.” Yoshihisa chuckled lightly, for despite the level of respect he had he could see how the monk stood out like a sore thumb at times. The young shinobi seemed to be blissfully unaware that the forest convulsed around them, individual screeches and roars becoming more pronounced as they went on ahead.

”So it looks like I will be the one to go over the basics with you. Take a seat and like before, any questions you may have are welcome.” Seating himself on one of several large boulders offered to them by a small clearing in the woods, Yoshihisa kept a close eye on his student as he opened his own hands with the palms up. ”Much like breathing, a bodily function that must be done manually once one becomes aware of it, so it too goes with the molding of chakra. That is a good first step to take in order to surpress your chakra for whomever tries to seek you out: Gain awareness over the molding process and with small intervals you must try to dial it back.”

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Izumi's eyes followed the man, now falling back onto its feet on the ground. It made him think about how cats usually turned to their paws when they fall down... He even remembered himself that when he did that.. he studied the cat and gave it many, many snacks as payment and left just a single scratch from it eventually... But he found it amazing how they were doing that. With that thought in his head, he started to turn his head towards the side as he started to listen. He had now at least a name that he was able to use, but signing that name was a rather hard one so immediately he started to sign: 'Sorry if I sign your name wrong, it is a nice one, but hard to sign.' Izumi was one of the few mannered AiT probably in leaf or one that still held some manners.

The strange creature next to them started to hum something in a rather... unusual language, one strange to Izumi and he had a thought to himself that he had a good and decent amount of knowledge on different kind of languages. Slowly he started to set himself into motion as he walked after Umakaki. Looking once back to see how the other was doing as he stayed there he started to focus back on his teacher for this given moment. He remembered him from the meeting one time... Now that he thought about it... Getting tutored at this given time is a golden one he would surely make sure he held close to himself. These were strange times and this Umakaki had made some time to teach him something.

Once there were stones nearby Izumi decided to sit, but sit in that kind of way that he could easily dodge, move or anything if it was required to do so.”So it looks like I will be the one to go over the basics with you. Take a seat and like before, any questions you may have are welcome.” On these words, Izumi started to nod yet wanted to have a bit more of an idea about who what and or where actually before he would ask various kind of questions.
”Much like breathing, a bodily function that must be done manually once one becomes aware of it, so it too goes with the molding of chakra. That is a good first step to take in order to surpress your chakra for whomever tries to seek you out: Gain awareness over the molding process and with small intervals you must try to dial it back.”

He listened and listened more and started to tilt his head a little forward, frowning a little as he took the lines apart, trying to understand what he meant... He was more of the direct, do it in real life... and not like theory so for himself this was hard to understand as long as he wasn't actually doing it. Slowly he started to move, from leaning into his hand to "talking" to the other. 'So... if I understand... there is more then one way to erase your own markings... Like... when you are tracking you use the surrounding to do so... So chakra also leaves a trail, I see them with the Byakugan... but you mean there is a way even the Byakugan has troubles searching them out by... blocking them?' In his mind, these eyes could see everything and everyone in his given range.

---

WC: 1162 / 1500
2/5

 

[Kodoma Yoshihisa]

The existence of the Byakugan with their particular qualities was indeed a subject Yoshihisa had been hoping to bring up, for as he watched Izumi his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. The dojutsu in the boy wasn’t a dead giveaway like it was in some of the Main Branch Hyuuga, but he had long since abanoned the habit of making any unnecessary assumptions. Perhaps he could use this to their advantage? ”If you could activate your Byakugan for me, I will provide you with a clear example to answer your questions with.

Yoshihisa stripped away the heavy gloves from his hands and revealing the slavering maws hidden underneath, each chirping with delight from their newly found freedom. Not giving them time to disturb his companion for too long, the mouths were promptly silenced bar from a stiffled belch as they reguritated a wad of clay which would be molded by the shinobi into a pair of tiny tiger figurines. Tossed into the air as Yoshihisa made a single half-seal, the figurines easily expanding to hundreds of times their original size by the time they landed on their feet. Each let out a bellowing roar, the now animated constructs locking eyes before settling for a nap right where they stood. ”As you can see, these sizeable creatures have their own distinct chakra signature which makes them hard to miss for any seasoned sensor. Now like mentioned before, I will be reducing the chakra output of one of them.” The tigers rose back to their feet, standing stock still while seemingly having lost all the qualities that made the greyed out creatures at least somewhat lifelike, with motion returning to them as they started to loop around each other.

”Now watch closely..” The first beads of sweat started to run down Yoshihisa’s face, the tigers having taken to running in circles around each other. In Izumi’s eyes each would be a raging inferno of chakra, almost mesmerizing as they moved perfectly in sync. This patern would change however as one of them started to fall behind, its chakra still strong yet not as intense as that of the other. This would continue until eventually one was still dashing with the same incredible pace as it had before while the slower one was now reduced to barely a sprint: It’s chakra signature was barely recognizable at this point, so vague and thinly spread that even the Byakugan would have trouble registering it at such a short range. ”It.. is a major.. difference between creations and humans, but the idea behind it.. is mostly the same. You can’t perform at the top of your game. The tiger with the strong chakra signature would have enough power stored to wipe a sizable portion of Konoha off the map, while the other is conserving chakra and has lost the energy to move much faster than it currently is, let alone explode.” Yoshihisa was by then panting heavily, completely soaked with sweat and his hand would tremble slightly as he called for a timeout.

A few minutes went by, and while he was still panting underneath his breath, he seemed to be have gathered his wits enough to proceed. By then the tigers had taken seat at their creator’s side once more, looking on as if nothing had been out of the ordinary and like they had never left their spot to begin with. ”Sorry about that, it is an incredibly taxing process if you have to surpress this much chakra. But I hope you saw what happened to the chakra network and are now able to understand what it is you should do in order to mask your own chakra.”

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Without asking who what and or where Izumi did as his tutor at this moment requested him to activate his Byakugan sight. He placed his hands together and the veins around his eyes were coming together and he started to open up his eyes. Slowly turning his head and looking around, till he had to watch his teacher closer by.
He took a look from his teacher towards the two tigers that had emerged from out the others hands... A slight shiver went over his spine, he had so many creepy ideas with those hands... Mostly the words of a past person like that... They eat everything. "They are yes..." He said and watched once the other said now watch closely...

Izumi kept focussing in this world of white colored all around him, slowly looking towards the colored tigers running around each other. Their chakra signature colors were amazing to the eyes of Izumi now, yet it was easily noticed the change happening between the two. "Hmm...?" He said and started to rest his chin up in his hand and tilt his head a little. "That...Now I get it..." He muttered, for him having the idea he got the whole thing as a whole right now. Yet the way his teacher looked... made him worry, to say the least, he started to move towards him and offered if it was needed to help him sit down or something.

Once they held a break Izumi reached for his own water bottle and offered towards the other and offered his jacket. "Don't sit still too long... you are soaked if you sit down too long without warmth you might get a muscle ache..." He knew already quite a bit regarding survival in the wilds here and there... "I think I do get it... To mask if you need to slow down and focus more on the chakra itself.." And with that, he would look towards his own hand and already try it. He tried to focus more and more... Closing his eyes and the veins disappeared as he had used them to activate them, unsure if he was having a positive effect or anything... He sat down motionless.

---

wc: 1528 / 1500
3/5

 

[Kodoma Yoshihisa]

Yoshihisa was briefly taken aback by Izumi’s kind offerings, not sure what he had expected of the adoptive son of the Hokage, but it most certainly wasn’t this. Not that he had imagined him to be particularly spoiled or selfish, but still, it caught him off guard for long enough for him to realize that he had been staring for a good couple of seconds. ”I.. my thanks, Izumi-san, but I was the one who got careless and you shouldn’t have to end up suffering because of it.” Caught in a vicious loop on deciding whether or not he should accept or kindly refuse, he broke free from it as he took the bottle with both hands -all the while trying to keep the creep factor of the maws to a minimum- and bowed his head in respect. He was still having second thoughts about the jacket however, not entirely convinced that he couldn’t do without.

”It will be alright, as you said I just have to keep moving.” A smile returned, quite literally drowned out though as he started to splash the water in his face in an attempt to be somewhat presentable once more. When he was done, he paused before taking a big gulp from the bottle, followed by another, and soon another. He was fidgeting with it for the remainder of his explanation, what remained of the water sloshing around with a nervous pace. ”Yes, slowing down is probably the way to go, or at least at first until you have fully mastered this level of chakra control. That said, it is an extremely valuable trait to have, as slowing down in a life or death scenario is often not an option or simply defeats the purpose.” Yoshihisa nodded lightly to put emphasis on especially the latter half of his listed motivations.

It would be quiet for a moment as he regained his composure and placed the water bottle next to him. ”As you have the Byakugan, I think it is safe to assume that you’re familiar with the basic principles of the chakra pathway system?” It was uncommon but not entirely unheard of for an owner of the Byakugan not to at least dabble in the arts of the Gentle Fist, and Yoshihisa could already make an educated guess that Izumi wasn’t the type to skim over the hundreds upon hundreds of pages of information on any given subject with the sheer desire to garner all knowledge he could get his hands on. If he had been, he doubted his own presence was even required. ”If not, I can highlight the details on what is most important for today: When you look at the human body, you see an entire system of knots along the lines through which chakra flows, correct? These are called the tenketsu, or chakra points. They serve as floodgates for the chakra, limiting how much of it can move beyond that point and thus deeper into the chakra network. Since you’re able to see them, it could be useful for you to practice by direct observation while you try to open and shut them.”

 

[Sazuki Nao]

It was... a rather strange sight to see someone freeze up, almost instantly. He eventually was wondering to himself if he should or shouldn't wave with his hand in front of the poor man to see if he was doing alright or to get him back to earth... He had the same gaze that small kid had on him a couple of weeks ago now. It gave him some thoughts... "No worries... you cannot keep wet, cold clothing on... so just take it to warm up, might not fit fully but it is still better than your own set of clothing..." He muttered and offered that same jacket once more. "Take it before you really get sick..." He said eventually... Not even signing but actually talking at this point. His voice higher then most of the males had. The way he was talking made him soon blush a bit, as he hardly talked his voice was slightly higher.
"Death... While I thought I was alive to live... I am alive just to die someday... Already been so close to that I rather not taste it anytime soon..." The happy tune in his voice made the place to a more... Neutral tune.

"I have to be honest with you on one thing... I don't have much of a clue... I am from origin a Hawkeye and got these eyes as an implant... So erm... Yukio did explain a little, but that would be it... I am basically a fish swimming in the deep as for right now." He kept talking to keep it for himself also an exercise to not overdo something new.
”If not, I can highlight the details on what is most important for today: When you look at the human body, you see an entire system of knots along the lines through which chakra flows, correct? These are called the tenketsu, or chakra points. They serve as floodgates for the chakra, limiting how much of it can move beyond that point and thus deeper into the chakra network. Since you’re able to see them, it could be useful for you to practice by direct observation while you try to open and shut them.”

"I see... so that is how it goes... To do tell the truth... I am more of practical things instead of reading myself stupid..." he muttered, to tell the truth and tried it once more now that he knew a thing or two more. "Am... I doing it right/"

 

[Kodoma Yoshihisa]

This didn’t seem like the moment to convince the boy of his capabilities to dry himself off. It felt like an offer born from heartfelt concern, so much so that Yoshihisa had taken the jacket and caught himself in the process of unbuttoning his own coat which had managed to remain remarkably unsoaked. ”Thank you.” His coat now draped over his shoulders, he briefly struggled with the clingy fabric of his shirt before it came with more effort than it perhaps it was worth to keep up the illusion. ”Nnnghh.” His chest heaved heavily as he let out a sigh of relief, not minding to do without his combat attire more often than he actually did. But one glance would tell more than a thousand words: A man like him couldn’t afford such luxuries as each inch bared revealed more of what made him into who he was, from countless numbers of cuts and puncture wounds to severe burns which would have enveloped most of his arms. But none were quite as prominent as the immense scar centered on his chest, having literally carved itself a permanent reminder of one of his greatest failures to date. His body would tell the story like that of so many others: There was no rest for a veteran ANBU like himself, never truly that is.

Yoshihisa used what little remained of the water to wash himself on a quick and yet proper fashion. He remained deadly silent as he realized that he would have inadvertently reminded Izumi of what he could only imagine was one of his most traumatic experiences, the words ringing clearly in his ears as he concluded that for both their sakes it was better if neither of them brought this subject up ever again. And when the opportunity arose to change subject he firmly took hold of it with both hands. ”I would be more than happy to assist you with your training if you want to familiarize yourself a bit more with the Byakugan.” As someone who’s primary fighting style deployed explosives he was a bit late to realize the minefield he had set foot in by making his offer. He wasn’t capable of shaking off the feeling that the Hokage’s eyes were always upon him when dealing with his next of kin, so why would he potentially get deeper into the crossfire than he actually had to by professional obligation?

”If that is what you desire, of course. As I don’t possess them myself I can only go over what I know in theory which means I can’t actually see what you see, Izumi-san.” Despite his conflicted feelings on his slip-up and his burning wish to rephrase his words if he could he remained honest. He couldn’t provide many practical means to assist the boy in his training on a subject he himself had never experienced, could he now? ”Shall we discuss this at a later time? For now my duty is to aid you in consealing your chakra and to make sure you succeed without fail.” At this point Yoshihisa would have neatly folded the jacket given to him by Izumi across his lap, having accepted that their clothing sizes would differ too much for him to put it on without tearing it. His smile lacked the same level of genuineness it had before, not having managed to keep his inner turmoil away from the surface entirely.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Izumi fell rather silent once the other took the jacket, waiting patiently but also observed the other... He saw the muscles the other held, the old wounds and everything aside from that... Slowly he started to tilt his head to the side... He noticed he had a funny feeling emerging and discided to try and focus on something else... But there was already a color on his cheeks and over his own nose bridge. He felt warm even though he already had stripped from the jacket.
"That sounds like a good plan..." Izumi spoke with his eyes closed, chin up as he started to focus once more of trying to mask his own chakra trails or source. It kept him from looking towards the other and the blush was slowly disappearing again. "Say... You know a fair share... I do not... Think we could meet again?" He asked and somehow had managed to mask his own source right now... That was until he placed his focus on something else again. "Shizzle..." He muttered and looked a little annoyed towards himself for that matter. After that, he started to try again... But his thoughts went towards the nice body part he had seen and had no concentration left at the moment. "Blast... Why can't I focus now..." He muttered with a more larger frown. He even decided to slap himself on the cheeks to get him more back towards the earth and it did, however, work a bit. "Alright.... Once more... Could you keep an eye out maybe..?" Izumi asked the other after he had said he wouldn't mind another tutor with the other.

---

Sorry this is a small one.. I have not much time left owo;;

WC: 2214 / 1500
post 5/5

 

[Kodoma Yoshihisa]

With the signs from Izumi’s end becoming more and more apparent by the minute despite his best efforts to make it seem like nothing was out of the ordinary and Yoshihisa’s desire not to break with the protocol it ironically became increasingly difficult to keep the lesson from derailing. It wasn’t until the perfect solution dawned on the older shinobi that allowed him to take out two birds with one stone that he acted upon it. ”While the final say on whether or not I can be your tutor again in the future ultimately lies with Hokage-sama, I don’t see why a senpai couldn’t ask a kohai out for a drink after a job well done. So what do you say?”

There, the promise of an easier environment to talk and having his companion feel validated under the guise of a long standing tradition all rolled into one. What more could you ask for? ”You don’t have to answer right away if you need more time to think it over.” The previous smile had been replaced by a straight face with a slight smirk that would be hard to register at first glance after which it would be gone completely. While he wasn’t in the position to entertain small pleasantries like these, any other day he would have admitted that someone like Izumi would have held his own interests. What he could do from within the limits was at least help the boy understand himself a bit better so that he was at the very leasr able find some joy in his life once again. Or who knows, perhaps he was just misreading the signals and he had managed to overthink it all, wouldn’t be the first time.

The request to keep an eye out or anything similar that would get him out of the picture didn’t come unexpected and he rose to his feet, a deep bow of his head before he set off for the brush surrounding the clearing. ”As you wish, Izumi-san.” His coat, shirt and the jacket were left discarded where he had sat, soon the only reminders left behind as the tigers chose to chase after their master. But despite the unusual developments Yoshihisa was quick to remind himself that there was supposed to be a task at hand, and he dearly hoped that with the distracting factor gone Izumi would manage to succeed in his training. With his hands tugged away in his pockets he just kept walking through the forest to clear his mind, his clay constructs standing guard against any potential threats that may be lurking beyond the veil of green. Even the hand-maws gnawing away at the fabric of his pants and occasionally his legs couldn’t distract him quite as much as this whole conundrum could: Despite the breather he had given himself, he was still very much trapped in the minefield and wasn’t exactly thrilled to find out what would happen if he fucked up now.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

The face Izumi was making right now could easily be described as a person that was trying to fully focus. He tried to do his actual best or rather on what was possible as what the tutor had asked him to do at this moment...To mask his own chakra pattern... It even proves more difficult then he thought... but he quickly held a solution, he started to summon up a clone. He himself started to use the byakugan sight and started to observe the clone as the clone tried to close off the gates to mask its pattern... He then had the solution that was needed, it actually helped Izumi to understand more and after that moment he tried to do it without the clone and he almost had it this time in one go. But the sudden suppressing thing was harder and more strain on his body then he thought it would and eventually even he want panting slightly as he held his breath a bit alongside with it. "What do you mean by dad...?" He asked the other as he was quickly taken off guard by the new subject and he started to tilt his head, making the while locks go from his shoulder to the front. He didn't hold a single clue on to what the other had been asking, or what the intention behind that was supposed to be. Call it either thick headed or a rather innocent mind, but he kept blinking. "Sure... I wouldn't mind drinking something with you! Would be fun, but I will treat next time then!" He didn't say anything yet but was still curious who what and where... "Curious on the who what and where..." Izumi muttered towards his hands, saying the thoughts out loud even when he didn't notice that from happening at all..

After this given moment Izumi started to practice again on the masking, he wanted to have it right even if it was just for a moment... but if it was or wasn't right was up to the tutor right now.

 

[Kodoma Yoshihisa]

”I mean that as you are the son of the Hokage, it is natural for him to have the final say in who gets to teach you at the very least until you have come of age.” He leaned with his bare back against the nearest tree, the rough bark tearing into his skin to the point where he had regretted his decision to ease down. The pores on his back began to secrete dropletes of chakra molded clay which left the shinobi with a thin protective layer to prevent any further injuries. Yoshihisa could barely surpress an amused chuckle at the level of excitement with which Izumi had taken up on his offer, only adding to the picture that perhaps unbeknownst to the boy he was actually still very much alive to live. ”You better work hard if you want to earn that drink if that’s the case, and what kind of senpai would I be if I let you pay: I won’t allow it.” For the first time, his tone was rather playful in a sense that every word was almost like a verbal wink.

Before he could further voice his thoughts Yoshihisa was promptly cut off by the arrival of the monk Rokkoyō, landing down in front of his summoner like an orange-and-yellow blur. ”A thousand apologies for my tardiness.” The creature didn’t comment on the scene in front of him despite it raising a number of questions, instead being quick to provide Izumi with assistance after wading through the knee-height brush. ”You’ve been making vast strides, young one, just be sure to stay focused on your breathing and we’ll be able to examinate your efforts soon enough.” He shifted his weight to his polearm as he observed Izumi, from time to time making darting glances towards Yoshihisa who had joined them once more. Whatever it was that the two were discussed without as much as a word uttered was left between them, but whatever it may be had resulted in the man covering himself with his coat and his gaze cast off far into the distance.

”How about I take over for Umakaki-san for the last leg of the training? What some luck we can put it to the test within the hour.” Yoshihisa had a stoic expression plastered across his face, the sound of his teeth gritting masked by and lost to the wind. ”I’ll leave you two to that while I make sure everything is in order for the final stage.” He neglected to share the fact that he had long since ensured that everything would run smoothly, at least mechanically, but would happily take it if it meant he would have time to sort himself out. ”Good luck, Izumi-san. I’ll have returned by the time of your trial, don’t worry.” He gave his companions a quick wave before he vanished near instantly, leaving the other two to prepare for the next stage.

[MFT]

[Topic left]