Practical Applications of Plants [Class]

[Oshiro Saki]

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*Tack*

*Tack*

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*Tack*

*Tack*​

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Saki sat slumped over at a desk, a hand on his chin. A pen held firmly between his free hand's fingers occupied his time and filled the empty, quiet classroom with a dull, droning tapping sound. It was the only thing he could think of to ease his boredom while he waited for his class to start. And, by "his class," I of course meant the class that he was teaching, not one he was attending. In fact, this was his first time teaching this particular class. He wasn't normally the type of shinobi assigned to a teaching position, since his studies and research typically occupied the majority of what little free time he had. However, as he neared the completion of his latest interest (particularly, how to grow certain medicinal herbs without the need for maintaining a greenhouse), he understood that it was indeed time to begin passing on his knowledge to the next generation. It's one thing to know things, but it's another thing to make sure that other people know it, too.

Saki sat up straight and cracked his back, a smile suddenly on his face with the thought of talking about the very thing he had dedicated his life to: plants. He was fascinated by them... but he was always aware that most people considered plants to be unintelligent, unimportant pieces of evolution that did little more than contribute to higher beings; to others, plants were there solely for the benefit of humans. WHile that's obviously very true to a certain extent, it's important to understand their inherent value. Plants are unique and beautiful, each in its own way. Saki believed that he was here to teach a few academy students this very principle.

On his desk sat ten small wooden boxes. Other than a small, uniquely-colored, circular sticker adorning the top of each, they were identical. Behind Saki was a chalkboard, and on it was written:

Practical Applications of Plants​

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Since this was an elective class, he didn't expect too many students to show up. However, he did expect that what few who chose to attend would, hopefully, be in for an interesting period!

[MFT]

 

[Shuji]

Daisuke ran to his second, this time entirely unknown, class at the academy. His papa had signed him up, saying it was a class that any Shinobi aspiring to be strong should take, so of course, Daisuke was all for it. His father had told him no more than the room number, date, and time of the class, so as usual, Daisuke's mind was all over the place as he ran. One train of thought was thinking about the many things the class could be on, another was thinking about the usual Jutsu he wanted to learn, yet another train of thought thinking about food, and the rest..... Well, the rest of his many lines of thinking were coming up with different scenarios about each subject his first line of thought was thinking about. A morning of confusing and twisting thoughts, to be sure, but it didn't seem to bother Daisuke any as he hopped, leaped, and spun over various obstacles for no real reason other than he thought it looked cool.

As he entered the academy, swiftly moving through the crowd of various aged students, he just remembered that he'd forgotten to eat breakfast, and hadn't packed any snacks either, as he'd woken later than was good for timing. He'd quickly gotten ready, doing his morning essentials and left without stopping at the kitchen, to the confusion of his father, who'd been enjoying a cup of coffee when the boy had called out a farewell.

Daisuke's stomach rumbled; he was now regretting not taking a moment to try and remember if he'd done everything, which he usually did every single day. Maybe it was how late he'd woken; he was usually up much earlier. Of course, though, he'd strapped a good few dozen Whistlees to himself and two of the boxes of Sixers to each of his leg, he'd never forget his weapons, but maybe I should've not gotten them and eaten breakfast instead, he thought as he sprinted into class, a smile on his lips and pure excitement written across his lips as he tucked that line of thought away for later as the novelty of his second class really entered his mind.

As he entered the class, he read the board first on his way to his sensei. Plants? Excitement was quickly replaced with confusion as he stepped in front of his sensei's desk and greeted him with a bow. Good morning, Sensei. I am Akamatsu Daisuke. He then hopped over to his usual space in any class; the very middle desk of all desks. He sat patiently, but only for a second; he was still a bit confused. Why did Shinobi need to study plants? He raised his hand, then spoke nearly a second after he had, not waiting until he was called on (though he was the only student at the moment).

My papa told me Shinobi that want to be strong need to know about plants..... Why, he asked, as if all adults thought the exact same way and he'd get the same answer from the sensei as he would've if he'd asked his father.

[WC: 521]

 

[Shinrya Riko]

So there was a rat. Komora had been sniffing for him. They had a unique smell you know? No one ever seemed to mind if a small creature like that got skinned. She crawled through the pitch black space with only instincts guiding her. Skitter. Skitter. She could hear the sound of claws scratching on tile. “Leave me alone.” The rat squeaked at her. “I’m a ninja too you know, even if my owner is a useless fodder NPC.” Komora wasn’t listening though. She wanted to rip it up with the kunai in her mouth. She was, after all player one, and this game was Grand Theft Komora. She could do anything. She tilted her ear toward the source of the skittering noise. It came to a halt. Like a lioness leaping from the brush into her prey, she launched herself at the small rat. Her kunai dug into the beneath her. She knew she had stabbed nothing, but a moment after the tile broke. The World of darkness quickly changed into a world of light as Komora descended from a now broken ceiling tile. The dust of the ages spewed out along with Komora as she fell onto Daisuke’s lap.

Fortunately for Komora, Daisuke was raising his hand and that helped to break her fall. She wrapped her arms around his neck for stability and curled her legs up as she glanced around the classroom curiously, with her kunai still in her mouth. She saw that Daisuke’s hair was now covered in dust from when the ceiling tile broke. She decided to start cleaning his hair. She began to ruffle his hair, she was full of purpose . With each brush of her fingers the dust came off and harmlessly to the ground. She would not let anything stop her. She would threaten to stab or slash anyone who got close to her hands with the kunai in her mouth. That is, until she was finished. Once she was done, she would wrap her arms around Daisuke once more as she studied the objects on the desk curiously.

WC: 349

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Luckily for Saki, he didn't have to wait very long before his first student showed up. The boy's face was initially filled with excitement, which gave Saki hope that there were indeed young students eager to learn about the many wonders that are plants. Unfortunately, however, that little boy's face was soon won over by confusion, and possibly disappointment. This made Saki frown a little on the inside. In all honesty, it was what he had expected, but that brief moment of joy from the student had given him vain hope. Crushed hope is the worst feeling in the world.

"Good morning to you as well, Daisuke. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You can call me Saki." he stated with a smile.

Daisuke took his seat in the center of the classroom, which, because of the low number of students expected to attend, was not very large. There were perhaps three well-sized rows of five chairs each, which was plenty of space for what Saki had planned for the class. It had not been even three seconds since the boy had sat down that his hand skyrocketed into the air, and it had not even reached the peak of it's flight before the boy's mouth took off almost as fast as his hand had. His question was valid. Why, indeed, were plants needed to become strong? The fact that he was curious, as opposed immediately attacking the thought, gave Saki hope that there was still the ability to grow the love for plants in him.

Before Saki could get a word out, though, a hole burst through the ceiling above his first student, and a second child fell directly on top of Daisuke, spilling small child and drywall all over the poor boy. Saki was immediately worried for Daisuke's wellbeing, specifically whether or not he had any broken bones, but he didn't seem to be too bad. This "second student" wiped him off, which took a comedic amount of time, and after which, did nothing more than cling to the poor, helpless Daisuke.

"Nice of you to drop in," Saki chuckled out. "I suppose that the destruction of portions of the building are to be expected, when one teaches small children how to use powers normally reserved for the gods. Anyways. It's just about time to start my class, and, seeing as you're here, you may as well join in, miss... what may I call you?"

After she would give him her answer, Saki continued.

"Welcome to my Practical Applications of Plants class! Firstly, hope that you will both enjoy yourselves, but more importantly I hope that you learn something important today. My name is Oshiro Saki, and I am Kumogakure's leading specialist in the field of Plantae biology... but you may call me Saki." The botanist spoke with a strange eloquence that could only be described as unique, with no small amount of intellectualism. Hearing him speak would probably normally bore anyone to death, but other people tended to enjoy listening to his mannerisms when speaking, which were, to be fair, quite unique.

"To address your question, Daisuke: your father sounds like he is a wise man for having you come to my class at such a young age. Most shinobi wait until they are much older to learn what I will teach you today, and in my opinion, they do not learn it as well. Regardless... you wish to know why plants can make you stronger. Well, in this class, the two of you will learn two things from plants: how to survive, and how to kill. There is more to being a shinobi than just fighting, you see." Saki commented, indicating Daisuke's multitude of weapons attached to his body. "What good is fighting an enemy stationed at the bottom of the mountain upon which we live, if you cannot discern which plants are edible or which ones will kill you? Likewise, if you are separated from your team, how will you survive alone without the knowledge of which plants grow near water, and which grow far from it? Or, for example, say someone you are fighting encases himself in armor made of solid rock? How, then, will your knives hurt him? The answer, my young Daisuke, is plants! But I fear I am beginning to ramble. Take a look at these two boxes, the both of you. Come up to the front of the class, if you will. I prefer an informal setting where we can relax."

Saki, who had long since moved to the front of his desk, turned around and grabbed two boxes. Holding one in each hand, he popped the lids off and held them to where both of the students could see inside, but neither could reach their contents. In the box in his right hand, there was a pink flower trimming, and in the box in his left hand there was a blue flower trimming.

"I want you two to pick which of these two flowers I will eat. One is poisonous, and one is not. Please choose as wisely as possible."

OoC: If anyone is still interested in joining this class, feel free to enter!

 

[Shuji]

Daisuke had pratically just finished his sentence when there was a crash above him, which prompted to start looking up. Debris fell around and on him, then a much heavier piece of debris fell right into his lap and clung to his neck. Wait, what? He cracked open an eye, getting a little agitated already, and found himself looking straight at Komora, the rather..... Different Shinobi-in-training. She always seemed to come from the ceiling, like she lived up there, which made absolutely no sense.

Daisuke was so confused, astonished, angry, impressed, and so many other emotions that he just sat there, his left eye twitching as he seemed to sit paralyzed. Then she seemed to start rifling through his hair, as if she'd find something in his hair other than the debris that fell on him because SHE decided to climb around in the ceiling doing who knows what. It took him only a moment, though, to realize that she was cleaning his hair as dust and other particles fell onto the floor around him - well, at least she was helping now, and partially cleaning the mess she'd made. He allowed her to stay on top of him until she was finished, though part of the reason he didn't touch her was because of the kunai in her mouth. In the last classroom they'd been in, she'd been attacking a desk with a kunai in her mouth - and the boy didn't feel like being stabbed today.

Inhaling deeply, then exhaling, Daisuke left her as she was as the sensei started speaking, introducing himself formally. Leading specialist? Hmm.. Daisuke wondered how much about plants the man knew - obviously a lot, but just how MUCH? Like all the plants in the world or just the local plants? Daisuke payed special attention as his question was answered, ignoring Komora for now - plants had already gotten pretty interesting for him at this point. Wait..... How WOULD plants hurt a man encased in solid rock? Daisuke filed that quiestion to the back of his mind for now - he'd ask later.

As Saki moved with the boxes and told them to move closer if they wanted, of course Daisuke obliged - and Komora as well, as the boy was still slightly afraid of being stabbed if he tried to get her off. He barely struggled though as he moved to standing next to the sensei, peering into the box. He nodded as the sensei gave instructions.

So, which flower? He was pretty sure he'd seen both flowers, but he knew very little about plants in general. Maybe the blue one is not poisonous, because it's the less prettier of the two.... Don't poisonous flowers try to look as pretty as possible and smell as good so that other animals and stuff will eat them? He rubbed his chin thoughtfully - he thought he'd heard something about that before, but he wasn't really sure. But it was the only basis he had on a choice, so he went with it. I think the blue one isn't poisonous.... Because it doesn't look as pretty as the pink one, and don't some poisonous plants look as pretty as possible to attract things to them? He shrugged, still looking between the two flowers before looking up at Saki.

[WC: 546]

 

[Shinrya Riko]

When the teacher offered two boxes, Komora’s grip on Daisuke had wavered for but a moment as she leaned forward with interest. He stood, and slid out of her grasp, while she tumbled to the floor. Then he walked away nonchalantly to look at the objects. Komora didn’t really care though. She was more interested in what was in those little things the teacher was holding. She jumped up to her feet. She was completely oblivious of the layer of dust that now caked the front of her shirt as she approached the desk with her kunai still in her mouth. She gazed down into the boxes after Daisuke had. Daisuke was saying something like his explanation of why he thought one was poisonous and the other one wasn’t. Komora on the hand didn’t care about that. One was pink. PINK! Oh that bright happy color! She didn’t understand why it made her feel so giggly every time she saw that color. She clapped her had excitedly as she looked at the flowers and decided that she wanted to put the pink one in her hair.

Iff Krmrrra fhe ink un! Iff ee t krmrra! She answered, the Kunai was still in her mouth. She pointed at the pink flower, of course she thought Daisuke was stupid for picking the less happy of the two colors. aaah. Unt ick fhe uu un. Ink! Ink! Krmrra unts fhe ink un! Iff ee t krmrra! Komora decided to take matters into her own hands. She tried to reach into the box to grab the pink one so that she could wear it in her hair.

 

[Oshiro Saki]

It would appear that the second student to inadvertently join Saki's class was name Komora. Or, at least, that's what he thought he had heard. She held a kunai in her teeth, and she didn't act as though she had any intention of letting it go. She even spoke with it in her mouth, and Saki was left wondering if Kumo had released a new flavor of kunai or something. He thought he heard "Give Komora the pink one!" or something along those lines. Repeated over and over in slightly different ways. Saki sighed internally, but remembered the days that he, too, had been learning social normalities. Perhaps he had never been so far off as this girl, but the principles were the same. He briefly wondered what her home life must be like; the first years of life are so quintessencial for development that he wondered if, perhaps, her parents had spoiled her without knowing. It didn't really matter now, though.

"Patient, young Komora!" he said, with a smile. He backed the box in his hand away, so that she could not reach inside. "Patience is one of the greatest lessons you can learn as a shinobi. A lack of patience is truly a lack of a great blessing."

Saki set both of the flower-containing boxes on his desk behind him, then retrieved a third box, with an orange sticker on top of it. Opening it, he took out a different pink flower trimming. Bending down on one knee, so that he was at eye level with the female student, he handed it to her, and spoke slowly.

"That other flower will hurt you, Komora, but this one won't. You can have it. This flower is a pink variety of Azalea. They do not naturally grow around our village, but there are some in greenhouses."

Saki rose, resuming his previous position of leaning on his desk.

"You were correct, Daisuke: that first flower was what is known as a Kalmia latifolia, more commonly called a mountain laurel. They grow around Kumogakure in plenty. No doubt you will see them when the time comes for you to leave the village. They have a variety of uses, such as decorations and weapons, as the branches have a very hard, durable wood. However... the green parts of the plants," Saki pointed out as he held up the elliptical leaves growing from the stem, "will poison anything that ingests them. They can cause diarrhea, vomiting, heart palpitations, paralysis, and, if left unchecked, death. These are only a few of the numerous unpleasant symptoms."

As Saki finished his sentence, he flipped open a pouch on his thigh, removed a kunai of his own, and cut a horizontal line across the inside of his forearm. Blood immediately trickled down.

"Curiously, if you grind the leaves of a mountain laurel to make a gritty paste..." he said, opening a fourth box, which had a plastic dish of pre-ground mountain laurel leaves, "...they act as a natural painkiller on an area you spread it." As he finished his sentence, Saki spread this over his arm, and an immediate soothing sensation came over the fresh cut. Soon, he couldn't feel it. "If you'd like to experience the feeling, you are welcome to make a similar cut on your arms and spread the rest of the paste on them. If not, that is also fine. Back to what I was attempting to bring to light for you two fine students: the mountain laurel is one of my favorite plants for this very reason. Its dual nature, both helpful and harmful, gives it a great amount of diversity. Because they are available in such bulk in our part of the world, I would recommend carrying some with you when you are eventually able to exit Kumogakure. Daisuke, coating your weapons with this adds an unpleasant side affect for your enemies if they are hit with your weapons, one that cannot be blocked with armor. And, soon, you will learn how to break rock with your taijutsu. I am sure of it. You have a great potential. And you, Komora, if you ever inadvertently harm yourself with a kunai, you now have the ability to hold at bay any pain. And you, I might add, may find great benefit in keeping a flower in your hair. So long as you are careful with it, of course."

Saki cleared his throat and paused for a brief moment.

"Do either of you have any questions so far?"

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

Interrupting the lecture, the classroom's door slid to the side, letting through a small girl. Her long black hair was tied into a pair of neat twintails held by purple ribbons, smoothly flowing down her shoulders. Her black eyes, their color a nigh perfect match for her hair, curiously glanced around the interior of the classroom, halting briefly on the empty seats and then on the people present. The girl wore a dark blue dress that reached slightly below her knees, an attire that, while mostly unrestrictive, hadn't seemed suited for physical activity, if only because seeing such a cute outfit get stained with dirt would have felt like a waste. A small black bag hung on her shoulder, an alternative to grade-schoolers' backpacks generally used by young adults, only on a scale fitting a little girl. She gently slid the door back to a close, making an effort to avoid causing any unnecessary noise.

"Excuse me. Am I late?" The young student spoke up, meekly and quietly. The class seemed almost empty, so the answer seemed obvious enough to her; asking such a thing was just a matter of formality. "This is the herbalism class, right?" She humbly asked another question, walking towards the desk. She hadn't missed the writing on the chalkboard, but she thought it was appropriate to ask, if only to make her purpose here clear. She stood some distance from the other students, shy and wary, and glanced down at the pair of flowers everybody else seemed to be looking at. She remained quiet, waiting for the lecturer to continue.

[MFT]

 

[Shuji]

Daisuke watched curiously as Komora started mumbling about something through the kunai in her mouth; he wasn't sure how Saki-sensei could understand her, but he did. A snort left the boy when the sensei told Komora about patience: she didn't seem like she'd be at all patient. She might be though, and it would surprise Daisuke, but he didn't really see it. But whatever, he'd been right. Hmm, maybe the bit about pretty flowers being poisonous was the right thinking? He shrugged internally though; he'd very much rather learn about all the flowers and the plants than go off of looks and theory. That itself could kill, which was easy enough, an Academy Student could understand without hearing from an adult.

He listened intently as Saki-sensei explained more about the Kalmia latifolia, or a mountain laurel. As the sensei showed the properties of the paste, and mentioned themselves trying it out, Daisuke did so as Saki-sensei continued. He nimbly drew a kunai from a hidden spot on his person, making a small cut on his forearm: big enough to bleed, but not so big as to hurt too much, just a noticeable sting. He set the kunai to the side, taking a bit of paste with two fingers and wiping it over the cut, noting the instant gratification. Wow. This will -definitely- be useful.... He payed even more attention to the sensei now, having seen the ability of plants firsthand; limited, sure, but ability nonetheless.

He glanced back at the new student just entering, sending a friendly smile towards her as he did a little wave. Yes, this is the.. He looked back up at the board, Practical Applications of Plants. He turned back to the sensei, taking the chance to ask a question. He raised his hand, but of course, wasn't even finished raising his hand before he started asking. So, how does a plant hurt a man in sol-- Oh. It took him a moment to realize his question had already been answered. Now, though, he had a different one.

How do I coat my kunai? He was nearly bouncing with excitement, another Whistlee already in hand as he waited for an answer. He looked back at the other flower that supposedly wasn't poisonous, forgetting his recent question and asking another. What does the non-poisonous one do? Does that also heal you or something? He gingerly picked it up with his free hand, holding it in his palm. Yea, it didn't look so poisonous.

[WC: 416]

 

[Shinrya Riko]

To be completely honest, Komora could care less about the idea of a lecture on plants. All she knew was that the plant had been taken away from her after being offered. She was quite frustrated. She furrowed her brow in disappointment until a new flower was presented to her. She gleefully took the flower as the teacher began to explain the lesson once again. In the meantime she took the kunai from her mouth and used its dull grey surface to try and reflect light like a mirror. With her other hand she tried to find the right placement for the flower for her hair. To the right? Or maybe left? It was hard to tell which way was which when one was trying to work in reverse. This of course continued until the teacher sliced himself. Komora watched with great interested as the blade drew blade, and then he rubbed some kind of salve on the injury. He offered the same to the two students present and Daisuke immediately followed suit. Komora was also curious and knicked herself without a second thought and then rubbed the salve on it. She blinked in surprise at first as she felt a strange cooling sensation covering the nerves of near the injury. Her eyes grew wide as she recalled where this substance had come from. A plant ground up did this? She looked like she had just had a revelation of some kind. A gaze of wonder crossed her face as she examined the ointment closely by lifting the injury close to her eyes.

At this time a new girl entered the room. The Uchiha asked if she was late, although Komora wasn’t interested in her right now. She just couldn’t believe the way this stuff worked, such was her shock. She decided to sniff the salve, and then to also lick it. It tasted nasty, and thus was promptly spit out. However, as she wasn’t paying attention, it seemed that Daisuke had taken the pink flower that was offered to her and held it in his hand. Komora was quite upset that he would do such a thing to her and take her flower like that. She quickly snatched the flower that the teacher had offered to her from Daisuke. She cuddled the flower protectively as though to shelter it from Daisuke’s greedy fingers. She decided that she would also make Daisuke look like an idiot because he wanted to coat his kunai with plant matter. ”Moisture applied to a blade is not good for the metal. Only mineral oils should be applied to the weapon in order to prevent rust and keep the sword sharp. If you’re not going to treat your kunai right, give it to Komora.” She explained to him.

Finally she noticed the Uchiha girl who had entered. She had come to examine the flowers at the desk as well. She had such pretty black hair. It was utterly fascinating to her how black this girl’s hair was. Komora decided that this girl needed the flower in her hair. She shoved Daisuke aside as she made her way to the Uchiha. She brushed the girl’s hair behind her ear and tucked the pink flower onto the girl’s ear giving her a cute look. If she tried to prevent Komora’s actions, Komora would threaten her with the Kunai in her hand until she got her way.

 

[Oshiro Saki]

"A wonderful question, Daisuke." Saki began. "Coating a weapon is very simple, actually. Your poison of choice will affect your method. If, say for example, you wanted to coat a kunai with the poison of the Kalmia latifolia, you could use heat to extract the poison itself. Now, you can do this with fire jutsu and a metal cup, but do be careful of the flame when you do so. Then, all you have to do is wipe the poison onto a blade before a mission. Any cut you make with the blade after that point should infuse a small portion of the poison into their bloodstream. It might not be much, but anything will swing the tide of a fight in your direction. Also, as you age you may find yourself with more responsibility and much more important missions. In turn, this may present to you the opportunity with stronger and stronger poisons if, heaven forbid, you find yourself in the place where you must assassinate someone. There are some poisons that will kill in seconds."

Saki cleared his throat.

" And, to address your second question, no, the other flower is not harmful. Nor does it heal you, per se. It's a small parasitic flower that grows along the root system of the trees that we make our chakra paper from, the kind we use to test for chakra affinities in our students. I'm sure you've been taught about it already. As I was saying, these flowers absorb some of the chakra in the trees, which make them a good source of chakra replenishment. They are not particularly tasty, but they are quite useful."

At this time, the door to the classroom slid open, and a small girl shyly slithered her way in.

"Yes! Welcome to Practical Applications of Plants." Saki said, smiling at the newcomer. "Come up front here with us. We've just finished discussing the duality of the mountain laurel! Don't worry about your tardiness, I'll explain, briefly, what I just said a little later."

This class is not panning out exactly how I'd imagined it." he said internally.

Both of the first student decided to cut themselves as well and test the painkiller, and both looked equally as surprised. Saki smiled visibly. The thought that these students were beginning to take interest in what these flowers could do delighted him, and he used it to springboard his second next example of a poison. However, before he could do anything, Komora kept with her theme and stole the flower that Daisuke had picked up, along with a quick retort as to her distaste for her male counterpart's lack of respect for his weapons.

"Ah, you do have a point, Komora. Coating a blade with an organic poison can technically corrode the edge. However, with proper care, it should not be too much of an issue. Besides--kunai are cheap, and typically they are provided by our governors. They are tools to be utilized to the utmost effectiveness."

Komora kept the flower, however, and tried to put it in the new student's hair.

"Let me now show you a new plant. What I am about to show you is a clipping from a tree called Hippomane Mancinella. I must ask that none of you try to touch it, as even contact with the fruit, leaves, branches, or sap can be severely toxic."

Saki walked around his desk and opened up one of the drawers, and put on two rubber gloves from a stack inside. He picked up a fifth wooden box, which had a black sticker on it, opened it, and removed a small tree clipping with a green fruit attached.

"This is a clipping from a manchineel tree. They are found, typically, on the western edge of the Leaf country, where it is warm and humid. However, it is very important to be able to identify these trees. These trees grow up to 15 meters tall, and have a grayish bark." He said, hold up the sample and pointing to the various things as he addressed them. "Greenish-yellow flowers and shiny green leaves grow on these branches. The leaves are simple, alternate, very finely serrated, and are on average 7 centimeters long. Now... as to why I do not wish for any of you to come in contact with this... Daisuke: I require your assistance. Will you please stand next to me, and put on a pair of rubber gloves from my desk? In the box with a white sticker," Saki said, setting down the fruited branch and opening the white box, "is an anti-poison, in the event that I am unable to fight it. " Saki flipped down the collar of his robes, so that his neck and part of his upper chest were slightly visible to the students. "Watch my neck as I bite this fruit. And Daisuke, if I nod at you, please inject that syringe of antidote into my thigh. Now, if I were to bite more of this than I will," he said, taking a small bite, no more than two centimeters of the fruit, "I would surely die. Now, I'll describe what I'm feeling. Right now, the fruit tastes somewhat sweet. Quite pleasant, actually. Now... it's turning into a peppery sort of flavor."

Saki's throat began to turn red and visibly swell up.

"And now, it's becoming much harder to breathe and talk..."

Saki's throat turned from a solid red color to a spotted, patchy pattern of red and white, and it began to swell even more, but he did not nod or look at Daisuke.

"At this point, my throat feels like it is... agh, on fire. I can't breathe very well at all, and my stomach feels like it's... going</B><B> to explode...."<i></i>

That was enough for Saki; he didn't want anymore. Throwing a quick succession of one-handed signs, he closed his eyes and waited as the pain and the swelling quickly subsided from him. His throat returned to its natural color, and he no longer had to worry about any pain in his stomach.

Saki sighed audibly.

"As you can see," he said, still catching his breath, "You don't want to mistake that for an apple. This tree is so toxic that even standing under it in the rain can burn your skin and kill you. Ancient Konohagakureans would coat kunai and arrows with the sap from this tree to give them an edge in battle. They would also tie people to these trees as a torture method." he finished.

"This wraps up the first portion of our class! Our second half will deal more with plants that ARE safe, and where you can find them. Are you still following me?"

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

Moeka didn't know what to think. She first thought that Komora was heading towards the door in order to take her leave, so she stepped a little to the side so as to not be in the way of the strangely determined-looking little girl. But when she changed her course, Moeka looked at her with some wariness. She winced a little as Komora's fingers, brandishing that neat little flower, reached for her hair, but she seemed gentle enough in her movements that Moeka didn't resist. It was a surprisingly cute thing to do for a complete stranger. Moeka smiled.

"Thank you." She quietly said, adjusting the pink flower behind her ear, trying to find a stylish and comfortable balance between her hairstyle and the accessory. It was a shame that there wasn't a mirror around... and it wasn't the time for this kind of thing, regardless. Her small smile faded, swapped with an expression of concern as she looked Komora over. "What happened to you? You're covered in dust..." Moeka whispered, trying to not get in the way of the lecture, and lightly patted the girl on her sleeve. With that small gesture, that small part of Komora's clothes regained some of its original color. There was a lesson to partake in, so Moeka didn't persist; she simply demonstrated what she had meant.

That teacher sure was thorough in his teachings. Usually, they don't go over the effects of poison using actual live examples, especially of themselves. It was certainly a good way to make the lesson memorable, though. Perhaps it was something worth respecting. Moeka nodded at the teacher's leading question, intent on continuing to listen.

 

[Shuji]

Daisuke raised an eyebrow as Saki-sensei said not to touch this next flower - it was that poisonous, that a touch could infect you with whatever it did? Man, flowers.... Thought they were only supposed to smell good. Daisuke listened and watched closely, committing the description to memory. If what the sensei said was true - and it probably was - he definitely would not want to come into contact with it without knowing he had. That would just be horrible.

Daisuke nodded as he was instructed to get a pair of gloves on, snapping them on, before opening the required box and grabbing the syringe, pushing it a little to make sure it would come out. When it was fine, he stood next to Saki-sensei, ready with the syringe and already a concerned look on his face. As the sensei bit the fruit, the boy watched closely, keeping the needle pointed at him just in case. As he watched the man's neck swell, Daisuke started shaking a bit, getting a bit closer with the syringe. He watched closely for a nod - he thought he saw one, and was damn near about to stab the sensei, when he saw his seals and the swelling leave, his neck returning to color.

The student quickly held up the syringe, needle to the ceiling, as if it were a gun. That was close. And scary, it looked like it hurt. He was not going to try that, even if invited to. No thanks. He put the syringe back, removing the gloves and throwing them into the trash bin, before listening as Saki-sensei closed with a bit of info on the Ancient Konohagakureans. They sounded deadly. Super deadly. Tying people to those trees.... That's some torture technique. How long did people usually last, if you know? He wondered what was the longest someone had lasted against that poisonous tree.

I'm still following, sensei Daisuke said with a nod, sitting on the top of a nearby desk as he waited for the second portion of class. Well, at least now, Saki-sensei wouldn't be in mortal danger and leave one of the only ways to cure himself of that mortal danger in the hands of a student. Even if that student was fully prepared to inject him with some random juice in a syringe. Dai's legs swung back and forth as he waited, looking at the two other students before back at the teacher.

[WC: 405]

 

[Shinrya Riko]

Komora watched her teacher take a bit out of a fruit. He began to talk about boring stuff again, so Komora lost interest in his demonstration. At least until he seemed to be changing colors. Was he choking? Komora covered her mouth as worry crossed her face, although she was morbidly curious as well. This wouldn’t be the first thing she watched die, although it would be the first she had seen choke to death. It seemed absurd to her that you could die without being sliced up and stabbed with a kunai. It wasn’t her preferred way to kill things. The swelling stopped, and now Komora looked curiously at the seal the teacher had performed. Curious. Komora looked at the fruit that the teacher had bitten from. She had half a mind to grab it for herself and cut it up into little cute fruit shaped bunnies.

As usual, the entirety of the lecture was wasted on Komora, who just ignore everything that was said because she found it boring. She decided to examine the other containers in the meantime. If she was able to, she would try to grab the next flower that she could, without any thought on what potential consequences there could be. She didn’t really get the idea that plants could be harmful. Maybe some handson experience could teach her otherwise?

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Saki had definitely noticed that Daisuke was more than willing to stab him in the thigh with the syringe of antipoison, even though the majority of his senses were obscured by the effects of the toxin. he chuckled inwardly. He'd known all along that he would most likely not need the injection, but he felt that he should have Daisuke be there anyways, even if for no other reason than to learn patience. Although such a wonderful trait cannot merely be learned over the course of a ten second poison demonstration, it opens the door for more learning and begins the journey down that road. Saki was proud of Daisuke for holding himself back. He didn't expect him to.

"Regarding your question, Daisuke, I can't say for sure, but I would imagine that it would take several hours at the quickest, and perhaps days at the slowest. I wouldn't know. It's never happened to me." he said with a silly grin.

Saki noticed that Komora was keen on opening one of his boxes. He was concerned enough as to which for which color of sticker was on top of the boxes, and when he saw that she was fumbling with the green one, he relaxed somewhat. Although, upon reconsideration, he realized that so long as she was not messing with the boxes that they had already opened, she was in no real danger.

"But in all seriousness, I can only guess as to how long the average time for death is. I don't have much experience with these plants in regards to the toxicity of its bark; I've mostly kept my studies to the fruit it bears." he explained, as he glanced over and watch as Komora opened the green-stickered box. Inside, she would find, and no doubt grab, a small bamboo shoot, vertically sliced in half on one end, and sharpened to a point. "Thank you for taking out our next subject! You can pass it around when you're done looking at it," he said. After a second of thinking about it, though, he realized that Komora may not be the kind of person to give it up so easily. "Or, at least let our other two students see it as well, if you would be so kind."

"This is a knife crafted from a broken bamboo chute. It's quite simple to do, actually. Bamboo is very versatile in its uses, and different variations of it grow all over the world, some near Kumogakure, all the way down to the lowlands of the Kirigakure. If you're completely stranded, you can break bamboo and shape a similar knife using rocks, however, you can also use a regular kunai. I know it seems somewhat strange to create a bamboo knife from a real knife, and I will admit that it is indeed niche. However, should there ever be a time when your are scanned for any metals... say you are infiltrating an organization that bans weapons from entering a building. More likely than not, someone will utilize magnetic ninjutsu to take any weapons you may be carrying. however, with a bamboo knife, you would still have a trick up your sleeve... literally. However, this is only one of many ways Bamboo can be used offensively. It can make a staff, an arrow, and arrowhead, or even a bow. If you were to split the head of a bamboo chute in to three points..." he said, as he reached into a seventh box, "you can create a fishing spear.

"On the less deadly side of its uses, bamboo can be utilized for creating the framework for a shelter overnight, or it can be used to make a raft, or as the framework for a cot upon which you may carry an injured ally. Its sturdiness, as well as its abundance, allows for Bamboo to be one of the most important tools disposable to a man surviving in the wilderness."

Saki took a breath.

"Now, I'm sorry," the teacher said, looking to the newest member of his class, "I don't believe I caught your name. What may I call you?"

[MFT]

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

Moeka looked confused as Komora abruptly left her side to interact with the teacher's herbal inventory. After several moments, she found herself not paying attention to the lecture, instead pondering on what might have been one of the school's seven mysteries, so her eyes turned away from the mysterious girl and stared patiently at the teacher enthusiastically going through his subject of expertise. Her vision briefly wandered again, from the teacher and onto the boy, to investigate the third student in more detail; but before she spent enough time to give herself away, the black eyes swiftly darted back to Saki, staying there without further distraction.

The girl was staring directly at the lecturer as he went on, but even so, his sudden question still managed to catch Moeka off-guard, a slight twitch giving her surprise away; perhaps she wasn't paying as much attention as it seemed. But the girl's expression retained its impeccable cool and she answered the question calmly, with a small smile and a polite bow. "My name is Uchiha Moeka. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sensei."

 

[Shuji]

Daisuke silently watched Komora walk over to the boxes, a frown of concern creasing his lips and brow. Anything Saki-sensei had brought could be dangerous, and she was just going to rifle through random boxes? That is.... Incredibly stupid... Why isn't he doing anything? Daisuke's mouth opened, as he was about to point out the little girl poking through possibly dangerous plants, but then noticed that Saki-sensei seemed not to care, though he had glanced at her. Daisuke opted to wait, and listen; maybe she'd bring out something safe, useless, or nothing at all? He wasn't sure what the sensei had brought to show them, of course, but he guessed it wouldn't be so bad. That super poisonous one was really bad.... He was still a little fascinated with that, to be honest. A fruit, something you could find any day, could be so dangerous. Even the leaves from the tree where the fruit came from was dangerous, and Daisuke wasn't one to question a teacher's knowledge.

A knife. Komora with a knife. And the sensei just let her get it! Daisuke would have preferred her to stay away with that thing: she was prone to stabbing things and slashing things. Daisuke vividly remembered the desk she'd attack with his Whistlees the first time they met. It was not a pretty desk afterwards. Not that it was pretty before she did that... Daisuke eyes moved to the sensei as he started to speak of bamboo, and the many possible uses. Very useful, from the sounds of it, but would be useless should the person who needed it didn't know how to craft the things they needed, of course. He'd have to learn a bit of stuff on crafting items soon, as he would hopefully be a Genin soon enough. He'd need it on a mission, he was sure, though he was also sure the missions would not be so hard.

Daisuke raised his hand after the new student introduced herself; Uchiha Moeka. Dai was sure he'd never seen an Uchiha many times, or at all. She didn't look like much, considering all the mysteries and power surrounding the Uchiha. But then, maybe she'd really show some prowess later. A few seconds after his hand hit the air, he asked his question: Saki-sensei, have you ever had to use a lot of bamboo on a mission? Of course, one of his questions would be a question about missions. He waited for an answer, his hand still in the air for some reason or other.

[WC: 423]

 

[Shinrya Riko]

Komora held the bamboo knife much like one would expect of a serial killer. She almost wanted to shout here’s johnny, but that wasn’t Komora’s style. She felt the edges of the bamboo and found them disappointingly dull, although she could probably stab someone with the pointy end. She nodded at the teacher’s assessment of the improvised weapon. ”eefs uh ool uf eserashon” She tested its flexibility and decided that common steel was still leagues better than this. She could see its uses though, but it was hardly a blade worth her attention. She decided that she didn’t really like that much and she handed it over to the uchiha girl instead. Komora didn’t care about legacy or clans as many ninja did. To Komora, Moeka was in the friendzone. She was trying to decide if Daisuke was too. The tools Saki was speaking of were all things that Komora could easily make in the wilderness with a kunai, once again proving that kunai were the highest degree of utility for survival. If they did have a weakness, it would probably be that they didn’t have that long of a reach, but Komora saw that more as a limitation than a weakness. Afterall, even long swords could not fill the purpose that kunais could.

She paid slightly more attention than she had before to the Teacher’s monologue about tools and things that could be made from plants. She wasn’t particularly interested in the fishing spear, but she could already see how she could make with a few strokes of a kunai. She noted how the binding near the base of the sharp points on the spear was used to keep the bamboo from fraying more and thus lose its strength and usefulness. Komora thought she might consider using it to catch fish sometime, although she felt like she had accidently betrayed her love for kunais with the boringness of bamboo. She paused for a moment as Saki also explained how they could be used for shelter. It was certainly a clever thing to do, but Komora felt that ultimately that wasn’t part of the ninja way. Create shelters in the wilderness? That just left clues to where you are. People could find them and use that against you in order to track your movements.

Komora was pretty reckless, but she could easily see the opportunity of traveling stealthily and attacking without an enemy knowing. There was a certain appeal to being an opportunist. Maybe she should consider it more? Daisuke asked another question. Komora saw that his hand was still in the air, and thus she decided to help him put his hand down. She grabbed his wrist. She would lock eyes with her fellow student, her eyes didn’t have any kind of ill content, but it just felt wrong when the kunai in her mouth could be viewed as a threat. She wasn’t trying to prevent him from asking questions. She just wanted him to put his hand down while he was acknowledged and was already speaking. Komora was curious how she could possibly have more common sense than Daisuke

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Saki glanced up at the clock at the back of the classroom, and realized there there were only a few minutes left before these three students would go about their day. It put a bit of a sombre modd in Saki for the remained of the class. He decided that he very much liked these kids. He missed the carefree days of studenthood, when all one had to worry about was mastering a transformation spell or getting good grades. None of this "risk your life" stuff. It was simple.

He shook his head and got his thoughts back on the right track.

"Well then, it looks like I must close our class in the next few minutes before our period ends, so I'll try to wrap this up quickly."[/b]

He paused for a moment.

"Yes, I've been in certain circumstances where crafting a bamboo weapon is necessary. The most often I've used it was in setting traps. It is possible to make a lethal pitfall trap with several dozen of these knives by sticking them at the bottom in a ten-foot hole for someone to fall in. It is not the most... elegant way to end a life, however, some times you must act according to your current situation. In the event that you are weary and unable to fight in had-on combat, deception is critical."

Saki hated the fact that sometimes, people had to be killed unfairly. It was a harsh fact of life as a shinobi. You can't show emotion on the battlefield, otherwise you'll be killed. No hesitation. No remorse. If it were up to him, combat would be honorable and fair, like one-on-one fights with no interference. If you're going to take someone's life, no matter who it is, they should be given a fair chance. And traps are the exact opposite of that.

That said, war is war, and when in war, you are always fighting... even if there is nobody around. You have to always be alert and prepared. A lack of insight or a lack of thought to your surroundings is suicide, and in that regard, you deserve to die if you let your guard down. At least, that's how it works.

"So, in my final boxes..." he said, opening up two of the remaining three wooden containers, "...you will find some things you might recognize."

He pulled out more of the blue flowers he had first offered the two of the original students, when he introduced the ideas of poisonous plants.

"This blue flower does not make you healthier, Daisuke, as you asked earlier. However, these flowers are the key ingredient to Soldier Pills, the chakra-multiplying supplement that many shinobi use. If you gather enough of them and eat them, you can replenish missing chakra. They taste terrible, but that's basically nothing if you find yourself in a situation where you need them. Secondly," he said, pulling yellow flowers out of the second box that looked identical to the blue ones, save for their color, "these flowers are the key ingredient to Health Pills, a supplement similar to the Soldier Pill that will heal minor wounds. Chewing them will have a similar effect, though you need a handful to start seeing an effect. They're much more pleasant to boil and drink as a tea, in my opinion."

Saki opened the last box, and the bell dismissing class rang.

"Wait just a second, I'm almost done! These flowers are found in the lowlands surrounding Kumogakure, and they can be ground up and eaten as an antidote to most poisons commonly used by shinobi, including Plexistem, Black Lotus, Heaven's Touch, and Iron Vein. Anyways, that's all I have for this class! I'm sorry that we ran out of time. I look forward to seeing you again!"

Saki smiled and waited as most likely all three would be eager to leave, but then he frowned as he realized that he would have to submit a report on all three of the students, as well as figure out who to report that hole in the ceiling to.

[Topic Left]
[MFT]

[Once you post your exit, head on over to >this thread< and get your rewards! From there, you'll need to link the approved rewards in your training. Fun thread, everyone!]

 

[Shuji]

Daisuke listened excitedly as Saki-sensei spoke about bamboo traps, shuffling all this away to use at a later date. Maybe he'd have to make a bamboo trap - hopefully not, because it sounded horribly gruesome, but if necessary, he think he might make it. But he'd probably hate doing it, thinking about how someone would feel if they fell ten feet onto sharpened bamboo poles. This Shinobi world was a dog-eat-dog world, and such things were expected to be used to survive, because survival was all that mattered.

Filing that away as well, a bit subdued by the grim answer to his stupidly-asked question, he got up excitedly, getting a bit closer to the teacher as he spoke about the last flowers. He'd heard pf Soldier Pills, and considering the fact that Dai had trouble using and controlling how much chakra he expended, those would come in handy. He watched as a yellow flower, which just like the blue floor save for color, was introduced as an ingredient to Health Pills, something else Daisuke had heard about. That's also good to know, Daisuke easily decided, making sure to be able to remember those flowers should he see them. He looked up as the bell rung, though Saki-sensei wasn't finished.

Daisuke waited patiently as their teacher spoke about the last flower and the poisons it countered, though Daisuke knew not one of them. He would, of course, have to go and read up on them and commit that information to memory. But now, class was over, and he had to leave so Saki-sensei could get ready for his next batch of students, if he had any. Daisuke took one last look at the flowers, before running out, calling out to his new favorite teacher, Bye, Saki-sensei! I'll see you later, okay! He'd be sure to sign up for every other class Saki had later, just so he could learn more about plants, which he suddenly found interesting and cool and not boring, as he'd previously believed they were.

[Topic Left]
[Thanks for the RPz, guys, was fun !!]