Preparation for the Future [Class]

[Miroku Akkuma]

Akkumas Appearance​

The sun had just begun to rise over the horizon & the halls of the Academy were empty. However today would not be a normal day of school for one particular class of Academy Students. For today they would have the Dark Sage Akkuma teaching them. Was his class sanctioned? No. Would his subjects stick to an accepted curriculum? No. He believed that it was necessary to make the next generation aware of the threats they faced. More importantly he believed their chances of survival would be vastly higher if they were made away of these threats. To make a generation of shinobi who could protect the village in the Era to come. For the world had gone through much change & if shinobi were to survive. They needed to once more attain the strength that made them rival gods.

After a few minutes of wandering he stumbled across a room that had a shinobi standing in front of a blackboard. He appeared to be writing up the preparations for his class. Opening the door he would step into the classroom, the teacher turned a warm expression upon his face. "I'm sorry you must have the wrong room...I'm sorry what's your name?" he would ask the Sage still no obvious signs of concern upon his face. "Oh I'm sorry do forgive me it's my first day." he would say raising his hand to his head scratching his head with false embarrassment. Shifting his gaze from the staff member to the board he would take in the diagrams drawn by the shinobi. "Oh yeah you get used to Navigating the Academy. Where's your classroom I should be able to give you the right directions." he would say with a warmth in his eyes. Completely unaware that he would soon be under attack from the man who claimed to be a fellow teacher.

"Tell me what do you think of this? Having them do kunai trajectory predictions & equations? I mean with everything that's going on?" he asked the teacher casually closing the distance between him & the teacher. "...yeah I know it can seem unimportant in the scheme of things. But if they don't have the basics down how can they excel?" he would say with a shrug. The answer annoyed Akkuma greatly every being was unique. Each having their own strengths & weakness. They should be spending this time at the Academy seeing what the students natural talents were, refining their skills & finding out their ambitions. Once they knew these things then they could mold the students with the necessary guidance or incentives when necessary.

"It's this kind of incompetence that made shinobi incapable of stopping threats like the Cabal & the Sovereign." he would say a coldness in his voice. The shinobi's expression changed from warmth to one of growing concern, he turned to gaze at the clock. No doubt concerned that his students might be arriving soon. Unfortunately for him it was that concern & Akkuma's initiative in the situation that would be his downfall. As his gaze flicked to the clock Akkuma moved in an instant he'd not only drawn a syringe but emptied its contents into the teachers bloodstream. Withdrawing the syringe his opponent pushed him away with panic in his eyes. Chuckling he would wipe the blood off the syringe before clipping the empty tool back onto his belt.

Meanwhile his quarry staggered towards the door, his panic only quickening the pulsing of the toxin. He would survive although he would undoubtedly feel quite dazed once he'd woken up. Slumping against the door he lifted his gaze up to meet the Sages. "my...my students..." Akkuma sighed giving a small smile. "Your concern is admirable but unnecessary I merely intend to Instruct them on the truth of the shinobi world.
" he would say with a warm grin reaching down to lift the weakening shinobi. With great strain he swatted at the Mercenaries arms in a poor attempt to keep them at bay. "Fine you want to do things the hard way?" he would say with an annoyed expression upon his face. Reaching behind his robes he grabbed a roll of ninja wire, while grabbing the teachers coat & dragging him forwards.

A single snore was the only reaction he got from the man as his face collided with the floor. "Whoops." said the Sage with a chuckle tying the man's arms behind his back. He then proceeded to tie the mans legs together, he stood looking down at his prisoner. Something was missing, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Then it occurred to him he needed a gag so he tore some of the man's clothing & stuffed his mouth full of the fabric. There was a wide smile upon his face as he opened the only cupboard big enough to hold the shinobi in this room. Looking at the shinobi slung over his shoulder he would laugh. "If the 10 year old me could see me now..." he thought with a smile, if he'd known that at his age such shenanigans would still be fun he'd have been less concerned about adulthood.

However there was one problem the cupboard contains a large sum of books & some shelving that he doubted he could bend the teacher around. Looking back at the unconscious man he would speak once more "This is going to have to go..." he would say with a chuckle. "It's okay I'm sure those materials are nothing important look at the crap you want to teach these kids." he'd say as he began pulling the books out & hurling them out the window as he did so. "Chakra & you? Kunai throwing techniques & exercises...by the Old Gods no wonder your shinobi were taken by surprise." he would say with a growing disdain for this unconscious man & his teaching materials. Before long the cupboard was empty of materials & shelves.

It took only a few moments to stuff the teacher into the cupboard once he did he pushed the door closed & gave a satisfied sigh as it clicked shut. Stepping back he watched, to his surprise the door did not pop open. With that done he walked to the board & wiped off the diagrams drawn by the fool. Picking up a piece of chalk he proceeded to right An Introductory Class to the Forbidden Arts & its practitioners.' with that done he would take a seat at the desk & remove a variety of scrolls from his robe pocket. A gift those who passed his class & ensured they had at least learned something from today. Knowledge was power today they would learn this lesson, if they did they would be gifted with a new technique. Now he simply waited, wondering how many students he would get for this class.

[OOC: Yes that's right Akkuma is holding/hijacking a class. I have the Instructor Ability so for those who participate in the class you get the added bonus of a single E-Rank of your choice on top of class rewards. Now let's have some fun!]
[Edited to post Akkuma's Appearance]

 

[Masaru]

Masaru walked through the darkened, quiet halls of the Academy, his movements slowed and slightly sluggish. It was far earlier than he was used to being awake, evident by the nearly closed state of his eyes. He had, of course, taken the time to be readied for this lesson: kunai, and two small logs, for extra targets. Well, for the lesson he was supposed to receive; some lecture on weird kunai math and whatnot. It wasn't anything he'd understand for a long time, but it wasn't as if he cared that he wouldn't understand it. At all. To be honest, he hated kunai. Their ability to easily draw blood always revolted him, as, while he was not only slightly squeamish of the dark liquid, he found most bodily fluids quite disgusting.

But, it wasn't as if he was going to have a say in these lessons. He was only expected to show up, ready and "eager" to learn things he never quite wanted to learn. Which was obvious by his lack of sufficient sleep. He didn't take these sorts of lessons seriously. As he walked, he yawned and stretched as one hand moved up to rub the sleep from his eyes. Since he'd taken some time out of his life to memorize the layout of the Academy, it didn't take too long for him to find the correct room.

Masaru used the complete lack of noise from the other side of the door to assume he was the only other person, besides the instructor, to have arrived. Which, while it didn't really surprise him, made sense. Many of his peers didn't seem in as much as a hurry as he did to graduate and become a Genin, which caused them to slack off a little bit more than he did, even if he wasn't the 'odd one of the bunch' or the 'weirdo' or what have you. He was just diligent in his studies, so that he could finish quickly and do what he wanted.

He opened the door and stepped in. He took a few steps towards the desk and gave his newest sensei (where was the usual guy?) a rather clipped yet still polite bow. He turned and moved to sit at a desk in the second row, as the first seemed a little too close and personal. He merely sat, and waited, not noticing anything out of the ordinary until he read what exactly he was going to learn today on the boar-

"Forbidden Arts? ...... We're supposed to be learning about kunai," he thought to himself as his mind cleared itself and become more aware than it had been only a few minutes prior. His mouth opened once, as if he were going to say something. Then closed as he thought again..... This would be more interesting than kunai. But.... He opened his mouth, about to protest this change, when he closed it again and sat back. His eyes flicked between the instructor and the words written on the board.

"I'll.... Just see how this one starts. I wonder what those scrolls are...." At least, now, he was fully awake and bright-eyed. Eager to learn.

---

Word Count: 528 of 1500
Posts: 1 of 5
[Selected for Weekly Training]

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

The Sages gaze slid to the first student to walk through the door, he looked tired & unexcited. Not that he could blame him with what had been the intended study subject of the day. Giving Akkuma a small bow which he returned with a nod the student took a seat. Choosing a seat in the second row 'Well at least he placed some distance between himself & the unknown variable. Showing the expected formal respect...interesting.' he thought to himself he watched the student as his gaze went from Akkuma to the board. Now it had dawned on him there would be more to today's lesson then he had thought there would be.

Akkuma had to stop himself from chuckling as the academy student went to speak, not just the once but twice. Both not a single word would escape his lips as his gaze shifted between the board & his Instructor. Instead of saying anything he sat back in his chair wide awake & with what looked like enthusiasm to the Sage. His gaze moved to the door & he decided that he may as well begin the class. After all if the students knew what today's subject material was going to be he wouldn't be surprised if they all decided to skip class. That would however be a mistake on their part, for today was going to vastly more interesting then kunai.

Standing Akkuma would across the room & press the class door shut he wouldn't want for any teachers walking past to hear today's subject matter. That mismatched gaze of his would land on the student once more that crystal eye & its crimson counterpart held him in that piercing gaze. "It would seem you might've been the only one brave enough to show up for the torture your scheduled Instructor had planned for today." he would say in a joking tone that serious expression gone from his face. "What's your name kid?" he would ask the student before him as he walked back to 'his' desk.

Unfurling one of the scrolls he would write the students name down on it. "I am Lord Akkuma, Head of the Miroku Clan." he would introduce himself with a polite bow. Perhaps Masaru had heard of the mysterious clan that had joined its house with the Toraono. The noble sunan clan was already known to have demonic lineage. Then there was the Miroku a clan of nomadic shinobi already known publicly to be led by a demon & to practice the dark arts. Rumor said they ran an extravagant casino in the Red Light District known as the Devils Lair. They had helped in the building of surface Suna after the collapse & it is rumored they are behind some of the monstrous transformations that had undergone some sunans. But perhaps he had heard none of the rumors surrounding the clan, no doubt the Sage would find out soon enough.

"Any questions before we begin?" he would ask Masaru already one thing would be apparent today wasn't going to be like any other day at the Academy. But then again Akkuma wasn't your typical Instructor. The Sage was a former demon & commanded beings form other worlds. Some even whispered he had been an Anbu in the village Hidden in Mist. So many rumors surrounded the man who stood before Masaru ready to instruct him on the true shinobi arts. For shinobi who fought using conventional means were few in number.

 

[Masaru]

The two say in silence for a few minutes longer, until the instructor's eyes moved to the door. Of course, they waited for other students. Masaru felt that he'd be the only one in this class, or one of a few, at least. This was only his second class and the last, he had been one of two total students. The boy didn't care as much, though; in fact, he preferred it this way, as he could then cover more subject material and get a much more focused education.

His light blue eyes followed the man as he stood and moved to close the door. Which only jumped out as strange to the young shinobi-in-training, but he said nothing. Especially as the man's eyes landed on his own and froze him to the spot.

He nodded once as the stranger spoke, though his use of the word 'brave' seemed to steel his fluctuating nerves about this newest development. Well.... Now he couldn't disappoint. He didn't want his uncle (and parents, he supposed) to receive a bad report on him from this class.

"Mizushima Masaru, sensei." He knew that name held little weight, right now.... But, that wouldn't be the case forever. He'd make sure of it. He watched as the man wrote something on a scroll, and introduced himself..........

"L-lord Akkuma of the Miroku Clan! The d-demon!" He gasped as his heart began to pound at the inside of his chest like a squadron of marching samurai. Of course he knew the name of this mysterious and powerful man.... What sort of shinobi parents wouldn't teach their child about such a man and his clan, who'd joined the Toraono. His hands clutched at the edges of the desk, his knuckles whitened by the strength of his grip.

How was he supposed to greet one of his.... Status and power? The man was damn near royalty, and a hundred times as scary. His eyes had widened and stared at the man shrouded in mystery, and seemed to have forgotten how to speak even as he was asked if he had any questions. "Questions?!?" He had a million and one of them! But....

This was a clan head wanted to teach him, a common student. So he instead kept to two questions, both relevant (or semi-relevant) to the lesson ahead. "Why the Forbidden Arts, and which Forbidden Arts are you going to teach me, sens--.... Sir..... Mister Lord Clan Head Akkuma sensei sir....." His entire face tinged red at the rather robust title he'd given his new instructor.

---

Word Count: 954 of 1500
Posts: 2 of 5

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

The Sage smiled at the youths change in attitude it seemed he was paying full attention. "Mizushima Masaru..." he would repeat the name given to him committing it to his memory, as his gaze took in the features of the shinobi hopefuls face. When he introduced himself he noted the change in the boys body language. 'I see so he has heard of me. Well I guess he'll be a model student today.' he thought to himself as he continued by asking the youth if he had any questions. Even the Sage was having trouble restraining a chuckle at the students nervousness. Akkuma was encouraged when the boy asked why the forbidden arts & which ones he would be teaching him about. Before proceeding to struggle on the right title to use for his Instructor.

Giving a warm chuckle he would respond. "Lord Akkuma will do Masaru. In regards to why the Forbidden Arts, you will find shinobi who stick to conventional means of battle few & far between. To fight conventional is not the shinobi way. For example the group known as the Cabal responsible for the attacks on Suna did not use conventional means. They used explosives & practice forbidden arts. Shinobi from all nations do so, in fact some villages have task forces devoted to harvesting these techniques from others. Today I shall demonstrate to you the skills of those who practice some of the more Darker arts. Practitioners such as myself are often referred to as Dark Sages." he would say to the young student with that voice that held a natural authority. No doubt few teachers had been willing to discuss the Cabal attacks let with the students let alone Dark Arts. But he was no conventional teacher by any means.

"Your Instructors would have you enter the shinobi world unaware of the threats you will face & the powers you can utilize against those foes. However I will not allow such folly to continue." he would say a firmness to his voice that held a seriousness that was perhaps not meant just for the young student. His hands flew through a series of seals at blinding speeds, upon completion multiple zombies would arise from the earth surrounding Akkuma. "To shinobi like myself even the dead are not beyond are grasp...these could be deadly if used right." he would say with a sinister grin upon his face. Those undead beings eyed the student hungrily yet the did not move. Taking a step towards one of the Zombies he would perform another series of handseals to form a wind scythe. Slashing one of the zombies in half he would disperse the wind blade.

It's severed form would fall to the ground groaning as Akkuma began to speak once more. "These zombies are particularly bothersome because they can regenerate. So quick trivia question & it's ok if you don't know the answer. How might one best counter this technique?" he would ask Masaru a warm smile upon his face as he gestured to the zombie that was already reforming before them. The Sage thought it was best to teach by demonstrating both practical & theory elements together. Giving his student more to be interested about & thus retain the information better. What would the young shinobi hopeful think about this? It was a rather outrageous act but then again students had been brutalized by teachers before here. So perhaps it wasn't that out there then again, acts of brutalizing were vastly different to defying the laws of nature.

 

[Masaru]

Masaru nodded; of course, Lord Akkuma sounded better to say repeatedly than the jumbled mess that was 'Mister Lord Clan Head Akkuma sensei sir'. His tinged face grew a bit brighter, but he neither moved nor spoke until he was told to. Which was quite rare for one such as Masaru; usually, he'd do as he wanted when it concerned his thoughts and whatnot, but this time..... Well, obviously, this time was different.

The boy nodded along as the man spoke. He didn't agree with the line of thought Akkuma was on, but it wasn't because any experience told him otherwise; rather, it was a lack of experience and various impressions from the shinobi around Suna, especially here, in the Academy. He'd only been taught by those that continued to use conventional means, and the only fully-fledged combatants that had ever had time for him were those that stuck to conventional means. "Which is starting to make sense.... They have less power, so less responsibilities, and more free time."

He cocked an eyebrow as the man said he wouldn't leave Masaru to continue learning 'folly' ("What's a folly?"). Then his hands flashed and.... "Zombies!" It was the first time the boy had seen a corpse that walked. These ones didn't move however, and merely stood and stared Masaru down. The young male shrunk slightly in his seat, and looked as if he wanted to avoid their hungry gaze. Whispers seemed to float through the air as soon as they emerged from the ground, which served to set Masaru further on edge.

He winced as he felt a dull jab at his mind in the same instant one of the zombies was sliced in half, and one voice seemed to become angered before it became relatively calm again. He watched in an almost disgusted fascination as the zombie slowly began to regenerate. He looked over to Akkuma as he spoke, asking him his second question of the day.

"Well.... He frowned. He had no idea in this case, but he figured he could make his best educated guess. He watched as the zombie pulled itself together, and the wind justu seemed to have little effect. Maybe.... "Maybe slicing it up and then burning it really bad will work? Or maybe binding the two halves away from each other." He shrugged as his frown deepened. His hand moved up to simultaneously rub at his eye and prop his head up.

A dull throb slowly built in the front of his head, and felt exactly as a headache would. He looked at the undead again, now whole and once more stared Masaru down like he was a meal. His eyes shifted over to Akkuma, "I don't know, Lord Akkuma. I've never seen or even heard of one of these.... Things past fairy-tales and stories." And for good reason. His heart seemed to be pounding at his chest harder than before at the sight of them. These things, they weren't.... Natural. They weren't meant to be raised like this, as corpses brought back to serve.

The whispers seemed to grow more aggressive to Masaru's ears, yet stayed at the edges of his hearing. He figured it was a mere by-product of the headache he'd developed, and ignored them as he asked his own question. "What is the best way to combat this technique, then? I don't think Genjutsu would work well.... They don't seem to rely too much on their senses, with their eyes, ears, and noses rotted away like that."

---

Word Count: 1541 of 1500
Posts: 3 of 5

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

The Sage had begun his explanation & Masaru seemed to be following along. When the undead beings were summoned Masaru shrunk into his seat doing his best to get away from the creatures without actually moving. With his demonstration underway Akkuma couldn't help but feel that they weren't alone. There was a peculiar sensation to the air around them as if the 'veil' (what Akkuma calls the 'curtain that separates the realms) was suffering distortions. But he could not be certain of the cause so he would continue. Those concerns wouldn't be shown on the Sage for he was always expecting the unexpected. His pupil seemed both disgusted & fascinated by that which was taking place before him which was understandable. In truth the Sage thought the young shinobi prospect was handling himself quite well.

Those mismatched eyes held the boy in his gaze. They were the answers he expected from someone with the boys experience. Although he did make up for his lack of experience with ingenuity. The Sage stood there silently watching the boy as his hand moved to his eye & support his head. Perhaps it was too early for the youth, he would give the boy some more time. Little did he know that his pupil was undergoing some severe changes. Muscle sinew restrung itself as bone fragments reforged, before long the undead creature stood before Masaru eyeing him hungrily once more. Masaru spoke once more this time admitting he didn't know saying he'd never even known of such things except from stories. This singular feat of being able to admit when he lacked the answers would no doubt save Masaru in his future. For those that blundered their way through the shinobi world could only do so for so long. He'd learnt that lesson himself the hard way.

Finally the boy asked what was the best method for dealing with them saying that he couldn't see genjutsu working effectively against them. "...perhaps there is hope for the future generation yet." the sage would say quietly giving Masaru an impressed look. Turning he would walk back to his desk once more making some notes about the young shinobi before him. "You've shown the wisdom to not only admit when you do not know the answer. But to seek it from those who do. Many a shinobi have lived short lives because they did not possess the same wisdom. Take pride in that Masaru you show much promise..." he would say as the Sage jotted his notes down about the boy.

"In regards to the undead it is best to deal with them like any creation of a shinobi's. Take out the one who conjured it & the creatures will fall. Otherwise if you find yourself able to disrupt the user's chakra they will no longer be able to maintain their link with the creatures. I'd suggest Lightning Ninjutsu, although there are various other means of disrupting ones chakra or forcing them to drop a technique." he would say with a warm smile that mismatched gaze of his holding Masaru in his sights. With that demonstration done he would snap his fingers & the undead creatures would crumble away once more returning to peace. However the Sage was not yet done, once more his hands flew into a series of handseals. This time conjuring a Cursed Mask in his hand, the Mask's features depicted those typically shown to resemble a shinigami in folklore.

"You've seen the undead servants...now see the Master of Death." he would say adorning the mask. A shroud of deathly energies would envelop the Sage. Then a horrifying sight for any mortal to behold would appear, that is a shinigami itself. Its form overlapped that of Akkuma & dark chains held its forms to his body. The Sage had trapped the death spirit within the Mask & bound its power for his own. Raising one hand he lifted the very veil from around them as his deathly energies flowed passed the room altering the very landscape around him. Masaru's desk & his chair would be all that remained of the classroom. Sand whipped about them & in the skies above them the very energies of reality crackled above. "This is my power Mizushima Masaru. To bend death itself to my very whim! Witness the power of Lord Akkuma & understand why it is necessary for you to know what you face in the shinobi world." he would say his voice rumbling around the false reality he'd trapped them within as he spoke to the youth.

This technique was the most forbidden of all his jutsu, the most taboo of the Dark Arts. Little did he know that the weakening in the veil was having bizarre effects on his pupil. For it was not unknown for individuals to awaken dormant abilities in life threatening situations. To some the realization that ones world was vastly more complicated then they could comprehend was a daunting & life changing experience. Take into account the darker aspects that one is forced to consider with such a realization. It becomes easy then to see how such an experience could be compared to the trauma or stress of a life threatening situation. Human genetics were vastly unique in the way they adapted, for humanities strongest instinct was that to survive.

[OOC: Apologies on the wait Masaru!]

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

Topic Left Due to Inactivity