Press Start To Play [CLASS]

[Honnou]

Wind… trees… grass… silence… well, almost silence; the wind could be heard by the wary… but other than that, this place just vibrated. This was the ideal playground for Honnou as he simply stood out in the middle of a tree-less plain that seemed to stick out in the Ancient Forest. Because of its properties, wild animals tended to avoid this area - prey couldn’t hide here, and predators couldn’t sneak up on anyone here. His clothes gently waved in the wind; a white traditional, sleeveless blouse with a thick collar to warm the neck. Black pants with a purse on his right side. Sandals. His two carpal blades equipped on each of his wrists. Yup… he was ready.

His mask wasn’t on. That was probably the only difference from 12-hours-ago-Honnou… no, this was what he expected when he attended Aoi’s class. Yes… this was his own class. He was the teacher. The 5’0’’ or somewhere around that tall boy was going to wear the glasses today, and he was going to run the lesson today. And his first lesson was easy - show up in the open area of the Ancient Forest by 2 o’clock afternoon. As far as he remembered, he had two students under him today - he would quickly pull out his paper and read through their ID’s.

Yamamoto Minami… she seemed to like her studies, but no further specialties in her ninja talents were shown yet. Perhaps he’d be the lucky one to realize her talent… he chuckled happily under his breath.

Arinia Hiroyuki… ya, Hon could see it in his face. The recklessness. The inevitable. This was going to be interesting. Very interesting.

Putting away the papers just as quickly as he took them up, Hon stretched his neck. Kiri-sensei would be so proud of him right now… today was the day when Honnou-sensei became a thing… or perhaps Hon-sensei, he couldn’t quite figure out what he wanted to be addressed as. Oh well, time would tell…

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WC: 333/1500
(OOC Message): Welcome to Honnou's first class! Following are permitted to join (my student list for now):
Arinia Hiroyuki
Yamamoto Minami

If you want to join, PM me on site or in Discord and I'll edit your name into the student list above - but I can't take more after the second round of posts, so hurry up!

STANDARD RULES FOR CLASS:
» 5 posts
» A minimum of 1500 words in total (equals 300 words per post)
» You're allowed to exit the topic and complete your class thread after the fifth post
» Please try to post 72 hours after me in time (If you cannot meet this because of personal stuff, please PM me) If you miss this, it will count as a strike. 3 strikes and you are out of the class.
» Just make sure to post and let's have fun! It's my first class, and I want to remember it as something special <3 also don't look at my blue eyes or you'll go blind (jk jk)

 

[Yamamoto Minami]

Minami checked her pouch one last time before heading to class. A scroll, brush, ink, and essential ninja tools were all there. She still had roughly half an hour before the meeting time, so she wasn't in any hurry. Today's lesson was a little different from the usual. Not only was the teacher someone she had never met before, they were supposed to practice in the forest instead of the classroom. If she had to guess, it would be because they needed the space for physical exercise. Not her strongest area, but she was going to get through it. She took a brief look at her outfit, black pants and a light grey shirt, before leaving the house.

It was approximately 13:50 when Minami arrived at the "classroom". The only other person there at the time was a young man, slightly older and taller than Minami herself, who could easily be mistaken for a student if she didn't actually know he was their teacher for today. Hyuuga Honnou, was it? There were only supposed to be three people in total there that day, the teacher, herself, and one other student. She happened to hear that her classmate had really bright red hair that made him stand out, so there was absolutely no way she could mistake it for the pure black currently in front of her. By process of elimination, this boy was her teacher.

"Good evening, Mr. Hyuuga. I am Yamamoto Minami, here for today's lesson; I graciously await your guidance," she politely said while offering him a deep bow. It was only proper manners to start off with an introduction when the two of them had never met before. Still, it was a little hard to believe such a young man was a teacher. Minami had read about cases where masters of certain ninjutsu appeared younger than they actually were, so it was quite possible this one fell under that category. None of her teachers had been disappointing so far, and she had no reason to judge this one by his appearance.

[WC: 345]

 

[Arinia Hiroyuki]

Yuki was late, or at least he had left later than it wanted to getting distracted with helping his mom at the shop. Damn't I wanted to get there with time to spare but at this rate I'll barely make it. he thought has he leaped from tree to tree along the forest. Today was his first class, well his first class that wasn't crammed full of people in that tiny classroom. From what he was told it would only be the teacher and one other student, so it wouldn't be easy for him to sneak in. Yuki always liked to play things on the edge, showing up to his normal classes at the last possible second. The kids in class loved it, making games out of it to see if he would make it on time, and doing so drew him into the spotlight. Though its not exactly like I enjoy being in the spotlight, I guess I just like that people want to be around me. he thought as the wind blew through his crimson hair. His outfit wasn't even fully put together like it normally was, the blue jacket gone and only the red hoodie and white undershirt were there along with a pair of black pants. He had even managed to forget his gear and weapons that he had purchased specifically for this class. I really hope I don't just get outright failed he thought the clearing for the meeting point coming into view.

As Yuki emerged from the treeline and soared into the open area he could see clearly two people standing in the center. The boy stood out to him first, his demeanor and presence screamed one of confidence and pride his raven black hair blowing gently in the breeze, while the girl with him seemed small in comparison. That must make him the teacher...umm I think his name was Hyuuga Honnou right? Then she's my classmate. Yuki thought as he landed on the ground next to them. He honestly had no idea if he had made it on time or how long they had been waiting, but it definitely seemed like she didn't just arrive.

Evening Hyuuga-sensei, my name is Arinia Hiroyuki. I'll be in your care. Yuki said as he bowed in front of the boy with the raven hair. He was still going off the assumption that his information was correct, since he had never actually met or seen Honnou before, but he was told the teacher was a male chuunin. He then turned toward the girl that was there as well and stretched out his hand towards her. Ummm I know I just said it but I'm Arinia Hiroyuki. Its nice to meet you. he said with a beaming smile. He didn't know anything about the girl, but judging from her small size he guessed that she had to be the same age as him or maybe even younger. Her hair was the same color has the teachers, but her eyes. Wow those are some blue eyes. Yuki thought to himself, after all he loved the color blue as it reminded him of his ice and his heritage.

[WC=321/1500]
[OOC - Sorry for taking so long got caught up in work ><]

 

[Honnou]

The first to show up was Minami. Upon gazing at the approaching student, Honnou’s blue Byakugan thoroughly examined her facial expression. It was a very monotone expression if you asked him, but that also led him to think that something mysterious was up with her. It was very interesting to see people like her unfold in this world where every action and every word was sharp and surprising…

Although, Mr. Hyuuga wasn’t exactly what he expected to be called. Immediately after receiving the polite honorific, Hon’s face frowned a little and suddenly turned a little soft and burdened. He tried to hide it away with a little chuckle and reply: “G-Good evening, Minami-san- I mean -kun…” Wait, as a teacher, he was supposed to address his students with ‘kun’ as the honorific, right? Or was that too much?

Either way, either way, the next up was easy to spot as he soared across the air. A flamboyant boy with cherry-red hair had arrived; he must’ve been Hiroyuki-kun… Man, of all things that Honnou had read about, he just had to forget about honorifics. He was too used to people addressing him as ‘Hon-chan’ or ‘Hon-kun’ and him just slipping by calling people by their names only as a sort of ‘intimate, trustworthy’ relation marker. These people were his students, but he had just met them today… he would have to learn more about his subordinates if he wanted to strengthen the bonds between them.

Despite the clear difference in ranks, he felt at the same height as them… figuratively and literally.

Watching Hiroyuki bow to him, though, had fashion in itself. He truly felt like the superior now… anyway, class had officially started now.

“You’re both quite the role models back at the Academy, I’ve heard,” Honnou expressed confidently whilst switching his gaze between the two of them. He obviously meant that they were both renown for either a. being delicate nerds or b. being extremely loudmouthed, but the word ‘role model’ gave it an even tone to the two terms. Nothing was worse than the other in the long run per experience. “But you can’t judge a book by its cover… take a seat,” he asked them as he sat down on the soft, dry grass. It hadn’t rained in a while, and even his fingers stroking against the grass didn’t wet them as much as it dirtied them with dust from the core.

“You’re both aspiring to become ninjas… that means a lot. But remember that a good start can mean a lot in the long run… so what do you expect when the day comes where you’ll be Genin? I’d like to hear your wholesome answers; I’ll be all ears.” He would gaze at Minami first, awaiting her to respond first.

WC: 333 + 464 = 797

 

[Yamamoto Minami]

The teacher looked rather timid, or rather, nervous? Come to think of it, Minami had never seen him give a class at the academy, or passed by him in the hallways; he was pretty young too. Perhaps this was one of his first classes, or he was the type to lose their cool around new people. Either way, she didn't mind too much. All that mattered was that he did his job properly and didn't teach them anything wrong.

Her classmate, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Bright, cheerful, and with a flashy entrance to accompany his flashy looks. His hair really was as striking a shade of red as she had been told. The first impression he made wasn't the best, considering he was a full five minutes late to class and didn't even apologize for his tardiness, but she'd rather get on with the lesson than cause a scene.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, my name is Yamamoto Minami," she said as she shook his hand, followed by a brief bow. Since all of the interested parties had gathered, it was now time for the lesson to begin. She was a little surprised to hear that Hiroyuki was considered a role model, but that just went to show what their teacher said next really was true: you can't judge people by appearances. If she thought about it objectively, five minutes wasn't such a long time, even their teachers were that late from time to time.

But sit on the ground? Not only was that unsanitary, it meant she would have to wash her clothes later, and it felt uncomfortable. But the teacher told them to, and there wasn't exactly anything else there for them to use. Minami reluctantly sat down on the dirt a couple meters away from Honnou in seiza. What kind of lesson required them to be out in the forest like that if it wasn't going to be physical exercise? The change of environment wasn't the least bit unpleasant, but Minami failed to see the point...

Especially since their teacher's first question was about their aspirations. They could do that in the classroom, couldn't they? There was no logic in any of this, but rules...

"My goal is to join the Medical Branch as soon as possible after graduation. As a member of the Yamamoto clan, it's only natural I follow this path," Minami answered sternly. She paused for a moment and considered her answer. That much should be fine, shouldn't it? The teacher's question was rather vague, so that should have been a satisfactory reply.

[WC: 345 + 435 = 780]

 

[Arinia Hiroyuki]

Yuki let out a small sigh as all the introductions had been made and the teacher began to address them. It seems like I wasn't too late, so I won't have to worry about failing. Yuki thought as Honnou called them both "role models" back at the Academy, he had to stifle a laugh. Judging by Minami-san's appearance and demeanor I'm guessing she's probably at the top of our class in studies so that makes sense, but me. Sure I get along with everyone but I wouldn't say that makes me a role model. Yuki thought as he moved to sit on the ground with the others, crossing his legs in front of him. There was always a chance that Honnou didn't actually mean it when he called them role models, but there didn't seem to be any malicious intent behind the words and he was pleasantly nice to them as he asked them about their ideas of the future.

Minami was the first to go and Yuki was fine with that. He had grown up with a deep respect for women since his mom raised him by herself, and even if she hadn't show up first he would still have suggested she go first. The Medical Branch huh. It's pretty cool that she wants to follow in her families footsteps like that. If I had that same passion I guess I wouldn't even be here. Yuki thought to himself as she told them of her goals. After she had finished it was his turn, so Yuki adjusted himself so he was sitting up straighter with a proper posture. After Minami had been so honest with her answer Yuki felt that he needed to be equally as honest.

"To be honest before today I never really thought about where I would be and what I would do after I graduated. From what I was told of my father he was just a regular Chunnin and my mother is a civilian" Yuki said falling silent and thinking about the question. When he first joined the Academy he didn't know anything about the shinobi life, his mother didn't like to talk about it, but throughout his time there he learned a lot about the different paths a shinobi could take. "I think I want to join the ANBU" he said finally breaking the silence after a few minutes. "I remember learning that one of their main focuses is hunting bounties and wanted shinobi, and I guess my....skills would be good in that area" Yuki said quickly stopping himself from saying too much. His bloodline wasn't exactly something he went around telling everyone and showing off, after all he was told by his mother to be careful who he told. Still he felt like he gave a good answer, after all it was an honest answer from his heart, one he came to then and there.

[WC - 321+483=804]

 

[Honnou]

Their answers seemed to take roots in different reasons. Minami appeared to take pride in her clan as it befitted many shinobis, Hon included, and then we had a contrast to Hiroyuki’s answer that was, for now, rooting in his own judgement. Either way, Hon was easy to read their outer characteristics and the meanings of their answers, so it was time. Despite being a small class, he did want something physically required to complete it.

Looking behind him into the shrubbery, he smiled a little. He hoped that the small deer was still out there. “Okay, then. Thanks for your answers. Now, let’s switch over to something more physical… we’re out in a forest and all, so it was only a matter of time,” he declared, quickly rising up on his feet, “In the forest around you, a certain, small, grey deer is hiding from you. It’s easily distinguished from Lightning Country’s own deer which are brown in color… anyway, the deer is smart and doesn’t want you near it. Expect the unexpected. And also… you have 15 minutes from now on.”

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At first, it found it rather strange. Digging itself up from a random hole in the ground, the deer-looking creature didn’t expect to meet a shinobi - heck, it didn’t expect to show up here of all places. In the heart of Lightning Country, quite a good chunk of miles away from its home. Despite having such a random arrival, the shinobi it met treated it with respect. And now, it was out here… playing bait for some students of his. Either way, it found itself proud enough to contribute as the most difficult bait ever. With the Hyuuga’s help, it had several ‘checkpoints’ and roads where it could stand out and rest its nerves due to the several traps defending it. These traps included lassos that would ensnare your foot and make you dangle upside down, a wooden box that would clap around your body and trap you like a bear, camouflaged holes in the ground, nets of hardly visible wires that would - by even a small touch or contact - ensnare your entire body from throat to heel like a spider’s prey, elastic gum hanged upon a net on the tree crowns waiting to fall down on your head, smaller holes on the ground meant to trap your feet and cause you to fall on mud AND plush versions of itself that would explode into a milk bath upon contact…

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“… I put up some challenges to test your patrolling and obstacle-maneuvering skills. Although, on second thought… nah, you’ll do fine.”

WC: 437 + 797 = 1234

 

[Yamamoto Minami]

Minami nodded in understanding. Up until recently, she didn't have a specific path she wanted to follow either, so it made perfect sense for Hiroyuki to still be weighing his options. It was actually rarer to find someone who'd already settled on their life decisions at that age.

It would appear that everything up to that point were merely the introductions. Minami's questions about the location of the class were finally answered as their instructor gave them the actual task of this lesson. By obstacles, he was likely referring to traps. Anything prepared by a Chuunin or higher was sure to be a challenge for students like them, so they had to tread carefully. Minami couldn't say she was especially skilled at that, but she had the basic knowledge expected of her. Hiroyuki, on the other hand, might be more useful. After all, the teacher didn't say they couldn't work together.

"Understood," Minami nodded at Honnou as she got up and wiped the dirt off her clothes. Since there was a time limit and all, they had to get going as soon as possible.

"I suggest we move together, Arinia-san. This deer sounds difficult for one person to handle alone, so teamwork should be essential. It would be convenient if we could split up and cover more ground in search for it, but I don't believe we have any way to contact each other once we actually locate. We should move quickly if we want to make the time limit," Minami suggested. The teacher didn't give them any pointers, so any direction should do to start with. She pointed to the east and started slowly heading into the forest while carefully looking for traps around her.

"When tracking an animal..." she mumbled to herself. The first thing they needed to do was find the deer's tracks; that was obvious. But how would they tell them apart from all the other deer in the forest? Honnou said the deer was small, so the tracks had to be smaller than an adult's, and they should also be a single set. That narrowed it down a little since fawns usually followed their mothers around and thus left a pair of tracks behind. Admittedly, Minami only knew what she'd read in books and had no actual experience.

[WC: 345 + 435 + 383 = 1163]

 

[Arinia Hiroyuki]

The sudden change in topic and them for the class left Yuki feeling a little excited. Classroom settings and books were never his strong suit. That wasn't to say he was dumb or slow, it was just that Yuki always preferred to take action over talking about things. So its a hunt. Find the deer and capture it. Simple enough, lets see Honnou-senpai said it was a small grey deer not native to this area. Yuki thought as he stood up and began stretching his muscles. He wasn't entirely sure how he would find the deer, but his abilities gave him several ideas for capturing it. If normal methods don't work I'll use my ice to imprison it or slow its movements enough to capture it. Either way I better start looking. Yuki thought as he prepared himself to start running but Minami spoke up and offered they work together.

It was honestly not something Yuki had thought about at first, he was more used to the kind of trials were the students were competing against each other. She is right though working together will make this test easier. She looks smart and might be good at tracking or at least know how. Yuki thought as he turned towards her and smiled. "Alright Yamamoto-san I'll follow you're lead, I'm not the best at tracking yet, but I'm confident I can catch the deer if we find it" Yuki said as he followed her into the forest, making sure to stay on guard for anything that might be waiting for them.

As they entered the treeline Yuki could tell this test would be hard, the dense vegetation making lines of sight very narrow and slim. Spotting the deer would be tough enough, given it was a small animal, but the added difficulty of Honnou-senpai's traps gave the creature a huge advantage....unless. What if we used the traps against the deer. From the way Honnou-senpai made it sound its a smart animal so it won't easily get caught in the traps, but what if we used the traps to narrow the area the deer can go. Yuki thought as he followed behind Minami-san barely catching a sound of her saying something under her breathe. "Yamamoto-san I was thinking, since we know Hyuuga-senpai hid a bunch of traps in here why don't we try and use them to our advantage. If we can figure out where the traps are maybe we could lure the deer into them, or at the very least use the traps to narrow the area the deer can travel" Yuki said as they continued to walk, all the while scanning his surroundings for any signs of both deer and trap.

[WC - 450 + 804 = 1254]

 

[Honnou]

Hmh. The small deer-looking creature felt quite at home in the shrubbery. It almost felt unfair that it was the target of two Academy Students given its several advantages; the traps, its knowledge about their locations as well as its adept forest running. Perhaps this test proved too difficult? Maybe that Honnou boy had a plan with it? Who knew…

On a second thought, this forest area was quite small despite its vast thickness and density. Around 4-5 minutes after it heard the call, footsteps were nearby. It quickly dashed through the bushes to hide itself on the run, remembering that there were three traps in this direction that formed a sort of triangular shield; a spider trap, bear hole and lasso.

Standing there, it couldn’t help but sincerely want the students to notice its presence, so the deer-looking creature slash fluffy canine (very weird creature) flapped its tail and rushed the bush that it was hiding inside. If they approached it directly, then they’d likely fall under the spider trap first… it just hoped that they didn’t go head-strong first, perhaps something unpredictable would happen. It loved unpredictability! It couldn’t wait to see what they would do!

WC: 198 + 1234 = 1432

 

[Yamamoto Minami]

Minami put a hand below her lip and gave Hiroyuki's words some thought. According to their teacher, the deer was really smart, so it would be prudent to treat it as if it were another ninja in hiding; probably couldn't use ninjutsu, though. Was it really possible to lure a ninja into their own traps? Likely not. But since the deer didn't set the traps itself, the idea had some merit. If they could find some of the traps, they could seal off any other escape route and pressure the deer into getting caught.

"We could certainly try it. Of course, we need to find the traps without the deer spotting us, or it will very likely run away before we can do anything," Minami said in a low voice. Since this was a class, they should be able to find them if they were careful enough, and keeping quiet shouldn't be too difficult either. As she was considering her options, there was a small noise coming from a nearby bush. It could very well be any animal in the forest, but there was no harm in checking it out; they just had to watch for traps.

Minami used her hand to get Hiroyuki's attention, then pointed at the bush she head the noise from. She then ducked down and started approaching it slowly while looking at the ground for anything unusual. There were some fallen leaves, grass, flowers, dirt, just about what one would expect to find in a forest, except for a spot that looked like it lacked a bit of life, so to speak. There was grass and leaves, but no flowers or small plants like weeds she saw all around them. She had a hunch some kind of trap was placed underneath the ground there and the cover-up couldn't perfectly replicate the surrounding environment (or rather, their teacher held back on purpose).

"I think I might have found one of the traps," Minami whispered to Hiroyuki while pointing at the ground. "How about you try going around the bush and try to scare the deer and make it come my way?"

[WC: 345 + 435 + 383 + 355 = 1518]

 

[Arinia Hiroyuki]

It seemed that Minami had agreed with Yuki's plan to try and use the traps against the deer. It wasn't exactly a fool proof or solid plan, but it would still allow them some sort of plan. As they continued into the forest Minami suddenly stopped and pointed to a nearby push where the sound of rustling leaves could be heard. It could be any kind of animal, but she's right it would be a good idea to check at the very least. Yuki thought as he followed her lead and ducked down slowly walking behind her checking around them for traps. She was the first to spot what looked to be a potential trap in the form of a pitfall of some sort on the ground and suggested that Yuki try to lure they deer towards her by approaching from behind. It's a pretty good idea. If we're lucky the deer will either fall into the pit or leap straight into Minami-san's waiting arms. Otherwise it will still narrow down some area. Yuki thought as he silently nodded at Minami and began to walk around the left side of the bush, making sure to be careful of sounds and traps.

It didn't take him long to get into position, now directly opposite of Minami who was waiting were he had left her. Now how do I get the deer to move. Chasing it would be the simplest option, but the risk of missing additional traps would be high going at a quick pace. If I approach slowly while being careful for traps it won't do much to startle the deer and put in on edge. Yuki thought carefully going over his options of approach. He knew the best scenario was one where the deer was startled by whatever action Yuki took and bolted towards Minami's direction. This would serve to not only get the deer moving, but also possible dull the deer's senses making it more vulnerable. It might be best to just go loud, after all Hyuuga-senpai didn't say we couldn't use ninjutsu. Yuki thought as he readied himself. He didn't plan to use his Ice-style abilities unless essential, and hated himself for not learning any flashy Fire or Lightning style techniques.

Now or never. Yuki thought has he began to run towards the bush in question before jumping slightly into the air. Quickly weaving a few hand seals together Yuki gathered his chakra into his hand before extending just his index and middle finger. Wind Style:Wind Slash. Yuki thought as he slashed his arm three times sending three invisible blades of wind down towards the bush each blade cutting the left, right and back of the bush. This left the only path open to the deer in front straight towards Minami. Yuki wasn't worried about hurting the deer, he figured it would sense the danger coming and bolt before anything happened, but he also aimed just short of the bush so the blades would land in the area around and not directly on it. After all we are supposed to capture it not kill it. Yuki thought as he began his decent towards the ground. It was up to Minami and Lady Luck if their plan was to succeed.

[WC - 543+1254=1797]

 

[Honnou]

… Its hairs quickly rose on its body by the sound of upcoming gusts. Did they try to kill it?! The deer knew not of their true intention as of yet, but the very assumption was enough to dart out of here; give the directions of said wind blades, it felt forced to dash out from the bush in a certain direction. That wouldn’t mind it, though, as it knew of a trap that way - it just had to change direction and-

Well, it planned to, but the impacts of the wind blades cut its way off fiercely. Only a few inches away from getting cut apart, it was suddenly startled and returned to its previous direction, this time wanting to go to the left - yet again cut off by another wind blade! At that point, the deer-looking creature was convinced of their menacing intents, until…

Well…

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Hyuuga-senpai had been following them from the tree crowns, a place that was likely not inspected by the students since deer don’t climb on trees. He managed to land on a thick branch and look down at one of the traps that had activated, and to his delight, the deer was down in it. They had lured it to one of the already laid-out traps in an efficient way, a skill most favored to survive a trap-filled, hostile area yourself. Smiling brightly, he landed on the dirty ground between Minami and Hiroyuki.

“Splendid job. And in a solid 8 minutes and 51 seconds…” he congratulated them as he picked up the poor deer-looking rat-bear-serval creature, “Thanks for your cooperation, little guy.”

“Your class is hereby completed. Thanks for being my first two students.”

WC: 282 + 1432 = 1714

[After 5/5 posts, the Class has Ended; you can stick around as a normal thread or exit]

 

[Yamamoto Minami]

Minami stayed put right in front of the bush while carefully watching Hiroyuki walk around it. If everything went well, and the deer they were looking for really was in there, it should come running straight at her. Her job would be to make sure it didn't try to turn around and dodge the trap at the last second. But it didn't look like she would have to worry about that. Hiroyuki managed to cut off the deer's escape routes perfectly by himself and lured it into the trap without much trouble. It almost felt as if her presence there was not needed at all, but she did find the trap it fell in. And their teacher congratulated them both, so that meant she did an adequate job. Wait, had he been following them the whole time? He just landed in front of her out of the blue; she never even realized. So that was what it meant to be a real ninja.

"Thank you very much for teaching us today. I will be taking my leave now if that's acceptable," she told Honnou while bowing deeply. If today's lesson taught her anything, it was that she needed to work on her tracking more. This lesson was clearly made easier for beginners, but a real mission was not going to be like that.

 

[Arinia Hiroyuki]

Their plan had worked. Yuki honestly couldn't believe that it had worked so flawlessly, he had been expecting it to be harder to catch the creature. Honnou had made it seem like this creature was exceptionally smart, or at least smarter than most, so Yuki had been planning to use multiple traps to catch it. Instead the creature was so startled by the sudden assault of wind that it had fallen for their very first trap. I'm surprised that it worked so well, but a real capture mission won't be that easy. If the target had been capable of ninjutsu of its own I don't think it would have gone so smoothly. Yuki thought to himself as Honnou suddenly landed between Yuki and Minami and rescued the deer from the trap. It was clear that their teacher had been following them from the trees and shadows to keep an eye on them, but Yuki hadn't noticed at all. Goes to show the difference between a mere student and a full shinobi. Yuki thought dusting off his clothes. Honnou congratulated them on passing the class, and Minami thanked him for teaching and went to take her leave.

It was true that the class was now over, but Yuki felt some what odd about simply leaving now. It was rare that a student was given a one on one chance to learn with a shinobi, at the Academy it was always in the class with a large group. "Hyuuga-sensei thank you for today's lesson. If possible I would love to be able to learn more from you in the future" Yuki said as he gave a deep bow to Honnou. Regardless of the circumstances Yuki knew that learning more from a trained shinobi would be better for his future than learning from a book or a teacher talking to twenty students. I learned a lot today, not just about being a shinobi, but about myself as well. Yuki thought as he looked up towards the sky and thought back on the day as the clouds rolled by.

[WC - 345]
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