Open Required reading

[Fusanosuke]

Fusanosuke sat alone in a classroom reading a book. It was late afternoon, classes having ended about an hour before. The room was quiet save for the window dampened noise of children laughing and sparring in the training grounds outside. Academy students commonly congregated on the grounds after class on days with minimal physical training. Instructors saw it as valuable time for students to create bonds and informally practice technique. Fusanosuke preferred to get ahead on his reading.

The boy did not consider himself an outcast. It wasn't something he thought about at all, his relationship to the other students. He didn't define himself as being in a group or by being alone. He defined himself by his work. The book was titled "Lessons of the Clan Wars Vol 1" and it had many contributing authors who took turns recounting stories of battles and what could be learned from the outcomes. The book was strictly non-political, and acted as a general field guide and teaching tool for students to learn about strategy and tactics.

It was among the more intersting books assigned for class, but Fusanosuke found it to be overly curated, the lessons a little too perfect. For example, the first chapter contains an account of a battle where a small unit of Shinobi prevails over a much larger force. The writer's name is Yada Yukinari who commands a unit of 3 other shinobi. They faced a force of nearly 40, it's reported. To win, the unit of 4 backed into a narrow mountain pass that was easily defensible. The commander specialized in barriers and took the brunt of the attack while another from his unit climbed the pass and snuck around the opposing forces. Once behind, he summoned a giant bear and rushed the enemy from behind, creating a pincer attack aimed at the bulk of the enemies forces. At the same time, Commander Yukinari turned offensive, creating a second surprise. Several enemies died instantly, and the opposing force was unable to reorganize and retreated with great losses.

So what's the lesson? It seemed to Fusanosuke that there could be several. The lesson could be to use terrain to your advantage. It could be to come at your enemy on multiple sides. It could be that you simply need to be stronger than who you're fighting. The small unit seemed stronger to Fusanosuke, noting that the commander could sustain a large number of enemy attacks and that the enemy had no response to a summoned creature. In the last paragraph, however, the commander explained the lesson. "Never give up."

That seemed dull, but the boy noted it regardless. He needed to get the answer right on the test after all.

[mft]
[wc: 452]

 

[Akira Kazan]

Once again, Kazan walked the halls of the academy. His last lecture may have ended prematurely, but that failure would not be enough to detour his intentions. As of late, the village shinobi force had begun to explode in numbers and while normally that would be a good thing, this time was different. If anything, the pool of shinobi at the village's beck and call seemed to be diluted with unique freaks with new found power. While that title granted them the position, they lacked the refined skill and grace to actually call themselves 'Shinobi'. It was Kazan's objective to seek out these individuals and enlighten them, while simultaneously reinforcing fundamental lessons into the minds and natural instincts of the next generation of Shinobi within Hidden Cloud.

Classes had let out for the day, and the majority of the other instructors had already left alongside most of the students. While Kazan knew this, he held many concerns in mind as he walked the hallways. The main branch was without clear leadership, for some reason, which meant the academy was as well. With no one physically capable of stopping him, he had assumed somewhat of a pseudo position of authority. While he had no real power over the place, he had made it his goal to assist any of the instructors whenever possible; even taking over their classes in their absence, providing weaponry for instructional purposes, and maintaining the Academies obstacle courses. Right now, he was just going around, from classroom to classroom, making sure everything was up to par and situated for the night.

After checking a few rooms, Kazan would stumble upon one classroom in particular. As he slid open the door, and peeked inside, he saw what appeared to be a young boy reading a book. While this wasn't anything abnormal, especially considering this was an Academy, Kazan wondered exactly why this kid was still here so late in the day. Surely he could find a more comfortable place to read. "Hey, kid! Wouldn't you rather be out in the yard sparing or at home relaxing?" He'd ask.

Upon looking at Kazan, the kid would immediately notice Kazan's height and heavily muscled physique. Not only that, but his long fiery red hair and ornate knight like armor, minus the helm of course. It'd be easy to notice his piercing red eyes, distinct regal like facial hair, and stern demeanor. Truth be told, Kazan had asked his questions not in an attempt to intimidate the kid, but because he was curious. It wasn't everyday that a child at the academy chose to read rather than play and spar.

[Word Count: 400+]
[250 for training] [150 for Dojo]
[Marked for training]

 

[Fusanosuke]

Fusanosuke was halfway through chapter two. It was even less interesting than the first, containing the account of a young shinobi on their first high level mission. It seemed like the squad was about to be ambushed when the boy's reading was interrupted by the opening of the classroom door. A man now stood there. His armor gleamed and his features were striking. He had long red hair and red eyes. He was well groomed and distinguished. He looked nothing like an ordinary instructor.

The boy's heartrate increased. His cortisol spiked. His breath quickened. If the boy were more emotionally acute, he would know this as a fear response. Fusanosuke was very observant of others but not of himself. He did his best to project confidence, not noticing his slight eye twitch and trembling hand. His instinctive brain understood that this man could snap him in half with both hands tied behind his back. His thinking brain was trying to answer the man's question.

"Hey, kid! Wouldn't you rather be out in the yard sparing or at home relaxing?"

The boy knew it was not normal to be here. The boy knew that he didn't enjoy sparring because he was no good at it. The boy knew that he leaned on his academic ability as a crutch. The boy knew that the exam on this reading was not for three and a half weeks. The boy knew he couldn't say any of this out loud. He briefly toyed with the idea of saying that the exam was next week, but lying to this man seemed like a very bad idea. He analyzed all possible responses, clouded by fear, and came up with:

"I like to get ahead on the reading."

Nailed it, the boy thought. This would cover up any and all weaknesses. Was that his eye twitching? He tried to relax his face and give a soft smile. It looked like a grimace. The boy was not comfortable.

[MFT]
[WC: 324]

 

[Akira Kazan]

The boys response was reasonable enough, but his reactions bothered Kazan a little. There was no reason for this kid to show signs of fear or hesitation towards his question. Taking a brief moment, Kazan would raise his hands up to about navel height, and have his palms facing upwards as he glanced down at them. "No way I scared this kid." He thought to himself as he dropped his arms, only to raise them once more to crossed them as he leaned against the side of the door frame. "Okay than." He replied, as he began walking across the classroom towards the instructors chair.

Upon arriving to it, he pulled it out and quietly sat down. No one could blame an academy student for wanting to go the extra mile, but it was late. At the very least, Kazan could keep him company while he studied for the night. Again, with no real leadership Kazan had taken it upon himself to safe watch the academy and assist any of the instructors with any of their needs. While none of them, other than Kazan, this was something he just felt like doing. "Feel free to take as much time as you like, but i'm gonna have to stick around for a bit. I can't really close up the school with a student still present." He told the student, as he leaned the chair back and propped his feet upon the desk. "By the way kid, I'm Akira Kazan. I'm a Jounin level instructor." He told him, in an attempt to make a proper introduction.

It was very seldom that an academy student went above and beyond with their academic work. Most of them just wanted to become strong or to learn some unique type of skill, but very few of them actually considered training their most valuable asset; their mind. In some cases, someone could end a fight before it ever begun by simply demoralizing their opponent and installing fear within their hearts. As he sat there, he began to wonder if the kid would have a problem with him sticking around. Kazan had already disturbed him, but at this point he was curious as to how the future would play out for this kid.

In fact, a lot of questions came to mind about this kid and for some reason, Kazan couldn't help but wonder. Where did this kid come from? Who would help guide him along his journey? What types of trials laid ahead for him? What loss would he suffer? Would he reach the pinnacle of being a shinobi by becoming the future Raikage, or would he cast away bonds to the village and become a missing ninja? Truthfully, Kazan was incapable of answering any of these questions. It wasn't his story to write or tell, but just maybe he could be apart of it.

Ever since he had come back to the academy to instruct and assist the others, questions like this about students seemed to pop up more frequently in his head. The truth was, Kazan believed that the next generation would drastically change the village and the country as a whole. Things were far from bad, and in fact they seemed more peaceful than ever. But that's what troubled him dearly. There was an old saying that he kept in the back of his mind. 'Hard times create strong men, while strong men create good times, but good times create weak men and weak men create hard times.' If this was to be believed, then the future was bleak at best.

All Kazan had known, or at least bothered to pay attention to, was Kitsune's rule over the village. No one could say that they weren't a great Raikage. There was next to no infighting and murder amongst the villages ranks. Medical aid was cheaper, quicker, and more readily available even if the current reigning Sennin was no where to be found. Anbu seemed to be more diligent and obscured from the general population. All while the main branch thrived, even without proper leadership. Time's were peaceful and in fact 'good'. God forbid a band of missing ninja, or rogues, decided to reign furry down upon the village. Kazan, among others, would probably die in a large blaze of glory in an attempt to preserve what was left of the village if the worst came. While he would gladly participate in a death match like this, it would be far from a proper end to the 'Infernal Lion Sage'.

[Word count: 750]
[250 words marked for training]
[500 words for Dojo]

 

[Fusanosuke]

The Red Man introduced himself and took a seat at the front. He had a tenderness that allowed the boy to relax. In many months of studying in this room, the boy had never been interrupted. The boy judged himself harshly for tightening up, although this judgement was as imperceptible to the boy as was the tightening up. The boy's turmoil rested deep in the unconscious, shoved there to make room in the conscious for the assigned reading. Fusanosuke did not much like that Kazan intended to stay, but bolting now would look strange. This would have to play out.

"My name is Domen Fusanosuke. Pleasure to meet you." The boy bowed his head slightly in polite, well rehearsed acknowledgement. He thought to mention that he was a student similar to how the Jounin introduced himself, but he felt that was obvious enough to omit.

The boy turned to reading but lacked focus. The shinobi in the story began describing the foreshadowed ambush. Fusanosuke's eyes flitted over the page, looking at the words but not translating their meanings into thoughts. Like someone reading when they are tired, or reading while thinking about errands they have to run later in the day. It was not working. The situation was untenable.

The boy set the book down, lodging a bookmark into the crease. He made a small note of where he was in the story before setting his pencil down and looking up towards the man. The Red Jounin sat there, relaxed but pondering. The boy felt a sudden urge. A sudden opportunity. He composed himself and acted.

"Kazan-sensei?" He started, to politely get the man's attention. "Did you have to read books like this as a student?" The boy held up his copy of "Lessons of the Clan Wars Vol 1."

"Does any of it translate to out there?"

The boy looked forward intently, making no gesture to the outside to mark what he meant. The presence of the Jounin now seemed like a gift in a way. A wealth of information, possibly, and if not at least this would pass the time.