Sensei! [Suika | Tutor]

[Senju Shizuka]

Not even a week had passed and Shizuka was already heading toward Suika’s place with the hope of the schedule she had been handed being correct. According to that Suika should have a couple of free hours now. And while the young Senju felt slightly guilty for taking away free time from a busy Chuunin, she tried to ease her mind by telling herself that Suika wouldn’t have given her the information if she hadn’t wanted to be bothered by her. There had been other, polite ways of dealing with Shizuka, like telling her to come back to the office whenever she needed help, but clarify that she might be absent or busy - that way a ‘session’ wouldn’t have been guaranteed.

Inhaling deeply when she made it to the, hopefully, right address, she paused a couple of steps away from the door of the apartment. Briefly she had considered getting a treat of sorts for Suika, but then decided against it. She was here for advice and potential training, not to grab a cup of tea. The kunoichi wasn’t her ‘friend’, she was a superior and an instructor. Therefor sweets and other types of treats were just a waste of time. Time Suika could spend with her own friends while eating things she liked if she wanted to.

Stop, she told herself and shook off all the unnecessary thoughts. It was time to proceed. With a couple of soft knocks she hoped that the door would be opened by Suika and not someone she lived with. It would be quite awkward to explain herself in that case, or perhaps that was her nervousness kicking in again.

“Hi! I hope that I’m not interrupting,” Again.. She offered a smile. “You’ve said that I- eh that I could ask you for help, and you would..” Gesturing in the opening of the door, Shizuka laughed softly. “help me.” Then the laughing became a bit louder. She couldn’t help but shaking her head because of how silly the lack of finding the right words had made her sound. Luckily, Suika didn’t seem to mind, at all.

“Well, I’ve been thinking,” she tried again, this time with some of her usual confidence and calmness. “no matter what branch I’ll end up in, there are weak spots in my skills that need to go. Of course, I know that it’s impossible to fix them all, but I would like to narrow them down as much as I can.” Nodding seriously, she followed Suika with a very concerned expression for someone who had barely turned eleven.

“From the Academy I’ve learned that I’m above average when it comes down to ninjutsu. I can confidently say that most of the students aren’t a match for me in that area. But, unfortunately, I’m quite bad at genjutsu and terrible when it comes down to hand-to-hand combat.” Keeping her voice even she hoped that Suika wouldn’t see this as bragging. Because Shizuka wasn’t. All she tried to do here was explain the logic she followed.

“I’ve always been very excited about learning how ninjutsu worked. My favorite are wood and gravity, but lightning comes best to me, I guess.” Thinking about it, she was certain that lightning jutsu had been her first. Not that it really mattered. In time she hoped to master other elements as well, and create more complicated jutsu than she was able to do now.

“For genjutsu.. I have difficulties with it. Shieo-san has shown me the basics, or rather..” Her voice faltered here. A silence crawled into her speech. She could still remember the genjutsu she had been trapped in quite vividly. “to summarize, I think that I have a better idea about how it works, that however doesn’t mean that I’m actually better at it. Still, it’s something, right?” Progress sometimes came in leaps and sometimes in baby-steps. For Shizuka it was the latter when it came down to anything illusionary.

“Sorry, I’m rambling and throwing everything at you.. I’m not sure if all of this is really relevant to the question I was planning to pose. Could you help me with developing my taijutsu a bit?” Perhaps then she wouldn’t need to rely to ninjutsu all the time. Which could form a problem should either one of her hands get injured or in case that her chakra levels would run low.


**
[729/1,500 || 1/5]

 

[Suika]

It was quite the quiet day for Suika. She had a few piles of paperwork to turn into the Academy for her part-time work there, but other than that, she was free for the rest of the day. She did plan to train some, but not before cooking herself a bite. After meeting Akira and co., Suika learnt a few tips and tricks on how to make a semi-tasty meal. With her ivory apron on, the girl sizzled chicken and veggies on her stove. Then she heard a knock. With a curious tilt of her head, she lowered the temperature of the stove to a simmer as she then strolled over to open the door.

“Shizu-san…?”

Suika wasn’t expecting Shizuka, but it was not completely unwarranted considering the fact the kunoichi handed her schedule and address to the girl. Her musing expression slowly shifted into a welcoming, warm smile. The Chuunin greeted the student, but it seemed as if Shizuka visited with her own agenda prepped. Suika nodded throughout her spiel; training, ay?

Shieo…

The girl shook her head. Last she heard, the old man was somewhere out traveling. Not that she cared… anyway. As Shizuka continued to explain her weaknesses, specifically not possessing any talent in genjutsu or taijutsu, Suika interjected. “Well, I have been meaning to train today.” The Chuunin motioned toward a seat at her table. “Take a seat as I finish cooking and packaging my meal, Shizu-san.” Closing the entryway behind them, Suika returned to her work station, twirled her spatula expertly, and finished crafting her mix of chicken, veggies, and rice. There was a bit of mango flavor in it, too, since the girl had a sweet tooth. Portioning her meals into little containers within her fridge, Suika freed herself from her apron and pointed the spatula at Shizuka.

“So you want to become more proficient in Taijutsu, ay? Hit me.” The kunoichi grinned. Did she have a trick up her sleeve. “You heard me right, Shizu-san. Hit me, I’ll give you a free shot.” It was more of an order than a request. One of two things would happen if Shizuka decided to hit Suika or not. If she did aim her first or weapon at the Chuunin, the kunoichi would melt into the shadows and disappear. After examining the room, Shizuka would notice the window open in the girl’s apartment. If Shizuka went against hitting the girl, Suika would keep motioning for her to land a strike. However, her window would be open again. If and when the student attacked her, the Suika before her would reveal itself as a clone (Or just dissipate). Needless to say, the window was now opened and the girl’s presence no more.

If the young student went outside, she’d notice not a trace of Suika. There was a note on the floor. “Prepare yourself for taijutsu combat.” What would Shizuka do?

[WC: 484 | Post 1/5
TWC: 484/1500]

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Doing as she was told Shizuka took a seat and silently watched Suika while the latter gracefully moved around the kitchen. The sight had her wondering if she too would have to learn how to cook sooner rather than later. There were a handful of things she could make, but everything else she bought on the go, or mother made it. Yes, mostly it was mother who was cooking. Though, dad did help if mom was on a mission of sorts. He wasn’t bad at it, but Shizuka preferred her mom’s cuter looking tenmusu.

Now that she studied her senior she felt like cooking was an art. All up in her element, Suika’s motions were both graceful and calculated. Or perhaps that was just the kunoichi life rubbing off on her. The delicious smell surely rubbed off on Shizuka, her stomach made a gentle sound. She stirred, hoping that Suika hadn’t noticed. It seemed that even if she had she didn’t plan to let it disturb the upcoming training.

Getting up, all nervous but ready, Shizuka’s smile faltered slightly when Suika asked to be hit. On one side the request wasn’t out of the ordinary. They were about to practice taijutsu and Suika had to probably put Shizuka’s skills on some sort of chart first. Testing her was a normal way to do it, and if they hadn’t been in the kitchen then the young Senju would have definitely complied. As it was now, however, she did not out of fear of making a mess inside of the Chuunin’s apartment.

“But.. we’re inside..” she started out with a bit of confusion playing around the edges of her eyes. The motion to strike was repeated. The sign gave her a bit of confidence that Suika had something up her sleeve. Perhaps hitting her wouldn’t result in a complete disaster.

Taking the next sign she rushed in with the help of two steps trying to slam her fist into Suika’s shoulder. It worked! but not ..not really. Because the moment her fist collided with the older girl the latter wasn’t there any longer.

“When did she??..” the startled student whispered to herself while looking around. Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed the open window.

Woah! Suika was good. Not that anything else would have been expected from someone already teaching at the Academy instead of sitting on its benches.

Excited she wanted to rush over toward the window but figured that if Suika was to make this into a bit more than just taijutsu, then perhaps she should too. That’s why she allowed the wood to shape into a clone of herself. While it took more chakra to maintain, it was also a bit sturdier than the other clones in her arsenal.

Allowing the clone to slide out of the window opening, she herself went back to the door. From there, she could get onto the roof and wait for the right moment to jump in while her clone read the paper. Maybe, with a lot of luck, she could get a hold of Suika.

“Ready when you are, sensei!” the clone let Suika know, eyes flying from one side to the other.

Where would Suika choose to come from? And would Shizuka be fast enough to jump her from the roof when she actually came up to the clone?


**
[1,290/1,500 || 2/5]

 

[Suika]

Blinking curiously, Suika examined the back of Shizuka’s head as she peered over the roof in anticipation of the kunoichi. The Chuunin, ironically enough, was also on the roof. Scratching her head, Suika’s bewildered look quickly shifted into an amused grin. “She’s so focused on the note below, that she has no clue I thought of a similar strategy…” Suika wanted to laugh, but composed herself. That would just give her opportune positioning away. Slowly creeping up toward the young student, Suika attempted to poke the back of Shizuka’s shoulder. If the girl shifted her body toward Suika’s direction, her attention would be met with an attempt to snap a kick to the girl’s side. If Shizuka was able to counter or block her semi-sneak attack, Suika would materialize her Ethereal bade in zero second timing and swipe at the young student. She then hopped back and positioned herself.

“Don’t get too fixated, Shizu-san, that you neglect your surroundings. I have to admit, it was pure coincidence that I was also up here, but be wary of any tricks your opponent might utilize to distract you.” Falling deeper into her stance, Suika beckoned the young Shizu girl. “Now, show me what you got, Shizu-san.” In this taijutsu spar, the Chuunin would use her ghostly blade. Although it functioned like many blades, it also gave her the ability to channel genjutsu through it and cause harm to her opponent’s mind with every strike. Shizuka would feel this if she allowed the girl to get any hits on her.

Suika’s chosen battle style, for this physical spar, would to appear purely defensive, but use that as a lure for abilities. an aggressive offense. Aside from her illusory abilities, Suika was very confident with her Taijutsu ability. How would Shizuka fare? She wouldn’t go all out on the student, but she’d give the girl a run for her money.

[WC: 316 | Post 2/5
TWC: 800/1,500]

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Having been so caught up in the moment of waiting for Suika to appear somewhere next to her clone Shizuka had entirely neglected the possibility that her superior would appear next to her actual self. So, when the gentle poke came, she turned wide-eyed and quite shocked at her own stupidity. The warning Suika had so kindly provided her with turned out to be enough for her to half-block the incoming kick. Well, one wouldn’t really be able to call it a successful block if they thought about it for a moment. The hit had fallen on her hip instead of her side as she had managed to step away a little. The next attack, however, managed to bite her forearm.

A thin stream of blood appeared on Shizuka’s marble white skin. It stung and reminded her that she had asked for a lesson - even while Suika looked fragile, she wasn’t. Facing off with a Chuunin was a bad idea. She would definitely get her ass whooped. It only sank in now that this would be hard. Unlike her classes with Shieo here she was supposed to actually stand her ground.

A real life genjutsu. Perhaps not as bad, but equally tiring. Oh man, what had she gotten herself into?

“That was.. unexpected.” she nervously let Suika know while studying the .. what was that?

The air seemed to have a form. Light bent and broke to create a whitish shiny object. Thin as ice it seemed to move at its edges. Briefly it had Shizuka wonder if she was under a genjutsu already, if this was some sort of hallucination.. but the stinging cut and the lack of foreign chakra in this very moment convinced her otherwise.

Suika had some sort of blade that was really hard to see. All Shizuka had in returned was a kunai and a couple of senbon. With no other equipment hidden in her thin layer of clothes she felt a bit cheated on, but didn’t show that. A fight between Shinobi frequently wasn’t fair. In fact, it wasn’t about fairness. What everything came down to was skill and.. thinking ahead was a skill in itself.

It’s why with a firm nod she decided to come at Suika but keep the clone. The latter could hide out of sight for now. Perhaps Suika would think that it had been dispatched and forget about it as their ‘spar’ went on. Then, Shizuka hoped, to get the upper hand by using the wooden clone who had snuck around the house.

She charged. Hands tightly formed into fists and eyes on her target, Shizuka rushed forward just to crouch low and try to sweep Suika’s legs from beneath her. Carefully watching the shiny object so it wouldn’t bite into her flesh again, she hoped to quickly turn and slam her other leg into.. well, Suika. With very basic knowledge of Taijutsu and a fairly small amount of practice she wasn’t entirely sure where her opponent would be by the time she had come into her second attack. If succeeding at it, she would definitely charge again, but keep her eyes open as not to blindly walk into a trap. Keeping the right amount of space between them for her to be able to strike while dodge the blade would be really tricky. She already knew that the cut she had was only the first of many.


**
[1,860/1,500 || 3/5]

 

[Suika]

While Shizuka had a good enough response time to block the kunoichi’s impromptu kick, her ghostly blade was able to cut the girl a bit. The student appeared somewhat taken back, Suika catching a subtle glimpse of her studying her weapon. While it was true that the Chuunin’s sword was unlike most, anyone dazzled by its strange sight would be taken advantage of. This was the life of a shinobi, after all. You had to take advantage of every opportunity in combat and not get too distracted by your opponent’s sparkling jutsu.

“Here she comes…”

Shizuka charged her. Suika, in that moment, admired her full-frontal assault. Not everyone was so bold as to rush their enemy. Anticipating a punch due to her tightened fists, the kunoichi didn’t fully prepare for the sweep kick that the Senju delivered. Luckily, her reflexes were quick, so she was able to pivot back and absorb the blow. It was a hard hit, but the girl avoided falling to the floor. “Pretty tricky. Impressive.” she mused. More than expecting the student’s follow-up kick, Suika was able to deflect her combo with the wide-edge of her sword. The Chuunin took this moment to take another quickened swipe at the girl.

“You’re a fast-thinker, but your body is too tense. Your attacks are strong, but seemingly easy to predict.” As Shizu charged a second time, Suika would reprimand the girl for utilizing a near-same tactic. Switching from defensive to offensive, the Chuunin rushed in on the student herself and began slashing at her aggressively. She didn’t perform any Taijutsu techniques in particular, but executed a flurry of basic strikes at the girl. Suika’s momentum aided the powerful force in her attacks. Although strong, her movement was very fluid. “It’s okay to think, but trust your body more. Allow your weapon, regardless if its just your fists, be an extension of your will.” There were a few moments in their clash where Shizuka almost overwhelmed her – the Senju blood in her was prominent. However, aside from illusions, this was Suika’s area of expertise. She’d do her best to refine the raw talent that was in Shizuka.

[WC: 358 | Post 3/5
TWC: 1,158/1,500]

 

[Senju Shizuka]

To argue with Suika’s statement would be foolish. She was here to learn from the Chuunin even if the latter’s words had stung. It was a little odd that the little remark has actually touched her so easily. Nothing about the words had been harsh. In fact, they had been very gentle. The first part had naturally filled her with pride but the second bit brought her back to earth harder than it should have. Knowing she was bad at taijutsu was one thing, hearing it being said by a superior was another. Somehow, she had always managed to either impress someone by her actions or be strong enough as not to care about what they thought. Perhaps with a couple exceptions here and there. Suddenly the realization that she only cared when someone who she admired was the one pointing out her weakness. Then it mattered, unlike when said by a Genin who could throw a perfect punch but could barely form an elemental clone of one kind.

Nodding firmly she felt a wave of panic rush through her body when Suika came toward her. The blade flew through the air, and the young Senju pulled out her kunai in hopes of protecting herself from the blows. The weapons met here and there, she was pushed back and could only break through a few times. Unfortunately, whenever she did Suika danced away gracefully and came back with full force. A bit further into the fight she felt sweat pooling up her body. The strain on her muscles grew. She had to breathe heavily in order to keep moving. Meanwhile Suika seemed as fresh as ever. Continuing to dance like a cat. Shizuka was the mouse here.

At last she couldn’t hold it, couldn’t keep up anymore. Between one strike and the next one she felt the kunai slip from her hand because of the power behind Suika’s blow. The little weapon bounced across the roof and disappeared over its edge. This notified the girl that she had come dangerously close to it without really paying attention to her surroundings. It could have been a grave mistake because a couple more blows and she would have had to- Oh! This could be the right time. In fact, the perfect time for what she had been hoping to achieve from the very start.

Dashing backwards from the roof she hoped for Suika to follow because the clone was already ready to jump the Chuunin from the back. Hopefully, if she wouldn’t catch her, it would be enough of a distraction for the wooden spears to form. They required no seals, only Shizuka’s chakra to be channelled properly.

Letting her Senju blood play she watched the spears of wood tear through the air in hopes of pinning down their target. Then, a moment later, she too rushed forward. The clone would have tried to grab Suika from the back right before the appearance of the ‘stakes’. If all worked, maybe Shizuka would get to lay a head-on punch on Suika’s chest. Because that was her fist’s current goal.


**
[2,376/1,500 || 4/5]

 

[Suika]

Their little dance continued, and now Shizuka equipped herself a traditional kunai in attempts to better deflect the Chuunin’s Taijutsu. Suika got even more fired up. Slowly, but surely, the girl grew in ferocity and technique. Despite Shizuka’s hesitance, she observed the same in her. Contrary to some of the fatigue she displayed, the student’s form became better as she fought. Clearly, she was more talented than she put off. But it was apparent, too, that the young girl was, indeed, burning out. Like a flicker of flame slowly dying, Shizu suddenly shifted her stance and attempted to dash away from the kunoichi. With a slanted expression, Suika took on chase. “Running, ay? What does she have up her sleeve?” She would soon find out.

As Suika neared the Senju’s tail, the student activated her bloodline jutsu and shot forth wooden spears from the ground. Well, this was familiar. Having faced this ability before, the girl attempted to dodge Shizuka’s ninjutsu with ease, but she was suddenly latched on to by the young girl’s wooden clone. Sneaky! Part of her calculated that her clone would be in stealth, but another side of herself got swept by combat. That was a mistake on Suika’s part, and she’d own up to it with the wooden tendrils that pierced her.

Spots of the Chuunin’s blood splattered on the floor.

Dematerializing her blade, she struggled to escape the clone’s grasp as Shizuka, once again, charged her with a punch. Luckily, Suika was a quick-thinker herself, and formulated a plan. As a spiritual blaze surrounded her irises, her ethereal weapon formed once more, falling from the sky with the blade pointed down. This time, however, the sword was three times bigger in size. It stabbed itself between Shizuka and herself. Freeing her legs, she jolted the lower half of her body forward, grasped the hilt of her blade with the soles of her feet, and swung it around to strike the clone that held her. Whether it made a huge impact or not, this would most likely free her.

Anticipating Shizuka’s final Taijutsu strike, the kunoichi’s blade glowed furiously. Suika channeled a genjutsu, Crippled, that would instantly break Shizuka’s arms upon impact. If hit, she would take advantage of this moment to rid Shizuka’s clone. She then would turn toward the student and point her blade at her. “Game over, Shizu-san.”

Releasing a deep sigh, she glanced at the minor wound she received. She then shot a look at Shizu, one which was hard to discern as good or not. After a moment, her expression transitioned into a small grin. “Nice work, Shizu-san! You pretty much got me.” Suika chuckled a bit. Letting her sword fade naturally away, she would soon place her palm on Shizuka and send forth a chakra pule to free her from the inflicted illusion. The Senju would feel her arms healthy again.

“This was supposed to be a Taijutsu spar, but I admire your guts, Shizuka.” Suika nodded and placed her finger on her chin. She continued with her assessment. “You’re smart and powerful, especially for a student. Definitely continue to focus on your strengths in Ninjutsu, but don’t be too discouraged with your Taijutsu. You’re better than you think. Also, really focus on a weapon style. You switched from fist, to kunai, to fist again. It’s great to be versatile, but it’s even better to excel in a particular field of Taijutsu. We can revisit this again sometime. Any questions?” Despite their heated duel, Suika expressed no hard feelings at all. Her wounds felt like mere scratches, although a bit more than that, and she suddenly gained even more hope for Shizuka’s future as a shinobi. It wouldn’t be long until the student was at her own level, that she knew for a fact.

[WC: 631 | Post 4/5
TWC: 1,789/1,500]

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Like lightning the blade came down from the heavens above and forced Shizuka to stop dead in her tracks. The energy cut smoothly through the wooden tendrils like a hot knife through butter. Quickly trying to calculate if a leap right now would help her make it to Suika, she found herself unable to move for a split of a second that was necessary for her mind to catch up with the sudden pain that shot through her arm. Burning and aching it consumed her arm from the tips of its fingers all the way up to her shoulder. With obvious panic in her eyes she was clutching it with her healthy hand. Then, after a second of suffering in silence, she let a low, pained growl roll from between her lips that tightly pressed on each other in an attempt to hide her pain and fear.

“Nnnnngg,” the girl heavily breathed. The clone was no longer under her control. By the time she managed to concentrate with the pain of broken bones still torturing her the clone was long gone.

Game over, the words came through a haze of pain. They jerked Shizuka from sliding onto her knees. Kept her up until Suika relieved her from the terrible ordeal. By the time the Genjutsu was lifted -and she cursed herself for not having noticed it, then she might have tried to cancel the pain- she felt how drenched she was from the sweat. Those couple of moments that had stretched on too long for the young Senju had wreaked havoc onto her body.

She shivered while it wasn’t cold.

“T-thank you, Suika-san,” the stuttering came from the heavily breathing. She sucked in the air thanking the gods for its sweetness now that the pain was no longer dominating her mind.

Feeling a light blush creep up onto her cheeks at the reprimand mixed with a compliment, she looked down for a moment unsure of how to react. Luckily Suika was already moving on. What she said about the weapon made sense.. but Shizuka wasn’t good at fist or kunai.. so, she had just done something in an attempt to make it through the spar for a bit longer.

“Yes, I will take that into account, Suika-san.” There was so much she still had to learn.

“Perhaps not quite related to Taijutsu, but how do you form that blade? Is that.. wind or pure chakra?” Unsure, she wondered if it had a bit of lightning in it as well or was some technique Suika had developed herself. Moving closer, feeling relaxed again now that the echoing of pain had died down, she tried to be polite despite being really curious.


**
[2,826/1,500 || 5/5]

 

[Suika]

The duel was now over and Shizu had accepted the lesson Suika so eloquently, and aggressively, taught. In fact, she blushed lightly at the Chuunin’s words of critique and encouragement. Part of the kunoichi’s soul felt warmed in that second. Shizuka was a kind girl.

“That’s a good question, Shizu-san,” she acknowledged as she reached her hand out to the girl, “perhaps I can explain as we eat? I packed the food I cooked earlier in containers, so I can heat that up for us if you’d like. Chat and dine, yanno?” If Shizuka accepted her hospitable offer, Suika would clench on to her hand and guide her to her door. There, she would let go of the girl’s palm, dust herself, and enter again her apartment. Immediately sliding into the kitchen, she opened her fridge, grabbed two containers of packaged food, and began to heat them. As they cooked, the girl motioned toward the table. “Take a seat, Shizu-san. If you need to freshen up, you’re also free to use the bathroom or shower. I have extra towels, and you can always borrow some of my clothes, too.” Suika was acting as a considerate host. After all, it wasn’t too often she had company, and her apartment was more quiet without Blackberry’s once loud presence. She was glad to entertain Shizuka for a bit.

Whether Shizuka accepted her offer or not, Suika would serve the steaming plates of food on the table. The entrée, as mentioned once earlier, was a mango chicken mix with veggies and steamed rice. It was a simple dish, but it was filled with the necessary nutrients for a lean, active shinobi. The Chuunin closed her eyes, closed her hands together, and gave thanks for her food. “So as you asked, my blade is formed from my chakra. However, it is different in that my chakra is mixed with spiritual elements…” Holding out her hand, Suika manifested an ethereal fork. She didn’t do this to show off, but to give further example of her technique. “I don’t mean to sound like a zealot or a creep, but I have a strange connection to the otherworldly. With that, comes perks, I guess.” Suika appeared thoughtful for a second as she peered into her food. She had accepted the fact that she was unlike many shinobi, especially being attuned to some type of spiritual plane of existence, but she hadn't really the opportunity to dig deep into why she could. Was it a bloodline? A gift? A curse? Did it derive from the family she never knew? She once longed for answers, but shinobihood distracted her from seeking the truth. Maybe she’d visit that again soon enough?

“How about you, Shizu-san?” she asserted as she took a bite of her food. “Do you come from a long line of Senju? Yanno, I’ve combated against one of you before.”<i></i>


[WC: 479 | Post 5/5
TWC: 2,268/1,500]

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Seeing no reason to say ‘no’ to the invitation, she let Suika lead her toward the apartment. This time they didn’t go through the window opening, the thought had her smiling. As the pair dusted themselves off, she wondered if this might be inappropriate, but shook off the idea because they weren’t at the Academy. This wasn’t favoritism from Suika’s side, and Shizuka wasn’t trying to get any. So, with a nod, she was about to take the seat offered to her when the idea of washing her hands and face latched onto her. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

The cold water had really done its magic. She had carefully washed her face and hands, cleaned the cuts and allowed them to heal with a bit of help from her chakra. Then, with sleeves slightly rolled up, she had come back to the table and took the previously appointed seat.

Curiously studying the way the fork formed she tried to remember if she had ever heard about anything like that. A connection to the otherworldly really sounded mysterious and somewhat scary. She hadn’t read anything about it at the Academy, unless she hadn’t paid attention during a lecture when this subject had come up. Though she doubted for that to be the case, because this was tickling every bit of curiosity she had. Thoughtfully chewing on the matter while picking out a mango piece was the way to go unless she wanted to risk revealing to Suika -an Academy instructor- that she sometimes, or quite frequently, zoned out on the theoretical classes.

“Hmm, I don’t,” starting out carefully, she paused. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything about it in class.” With that she slowly returned to her food and figured that Suika wouldn’t see the core of the issue unless the topic was actually an important part to be taught. Right?

“Well, my dad’s side are Senju as far as I know, mom’s side comes from the Cloud. Well, I mean,” Oh damn, she hadn’t meant to point out about the other Senju. Less than a year ago she hadn’t even been aware that her family might be from somewhere else. Now she was.

“his side is from the Cloud too but.. apparently they might have been from somewhere else.” Vaguely explaining it, she happily jumped onto questioning Suika instead of being the one to answer things. Senju Saya had been someone she could still remember quite vividly. And the desire to one day go to Sand and see the Senju compound there was still burning in the back of her mind. Now, however, wasn’t the time. It wouldn’t be time for a lot longer, she knew that much. First she needed to graduate and gain rank.

“Woah? You have? In the Cloud?”

Had Saya been here?! Or.. had Suika fought Saya somewhere?
How many others were out there?

“Did they use the wood style?” Was one of the questions on her tongue that managed to get out. Her green eyes were wide and shiny. She felt her heart skip a beat. To meet another Senju who didn’t belong to her direct family would be nice. Mostly because she wanted to know if they had their own jutsu. More wood style techniques that had been passed down. Perhaps something else, too.

“My father taught me all the wood-style ninjutsu he knows. If there would be others I could learn from.. that .. that would be really amazing.”


**

 

[Suika]

As their conversation continued, Suika nodded as Shizuka shared what she learned from the Academy. “Yeah, chakra natures, in terms of what is spiritual, cursed, or beyond, is not often taught at the academy. It’s seen as unconventional and seemingly rare for one’s chakra to take on a supernatural form, but you’ll encounter it again someday. It’s not as uncommon as people think.” The kunoichi, for a moment, reflected on her past experience with alternate types of chakras, specifically ones that were more ‘cursed’ aligned. Hopefully, the Senju wouldn’t have too many run-ins with such chakras during her shinobi career. If she did, well, perhaps Suika would give her a crash course in that topic someday.

Taking the occasional bite of her food, Suika continued to listen to the young girl’s enthused speech and queries regarding her clan and the possibility for others. Her demeanor almost shifted instantly. Typically, the Chuunin observed a more thoughtful, curious attitude emitting from the girl. This time, her eyes were lit up as her body language expressed a barely contained excitement. The more she hung out with Shizuka, the more sides she got to see from her. Suika enjoyed the student’s company.

“The man I fought is named Tatsuo of Konohagakure, well,” she paused as she remembered her friend’s sudden arrival into Cloud, “he’s actually a Cloud ninja now. If you ever want to meet with him, he has a dojo called “Blazing Spirit” located out in the Ancient Forest. He’s a fighter, but probably one of the nicest Jounin you’ll ever meet.” The kunoichi grinned. So far, she had experienced notable ventures with Tatsuo. His presence always brought her feelings of hope and positivity. Well, that, and the need to get stronger. He ignited Suika’s more battle-competitive side. “I can arrange for your meeting if you’d like, but chances are a spontaneous visit would work out just fine. He’s really cool, and you’d definitely learn a thing or two from him. Feel free to drop my name if you do.”

At this point, Suika was almost done her dish. Picking at the remnants of her food, she took her last bites and patted her face. Her stomach was now satisfied. “So are you planning on taking your Genin exams soon, Shizu-san? You seem more than ready to me.” Her question was formatted more as a compliment than an actual one. Chances were, the girl was scheduled for one soon. “Also, have you thought up a path or branch to travel down? No pressure, just curious if any division has caught your eye.” As quick as she conjured her meal, Suika pulled out two matcha green tea pudding cups from her fridge and placed one in front of Shizuka. If she wanted dessert, it was there for her to take. Suika plopped open her own and took a heaping spoonful.

 

[Senju Shizuka]

“Oh,” blinking she froze for a brief moment. “did he.. move? Can shinobi do that?” With a gentle tilt of her head, she studied Suika while wondering how and why one would actually leave their village for real, forever. Wasn’t that considered both dangerous and treacherous?

“I might.. if you think that it would be alright.” Of course, she wouldn’t stop thinking about it later on. She already knew that. With another Senju in the Cloud, one that didn’t belong to her family, she just had to meet him at some point. Already thoughts and questions regarding their wood-style floated through her mind. She couldn’t get carried away, though.

“Well,” she placed her hands in her lap and considered what to tell Suika at this point. “I think that I would like to, yes, but I’m still hesitating about what direction to pick.” Happily accepting the sweet she gently hummed while carefully weighing down her options.

“I’ll probably keep it neutral unless they advise me to join a particular branch, for now. Travelling is what I would like to do, and I think that if I go into a specific field right away I might be unable to leave the village at all for a long while.” Nodding, she took a bite of the pudding. It was delicious and she showed the delighted expression that marked her face, knowing Suika would realize it was her enjoying the treat.

“Once I’ve sharpened my taijutsu and genjutsu a bit, I’ll probably request an exam. In the meantime, I can also learn a bit more ninjutsu. Lately, I’ve been reading about the crystal-type. It’s quite fascinating, but I’m not sure if I’m good enough at controlling earth to make it work.” Thinking about it she put down her spoon for a moment. She had read great things about crystal. It seemed quite fascinating. That’s why she had been training hard in shaping water. Both water and earth were necessary to create various types of crystals.

“Ice sounds interesting as well, but wind really isn’t my thing. Maybe a Senju isn’t meant to wield it.” Laughing gently at that, she hoped to one day conquer wind as well.


**

 

[Suika]

As Shizuka asked questions regarding Tatsuo’s transfer, the kunoichi placed her hand on her chin. How was he able to switch villages? He had never really explained it… perhaps it was some gesture of good will from Leaf? The girl shrugged. “I’m not too certain how that worked out, Shizu-san, but that’d be a cool thing to find out.” Suika mentally noted it and put that query on her “to figure out” list. “But yeah, visit him. It’ll most likely be worthwhile for you.”

As she finished up her sugary dessert, she took special note about Shizuka’s want to grow more and, particularly, the bit about learning Crystal ninjutsu. With quite a few jutsu in her own arsenal, Crystal ninjutsu was an advanced element Suika was always interested in learning. Crystals were almost synonymous with fortune tellers and gypsies – this motivated the girl further.

“Perhaps we can learn Crystal jutsu and grow together, Shizu-san?” The kunoichi grinned. “If you don’t mind it?”

As their conversation continued and the sun began to set, Suika waved goodbye not only at someone who was her student, but who she considered a friend. Although Shizuka had come for her own training, Suika learned a thing or two herself. She was excited for their next meeting. “Until next time, Shizu-san!” The kunoichi held out her fist and winked. “And keep practicing those punches.”<i></i>

[Topic left]

 

[Senju Shizuka]

If moving between villages wasn’t treason then maybe one day she too could move. Well, not forever. No, she wouldn’t like leaving this place behind for real. But to travel to other places and see more of the world, way more than she has uptil now, that would be amazing. Maybe trying to get into contact with the man would give her a better idea on how to reach this goal - or for the moment dream. She imprinted the name, and turned her attention to Suika.

“That would.. that would really really cool!” she said while enthusiastically nodding. It had taken her a moment to process that Suika didn’t really want to get rid of her. Instead, she actually offered another training session! It was amazing. The little Senju appreciated it a ton and the gratitude showed in the way her face shone.

“I will! Thank you, Suika-san!”


[Exit Topic]