The Basics [Class]

[Kotoko]

Kotoko flipped her hair, even though her hair was barely long enough for a hair flip. "My name is Kotoko, and I'm going to get the best weapon, as the best is always saved for the best. Come to me...My lovely weapon...show me your true form!" Kotoko continued mumbling as she looked away, and randomly picked a weapon up.

She dropped the weapon as it was revealed to her. It was a big, broken, ugly blade. "Ew, get this CRAP away from me! Why is this disgusting thing in a pile of weapons, does it even work?" What is broken, can be reforged. Kotoko turned her head around, to see where she had heard the voice from. Every other student was too far away, admiring their weapons for one of them to be speaking. She placed her hand on the flat surface of the giant blade, and slowly slid her hand down, feeling the cold metal.

 

[Tsuyoshi Junko]

Observing the children as they decided upon their weapon and took the small white paper, Junko nodded at some of the choices. Ryuzaki was the first, picking up the Wakizashi and gave it a few swings. The blade was balanced, the boy moved quick with it for his size, and it was in top condition like most of the weapons.

Next was Tadaomi, taking a paper and giving a faint smile, he let it be known that his hands were his weapons. ”Nothing wrong with that. My hands are my hidden weapons.” Junko said returning a smirk to the lad, but it soon faded as another newb arrived. In fact, it was his first day like many of the others. Luckily he came just in time or Junko would’ve likely strapped weights to the lads ankles, wrists, and chest for the rest of class.

”Fall in.” Junko said directing the child to stand with the rest of the group. ”At least the boy came with his own weapon.” Junko thought handing him a white slip of paper. As the sennin looked back more of the children had already chosen their weapons. Ryoko had chosen the Katana, something Junko would always agree with as a master swordsman. Gattsu had chosen to stick with the large metal body on his back. Risako and Asami went the classic Shuriken and Kunai route. Iza chose an interesting staff while Natsumi went with a bad ass chain weapon. Lastly was Kotoko, and she picked . . . Something . . . Broken it seemed.

”. . . Hmmm.” Junko thought trying to think when did he put that thing into the chest. Nevertheless, it was her choice and Junko wouldn’t judge. Finishing up by passing out papers, Junko would clear his throat before he continued. ”Aright . . . So . . “ Junko began said, but stopped mid sentence as he noticed Iza behind a near tree. ”Rejoin us miss.” Junko said calmly. He didn’t know what was up with her. Perhaps she was taking a piss. Regardless, he was ready to continue. Once she had rejoined the Ranks, Junko would continue. ”Where was I? Ah . . . So I hope you all like your weapons. I’m sure you will all acquire more along the way. Time to kill the basics.” Junko said looking at Risako.

”The stronger you grow, you’ll begin to augment or add to your weapon with tricks only you can come up with with your weapon. Stick to the basics though. Accuracy over power.” Junko said with a nod. ”Now, with that slip of paper I gave you. . . We will learn another shinobi basic for you to build upon, which is your elemental affinity. It is an element you’re naturally aligned with and will be able to use naturally. Every shinobi has at least one while others learn multiple overtime, but it starts with the basics.” Junko said before drawing five slips of paper before putting the stack away. Holding a single slip between his index and middle finger as if it was a playing card or something, Junko began once more and kept it simple.

”Doing this exercise at your age, I discovered that I had the wind affinity. All you do is allow your chakra to flow into the paper.” Junko said with a brief pause. ”If you’re wind oriented, the paper will split in two.” Junko said as the paper split in two and slowly floated to the ground before he drew another paper and held it in the same way. ”If you have lightning, the paper will wrinkle.” Junko said as the paper crumpled up in between his fingers before he drew the next paper.

”If you have fire, the paper will ignite and turn to ash. If you have earth, the paper will turn to dirt and crumble away and if you have water, the paper will become wet. Junko said displaying each affinity to the young ones with the example stated. ”Conquer your weapon along with your affinity and you’ll open up doors full of endless possibilities.” Junko said slowly unsheathing one of his blades at his side. Focusing the wind elemental affinity through his weapon, Junko would bring his weapon up and just sling it to his side with force.</COLOR>

<COLOR color="grey">

Instantly, the winds would create a pressurized force that would knock the academy students back. Junko would be exerting a small amount of energy, but the winds would be ferocious. Making it hard for the students to even walk forward. After a few seconds, Junko would then sheath his bade to put a stop to the winds surrounding him. ”It all starts with the what class? . . . “ Junko asked to the class for them to answer in unison. Hopefully they’d get it by now . . . “The Basics”

WC: 739 + 813 = 1,552
Mft

OOC: Here’s where you’ll gain you Minor affinity, but you won’t be able to fully access until D-Rank

Affinity System: Here
Affinity move used: (Minor Affinity: Elemental Channel)

Note(s):
I’m not able to see everyone’s weapons due to codes being messed up right now, but . . .

- Ryoko - You need to create your weapon.
- Iza - for weapon effect, you can choose bleeding or suppression.
- Kotoko - You have the pic, now just edit the weapon stats in etc.

>Not mandatory for you to edit, but it would help you in the future.

 

[Kutosu Enno]

"Fall in."

The words were simple. Acknowledgement of his arrival, and without any of the expected disapproval for lateness. Although, taking in exactly what was going on, Enno must not have arrived late, but just in the nick of time. It was rather convenient, really. He took his place in the line, waiting patiently for the instruction to begin while the remaining students picked out their weapons.

He hadn't initially taken note of his new classmates, being far more preoccupied with taking his place among the current crowd, but standing in place gave the young, curious mind little else to do but observe. Most of them were about what he expected from shinobi in training; relatively muscular while still being lean, varying heights, light skin, dark hair, probably came from money or from ninja families whose pride would be on the line. However, a few of them stood out on appearance alone. First was the dark skinned girl that he had seen darting off as he entered; her different skin tone and apparel made her stand out even amongst the likes of the giant that towered closer in the line. Enno was trying to determine if the... budding?... ninja was just naturally tall, or if his excessively large weapon just gave the appearance of height. Regardless, he had a commanding presence, and the new arrival decided that the best course of action would be to avoid the business end of that metal monolith. Then there was a cat. Person. Thing. He wasn't really sure, maybe he'd ask later. She was tall too, maybe even as tall as the claymore strapped to the other tall one's back.

His attention would be drawn back to the awkward girl as she rejoined the ranks of the class, and then listened intently as the lecture began. However, the young pale-skinned boy soon learned just how far out of his element he was. Something about tricks with weapons and augmenting? Perhaps simply using the weapon was not enough for a ninja. As he waited for a demonstration of how a weapon might be used or augmented in such a way, the conversation seemingly shifted in a completely different direction. Elements. The young boy had heard about them from his parents, but only ever in a more realistic-sounding sense. The wheat is grown from the earth, fed by the water, and cultured by the fires of the sun. But using an element directly? It was a foreign concept. A natural affinity would mean that there would be a predisposition for an element from birth, regardless of whether or not generations past could even control their chakra. Not that Enno had even had a primer on what chakra was, much less how to control it. Almost as soon as the term was mentioned, however, confusion washed over the novice as the mentor displayed a practical application. Had there been a trick to that? Pre-cut paper? Looking at his own hand and comparing the sizes, the two pieces of parchment that were descending toward the earth seemed about half the size of his.

Then the man showed examples of other elements. Fire, water, everything seemed pretty simple as far as categories of elements. Enno glanced down at the paper in his hand, considering trying this for himself when he realized the teacher was still talking. Endless possibilities didn't sound too shab-

WOOSH.

As the gusts of wind burst forth from the blade, the new recruit found himself in a very precarious position. That position was in the air. The initial sweep had launched the small boy into the sky, managing two full flips before landing on his face. As he struggled to stand back up, he felt his small frame being pushed along the dirt, nose digging into the earth. Just when he was about to manage to gather some balance, a final gust as the weapon was sheathed would sweep his hands and feet from under his body, leaving him face down in the dust. Defeated, the student laid motionless as the instructor asked what it "starts" with.

At that very moment, Enno wanted it to start with a bath. As he climbed back to his feet, he would obediently but quietly respond: "the basics." Fumbling to catch his strip of paper as it slowly fluttered into his vision, the now sore and confused student would attempt to imitate the teacher's results in any fashion. It felt doubtful at best, but he would place the paper between his index and middle fingers and tighten the muscles in his fingers, hand, and wrist, perhaps hoping the tension of the muscles themselves was the key to controlling chakra. Staring directly at the paper, knees now slightly bent, his free hand reached out and grasped the paper-supporting wrist. His biceps were now in on the attempt, his arms slightly shaking as he tried to focus his "raw power" into manifesting an element. It was no use. All he was accomplishing was expending energy.

Muscles relaxed, tension relieved, and nothing accomplished. Enno felt more like throwing his needles through the paper as target practice than trying to make it evaporate or whatever it was he was going to do to it. Thoughtlessly, he slipped the paper between his thumb and index finger, sat on the ground closed his eyes, and gave a short sigh. Hardly a moment after the breath left his lips, there was a crunching sound. The paper had shriveled in his hand. Lightning. Memories of thunderstorms and rain, crawling into mom and dad's bed to stay warm and feel safe, and shaking cabin walls came rushing back. This was the path fate had chosen for him.

Mouth agape, Enno was lost for words, and would likely stay that way unless otherwise addressed. After all, he had to come to terms with what he'd done, and he had no idea what the next step would be anyway without some form of direction. This was a new life, and this very moment was a new chapter in that life.

WC: 443+1013 = 1456, Post: 2/5, MFT

OOC: Mentally retconning my lack of attention, class is outside durr. My bad.

 

[Saotome Asami]

After her last ‘surprise lesson’, Asami had made sure she wouldn’t be caught out nearly as easily again. The shuriken returned to her pocket was the answer to that, as gaudy as they may have looked. She wasn’t too surprised to see that her peers had mostly found ‘normal’ weapons for themselves; no sane student would waste money on fancy alterations when they were barely trained to use them.

Perhaps she was a hypocrite, then, to observe some of her peers with mild curiosity. One of them had brought… an amalgamation of… sewing materials? Another had what appeared to be half of a sword; it could still gut somebody, but wouldn’t a full weapon be better? And then there was the quiet girl who was a little too eager to start hurting people. She quirked an eyebrow, showed a vaguely uncomfortable smile and shook her head. It was much too early for them to start revelling in murder.

The Sennin continued, summoning one of their hiding peers from across the field. She couldn’t help but feel a touch of sympathy for her. She had no doubt that they weren’t the only two enlisted against their will, but hiding away would only be a sign of weakness. The tutors would notice it and stamp it out; the students would use her as an opportunity to feel powerful. It was a lesson she would learn the hard way, she thought, if she hoped to survive. She knew better than most that many a predecessor hadn’t.

As she’d suspected, they’d each been given a piece of chakra paper. The rest of his talk was largely irrelevant to somebody that had already delved into the elemental arts, but she knew better than to let herself get distracted. She nodded along with his speech, but nothing he said prepared her for the attack. For all her training, bodily defence was one thing she lacked without a jutsu. It was no surprise, then, that the harsh winds forced her off her feet and onto her bottom. At the very least, she hadn’t been as unfortunate as the boy treated as if he were a living sheet of paper, but the display of strength was still very humbling. She didn’t bother to try and stand until the blade had been sheathed, at which point she realised the man was barely trying.

A small frown showed itself. Knowing any one man held that kind of power was discomforting, but at the very least, he seemed to use it better than most of the shinobi she had encountered thus far. More importantly… he was claiming that they, a handful of children, could do the same? No wonder the village was so desperate to gather them up. She only wished she didn’t have to be involved.

“…The Basics, sir.” Hopefully, she wouldn’t be alone in answering. Somehow, she had managed to keep hold of her chakra paper. “With all due respect, sir… I think this may be better used for other students.” She had no idea how much the paper cost to produce, but held it out toward the man anyway. “I’ve already practiced with ninjutsu. Earth, water, fire, lightning, wind… I’m better with some of them than others, but I can use at least one jutsu in each. I can’t say I’ve tried combining any of them with my weapon, though.” Her small smile returned. She could have stopped there, but what was the harm in an effort to show her stuff? Her classes rarely afforded her the chance to do so (mostly because she avoided every one that could).

“Right now, I’m working on two different combinations of Earth and Fire. They're the ones that come easiest to me. For now, the results are… probably not things I should be trying to practice around other people.” Molten earth was difficult to control and often scarred the landscape, and her other work was, well… explosive, for lack of a better word. She knew better than to try and demonstrate when she was still mastering the fundamentals of them. If the man was as smart as he was strong, he could gather that much without her mentioning it. “If another student is struggling, however… I would be happy to help.” She had a weapon, and clearly didn’t need help grasping the bare basics of elements, so why on earth was she in the class?

 

[Hashiwa Risako]

”Nothing wrong with that. My hands are my hidden weapons.” Said the sissy-nin to Man O Man Fisto, when the other declared his intention to use his fists as his weapons. It was quite possibly a mistake of bravado on his part, a devious budding hand to hands fighter would have picked some kind of weapon, if only to create an opening by going against the opponent's expectations. That being said, so long as Man O Man Fisto felt he had an advantage in hand to hand fighting, did anything else really matter? Risako idly wondered if she would have to cut off Fisto's hands in a disarming contest, or would severely injuring them be sufficient? Either way, Risako wasn't looking forward to such an encounter and hoped that "educational" combat would prove more civilized than what she considered possible for Ninja and their black hearts.

"Do I need to repeat myself? Or has the lesson finally penetrated your big thick skull?"

Risako's hand subconsciously moved to her jaw, searching for any reminder of the phantom pain. She found none, but the memory of that man's fist expelled any thought of further unhelpful preconceptions about this new life.

The other students quickly received their weapon and paper. Risako hoped the sissy-nin would not test them on some twist on that stupid idiom, she knew the sword was mightier than the pen and didn't need anyone to show her why thank you very much. The sissy-nin spoke again, referring to her own words with an apparent command to "kill the basics", though in Risako's mind she thought he was mocking her.

"Do I need to repeat myself...again?"'

NO, shouted Risako into the confines of her mind, barely controlling her hands to remain at her side and not rise to defend her face from the memory of an incoming strike. To the outside world, she beamed at the teacher's words, though it was a strained smile sustained by fury and her inability to act on it. "Well, they won't know what hit them!" answered Risako, though inwardly she thought that if the basics were self-aware, they would probably recognize this hoard of greenhorns mustering even if their starting point was the new moon during daylight.

That man never taught her anything about elemental affinities. Risako suspected these existed since she had witnessed a consistent choice between two elemental themes in his arsenal. She was therefore somewhat more attentive to the words of the Senin. When he slowly but surely drew one of his blades, Risako's hands instinctively raised the kunai into a defensive posture, expecting an attack, but not the one that eventually came. The torrent of winds knocked the girl off her feet as surely as its author intended when he summoned it. As soon as it washed over them, the wind vanished, and the Sissy-nin sheaved his blade. Risako remained seated on the stony gravel, focusing intently on the piece of mystery paper said to unlock an ability similar to what she had just witnessed, ignoring any further words spoken by their teacher.

Slowly, she felt the unfamiliar energy trickle into her hands, reminiscent to her mind of rainwater passing through earth and rock. She had used chakra only a few times before, but it largely remained in her eyes an unexplored unknown. A slight tingling sensation now came over the left hand's fingers, but instead of what Risako thought would be a wrinkle of lightning, the paper turned to dirt and crumbled away into a small heap over the ground.

Risako's eyes twitched, how embarrassing! That man made a point of favoring ground base techniques, but somehow, that knowledge made this discovery feel even dirtier than it already was.

Sighing, Risako smacked the dirt left by the mystery paper aside and stood up, making a point of cleaning herself of the dirt and gravel in a somewhat exaggerated fashion. Looking around, Risako noted that most of the class, excluding the girl who had gone off to talk with sissy-nin, was yet to complete the exercise, save one, a boy named Kutosu Enno, whose own paper wrinkled, indicating a lightning nature, at least if the words of the sissy-nin were to be believed.

Left with nothing better to do, Risako scooped up the remains of her paper and walked towards the boy, offering her "bounty" to him, glancing towards his own paper. "Trade you?" she said with a smile, which surprisingly came naturally of its own accord rather than the honed command for its intentional creation. Risako knew that it would probably not be possible to exchange natures, but she thought it a...nice...gesture on her part.

Word count: 764, class post 3

 

[Harou]

There it was again, the sound of other children in the vicinity, clawing their little fingers into the box, grasping at their new weapons in either fascination or sheer boredom. The sound of existential life around him, the familiar aching feeling deep in the pit of his abdomen, a warning that the unfamiliar presence of individuals was a torturous experience for the young introvert. There were times the muscular boy wished he had abilities, to disappear into the emptiness of time and space without consequence and without warning. The confinement of the current social situation shackled him with chains, pulling him deeply into the deepest depths of unwanted interaction. Solitude matters, and for an individual such as Gattsu, it was his essence of life, the very air he breathed. He was reaching that pivotal moment, where he had been in a social setting for too long and he would need immediate alone time for no apparent reason other than the face he had been around other people for too long. Classroom settings were difficult for him, he simply wanted to finish the class and be alone.

He stepped begrudgingly towards the formation of students, his sword dangling off his back as he noticed another student being called out for her apparent shyness and awkwardness. A lamb in a den of lions, her weak presence standing out like a diamond in a field of dirt and rocks. The weak will forever be weak he thought though he couldn’t worry about the ants in his path, otherwise he wouldn’t ever be able to move forward if he constantly worried about crushing them. That was the fate they willingly accepted, to succumb to their cowardice.

He listened half-heartedly to the explanation, his eyes wandering, studying the territory around him yet never fully diverting his attention from the Sennin in front of him. Upon watching him demonstrate the chakra affinities, Gattsu looked down at his paper, more interested in the mechanism of the piece of paper rather than what his actual affinity would be aligned too. The slow unsheathing of a blade quickly grasped the boy’s attention as he instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his large sword, wondering why the Sennin was slowly unsheathing his blade. Combat?

However the wind pressure was unexpected when the Sennin slung his blade, the wind knocking the large boy back, forcing Gattsu back, the boy just barely managing to roll with the wind instead of fighting against it, landing in a rather low position with one knee on the ground and one knee up, his hands grasping at the ground. The sheer force was strong, he was unable to force himself forward with the wind but instead remained low to help distribute his weight and strength easier without fully topping over. His eyes narrowed slightly upon the realization that the Sennin hardly put any effort in the example, a tinge of annoyance at his own weakness at his inability to withstand the blow completely.

Once the gusts of winds stopped, Gattsu stood up and dusted himself off, returning to formation without a word uttered from his behalf. Once the question was asked, he looked down and in a barely audible whisper ”Basics huh.”. As the other students started showing their elemental affinities, he noticed so far lightning for the tardy boy, the absentee girl seemed to have more experience than most in elemental ninjutsu, and the unhinged female seemed to apparently have earth as her element. Pushing his chakra into his own paper, nothing seemed to happen. His eyes narrowed, he truly had difficulty with chakra and anything not relating to Taijutsu. A slight irritation came across his face as he tried again with no success. The third try's the charm as the paper became wet. Water? Perhaps it was symbolic, the boy who drowned in rage, in his past, in his own agony would have water chakra. He looked up, waiting for the rest to finish their class.

Word Count: 665 + 1035 = 1700/1500|Post: 3/5

 

[Azura Iza]

Iza squeaked as she could feel all the eyes on her. She tried to control her breathing, but her anxiety wasn't having any of it. She was forced to return back with everyone else for the Sennin called her over.
The teacher then began talking about elemental affinities and how they link to the powers of shinobi. Iza knew too well of this. She's escaped plenty of rogue ninja and abandoned others to know about the powers of elemental styles. For once, she calmed down. Her eyes were almost full of determination as she listened to what the Sennin had to say. She then seen him starting to unsheath his sword. Her eyes narrowed. Her memories of running and abandoning had taught her one thing. Always be ready. But she can't run anymore. Not with everyone looking at her, like easy prey.
She brought her staff down and hit it to the ground to brace for whatever impact that may come, element wise. But she was surprised that she seen others fly off their feet and land on their butts. Whereas she almost seemed unaffected by it. That's when she noticed that she had her own winds, whipping around, clashing against the Sennin's own winds. But it didn't last long, after about five seconds, her winds died down, and she flew back and landed on her back as well.
As the Sennin kept talking, he then waited for everyone to say the key word. "B-basics." Was all she could say.
She then looked at the others. Some already found out what they are bonded with. A boy, he had lightning. And she seen a girl try to 'trade' elemental affinities so that she won't have earth. Another claimed to already know what she got, but rather not show. Then there was the guy with the big sword on his back. Curious. He seems mad. Or just doesn't want to be here at all. His elemental affinity is water.
Iza sighed. She guessed it was her time to find out what she has. She pulled out the piece of paper, but it was already cut into two. Hm. Weird. It must have cut during all those winds that had picked up around her.
She walked up to get another piece of paper, but it cut, right before her eyes, before she even touched it.
"Um... I think I have wind?" Iza said, with no confidence whatsoever.
She tried to pick up yet a third paper with the same results. Not even close to touching it, and it cut into two.
Word count: 793

 

[Kotoko]

Kotoko wasn’t as strong as she claimed to be. She may be arrogant, but she didn’t actually have the skills to back her pride up. It was because she had been the prey her entire life, she had to act tough in order to preserve herself in this vicious world.

She had to use her entire strength to merely drag the sword across the training grounds. The sword was almost the same size as her small build, and there was no way she could actually lift it up swiftly. She pondered to herself why couldn’t she have chosen a more simplistic weapon, such as the traditional Kunai or Shuriken.

Kotoko’s eyes opened wide in awe, as the paper slit in half in the grasp of the instructor. She was really excited for the element, she would have an affinity for. Would she be able to manipulate crimson flames, rumble the great earth, let the waters rise, or electrocute her enemies, or even levitate in the air? The possibilities were endless. Obviously as the best, only the best element would be reserved for her. She dragged her sword to the center, in attempt to show off, and held the paper close to her, awaiting for the magic to take place.

She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. This is it! She though to herself, as she opened her eyes...nothing had happened. The paper was the exact same as before, without the slightest scratch.

“Uhm.., so first the broken blade, now this? Is this some kind of prank event?” She furrowed her eyebrows and glared at the instructor.

She quickly hovered her hood, and made sure nobody was looking before tearing the paper in half. Perhaps the instructor had noticed, but as long as her peers don’t, her morale would be safe.

“It’s wind! Haha! I knew I could control the great winds” she gave a phony smile to the crowd of students, before turning her back to Send the instructor another death glare.

 

[Hakiri Tadaomi]

A rare smile broke across Tadaomi's face as the Sennin grinned at him. A brief flutter of butterfly wings in his belly startled him before he tried to school his expression...fairly ineffectively before he backed up and waited. So even one of the great Sennin used his hands as weapons then? That was awesome...it was simple, but just that small fact was enough to raise Tsuyoshi's status in the young boy's eyes. An expert far better than him who also used his hands in Taijutsu...

A goal to surpass, just like that. One day. It was small, but that didn't prevent it from being effective. The small boy's eyes were bright as he looked down at his hands, clenching them into a fist. Nothing wrong with having high standards and goals right? No no, that was the only way he could grow is if he aimed high. And he did aim high.

He listened carefully, watching as everyone else picked their weapon or brought their own out. No one else was looking to use their fists, but that was okay. He knew that the Sennin was wrong about one thing. He wouldn't acquire any more weapons along the way. His fists were his weapons, the ones he intended to claw his way to the top with. He didn't need or want a sword, his own body was enough to take all comers. The trick regarding elemental affinities made his eyes narrow though. Did...did the man really have all five?

He felt like he'd taken a blow to the head. Every single one? That...that wasn't possible, right?

After a moment though he simply snorted gently to himself. So that just meant he'd have to work a little harder! That was all. His eyes were fixed on the pieces of paper, resolute and determined. One day it'd be him to do that. He largely ignored the words the man used to spark their determination though. Exhorting them to more effort might be useful for others, but for Tadaomi? Of course he would conquer the basics. He wasn't exactly sure why using his affinity would be useful for him, a Taijutsu user, just yet, but if the Sennin said so then maybe...

But that was all he was willing to give. Maybe.

The blast of wind shoved him back and even Tadaomi found it hard to press forward, try as he might to stabilize himself. Now he was just showing off! Of course the Sennin had far more power at his disposal than this...

Wait. Tadaomi finally blinked, the pride in himself shaken for just a moment. There weren't any handseals there at all. All he'd done was channel elemental chakra along the blade. If the Sennin could do that, then why couldn't it be done with his hands?

Only now did he seriously look down at the paper and focus his consciousness on pushing his chakra into the piece of paper. With his control it didn't take long before the paper crumbled and turned into dirt in his hands, running through his fingers like water and trickling onto the ground. He watched it for a moment before he nodded. Earth then. That wasn't surprising, given his bloodline's history and what he could do already. Earth would be his affinity now wouldn't it? He smiled as he murmured the response the Sennin was looking for, “the basics.”

Earth and his hands. Those were his starting point.

WC: 573 | TWC: 1326

 

[Takamura Natsumi]

Heavier than she'd anticipated a weapon feeling, Natsumi hefted the length of metal for closer examination.

A sharpened point and edge along the last few inches tapering down, she could see a few ways she could improve it-- maybe reshaping the point to branch out and hook into flesh on impact like claws? Might be a little too complex a design though, and would otherwise ruin the purpose of the weapon as a whole. The chain, however, was something she could quite definitely see herself utilizing in any number of ways. A flick of her wrist got the chain itself spinning. A lazy loop as she lashed out, foot and leg arched high and caught the ring neatly with the ball of her foot and stopped its motion. All those rhythmic gymnastics courses were going to come in handy for sure!

Her attention snapped away from her weapon, and thus fantasies of what she'd end up being able to do with it if she practiced enough, to the instructor's voice. Augumenting? So she could add to it somehow or another, she looked at the metal ring resting against the ground, foot atop of it now that she'd tested her reflexes against an admittedly less than half her effort's twirl. Power was important, but accuracy more so and their instructor was dead on in that regard; raw power was worthless unless you could actually hit someone or something.

Another basic; elemental affinities! Her eyes lit up, ears pricked all the way forward as she resisted the urge to bounce impatiently in place. She needed to know which element she was gonna destroy her enemies with and she needed to know now so she could start practicing and mastering them.

Her eyes shone as each paper did exactly as he said it would; split in two, turned to ash, crumpled to bits, turned to dust, or went soggy as could be. Which would it be, she wondered excitedly. Lightning maybe? Or Wind?

Speaking of, she jerked as he lifted his weapon, the scent and sound of wind picking up as he brought it down before them. A powerful gust blasted them off their feet, Natsumi skidding backwards and, in a moment of instinctive foresight, prevented any collision into another student or painfully solid object by hurling her new weapons down as far as they would go into the very earth itself. She let the wind take her back, holding tight to the metal rings as they rattled and sang against the fiercesome winds, but held firm in their place. Her eyes closed, tearing from the force as her ears flattened as far as they could against her skull.

All over and done with, Natsumi looked like she'd been playing in a wind tunnel in her sleep; hair a complete mess and flipped about every which way.

She looked at the slip of paper in her hand, swallowed hard, and slipped it between her fingers just the way the Sennin had moments before. She focused her chakra, felt it creeping along her veins, down her arm, and finally into her fingers and fingertips resting against the paper itself.

Asami's voice broke her concentration, the cat eared child looking up in surprise to hear how far in advance she was compared to the rest of them. Two elements, at least? Holy thunder gods, why was she so uncertain and insecure if she could do all that? Natsumi stared at her, wondering what on earth possessed her not to make use of her talents during their former class-- or wait, maybe she was so far advanced because she was watching, waiting, and testing the rest of them to see how they'd react to someone who wasn't secure? Would they destroy them? Build them up? Take advantage?

She's a really good actress if she's pulling a fast one. Natsummi acknowledged begrudgingly, studying the dark haired girl with a frown. Was she really though? Was she really confident and advanced, and thus a great actress, or had she really not feigned all that during their last course together?

Sure hadn't seemed feigned...

She looked back down at her hand. The paper was damp and cold to the touch. Scowling, she dropped it and wiped her fingers against her pants. Stupid wet pape--- oh. Water! She had Water affinity! Useful for sure up there in the mountains and in survival situations. She could make it from her chakra, thus letting them all survive instead of dying from dehydration! And could reinforce a snow shelter or help create a mud one or or or...! She didn't see the way the end of it crinkled, or that there seemed to be a tear halfway down the paper when she scooped it back up.

Or she could quit freaking out and actually start learning how to use it in combination with the weapon she'd chosen.

But did the stupid paper have to be so cold to the touch? She didn't see the stupid thing react like that to the Sennin's hands, so maybe her chakra was just being stupid? Or maybe it was the weather and her lack of paying attention that did it, either was an option.

Water... chain and nail... how could she combine those two, technically three, things together?

"The basics!" She chimed in, looking immensely interested in what basics were about to be covered next.

Fighting? Basic instruction in every element the clas had?

Both, maybe?

--
WC: 921/2,473
Post: 3/5

 

[Tsuyoshi Junko]

As the class picked themselves up, they immediately began focusing on the task at hand. Except . . . Asami. Based off her words, she was considered “advance” when it came to the elements as she had already began trying to venture into combining elements. It was interesting to Junko and it would almost seem as if she didn’t need the class, but Junko knew better than that.

In response, Junko simply nodded and outstretched his arm to the side. Pointing, the sennin gestured at the rookie training Dummies.</COLOR>

<COLOR color="grey">

”Any jutsu you know. Shoot it at that dummy. After you shoot, I’ll shoot. Simple?” Junko said before taking a few steps back to linger behind Asami and observe not only her, but the elements the students had. Enno had lightning, Risako had Earth, Gattsu had water, Iza had wind, Tadaomi had earth, Natsumi had water, and Kotoko . . . apparently had wind as well.

Observing Kotoko’s paper though, it would say something different as the tear was not straight. Wind usually would make a clean cut, but this papers edges were rough at the slitting points. Responding, Junko simply nodded. He wouldn’t bring the child out. Instead, this would be a lesson the child would learn on her own, but after they all observed Asami.

As Asami would ready herself and begin the appropriate hand signs for her jutsu, Junko would mimic her. Asami then released an eruption of fire and fired it directly towards the dummy. As the blazing flames traveled towards the dummy, another blazing flame shot straight pass it, hitting its mark perfectly. . . . Bulls eye.

Meanwhile, Asamis jutsu connected and only partially hit as only around half of her attack hit the outer part of the target. The difference in the two would be obvious, but why was the real question. Asami fired first, but landed last and wasn’t as accurate.

”You are a step ahead indeed. It may even seem this is unneeded, but observe.” Junko said as a burning hole would be at the bulls eye mark. Upon closer observation, a tree in the background had a hole as well as Junko’s jutsu basically went threw two targets. ”Anyone can make any argument or excuse of the difference, but the answer is simple. I’ve honed the basics. Allowing me to fire faster and more accurate. So even you need the basics. You are here for a reason just like everyone.” Junko said not to scold, but to make a point.

”Well, lets wrap things up. Nows the time to put things to the test. It’s simple. You all will be paired and shall spar. Use your weapon and attempt to even utilize your element however possible.” Junko said with a pause as his eyes drifted to each individual. ”Twins, you two are together. Asami, Risako, and Natsumi you shall have a free for all. Tadaomi and Gattsu. Kotoko and Iza. Two rounds, any injuries will be healed in the end. Spread out and Start when you’re ready. ” Junko said before backing away several feet to observe everyone.

OOC: Sorry for the lateness. Work has been crazy. Since it’s been two weeks though, I’m going to give the twins two strikes.

Mod
2.00s: Junko fires Eruption . . . HIT!!!
Roll: 27 + 6 = 33 v 8 + 11 = 19 (Refer to rules Here
Time: 2 / 10 = .2 x 10 = 2.00s

5.00s: Asami fires Eruption . . . Partial HIT!!! (50%)
Roll: 9 + 10 = 19 v 8 + 11 = 19 (Refer to rules Here
Time: 2 / 4 = .5 x 10 = 5.00s

Note: May possibly add more notes to this when I have the time.

 

[Saotome Asami]

Nobody took her up on the offer. Perhaps it was for the best. There was nothing she could tell them that they couldn’t learn from their tutor, even if she’d had the best intentions. No good deed went unpunished; she realised too late that her honesty had made her stand out. Junko took no interest in the returned paper (she had to assume they were abundant), and more in seeing proof of her claims She furrowed her brow, pausing for a little too long as she wondered what to make of his request. She couldn’t deny… Could she? So far, the man had seemed very reasonable, especially compared to her other teachers, and she wasn’t looking to ruin that any time soon. On the other hand, her general lack of battle prowess would make itself known the moment she acted. Then again, she only had to target a dummy. It couldn’t fight back. Nobody would get hurt… Right?

She gave a slight nod, though the more observant amongst them may have noticed her slight hesitation. The girl stepped forward, giving herself a clear line of sight to the target while she pocketed the chakra paper. Maybe it could come in handy some day. A few hand seals channelled her chakra, first within her body, and then collected into an outstretched palm. The class would see a wall of flames manifest and fly towards the target, only to be immediately outclassed by Junko’s effort. Her aim was off, but good enough to scorch half the figure. ‘Seriously?’ Mild irritation at her failure to hit a stationary target flared in her eyes, but it was a brief show. The teacher had wise words for her, but none of them were wrong or overly critical. He almost sounded like he meant well for them – a pleasant surprise that she wouldn’t complain about. She leaned forward slightly, realising that he was right. His jutsu had shot clean through his target and onto the next, while hers could barely hit the mark at all.

She was head and shoulders above them in ninjutsu, but still couldn’t hold a candle to a Sennin. More importantly, she’d failed in front of her classmates. The sword boy probably wouldn’t have failed if he’d been asked to cleave the dummy in two, and she knew Natsumi hadn’t failed them on the mountain. Why did she bother claiming she knew what she was doing? In her eyes, the display was embarrassing… But why did she even care how good she was at a shinobi skill when she had no intention of being one? As unreasonable as the feeling was, it pestered her nonetheless. It was easy enough to mask narrowed eyes as a look of contemplation. She considered the man’s words for her, and with a mutter of thanks, fell back into step amongst her peers. "Understood... I have a lot to learn."

Then came the kicker – an actual fight. Asami prided herself on being calm and collected under most circumstances, but every class seemed designed to test that in some form or another. Whether it was watching her peers be attacked, being left to dangle off the side of a mountain or being made to fend for herself against other students… Something always had to go wrong. Again, expressive eyes showed what she’d rather keep to herself – in that case, it was a growing sense of concern, and a sudden lack of confidence. ‘No. Come on, pull yourself together. Most of these guys can’t even string a jutsu together. If you play your cards right, they won’t be able to touch you.’

She could definitely hope for that, at least. She had no doubt that she had been given two ‘opponents’ for a reason, and she didn’t know where their strengths lay. The catgirl definitely knew her stuff, even if said ‘stuff’ wasn’t ninjutsu, and the kill-happy girl was, well… eager to carve something up. She wasn’t going to let that be her. The worry was wiped off her face as she shut her eyes, allowing herself a deep breath. She looked to each of them, bearing a smile with a hint of sadness. None of them had a choice, but she had a feeling she was the only one bothered by that. “No hard feelings.” Was she pre-emptively forgiving their actions, or asking it of hers? Instead of elaborating, she walked off to find a clear point in the field for them to use.

Weapons and elements. She had the clear advantage on the latter, being able to use more elements, more effectively than the lot of them. If she was in their situation, she would avoid the most obvious threat and hope they would do the same, but another look at them led her to believe that wouldn’t happen. The fight was set up for her to get ganged up on. Her weapons weren’t going to be much help, since she only carried them around for emergencies, but they were there if she needed a quick deterrent.

The few seconds it took the trio to take their position was enough time for her to choose her opening move. As much as she hated the thought, she didn’t have many options besides the offensive. The defence would come after, but showing weakness at the beginning of the match wouldn’t help her any. “I’ll admit, I’m not looking to get blood on my hands… But I wouldn’t expect either of you to go that easy on me. Let's just try to learn, instead of try to murder. Are you ready?” Hopefully none of them had any objections, because a moment later, she was forming handseals again.

A few seconds later, she’d made her first move. A sharp exhale unleashed rolling clouds of… ash? Whatever the black mist was, it was rushing to embrace them. If the two weren’t quick to move, they’d find the scene around them had transformed. The floor, the sky, their enemies, their hands in front of them… All would be obscured by a blizzard of burning soot.

Asami had already shown that her accuracy was lacking, and she had one too many targets to handle. She compensated for poor aim with a jutsu designed to encompass multiple targets. She had made a conscious effort to try and minimize the damage, but the attempt could barely be considered a success. They already knew she was no expert, which meant the experience would be far from pleasant, but hopefully not enough to leave them coated with burns before they could react. There was no way she’d be able to follow up until they managed to escape or dispel the cloud, but she could work with that. As she began taking several steps away and to her right, her hands came together to form more seals; she hoped she’d be able to cast another trick before the counterattack began.

 

[Azura Iza]

Iza looked on as some people found out what elemental style they had. But one stuck out in particular to her. Kotoko. She seen the other girl rip her piece of paper up. And it seemed that the Sennin had noticed as well. And now they were battle partners. Why was that? Was it because he actually seen her use her wind style at a better capability with her staff? Just to show the other girl what another wind user of her power looks like?

Iza was normally shy and anxious about this sort of things, but this really pissed her off. She stomped to an open area and waited for her opponent to come. Once the other girl was in front of her, she look at her, straight in the eyes, "You didn't have to lie about it. I'm sure the teacher and other students would have understand. But since you lied. I'm mad at you."

She brought up her staff, in a ready stance, that is, until ash filled the air. Iza kept a level head, which only ever happens when she was living on her own. Outside of the walls. She spun her staff, channeling her chakra through her weapon. And suddenly, the area that only had her and Kotoko in it, was clear of smoke and ashes. Her own winds acting like a barrier to keep the ashes out.

She stared at Kotoko before saying, "Everyone may see me as an easy target, but at least I can show them that you are not one to be trusted with, telling the smallest of lies for no reason.

She twirled her staff again and sent a gust of wind towards Kotoko.

 

[Hakiri Tadaomi]

Tadaomi watched carefully as the teacher demonstrated the exact same Jutsu as another student. Obviously there would be a massive difference in power- just the potency of the Sennin's chakra would see to that. But potency was one thing, and his accuracy and control was another. Which was why he watched, eyes alight as he saw the difference between a true expert and an amateur who thought she could match up. This was the difference between himself and the Sennin as well...the gap between a man who'd actually fought for his life countless times and come out on top, and a young brat looking to get to that same plateau some day.

But that wasn't today, and he paid close attention to the idea being presented. Don't dash for the upper level so fast. A building depends on the foundation created for it. If he really wanted to reach the top, then he needed to pay attention to the most basic building blocks and ensure they were as solid as could be. Annoying to think that he couldn't simply immediately reach for the most impressive strikes he could, but it was a good idea regardless. Only once he was finished understanding everything he was doing could he build on that to create something better. Trying too fast and quickly before that point would only lead him to fail...a series of substandard Jutsu because he hadn't taken each one before to completion.

Still. Surely he was farther along than most of these other students right? That was the joy of being part of the Kyoujouran. Harsh though the training was, it was effective. His eyes went over to Gattsu while he gave a mental snort. Could the other student keep up? So far he hadn't seen much of anything to indicate he was either good or bad, although the other boy's own dismissive attitude rankled with Tadaomi. Did he even have the power to stand up on his own yet or was he just acting tough?

The irony of thinking that went unnoticed as the young boy simply shrugged and dropped directly into a fighting stance. “If you don't mind, I'll take the first move,” he said simply. His legs twitched as he launched himself into the air, flying directly at Gattsu and heedless of the boy's sword. His foot snapped out as he executed a dynamic entry to claim first blood if he could. The closer he got against someone who out ranged him, the better. And this time he wasn't going to make the mistake of helping the man get up.

WC: 432 | TWC: 1758