The Culling [Class; Full]

[Koizumi Mao]

So the symbol almost all of them bore belonged to an ancient clan. Pretty neat. Of course, their instructor might have only given it to them because it was the only weighted clothing he owned. Or maybe it was possible that the Chikara had ulterior motives to secretly take academy children under their wing and induct them into the clan without their knowing! Far more exciting, but equally less likely. At least they weren't some sort of evil organization that wanted to take over Sunagakure - should one have even existed back in those days.

While he did his best to listen to what their history teacher was saying, he couldn't help but notice the odd rainbow-esque pattern spread across the floor - which in turn infected a portion of his oddly large lenses. Is that a light show coming out of that girl's eyes? Doesn't that hurt? It was difficult to imagine just how weird that must feel, or if her own vision was blocked by the same effect. If it was some sort of secret technique, he'll never be able to find out himself. During his idle pondering, his head tilted slightly aside, the colorful effect sliding across the rest of the affected lens.

The students were rising one by one to give their active input apart from the somewhat skittery raven-haired girl. He, too, became a part of the fringe that held back rather than press their requests or guesses at the entire class. In fact, it quite obviously looked as if he was listening to any of them at the moment. Was he that mesmerized by the colors, or did he have something else on his mind?

 

[Uri]

In order as they came, he responded to them all, hopping points on occasion.

"No, not technically, but the Ancient Courts did influence the cultural development of many of the clans."<i></i> Dark, analyzing stare shifted to Yumi, but bounced between her and Noroi, "Solar, Flame, and Earth."<i></i> He corrected the half-ass answer, "These courts belonged to the Ancients, beings of great power that enslaved Wind Country's ancestors and ruled over them as gods. Those under them or affected by them created groups as a means of survival, some with specific abilities or skill sets that helped set the foundation for the coming generations of Sunagakure's clans. "<i></i>

Then there was Saieko, who took as much of a stab at answering the question as Kurisu had Homura's teaching abilities earlier.

Another twin set of single-handed seals and the board changed to show the Seishou, Fujikaru, and the Jenosaido spaced apart with an addition and equal sign in a math-like equation. Doing this, he purposely chose not to entertain Yumi's request, nor answer her question.

"To answer your question, you would be both by birthright, but Jenosaido by affiliation. At least that's what it would say on paper. As you've so much as said yourself, what you choose to follow and believe in is entirely up to the individual. Our origins do not define us, they just provide a path for us to travel in case we're unable to find one for ourselves."<i></i> That had taken a more philosophical turn than he had anticipated, but understanding of these sorts of life choices is important nonetheless to those pursuing the life of a ninja.

"As for the courts being known,"<i></i> More seals, more rearranging until the three Courts symbols appeared, "Stop by the archive on the way out today and grab a history book."<i></i> It was almost chiding, but it was tempered with a disarming smile, tipping his statement with sarcasm. He couldn't be responsible for families not allowing children to read up on their village's past.

So far they had all been a bit underwhelming. History was not meant to be a 'fun' class, it was not about blowing up target dummies with chakra-based spells or sprinting up walls at 90-degree angles. What it was in essence was a tool to weed out those who had an attention span capable of absorbing knowledge, even if it was completely fluff and irrelevant. Teaching classes allowed Kurisu to better prepare the future generation, but it also allowed him to spot out the gifted, those that would do well in fast-track to specialized training.

"Allow me to briefly explain the weaknesses our ancestors exploited in order to beat an impossible adversary."<i></i> Now he pushed off from the desk, stepping in front of the chalk board. One hand gripped the hilt resting in its sheathe, a single finger flicking out only an inch of the weapon. The lights in the room dimmed and flickered for a moment, a pinpoint of light shining from the gap in the scabbard, and in one swift series of events, the lights in the room died completely, submerging them into darkness, and a blazing white slash arced through the room, leaving a pulsing gash of light on the wall behind Kurisu, where the chalk board had been. A faint outline of the finely dressed teacher stood before them.

"The Ancients' hubris made them blind to that which they oppressed. For years humanity evolved in servitude and eventually, when it seemed a group strong enough existed, they cut a hole in the floor beneath them and leveled the playing field. All it took was for humanity to wait and watch, and eventually they were rewarded."<i></i> There was a creaking of wood and groan of metal sliding on metal. The lights fluttered back to life just in time for the students to watch half the chalk board fall onto the tiled floor, the glimmering wound straight through the Court symbols. "It took careful measuring and an understanding of what the Ancients could do and what they were becoming capable of, and don't let me mislead you. A lot of Sunagakure's history is filled with chest-beating bluster, and the ancients could have simply been another group of shinobi taking advantage of an underdeveloped society. The capability to bend and manipulate the life force energy is what won them freedom and is what you're here, at the Academy to learn about."<i></i>

A hand still rested on the completely concealed blade, but eyes moved between everyone, looking for visual cues, body language, emotions, anything to see what was going on inside their heads.

"For a group of people indentured to cruel masters, they wished for lives of their own, to not be under the thumb of another. Lets take a moment to reflect on that, and in that moment, ask yourself what your purpose is in this classroom, this school, what is it you want all of this to amount to."<i></i> Perfectly at attention, he stood before them, like a statue; a vision of practiced discipline. "And like before, stand and answer to the class. If you do not answer, you must exit the class."<i></i>

His motives for this pop-quiz would remain his own.

 

[Hansame]

Noroi took in all the information and processed all of this, a little intimidated by the glances from the teacher but even more afraid of his blade. He then thought about what his purpose was in life. He thought, but nothing came to mind at the time. He then imagined himself in the future. He tried to imagine what life would be like if he was confident, strong, and kind. He gathered up his courage, stood up quickly, and said shakily

"I-I th-think m-my purpose f-for the cl-class and th-this s-school is to h-help people and I-i guess I'll b-be th-the sc-scapegoat in the group from n-now on. I'll t-try be s-strong b-by t-taking and r-receiving a-all the bl-blame and th-the h-hate. A-and I th-think this is a g-goal b-but I want t-to be the b-best shinobi I-i c-can."

Noroi quickly sat down, feeling unearthed and exposed for revealing all that stuff. A few small tears of embarrassment welled up on his face and streamed down. He quickly wiped them off, but he still felt more embarrassed then he ever had been.

 

[Amagi Saieko]

Sai listened to the lecture as she took her seat. The light dimmed as the teacher got up continuing lecture Saieko’s eyes refracted the only light in the room when it went completely dark. The slash to the board made her instinctively twitch to her own sword hilt. Her eyes saw the cut on the board it was fast and it was clean. Sai envied a cut like that she didn’t even blink at the site nor the brightness of it. The beauty was impeccable as it severed the board in two. Making his last statement all the more impactful, "For a group of people indentured to cruel masters, they wished for lives of their own, to not be under the thumb of another. Lets take a moment to reflect on that, and in that moment, ask yourself what your purpose is in this classroom, this school, what is it you want all of this to amount to, And like before, stand and answer to the class. If you do not answer, you must exit the class."<i></i> Now when this was said Sai did just that she reflected on all that was stated and what she learned in class. She never looked up from her desk. To her the difference between what the clans had achieved and what they each stood for helped the people of the Sunagakure defeat a age old nemesis of dictator ship.
Sai also learned it wasn’t about who you were what your standing was the powers of sheer willpower enabled humanity to achieve great things even overthrow gods themselves. Kind of like a single strand of straw by itself its nothing anything can break it. Now if you take the same piece of straw and bind it with other like pieces and stick them close together you will get something very strong and will possibly break anything trying to impose its force upon it.

The history lesson was very keen on one thing that was you didn’t need to have a certain look or have a name that goes back generations, all that mattered was if you affiliated with them and if you did, what you would do armed with the knowledge about them. Sai noticed the new kid making his answer and it was a decent statement. She noticed he was a embarrassed a lot and very timid, was he crying? She looked closer,he was indeed crying. Smirking she noticed that all her other teammates were still mulling this over. The young man that spoke first was being a scape goat testing the teachers intentions. Sai chewed her cheek at this for a few minutes.


Upon looking at the facts that were given and the horse and pony show that segmented not only the board but the class Sai was sure that that last question was a poignant one it wasn’t a trap per say but it did have venom laced into it passively. His intentions were something other than just teaching a class. Sai stood as well might be the last time in this class as well. Seeing how there was a scape goat in here already or a savior depending how right the young man was, Sai spoke up Your question posed a three pronged attack asking us what we wanted from this class , school and what it all amounted to in our own situation, the reason I took this class was to learn about a topic that reaches us in our daily lives here in Sunagakure. If you learn about the past you can see what this town or city started out with, how they handled it. What made them make decisions that ultimately shaped our life today. What I hope to get out of school well I want to grow strong and learn to bend my skills to that of a finely sharpened weapon. I want all of this to amount to gaining skills through the knowledge of a shinobi past or present. Information can only help our situation today.” "I take my training and school work very serious,armed with knowledge and action my skills being shaped into a finely sharpened tool it allows me to help out Suna in anyway i can weather that be chasing down wanted individuals or maybe even defending this village against a attack either way i will be sharpened and i will push myself to achieve just that regardless of who or what stands in my way." <i></i> Saieko then sat back down. She waited for the rest of her teammates to answer as well. She glanced at Yumi-chan and then to Daichi-chan and over to Arata, even at the new kid Noroi.

 

[Kibishi]

Kibishi awoken very early this morning, why? Even he did not know, but he felt the need to do his usual focus to be at school on time. Getting ready for class, he noticed a note on the wall that was clearly pinned with a kunai. What the hell could it be, reading over the note was simple….it said that your entire living room was covered in explosives notes, have a good day…..what a joke right? Walking into the room, his entire place was covered with notes……..this is not a drill?

Kibishi’s how the hell can this be happening senses were kicking in, but maybe it was just a trick. Yet, it wasn't then all of his stuff would go boom! That was when something had broken through his window in his room, it was a small sized sand worm that must have been from something! It was almost my size as it tried to attack him. Pulling out an umbrella out, he would deflect it back, but it would jump again this time going into the living room.

Next thing that happened was Kibishi had broken through his own window, as a small boom was heard from inside his home. It wasn't loud, so many only a few of those bombs were real. Who the hell would do such a thing, plus it was some water down piece of crap bombs. Dusting himself off, he knew that he had to get going if he wanted to reach school on time.

Out from the corner of his eye, a two gang members were approaching from his homes in the slums. He wasn't rich, but very poor barely making anything on the side for himself. They usually came down to show themselves off, but this were scum and must have planted the bombs. They never liked him to begin with, taking him for a fool…..but now was not a time to fight. Running in the opposite direction, he slammed into someone else and found the third member of their gang, who only smirked down at me.

He grabbed kibishi by the collar of his shirt and threw him to the floor, where they would go on saying harsh words.

“Little trash boy, can’t get any good clothing huh?”

“Yeah, a trash boy gets beaten down because he is weak!”

“Did you like the present in your crappy home, punk!”

The three said in almost unison, as they started to kick at him while he was on the floor. They never stayed for long, growing tired of kicking him around and walking off. He didn't say much to them, or for that matter anything at all. He simply got up from the pounding, trying to clean his face the best he could. His body didn't really matter, walking off into another direction. He noticed a small statue of Buru, a dog said to bring good luck or bones…..he wasn't too sure about it.

Clapping his hands together, he would say a pray to the creature of power….yet it wasn't really that well known right? Either way on the way, he noticed that someone strange was looking his way. It was some elderly women that spoke crazily.

“Son come here, you have an evil omen on you!”

“What?” Kibisihi said tilting to the left at her.

“You see, I can see the spirits that confront your well-being. You must be tainted and saved from your sins!”

“That’s why I just prayed, I don’t have time for this!”

“Nonsense, become pure again!” She said throwing a cup of hot tea at my face.

The burning sensation of it all had caused me to palm my face in agony, rolling on the floor hoping the cool sand will save me! Which it did, thank you sand gods! Looking around for the women, she was gone now to throw hot tea in someone else’s face? Old people were so sick in the head and humor….bastards.

Kibishi was already late! How the hell can this be happening, this was really stupid and couldn't be possible? He must find a short cut or something, looking around the rooftops were a great choice. Taking to the sky, he would look for an easy ways to get to the academy. When he found a good place to walk to the academy from, he would land and take off running. Reaching the gates, he would notice someone waiting for him….hoping it wasn't a teacher, but no it was another student.

A big burly guy that I have never met in my life was waiting for me. Looking over at him, he was bigger than me! Was today, kick a puppy while it down day? He locked eyes with me, and walked over to me like some scene out of that game with trainers or something the rich kids were talking about.

“There you are my rival! now put up your dukes.”

“You have to be kidding me.”

“No kidding, your my rival since our first day at the academy.”

“Look lad face, I don’t k….” Kibishi couldn't finish his sentence as a fist walked into his face.

Landing on the floor, he looked up at the guy with fire in his eyes. This guy was going to get it, as they began to trade punches. Kibishi was more of the dirty fighter anyway, as the battle moved on it was mostly him running through the academy. Mostly everyone was in class, so they would have to look out the window or something to see them until they got inside.

They had called a truce to go to the bathroom, since it was better than to keep fighting at a disadvantage. Going into a stall, he would take his time and relax from his stressful day getting to this point in time. When he was about done with relaxing time at the stall, he noticed that there was no toilet paper……….”SON OF A BISCUIT WEAVING HAIR SNAPPER, JERK THAT SHOULD BE CAUGHT, BURNED AND BURIED ALIVE TO ROT IN THE PLACE THAT NOT EVEN MY WORST ENEMY WOULD HAPPEN TO BEFALL!!!!!!!”

It was his own way with coping with today, as he heard a knock at the door.

“You alright in there rival?”

That was when Kibishi had snapped by kicking the stall door open with rage in his eyes, hitting the burly guy against the skin. He processed to slamming his fist into his face, than slamming his head against the sink and then throwing him onto the floor after he was knocked out. Looking at what he had in his hand, it was some toilet paper that he must have wanted him to have…..the only sign of kindness only a few people had shown in and he had to go on to beating him senseless…..well crap.
Wasting even more time, he would drag the now bleeding classmate down the hall to the medic room for the students. Bringing him into the room, the medic-nin noticed the wounds and tended to him quickly. Kibishi stood around to watch her do her magic, or was it medical nin-justu, it was quite interesting to him. Either way, she had healed his wounds and tend my own because it was her job. It felt better to look a little more appealing, but she just slapped a huge bandage on his face to take care of the problem. She than had a pondering expression towards him, was she going to get him in trouble for what he did?

“What happened to him?”

“……umm, he slipped on a bar of soap while he went to fetch me some toilet paper?” He said in the most sarcastic voice that he could muster.

“Oh okay! he will be alright now. You've been such a great help, now here’s a note so you can get into class. Make sure you take care of your wounds, they should heal up in a few days darling.”

She handed him a note for class, threw him out of the room and slammed the door in his face. What did he come here for again? Oh that’s right, he was late for class!!!
Rushing towards the door that lead to his class, he would open it with a loud bang that would grab the attention of the entire room. What everyone would clearly see is a short kid with baggy clothing, his red puffy hair was covered in sand, his nose bleeding, his face was clearly bruised up, but little hard to tell with a big bandage stuck to his face, somewhat burned from something!, some of the clothing covered in some clearly fresh blood and too top it all off a smiling expression on his face for all to see.

“I’m so sorry for being late, but I have a note!” He said with a bright smile on his face, while he showed the note to his sensei.

Clearly referring to something that was so far out of place of what could have really happened, if they wanted to hear the whole story. He would just sugar coat what had occurred for the younger minds, they were only academy students after all.

 

[Kazumi]

The girl stood for a moment longer after the teacher seemed to purposefully not answer her question. With a little effort she got herself back down in her seat, grumbling softly to herself about this or that. The grumbled faded as he used the technique again and her attention once again focused on him with ready eagerness. She was, after all, simply a child and so it wasn't hard to expect such things easily gathered her attention.

As the slaughtering of the board occurred Yumi had shifted from curiosity to fear and then back again as the lights illuminated the room. She almost fell out of her seat as half of the board collapsed against he wall and once again her face lit up with excitement. Duirng all of this she seemed to be interested, as much as one could be about history... but that obviously wasn't what kept her eyes open and at attention.

She then waited patiently as the first student spoke, her red irised gaze shifted over towards him and gave him a confused stare as he stuttered through his self-deprecating response. Next came the other girl who gave some long-winded reply, and if the teacher was paying attention he would notice Yumi lost interest in what she was saying less than half way through. Once she finally finished Yumi had began to push her way to a stand when the sudden slamming of the door startled her and she accidentally shoved her own chair out from under her as she collapsed to the floor.

She let off a small groan as she laid against the floor, all the while the new student spoke to the teacher and class, likely not even noticing her until after he finished. Finally she managed to push herself up to a pained stand, her weighed outfit only making the matter much worse. She reached back and rubbed her butt softly while she glanced around, remembering just then why she had stood in the first place. Her expression grew blank, with the long speech, the crash and subsiquent fall having sapped her of whatever thoughts she had apparently had.

She looked around the room nervously for what felt like a small eternity before she forced herself to hesitantly speek, “what she said?” Those three words was her only response for a few good long seconds as she pointed over towards Saieko. Then as she she felt that might not have been good enough she added, “to be a good shinobi and... stuff.” Again she awkwardly stood there before she pulled her chair back to her seat and slowly sat herself down into it.

 

[Tori]

Dai started shifting about. Her worry was inward to be frank, and the lights and slashing going on before her was only briefly acknowledged. She had a more troublesome matter. Her innards were twisting and threatening to cause a ruckus.

Okay, she couldn't hold out anymore. The opening of the door came as a signal. The little one hopped up and darted out the door, the word 'emergency' trailing behind her. The crazy loon even left what few supplies she brought with her.

[Topic Left]

 

[Koizumi Mao]

And so he remained, sign of life shown only by the slow, deep breaths he took. The words announced to the class were heard, but never fully registered. At least not until a certain moment. "Our origins do not define us, they just provide a path for us to travel in case we're unable to find one for ourselves." That managed to stick to him throughout all of the mumbling that traveled through one ear and out the other. It's obvious that people were free to define themselves as they wish, but if someone doesn't know their own origins, are they left with no basis to define themselves with?

His head slowly perked back up, snapping back into reality once the teacher pushed himself up to his feet from the desk at the head of the room. His thoughts misplaced themselves in order to fully focus on the present, watching the man reach down to grip the hilt of his blade. What was he going to do with that? He wasn't left much time to ponder the possibilities to himself before the lights began to malfunction, leaving a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Were they going to be attacked? It was a possibility - one that he couldn't help but take seriously in a room full of kids being trained into killers. Be on your guard at all times. Then they were subjected to total darkness, his body immediately tensing in place as the white streak slid straight across the room. What was that!? Was someone breaking in!? He immediately faced toward their teacher again, watching him stand calmly in place. Perhaps his initial assessment was a misunderstanding, or it were simply a test of some sort. Surely he'd have a better idea of what was actually going on if he'd listen to what their sensei was saying beforehand.

He decided not to make that mistake again - not for now, at least, while Kurisu had his full attention, actually absorbing the information being given to him. So this was about how the old clans overcoming adversity and oppression. The history of Sunagakure. Of course, that's what this entire class was about.

As their instructor took a close look at each of his students, he'd find that Arata slumped slightly in his seat from his tensed position, body finally relaxing again under the weight of his outrageously orange gi now that he knew his assumption of being in danger wasn't the case after all. Did he really think that their own sensei would attack them? He had no reason to suspect not to. As shinobi, being ready for anything meant the difference between life and death. He kept a close eye on the well-dressed man from beneath his obscuring glasses even as the chalkboard screeched and toppled in half behind him.

The final request from the students was most certainly a curious one. Their purpose for their lives? That was only the subject of nearly all of Arata's constant daydreaming. How was he expected to answer something like that when even after all this time, he couldn't find an exact answer himself? There he sat again, relaxed and still, as if his mind were lost in another realm as each of the other students stood and began to answer. Impressively enough, he didn't even flinch once the door slammed open, though the sight of a new student entering his vision caused his attention to split from his inner-thoughts once more. Finally, it was all coming back to him. The question that he had to answer. He immediately recalled the statement that stuck out to him just a few minutes prior.

Once Yumi sat back down, the boy would rise from his seat. "I don't really have an answer to your question." A single hand calmly pressed onto the desk to keep himself balanced with the weight he's being forced to carry along with his outfit. After a moment of silence, he couldn't help but feel as if that were a little short-winded. Perhaps he needed to elaborate. "My own purpose of being here is to find that answer. You said earlier that our origins provide a path for us in case we're unable to find ourselves. What sort of path is there if you don't originate from anywhere?" Not that it was really possible to simply poof into existence without originating from somewhere, but in his case, his own origins were a complete mystery to him.

 

[Uri]

The ideal reaction was for everyone to have a response, no matter the answer. They were all young and rarely, if at all, did they truly know their purpose beyond what they were doing in the moment. Learning from parents and teachers helped give ideas, but they were not their own. Those who lived solely within the ideals of their elders would never find that reward in life given to those who dare search past the mundane trials of ritual life in the village. Two students were able to give their answers before an obnoxious noise disturbed the otherwise controlled environment of the classroom. Kurisu took the note from the boy and within a moment of being in his hand, it disintegrated into particle of lights, and a single finger pointed to a desk up front.

"Sit and remain quiet unless addressed."<i></i> Kurisu said, stony and cold. "The sooner you realize that timing is everything, the better off you will be. This is your only exception; never be late again."<i></i>

Youth wouldn't understand it, not yet, but being punctual is what separated good shinobi from dead shinobi. Yumi spoke next, only half a mind in the class when it came to her turn. Attention spans were one thing that always fell short in students and many of them seemed to be day dreamers, minds caught up in something else. Not all of them had been given reason to appreciate the simple pleasures of life just for life as he had, surviving the Red Death and being given a second chance.

Two answers had caught his attention and they merited a response in kind.

Stepping in front of Noroi's desk, the ANBU pulled a handkerchief from his vest pocket and presented to the youngster. Everyone was different and handled things differently. By the way he had acted, most would assume that Noroi wouldn't speak at all and that he would have left the class when put on the spot, but in keen form, he answered first every time and despite his personal hangups managed to do what seemed impossible for himself. While Kurisu may not have agreed with his personal opinion, it held a certain amount of noble dignity to it. Save everyone, let no harm be done to those around me, but only me.

"Admirable, but remember you're no good to anyone if you die early. In order to absorb all that bad, you can't just be the best shinobi you're capable of, you must be the best anywhere and you must keep getting better, even if you think you've already reached the ceiling. Go. Higher."<i></i> The moment complacency settles in, there's an assumption that there is no way to improve is when someone else surpasses and that goal, that desire to be the best in order to fulfill the duty set out is failed.

The last student spoke and Kurisu was mildly surprised, and despite his concealing that reaction, he turned to stare at the large-glasses boy whose attention was finally on the hook.

"As you heard from your peers, there are the easy answers. We all want to excel, to be good at something, to be like our parents or idols, but to not know and acknowledge that you have no direction is perhaps the most challenging answer to give."<i></i> Finding something, anything to hold onto to provide motivation was key. Twenty years in solitary confinement and all Kurisu had was his face in Mother Suna, knowing one day he would see light once more. He did. "One determined only by yourself. Those outside the realm of predestined lives are the ones who change history. Primus was not born thinking that he would one day lead The First Men to kill gods. Folk tale or not, the example stands to speak about the ordinary becoming superior."<i></i>

While the class had the basis of some boring, some had grabbed hold, even if some did it later, and that was what Kurisu wanted. If there was a fire to ignite, and he had helped set the spark, then it was a success. Standing back at attention, hands clasped behind his back, he looked at the three students whose interest held the longest, even if Arata only just joined those ranks.

"For those who have watched, listened, and learned something from the simple premises of the class today, I offer my wisdom to you in the form of a single question."<i></i> A hand gestured to Noroi, Saieko, and Arata. Kurisu had not asked for names because he did not wish to have them then. If they saw him again, if they pursued actual knowledge, then he would learn them. "My knowledge is broad and I will answer whatever is asked of me. If you wish for me to show you how I manipulated the chalk board, then I will. If you want to know about a family or clan that's existed in the last two centuries of Wind Country, I will provide that which I know."<i></i> Then one side of his mouth turned upwards, the closest thing to a smile he had put on all class. "Or if you rather I'd blow something up, that can be done too."<i></i>

As always the answers were poignant to a bigger picture in Kurisu's mind, but now it was mostly about giving a reward for an effort. If one could be bothered, then they were gifted with greater knowledge.

 

[Kazumi]

There was something certainly odd about their teacher, perhaps even mysterious. Yumi sat there listening as he spoke more, her attention didn’t seem as split as it had been before. She did occasionally look towards the sever chalkboard from time to time, but her attention always seemed to bob back towards him. Though she wouldn’t know ir or even admit it, he reminded her of her father in some ways.

As he individually addressed the others in the class, both the late one, Glasses and Scarf she continued to eye him curiously. Eventually he gestured towards Noroi, Saeiko and finally Arata and made those three the offer. Unfortunately, the significance of the gesture not extending to her did not seem to occur to her as she pushed herself to a stand only a moment after he finished. “Did it really happen?” She suddenly asked towards the teacher, but she did spare a moment to glance at the star-students, “the tales with Primus? Everyone says it did, but did it really?”

As soon as she asked she found herself confused as to why she asked that of all things. However, she sat herself back down in her seat and patiently awaited her response.

 

[Hansame]

Noroi gratefully took the handkerchief and wiped off the remaining tears, feeling a little better. He then listened to what the teacher had to say, and took in every word. The teacher had a great point. Noroi had to become stronger then his limits if he were to be the scapegoat. He felt good about what he learned but there was just one more question that was lingering in his head.

"U-uh, wh-who are the p-people who sometimes w-wear those animal m-masks because th-there was th-this one incident wh-where th-this man c-came over to m-my house and d-did something w-with his hands. H-he caused th-these hallucinationsa-and wh-when i w-woke up i-i had a g-gash on m-my neck and m-my parents w-were...." He voice trailed off, he didn't want to remember what happened next.

 

[Koizumi Mao]

It seems once the teacher got his hook into him with the intriguing question, he actually remained at full attention. After all, the question he posed in response was only something he'd had floating in the back of his mind for as long as he could remember. Without knowing anything about his family, or where he even came from, finding that answer for himself was his purpose. Those big glasses were left staring forward at their sensei while the boy had his attention, a somewhat blank look on his face as he absorbed the words he had to say.

The answer that was given to him, however, left his stoic expression mold with a hint of disbelief. Changing history? Ordinary becoming superior? He'd never heard those paths being compared to his own in any form. Of all the stories he'd heard whilst being raised in that humble orphanage - the making of legends that echo in his head during his first trip down this academy's halls - was it truly possible that he could become one of them? It seemed highly improbable...but possible. Still, the distracting thought would never have hope until he successfully addresses the task that still remained on the forefront of his mind: finding his own path.

It took a while for him to reach the state of mind to remember that he should probably seat himself. It was likely more that his muscles began to ache again from the strain of his training gi than actually realizing that he must sit after asking a question to the class. He settled in his chair again, and actually continued to take in what Kurisu had to say. His proposal; an offering of his great wisdom to those who only ask. Arata could only imagine what wealth of information must reside within the confines of such a seasoned shinobi's head. The prospect of choosing what to ask gave him an almost overwhelming feeling. At least there didn't seem to be a time constraint to his offer, so he could simply try and find the man himself should something actually come up.

The familiar voice of the little blonde girl is what finally snapped him out of such a stupor, his gaze finally splitting away from their suited sensei in order to turn to the other student that had caught his attention. Though as soon as the nervous boy spoke up about the incident that explained his scar, he couldn't help but feel some sense of accomplished mysticism for correctly assuming the origins of Noroi's great strife. Before he fell too deep into the rabbit hole, he remembered the offer Kurisu had made and shook off his daydreaming before it had began. His head once again turned from Yumi back toward the teacher, waiting for the answers to their questions. For perhaps the first time, Arata was actually mentally present in the ongoing flow of classroom discussion. Certainly no easy feat.

 

[Amagi Saieko]

Sai sat and listened as there teacher spoke his seriousness was a good poker face. When he offered something to the rest of the class and she saw all the other guys all coming up with their own answers about what they wanted from this man, that stood before them. Saieko smirked and just stood there letting them go about what they wanted him to do. In a way Saieko saw a softer side to the stone faced man that started this class. In his own way he was opening up to the younger shinobi and letting them inside his cold exterior. Saieko didn’t have anything she wanted from him nor did she want him to do anything. She sat there and kept her eyes on him a bit. He was trying to keep them focused the lecture to saieko it was interesting in its own right history always was interesting. Then again being a small time thief striving to become a bigger thief one always had to know the stories or history texts that corresponded with the shiny trinket that a thief wants to steal or hold. The History behind a item is sometimes what makes it valuable.

Sai really was here to learn about history but she wasn’t going to ruin the moment for the others. Instead she just sat there and continued to smile watching all of her other classmates. Seeing how all of them had asked one question or another Saieko kept her crystal eyes on the teacher and when there was a break spoke a mere sentence. “Excuse me sensei may I talk to you after class my request is a small bit off topic and my request will be given there.”

 

[Uri]

Much like before, he ignored Yumi, the one who stepped out of order and broke discipline. It didn't annoy Kurisu as much since children just plainly didn't know better, and his skipping her would deliver his message eventually.

"Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, or ANBU are a village's hidden shinobi force whose purpose is to perform the acts which are usually unspeakable and costly. Every village has them, in some form or another, and all tend to wear masks shaped like animals. At a later date, we'll have a discussion about this incident you speak of."<i></i> He didn't voice how deeply the attack concerned him. Either another village's ANBU had infiltrated the village and made the hit or one of their own had done it. Either implication didn't bode well.

Arata's silence was accepted and Kurisu wasn't the type to resend an award solely because one didn't want to claim it right away. If anything, that self-control and desire to have a favor of someone with some clout in his back pocket was mature for someone his age.

All Saieko would receive is eye contact and a firm nod of acknowledgement.

Lastly, he turned to Yumi, the girl whose body would be on fire from insisting on extra movement in her weighted training gear and with a smile, he replied, "Does it matter if they did? Isn't the meaning of those tales reason enough to want to believe?"<i></i> Overcoming impossible odds, dethroning gods, the common man becoming a hero. Kurisu's entire clan worshiped a deity that had allegedly existed during that time period, but would her being a myth ruin their faith? No, not one bit. These were things that came with age and experience, and that prompted Kurisu's next response, "I have served Sunagakure for nearly five decades, and during this time I have seen unbelievable things, events that wouldn't make sense without the old stories holding a grain of truth."<i></i>

Once more he would lean up against the desk, hands clasped in one another on his lap, "Do I believe the prodigious leader of our ancestors existed and led them to battle against giants? Haha, yeah, I really do. Being open to that suggestion has allowed me to look at all I have seen from a different perspective that has prepared me for the strange and unusual."<i></i> Even in an honest answer, Kurisu still had a practical reason behind his belief beyond blind faith.

A casual wave of his hand and he would dismiss the class.

"Now go back to your homes, and be rid of those repugnant training outfits. If you so choose to listen and your other teacher has problem with it, tell him Ametsuchi Kurisu will be more than happy to school him as well. Class dismissed."<i></i> One single-handed seal and the door slid open for them to leave. Tons of little tricks, things they would learn about their teacher if they encountered him more. Now the sword-wielding sensei remained at the head of the room, waiting for everyone to vacant before doing so himself, pausing only as long as he needed to speak with Saieko.

"If we meet again, then I can be bothered to learn your names."<i></i>

[Fini~ Doing the rewards thing; 500 Yen and +5 to any stat of your choosing. Link back here in your training for paper-trailing and verification. Kibishi, if you post your exit with some insight, then you may pick from either the 500 yen or +5 Stat since you were in here so briefly.]

 

[Amagi Saieko]

Sai sat back as the teacher ended the class with a brief overview of a well-known legend Sai being a literal transplant to Suna. Found it hard to keep pace with the other kids in clas because of her learning curve. They had grown up listening to such tales as she grew up with a sword in her hand and a eclectic pair of parents that were really just Nomads and mercenaries. She never was told such legends and fairy tales. To her the real tales of heroism where the real people that fought for and sustained currently the ideals of the freedoms they knew today. So she listened but didn’t take too much out of it since it was just a legend or at least some would say that.

She hung back just long enough to engage the teacher. She didn’t know how one would ask what she was going to ask since her only tutelage came under a a X suna solder that left the field of battle and lived as a hermit in the cliff sides near the red lights area of the cavern. Seeing how he struck that chalk board that cut would have been a leathal blow to anyone standing there. It was clean it fast and even made the hair on her arms stand straight up. The only drawback was his cut had tasted blood before she could see that. His face wasn’t wrinkled nor shone sides of wear or tear either he was a perfect match for the sword that she wanted to learn a emotionless or as some would say he had a amazing poker face. As the other kids were leaving the class she sat there pondering if he would even listen to her request. Was she trained well enough to show promise or would he toss her aside as so many masters of the sword had before.

Around this time she stood and walked over to him asking a simple question, “How do I learn a sword that can sing like yours did ?” My request that I wanted to ask of you is would you please instruct me as you were taught in the ways of the sword?” Sai was a proud person she didn’t let just anyone teach or trod on her. She was trying to show respect as best she could seeing how she still looked like a orange pylon cone with the jump suit on. Her voice was soft and clear as she stood just in ear shot of him. When she spoke she said it so only he could hear her.

 

[Hansame]

The ANBU. Still a mysterious group, but the teacher said some other time he would teach him more about this. Noroi wanted to be at peace and learn all about the ANBU. Maybe even one day find the man that killed his parents. He listen to the other responses the teacher made to the other kids and took mental notes about the other students. The talkative girl with the red eyes seemed to want to just learn the techniques and ninjutsu. The boy with the glasses seemed to daydream, but when his attention was on the problem, he seemed to have good answers. The girl with the sword seemed like she knew what she was doing, maybe she learned some ninjutsu herself. But they were all students like him. Probably closer to becoming a shinobi then him, but still students all the same. Eager to learn about the ANBU some other day, he managed a shaky smile, and like an excited puppy, he said

"Th-thank you for the l-lesson s-sir! M-maybe some other day, m-maybe I c-could learn a-about th-the ANBU sir!" He managed to say, then stumbled out of the classroom a little happy

[topic left]

 

[Kibishi]

Kibishi didn't really say much at all, it seemed that class was coming to a close and he was just going to go by without learning much. That was until he heard him speak of going past the roof, don't be limited and know that to achieve greatness would require more than just power. Knowledge, the will to grow past the boundary of what man is can be pushed further and Kibishi wanted to do just that. The man was rather interesting for a teacher, maybe he should have learned more about him from the class, but alass he was late.

Ordinary becoming superior that was very much possible, he would need to learn the lore to find his own way. Kibishi liked to sneak out to the market of suna in the middle of the night, looking towards the stars and the open skies. He wanted to go past what the average person would want, Kibishi wanted to fly through the sky to be free like a bird. Maybe it would take him away from this place, he didn't want to be famous or do it for the profit....maybe a little, but just to take the generation a step further.

The professor was passing his wisdom, allowing him to grow as a person was that the point of this starter class? Maybe it was just to think what you wanted to think, dream of what your own future could look like. Kibishi simply walked out of the classroom without a word, pondering on what he wanted to do.

 

[Uri]

[OOC: Was waiting on the others, but I'll just be posting instead. I'll be PMing those who have not posted exits. If you don't post an exit, your rewards will be rescinded until you've vacated the thread.]

A small, knowing smile spread across the old shinobi's lips.

"Years upon years of discipline and experience."<i></i> A hand subconsciously drifted to the blade at his side. It did sing, but it was sorrowful. Taken from its true master and broken into splinters, it was only whole in Kurisu's grasp. "And an understand of weapons and war that makes the sword as much a part of you as your life force."<i></i>

While Kurisu was a religious man, a firm believer in Mother Suna and her great acts unto the world, he also was a mystic. Weapons had souls from the moment the metal was tempered and shaped into creation. These were ideals not so easily taught, but one could be guided to follow the right path if they dedicated themselves. While the arts the old ANBU had used were of his clan's tutelage, the basics to develop unique styles were a bare bones set of skills. Pondering the request, he looked over the young student. Since he was just recently back in the village and put into service for the Steward and Would-be Kazekage, he didn't quite know how to allocate time for a pupil.

"Find me again, and show me you've learned from this class. Provided you don't jump through a time portal and vanish into oblivion."<i></i> He laughed. He had seen plenty of crazier things happen in his time. "At this age, it would be foolish of me to not pass on my experience."<i></i>

Pale fingers would gesture to the door, a demure gesture that was more of an offering to leave before he did now that his obligation was fulfilled; a gentlemanly gesture.

[Topic Left after all other students have/or inactivity]

 

[Kazumi]

This guy was really strange to Yumi. She couldn't tell if she liked him, disliked him, or had some other nebulous feeling towards the shinobi. When he did finally respond to her she simply gave him a content, if slightly dazed looking, nod of (not)understanding. She continued to sit and think for the new few moments in silent contemplation as he spoke to others, apparently drifting off into her own little world for that short time.

She finally snapped back to attention once he gestured the class out of the room with his ghostly appendage. Her eyes snapped more awake and alert and she pushed herself up to a stand, more quickly than she had intended and her chair slid loudly back. As she didn't bring any supplies with her, for better or worse, she simply gave the man a respectful bow and a seemingly appreciative smile before she turned on her heel and made her way from the class room. Perhaps it was simply the time she got to sit and rest there, but her weighted outfit did not seem to hang so heavily on her as it had before...

[Topic Departed]

((OOC: Apologies for the delay. Been a busy busy bee at work and I haven't had internet elsewhere since we have been moving to a new apartment. ))