To Train, or to Goof Off? [Free RP]

[Kogami Ayumu]

The Ancient Forest of Kumogakure was one of the best places for a shinobi to train. Not only was it away from the distractions of the city, but due to the numerous odd things that happened in the forest nobody questioned when loud noises and explosions erupted in the forest. Such strange happening were to be expected in the forest, especially when you considered that it was a favorite training ground for many shinobi. This included Ayumu. Even a Sennin needed to train often to keep his skills sharp. Fortunately for those that lived near or in the forest, Ayumu had always been a Taijutsu specialist. That meant no extravagant flashy frightening jutsu that threatened to destroy large swaths of the forest. Ayumu's style was more refined and accurate than that, even when he did use his more powerful techniques. Sure, sometimes he would accidentally cut down several trees at once, but that was better than a Ninjutsu user blowing a crater in the ground, right?

Today, Ayumu was working on a bit of strength training. For him, that didn't mean lifting weights in a gym. That didn't really cut it when he wanted to push himself. He'd come to the forest in cargo shorts and a black tank top with traditional shinobi sandals, his comfortable training clothing. Here, he had a particular regiment for strength training. At one point he had found an obnoxiously large boulder that had clearly fallen down the nearby mountains and ended up in the forest. Several trees had been rolled over before it came to a stop partially embedded in the ground. After initially freeing it from the debris around it, Ayumu's training now involved rolling the boulder around the clearing surrounding it. No normal human should have been able to move it, but shinobi weren't normal humans. Ayumu in particular was monstrously strong due to his training in Taijutsu.

At present, he was pushing the boulder along in a circular path around the clearing. The path he was taking was obvious as a indentation in the ground clearly marked the way from previous trips around. Sweating profusely, Ayumu would take a step and plant his foot firmly on the ground before pushing the boulder a few feet and then repeating. The weather wasn't too warm, but he had been at this for an hour and the blood pumping through his veins had gotten him heated. He decided to take a break and leaned against the boulder. A water bottle hung from a clip at his hip which he took and began to drink from. As an after thought, he brought the bottle up and poured some water onto his head to cool down. As he wiped his brow of some excess water he felt a rumble in the ground from another shinobi's training not too far away.

'Seems the forest is popular today,' he thought. He had seen a few shinobi training on his way to the boulder. He wondered if any were nearby. If he weren't out in the forest, he might have been concerned about being seen like he currently appeared. He looked down at his arms and torso which were covered in dirt from the boulder he had been pushing. He was filthy, to be perfectly honest, but training was not a clean activity. If you came out of it looking pristine you didn't get anything done. Shrugging, he took another swig of water only to find that it was nearly empty. Fortunately, there was a fresh water stream nearby with water perfectly safe to drink. He decided to extend his break a bit longer and visit to the stream.

A short walk through the woods found him at the babbling creek. It was a perfectly picturesque scene with the sun peeking just slightly through the canopy to make the water sparkle. The water was so clear you could see straight to the bottom. It wasn't particularly deep in any place. Perhaps deep enough to swim in some spots, but Ayumu was not here for that. Later, perhaps, but not now. He walked to a somewhat shallow portion of the stream and kneeled down, submerging his water bottle in the stream and filling it up. A pleasant breeze blew in to help cool him down further. This was why he loved training in the forest.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

The sound of hooves resonated through the trees as a jet black horse galloped within. However, to those with a good eye, the beast would seem off, and for good reason. It was made of ink after all. Atop the majestic ink creature was Mochizuki Tomo, a look of fear within his eye. The night prior had been eventful, with him and his twin having to restrain his overly intoxicated brother. During the tussle, the redhead performer had sustained a black eye. Being a narcissist, it was no surprise that Takama awoke furious. Unluckily for Tomo, the Genin had been the first of the twins the elder Mochizuki came across.

And thus, Tomo rode for his life, fearing the wrath of Takama. Thanks to his mastery of Cyclone Movement, the Genin was able to deflect most of his brother's projectiles. However, his Elemental Aura ability ensured that he would be rather visible, considering his naturally purple chakra. With surprising agility considering the bumpy terrain, ink horse and master were able to place a decent amount of distance between them and Takama. Tomo turned his steed to the left and continued to ride. After a few minutes, the young man looked back. "I think we lost hi-" Tomo didn't finish his sentence as his ink horse came to a skidding stop before a creek. Not having a good grip with his legs, Tomo flew forward off his steed, and turned his head to see exactly where he was going. He met the eyes of Kogami Ayumu.

In an instant Tomo burst into confetti. Pieces of purple paper flitted to the ground, upon them was Tomo's autograph in ink. The idol had learned this trick for his fans, but it appeared to have other uses as well. Tomo approached Ayumu from behind, his normal orange outfit being plum as Haruki's choice in clothing were the only things clean. "That was close. You didn't get a paper cut, did you?" Only now realizing to whom he was speaking, Tomo staggered back before kneeling before his Sennin. "Oh! Sennin Kogami, my apologies." Oooohoohoo! So this is the man who stole your woman. Tomo's head lowered to hide his perturbed expression. Shut up Haruki. Tomo couldn't deny that he felt a twinge of resentment towards the man before him. Though he couldn't say he truly loved Kahako at any point, he certainly believed she was one of the few women in the village whom he could feel that way towards. But he would never know for sure, most assuredly due to Ayumu. Tomo awaited the Sennin's permission to rise.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

There were a lot of sounds in the forest, many of them strange and some unrecognizable and even frightening. However, a sound came to Ayumu's ears that he recognized as a horse galloping... seemingly in his direction. Why was a horse running through the forest, and why towards him? He lifted his bottle from the water and stood, spinning around in the direction of the sound of hooves. They were drawing ever closer, within a moment they would be within the clearing. At the speed it sounded like they were going, they were likely to end up in the creek which would be bad. Perhaps he could warn them and they could stop in time. What came through the bushes was not exactly what Ayumu expected. The so-called horse was ink black and looked like a drawing come to life. Regardless, Ayumu raised his arms in an attempt to get the horseman to stop.

"Whoa, whoa! Hold up!" he shouted, hoping the rider would stop in time. To his dismay, the horse did stop but not the rider who was flung from the horse and flew directly at Ayumu. Ayumu didn't quite have time to duck, so he threw arms in front of himself defensively. Fortunately that turned out to be unnecessary as the rider exploded into confetti. Unfortunately, the result was Ayumu covered in confetti. "Ugh," Ayumu muttered, looking himself over and finding his clothes covered with small flakes of paper. Then he recalled the rider and grew slightly concerned. It was probably a jutsu, but it was still slightly alarming to see a man burst into confetti. The footsteps behind Ayumu's back caused him to turn and see Tomo as he made sure Ayumu was okay.

"No paper cuts, just a confetti shower. Am I the 10,000th customer? Have I won something? " Ayumu asked with a smirk as he began brushing confetti off of his clothes, a task that would take some time to complete. At that moment Tomo appeared to realize who Ayumu was and dropped to a knee apologizing, although Ayumu wasn't sure if it was for not noticing sooner or for making Ayumu a one man party. "It's fine, and you can stand up," Ayumu said, chuckling. Taking a step back to look at the situation, it was pretty amusing. This was quite possibly the least likely thing to happen to him out here. Ayumu waited for the Genin to stand up and as he did he recognized the face. This was one of the Mochizuki twins, Tomo. They had met before a few times over the years.

"Mochizuki Tomo, right? You were in an awful big hurry, what's going on?" Ayumu asked curiously. Of course, there wasn't really anything but forest in the direction the Genin was riding so it raised the question of where he was even going in such a hurry. Perhaps, instead, he was fleeing something. This only made Ayumu more curious, naturally.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo rose to his feet, forcing his lips to hold a slight smile. He gave a nod of his head at Ayumu's question. "Yes Sir. Mochizuki Tomo, manager-in-training and returning idol of the Mochizuki Troupe." He give a salute. "As for my hurry...well." Forgetting he'd been in a rush only a few seconds ago, Tomo's head whipped to his ink horse, watching for movement and listening for possible footsteps. The Genin relaxed when he didn't feel his brother's presence. He returned his gaze to the Sennin. "Family Feud." Tomo didn't know much about Ayumu, and he wondered whether the brunette could relate or not. Giving a small bow of his head, Tomo walked past Ayumu and approached the water's edge, producing his scroll as he did. He unrolled it and held it before him. The large black beast snorted once before being sucked into the scroll.

Tomo took his spot again before Ayumu and noticed the young man attempting to remove Tomo's confetti. "Oh, sorry about that Sennin Kogami. Allow me." Putting his scroll back in his pocket, the dual-haired youth hand signed. However, instead of pulling the confetti off, it began to crawl up Ayumu's body, converging together on his back. A purple cape formed on the man's back. Tomo's eyes widened and he blushed. "Oops. Sorry Sir. I, uh, just learned I could use Paper jutsu. I'm still a bit shaky." Tomo went to pull the cape off from Ayumu's shoulders when it again burst into confetti. "Oh for Raiden's sake!" The Genin's face scrunched in frustration. "Stupid paper. Fine, we'll do it a different way." Tomo took in a large breath, his body puffing up as he did so. Wind released from his mouth, and the confetti blew away. Once finished, Tomo placed a hand behind his head and averted his eyes from the Sennin. He muttered under his breath. "Real nice Tomo. Look like a complete idiot in front of your Sennin."

Tomo looked to Ayumu, finally noticing the grime on the man now that the confetti was gone. It's no wonder Kahako would find someone like Ayumu desirable. He's strong, intelligent, still drop-dead gorgeous despite the layer of dirt on his body... Realizing how awkward his last thought was, Tomo blushed and shook his head. Oooohoohoo! I didn't know you swung that way too, Tomo-boy! I suppose I can let you have a shonen-ai relationship on the side, as long as you remain physically devoted to my Haruko. Tomo's face burned even more red. Sh-shut up Haruki!!! Thankful that Ayumu wasn't a mind reader, the Genin addressed the brunette. "S-so what were you doing out here Sennin Kogami? If I may ask that is."

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Tomo confirmed that he was, in fact, the male half of the Mochizuki twins and their troupe. He appeared to be on edge about something when Ayumu brought up the hurry he had been in a moment ago, but relaxed after whatever the apparent threat was had seemingly passed. Family matters, apparently. Ayumu could relate to some extent. His younger brother kind of sort of hated him and made his disdain for his sibling clear every time they met. But maybe Tomo's family feud was more healthy than that. Ayumu watched as the Genin unrolled a scroll and pulled his summoned steed into it from whence it had come. This would have been a highly unusual sight to behold had both of them not been shinobi. All it made Ayumu think was 'I've got to get me one of those.'

It was at this point that Tomo seemed to notice the state he had left Ayumu in- fruitlessly attempting to cleanse his clothes of the confetti plague. Stepping in with his paper jutsu expertise, Tomo performed a few handsigns and the paper began to move... towards Ayumu's back. "Uh, Tomo?" Ayumu questioned as he watched it and then began trying to reach it in vain where it had settled on his back. A moment later it flowed downwards in the form of a dashing cape. "Hmm... a bit too formal for the setting, I think," Ayumu commented, grasping the cape and pulling it around his side so that he could see it. Tomo apologized with the excuse that he was still learning to control this particular type of jutsu. It was understandable, though it didn't bode well for Ayumu in this situation. He remained stationary as Tomo went to remove the cape, which would effectively mean Ayumu was free of the confetti, had it worked. Instead, another explosion of confetti found Ayumu in the exact same situation as before.

"10,001st customer this time?" Ayumu asked, shrugging his shoulders and dropping his head exasperatedly. It seemed the Genin had one last idea. Out of curiosity, Ayumu turned around as the Genin stepped back to perform his jutsu. Just in time to get the full force of the air blast. His hair flew wildly backwards and his glasses threatened to lift off of his face. His clothes flapped around him violently. Most importantly, the various pieces of confetti flew off leaving him at last free of confetti. When the air current ceased, Ayumu opened his eyes and adjusted his glasses. His hair was a complete mess now so he made quick work of pushing it back down to normal. Once that was done, he made a quick inspection of his person to find himself pleasantly confetti free.

"There we go! I knew you could do it," he said facetiously, patting Tomo on the shoulder. It had been an ordeal, but he was okay now and the wind jutsu had almost been like a pleasant breeze to cool him down. Almost. Ayumu was of course, naturally unaware of the conversation going on in Tomo's mind. All he saw was the reddening face which he could only assume was linked to what had just happened. "Oh, you don't have to be embarrassed. It happens. You're experimenting with new things, after all," he said, referring to Tomo's new jutsus. Given the context of Tomo's thoughts that Ayumu was not privy to, the reassurance could be taken a different way, but Ayumu was blissfully oblivious to that. Tomo asked what Ayumu was doing in the forest covered in dirt- a fair question.

"Well, to be honest, I've been lost here for three days. Can you help me?" Ayumu asked with a straight expression and a shockingly genuine tone. "Nah, just kidding... I've been training. Got to keep in top form, you know? Never know when someone might surprise attack you with confetti after all," he said, poking fun at the Genin one last time for the confetti attack. "I've got a... boulder... in a clearing near here. I like to push it around for strength and endurance training. As you can see, it likes to pick up dirt as it rolls and plant it on me," taking a moment to try to brush some dirt off of his forearms. It was possibly even more hopeless than trying to brush the confetti off. "Are you planning to hide out here until the family feud issue blows over?" Ayumu asked.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo appreciated his Ayumu's joking reactions to the Genin's difficulty. It was reassuring to know that the Main Branch had a patient Sennin in charge. However, he couldn't help but feel like he was being treated like a child. It wouldn't have bothered him so much if it were for the fact that Ayumu was the same age as Tomo. However, these feelings were replaced when the brunette mentioned that Tomo didn't have to be embarrassed. His whole body shivered as he stared at his Sennin. He can read minds! Crap! Is he using some kind of weird jutsu he learned while in the ANBU? Why was he using it on me?! Why me?! Wait, is he saying it's fine to like guys? Is it fine? He's fine with me thinking he's fine? Grah! I'm so confused! Tomo put his hands to his head, trying to steady himself. Between the sun beating on him and his burning face, Tomo worried he would pass out from heat stroke.

Pull yourself together Tomo-boy! He wasn't reading your mind. I'd know if he was...probably... Tomo forced himself to take in a breath to calm himself. It only worked slightly, but hopefully it would be enough for him to focus again on his conversation with Ayumu. The Sennin joked about being lost in the woods, and Tomo believed him, if only briefly. However, the brunette quickly confessed that he was training, and Tomo looked to boulder before nodding. The Genin had never been much for strength training. His twin was far more into being physically fit than he. However, he couldn't deny that he had contemplated doing strength training lately. He had lost quite a bit of muscle mass during his six years of suspended existence, so bulking up, at least a little, wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Ayumu asked if Tomo was going to hide here until his issues with his family blew over, and the dual-haired man nodded. "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay in your vicinity for the time being. My brother may not always think things through, but he definitely would think twice before trying to attack me while our Sennin is watching." Tomo clapped his hands together and bowed, hoping the man would agree. "Also, I would be interested in watching you practice Sir. I could use a few pointers on how to properly train my body on a physical level."

[WC: 405]
[MFT]

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

Kubitsuki always had some trouble with the definition of subtle. Was it because he was part of the Troupe? Maybe, but if he did not need to be super precise in that moment, he was a flashy strobe light. Kubitsuki however stalked in the shadows poorly, only hidden from how fast Tomo had ran past, plus with all the sounds from that inking horse. He as following Tomo in hopes to assist him in the issue, hell he refused to get involved because he simply was sleepy at the time. Now that he was fully awoken, he might as well assist him. Kubitsuki leaped from the shadows, his strange amber colored Rinnegan glowing slightly but noticeably. He said, "Yo, Tomo? Who ya talking to-" Kubi's eyes locked onto Ayumu, almost instantly backing up to avoid falling over. He said, "WAIT WHAT?!"

Kubitsuki simply starred at both of them, before bowing in response. He said awkwardly, "V-very sorr-ry about that. May I join in on this conversation? I am one of the Troupe Lord Sennin." Kubitsuki waited at the end of the conversation, ready to offer his help, but would be ready to leave if they did not wish him to be there.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu couldn't help but chuckle at Tomo's request to stay near him for a while. It was like a child pushing their sibling and then running to their parent so the sibling couldn't retaliate. It was a lot like that, in fact. Having a sibling himself, Ayumu couldn't much fault Tomo for it. Siblings did not always get along, that was for sure. Tomo clapped his hands together and bowed to show the sincerity of his request and Ayumu smiled, shrugging.

"All right, I'll watch out for you for a bit. Maybe it'll give him time to calm down, huh?" Ayumu said, conceding to allowing Tomo to stick around. It wasn't like it was much of a sacrifice. Tomo wasn't a bother so long as he wasn't throwing confetti everywhere and regardless he was free to go wherever he wanted in the forest. As an added thought, Tomo asked if he could observe some of Ayumu's training and ask for tips. "I suppose I wouldn't mind... although I'm not sure how much you'll get out of it. What I do is not necessarily... proper training?" Ayumu said, agreeing to allow Ayumu to watch him train. He was about to direct Tomo to his training area when he heard something close by drawing his attention as Kubitsuki leapt out into the open. His attention was mostly on Tomo, whom he addressed first before noticing Ayumu. More specifically, he appeared to notice who Ayumu was. To his great surprise. The poor guy nearly fell over backing up and apologizing as he asked if he was allowed to join the conversation.

"Lord Sennin? Oh, for Raiden's sake... these titles are getting out of hand. Yes, you can join our conversation as long as Tomo here doesn't mind. It's nice to meet you, one of the Troupe... do you have a name?" Ayumu asked, noting that Kubit hadn't actually introduced himself, only stated that he was a part of a Troupe. He accounted that fact to nervousness. He could empathize with the reactions people had when they realized they were talking to the Sennin. Back when he was but a Genin he would probably have reacted much the same way if he unexpectedly found himself face to face with one of the village leaders.

"I was about to go show him one of my training techniques... If you could really call it a technique. Does pushing a boulder around until you're exhausted count as technique?" Ayumu asked, scratching his chin. He looked between the trees to the boulder in question. "Who wants to give it a try?" Past the trees they would see a rather large boulder that had fallen from the nearby mountain some time ago. It was probably about the size of one and a half Ayumus and weighed more than six or seven Ayumus at least.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo nodded a thanks to Ayumu, appreciating the man's understanding. It was a bit embarrassing to admit that Tomo was still afraid of his older brother, but he told himself that people would understand if they knew how ferocious Takama could be while enraged...or inebriated. A sound from the direction Tomo came caused the Genin to tense up. Instinctively he pulled up an ink barrier, but the lack of yelling told Tomo that it wasn't his brother. Letting the black barricade fall, Tomo turned to see Kubitsuki. The manager-in-training made an effort to always know his members, and had chatted with the guy on a few occasions. They got along well, at least the times they had conversed. Tomo was glad to have a shy fellow for once, instead of the usual unruly sort the troupe commonly attracted.

Tomo gave his comrade a smile, though it quickly disappeared as his body flinched at the sudden stuttering of the young man. The dual-haired man couldn't help but smirk at Ayumu, who seemed to be taking his lofty titles with a cup of modest tea. It was refreshing to see that the Main Branch Sennin was humble, especially since he was considered on the younger side for being a Sennin. Having noticed Kubitsuki's difficulty with circumstances like these, Tomo chimed it. "Shisokoku Kubitsuki, a more recent member of the Mochizuki Troupe. Yes Shisokoku, of course you may join us. We are, after all, the same age. Rank should not dictate to whom we speak." Tomo lightly frowned, as he was well aware that his rank was below even Kubitsuki's. The fact he was a low rank didn't bother Tomo, as he chose to be such for the time being. However, it was often used to ridicule him, as most assumed he was either weak or shirking his duties. He couldn't deny that the latter may hold a hint of truth.

Clearing his throat, as Tomo realized he was being a hint too formal for the situation, he pull forth his persona from back in his teenage years. A more peppy personality might keep the mood lighter. Smiling brightly, Tomo chuckled at Ayumu's questioning of boulder pushing training techniques. "Well, what's goofing off to one, very well could be training to another." Looking to the giant stone, Tomo approached it. "Pushing a rock, how hard could it be?" Taking in a large breath to prepare, Tomo exhaled in a grunt as he slammed his shoulder into the boulder. His face twitched as he threw all his weight into it. However, it didn't even move an inch. Tomo shifted and placed his back on the rock, his feet digging into the dirt. They slip forward, and after repositioning them three times, the stone still hadn't moved. Breathing a little heavy, Tomo's mouth scrunched. Oh for goodness sake Tomo-boy, use your chakra. "I was getting to that." Tomo pushed his chakra to his arms and hands and placed them on the boulder. He tried pushing forward, but his results were the same as before. Sighing in resignation, Tomo took a step back. However, his hands did not follow him, and he stumbled forward. He yanked at his hands a few times, and by the tenth time, they finally came off. This caused Tomo to fall onto back, and he stared up at the sky for a moment. "Forget wearing mini-skirts and ecchi, naked bath scenes with crazy women...this is the most embarrassing day of my life." Giving another sigh, he picked himself up from the ground, dusted off, and returned to his conversation partners.

[WC: 599]
[MFT]

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

Kubitsuki walked into the area with the duo, glad to have allies instead of any aggressive statements. He bowed to the Sennin in front of him, his teal hair flowing forward slightly like a tree in the wind, "Shisokoku Kubitsuki as Tomo has mentioned." Kubitsuki raised his form and relaxed his tensed muscles, breathing out a slight sigh of relief. He was not there for much, and thankfully Tomo was already feeling better from the looks of things. Looking at everything, there really was nothing to do except for try his hand at this test of strength. He looked up to Tomo and Ayumu, and said, "Mind if I give it a try?" It was clear he was calmed down, the surprise already over with thankfully. The man walked over to the large rock and watched as Tomo flopped down and said that this was the most embarrassing moment of his life. Kubitsuki offered a hand to Tomo, and said, "Come on, get up." After giving a hand, he walked to the bolder.

Kubitsuki said, "Wind Style, Zepher's Grace..." before forming a few hand seals. Wind ripped from his gauntlets, embedded themselves into the ground and wrapped around the bottom of the giant bolder. Kubitsuki lowered the ground around the giant bolder by two feet, and then he unleashed his gauntlets. He impaled the bottom of the giant bolder, his tiny form only a few feet shorter then the bolder. He said, "A common term for my strength, is that of a BULL!!" With his talons tearing into the rock, he yanked it up into the air with barely any issue. From his med-nin training, he had learned how to bolster his own strength by application of chakra to his limbs, then mixed with his high strength, causes a pretty large result! He said, "I am better at fighting, but all the other ninja are just so dang durable! This rock is as weak as probably a new academy student, maybe less." With the bolder in hand, he began to run with the enormous bolder held high above his head. He gave a razor smile as he ran for a few minutes, before gently placing the bolder down with a heavy thud. Kubitsuki fell backwards into the soft grass, and said, "Nice... Warm up! Got anything bigger?" He laughed at his own stupid joke, before waiting for a response from his friends.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu watched first as Tomo stepped up to the boulder to give it his best. He turned to his side and rammed the boulder with his shoulder. The boulder did not budge. Ayumu scratched his head, pretending not to notice. Next, the Genin attempted to use his back, digging his feet into the ground to try to push with all his might. Tragically, no motion occurred in the boulder despite the slipping and sliding of Tomo's feet on the ground. Ayumu felt a little guilty having Tomo try this, now that it was already underway. Tomo's strengths were most likely in other areas of combat. To ask him to do this was a little pointless. He was asking for pointers on physical training... this particular exercise was not going to help him. With the addition of chakra to his strength, Tomo gave it one last try pushing with everything he had. It was no use, unfortunately, and even further he somehow managed to attach his hands to the boulder. When they finally detached, he fell flat on his back and stared at the sky lamenting over the embarrassment.

"Oh... come on, I think I might have seen it budge that last time," Ayumu said, trying to make Tomo feel better. If he was being fully honest he hadn't seen a thing, but it was the effort that counted. "This isn't really the best thing for physical training when it's not your strong suit. Don't feel bad, I'm sure you could teach me a thing or two about Ninjutsu. Hell, if I had a yen for every time I could have used an ink horse... I'd be rich," he said as Kubitsuki helped Tomo up. "You'll have to tell me more about this whole mini-skirt thing, though... that sounds like a hilarious story," Ayumu said as the Med-nin stepped up to the boulder. Right off the bat, he began going through handseals. Winds strong enough to be visible disturbance in the air began to spin around the boulder tearing at the ground beneath it. Ayumu cocked an eyebrow, wondering where Kubitsuki was going with this. He approached the boulder and began to lift it and jaunt around with it making a show before finally setting it down.

"Hmm, I think you kind of missed the point of this training... the use of chakra sort of defeats the purpose. It's to train your base strength, although I can tell you've got a good handle on that. Of course, with the use of chakra, one who is well versed in using chakra to bolster their strength..." Ayumu began, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword as he spoke, "Can do some insane things." Finished speaking, he turned towards the boulder with one hand on his sheath and the other on the hilt of his blade. In an instant he drew his sword and began a flurry of slashes so fast they were difficult to track. After a second or two of this he deposited his katana back in its holster and stepped back. After a moment the boulder fell into several pieces on the ground.

"Well that was dumb of me, now I'm going to have to find a new boulder," Ayumu realized, staring at the destroyed boulder before him. He shrugged and turned back to the two behind him. "Well, it looks like I'm done training for right now. Actually, Tomo, if you wouldn't mind... I haven't seen many ink users, could you show me some of your techniques? Not that I can replicate any more than you can with me, but I'd be interested to see them," Ayumu said before looking to Kubitsuki who had taken up a comfortable spot in the grass. "Some of your techniques, too. What branch are you in, by the way? I'm pretty sure I haven't seen your file among those from mine," he said, curiously inquiring about the branch the boy hailed from. As former Sennin of ANBU and current Sennin of Main he had a hunch that he wasn't from either branch but he wanted to make sure.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo thanked Kubitsuki as the small man helped Tomo to his feet. Taking a spot beside Ayumu, the Genin gave the brunette an appreciative smile. Hearing the man admit to his own shortcomings in Ninjutsu was comforting, as Tomo was indeed more proficient in that area. Upon the Sennin saying the mini-skirt story would be interesting, Tomo blushed a bit. That's right, Sennin Kogami was in the ANBU during Sennin Takaki's reign...so he probably wasn't aware of certain...uniform regulations. Wanting to save such an explanation for a later date, Tomo turned his attention back to Kubitsuki and the boulder. The dual-haired man frowned at the sight of his troupe member lifting the boulder over his head like some kind of play prop. The guy ran around before dropping it to the ground with a thud. Falling to the ground himself, Kubitsuki played it off as a warm-up, to which the Mochizuki sighed, not at Kubitsuki's humor, but at his own failings. Even a five foot medical shinobi could lift the boulder, though he had cheated a bit with chakra...but even Tomo had attempted with his chakra and failed. However, Tomo reminded himself that if his Sennin could admit to not being good at something, so could he.

Returning the earlier favor, Tomo approached Kubitsuki and gave him a hand up. Though he was frowning slightly, in Tomo's eyes were admiration of his troupe member's aptitude. The Genin took a few steps back as Ayumu placed a hand on his hilt. He staggered in surprise as even his Hawkeye view went a bit blurry at the Sennin's quick motions. Soon the boulder fell to pieces, and Tomo nodded in approval. Yes, everyone had their own strength, it's how people utilize their abilities that determines their usefulness. Tomo may never have the brute strength of Ayumu, or the medical knowledge and talents of Kubitsuki, but as long as he could do something, Tomo didn't have to be good at everything.

Tomo chuckled at Ayumu's realization of his training boulder's unfortunate fate. Hearing that his Sennin wished to see Tomo's ink jutsu, he nodded. "Of course." Pulling his scroll from his pocket, Tomo laid it flat on the ground. Dipping his brush in his ink well, he started explaining while drawing. "Honestly, all I do is infuse the ink with my chakra, and control it that way." After a few strokes, three black butterflies flitted off the scroll and hovered near Tomo's head. "It took a couple of months to make creatures that could move on their own. At first I could only make drawings into a solid, immovable form, my first success being flowers." Tomo drew a black lily and placed it on the ground. "Not only have I mastered movement, I can do more detailed drawings, along with larger creations." Since it would take a little too long to fully draw it out, Tomo rolled his scroll to a section with pre-made creations. Finding the one he wanted, he did hand seals before tapping the page. An ink replica of his twin sister, Mochizuki Tama, popped from the page, giving a two-fingered salute. "Ink does give quite a lot of flexibility, though it can get a bit tiring if there are too many or they are too large." With his impromptu lesson complete, ink Tama jumped back into the scroll, while the ink butterflies and lily returned to their owner's well.

Tomo scratched the back of his head. "Ah, but I've gone on a bit long, haven't I? In any case, I would be happy to give you more details another time, if you wish. With enough practice, anything is possible...almost." Flashbacks of the boulder incident caused Tomo to huff. "Though natural talent does make things easier." Turning his attention to Kubitsuki, the manager-in-training wondered what the short man would do. Perhaps he may show off his dancing? Tomo had yet to see it, though it would have to be pretty good if Takama hired him.

[WC: 665]
[MFT]

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

Kubitsuki snickered and said, "Hey, Chakra is your damned soul! Plus, with my medical ninjutsu I can heal my muscles at such a rate I can use them at a higher rate, then mixed with some lightning chakra dulling my nerves, I can double my strength to around 400 pounds! Then with the actual chakra coating my fists, from my gauntlets, I can lift up a lot. But, I barely have any chakra left." He sighed, and then said, "Don't worry, I just want to rest a little bit my friend." Kubitsuki closed his eyes, sensing the air ripple with the rock being cleaved in two. Kubitsuki bragged a small bit more, "With my Byakugan I simply apply chakra at such a rate the bolder becomes infused with air and just literally becomes lighter! Anyways, you can do much better then me Tomo under the same circumstances. Anything else I can do for you both before I take my leave? I just wanted to really spend a little time with ya both." Kubitsuki watched them peacefully, with a look of bliss.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu took a few steps back, after all he didn't know how dangerous a technique Tomo might display. He found a nice tree with relatively few bugs crawling on it and leaned against it for support. He was a bit tired from training all morning, after all. He watched as Tomo withdrew a scroll from his person and placed it on the ground. It seemed like a summoning scroll, the kind that many shinobi utilized for the sake of storing larger objects in some alternate dimension and pulling them back out when needed. This one, however, was blank like a canvas. The speed at which Tomo flicked the brush across the scroll's surface was almost as impressive as the result. After a moment, the ink lifted from the scroll as if it were alive, butterflies floating through the air. Despite his fatigue, Ayumu removed himself from the support of the tree and approached to get a better look. The ink butterflies truly moved as though they were alive.

"Fascinating..." Ayumu said, watching as they moved around as if they had a mind of their own. He couldn't help but wonder if they did, in some way. Perhaps Tomo himself controlled their movements, in which case he must have had a great imagination to mimic true butterflies as well as they did. He did say that he controlled it with chakra, so from the sounds of it that was exactly how he managed to make them move as they did. Ayumu listened as Tomo recounted the start of his practice with ink jutsu. He replicated what was apparently his first success, placing a black lily on the ground. Still unable to abate his curiosity, Ayumu knelt down near the lily and cautiously touched it with his index finger. He withdrew his finger to find a smudge of ink on it. "I don't know what I expected..." he mumbled before Tomo continued, now speaking on his current level of skill. Of course, Ayumu had seen some of that with the horse from before. This creation probably topped that one, though.

Tomo rolled his scroll to reveal that it was not entirely blank. He scrolled past a few pre-drawn images and settled upon one of a girl. Ayumu stood and stepped back once more as Tomo went through a series of handseals before tapping the page. The ink once more lifted from this page, this time more so leaping than floating. This figure looked familiar, and resembled Tomo, but Ayumu realized that it was in fact her twin, Tama. The figure saluted as Tomo explained the flexibility of ink jutsu. "I suppose your imagination is the limit when you're drawing your creations... that, or hand cramps," Ayumu said with a chuckle as he marveled at the inky Tama before him. 'I suppose it's like controlling a clone,' Ayumu thought as "Tama" jumped back into the scroll and became a drawing once more along with the other creations to the ink well. Even the ink from Ayumu's finger drifted back to its source as he watched it. Tomo concluded his demonstration with an offer to explain more another time. "I have to say I'm a little jealous of Ninjutsu specialists at times... this is one of those times," Ayumu admitted. Of course, his abilities served him well in combat, but sometimes Ninjutsu was just cool.

Kubitsuki seemed tired, having apparently used a lot of chakra. He explained some of his abilities, also revealing that he had the eyes of a Hyuuga, but otherwise seemed content to simply lay and rest, watching. He asked if there was anything he could do for them before departing. "I don't need anything, you're free to leave when you feel rested enough if you want. You're also free to remain if you've nothing else to do. Honestly, I'm a bit famished myself so I think I'm going to have my lunch I brou-" Ayumu began to speak stopping short when he spotted his lunch bag crushed under a piece of the boulder he had cut up a short while ago. "...or not. It seems the boulder has had its revenge. It looks like I'll need to return to town for lunch if either of you would care to join me... might even make it Sennin's treat. Call it a business expense... or something," he said, walking over to collect what remained of his poor packed lunch. Tragically, it was beyond saving which the damage the boulder has caused.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo appreciated the awe he had inspired with his creations, giving a genuine smile. Hearing that Ayumu was envious of Tomo made the Genin feel good. Though, he wondered if the Sennin knew that Tomo had his own jealousies towards the brunette. Letting his mind drift back to the world around him, Mochizuki gave Ayumu a sympathetic smile as it was revealed that the man's lunch had been murdered by the crushed boulder. To the Sennin's offer, Tomo gave a bow. "A Mochizuki never declines an offer for free food. Also, it might be nice to be accompanied into town by the Sennin. Though, if you don't mind me limiting where we dine, I would prefer to avoid The Rusty Kunai for a few days." There were still some damages from the Mochizuki brawl, and Tomo didn't feel like dishing out his own money to pay for his brother's drunken mishaps. Tomo turned to face the still resting Kubitsuki. "We can still spend some more time if you'd like." Whether Kubitsuki agreed or not, Tomo continued. "Perhaps we could ride in style?" As Tomo said this, three ink horses, with saddle and reins, sprang from the scroll still laying on the ground. They were smaller than the one Tomo had entered on, but they would be large enough to comfortable travel upon. "If anything, I can at least give you a lift back to the village." Grabbing his scroll, Tomo swung himself upon the front steed with relative ease. Secretly he had cheated, giving himself a boost with an ink tendril. Once situated, he urged his horse forward. "Hyah!" Thus, the three amigos rode off.

[Topic Left Unless Stopped - Cue Three Amigos Opening]

 

[Mizutsune Mira]

Kubitsuki suddenly gave a loud laugh to the sky, and said, "Each and every ninja can have at least four specialties if my studies are correct. However these specializations permanently change your chakra, and can't be removed, so its a dangerous subject to work with. But, ey Tomo? I kinda need to tell ya the truth." Kubitsuki suddenly rocked on his back, and awkwardly jumped down to stand up. His arms danged like noodles, and he moaned in akward pain. He said, "I didn't accept your hand shake because I kinda broke my arms doing that stupid rock stunt. Thankfully I can recover but... barely any chakra." He walked forward, his legs finally feeling the sore weight of that damned bolder. He screamed to the air, "HEY! Yatagarasu! DO IT!" This was going to hurt in the morning. He jerked back from his approach of the horse. "You know what? I'll see you guys later. I need to practice my new act for the Troupe, plus fix my damned arms." Without a single hand-sign, summoning marks burned into the ground all around him, shining and sparkling pitch black. He spoke aloud, "Summoning: Path to God..." before someone dragged him somewhere safe through the rift.

(Topic left(

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu chuckled at Tomo's acceptance of the treating to a meal. It almost sounded like a motto. Aside from that, he also seemed grateful to continue accompanying Ayumu who apparently was a good repellent for angry older brother. At least this way Tomo wouldn't have to hide in a forest. There seemed to be a story to accompany the Genin's reluctance to visit The Rusty Kunai, but Ayumu figured he would let that one go as it seemed like it might be a sore subject. To Ayumu's delight, Tomo offered to allow them to ride in style. He summoned three ink horses in all their glory, and it seemed today Ayumu would find out just how realistic these horses were. He had ridden many a horse in his days as a shinobi, but an ink horse? Decidedly not. "Oh this should be fun," he commented as he approached the horse. He decided to treat it like a real horse and cautiously approached it, testing it before actually mounting up. He glanced from Tomo to Kubitsuki who hadn't climbed up yet.

The revelation was made that the poor Med-nin's arms were apparently broken from his earlier stunt. That was slightly alarming. A Med-nin could fix it, sure, but broken arms were not a good feeling nonetheless. The Med-nin seemed determined to head off on his own to go fix his arms, although Ayumu was slightly concerned. "Are you sure you don't want us to-" he began, but was interrupted as a rift opened up and Kubutsuki was dragged through it out of nowhere. "...help? Er... oooookay," Ayumu said, blinking as he stared in the direction where the boy had been a moment ago. "Guess not... I'm not gonna even question it," Ayumu said as he turned his attention to the path ahead. "Anyway, how about you choose where we go, then?" he suggested. Following Tomo's lead he spurred the horse forward and rode off towards the village.

[Topic Left]