Please? I'll Be Your Best Friend!

The training area was big, and Hanbei had found himself a quiet part to wait. He wasn't sure whether or not Akihana would meet him, as she must be a busy woman, but he had hoped she would teach him some basics, and hopefully accept to teach him some genjutsu. He was dead set on learning genjutsu, even if he had to eat 1,000 bowls of ramen to prove it, which, to him, seems to be valid, even though it certainly is not. "This feels weird; calling on someone to teach me." he thought to himself as he sat at the base of a tree, birds chirping in the trees above.

Having left Arata with Yaju for the evening, Akihana found herself running late as she made her way to the training ground where she had promised to meet Hanbei. The blonde had never seen herself as a sensei and probably never would, but something about the boy had piqued her curiosity. perhaps it was the soft manner in which he spoke or the quiet conviction he had in his lack of physical ability, but he reminded her so much of a child that needed to be protected and nurtured that she couldn't help but agree to give him a hand in training.

The medic arrived at the training grounds still dressed in her work clothes, her starched pink blouse only slightly untucked from her black pencil skirt, her usual small black heels completing the look. The only sign of her being off duty as the secretary of the Raikage were her long golden tresses. While the young woman usually kept them pinned up in a neat chignon during working hours, having picked up her son from the academy, dropped him back at the Raikage office and then hurrying back to the training ground had somehow made them loosen and wisps of golden locks escape the knot at the base of her neck.

"Hello Hanbei-kun," she greeted the young boy as she approached him, a kind smile gracing her features. "My apologies for running a little late. It was finger painting day at my son's class, so of course he had to show me every work of art he and his friends made."

Hanbei's eyes came to meet Akihana's, his expression, including the look in his eyes, not changing from it's doctile nature. "Exhausted. Weary. Haven't had a good nights rest in days, even longer. Appears for training in her work clothes. Haven't had time to go home to change. Whoosh, whoosh. Here, there, everywhere at once. Her lithe figure is owed to her constant physical activity. Juggling responsibility, many look to her, many love her. Tiny hands, grabbing to be picked up. Innocence is her weakness, and that's okay. Motherly figure, adoration and caring. Stressed, but nothing is ever too much. She is fine with this life. She is fine being exhausted. She would have it no other way. Maybe a nap or two?" Hanbei shook his head and scratched the back of said cranium. "Sorry. You seem like a wonderful person. I had to read you. I hope I was right..." he stood up and bowed, "Thank you for meeting me; If you wish, you may go home to change. We were all children once, I STILL love to fingerpaint. I use natural plants and mud, and paint on walls and pavement. You are a good mother. You put time in for your family, and that's okay. That's wonderful." his eyes shut as his head slightly tilted, as if smiling. "I'm glad you are here to train me though, I wish to know all I can about the basics of jutsu, and hopefully soon, genjutsu."

Akihana stood stunned for a moment as Hanbei went on of a little monologue about her, assessing her physical and psychological state, guessing at her schedule, her weaknesses, her strengths, her attitude, and had she not been trained to detect extraordinary intelligence, she might have even gasped out in surprise. As it was, the golden eyed kunoichi only surveyed him as he made his own conclusions, not saying anything until he was finished. As he apologized, she shook her head, the kind smile on her face making an appearance once more.

"Very good, Hanbei-kun. Assessing people around you accurately is a valuable skill among shinobi. However, it should be best done in your head, lest your opponent take advantages of your clever deductions." It wasn't a rebuke, nor was it a joke. It was simply a good bit of advice Akihana wished someone had given her when she ws his age.

"I don't think I need to change into full gear just yet," the blonde said, reaching to pull out the pink holding the last of her spun gold locks in place. Letting them flow freely but for a few seconds, she tucked the pins into her pocket before extracting a simple hairtie and piling all her hair into a high ponytail above her head. "There, this is all the preparation i need for now. So lets begin shall we, I assume you still remember the clone technique and transformation technique. Would you please demonstrate it again?"

Hanbei took another bow in respect. He responded to her advice, "Were you not a good person, I would not have spoken aloud." he gave what seemed like a soft chuckle, followed by a gentle cough. The frail boy nodded and stretched to the sky, "Alright... My clone jutsu." He took a few moments, taking in the silence. Only seconds later, he formed his handsigns and with a 'poof' of clouds, formed another form of himself. It seemed perfect, but the clone lacked his current happy emotion. "Sorry if he seems... Not happy." He put his hands on his hips and nodded to his clone, in which it suddenly gave a happy gesture, "That's better! How was that?" He didn't wait for a response, as he and his clone went into another mind state, thinking deeply on what to transform into next. It took them a few moments after deciding. They both looked at one another and nodded. They bring their hands together and in a matter of seconds, they change forms. The real Hanbei transformed into a tall, black haired lady with a kind smile, dark eyes and slightly pale skin. Her lips were slightly red from what looked like artificial colouring, and her form was lithe and gentle. She wore a regular kimono, followed by a pair of geta.

The other 'Hanbei' had transformed as well. However, he had transformed into a tall, slender male. He slightly looked like Hanbei, but more masculine and confident looking. He bore the uniform of a messenger nin, and had a kind smile on his face. He reluctantly reached over to the lady and gently grabbed her hand. As if ending their performance, they bowed to Akihana with a kind, warm smile, and as if on cue, exploded in a puff of clouds. The clone had disappeared, and Hanbei stood by himself, strangely more quiet and doctile than before. He seemed to be awaiting his evaluation, and hopefully some advice on how to better his abilities.

"Very well done," the kunoichi praised, a smile lighting her golden eyes as she watched the man and woman disappear and there stood the boy who had been directing the miniature performance. his style was certainly different, she noted. perhaps he really was meant for genjutsu after all. most kids in his position preferred transforming into powerful weapons or shinobi they idealizes. Hanbei was different though.

"I think its safe to assume you've got the hang of those two. Now lets move on to something a little more complex, shall we?" she suggested, moving to stand directly in front of him, about three feet distance between the two ninja.

"This may not seem very relevant to battle but its a useful little technique that has personally saved me a lot of strife," she began, pulling out a simple sealing scroll from one of her pockets. Laying it out in the space between the two, the kunoichi looked around for something bulky, her golden eyes landing on a rock. Picking up the rock, she placed it on the scroll and then touched the thin paper with the slightest bit of chakra glinting on her fingernail. In a puff of smoke, the scroll sealed itself and she picked it up.

"Believe it or not, the rock is still inside, sealed safely away and the scroll goes back in my pocket," she demonstrated. "Its how we carry myriads of weapons on a mission without them ever slowing us down."

Replacing the scroll back on the ground and opening it the blonde repeated the same process, directing the slightest bit of chakra to the paper and then the rock appeared once more. Rolling it aside, Akihana gestured for Hanbei to try his own hand at the generic sealing technique.

Hanbei's eyes lit up with intrigue. He had never seen such an ability, and it definitely caught his interest, "A-amazing...!" He poked the scroll a few times, "Where does it go? Do a different dimension? Realm? A locked holding safe? How can something with mass go into a piece of paper? Does the material mix in with the tree that it's made from? Does it become apart of it? It seems impossible really.." he keeps rambling with interest, but before he knew it, he had strolled over to the nearest inanimate object: a feather. He brings it over to the scroll and drops it over it. The feather misses the scroll, in which he frustratingly places it correctly. He takes a deep breath and stares at the scroll. He reaches out and pokes it; nothing. He pokes at it again; nothing. "Wha... How do I...? Is there like, a button of some sort?" He furrows his brows with frustration.

The young mother lets out a slight laugh as Hanbei attempts the sealing technique, asking if there's a button. Moving her hand to his, the blonde takes it gently before giving the boy a reassuring pat. His actions reminded her so much of how Arata would have attempted to solve the puzzle

"Chakra Hanbei-kun, it is not only present in humans but is all around us in nature too. You just need to be able to get in tune with it. The scroll is infused with a jutsu and therefore, only the slightest amount of chakra is needed from you. As long as it touches the scroll and the item you're intending to seal, the scroll will do its job given there is no resistance from the object you're attempting to seal."

Pausing a moment, the medic gave him time to digest her words. "I usually find these really handy when doing grocery shopping. Instead of walking back home laden down with half a dozen bags, two scrolls in my packet manage to get everything safely home." She explained.

"Now give it another try, and focus on using your chakra as the medium that connects the item to the scroll."

Hanbei tilted his head and nodded, "I didn't realize that it required chakra.." he bit his bottom lip and narrowed his gaze back to the scroll. "I shall conquer you, scroll!" Hanbei quickly tapped the surface and in a flash, the feather was gone. Nowhere to be seen. Hanbei gasped and clasped his hands together, "Where did it go!? I wanna see I wanna see!" he picked it up and looked all over the surface, "You say it's inside of it, but where inside?" he was so amazed, he didn't realize that he allowed himself to become so hyperactive and curious, "What if it tears? Does the item go away for good? It has to be somewhere; things don't just turn into energy and stored inside of paper; it would be impossible for it to replicate it back again. You can't rip up a leaf, toss it in the air, and expect it to put itself back together on the ground like a puzzle.." he sat, face nearly touching the scroll. "Can... Can it work with living things? Like, what if I want to carry a puppy around with me to snuggle whenever I want?" his eyes beamed with interest.

Akihana watched the boy's curiosity overreach with a kind of warm glow inside her. She may not have been much of s teacher but if there was one thing Akihana had, it was a nurturing personality. And making the training fun and exciting for Hanbei was simply a matter of bringing out her natural talents as a mother.

"Go ahead, try and rip the scroll," she encouraged, knowing that nothing short of a jutsu would accomplish the destruction of the sealing scroll. But it was good to let him learn. "You're having trouble understanding the nature of chakra, Hanbei-kun," she added. "You see things in terms of objects requiring space. Chakra is a universal encompasser. The feather has not disappeared, neither has it been broken down. It has simply been reduced to its chakra form and melded with the justsu imbued in the scroll. Another little touch of chakra from you and the feather will be out again."

When he asked about living things, the kunoichi shook her head.

"Remember how I said it would work if the thing you are attempting to seal does not resist? A human, or any living thing for that matter, will definitely try to resist. And forcing a living, conscious being into a scroll would be the height of unkindness."