Rising Star [Genin Exam]

Kirin blinked, watching and waiting as she listened to Akihana speak. She reached out for the folder when offered and opened it to see a cover page for the reform project the other kunoichi was speaking of. Her eyes skimmed the founders, the board of advisers that signed off on the project, noting Akihana's name. She flipped through the first notes on past candidates that successfully went through the program and the step taken to get them there, as well as any complications along the way.

Everything she was saying checked out in the folder, at least for the facts shared in simple text. Kirinai perused the document carefully, considering the options being given to her, fresh from the academy. Heck yeah she'd take real shinobi work over basic missions! But caution was part of her being, considering her upbringing. Details mattered to her. And blindly accepting such an offer without thinking it through could very well end in disaster. Then again, she didn't want to take too long. She wasn't the only student, and there were bound to be more people who qualified for such a job. She didn't want to wait and lose her chance.. Decisions..

At last, when Akihana had finalized her offer, Kirin looked up from her reading, deep thinking etched into her face, "Obviously.. it's not as simple as reforming the prisoners, or more people would be jumping on this chance." she began, trying to illustrate her chaotic thought process at the moment, "Some of the prisoners are too wild or too far gone for reformation, or meet the requirements barely and like killing or whatever else they did to land themselves in prison more than freedom. I assume that injury and death are probable, just as in any higher ranked mission from the village? And your previous statements about having to choose one bad outcome over another, the lesser of two evils, will be one of the lessons I need to learn in a job like this"

Closing the file, she set her focus fully upon Akihana with a slight smile, "No offense, ma'am, I'm thrilled and honored to be considered for such a position, but permit me a few questions, please." she inclined her head slightly, then began unless interrupted, "I'm under no illusion that there will be a period of training involved, so do I need anything in prerequisite to that? I assume his is a full job as well, even if the goal is not personal profit but adding back to our village. And lastly.." she paused, the questions coming too fast for her to stop at first, so she made the last one count, "Intern obviously implies eventually promoting me into a full position in administration. Does this mean he possibility for advancement into other areas as well?"

the last question was by far the most personal to her. She'd not considered working in a prison before, but now that the topic had been brought up she was imagining herself in all sorts of scenarios. The merciful warden, the helpful reform admin, possibly even hunting down escapees or executing those deemed too dangerous to release. She didn't want to seem eager, but the possibility to learn was brightening her mood more than any passed examination could ever do.

"Injury and death are possible in almost any mission, high or low," Akihana gently reminded the girl, not wanting to nurture doubt in Kirinai's heart but also not wanting to paint a rosy picture that would shatter the moment this young kunoichi stepped into the prison system. Despite the medic's many efforts, the situation was still grim. All the change that Kumo had recently gone through seemed to get erased the moment she stepped inside the facilities because while the world outside had indeed gotten better, inside the kumogakure prisons, almost nothing had changed.

"No civilians are capable of working thee as many of the incarcerated are ninja. And yes, the risk is greater. The opportunity for reward is significantly lesser and fame close to nonexistent. But it does provide a steady income, a place to go every day and a chance to work at something you truly believe in." She paused, contemplating the girl in front of her seriously. "If you believe in it, of course."

There was no judgement or reprimand in her tone, simply an offer. Akihana wouldn't think less of this girl if she decided to go down a more normal path, do the usual missions, earn her promotion like so many others did. it might even be better for Kirinai in the long run. But something in the teen spoke of a deeper purpose, and it was to this purpose that Akihana now appealed.

"You will be trained certainly," she confirmed when Kirian asked her questions. "I might even be the one to do it as I have a vision for the prison reform project. It's something I'm very passionate about and I would love nothing more than to share it with those willing to make time for the ones no one else will." Gesturing to the file once more, she added. "As for any material possessions you'll need, most will be provided to you on the job - which will be a full time one - but I suggest you acquire a weapon as your first purchase. Something small and discreet, easily concealed. We can hope you might never have to use it but we can never be certain." Akihana kept her own hairpins for such a situation but she wouldn't share that bit of information with Kirinai yet. The girl grew up around weapons, she probably had her own style with them.

"You may carry out regular missions on weekends if you have the time or feel the need to make extra money but it will be taxing," she warned, feeling the conversation coming to a close. Kirinai would have to make a decision, now it only remained to be seen what she would decide.

All the information being passed down was being absorbed into the still young shinobi mind like a sponge, and Kirin sincerely hoped that the retained that quick memorization feature of her thinking process. Store it all, organize it into useful information later, and relay it when needed, all without too much effort. It was like her brain was built for a current of information. Nevertheless, she nodded again in the face of Akihana explaining all of this again. The danger and all was expected, so she decided to move past that and onto the rest of what was being said.

After her questions were answered and the idea of working regular missions on top of this full time job was placed in her head, she had already decided, but more information never hurt. Maybe she could get into the intel division one day too, or the main wardens.. so many possibilities, and all depending on how well she performed, with her own skills and her own accomplishments. She didn't need fame or praise, just a chance to improve on her own style of doing things, and this was the best bet for her. Everyone else did things the normal way. She wanted to be different.

"I accept, of course. apologies again, I just like to have details. I'm sure you can understand." Kirin explained, bowing slightly to accentuate her apology, then smiling, "This is exciting, actually. I don't need to be famous to make a difference, and that's fine by me. just being a Genin was farther than even I thought I'd be a week ago. I thank you for that."

Kirinai straightened up fully and let her hands play along the edges of her shuriken. A small weapon huh? small for ease of carry, or perhaps to aid in being discreet so inmates didn't have a chance to steal them. Or perhaps not as small if it could be more discreet. Perhaps senbon.. or tanto.. or something more unique... These thoughts gave her ideas and made her glad she was the daughter of weapon crafters for once. She wouldn't have to purchase a thing, giving her a small allowance she could take into her first job. With that in mind, she gazed at Akihana full of determination, "When do I start?"

"No need to apologize," the blonde replied kindly as Kirinai agreed to the terms. "A smart shinobi always tries to gauge what they're landing themselves into, and I have no doubt you are smart." The compliment was a genuine one, something she hoped the young girl would keep close to her heart on days when she felt she wasn't making a difference despite trying her best. Those days would come, Akihana knew that, and all she could do was prepare the young genin for those days.

"I'll speak to the rest of the board this weekend and if we're all in unanimous agreement, you'll receive a letter straight away. In it, you'll find details of when to start, what to bring and where to report to. In the meantime, I suggest you enjoy the next few days out in the open, because once you get accepted, you'll be seeing the outside world only a little bit more than the inmate do. So make these last few days count."

With that, Akihana said her farewells, wishing Kirinai good luck and promising to be in touch soon. Once the kunoichi had left, Akihana found herself taking a seat to contemplate what she had started, hoping that she had recruited a ninja rather than started towards dampening their enthusiasm for the job. Only time would tell how Kirinai dealt with the hard tasks ahead of her.

(Exit Akihana)

Claims coming in a bit

"Yes ma'am, I'll do my best, and thanks again!" Kirin replied, giving Akihana a bow before she left. She hadn't quite got the casual thing down yet. She stepped out of the classroom and made her way to the exit, idly toying with her headband as she mulled over everything. Would her parents be proud? Passing her exam and getting a job at the same time had to be worth praise, not that she needed it. But there was always that nagging, childish hope that one would do good with her life.

She crossed the road, passed through the merchants quarters and veered out towards home, closer to the outskirts. She had nothing else planned, since she had been planning on this exam for weeks in advance. She stopped by to visit her favorite restaurant and get food to go, expecting her mother to be on a trip out of the village to equip some of the outer guard and her father to be too busy in the workshop to cook.

(Kirinai Exit)

Thank you!

TWC: 3, 030

700 Towards Majestic Fire Destruction (only first post)
2, 000 towards memorizing Kirinai's chakra signature
330 to charity

Approved, Akihana

[Rewards]

+700 words towards Majestic Fire Destruction
Kirinai's Chakra Memorized

Approved Kirin

[Rewards]

+15 Stat Points
+ One Free Specialty
Genin Rank
Free Jutsu

Thank you!