Wild Things [IO; NK]

After successfully and safely escaping Fire Country and the war Love and the boys reached River Country. Here they'd be able to breathe easy for a short while. "We're here." The Hyuuga annouced to the children as she slowed her pace yet kept moving. It was a very peaceful town, not too many people out and about but the ones that were gave friendly brief smiles to the newcomers. Love passed a couple buildings before stopping outside of the nice decent sized clothing store. "This is it." She said to the fellow refugees following her. With a slide of a door Love entered the shop. "Hello? Michi?" The girl called into the empty establihment. Odd that it was empty since it was filled with some really nice stuff.

The people here must be poor. She thought to herself as the tall, purple haired, attractive, kimono wearing, older male she was looking for came from the back of the store. "Oh Little Lamb you're back!" He said cheerfuly. "And you brought friends!" He added after peering behind her to see the scared children. He had a gleam in his eyes as he looked at them, surely it had to do with his need to dress people, right? "I really hate to ask this of you, especially since we haven't known each other for that long.. But our village was attacked and we have no where else to go." Hear the kunoichi's words the light in Michi's eyes went out and he had a serious look now. "I see, that's unfortunate. I'd be happy to have you all stay here." Love almost cracked a smile when the male continued to speak. "However you'll have to work in exchange for staying here." Love nodded. "That's fair. We are ninja after all so it'll be cake. Well for most of us anyway." Love would normally give the person telling her this a hug but she was weary that this guy had wandering hands.

So she bowed instead and if the boys had any manners they'd do the same. "Thank you so much." Michi waved her off. "No need for such formalities." With that he turned and entered the living side of his building, Love followed behind him and the boys were to follow as well. Michi would tell them where he kept extra linen but for now they would introduce themselves and get asigned chores. It was still light out so they had plenty of time to get it done and some training.

WC: 419

Azaire could feel the cells deep down in his body vibrating with adrenaline. He was still wired and he couldn't just stand there and exchange plesantries however his mother taught him good manners so he bowed respectfully to the man after his Senseei-to-be did so then pulled the now awake bunny from his armor and made the bunny seem as if it was bowing before putting the bunny back into his armor. Before the man could go to far in he rushed to the Red-headed Hyuuga and pulled her sleeve somewhat nervously before bowing deeply and hurriedly spilling out his request before he lost his guts to do so. "Lord-Lady Ai-Sama-Semsei! Will you please become my true sensei and teach me and if possible judge me worthy or unworthy of becoming a genin, please I know I must be being a burden right now but just being around you inspires me to be greater and the will of fire in your eye's makes me feel like I'm in the presence of one of our village's famed Hokage's. I may be a bit rough around the edges but I will do my best to live up to your name so please just say you'll consider an unworthy soldier like me as a pupil and help him...err..me to become a great Shinobi starting with becoming a Genin....." Azaire pants deeply as the air in hhis lungs fail to keep up with the speed of his speech and although every word he spoke would ring out loud and clear and should have been understandable, there were a few times where his words had begun to blur together.

There was a slight tremble in Azaire's frame as for the first time in a long time he couldn't conceal a small portion of his weakness and true emotions and his control slipped ever so slightly. Normally Azaire blended well and his cheerful disposition and people's person attitude kept people from looking to closely or noticing his problems, but with just this small lapse in control it was easier to see the scars across the few parts of his body his armor didn't cover, the lines around his eye's that betrayed how much time he spent frowning, the battered shape of his wooden armor that was proof of the endless training he put himself through, and the sad glint in his eye's that held emotions he knew and embraced as well as emotions he had long ago refused to examine. After a second of concentration the tremor was gone and a slightly less believable than earlier smile slid onto his face as his body took on a false relaxed posture. "Forgive me..."

Kaiyōno heaved an uncomfortable sigh, embarrassed not by anything he himself had done, but by this... mortifyingly awkward plea from the white-haired boy at his side. Recollecting himself inside, an ephemeral afterthought of quasi-sorrow for the boy who presented himself as "Azaire" washed over him - the poor kid seemed to be... already naturally socially awkward in a rather boisterous fashion, and this frightfully godawful situation with the war and all seemed to be bringing out the worst of him. "Lord... Lady... Ai... Sama... "Semsei"...?" The perplexing contraption of a sentence played, almost comically, through Kaiyōno's mind - the kid was so nervous his "n" sounds had morphed into "m's". When meeting new people, he generally lurked from a distance, observing individuals and ideas without getting directly involved so that he could fully understand them - but he decided ease the situation and back Azaire up.

"Well, no matter how awkwardly, I think Azaire is putting up a good point," he started. "Technically, the only requirement to become a genin is to be able to perform the Clone Technique and the Transformation Technique in front of a proctor at or above the rank of chūnin, right?" Kaiyōno considered Azaire, then the forehead protector sprawled across Ai's waist. The latter had never mentioned her rank to Kaiyōno, but judging from her attire and her age, she was probably a chūnin. "I'm assuming you're a chūnin yourself, so couldn't you technically proctor an impromptu genin exam for the two of us?"

Kaiyōno's eyes drifted back to Azaire and caught on to something his blank white eyes hadn't noticed before. This fleeting, momentary drop in his behavior - where his eyes almost wistfully sunk into his skin and a much unhappier and crestfallen image of a boy emerged from Azaire's conscience - though ephemeral, lingered for just enough time for Kaiyōno's eyes to catch it. Hiding one's sadness while smiling was a hard thing to do, and considering these circumstances, he was doing a surprisingly good job by the Hyūga's standards. In fact, this churning feeling in Kaiyōno himself haunted him; this fear for the Hidden Leaf and its defenders, especially his mother and father. But, the way of the Hyūga was strict, and the young boy was brought up as such, trained to not convey any emotions perceived as "weak" on a mission. And Kaiyōno did just that, without flag or fail.

[Claiming 2 stats]
[WC400]

Before she could cross the threshold Love felt a weak pinch on her arm. Had she been wearing a shirt she probably wouldn't have felt anythinng at all. When the Hyuuga turned around it was Azaire, the white haired boy with piercing eyes, that had gotten hold of her. Hearing his words Love had to hold back her laughter as she could tell that he was serious. The way he stammered through his words was too cute. She couldn't tell if this kid was really good at flattery or if he was just saying the first things that came to his mind, either way Love couldn't help but smile at that. Still smiling she placed her hand on the shoulder of the boy who stood at the same height she did just two short years ago. The hand there for comfort and to let him know nonverbally that there was no need for apologies. Looking from the Senju in front of her to the Hyuuga next to him Love nodded at his words.

Her hand would casually retract as she folded it under her other arm. "Yes, you're right." She started. "I suppose I could do that." She added, her words sounding somewhat like an outloud thought, while looking at the three genin behind these boys. "You all follow Michi and we'll be back after I evaluate them." I'll also look for a blacksmith to make them headbands since I only have the one. She thought to herself as the other boys followed her instructions. "I didn't get to fully explore this village the last time I was here so we might have to walk a bit." The kunoichi said as she exited the shop.

WC: 285

Azaire looked over in surprise at the black haired Hyuuga, as the boy agreed with him. He was even more surprised when the red haired Hyuuga Chunin agreed to teach him. He beamed happily at his stroke of luck in an otherwise bad situation. “Thank You Sensei! I won’t let you down I promise!” Azaire hurried after the Chunin as she led the way down the path to getting stronger! Azaire breathed in deeply determined to remember the taste of the air now and compare it to the air he’d breathe once he’d gotten stronger and he couldn’t help but imagine it would be sweeter. Azaire scooped up the fluffy bunny that’d gotten out of his armor and had started sniffing around for food. “C’mon Soldier I’ll pick some vegetables for you on our way to wherever we’re going for this impromptu exam.”  The bunny hopped back into his armor and snuggled close to him again. Satisfied he set out briskly to catch up with his new Sensei. As he followed her he made sure to snag a few carrots and some lettuce for Soldier with a mental promise in his head to pay back the respective owners in the future. Azaire was abuzz with excitement. He couldn’t wait to see what was in store for them next. (WC: 218 Words)

Mid thread claim approved

There he went again, that skittish little boy - excitedly gibbering on about the trifling mundanities of life before returning to conversing with either himself or a confused bunny which Kaiyōno imagined couldn't quite grasp the intricacies of human language. Quite an oddball of a person indeed, but Kaiyōno had more pressing issues to attend to, namely his genin exam. On paper, it was very simple, consisting of a mere two criteria - being able to successfully perform the Clone Technique and the Transformation Technique in front of the exam proctor. Under regular circumstances, meeting these two criteria would result in the momentous acquisition of the Hidden Leaf's iconic forehead protector, but looking at the somber labyrinth of little streets which comprised the village which Ai had led the boys to, Kaiyōno doubted she could find a couple of headbands in these backwaters and promptly present them to Kaiyōno and Azaire upon completion of the exam. He did know, however, that the exam would prove to be interesting - the young Hyūga had only seen Azaire's rather awkward mannerisms and personality thus far, but never the extent of his abilities and powers. Even though he only needed to perform two basic techniques, they certainly could indicate what Kaiyōno was to expect of him.

[WC213]

Love uttered a "Heh~" that would soon enough become infamous at Azaire's promise not to let her down. To the unexpectant boys it would just sound like their sensei laughing at the enthusiasm however that wasn't exactly the case. After a hop, jump, and skip Love and the kids arrived at an open area that was half grass and half dirt. It was obvious that the dirt side was used for ball playing or the training of those who migrated to the Leaf to become shinobi. A few meters off in the grass side there was play equipment for children, so of course they'd be using the dirt side. Folding her arms as she stood in front of the young boys Love would address the situation. "Just having you perform the required jutsu is too easy, so you'll spar with each other first." She took a moment to read their faces. "Of course I'm not going to tell you to fight to the death but you're expected to go all out in order to win." That being said she would take a few steps back to give them some space. The Hyuuga comtemplated throwing one kunai to the top of a tree behind the boys but decided against it as it would give the stronger an unfair advantage. "Don't think that you'll be able to slide by with a few soft hits. If either of you hesitates you will be punished." The glare that befell them was just as fiery as her hair showing that this wasn't any kind of test.

WC: 261

Azaire followed the red-headed Chunin faithfully a big smile on his face as the bunny rested in his wooden armor. Before long they had stopped and Azaire listened carefully to what his Sensei had to say. "Just having you perform the required jutsu is too easy, so you'll spar with each other first." Azaire's changed almost instantly. His eye's were burning,his face set in a grim but determined line and his gaze bore into the black haired Hyuuga's without flinching and without give. Not many people got to see this type of expression on the seemingly carefree guy's face often. It was a testament to how seriously he intended to take this spar. His new expression would outline his scars that people normally overlooked. They criss-crossed everywhere all over him even his face yet somehow he still seemed roguishly handsome or at least that's what the only girl who'd noticed the scars before had told him. There would be wired muscle rippling all over his body from his shoulder's down and this muscle would become abundantly clearer as in response to his Sensei's words Azaire would expertly unlatch the armor so fast it's almost seem like he was using taijutsu and the armor would drop to the ground and as the startled bunny spilled out Azaire would catch Soldier in one arm without removing his fierce gaze from his opponent and possible future teammate. "Of course I'm not going to tell you to fight to the death but you're expected to go all out in order to win." Azaire hadn't even considered the posibility of this being a death match but he was internally relieved hearing these words and he let go of Kai's gaze just long enough to place his bunny down and tell Soldier to wait over by his Sensei and pointed to Love-Sensei. Nodding once the bunny would head over.  

"Don't think that you'll be able to slide by with a few soft hits. If either of you hesitates you will be punished." Azaire turned to his Sensei, something in the tone of her voice pulling his attention, just in time to catch the glare she gave them. Azaire gave her solemn look of assurance before finally turning back to the other Hyuuga with the determination still set firmly in his features and a small tingle of power crackling down his spine and through his arms and legs. "Don't worry Sensei...we'll show you our own Will of Fire!" Azaire wasn't sure how the Hyuuga felt about him answering for him but he didn't think much more on it as he prepared one of his favorite fighting stances. "Dragon Ponders the World." He chose this stance because it maximized his visibility and line of sight as he moved part of his body into a defensive crouch and the other half into an offensive forward lean. He studied his opponent the other Hyuuga. He had not seen the eyes in action yet but he was sure this was a Hyuuga. At Azaire's current level their was no use trying to do something fancy or unexpected as he knew the Hyuuga would likely see everything and if he had already begun learning gentle fist. His chakra points would be in danger, but Azaire had no weapons to keep distance between them, and he might see through shadow clones so that only left Azaire one of two options. Charge or bait. Charging would be simpler but baiting would possibly be more effective. After thinking on it for a while Azaire decided he did not wish to play bait with a Hyuuga, at least not until he knew how the Hyuuga would fight. Without further deliberation Azaire  charged forard in a half crouched run and using his speed momentum on the first few strikes to bolster the strength of the blows Azaire would begin raining up heavy handded blow's that would pack a surprisingly hard punch for a ninja as tiny as he was. His height often fooled other's when it came to the weight of his punches. "First form, Second Skill: Wood Shaver!" Azaire would call out without losing a single breath the name of the current fighting style he used now.

Kaiyōno's short trek with Ai and Azaire ended in an unassuming, innocent playing field, presumably the stomping grounds of the children of the nearby village. The redheaded Hyūga turned around to address the pair, arms crossed. "Just having you perform the required jutsu is too easy, so you'll spar with each other first." Kaiyōno's face soured into something of an aloof frown, maybe indicating more of a stoic annoyance than battle readiness. He should have known the exam wouldn't be that easy. His focus, however, was redirected to his adversary, who had worryingly abandoned his usual untroubled demeanor for something reminiscent of a fight dog foaming at the mouth, its previously unostentatious battle scars now vividly apparent. Now this is interesting, muttered Kaiyōno internally as he watched, almost embarrassedly, as the white-haired boy opposite him dramatically stripped to his bare chest, revealing toned muscles. He menacingly leered at Kaiyōno before setting his little furry companion on the dirt ground.

"Of course I'm not going to tell you to fight to the death but you're expected to go all out in order to win." Kaiyōno let out an irritated tsk - he wasn't liking this situation at all. He knew next to nothing about his opponent's fighting style, capabilities, specialties, or battle prowess in general, save for the fact that he was a member of the Senju Clan, and therefore was presumably gifted with strong chakra and likely possessed either an Earth or Water release affinity... but that was only assuming Azaire used elemental ninjutsu at all. In this case, all he could do was make educated guesses about the white-haired boy through deduction, trial and error, and information gathering - or at least that's what he assumed was the best course of action based on his lessons from the Academy. Kaiyōno took another glance at his opponent's muscles... revealing another piece of information that would prove crucial to the Hyūga - judging from his physique, Azaire likely possessed more brute strength than he did, but the Gentle Fist and the Senju's lesser height might make up for that. Genjutsu-wise, information was essentially impossible to gather. Kaiyōno only had two bits of information about his opponent, and he knew that it was far from enough for his liking... meaning he would have to observe further before making a move.

"Don't think that you'll be able to slide by with a few soft hits. If either of you hesitates you will be punished." The glower the redheaded chūnin gave to her two subordinates was remorseless and fierce, but Kaiyōno still maintained his detached, almost distant expression. His training from the older Hyūgas back in the Hidden Leaf knocked into his head that he couldn't show any emotional weakness in battle; and especially not to his opponent or to his sensei in this case, but he couldn't afford to be brash and cocky either. Azaire however, as Kaiyōno would find, thought differently on the latter part of that sentence.

"Don't worry Sensei... we'll show you our own Will of Fire!", he blurted out, before his face lost all joyfulness and he adopted both a fierce, serious expression and a fighting stance which perplexed Kaiyōno in its resemblance to the opening stance of his clan's own Gentle Fist. Opting to remain upright as opposed to his opponent to maximize agility and readiness, the young Hyūga himself slid a foot forward with a slight rotation of the body, his hands moving out of his turquoise kimono shirt's sleeves and standing ready for action, as Azaire seemed to ponder his opponent for a moment. More information, he silently remarked to himself, as the Senju determinately charged forward in an audacious, unwavering half-crouched run. From this, Kaiyōno could assume that his adversary's first move was to engage him head-on with pure strength, and combining this piece of information with his current stance, things ever so faintly hinted that Azaire was primarily a taijutsu user. Kaiyōno knew it was impossible to firmly determine something like this when the battle had barely even started, but this was something he could build off of and test. It was his own first move now.

I still don't know enough about him to risk engaging him head on... my best course of action right now would be a feint. Kaiyōno's gaze at Azaire intensified as his hands clasped together in the Byakugan's technique-specific seal, essentially a Snake seal except the right index finger was lifted. When the young boy first began training in his clan's ninjutsu, he had to employ the use of thirteen separate seals to activate the dōjutsu - he only needed this single technique-specific one now. That's just the first step. As the normally-invisible veins on the Hyūga's temples began to bulge and his chakra amplified, Kaiyōno hands, only having been momentarily clasped in the Byakugan seal, quickly shifted into a Ram seal, then a Snake, then a Tiger with newfound speed which came with the activation of the Byakūgan. These three seals weren't ones Kaiyōno needed to activate his dōjutsu - he had already activated it. In reality, these were the seals required to use the Clone Technique, but the Hyūga was passing them off as a continuation of the Byakugan seal sequence, knowing that considering the speed at which he had formed them, Azaire likely would not notice. But then again, Kaiyōno had to remain cognizant of the fact that he knew nothing about his opponent, and for all he knew, could already be on to him.

Refraining from announcing the name of his jutsu for evident reasons, a perfectly constructed ethereal projection of Kaiyōno appeared directly in front of him, and his real self, hoping the Senju hadn't noticed the trick, took the opportunity to flee with his amplified speed into the playground structure behind him, crouching behind one of its walls to conceal his presence. His attention returned to the ground however, as Azaire let out another shout from below: "First form, Second Skill: Wood Shaver!" Kaiyōno intently watched on, peeking through the bars of the structure.

[-1 AP from Byakugan, 69 AP remaining
[-5 AP from Clone Technique, 64 AP remaining]
[WC1012]