Yes I want to build a Chuunin (IO, NK)

Mission: Do you want to build a Chuunin:Part 1

The Chuunin exams were right around the corner. They could literally start any day now. Kotetsu had no idea what would be involved, since no one had brought anything to his attention about how the Chuunin exams would be done. It's the first time he was going though the Chuunin exams, and he wanted to make sure that he was as prepared as possible. You can never be too prepared, especially when it comes to an important step forward in a Shinobi's career like the Chuunin exams. Today was going to be another important day. 'I can't believe how close it's getting...' He thought to himself. And it will only keep getting closer, so all the time he had now needed to be spent wisely. Kotetsu wasn't going to be able to learn anything new, since he already had everything he needed, but it would be a good excuse to master what he did know though. Since speed was almost always a deciding factor in most combat situations, not needing to use hand signs would definitely allow him to use jutsu faster than someone who didn’t have the same level of mastery over similar jutsu.

Kotetsu had a lot of work ahead of him, so he started that day earlier than he normally did. He got up just as the sun was rising. It had rained the night before, so there was a fairly heavy fog that had rolled in. It was nice, the extra moisture in the air not only would be pleasant to walk through, but it would also allow Kotetsu to practice his ice style jutsu more effectively since he would need to draw less on other sources of water. Well, until the fog dissipated of course. With that thought in mind, Kotetsu got out of bed to begin his daily routine. Since it was earlier than normal, he did his best to do everything quietly so as not to disturb the rest of his family. He ate a light breakfast, reasoning that he could treat himself to a nice meal after he had finished training. He put his gear on and quietly made his way outside.

No one was awake when Kotetsu made his way outside. That was probably for the best. He didn't want to cause any altercations, since shinobi were the cause of much heated debate. Especially when it came to the religious factions in the village. Kotetsu never really understood why they were so against having shinobi in the village, and failed  to see the benefits to them being in the village as opposed to having a village separate from Hoshigakure. 'They would be worse off...' Kotetsu thought to himself as he walked. 'They would need to find more  people to fill the Queensmen to cover the duties that shinobi currently fill... And they would likely need more because of how effective we can be...' It was a subject that Kotetsu was concerned about, since there was little he could do to try to resolve the tensions between the two factions. For starters, as a Genin, he didn't really have a lot of sway in the dealings of Hoshi's shinobi. That can be changed by getting promoted, since he hoped to at least reach Jounin at some point. That involved hard work which was no issue for Kotetsu.  That hard work would make a name for himself, which could potentially gain him the voice he needed among the shinobi population.

The biggest hurdle for him though, would be the fact that he is 7 years old. While he may be more mature for his age, he was still only a child in the eyes of so many. And the hardest part to accept is that you can't rush how old you are. No matter how hard you try, you will always only get a day older every day. 'Maybe that's something I can do when I become a Chuunin...' Kotetsu thought to himself. 'Since I want to unlock the mysteries of Space-Time jutsu, maybe I can find a way to make myself older...' There was definite potential in that line of thought. It would potentially make his age issue no longer an issue. All that was needed was a way to make it happen. 'I wonder if Hikari-Sensei has any ideas on how that would work...' He thought to himself. Definitely something he could ask Hikari about, since she had some basic knowledge in Space-Time jutsu. She would at least potentially know where to start looking to figure out how to age yourself using Space-Time jutsu.

Since nothing was open this early in morning, Kotetsu had nothing to side-track him. He made his way directly to the training grounds, which was as deserted as he expected it to be. 'No reason to put off training... Let's get this started...' He thought to himself as he took his bag off and got to work. There was one jutsu that Kotetsu wanted to work on today, similar to the Hidden Mist jutsu. It was called the Dust Cloud jutsu, which created a large cloud of dust. The dust would not only cloud vision, but it impairs those inside it. It also acts as a catalyst for any form of fire style jutsu, which Kotetsu hoped to learn after he reaches Chuunin. It requires only a handful of hand signs. Horse, Monkey, Bird. Kotetsu makes the hand signs as he builds up his chakra and a large stream of wind flows from behind Kotetsu, stirring up a large cloud of dust in front of him. 'Good, looks like this jutsu will work exactly as I thought it would...' Kotetsu thought to himself as he examined his handiwork. It looked almost exactly how he expected it to work, and he would imagine it would work exactly how he expected it to. Kotetsu wasn't planning on testing it himself, since the obscuring quality was the primary purpose  he wanted the dust cloud to serve. Kotetsu spent the next few hours perfecting the technique, since he wanted to make sure that there were no mistakes should he need to use it in the Chuunin exams.

After examining his progress, Kotetsu decided that it would be good to take a break. 'I could use a breather...' He thought to himself. 'Perhaps it would be a good idea to walk around the Water Gardens...' He hadn't really spend any time in the gardens themselves, merely walking through to get to the training grounds. It would be a short break, since he did need to focus on his training. He had barely left the training grounds for his brief break when he noticed a something happening off to one side of the Water Gardens. 'I wonder what's going on...' Kotetsu thought to himself. 'I should go see if everything is okay...' As Kotetsu approached, it would appear that it was an altercation between two groups of people.

He had removed his headband and other ninja tools and stick them in his bag as he walked over. This way he would not necessarily be immediately identified as a shinobi. At least not by anyone who couldn't sense chakra signatures. It might hopefully allow him to avoid any potential hostile reactions on the part of the other party of the altercation. Normally disputes arose between the shinobi and the various religious factions, and it would appear that was exactly what was happening now. 'It's a good thing I took off my headband then...' Kotetsu thought to himself as he kept moving forward.

The first group appeared to be shinobi, other members of Hoshigakure's shinobi community. Kotetsu didn't recognize any of them, but they all wore the forehead protectors with the Hoshi star. There was a total of ten hoshi-nin; 6 male, 4 female. There were three standing more in front than the others, and the three of them wore flak jackets, marking them as Chuunin or higher. They were all dressed rather differently from each other and it did not appear that any one of them carried the same weapons or equipment. 'It would make sense, it's rare for two shinobi to have exactly the same fighting styles...' Kotetsu thought to himself as he continued to approach.

The second group was indeed a religious following, and a pretty sizeable one at that. There was a group of at least twenty five to thirty villagers, led by what appeared to be 5 members of the clergy. 'Most likely their flock...' Kotetsu thought to himself as he stopped a short distance away to observe for a few minutes. The religious leaders were matching, to a degree. They were all wearing black cassocks with white and gold trim. They wore gold jewelry and had religious symbols on chains around their necks. One of their number, presumably the leader, wore a miter on his head, and held some form of staff. 'Most likely some form of religious icon...' Kotetsu mused as he continued to watch. The mob of followers was primarily regular citizens of Hoshi, with what appeared to be some guards as well. It looked like almost every single person was visibly armed though, which was not something normal for a religious gathering. 'Do they really think so little of us?..'  Kotetsu thought sadly. The young Genin had come across similar animosity not  that long ago. It did not look like any of the villagers that had harassed Kotetsu and Tsume were among this current crowd of religious zealots. 'That's a relief...' Kotetsu thought with a sigh. 'None of them will know I'm a shinobi...That could make trying to diffuse this conflict easier...'

The two groups were arguing about something. Most likely the same argument that arose between the shinobi and the religious factions in Hoshigakure. The different religious groups for some reason were of the opinion that Hoshigakure would be a better place without the shinobi living there. That they draw attention to the village and if they were not around, the village would be safer and less likely to be attacked by bandits. Kotetsu had heard this argument several times before, and he could never quite put together how that statement made logical sense. Of course having a large number of shinobi was going to have risks, but the inherent benefits far outweighed those risks. Shinobi in general are stronger than someone who does not have the same kind of skill. As such, the villages shinobi are able to perform missions that would not be able to be completed normally. In addition to that, the shinobi formed the core of Hoshigakure’s military defenses. Doing so required less manpower than if they were to use human contemporaries. That also meant that casualties sustained could be handled by diverting manpower from other less essential areas. Additionally, shinobi were usually quick to recover so those reductions in manpower were not normally for an extended period of time, which meant that thanks to the shinobi residing in Hoshigakure, their military readiness was almost always one hundred percent. 

It appeared that this was the basis of this faction’s argument, just like almost every other. However they seemed intent on trying to force the shinobi out by force. ‘That’s a not going to do anything except break open a hornet’s nest…’ Kotetsu thought to himself as he watched . It still hasn’t appeared that either group had noticed him standing nearby. Most adults don’t seem to pay attention to children, which worked out in Kotetsu’s favour. “…You’re missing the point…” One of the lead shinobi said to the religious group. “You should be thanking us. You would all likely be dead if it wasn’t for us shinobi.” It would seem that this particular group of shinobi were not the most diplomatic of individuals. It was almost like they were trying to goad the villagers into attacking first. ‘It’s almost like these shinobi are trying to start a fight…’ Kotetsu thought to himself, unable to believe that there were those among the village shinobi that would be willing to make the current situation worse than it already was. ‘That’s all we need right now…infighting that’s being spurred on by both sides will not help us in any way. If anything, it’s going to make it that much harder for us to defend ourselves…’ It was time that Kotetsu try and put a stop to this before it got even more out of hand. It looked like the two groups were coming close to blows as it is.

It would seem that the two groups finally noticed Kotetsu and stopped their arguing to look at him. One of the flak jacket-wearing shinobi whispered something to one of the others. They then nodded almost imperceptibly to Kotetsu, almost as if they realised he was a shinobi, and were looking to see what he was planning to do in this situation. The rest of the shinobi looked at him with varying levels of interest. The religious leaders looked on him with expressions of disdain and dismissal. It would seem that the clergy didn’t have high regard for children. At least not this particular religious faction. “What are you doing here, child?” The leader of religious group said to Kotetsu. “Run along now, adults are talking here.” He had a very condescending tone of voice, one Kotetsu didn’t care for. ‘I will not stoop to his level though…’ He thought to himself as he grimaced inwardly. ‘I do not want to make things worse than they are at this current situation…’ Before Kotetsu could respond, another voice spoke out. “Now that’s no way to speak to the children of the village. Perhaps it would be educational for the boy to hear our discussion.” It was one of the flak jacket-wearing shinobi, the one who nodded to Kotetsu when he first walked over. Kotetsu looked between the two groups and smiled, feigning ignorance at what actually was going on. “I heard you all fighting and wanted to know why.” He said to the groups as a whole. “It’s none of your concern, now be gone before I make you.” The cleric snarled in response. Kotetsu was taken aback by the response. Even some of his followers were surprised that he would speak to a child the way he was. 

“That’s no way to speak to a child Bashihame…” the lead shinobi said, chiding the cleric. “Honestly…you’re a grown man, act like one. Besides, we are all of the same village, you should try to remember that even if you wish we shinobi were not.” The shinobi bowed slightly to Kotetsu. “I apologise for Bashihame’s behaviour young one. I am Kuroi. We were just discussing a common argument among the various religious factions.” “Oh? What argument is that?” Kotetsu asks in reply, pretending to be curious about the subject even through he knew full well what it was. “The religious factions of Hoshigakure…” Kuroi started to say before the cleric, Bashihame, cut in. “Not just the clergy! Everyone wants you shinobi gone.” “…As I was saying…” Kuroi said with an irritated glance at Bashihame “The various religious factions of Hoshigakure feel that the shinobi of this village are a bigger threat to them than outside forces would be if we were to not be here.” “Why would they think that Kuroi?” Kotetsu asked him. “I thought that the village is safer, because wouldn’t having shinobi protecting the village convince bandits and other bad guys from attacking?” “It’s not just bandits.” Bashihame stated angrily. “It’s other freaks like them as well. What happens if another village decides to attack us. The only reason they will is because we have ninja here.”

Kotetsu was dumbfounded. ‘Do these priests really have no idea how shinobi operate?..’ he thought to himself. “So you’re saying that if there were no shinobi in Hoshigakure, then you wouldn’t be attacked?” He asked the cleric. “Of course not you stupid boy..” Was Bashihame’s retort. “I wouldn’t expect a mere child to understand.” Kotetsu clenched his fist in frustration. He was not one to normally take insults, but treating disrespect with violence was not the way to resolve this issue. The clergy had no power if they had no followers. ‘Maybe I can convince his flock that we’re not so bad…’ He thought to himself as Bashihame prattled about how bandits and wild animals could still attack the village. “It seems to me…” Kotetsu said, more so to the congregation than to its spiritual leaders, “…that even with the chance that shinobi could attack the village, having shinobi of our own would be a benefit as opposed to a liability. I mean, If we all worked together, wouldn’t that make us strong enough to defend the village from almost anything?” 
Some of the villagers seemed to be nodding their heads in agreement, some still looked a little dubious. Bashihame was furious. “You don’t know what you’re talking about you ignorant whelp.” He snarled at Kotetsu. “We will always oppose those abominations. And if I had my way…they would be driven from here and never allowed to return.” Kotetsu shook his head sadly. “What you’re trying to do is wrong. You’re no better than the bandits outside our village. Everyone has the right to live here. To live in peace. You would start a war inside the village, on the grounds that if the shinobi weren’t here anymore, Hoshigakure would be better off. I think you’re wrong. You’re a bad person for trying to make shinobi out to be worse than they are. We should all be working together to make Hoshigakure a place for everyone to live equally.” Looking among the two different groups, he could see all of the shinobi and a good number of the normal villagers nodding in agreement with at least some of what he was saying. ‘Perhaps there’s hope after all…’ Kotetsu thought to himself.

The priest’s eyes were almost popping out of his head in rage. “How dare you!?” He screamed at Kotetsu. “You insolent brat! Questioning my intent. I’ll teach you for that!” He took a step towards Kotetsu, his staff raised, when Kuroi vanished, and re-appeared behind Kotetsu, placing a hand on his shoulder. “That’s enough, Bashihame.” The older shinobi said to the cleric. “You should be ashamed of yourself for your conduct today. Just because you don’t like what he has to say, does not mean you have the right to attack him. You are not a leader, you are a tyrant, and I will not allow you to cause any harm to this boy…” Bashihame’s eyes narrowed and he smiled thinly “Do you really think you and your group of freaks will protect you from my flock?” He said menacingly. Unaware that the regular villagers of his congregation started looking among themselves and slowly walking away. Kuroi chuckled. “I don’t think your flock is in a fighting mood, Bashihame.” Kuroi says pointedly. Bashihame looks back over his shoulder and sees that of the 35 people behind him, there remained the 4 other priests, and about as many of his personal guard. The villagers had all started making their way back to the village proper. Bashihame whirled back and pointed a finger accusingly at Kotetsu. “This is not over boy!” He shouted at the young boy. “You will pay for humiliating me!” And with that, he spun on his heel and stormed off, his retinue following close behind him.

Kuroi clapped Kotetsu on the shoulder as he walked back over to the other shinobi. “That was a daring thing to do, young shinobi.” He says to Kotetsu. “But perhaps it was a step in the right direction, for some at least. You will need to watch out for Bashihame from now on. It seems you have made yourself an enemy.” Kotetsu nods to Kuroi. “I didn’t expect that I would have been able to fool everyone, but I appreciate you playing along. The clergy I’m not overly worried about. Their power is their congregation. If you take that away from them, they are powerless.” Kuroi nods approvingly. “You’re very bright for one so young. Be careful, young one. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a mission that we must complete.” Kotetsu bows respectfully to Kuroi. “Of course, good luck with your mission.” He says as the ten shinobi disappear. ‘Well…that was exciting…’ Kotetsu thought to himself as he stood there for a few moments, taking in what just happened. ‘That was a longer break than I had expected to take…’ He chuckled ruefully before turning around and heading back into the training grounds.

Since he had already learned what he could about the Dust Cloud Jutsu, perhaps now would be a good time to work on whatever other jutsu he had not quite mastered yet. There was a basic water style jutsu that could be useful to learn, the Water Prison jutsu. He had a little practice with it before, but he had not spent much time learning it. It had a complicated string of hand signs but with enough practice it should be no problem at all to master it. ‘Snake, Ram, Horse, Hare, Ram, Horse, Hare, Snake, Ox, clap hands…’ Kotetsu thought to himself as he performed the hand signs. He needed a source of water for the justu to work, so he was standing on one of the pools in the training grounds while he practised. It didn’t require as much chakra as some of the other jutsu he’s used, which is good. That meant if he needed to use it several times in order to master it completely, the justu would not be as exhausting to use. The concern was unfounded though, since it would appear that he was able to successfully maintain the jutsu on the second attempt. ‘Good, that makes 2 more techniques that I can use in the Chuunin exams…’ Kotetsu thought to himself as he packed up his things. He was done training jutsu today, however he did still have some other things he wanted to work on. He left the training grounds and returned to the Water Gardens. It was a little busier now, which suited Kotetsu fine. He found a nice secluded area and sat down on the ground. Today was a very interesting day so far, so Kotetsu wanted to reflect on that while he worked on his chakra reserves. ‘The fact that my chakra reserves are really low is likely going to be the main reason I would lose…’ Kotetsu thought to himself. “I need to work on building up my body’s ability to store chakra if I’m to have any chance of becoming a Chuunin…’

It would be a very simple process, he would meditate and build up his chakra. That chakra buildup would then be maintained for a period of time, then slowly increased again and again until he had no chakra to spare. At which point he would have to release his chakra and wait for his reserves to build back up. All the while, he was thinking about the altercation he had prevented between that religious group, and Kuroi’s shinobi. ‘The clerics and priests aren’t the main problem here…’ Kotetsu thought to himself after a particularily long chakra conditioning session. ‘It’s the fact that the common villagers normally listen to the clergy… There would really be two ideal situations here. Either convince the clergy that us shinobi are more benefitial to have around, which is not very likely… Or convince the common citizenry that the clergy cannot be trusted with their protection. That seems almost as unlikey to happen… I wonder if my parents have any thoughts on the issue…’ Kotetsu spent a little more time working on his chakra reserves before gathering up his things and making his way out of the Water Gardens. He would head right home, as he did not want to run into any of the priests that he had confronted in the Water Gardens earlier that day.

[EXIT]

WC: 4002

Claiming:
2000 Ryo
5AP
Permission to move on to part 2 of Chuunin Exams
3000 WC towards Dust Cloud (3000/3000)
1002 WC (2004 Ryo) towards Yuki Clan Necklace ( 2558/13000 Ryo)


Proof of progress towards necklace:  Here and here

Approved