New Faces

Kaito would nod, “No, we are originally from Kiri...” He would say, eyes focused on the Uchiha to see how this phrase would make him react. If his clan hailed from literally any other nation it likely would not be as touchy of a subject, but considering the issues their village currently faced it would not be the first time that Kaito was looked at differently because of his heritage. He didn’t mind, since no matter what he understood where his loyalties lay. He was a Hidden Leaf shinobi, dedicated to the advancement of the goals of his superiors here in the Land of Fire. He would prove that loyalty to anyone that dared question it.
 
“Yeah, let’s get this training started!” He would enthusiastically reply right before Minato continued speaking. Speed was very important, a swordsman’s reflexes were the main thing standing between himself and death. “A technique that improves my quickness? I imagine that will come in handy. Lay it on me!” And with that said the shark man would watch as the Uchiha formed the Ram hand seal and practically vanished into thin air before appearing next to him. “Whoa! That was FAST! I"ll try that out. So…” He would place his hands together to form the Ram Seal, trying his hardest to focus his chakra throughout his body. It wasn’t easy, but he thought that he started to feel it. Kaito then started to try and move but didn’t feel like he went any faster than normal. “Don’t think I did it right. I’mma try again!” And again, he would focus his chakra to try and surge through his whole body. Again he would try to no avail. “What am I doing wrong? Damn it all!” Kaito would kick a rock, launching it into the field.
 
Perhaps he was too worked up. Sometimes when he got all worked up he lost focus, and that might be his issue here. He would calm himself, taking in several deep, slow breaths before managing to relax a bit and maintain his focus. Once more he would form the Ram Seal, but it felt different this time. The chakra coursed through him properly this time around and he managed to drastically improve his speed through the proper use of Body Flicker. “HELL YEAH!” Exclaimed the proud fish man in a shout. “What’s next?” The excitement was clear on his face. It was not that of a giddy child, but of an adrenaline pumped bodybuilder who couldn’t wait to do a few more sets at the gym. Kaito wanted to FEEL THESE GAINS!
 
Listening as the raven haired Uchiha described the technique he recalled seeing the technique used in training by his cousins. “Yeah, that technique is incredibly useful. Makes it easy to catch unsuspecting prey with a clean kill.” He would smile wide again, the rows of teeth unsightly and menacing, though mostly unintentional. It was hard to smile as a shark and not come across at least a little unsettling to the normal person. Kaito would watch it in use, noticing his lack of perception in the mist. It was perfect. Once he had learned to better hone his senses and become better at the stealth aspect of being a shinobi he would have no trouble utilizing a technique like this to secure easy kills on those that are enemies of the Leaf Village.
 
Mimicking the tiger hand seal once he could see again, Kaito would inhale deeply, allowing the calming water chakra to pulse from his core to his lungs. The shark man almost looked tranquil, his focus so complete that he nearly tuned out everything around him. With an equally deep exhale, he would spout mist from his toothy maw, filling the area with thick clouds of water vapor that were nearly impossible to see through. “I had a bit of a head start on that one. Was already familiar and such.” He would laugh a bit, happy how easily this one came to him. Perhaps he was better at Ninjutsu than he originally thought.
 
“So Genjutsu, huh? Messing with the opponents mind an’ stuff, yeah? I can see how useful both having those tools at your disposal and having an answer to those as well.” He’d scratch his head, a bit curious as to what the Uchiha had in mind. “You, uh… going to look in my mind? Is that how it works? Or is it just a trick of some sort?” Kaito really did not do a whole lot of practicing in the art of Genjutsu. While it may be a potent style of combat, his clan focused on Weaponry and Water Style techniques. So basically there wasn’t much tutelage in the form of an older clansman teaching him about it like some of the other types of jutsu. This might be his first real lesson in the genjutsu arts.
 
“Well, I am ready when you are. SHOW ME THAT GENJUTSU!”

WC: 826
TWC: 2260

"Hmm, I see" he answered when Kaito mentioned where his clan originated from. Good old Kirigakure. Not that it surprised him, weaponry and the water element were after all two of the skills they were famous for in the Mist. Even after all the time that had passed since the invasion it wouldn't be out of the ordinary if people would still be resentful of what took place that day. Minato on the other hand had found his peace, no use in looking back. Last time he met someone from Kirigakure he had showed her around the village before she magically disappeared. "You're not the first of the Mist I've met, except the other one was a bit cuter."

All jokes aside it was time for Kaito to have his try at the first technique Minato demonstrated, the Body Flicker. Forming the required hand seal the shark-like shinobi prepared to perform the jutsu. His first attempt didn't do much and even the second one ended up in a fail. Frustrated with his own lack of success Kaito kicked a rock, Minato only hoped he wasn't aiming at the bald stranger to hit him.  "Calm down. Breathe. Focus. Concentrate. Feel your chakra surging through your body. Try again." Forming the Ram seal once more the swordsman regained his focus and tried again, only this time he would succeed. Third time's the charm. "Good job Kaito."

Now that he knew how to perform the Body Flicker Technique it was on to the next jutsu. One that would suit him better since it was a technique often used by the Kirigakure shinobi. And it would show as it almost took him no trouble at all to expell a thick mist filling the area. Due to Kaito's heritage he might have felt more comfortable learning this jutsu as he already knew how it works and what it does. Nevertheless it was impressive how quick he would pick things up. "Indeed, not bad for a first try" Minato joked while he would start explaining the next part of the training.

"Genjutsu is the art of illusions, it is used to take control over your opponent's senses. Unlike ninjutsu, the effects of genjutsu are not real, but that doesn't mean it won't hurt at all. Most of the time it is used to trick or brainwash someone. Luckily breaking Genjutsu isn't all that difficult and one of the ways to do so is learning Genjutsu Release. First you have to figure out that you are in a Genjutsu, then you will need to form the specific seal, that of the Tiger, causing your chakra to flow rapidly through your body thus breaking your opponent his hold over your chakra flow. Simple, isn't it?" Now it was time for Minato to put this to the test as he would use one of the Genjutsu techniques on Kaito, seeing if he would be able to break the technique.

"I will use one of the basic Genjutsu techniques, don't worry" he said while he had already performed the hand seals. Out of nowhere Kaito would notice that a giant fireball appeared in the sky directly over where they were standing. Making its descent and moving towards the ground at a speed of 65. While descending the illusion would make Kaito feel the heat from the fireball, making it feel very real. Even if he tried to move away the fireball would appear to keep falling towards him, almost as it was following him. With a diameter of 40 meters the descending fireball would look as real as it could get. Now it was up to Kaito to release the technique as fast as possible.

(WC: 615, TWC: 2865)

So it was all just trickery. Genjutsu was just misdirection it would seem, though Kaito didn’t discredit such things. A feint in combat was a similar concept, and if performed well it could provide serious results. Kaito would ready himself, unsure of what the illusion would present itself as.
 
In but a moment, a giant blazing ball of fire would be shooting from the sky at his head. It looked incredibly real, so much so that it was even producing heat that felt like it was cooking him alive. He would move and the flaming sphere would redirect so that no matter where he went, it wasn’t something he could outrun. If this was real, he would be in serious trouble. The shark man wouldn’t panic though, instead focusing on the thought that this was all simply a trick of his senses. Forming the Tiger hand seal, he would try to dispel the Genjutsu. His chakra would start to flare, but the heat would get to him and he would quickly wipe his brow as he began heavily breathing. “It’s all just a trick! It is just in your mind! FOCUS!” He would say, trying to bully himself into calming down and breaking the genjutsu. His chakra would flare again, and this time the illusion would vanish.
 
“I can’t believe how REAL that thing seemed. Leave it to an Uchiha to be a master of letting an opponent beat themselves.” He would say loudly, glad to have such a strong ally. It would seem as though while Kaito was focusing on dispelling the trick, the creepy bald guy came over and sat down. “YOU AGAIN!” He would shout at the bald monk, wondering why everywhere Kaito went the monk would present himself. “You some kind of trick of the mind, too? Or are you just following me?” Kaito would ask, glaring at the shiny dome of Tanjiro.
 
“YOU SEE HIM, MINATO?” he would ask as he stretched his body out to stay limber despite his bulk. “Or are you messing with me with another one of them Genjutsu’s?” Kaito really did want to know, since it was odd that Tanjiro was always around whenever Kaito was doing something outside his family home.
 
Kaito would wait to see how Minato replied before trying to use genjutsu release a second time to break the illusion he must be trapped in. This Uchiha must be a master of illusions, weaving an illusion INSIDE of an illusion. GEN-CEPTION!

Affected by the heat of the illusion created by one of Minato's Genjutsu techniques Kaito was both feeling the pressure to release the genjutsu as well as the time passing by with each second taking longer than the previous one. It wasn't a race against the clock but the longer it took him to break out of the Genjutsu the longer he would feel the fake heat. Not only would he be able to get out of the technique, it would also show he could perform under pressure. If he succeeded that is. He was struggling, that much was clear. Just because he knew he was put in a Genjutsu didn't mean he would get out just like that. Illusion or not, the way the fireball was created made the situation as real as it could get and would mess with Kaito's mind. Knowing you're in a Genjutsu and not getting out, it was a situation the shark-like Genin would have to deal with. Luckily for him he didn't know how to quit and kept trying, with success. It had taken him some time but Kaito managed to break out of the Genjutsu. "Good job, for a moment it looked like it was getting a bit too hot under your feet." 

Before they could continue their training Minato got distracted by some annoying sound. Shine bright like a diamond, as a famous singer once said. Only this time it would be the bald head of the stranger that was shining and no diamond. If he would have to listen to this annoying yelling Minato was bound to lose his hair as well. From Kaito's reaction the young Uchiha noticed he wasn't the only one who's nerves he was getting on. "So, is this a friend of yours?" If he was it didn't look like Kaito was happy to see him. What was clear was the fact that it wouldn't be the first time these two had run into each other. They knew each other, that's for sure. "Oh, I'm seeing something, not sure what this is supposed to be though" he answered Kaito's question.

So baldy wanted to be put in a Genjutsu as well, interesting. Maybe he found it amusing to see how Kaito reacted when he was caught in an illusion and wanted to experience it as well. Who knows what was really going on inside this dude's bald head. "We are shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, we don't test things out. You ought to take things more seriously." Minato looked into his eyes, making it clear they weren't here just to be playing games. And in that moment it had already happened. The hand seals were formed and the illusion had taken place. A thick mist identical to his earlier technique would form around Tanjiro giving him the feeling Minato was using his Hidden Mist technique again. Only this time the Uchiha had just altered the area with a Genjutsu, making Tanjiro believe he was getting surrounded by a real mist. 

All the while standing in front of the bald shinobi Minato decided to add some flavor. Remembering he mentioned he used Lightning and Water he thought it wouldn't be a bad idea if he used this to his advantage. Having supposedly taken away Tajiro's visual he would make it look like lightning bolts were being thrown into the mist, aimed at the person inside the illusionary mist. It would make sense since Minato had lightning as his affinity. Making it look and sound like lightning had struck next to the bald shinobi Minato had successfully changed the location he was standing in earlier. Since it was only a test it wouldn't take him too long to break out, or would it? 

(WC: 625, TWC: 3490)

Tanjiro did not like how this pretty boy Uchiha was talking to him. He was ready to go into a full on rant but, he really wanted to test this technique out and train today. So he decided to tone down his response and try to be cordial. “I am not taking it seriously?! What a stupid question how else do you improve your skills? Do you never use your skills and TTTTEEEEESSSSSSTTTTTT them out!? Just hit me with some Genjutsu and I will then TEST myself and see if I am strong enough!” Tanjiro felt that he got his point across nice enough not to get himself murdered. 

The raven haired pretty boy gave him a look he did not like ether. But it was not to long after a mist would cloud his vision. The mist seemed to light up in spots and the sound of crackling lightning could be heard. It was really a toss of a coin if this mist and lighting attack was a Genjutsu; or just a normal response to talking with him for more than 10 minutes. He could understand if Minato would like to hurt him but this did not seem like his intent. 

That however did not stop the self defense mechanisms in Tanjiro’s lizard brain to still activate. He would prepare himself to dodge lightning bolts and start to breath to calm his nerves. The years of monk training gave him a strong foundation. As long as he kept his cool and focused, Tanjiro knew he could handle this. He began the technique his father taught him all those years ago. Channing his chakra throughout his body, letting flare and clear his chakra system of any foreign chakra. He would also make the hand seal of Tiger. Tanjiro’s father did teach him a seal less version of this technique. But he could not remember it right at this moment. 

After a few moments the Genjutsu raven haired pretty boy used would be broken. Tanjiro would breathe a sigh of relief, it would have been embarrassing as hell if he failed after talking like that. But now he needed to try and remember the seal less version. So walking off he would as if it was a side note say “Ok it worked. Thanks R.H.P.B, you were a lot of help.” After saying this Tanjiro would make his way off to the side a little ways. He needed focus for a bit and try to relearn this skill. 

Tanjiro needed try and recapture a little of his past. So he would go through a simple style routine from his past. Giving his legs a wide spread at shoulder length, Tanjiro spreading his arms out as far as he could. Then slowly rotating his arms three times in a spiral then pulling them back into his core. Tanjiro's legs would shift with the rotation of his arms one leg moving forward and left and the other would move back and to the right. This would shift his facing position, making him look off into the training ground. Then now moving his hands so that the palms connected. Then pushing them away from himself his hand would rotate around. Once his arms were at max extension he would spread his arms apart and repeat the whole process.   

It's been so long since Tanjiro did one of these routines and he used to love doing them. But ever since his family died they brought back painful memories. But Tanjiro knew he needed to face his past if he wanted to remember. So he kept up doing the routine, just letting his body go off muscle memory he would let his mind just wonder. He would remember the good times playing with the other kids at the monastery. He remembered the fun dinners he had with his family. He remembered the lessons his father taught him and with a little time the memory he was looking for would come back. 

The lesson was about chakra control and gaining a deep understanding of one's own body. Then by combining both of these aspects one can use their own chakra to forcefully remove foreign chakra used to bend one’s perception. Tanjiro would remember the way his father taught him these lessons. It was always with a kind and supportive but disciplined. Always giving just enough guidance for Tanjiro to figure the point of his  father’s teaching on his own.

Now with this memory in his mind he would turn back to Minato. Seeming caught up in his memories a little of the old Tanjiro would shine through as he said in an oldy calm voice. “Minato do another Genjutsu on me. I think that I may have gotten the hang of this.”  Tanjiro would square his legs to his shoulders and slightly bending them. Taking a deep breath he would prepare himself mentally for a Genjutsu. He was going to try out the Genjutsu release without using the hand seals. Tanjiro would call out in a steady voice, “I am ready.”

WC 847 
TWC 2866

Kaito would just scratch his head, wondering why this guy was here again. “Not a friend, exactly. We just had a mission together. He might be a stalker, since he is ALWAYS AROUND! You following me you creepy, turtle waxing cueball?” Clearly, this guy had a serious hard on for Kaito or something, because he was EVERYWHERE the shark man was. “I don’t know if you know this, but uh, I am not interested in whatever it is you are… selling…” Kaito would cross his large arms, shaking his head with a slight frown and a look of unease on it.

Kaito would watch as Tanjiro would try and break the hold Minato’s genjutsu likely had on him. Of course, Kaito couldn’t see it occurring so he would simply smirk, hoping the monk was facing similar tests of his mental fortitude that he himself had. It wouldn’t take very long for Tanjiro to say something suggesting that he was no longer in any sort of illusion. “That was pretty quick. You get the flaming ball of death, too?” He would ask, wondering what the monk saw in his illusion. If the monk answered he would listen, though the monk seemed to be interested in his own stretches and exercises for the time being.

Kaito would shift his head and body towards Minato, wondering if the more experienced genin could show him any more techniques. “So, what can you show me, teach? You know anything that can disable a target? That could be useful.” The shark man was amped up, really ready for learning as much as he could. “Or if you don’t know anything like that do you know any taijutsu, or anything that focuses on physical movement and body motion?” It was clear to Kaito that the Uchiha wasn’t devoted practitioner of taijutsu, but he might know a thing or two. Plus, without a weapon of his own it would be hard to practice swordplay.

A few more techniques under his belt and Kaito would be ready to get some practice in, doing some light sparring to test out if he could manage the moves in a “real” scenario. Hopefully Tanjiro would be able to get in on this as well. They could really use as much practice as they could get, especially if they wanted to be noticed by the leadership and rise through the ranks.

It looked like Tanjiro already had some practice countering Genjutsu as it didn't take the bald monk too long to break out of Minato's technique. "Seems like you're not all talk." Immediately after breaking out of the technique Tanjiro decided to move to the side again and started some form of meditation. A strange action by an even stranger individual but it would give Minato some time to think about how Kaito explained how the two knew each other. From the way the shark spoke about Tanjiro it seemed the latter liked to follow Kaito around ever since they went on a mission together. Maybe a new bromance was in the making?

Just when the young Uchiha was about to continue his conversation with Kaito the bald monk saw it fit to interrupt them once more. Sitting in one of his weird positions he asked to be put in a Genjutsu again now that he got the hang of it. "Sure, because you can just order one after the other" Minato said in a sarcastic tone. On the other hand Minato would be able to return to the conversation with Kaito once he kept Tanjiro busy. After forming the required hand seals countless ethereal looking butterflies would flutter around Tanjiro. Created in such a manner there was no way telling it weren't real butterflies. Once in the resulting trance-like state, Tanjiro would be mesmerized by the beauty of the surrounding butterflies and compelled to chase after them. Minato would have complete autonomy over the monk's sense of direction, making him run around in circles.

Once the Genjutsu was activated Minato would direct himself towards Kaito to answer some questions he had. Interested to learn more the shark was looking for a technique that might render your opponent unable to move. Such a technique would indeed be quite useful when used efficiently. Luckily for Kaito the young Uchiha knew of a jutsu that was able to do just what he was looking for. "Sure, why don't you come running towards me?" Minato would wait and see if Kaito decided to comply with his request. If he did he would activate his technique once Kaito was less than five meters away from him. Soon after Kaito would notice he was unable to move and paralyzed, almost as if he was bound by steel ropes. "As you can see, you are unable to move. This is called Temporary Paralysis Technique. Once you mastered it you can even perform it without using hand seals, just like I did. But of course when you first learn it you will need to know the hand seal, that of the Tiger. Using your chakra you can capture someone, debilitating them as if they have been bound. Why don't you try it on your friend over there when he's back?"

(WC: 472, TWC: 3962)

It would seem that Kaito struck a nerve, the bald man launching a slew of retorts about the way Kaito smelled. The shark man didn’t think that he smelled strangely, but to be fair he was a Hoshigaki and their clan is likely accustomed to the “fishy smell”. Plus, they were WARRIORS! Do warriors concern themselves so highly with such things? WAS TANJIRO ALWAYS CLEAN?!? Mister I clean myself multiple times a day! Probably why his damn head was so shiny. Kaito would huff, letting out a light grunt in response. Of course once Tanjiro was done, Kaito would do the age old “sniff test”. Lifting up an arm, turning his nose and smelling to see if he in fact had serious body odor. Kaito could not tell, and so he would shrug and continue his training.
 
Listening once again as Minato instructed, Kaito would nod and begin a quick sprint towards him. He was quick, maybe even quicker than Minato expected, but there was no chance that the more experienced Uchiha wouldn’t be able to provide himself with ample time to respond to the dash. The shark would find himself unable to move, his body tight like he had been tied up and bound. There wasn’t even a sign that the Uchiha had even done anything, yet here he was trapped by some sort of jutsu. IT WAS AWESOME!
 
In the meantime, it would seem as if the monk had little to no issue breaking free from the genjutsu. Perhaps the bastard was stronger and tougher than he let on. Well, Kaito figured that he would find out sooner or later, ignoring his urges to immediately challenge and assess the man.
 
He would listen intently as Minato released the jutsu and explained what it was and how to use it. “So Temporary Paralysis, huh? Seems useful.” He would hear Minato instruct him to try it out on Tanjiro. “Does it stop folks from speaking, too?” He would say in jest, a light chuckle coming from his exposed, toothy grin. “Alright ‘Mr. Clean’. You ready to practice this paralysis move?” He would ask the monk, his body stretching out as he prepares to dash towards Tanjiro. “Remember what he said. You gotta use the Tiger hand seal and bind me with your chakra.” The toothy grin would return, menacing as ever. “If you don’t stop me…” Then he would shift to a shout, “I AM GONNA TACKLE YOUR ASS TO THE GROUND!”

Kaito would then start charging the monk, ready to do exactly what he said he would should the monk fail to utilize the technique.
 
WC:436