The Trials of Raijin and Fuijin

And now, it was back to Roki’s regular scheduled programming. Just another, most likely simple day at training. It had become almost habitual now; wake up, train or do a mission, eat, sleep, repeat. Almost like his life was just stuck within this constant time loop of some sorts. How on earth could he ever be freed from this? Who knows. Either way, even if there was just a slight difference, even if it was just a miniscule thing such as stumbling upon someone to train with; just something to make it known that the same thing wouldn’t be constantly happening day in and day out.

Whatever the case was for that, Hiroki made his way over to the advanced training facility, something about the place just seemed to make things so much easier. Maybe it was because of all the cool and neat little additions compared to the regular training grounds. These ones tended to be a bit larger, and had a variety of little knick knacks and tricks which a shinobi could utilize. From things like just merely moving the targets along a pulley style track, to full on obstacle courses, the place really had it all.

Hiroki though, didn’t want to start out with any of this though. Every good training session required a warm up, some light work in order to get the ball rolling. To do so, all the lad dressed in a deep red would do was a basic routine, consisting of numerous sets of push ups, sit ups, crunches, and squats. He’d go about doing this in a normal day, but he’d make sure to keep an eye on the doors to see if anyone wanted to join.

WC: 285

He had planned a rather casual day. A little bit of shopping, take a walk around the village, maybe even go for a round of drinks. "God, how long has it been since I've had some alcohol" Ichigo spoke out loud. With a bag full of new clothes in one hand while holding Aura's in his other, the Deputy visibly enjoyed whatever free time he could get, especially if it was well-deserved. Ichigo would be wearing a simple black hoodie with a same colored shirt underneath, dark grey pants and some basic yet comfortable boots around his feet. "Come on, we've still got plenty of things to do". Hoping the kunoichi was enjoying the day so far, he would lead her to the next location. 

(WC: 125)

Nature Stacks: 1/6

What a hell of a day this is, being taken on a shopping trip by the Deputy himself! Of course, it has been a long time coming in the young woman's opinion, having done so much training and other responsibilities lately instead of anything actually productive for one's mental and emotional health! If there's anything that Aura was better at than anyone in the village, she wagered it was the intense desire to have a healthy work and life balance. That's why when she was invited to interact with a couple of the other Shinobi for training for the first time in her two years actually being active, that wasn't involving the academy itself, she not only had to accept, but also swindle poor Ichigo into taking some quality time with her before it actually started. It was mostly for a bunch of outfits, because while her usual black robes and pretty little silver crown were quaint yet elegant as is, she has no idea what her clothing actually looks like, and she needed someone to help her dress up. Like always, it was the perfect excuse, disguised in the veil of a degree of selfishness, so she got to have fun with one of her favorite people right before any true work could be done. She couldn't help but think she was a genius, sometimes.

That being said, she definitely had something to say about the man's inclination for a drink. Not that she had the authority, but she had enough problems with a certain drunk already, she didn't need another one on her hands. "Oh, I'm sure it'll be longer, considering a much better and tastier drink such as a refined green tea is more than likely to calm your nerves better than some rice wine will!" A harmless little punch is sent his way right at his side with her free hand, but she doesn't do too much else, clutching onto her escort with a sunny smile in contrast with her chillingly cool body. At the end of the day, she does recognize he probably deserves such a mature break, but why did it always have to be alcohol? Reading a book, or even just laying on the grass would serve him better than an expensive, silly little drink that was barely even worth the trouble.

This day isn't close to being over, however, and she can feel the excitement coursing through her glacial veins. It's probably getting close to the time they'll be training with who she perceives as strangers. The reason she even knew there would be other people was simply due to the time frame they'll be entering the training facility; its hours were quite thick with participants in many points of the day, and those were when she and him almost never went together. It had to be different this time, and there was most certainly a reason for it, she just knew it in the deep recesses of her endlessly energetic mind. "You got it, Ichi! Thank you for humoring me on the shopping part, I haaaaaate going alone!"

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A rather large, black bird perched amongst itself within the proximity of the Ichigo lad and the blind woman who clutched herself to the man's arm. It's predatory eyes scanned the surrounding area, as if searching for a particular object or person. Within seconds the bird finally found what he was looking for and attached his attention to the approaching kunoichi. The one with raven black hair, tousled in a free wild style with a black fringe that swept over her eerie silver eyes. A feather charm, carved by a small piece of metal, was braided into the white strand of hair that peaked through the raven black.

The kunoichi was dressed in a more comfortable attire compared to her black ronin robes. She appeared with a large, oversized white shirt that hung off her left shoulder, leaving it bare. With black shorts and a belt garter around her right thigh.

Nanaki, which was the big bird, let out a short shriek to draw Meika's attention. Letting her know of his location as she came closer up onto the advanced training facility. Meika clicked her tongue once, allowing Nanaki to take off on his own for a bit while she did her training.

After Nanaki took off to the skies the Kamigawa woman would retrieve a red sucker pop from her possessions and rolled it in her mouth. The flavor of strawberry was pretty nice. "Well well - look at what the cat dragged in." Her words teased at the Deputy as she noticed the two of them also entering the facility. Her eyes glanced over at the woman who was clutched to his arms, and the big shopping bag that was held in his other. Meika had never met this woman before, and she curiosity wondered who she was.

At first glance, it would easily cause Meika to assume that the Drunk Deputy had finally found himself a lass, but she knew not to take her own thoughts so seriously. The Kamigawa's lips would curve into a smirk as she let out a soft, mischievous chuckle. "I had no idea that the big bad Deputy had a soft spot for shopping sprees." Meika coo'd on, continuing with her teasing nature. "Might I ask though who this lovely lass is? I don't recall ever meeting her." Her question held no ill intent, just pure ol curiosity like always.

---

{WC: 397}

1…2…3…4…5…

As the prankster had started doing reps of pushups, the emergence of people into the facility could be heard. Voices talking between one another coming from right by the entrance way of the place rang out loud and clear. A trio of them, one more masculine and the other two being more feminine in pitch. Of the two feminine one’s which could be heard, one sounded relatively familiar. Who it was had yet to be confirmed or denied, but an idea of who said person was could be determined with relative ease. At this point, if it was this person, she’d be a bit of a close friend with the man working out in the center of the space.

Stopping what he was doing, Hiroki would peer behind him to see just who exactly had gathered there. Two of the faces were unfamiliar, but the one was confirmed to be who he thought they were. Meika. Something in which she said particularly called out to the shinobi; the other dude that was currently present…was the Deputy Kage…well, this oughta be good then. Hopefully, he had a good sense of humor because it wasn’t about to stop Roki from having some light hearted jests in the form of scares.

Using quick thinking and light feet, the Shimadan would quietly place his katana at the base of a large wooden structure. The structure was supposed to be used for climbing, as it was essentially only a large platform that had raised edges, and was perched atop four large wooden pillars. On the pillars themselves were various footholds and handholds one could use in order to climb the 20 meter tall structure. However, to get up there before anyone could take notice of him, Hiroki would jump up, gracefully landing at the top of it.

All he had to do now to pull this prank off, was to lie in wait, ducking underneath the 1/2 meter high edge at the top of the square area.

WC: 333
TWC: 618

A chuckle escaped his mouth as Aura thanked him for taking her out shopping. "Well somebody has to carry your bags. And we can't have you walking into the wrong shop, can we?". As he teased the blind kunoichi, the deputy noticed they had arrived at the Training Grounds, the location for the second part of their day. Setting foot inside the facility, Ichigo suddenly heard a voice calling out to him. "Ah, of course. I already wondered what happened to Kumogakure's troublemaker" he addressed the little vixen known as Meika. The village had been rather peaceful and quiet, but that was about to change now that she showed up once again.

The mischievous kunoichi inquired about the woman at his side after making her shopping remark. "There's a lot more you don't know about me. Anywho, meet Aura, the Raikage's other half if you will". Ichigo introduced both women to each other, leaving out any juicy details about Meika spending time in Kaito's private hot springs to avoid any drama. "Now, why don't you go first?" the deputy encouraged the little vixen, having her join in on the planned practice with the two of them. After all, she could learn a thing or two from him. 

(WC: 207, TWC: 332)

Nature Stacks: 2/6

Seriously, out of the very small amount of people in the village that know her, it was like Ichigo was the only one who could bite back as much as she did when it comes to relentless teasing. Sometimes, that much wit would even leave her speechless, but in this case she decided against it, grumbling to herself in a cute, calm tone and getting less attached to his arm to just hold the hand attached to it instead. "I could have found any shop by myself! Hmph... you drunkie~" That's all she could come up with as a way to retort, so now she keeps her mouth shut, simply stewing on the fact that she was bested yet again. One day, she'd manage to match that sharp tongue, or maybe even outright crush him under her heel. "Should have thought twice before getting into that..." Their entrance into the training facility brought forth an interesting dilemma to the young Yuki, however, as they're being greeted by strangers to herself, but not to her escort.

Her identity was questioned by the voice of what she assumes is a woman, though she could be wrong. Presumably, she was a troublemaker? Perhaps they could cause some mayhem together, one day, since she has reasonable suspicion to believe that this is harmless pranking instead of anything malefic. It intrigues her nonetheless, having not many other kunoichi in her time actually socializing yet. Maybe they were just better at hiding it than the men were, but that's a little misogynistic to think. She blushed as she's mentioned to be the 'other half' of Noboru Kaito, the Raikage, though at this point in time she hadn't actually thought they were that close. At least, not yet. Within due time. Now's not the time, cause she needs to speak for herself now! Being spoken for, after all, would make her seem like she wasn't actually here to become strong!

"I'm Aura Yukimenoko, miss!" Aura began, giving her a polite bow, before standing back up straight, with her arms crossed a proud smile on her face. "We're here to train, and I guess you're joining us? Dunno if there's anyone else around, though, so it'll be a nice three person session! What do you want to do, and what's your name? Since you know mine, it's only natural you divulge yours, too!" She had realized that while her name was brought up automatically, the other woman hasn't whatsoever, and she didn't think that as a fair deal. This way, they'd be on the same playing field. There's no thought in her mind that suggests a fourth lurks around in the background, so she's content with the three of them for now.

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"Oh how intriguing!" Meika exclaimed, her excitment bubbling through as she got the chance to meet the Raikage's little love dove. She was quite taken aback by how polite the little dove was. "I presume it would be good for me if I did tag along. I've been wanting to branch out a little more with my abilities by learning to control a new element." Meika answered the little dove's questions as she seemed to shine with excitement and energy, possibly still overflowing from her little shopping spree she just came from.

"But anyways apparently the Deputy thinks I'm a handful, but you shouldn't need to worry. My name is Meika, a pleasure to meet you." The Kamigawa woman finished introducing herself before making her way into the facility, as Ichigo encouraged her to do so. Making her way in with the group of trio, her eyes scanning the field for a breid moment. Taking it in within a matter of seconds and realizing that it wasn't just the three of them.

---

{WC: 172 | TWC: 559}

Like a wolf, lying in wait beyond the shrubs and foliage, awaiting for it’s prey to meander harmlessly on by, Hiroki had found himself still waiting on one the obstacles within this particular room of the Advanced Training Facility. The three voices which once were but mere whispers before, almost being completely inaudible except for the sole sound of chitter chatter, were now heard looming inwards, followed by the sound of the door being partially moved from where it originally was. But that is where they had basically stopped once more, no footsteps could be heard coming close enough to where he was to get the perfect scare in. The lad couldn’t help but ponder over whether this was good, because it meant that he had yet to be seen; or bad, based on the fact that even though it had only been a minute or two, there was already the presence of being bored in waiting for the opportunity to strike.

Never one to be entranced by the sweet sounds of doing absolutely nothing to concede these drab feelings, Hiroki would think of a plan to make an attempt that could expedite the process. Reaching into the one weapon pouch that was placed upon the side of his left thigh, a single senbon would be pulled out from it. Remaining in the same position as before, the Equilibrium release user would very sneakily flip to his other side, so that way he would now be laying on his back. With the needle in hand, a point on the wall 15 meters behind him, and 35 meters in front of where the group was heard coming to a halt, further into the training room for them, would be made out for the intended target of this thrown weapon. And in a quick flash while remaining tucked away and hidden from line of sight of the trio, the senbon would be thrown, and make a clanging noise as it made it’s mark. The intent here was to hopefully further draw them all closer to the piece that Roki had been perched atop.

WC: 351
TWC: 969

Exit

(TWC: 332)
Claims, using max stat discount:
- 332 towards changing from Medical to Weaponry specialty