Back In Session

[D-Rank] Substitute Teacher - 1,000 WC
[C-Rank] Substitute Teacher: The Basics - 2,000 WC
[C-Rank] Second Thought Shinobi - 2,000 WC

TWC Required: 5,000

Quinn's return to the academy came as a surprise to the Genin as the village of Otogakure continued to grow and finally started settling. There was much to learn from others and the recent Sound Festival stirred and got people moving about. Quinn did have a good rapport with the children that they had encountered during their time at the festival. Today was a different situation as returning to the Academy of Otogakure, there were a few issues that needed assisting with as two courses required an extra hand to review and provide the lesson that was planned out for the day. It was a long day from the itinerary that was provided but Quinn thought nothing of it as forging all day was what they were used to, teaching and being back in the setting they were previously in would be a cakewalk for the once Academy Student and now presently Genin. Much was there to discuss with the young teens that are stepping up and possibly some older individuals as well since Quinn was making such a massive scene about being an older genin and even a more senior student to the rest of the village. "Should be. Interesting." They commented as they approached the academy.

Walking into the classroom it was obvious the individual who had fallen ill or unable to come to work for whatever extraneous circumstance had their hands filled. Twenty-plus young pre-teens littered the classroom as Quinn stepped in. Being old enough to be their parents, they all stared at the red-headed Genin who walked in, their headband on their upper left arm, as their standard teacher was nowhere to be seen. Walking up to the podium, Quinn laid the homework papers that were given to them as they checked in for the day on top of it, turned around, and grabbed a chalk to write on the blackboard. In big bold letters, they wrote down their name, QUINN FOSTER, then turned to face the class as many were just watching and waiting to see how the Forgemaster would look at all of them before pulling out a hammer and adding a bit of chakra to it and slamming the podium. Quickly the students took their seats and eyes were locked on Quinn for what would happen next.

"Quinn Foster. Recent graduate of the Academy. New Genin. Taught under Satoshi Sarutobi. Deputy Kage of Otogakure. Business Owner. Forgemaster. Your Substitute Teacher." Quinn spattered out at the kids giving credentials, status, and some personal information. "Questions?" They followed their opening lineup by giving the kids the floor, as a multitude of hands shot up and began blasting words toward the Red-Headed Genin. Simmering them down, Quinn organized a forum for the students as they spitballed ideas to each other before providing them for Quinn to answer. Answer the questions they asked to the best of their ability, the Forgemaster was able to settle the students in a quick manner and was able to take care of the preliminary part of the lesson plan without much difficulty.

From there there were the homework assignments. First, they needed to hand back the original assignments and then give each student a new one. Because names were simple and easy and Quinn was able to quell whatever monstrous class this could have been, calling out names one by one seemed the more reasonable task. To double dip in the passing out, Quinn informed the students that their new homework assignment would be given with their old one and not to lose them. It was a simple and planned task to take care of and took a better half of a half hour for the twenty or so students that were present that day. It appeared 2 or 3 were not in attendance and Quinn put their assignments off to the side. From there it was the actual lesson plan to execute on that their homework was going to be going over. Efficiency was the name of the game and Quinn showed that they could handle even a more rambunctious lot.

The day proceeded regularly from there as Quinn's execution of the workload was phenomenal and exceeded the expectations of the Academy's senior teachers. After wrapping up the lessons early, Quinn opted to let the children ask more questions as there was much to learn about Quinn and the world of being a Shinobi. Many asked what Quinn did on a regular day, if they had fought bandits, how was fighting the Otokage, and many more revolving around the dangers that they faced and etcetera. Dismissing and not entertaining the wild conceptual stories the children made, Quinn had a wonderful day back at the Academy, and seeing the kids being excited about the next step and journey was an awesome thing to revel in with as a Substitute Teacher. Perhaps Quinn would come back in the future and continue to teach when they got a bit older for more active duty.

Reporting back to the Teacher's Space, Quinn elaborated to the Senior Instructor they were assigned to should they have any issues and handed back the papers that were not able to be handed out due to the absences present on that day. Thanking them for their work and dedication, the Senior Instructor began to talk with Quinn about their time post-graduation and how they were doing. It was a bit of an odd conversation to listen to as it seemed like two colleagues discussing due to age but listening it was more of a student and teacher conversing. It was an odd sight as many other instructors and teachers would stop by, seeing Quinn and say hello and move about their day. Once the conversation wrapped up, Quinn would rise from their seat and leave the Academy for the day, with another assignment to cover some more of the ninja basics the next day. Happy with the result, there was not much more for Quinn to do and departed for home swiftly after, exhausted but in a different way than normal.

WC: 1,012, TWC: 1,012 | Mission WC: 1,012/1,000

---

The next day, Quinn rose and looked towards the sun cresting the horizon on its journey through the sky. Another day at the Academy was a simple and easy task to consider but today was about Shinobi Arts, not just simple school work with some applicable knowledge bases being covered. There was much more to discuss such as the main three schools of shinobi arts and then the supplemental ones. Being an expert in two, Quinn knew that that their Taijutsu prowess was sure to wow the students in the basic summary while their Bukijutsu skills would be an excellent demonstration of the credibility of other schools of the hidden arts. Grabbing a few books on the way out of Foster's Forge, the Forgemaster gave a departing greeting to their nephew and thanked them for taking care of the business while they were otherwise occupied.

Traveling to the school, Quinn noticed a student who seemed to linger behind and had a sour attitude exuding from them. Taking note, it was a conversation point to bring up upon arrival at the Academy. There was not much for Quinn to do at this time since they were simply a substitute for a proper instructor. The day would be quite an interesting day as there was much to discuss between the basic methods and elements too. When Quinn realized the discussions would be variable it became clear to them, that today was going to be a very long day for the soon-to-be teacher through the mission board. Checking in with the same Senior Instructor as before, Quinn got the rundown of what was being asked and then proceeded to work on a small outline of what needed to be discussed for the day as a general lesson plan.

Upon entering the classroom post developing the lesson plan, Quinn repeated the same steps they did before with a slightly older crowd who were more eager to see that their traditional teacher was not present. Grabbing their hammer and slamming it first against the podium and then the board, Quinn wrote quickly and swiftly their name once more, QUINN FOSTER, before turning to the students and introducing themselves again. "Quinn Foster. Recent graduate of the Academy. New Genin. Taught under Satoshi Sarutobi. Deputy Kage of Otogakure. Business Owner. Forgemaster. Your Substitute Teacher. Teacher of the Basics." They added to their introduction knowing that some of the students were going to be curious from the get-go this time around about what they were going to learn today. Shooting questions down left and right, Quinn was able to manage the unruly crowd of young teenagers to get the lesson started.

"First public knowledge. Three main types of Shinobi Arts. What are they?"

"Uhhh Nintaigen!" One student shouted out

"No no! It's NinJUTsu and TaiJUTsu and GenJUTsu." Another enunciated harder the the other.

A multitude of other answers were shouted out before a student raised their hand and was called on by the Forgemaster, "Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu." The quiet kid spoke and answered.

"Correct. The main three are as follows. Ninjutsu: Elemental and General Techniques. Genjutsu: Mental and Illusionary Techniques. Taijutsu: Physical Techniques. I focus in one. Taijutsu specifically. But also more. What are the others?"

Many students murmured for a while. Quinn did not budge on providing an answer till the classroom remained silent. Slowly putting on the board the three main ones, they underlined the three. "These. Initial fields of study. Few venture out. Few find success elsewhere. As stated." Quinn would double underline Taijutsu, "This is mine. Out of the three. I have another." Underneath the three, the Forgemaster began writing down the other shinobi arts. In bold letters, the words became visible, BUKIJUTSU, FUINJUTSU, IRYOJUTSU, JIKUJUTSU, KANJUTSU, and KUGUJUTSU. Before answering any further on the different kinds of techniques, Quinn underlined Bukijutsu specifically. "This one. My primary specialty. Taijutsu is second." They included before elaborating on what each involved and why they were not focused as study pieces as compared to the primary three.

"Many will find strengths. And weaknesses. Some may not align well. Others may not deviate far either. Each to their own. No right path. Only you can discover it." They added before letting the students write down the 6 additional schools of shinobi arts before erasing them and leaving the big three up on the board. From there, the Substitute decided it would be a fun game to show the strengths of each and their weaknesses but decided a lecture style was more appropriate for this class at this time. With the general understanding of each school tied and given under the belt of the academy students, the Forgemaster began the lecture in regards to Ninjutsu first since it was the predominant school of arts executed by most shinobi. "To understand Ninjutsu. Need to know elements."

Upon the board, Quinn sectioned off each of the three into their own part of the board and gave Tai the least, Nin the most, and gave ample room for Gen as well. Under Ninjutsu, they wrote the five basic elements including their advantages and disadvantages between them. Explaining that each base element had a weakness brought up how one discovers their own elements. With the introduction of chakra paper, it was a question if Quinn had any and they had to deny the reality that they were not here today to go that in depth about Ninjutsu but to give the overall basics. Once the discussion and examples went around for that, Quinn shifted the topic to general use and practices. This was done by showcasing the two techniques required to simply pass the Academy, the Clone and Transformation Techniques.

Indicating that not only did Ninjutsu have the elements under their branch primarily, the base principal of techniques that involved transforming and creating typically came from Ninjutsu as a shinobi art. Many other schools overlap with Ninjutsu due to this as the others are generally seen as sub-schools to the other types of shinobi art. Explaining that they would go over that possibly in a future lesson, the students quelled their questions for the time being. Many were surprised to see Quinn transform into their nephew who was considerably smaller. Giving a thumbs up from this new form with a wacky goofy smile, Quinn released the technique and indicated that this would help in most situations but best used to be inconspicuous rather than transforming into someone who you already knew. "Imagine hiding. As a person. That is general idea. Better techniques. Harder to learn ones. For intent of disguising as another." They included.

From there Quinn would move on to the Clone Technique with the students equally baffled by the idea of a second teacher. From there Quinn asked for a volunteer to throw something at the two and multiple students began to throw pencils. Very quickly it was obvious which was the real one between the two. In a moment it appeared and suddenly it vanished even while more projecticles from the students were sent in that direction. "Simple technique. Very weak technique. Useful in a pinch. Nothing durable taught here. Stronger versions, like before. Out there to learn." The Forgemaster included, elaborating on witnessing clones actually being able to do something during the Harmonious Showdown and the Sound Tournament itself. Using those examples helped the students better understand the variability of techniques taught now versus later when they were to be taught be a Chuunin or Jounin in the future.

With Ninjutsu finished, Quinn moved onto Genjutsu. The description provided was a bit biased as they admitted this was the shinobi art that they had the most difficulty handling as they learned a few techniques to help aid against Genjutsus. The first technique shown was the standard Genjutsu Release. Explaining that if practiced enough one would not even have to use handseals to produce its effects. However, Quinn did not let them think it was an end-all-be-all style technique. Reiterating that once again this technique was simple and basic and would require more expenditure by the individual of the strength of the Genjutsu was stronger than what they could handle with their chakra. This was partnered with the fact that their own chakra reserves were lower than the average person but their control was precise unlike others as well.

From there, a showcase of the other style of technique known as Discipline was shown. It was a sudden joke to give each other Discipline by smacking their partner as hard as they could and Quinn quickly shut that down. Elaborating that this was a method to help your allies in pinches, the Forgemaster showcased this by getting a dummy from the classroom closet and showing how even if Quinn smacked it hard, it didn't leave a mark or any indentation with their hand on it. "Precision. Strength. Restraint." They advocated that handling the simple basic things was about getting an overall base. The discussion from there went on to explain that Genjutsu has many forms of attack where some alter the target's perception, lock's their ability to move, or even distort the world around them without indicating such changes occurred.

Lastly, Taijutsu was up on the board and a bunch of the teenagers began to scream about punching and kicking and once more Quinn had to un-rile the students. Heaving a heavy sigh from there, Quinn elaborated that Taijutsu was simplest in concept but hardest in execution due to the bodily limitations that are required. Whereas the others would tire one out if using too many, attempting to perform Taijutsu techniques your body was not capable of executing could lead to serious injury. From there, Quinn demonstrated the sheer volume of strength they had even in their toned and relatively thin body. Picking up the desk and setting it back down without breaking a sweat or any concern at all, spooked even the toughest of kids from messing with Quinn any further. With the demonstration of weight lifting completed, Quinn also elaborated on the fact that Taijutsu users tend to have tougher bodies and as such are able to withstand attacks that could damage their bodies longer than others.

The explanation that their sheer force of strength provided a barrier to them would be a lecture for more advanced conversations and since this was once more, 'The Basics', Quinn decided not to delve any deeper. From there Quinn left the classroom as an open forum of discussion and questions amongst the students. This was a decision to let them explore conceptually what they would want of the main three and what potential elements they each had available. The conversation eventually wrapped around to what Quinn's element was and had to explain that people can have multiple elements available though most stick to one at most two. They found that elaborating on the fact they were working on unlocking a third element to learn Sound Release was not a 'basic' conversation point.

With the class being over for the day, Quinn handed out a small assignment page for the students to describe which of the three specialties they were drawn to alongside a small question and answer section about some of the keywords associated with each specialty that was focused on for the day. Some gave Quinn a stink eye for the homework they provided but a simple placement of their hand on the shoulder of those kids brought silence to them quickly. Once all the students present were dismissed, Quinn reported back once more to the Teacher's Lounge to give a rundown of what was taught, any difficulties, and similarly as before, any absences present. When the Senior Instructor went down a list, there was a nod and a thumbs up given by them towards the Forgemaster. Another hard dark of work was over for them and away they went off to their home. On the way home, however, they noticed the same forlorn individual staring at the academy as if waiting for something though Quinn was unsure of why. Another problem for another day.

WC: 2,016, TWC: 3,037 | Mission WC: 2,015 / 2,000

---

Next on the list of things to do was to handle apparently an individual who had recently given up their position post graduating from the academy. As someone who had just recently graduated themselves, Quinn thought and found it quite interesting that someone would be so quick to resign. Understanding the fear and angst when it came to the overall growth of an individual, it was likely someone who was woefully ill-equipped to handle the rigor of training or the responsibilities that came with becoming a Genin. Quinn slept hard on this one before making the connection to the forlorn-looking student that they had presumed was a student. They were about the age and hanging around the Academy would likely indicate that such an individual would likely be the intended target of the mission. There was naught to accomplish at night and so the Forgemaster took it as a sign to find rest and to relax for a laborious day ahead of them.

Waking up the next morning, there was a multitude to consider before approaching as the academy would not have graduated the individual if they did not have the right skill set available for them to become a shinobi. With that thought in mind, Quinn knew that overwhelming force would likely be a good option to get them in one place but likely not produce the desired outcome of remedying the individual's woe or stop them from trying to advise currently enrolled students away from the profession. It was an individual's choice to pursue their education in such a manner and for some their parents' as well. Gearing up for the mission, Quinn tied their headband on their arm as per normal for their attire and moved onward out of the market district of Otogakure and headed towards the Academy for the third day in a row.

With heavy thoughts in mind, just as expected due to what they had witnessed already, there was an individual looking like a student who hovered around the area. Walking normally, Quinn would swiftly grab the arm of the ex-shinobi and gave them a tough look straight in the eye, "I know." They stated before dragging the advocator of resignation to somewhere else. Protesting profusely resulted in a rough situation as Quinn manhandled this poor teen who had definitely chosen the wrong profession to begin with. With an idea in mind, Quinn brought him to the amphitheater where the festival recently was held. Tossed him into the middle and stood there with him and waited. Waited for him to say something, to speak up, to protest against this. The headband of Quinn being proudly presented glinted in the sunlit across the ex-shinobi's forehead putting the symbol of Otogakure smack in the center of it.

The teen murmured seeing the light across his forehead and sat there momentarily before getting up and began to leave. Saying nothing to Quinn as soon as he was about to take a step off, Quinn would rush over to him, grab him, and slam him in the middle of the space. Shouting out this time around he flailed and thrashed towards them but they did not relent in any way. There was not much else Quinn did to him as he sat there, the position of where they stood to maintain that headband on their forehead as a reminder of what he had given up. Once more there was not much of a word or peep from the teenager as he tried again and again. Eventually, the sun crested past the point where the headband could be hit by its light to shine on and he tried again, except this time, Quinn took him elsewhere in the village.

Taking him to the Otokage's Mansion now that business hours were over, sat him at the door and stood above him still. Even to this point the conversation that was bound to happen still did not occur. It was at this point, Quinn broke their silence and spoke to the ex-shinobi. "I'm not good with words." They started as they described being a bit out of sorts with the standard Genin crowd. There still was not much to be garnered from the boy and so Quinn stood there waiting. The teen was quiet and stared back at Quinn although unwavering in his resolve to stay quiet and a thorn in Quinn's side as long as he remained as such. Thinking hard, the Forgemaster figured that taking him to the Otokage Mansion would have resulted in something but alas not much was being gained from walking the teenager around the village and such figured a better use of their times.

Grabbing the kid one more time that evening, they dragged him out to the Skybridge and sat him down next to them facing the sheer drop below them but seeing the starlight sky above. "Land of Sky." Quinn stated lovingly to the idea and concept of their country. The having enough finally broke and began to berate Quinn for all they had done that day. Beating him, kidnapping him, abusing him, and detaining him was unfair, and unjust, and should be against some law within the village. At which point Quinn asked why he quit. It was a simple question but it stopped the boy in his irate rage against the Forgemaster. Many people had asked him why he chose to quit but many more right after asked for him to not. There were no more words from Quinn as the two sat in silence for some time longer as the stars made their way across the sky.

The boy contemplated the decision and his justification and sat there, legs dangling on a bridge between two floating islands. His time as a genin consisted of dumb missions doing jack-all and minimal impact on the world at large. He had glory on his mind but did not have a chance to grow as others did and felt passed up, dismissed, and forgotten. Seeing Quinn, a star of the academy, being the one holding him hostage was even a larger insult to injury on this front to him. But seeing them sit there, silent, admitting they had issues and just asking him why, not pressing from him to return or otherwise floored his brain. He could not comprehend the fact that he was just being asked and nothing more at this moment. Giving a sigh, he thought long and hard about a response for him to give to Quinn but found nothing.

"Nothing is fine. No specific reason is too." Quinn broke the silence and left it at that. The boy looked up and tears formed on his face before gripping hard at the bridge's supports. Crying without a sound, the ex-shinobi found tears streaming down his face as Quinn pulled the teen closer into a side hug to let him know it was fine and okay for him to make the decision. "Was not my first choice. Becoming a shinobi. Did not have many options. Stuck where I was too even. Found success elsewhere. Keeping trying. Never gave up trying. As long as you try. Something. Anything. You are fine. It is okay. Okay to give up. Okay to resign. Do not let anyone think otherwise." They continued as the boy cried in Quinn's embrace on the Skybridge of Otogakure. Not many go this route let alone this late at night and gave the two enough peace with the stars as their only witness to this exchange.

The boy told Quinn his story of how he started and how it went. How he opted for not doing the Recital and how he wished he could have been like them. Gifted and talented with the drive to keep going whereas he would amount to nothing, that most would amount to nothing seeing a lot of the other genin that strutted around the village from Mubu's eccentricities to Harune's attitude. Seeing Tatsuya as the Otokage's son already as a genin versus someone like Zidane the brother Guren one of the leaders and founders of Otogakure. To seeing Hanzo, a busybody, who helped out wherever he could and continued to do more for the village no matter the task at hand, and Raikur as the dynamic one of the lightning duo under Kaito, the Otokage himself, who seemed to be probably one of Otogakure's best of the best.. There were many individuals left that he thought of even to Crom, Ronin, and Soma, who were individuals of rapport and excellence of their own skillsets.

Many could be compared to the Genin 9 of Otogakure and for this random boy, there was naught much else to do or accomplish. He was nothing in his own eyes against the ebb and flow of who stood at the top. Quinn gave him a reassuring squeeze as they discussed the hardships they encountered and faced and explained thoroughly that they too found difficulty in continuing some days. Being older came with its own difficulties as Quinn also established that there were days they had to forgo doing shinobi work to run their business or vice versa. It was a difficult task and one that someone should not be envious of. Their family had mostly left the business to them and as such a lot of the upkeep, products, and management came down to how well they could manage it alone. There was much to consider and Quinn left it at that for the boy.

Once things settled down, Quinn offered to walk him home, not drag him back either. The walk was quiet and silent and when they got off the bridge, the boy paused for a moment. He stared up at the sky and had a soft smile, the first smile in fact he had all day. To him though he was aware that there was not much of a smile left in him for weeks at this point, even at the festival. He had participated, wrote down his name, and did more to try to earn more tickets but still found that he could only claim a single item. He tried so hard for so long and it seemed like no one cared or noticed but hearing that Quinn did not judge him for quitting, one that he graduated with even, broke him a bit. He said he would think about what was said back on the bridge but he really did not know what to really think about at that time. Even as they walked, he was unsure and uncertain about what he was to do and bade Quinn goodnight once he made it home.

Walking back home, Quinn had a smile on their face as they knew what was going to happen. Realistically there were two options but Quinn had an inkling suspicion on which the ex-shinobi was going to choose. Their headband was still taught on their upper-left arm, the symbol of Otogakure was sporting colors under the emblazoned sky due to the stars. The sound of the village was filled with the sound of the night as Quinn made it home and went to bed, waiting to see the results of their work for that day when they woke up. Their morning routine remained uninterrupted as they made their way back to the academy, knowing the boy would be there once more and sure enough, Quinn was right on the money. There was a notable change however in his demeanor and attire. Upon his forehead and shiny clean Otogakure headband rested with the symbol proudly displayed. Quinn gave him a thumbs up and a smile as he reached for a hug. Patting him on the back Quinn whispered a couple of words, "I'm proud."

Leaving the boy to his own head at that point, Quinn went about their day and reported back to the Mission Center to explain what happened and that the 'ex-shinobi' was taken out by a proud Otogakure Shinobi and that he should not be causing any more issues or problems for the village or the academy. Once done with the report, the Forgemaster would look towards the bright morning sky and give it a thumbs up as they tapped on their own headband and let the world know that they were ready and prepared for whatever challenge was to come next on their plate.

WC: 2,066, TWC: 5,103 | Mission WC: 2,066 / 2,000

[Exit]

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