How to Win Friends and Influence People

Yukio wandered rather aimlessly around the Advanced Training Facility. It felt like he spent more time here than he did at home, nowadays. The brilliant noon sun blazed overhead and a light breeze filtered through the training yard. He continued to pick the same yard as always, because the back 3rd of the yard was densely packed forest. It looked a little out of place, if Yukio were being honest, given that he was inside the walls of a confined space, but it was clearly meant to be a representation of the forest surrounding the Village Hidden in the Leaves. From the forested area, the yard opened into a beautiful meadow. Foot high grass waved in the breeze and a smattering of wildflowers appeared throughout the open field. On the eastern edge, when looking at the yard with the forest oriented northward, was a small pond, around 15m in diameter. If it weren't meant to simulate a potential battlefield, it'd be the absolute perfect spot for a picnic. Yukio moved to sit in between the pond and forest, leaning back onto his hands and looking toward the sky, eyes closed, letting the sun beat down on his face. Tenshi was going to be joining him shortly, ostensibly to debrief from his punishment and perhaps even perform some training. Yukio hoped nothing was too awkward. If anything, he was exceedingly grateful to the Uchiha clan member for merely putting him into a genjutsu and killing him, rather than subjecting him to that fate in real life.

Yukio stayed like that, waiting on his friend to arrive. Who knew, maybe some others would join them as well?

---

WC: 275 | TWC: 275

'Another day another training sesh.' These words would exhaustedly play within the mind of Suraida Kiryu as he walked along the streets of the village towards his now "usual spot" these days due to all the work he was putting into his growth. While he could feel that his body had become pretty strong from the repetitious exercise he was putting it through, he couldn't help but feel that he was still lacking in terms of what he saw actual ninja of the village were capable of. Some were spitting out fireballs that crossed great distances and could explode in the most spectacular bursts of power, others could weave water to create dragon-shaped monsters that homed in on their targets as though chasing their prey, and others used immense strength and earth style jutsu to create big ass boulders that they would throw around hoping to crush their opponents. Speaking of which... Suraida couldn't help but feel that a couple of Shinobi were having a rather heated battle right on the rooftops of the village as one of them was using said earth style to create a big ass boulder that he tossed at his opponent... and missed. The boulder would drop down into the street and start rolling straight down the center of the road right towards Suraida as he turned to notice it.

Normally he would implement the three Cs when it comes to facing head on attacks. This, however, was a scenario he had never faced before except when watching it happen on that movie with the dude with the whip. Everyone that was on the street besides Suraida would side step out of the way of the boulder given how spacious said streets were but Suraida? He'd just start running. Thanks to the panic that was circulating within his mind his legs took control of his body and started propelling him forward down the street as the boulder continued roll and seemingly chase after him! The bizarre scene looked like something straight out of a cartoon as he was panting through his gritted teeth while putting everything he had into his legs to keep from getting flattened. 'Why are you running?!' his mind would scream at him. 'Just jump to the side!' His legs, however, didn't seem in the mood to listen to logic as he just kept running all the way to the advanced training facility.

Upon entering the field, the boulder swerving around trees as though something was steering it, Suraida ran towards the pond of water now knowing that the boulder was out to get him specifically. 'What the F did I do to you, you overgrown pebble?!' he shouted in his mind since his mouth was too scared to shout it out loud. He would focus his chakra into his feet as he ran across the pond as the boulder would also roll in as it's overbearing weight would clash with the water causing a power struggle between the two that lasted all of 0.5 seconds as the boulder would sink through the surface into the deep. Finally Suraida would have reason to stop running as he could feel his bravado getting the better of him and he laughed at the boulder. "Ha! Just like in rock, paper, scissors rock is always beaten by water!....... Wait." That would sound a lot cooler in his head though on the outside it was the lamest thing he could've said. It didn't matter now, however, as he collapsed onto his knees and allowed his legs to rest while panting in order to inhale the sweet oxygen all around him. 'Thank you, fate, for letting me born in a land surrounded by trees.' he thought to himself. 'Can't imagine I'd get air this clean in any other village.'

After that he would climb up to his feet and stretch his legs while looking at the sad rock now laying at the bottom of the lake. 'Well... I got a good leg workout in so thanks for that at least, you darn earth ninja.' He scratched his head in embarrassment as he looked around the field and noticed he wasn't alone. 'Oh great! Even more of an audience. As if I wasn't humiliated enough.' He walked over to a tree and set his pack he had brought down at it's base as he contemplated what form of training he was going to proceed to do next.

WC 739

Tenshi was casually walking through the streets of Konoha in the hot midday sun with his matcha flavoured ice cream as he wondered why he felt odd. It was as if he had forgotten about something important, something that he had needed to do, but the plan eluded him entirely. All he knew was that the ice cream he was devouring tasted delicious and that he would send anyone to the shadow realm if they dared disrupt his enjoyment of it. But there was SURELY nothing around that could do such a thing to him... right? He was proven wrong mere moments later, as the sound of confused shouts and screams echoed out closer and closer to Tenshi's location. "What in the- BOULDER!?" The large man barely got out of the way as some snot nosed, lanky fool barrelled past him, followed very closely by some wayward boulder that was hurling itself forward at maximum speed.

This would not have been an issue, but for one not so small detail. The man that had run past him had caused Tenshi to drop his ice cream, and that was a sin he could not forgive. Running at full speed, Tenshi hurtled after man and rock alike with rage and bloodlust pumping through his very veins. There would be hell to pay when he caught up with the man, assuming he was not crushed by the... boulder! That gave Tenshi a rather diabolical idea. With a malicious grin forming on his face, Tenshi ensured the he ran directly behind the large rock, using his Sharingan to follow its movements and ensuring that it continued on track towards the man. Every time it appeared to stray off course and hit a wall, he would give it a slight nudge to ensure that it went back on track and followed its potential prey.

This continued for longer than Tenshi had assumed it would, the fool seemed hell bent on running in a straight line, clearly having no brain function to simply get out of the way. Why the hell is he not simply stepping to the side? He thought to himself, although Tenshi seemed to be deliberately ignoring the fact that he was pushing the boulder closer and closer every chance he got, at this point no longer giving the man enough time or space to do it, even if he tried. Before he knew it, they had found themselves barrelling into the village's Advanced Training Facility.

Those that the trio passed by would look at the first man in confusion, then look at the boulder in horror, before finally looking at Tenshi with a mixture of both. Finally, it was time for the dangerous game to end, Tenshi would stop running and simply observe as the boulder chased the man onto a nearby pond, before it finally disappeared into the pristine water below it. He looked on in dismay as the man had sadly survived the encounter, before raising an eyebrow as he started making a ruckus and talking to himself, or at least talking to... the boulder?

He continued to watch as the man, somehow oblivious of most of his surroundings, made his way over to a nearby tree to do whatever it was the he planned on. Tenshi would not allow this to happen though. Still full of rage and grief over his fallen ice cream, the Uchiha would storm over to the man and grab him by the collar, in an attempt to lift him off the ground as he berated him.

"Who the hell do you think you are, you lanky little punk? Do you have any idea how much I was enjoying that ice cream? It was immaculate! Heavenly! Divine! A gift from the gods! And you RUINED it! I should rip your head off right now and take whatever little ryo you have to buy myself another! You know what? I think I'll do just that. Prepare yourself for- Oh, Yukio! I didn't see you there?" Tenshi's tirade was cut short when he saw the young Senju laying comfortably in the midday sun. Fancy seeing him here... Wait. Tenshi HAD forgotten something!

"Good to see that you're early for our training! This fool over here almost flattened me with a rogue boulder, I was just considering whether or not I should dismember him, or at least somewhat disfigure him, for it. But I guess our training takes priority." He would let go of the other man, dropping him to his feet (or ass) if he had managed to lift him into the air, before walking over to Yukio and preparing himself for the upcoming training session that he totally not forgotten about...

---

Meanwhile, outside the city of Konohagakure-no-Sato, within the village outskirts...


A brunette rustles beneath the covers of her bed sheets. She lets out a soft groan as she turns on her side and pulls the blankets over her head. The sun's rays peek through the curtains of her windows and shine upon her face. She groans again and tries to block out the light with her hands. "Five more minutes..." she murmurs to herself. The sound of birds chirping outside her window reaches her ears, but she ignores it in favor of trying to fall back asleep. However, something else catches her attention: the smell of freshly baked cookies wafting into her room from down the hallway. Her mouth starts to water at the thought of eating some of those delicious treats.

Finally, after another minute or two, she decides to get out of bed. She sits up, yawns, and stretches her arms above her head before standing up—being careful to maneuver around her little sister, Himari, and performing a series of calisthenics exercises, popping the tension between her sockets as short but quick bursts of relief wash over her form. Once finished, she heads towards the bathroom for a shower, brushing her teeth while waiting for hot water to fill up the tub. She strips off her night clothes and steps into the warm water, enjoying its soothing effects as it relaxes her muscles after a long night's rest. After washing herself thoroughly and rinsing off all soap suds from her body, she gets out of the tub and dries herself with a towel before heading back to her room to change into clean clothes.

Opening her closet, she picks out her usual outfit for the day: a short-sleeved, high-collared, black qipao-styled blouse overlayed by a long-sleeved, off-white, midriff shirt with maroon edges, maroon fingerless gloves, black spats overlayed by a pair of high-rise shorts, black, mesh, shin-high legwear with maroon trims, black sandals, and gray forearm sleeves. After putting on her clothes, she walks over to the mirror hanging on the wall opposite her bed and looks at herself in it. "Good enough," she mutters as she runs a hand through her long brown hair, reaching for the large scroll that sits beside her pillow and strapping it around her person along with her ninja holster at her right hip and right leg.

After tugging at the straps to test their secureness until she's satisfied with her getup, she leaves her bedroom and makes her way downstairs to the kitchen where her mother is busy baking away. "Morning Ma," Hisaki greets cheerfully, resting her elbows along the countertop. "Smelt ya cookin' up a storm in here and there's definitely no mistakin' it: you're bakin' cookies, ain'tcha?"

"Good morning, Hisaki," her mother replies back with a smile. "Yes, I am indeed making some cookies for later today. Would you like to help me finish baking the rest of them?"

Hisaki nods enthusiastically as she walks over to join her mother in the kitchen. She grabs a mixing bowl from one of the cupboards and places it on the countertop next to her mother before grabbing a whisk and spoon from their drawers respectively. After pouring some flour into the bowl, she begins stirring its contents together with the whisk while adding in other ingredients such as sugar and baking soda. Once done mixing everything together thoroughly, she sets down both utensils onto the countertop beside her and picks up another bowl filled with chocolate chips. She scoops out some of them and drops them into the mixture before stirring again.

"So... what are you planning on doing today?" Her mother asks curiously. "Anything exciting?"

"Not really," Hisaki answers honestly. "Just gonna head over to the Advanced Training Facility for a bit."

"Oh? What for?"

"Well, Himari wanted me to familiarize myself with the village more and visit a couple of places while I'm still here. Think she spent the good part of last night setting up something for me on the way there for this morning... Does she normally do those sorts of things for training? Seems a little strange to me, but you've known her longer than I have, so you know."

Her mother laughs softly at this. "Yes, well... She's always been quite ambitious when it comes to improving herself as a ninja since her time at the Academy. I might be the guilty party for instilling her with the habit, but it's served her well since. But anyway, it's good that she's taking the initiative to help you learn about our village, though. Are you planning on meeting anyone else today besides Himari?"

Hisaki shrugs nonchalantly. "I dunno yet, maybe? If they happen to be around then yeah, otherwise nope."

Her mother smiles at this before turning back towards her workstation. She grabs some cookie dough from one of the mixing bowls and begins shaping it into balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and flattening them accordingly. Once finished, she places the tray into an oven and sets its timer for twenty minutes.

"Alright, well... I'll leave you to it then," Hisaki says as she heads towards the front door. "See ya later, Ma! Love ya!"

"Be safe out there." Her mother calls after her before returning to her task at hand.

Hisaki opens up the front door and walks outside into the morning sun. The first thing that greets her is a... paper tag tied to a thin metal pole that's driven into the earth about five (5) meters away from where she's standing. Hisaki cocks up an eyebrow at it and immediately, the veins surrounding her eyes swell and bulge out from beneath her skin, her featureless, white orbs become a little more defined as they outline her pupils and irises. The world around her takes on a negative, inverted color as her vision renews with further clarity with a 360° view of her environment up to a radius of 100 meters. Scanning the tag, she finds no flow nor imprints of chakra supplanted onto the item.

'Must be Himari's doing,' she thinks to herself. 'Nearly gave me a heart attack, I genuinely thought someone had it out for us or something... Even though, who would? And why?'

She deactivates her dōjutsu, approaches the tag, and unwinds it from the metal pole. There's nothing on the front side until she flips it over and finds a note written in handwriting she identifies straight away from whom.

'Hisaki! I hope you don't mind that I left this here for you. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I figured that you'd find it eventually anyway since you're so good at finding things. Anyway, I left nine (9) more of these tags that should lead you to the Advanced Training Facility in Konoha. I tried making an obstacle course for you to make it a little more interesting while you get a high view of the village, with hints, too, so you don't get too lost! Hopefully, you make some really cool friends while you're there! Good luck! -Himari ♡'

Hisaki smiles warmly at the message before pocketing the tag. "Nine other tags, huh? Guessing if the first is anything to go by, I can't just cheat my way through it and use my Byakugan to find them. Good thinkin', sis'."

She begins walking forward toward where she believes is the direction of her next tag, keeping an eye out for any signs or clues that might help her locate it. As she walks along, she notices several different buildings and landmarks along the way. Some are familiar to her while others are completely new. She takes note of each one as she passes by them, making a mental note of where they are in relation to where she's heading. After a few minutes, she comes across another tag tied onto a metal pole driven into the earth about 10 meters away from her current position. This time, however, there isn't anything written on it except for a drawing of what appears to be a cat sitting atop a house with its tail curled around itself.

Hisaki cocks up an eyebrow at this before taking the tag off and flipping it over. On the backside is another message written in Himari's handwriting: 'You're doing great! Keep going straight until you reach the next tag!'

She pockets the tag and continues forward, following Himari's directions as best she can until she reaches another tag tied onto another metal pole driven into the ground approximately 20 meters ahead of where she currently stands. The tag is identical to the previous two, except that this one has a drawing of a dog standing on its hind legs with its tongue sticking out. Hisaki takes the tag off and reads the message written underneath: 'You're getting closer! Keep going straight until you reach the next tag!'

She pockets both tags and resumes walking toward her destination until she comes across another tag tied onto an abandoned building's porch railing approximately 30 meters away from where she currently stands. This time, there's no drawing on it and the message reads almost identical to the last. She removes it from the railing and pockets both tags and before she can continue on her way, she hears a faint yet weighty crash in the distance... then a low rumbling.




"An earthquake?" She asks no one in particular aloud, training her eyes on the source of the rumbling's location as she quickly activates her Byakugan. Within her given radius, she spies a... boulder? And it's hurdling towards someone! And behind said boulder is another... person? He looks like he's chasing the boulder with reckless abandon and would deliberately push the rolling stone to chase the person in front. "I've heard of pranks before, but this is a little much. I hope Himari can forgive me if I make a detour."

Hisaki bolts towards the commotion as she leaps onto a nearby building rooftop and continues sprinting toward her destination. As she draws nearer, she notices that both figures are getting closer to each other at an alarming rate, and judging by their movements, neither seems to be aware of their proximity or even aware of her presence. When the boulder goads the duo toward an unfamiliar facility, she quickly follows behind and dashes into the establishment without considering the fact that she's inadvertently arrived at her destination. When the person in front treads on the pond, the boulder follows and skids along the water's surface for a split second before subsequently drowning itself below. While the immediate danger has subsided, the person who chased the boulder gives him a mean earful. She didn't get a chance to see the events unfold as to what would've caused this, but the young man getting his ear chewed off seems apologetic enough about the circumstances.

Before the kunoichi moves in to intervene before things can get any uglier than they were moments ago, the older, red-headed man notes the presence of another who sits between the pond and the forest. Were the three of them acquainted with each other? Did they have a session together scheduled today? Maybe that'd explain the "outrage" earlier, maybe it's just how some guys bond with each other? Wait, is that even normal behavior? Anyway, now that she's here she may as well introduce herself and make her presence known.




"Uh, hey," She waves to the trio skittishly. "I saw the boulder earlier, you know, that's sunk in the pond and everything. Thought maybe I could've helped, but it seems fortune's favored you." She bobs her head with a smile toward the man with the rolled-up, long-sleeved jacket. He looks well enough, not showing any signs of sustained injury from the queer endeavor. "Ah, introductions, right." She performs a courteous bow before standing upright again. "Hyūga Hisaki," she salutes before the same hand gestures forward. "Nice ta meetcha!"

---

WC: 2,000
TWC: 2,000

Yukio sat in the sun, enjoying the pleasantness of the meadow when a low rumbling noise interrupted his serenity. He did his best to ignore it, assuming that the actions of shinobi one or two training areas over may have been getting a little rowdy. As the sound grew louder and appeared to be coming from in front of him, he opened his eyes to see the strangest thing (and he lived in a village of ninja wizards). A young man, although older than he was, was running for his life from a large boulder. He was sprinting his hardest in a straight line, despite he and this boulder entering into the training yard Yukio was occupying and having plenty of space to the left or right for him to dodge out of its way. ’Huh, it’s just like that one movie with the guy with the whip.’ Yukio pondered as he watched the spectacle unfold. He noticed the man and boulder in question were headed directly for the large pond just a few meters to his left. As they neared, he also noticed Tenshi behind the boulder, who appeared to be steering the boulder after him. ’Oh, that must be why he wouldn’t run to the side, cause Tenshi was keeping it after him. Just training then, nice.’ Leave it to the Uchiha to take a simple task like showing up the Advanced Training Facility to meet up with Yukio into a training opportunity for himself and whoever he was assisting. Just as the man leapt to enter the pond, Yukio formed the Snake hand seal and formed a half dome Wood Locking Wall between himself and the pond. No sense in getting soaking wet, after all. He heard the man splash into the pond, followed by a much larger splash a quarter of a second later, water splashing over the top of his wooden barricade, but none making onto the young Senju. He released the technique once the ruckus had quieted down and stared at the strange scene unfolding before him. Tenshi appeared to have been eating ice cream and this guy interrupted, causing Tenshi to drop his ice cream? Couldn’t he just buy some more? Yukio knew for certain his business was doing quite well. Tenshi was screaming at the man indignantly until he glanced in his direction and the two made eye contact.

”Er, hey Tenshi. Glad you could make it; I’ve got a bunch I’d like to go over with you.” Yukio stood and brushed himself off as he addressed the Uchiha clan member. ”Please, feel free to met out whatever punishment you’d like, s’kinda nice being on this side of it, ya know?” He chuckled at his joke as he walked over to the unknown man and stuck out his hand. ”I’m Senju Yukio, nice to meet you.” If the man took Yukio’s hand, he would help him stand up. Almost immediately upon his introduction of himself to the Brilliant Boulder Bolter, another new face introduced herself as Hyuga Hisaki.

”Nice to meet you Hisaki, I’m Senju Yukio. Do you know Himari? She’s the only other Hyuga I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. And, well, at the time, I was almost dead from a…training incident, but she really helped me out!” Yukio shook the Hyuga’s hand with a big grin on his face. A thought formed and quickly left his head. ’Why is everyone older than me?’

---

WC: 573 | TWC: 848

Things had just started to settle down for the ninja who had just escaped getting turned into a pancake from the stone that was now getting a bath from the pond. As he made his way over to the tree in order to set his pack down he could hear the sounds of footsteps heading his way as he turned to see some tall dude making his way towards him looking pissed. Suraida didn't know why the dude was after him in this way but he would use his keen reflexes to take a quick step to the side in order to dodge the attempt at a grab the man made. He wasn't a fool so he made sure he wouldn't sidestep straight into a tree or trip over/into something as he did so as he would gain distance from the muscle man who gave him an angry glare. "Uh... Nice to meet you, too?" he would say if the dude proceeded to move along with his speech or keep moving away if the unknown ninja decided to continue his pursuit. "Bro, I don't know what this is about but if I did something to offend you, I apologize. You can blame whoever threw that boulder into the street for turning your ice cream into Rocky Road. How's about I buy you two to compensate sometime and we can have a normal conversation like men?"

He didn't know if that would work but he made sure to keep his distance from the big man all the same as he would finally take notice that they weren't the only people there causing him to walk over to who he hoped would be an actual social person and hopefully provide back up against the dude... That was until he found out the two knew each other due to the big guy greeting this 'Yukio' fellow. 'Fate's not on my side today...' he thought to himself as he now knew he was surrounded. 'I'm not even all that developed as a ninja yet and already I'm running into enemies INSIDE my own damn village.' The two would shake hands, if it was still offered from Yukio, as Suraida kept his senses sharp. Immediately he could tell from them locking hands that this dude had a great deal of chakra inside of them same as he did which only put him more on guard. Who knows? Maybe one of these dudes threw the boulder at him and this was all a setup? "Nice to meet you, too." he would say as he took his hand away and set it in his pocket. "I'm Suraida Kiryu. So, listen, I wouldn't want to get in the way of you two's training so I'll just-"

He was just about to make a hasty retreat from the situation until he heard a feminine voice call out to them from a bit of a distance. She seemed to address the group, or rather Suraida himself, as she made her way over to them. As she got closer his senses would go on fire again as she, too, possessed an incredible amount of chakra. 'Well well...' he thought silently to himself as he gave a smile towards her. 'I'm currently surrounded by ninja clearly stronger than me... Not a good situation while we're all strangers.' He would try to keep calm as he interacted with her after she had bowed to them and gave her a kind wave. "Nice to meet you, too, Hisaki." he said calmly. "I'm Suraida Kiryu. Don't worry about the boulder situation. I'm quite alright. The only thing that seemed to be hurt by it was this dude and his ice cream." He gestured to the big guy while keeping an eye on him. "I'm very sorry for what happened to your ice cream. I hope you'll allow me to repay you for it the next time we're at the shop that sells them." Hopefully this interaction he had with everyone was going to end in an amicable way.

WC 674
TWC 1,413

Upon seeing and greeting Yukio, Tenshi had completely disregarded the other random man that he had nearly murdered. He chuckled when the young Senju made his “joke” about punishing the other guy in whatever way he wanted, it seemed as if their prior lesson had definitely stuck with him. Tenshi was glad to know that there seemed to be no hard feelings between the two of them, the older Genin had never informed him that it was Tenshi himself who requested to be the one to punish Yukio. Not out of spite or ill will, but because he was concerned that some of the other powerful members in the village would not have taken him on so… gently.

Yukio then went over to introduce himself to Tenshi’s almost victim, showing a kindness that the Uchiha was not exactly resonating with at the moment. Apparently his name was Kiryu, and it appeared that he was definitely a bit shaken up following their encounter. Whether that was due to his near death experience with either Tenshi or the boulder, he did not know. It may have been a mixture of the two after all. Before Tenshi himself could say anything, another individual decided to introduce herself, it was funny how people kept popping up out of thin air in this village.

Turning to look, Tenshi instinctively let out a “Himari?” Before quickly shaking his head and realised that this was a completely different person. “Oh, I must have mistaken you for someone else. My name is Tenshi Uchiha, Genin and owner of TenSeals, The best deals for seals and all that.” He would give Hisaki a polite nod, before giving Kiryu a far more curt one. It seemed as if there was quite a motley crew forming now. Tenshi would give Kiryu a rather dangerous looking side eye when he commented on Tenshi and his ice cream being hurt, but decided to let it go this time. “If you plan on repaying me for it, I’ll take two.”

Looking around at the three other Genin around him, it appeared to Tenshi that everyone here was planning on training in some way, it gave him an idea. “Well, we are all here and likely looking to increase our skills. Yukio and I were planning on getting some training in, the two of you are welcome to join us if you would like. My training is very welcoming to newcomers, most of the time you get out unscathed.” He chuckled slightly as he said this, knowing that Yukio was likely sighing in some form of trauma.

“There were a few interesting techniques that you performed in our last encounter that interested me greatly. The Sea of Trees, Wood Armour and whatever that Water Release technique was. I can also teach you anything you would like to know. The extends to the both of you as well, I have been around here for some time, so feel free to ask if you have any questions, Shinobi tend to learn things faster when taught by another.”

---

In truth, Hisaki likes the energy the trio radiate just from the first impressions they give off individually: first of whom to greet her is Senju Yukio, who—when he proffers his hand to shake hers in return to which the aspiring kunoichi holds not firmly, as she would reflexively, but with gentle motion as though she would fear to cause injury to it otherwise—appears to be a young man of relative height and build with medium-length brown hair and blue eyes. He seems kind enough. She briefly recalls a boy of a similar description that Himari regaled her during her ninja career while on an errand run for their Ma.

Nevertheless, she answers his question after his introduction saying, "Ah, Little Himi? She's actually my little sister, believe it or not," her arms akimbo with her hands at her hips, smiling. "I know the family resemblance isn't exactly striking, but genes have a way of surprising some of us. But, yeah about that. She's told me once that she helped someone she called, 'Nokino Onee-san', and a sparring buddy of hers got into a rather life-threatening situation that she helped. And ya seem to fit the bill from the story, so I oughta thank her that I get this chance to meet ya in person myself. It's a pleasure to meet ya, Senju-san."

Then there's Kiryu Suraida, in contrast to Yukio, Suraida possesses a more mature figure and build than his colleague. And a towering form, he's at least a whole head higher than she is. Sporting the same hair and eye color, his overall attire is just as casual in design, but she feels an 'easy-going-ness' from him. She doesn't recall any stories involving him in Himari's tales, but perhaps this can be a moment for her to tell a story of her own when she gets back as a reciprocity. He seems friendly enough. "It's good to hear you're fine, then. It's a pleasure to meet ya also, Kiryu-san. I hope we get along well, together."

Then there's Uchiha Tenshi, and Hisaki thought she'd seen it all with Himari being as absurdly muscular as she is, given her age. This man's an absolute brick shithouse of a man with far more muscle than she thought even possible for the human body to achieve, at least naturally. But given the state of what shinobi can do, it's not outside the realm of possibility. With red, medium-length hair that rests at his nape, a pair of sunset-orange orbs, and a tanned complexion, Hisaki almost feels a little intimidated by his presence until he voices a familiar name.

"Oh," she appends. "I guess that proves I share some likeness to my sister, after all... Yeah, I've heard a great deal about ya, Tenshi, Little Himi told me you're a man of many talents and owner of the famed 'TenSeals' shop, I believe? I oughta visit sometime, she's a nasty sparring buddy with those on 'er, it's crazy. But, it's a pleasure to meet ya also." She listens to the rest of his spiel, even offering to invite herself and Suraida to train together to hone their skills and increase the size of their arsenal of Jutsu.

"'Mostly unscathed'?" She echoes. "Sounds more like a challenge to me than a proposition, but I'm game. Although, I don't think there's much for me to learn at the moment as is, since I've received most of what I know from Himari already. But, I wouldn't be opposed to the proposition of learning any valuable skills ya may know. For what it's worth to gauge what ya think is possible for me to learn or not, my chakra reserves and strength aren't exactly my strongest suit, but I was told by Little Himi that I've got excellent chakra control and incredible speed. I'm reasonably familiar with Taijutsu—no surprise there given my heritage—but I'd be lying if I said I knew any of the other disciplines beyond the basics."

She taps her chin, a pensive expression on her countenance. "I'm sure Himari would appreciate it if she could have someone else to train with besides me, especially since I'm not exactly a challenge for her anymore. But, yeah, that's all I got for ya."

---

WC: 712
TWC: 2,712

Yukio smiled as Hisaki continued introducing herself to the others, and once she agreed to participate in their training, he turned to Tenshi. "Excellent! There's a ton of stuff I wanted to talk with you about too Tenshi. I'd be happy to show you the Sea of Trees and Wood Armor techniques, those are easy! First though, how did you even get access to Mokuton? You aren't a Senju! What the heck!?" Yukio was clearly excited, as his speech and gesticulations increased in speed and ferocity as he continued. "And how did you master the Wood Human technique so well! It took me ages to discover that I can use the wood techniques with just a single handseal, which I guess makes me a Senju Progenitor or something? I don't know, I was mostly just excited that I could cast them faster. But I wanna learn how to master that technique for sure! Have you heard of the Bliss Bringing Hands technique? I was practicing it on my own but never quite got it down where I wanted, would you be able to help with that?" Inhale. "Speaking of mastery, have you heard of this rare ability for shinobi to master even MORE techniques then they normally can?! It'd be wicked to see if I could do that too! Oh, you said you wanted to see the Curse Mark in action, I guess I can show you now!" Yukio pauses in his ceaseless excitement and flexes his chakra a small amount, activating his Curse Mark Seal. It does not dawn on Yukio, however, that performing such a drastic Sage technique in front of two brand new people he has never met before may cause a bit of alarm and shock.

Eh, oh well.

His skin darkens to a gray-blue tint, his eyes turn black with golden irises. Over the bridge of his nose, between his eyebrows, and across his forehead a black tattoo forms, a stylized tree with roots and branches extending to nearly encircle his eyes. The most shocking change, however, are the 5m (16.5 feet) long appendages that burst forth from his back, each as thick as an arm and writhing with intent and will of their own. A careful observer would see that Yukio's clothing has been altered to accommodate these...vines so that his garments aren't destroyed upon their use. "Well, what do you think?" The timbre of his voice has changed in a subtle, off-putting way, as if a second voice were speaking in a slightly lower register. "The seal is super powerful! I am still learning how to use these...well, I just call them vines, cause saying tentacles is kind of gross, but I'm positive they will be awesome! And the seal gives me a ton more energy and chakra (+90 to Vigor and Chakra) too! Here, I'll show you, check this out!" The young Senju forms a single Snake hand seal and from the ground a forest erupts as he activates his Nativity of a Sea of Trees technique. The trees form quickly , with a speed, power, and health of 145, they are vibrant and full of life, so much so that even a lay person would look at them in wonder. The grin on Yukio's face is one of pure joy, and for those watching, they glimpse child-like glee coming from the young shinobi. Yukio truly, deeply loves creating life. Forming his chakra and producing something magnificent is a never-ending pleasure to the young man, and that it can serve and protect his village and comrades is simply a bonus. "That's the Sea of Trees! I know there's a way to go beyond even this, I'm sure of it. For now, these trees are not permanent, they turn to dust like most chakra creations do after a certain period, but I know," This word is said with conviction, as if it is a universal truth, "there is a way to make real life with this, to make trees that exist permanently. I'll get there soon." Yukio trails off, looking at the trees he's just formed with a sense of longing. He snaps back to himself quickly, a visible shift forming over his countenance. "Anyway! This technique requires quite a bit of chakra molding, but I'm sure someone with the Sharingan like yourself can master it in no time!" Yukio proceeds to explain in painstaking detail the intricacies and nuances of Mokuton release and its utilization for the Sea of Trees technique to Tenshi. He might not be the greatest shinobi (yet!) but he knows how his Kekkai Genkai works and his happy to share it with his friend.

---

WC: 776 | TWC: 1,624

+90 Vigor and Chakra from Curse Mark Transformation (2nd Stage), -50AP to activate
-50AP for Nativity of a Sea of Trees
1,900AP remaining

'Well then...' Suraida thought to himself as the big dude seemed to not want to continue their little row as they stood beside Yukio. It seemed that, even though the dude was clearly angry, he was willing to let things go if Suraida could provide two ice creams. 'At least we're making progress.' "Sounds good to me." he said to the ninja with the sweet tooth with a smile. "We can make a visit there whenever you want. Who knows? Maybe we'll run into the dudes who created that boulder to begin with and you can have your revenge then." He shrugged at the suggestion, hoping to get some kind of positive gesture from the guy, although judging from his overall attitude he could tell that was probably a next to impossible thing to do. That was until he brought up training and said that most people got out 'unscathed' and gave a few goddamn chuckles as he did so. Yep. Not suspicious at all. "I'm not much in the mood to get into training with you after what happened earlier." he said honestly while putting his hands in his pockets and looking over at the lake where the boulder now laid. "With your temper it would shock me more if you wound up NOT putting me in the hospital."

Earlier, however, Suraida had heard a bit of interesting information from the girl of the group as she dropped Nokino's name. 'Nokino onii-san?' he thought to himself as his eyes narrowed in confusion. 'You mean she's a guy...? That explains so much.' The conversation would soon be taken over by Yukio, however, as he started talking about 'wood style' and 'curse mark'. Given that he had learned in history classes in the academy that the founder of the village used wood style he was aware there were those in the village who could utilize it themselves. This 'curse mark', however, was something he had never heard of before as he soon watched the dude transform into a completely different person with vines sprouting out his back. 'Oh wow...' he thought to himself as he just stood there nodding silently with a deadpan expression. 'His chakra has certainly grown quite a bit but... that's quite a downside in that he has to turn into one ugly mutha-' His thoughts were then interrupted by the dude bringing a hand sign up as all around them trees started quickly forming around them, fortunately not hitting anyone in the process as they did so, this time actually startling Suraida as he they grew so quickly it was over in the blink of his eye.

When all was said and done the four were standing in the midst of the forest, the shadows of the new trees and their leaves engulfing them, as Suraida did his best to calm himself in order to act as though this Jack and his set of beanstalks didn't just give him a fright. Originally he had thought he was quite a strong individual in the chakra department himself but this just proved that there was always going to be those much more powerful than himself. 'Ok so these trees shouldn't stick around...' he thought to himself as the maniac described the technique in saying that the trees would turn to dust soon. 'So he put holes and craters all over this nice field just to prove a point?' He sighed as he scratched his head and looked around his surroundings while wondering if he should beat a quick retreat and not get involved in more of this madness. Then again he couldn't help but think that hanging around these guys might help him to learn something from them.

WC 619
TWC 2,032