Fast times at Kirigakure Academy

Missions:

Kai wandered down the main path to the academy and striding confidently as he walked filtering the plethora of scents. It seemed an arbitrary requirement to introduce himself and fill in the prescribed form, after all, Kai must have filled in the damned thing more than 20 times over the years he had spent trying to pass the exam. Kai knew what the questions would be and had already prepared his answers, hiding a copy of them in a false top layer of the teachers desks drawer. In every room where he conceived the exam might take place. The false layer was barely detectable even to his enhanced tactile awareness and he wandered in at the dead of night on occasion to check they had not been discovered.

The questions almost always answered in precisely the same way though Kai took care in writing the words carefully, he had learned to write with repetition of the movements and could read from some paper by feeling the increased thickness of the ink through his finger tips and calculating the words written. This was not as effective in a hurry however and he had failed the first few attempt just by taking too long to figure out all of the questions and running out of time. He had been offered an aide to assist and read the questions for him but Kai refused. Enemies would not hesitate or offer assistance to him when in battle and Kai refused to lean on any crutch, advantage or easier treatment. He was determined to succeed by his own merit or fail again. In Kai’s mind every failure simply drove him further on his path and he still had a long way to go.

Kai entered the Academy and was directed to the welcome orientation was taking place him and he followed he headed there with precise and balanced steps, allowing his long legs to devour the distance easily. He noted each creak and groan of the boards beneath his feet and noted that one would shortly need replacement soon as he heard the tell tale signs of a nail sliding from the wood below.

He entered the class and waited for his turn, walking to the front the contemplative steps, his bright pink haori standing out vividly against the backdrop of the classes neutral toned wall. “My name is Kai and I have been attending the Academy for several years in order to finally pass the genin exam and become a ninja of the hidden mist. I aim to train and grow stronger with the goal of becoming a hunter nin. To achieve this I intend to focus on fighting with weaponry and using sensory skills to supplement my, …unique attributes. I believe that an iron resolve is the most important thing for a ninja and I am resolved to die rather than fail in my goals, as such I will serve to the best of my ability in all things, my numerous failures to pass the exam are evidence of my resolve and steadfastness in pursuit of my goal and I will not shy away from making hard choices. I don’t think I missed anything? Oh yes, the Hunter-nin are a special black ops unit that trains specifically seek out and to capture or destroy missing nin from the village and to prevent the escape of our villages secret techniques and knowledge from spreading to the other villages. I look forward to working with you all.”

Kai held the paper in his hand and tore it up in front of the teacher before banging his fist on the desk. “You will find my report in the locked draw of the desk.” Kai walked away as the teacher checked the drawer and would find his report with the fallen false compartment. “Not precisely in the spirit of the test but executed well and shows good attention to detail and planning at the very least. You get a pass again, but you are running out of new methods.”

Kai shrugged and returned to his seat, allowing the wash of sensations to flow over him as he interpreted the minutia of each of his senses, forming a mental picture of the area around, beneath and above him that was entirely devoid of colour.

WC: 717 TWC 717 TMWC: 717/1500

It was time now, time to start his official journey through the ranks of the Shinobi. There was only so long he could stay as a Student without even attending class, In fact he had missed many of the introduction lessons, not wanting to be put out of place by the other students almost half his age. It felt weird to be so far behind, Jiraijin heard about how fast his siblings were able to fly through the Academy and here he was - on his first day trying to accomplish something he should already know. Lesson one, introduce himself.

So when he got to the school it was the first thing he did. His eyes met with the teacher at the front and he was guided in. ”Nice of you to finally join us, Jiraijin.” one teacher, his own, nodded to him as he came in. He began to speak about how much he had missed but he shook his hand vaguely in his direction and came into class. As expected, most were younger students taking their first steps into their future.

Once at the class, he came in as another student was speaking, introducing himself as Kai. Jiraijin used the distraction to make his way to an empty desk, the teacher didn’t even bat an eye, so he thought he got away with it. After some theatrics, it was told that the paperwork was already in the desk. ”Damn - I didn’t even see him do that.” after Kai and one other was done the teacher returned to the front of the class with a match.

”Alright class, thank you thank you. Nice and early. All look awake and got some breakfast. Today, maybe a bit late, but we have a new student. I’ll allow him to introduce himself to the class. As always - be respectful and allow him to talk.” the teacher was a balding man, but his Chuunin vest was neatly folded, creases in his clothes were exactly where they were supposed to be. The weapon sheathed at his belt looked like it was cleaned just that morning, boots were a heavy matte black and even the leather sheath and pockets were polished a dull black, he was regimental that was sure. A large scar decorated his face, three lines, deep but naturally healed. His right eye was a dull grey but it moved with his other, either he was blinded or he was lucky to retain some usage of it.

The rest of the class had nothing really of note. Most students were clearly from either tiny or non-existent clans; he recognised one or two tell-tale signs of other clans but no other Hozuki. It was the same for his siblings, they made good showings of their skills and didn’t have others to have to compete with within their own clans, he was afforded the same blessing. ”I am Jiraijin of the Hozuki clan, my siblings both attended here in previous years. I’m an older student, but that doesn’t make me behind. I am glad to be afforded this opportunity and I hope to pay back in kind the time I am given here.” his speech was short but to the point, he saw giggling at the back of the class but he made a great effort to ignore it. Though he narrowed his eyes and likely made an effort to make sure that these assholes would forever be his mortal enemy.

”I’m at the Academy to learn the refine the basics and start myself down the path to greatness. I want to become as proficient with a blade as I am with Water Release. By being here I want to learn how to be a successful Ninja, learn how to track and hunt, I want to know how to make a name for myself.” he seemed to appear frustrated at the lack of self restraint shown by those at the back not taking it seriously  he continued anyway.

”Investing in me is a guaranteed return. I will serve this village with my life, and make no mistake I do not give that promise lightly. My blade belongs here - and I rue the day anyone tries to move it.” He took a step away and sat back down at his desk, the teacher nodded, then opened his palm upwards, his face was one of someone who was about to ask a question. ”And the Hunter-Nin?”

Jiraijin would have rolled his eyes if his weren’t being drilled into themselves. ”Every kids dream.” he made the blunt but true statement, the teacher pondered for a moment, clearly in thought. He nodded gently and then returned to teaching the class. The interrogation was over, but he still had to get the report into the desk without being caught.  But that came much later, towards the end of the class. Instead of others who either rushed or tried difficult yet tactical approaches, he simply blended into the crowd and slipped the report in. Easy.

With the class over he would walk out. Apparently next class here would be a field trip, how exciting.

WC: 856

Kai followed his class mates to the next training area located in the centre of a field and waited calmly for the lesson to begin. Kai felt the shift in the earth beneath him several moments before the walls of earth shot up from the ground, he used those moments to turn his body so as to turn his body at a side profile to keep himself clear of the lines he could feel forming around him in the ground. Kai struck a wall with his open hand before bringing it close to his eyeless face. He shifted through the scent and rubbed the residue beneath his fingers before tasting the dirt, confirming the wall was indeed made of earth. Shortly after he began hearing the screams of fellow classmates and smelled the increased moisture in the air which was easily recognisable as some kind of thick mist.

He placed his right hand on the earthen wall and began jogging along, barely allowing his hand to lose contact, that was often the secret to mazes and he internally counted his steps and memorised the route he had taken just as surely as he did every day whilst travelling through the village. Every few seconds he issued a clicking noise using the his tongue on the roof of his mouth and trusting his enhanced hearing to detect any approaching walls or hidden turns as he navigated the maze at a relatively quick pace. When coming to a turn he always chose the route that smelled less strongly of mist and for the large part ignored the screaming. His nightmares were far worse than whatever his instructors had decided and his unique skills allowed him to have relatively unimpeded internal ‘vision’ of the area around him for a good distance.

Kai was confirmed by the knowledge that whatever advantage the mist might provide the caster would not affect him and his enhanced senses, in fact he would more easily sense approaching enemies or weapons in the thick mist and it was his favourite type of weather outside of actual rain. Kai continued to traverse the maze, keeping clear of the supposed threats lurking within as well as ignoring any class mates that fell behind or locked up in fear. He understood fear and felt it many times before he learned to accept his destiny and made the determination to place his life on the line each day if required. Kai figured that if he considered himself already dead then what did he have to worry about? The realisation had transformed his outlook on live and drove him always forwards.

He soon found himself out of the maze and moved towards the edge of the field, standing in a neutral stance and focusing on his senses, extending them to his utmost focus around him. It was not quite that he could see people as much as he made silhouettes from the shapes his senses detected, forming rough height and build based on the weight of each footfall and balance of the body, the soft barely audible clinking of equipment or rubbing sound of clothing painted an image for him. People to Kai were masses of grey shadows, flickering inside his head as he moved. In Kai’s head he was always at the centre of the circle he stood within, the only thing of colour he pictured was the emblem of his clan extending him around him. At least it was what he believed to be the correct colour of his emblem. The shape was easy to confirm, sewed into his clothing he could feel the precise shape, but he had to rely on old memories for the colour. He thought it matched the colour of the woman’s hair he remembered but wondered if perhaps in his mind it too had faded as memories so often did.

Several more students made it out of the maze and Kai appraised them, judging them by the speed of their breath and the sickly smell of sweat that he could almost taste mingling with the air. It was not difficult to detect the signs of fear, if there was no excessive smell but a raised heartbeat and slight trembling then this often-indicated excitement. Kai focused more on this figures than the rest as he felt they would be the most likely to move forwards. Fear was weakness to be overcome and he had little interest in those that succumbed to it.

WC: 745 TWC:1,462 TMWC: 2,318/1500 - requirement reached

Ichikai failed the last time that she was here, a young Kunoichi, aged nine. According to the parental reports that Ichikai could not even remember she was a timid and unruly child, the young girl couldn’t throw a Shuriken or knead chakra into a weapon, simply put as a Kunoichi she would be useless. The recommendation for her was to return home and live her life as a commoner, an Uchiha who would serve the village in different ways than most of others.

All that she remembered however was how belittled she felt by her family and peers, those who had gone on to have great careers and some, naturally, who died along the way. Ichikai simply faded from memory, that kid who never made it.

She stood at the entrance to the Academy, the emotional trauma of failure boiled within her. Ichikai felt like her actual soul was aflame. She fought back the tears that filled her eyes, Ichikai dropped her head in what seemed to be a bow. Instead she was centering herself, she was not the same person who came here almost 9 years ago. Ichikai, despite not having awakened her eyes just like the generations before her, was stronger now. She had no techniques and her raw potential was limited, but Ichikai had a thirst to develop, to break the mould.

”I can do this.”

The classroom was exactly how Ichikai remembered it, but everything seemed a lot smaller. The Kunoichi took a number of steps forward to take a seat towards the back of the class, shifting between the students. The class started soon after, the teacher at the start had conversations with some students but largely allowed the class to talk about themselves, two of the students stood out for her. A pink haired and, perhaps blind student near her own age with a flowery haori. His name was Kai, he was very tall. And then another, a silver haired student, tall but lesser than the student Kai. His name was Jiraijin. Ichikai made a mental note of both of their names, they would be how Ichikai could mark her own performance against.

Next up was Ichikai, who had listened to the others and had gotten a good idea of what was being asked of them. She stood in place, not going to the front but looking around. Ichikai tried to make eye contact with as many people as she could, Ichikai was not afraid of public speaking and embraced the challenge it proposed. She was eloquent and confident, but not cocky.


”My name is Ichikai Uchiha. This is my second go around at the Academy, I am proficient in natural remedies, working with my mother since I left here.”

The first question was the easiest, it was more difficult to explain why she was here and what benefit Kirigakure would get from her. She paused for a moment so the information she said could be taken onboard.

”Why I am here and what I want to learn go hand and hand. My intention here is to serve Kirigakure and to find a purpose in my life. To bring glory to the Uchiha. Finally the Hunter-Nin, they are a special branch of the Anbu whose sole purpose is to hunt down, murder and destroy evidence of Missing-Ninja.”

Ichikai, not knowing how she was going to answer many of the questions had to wait until after the introductions to submit the reports with her findings, choosing a opportune moment when another student had submitted their own report, she watched the patterns that the teacher had taken when talking and discussing with students. It was likely intentional to give the students a chance to submit the reports. When the pattern was clear Ichikai was able to submit the report under another student's own nose as well, they nearly yelped out of surprise however Ichikai was able to cover the kids mouth and put her finger to her lips in a ‘Shh’ motion.


The following day was much like the first, different only in the fact that today they were on a field trip. Ichikai made an effort to try and start conversations with other students, in particular the two that were the most interesting. Today she choose Jiraijin, walking closely next to him.

”Hi, we met yesterday? I’m surprised to see other students here near our age. Thought I might be the only one… what do you think of Kai?”

It was certainly awkward without intending to be. Ichikai pushed her glasses up and put her hand out to shake the other students if he took it, shortly after they arrived at their destination. An empty field, this made her rise an eyebrow, it was certainly suspicious on its own. Let alone that they stopped here. Before Ichikai could even ask a question about where they were, the ground rumbled from beneath them all. Ichikai looked downwards and underneath her the ground pushed upwards, the face of rock was tough and clearly enhanced with Chakra. She stayed atop it, noting it was blunt instead of a sharp rock.

Other students hadn’t done similar, others looked confused. But from behind a small group of three students she saw the flood of mist cascading towards them, it bellowed towards them. Silence was replaced with screams whenever someone was swallowed by the mist.

”It’s a maze! Don’t let the mist touch you!”

The sound of shouts and rumbling each as the sections moved with each other drowned out her words, she was thankful she was above the maze however. Jiraijin was nowhere to be seen despite them being near each other, on the other hand she could see the other student, Kai, calmly making his way out of the maze in the distance. The calmness gave her solace, so she jumped over each gap between the walls and followed him out. Being calm in the madness made the mission easy. Others who freaked out at the first sign of trouble would find this considerably harder.

Ichikai came to the end of the maze and dropped down, landing near the students who had already gotten out. She looked at Kai, his indifference was interesting. She was right, he would be one of those she would have to mark her progres against.

”It’s concerning how many people have struggled, right? My names Ichikai.”

She introduced herself to the other student Kai, not knowing if he would know it was her when they hadnt ever met before. She turned around anyway and looked back to the maze, wondering how many would actually get out. She didnt remember any of her lessons as a child being like this.

|WC| 1116   |TWC| 1116

Kai stood apart from the maze, he had been vaguely aware of someone following a short distance behind whilst navigating the maze but he had largely ignored the other students and knew that they were not travelling with the mist. When he heard the voice he turned his face towards the would be Kunoichi, cocking his head slightly as he ran the voice through the catalogue of names in his head, staring at the girl with an eyeless face with a mass of scars where his eyes should have been. Up close it would become clear he was indeed blind. He filtered through his senses and realized no one else was near enough for her to be talking to and that she was addressing him. “Ichikai Uchiha. I remember, from the lesson yesterday. And from before”

A smile tugged at his lips and he gave a slight nod in recognition of the other student. "I remember your first attempt did not go so well either. I have failed continuously these past years so I have no place to judge them to harshly. Many of the worst students have already mastered what I cannot seem to grasp. We all have are weaknesses.” He turned his face away slightly towards the maze, knowing that many found it uncomfortable to look at the scars for too long.

“That’s being said, it is a little disheartening to see so many give into panic and fear, but then I suppose that is the purpose of the lesson after all.” He cocked his head again and asked a question directly, curiosity clear in his voice. “You quit before, but now you have returned. I do not wish to offend you directly but you spoke of making the Uchiha proud and serving the village, but what is it you want for yourself at the end of this arduous journey?” He awaited a response with a smile that was somewhat unsettling and enigmatic without eyes to confirm whether it was a real smile or not.

WC: 337 TWC 1,799 TMWC: Requirement met/1500

The morning arose quicker than he remembered falling asleep, the evening had kept him up, nighttime bleeding into the early sunrise, anxiety had gripped him deeply over the first lessons. He had made no friends and probably came off arrogant, the most important aspect of being an effective shinobi was to have those to rely on, perhaps he was over thinking the ordeal - it was the first class, there was plenty of time to make those bonds if he dedicated some time to it, Jiraijin’s impatience was clear - always expecting results to be immediate, it was probably why he was shit at fishing and couldn’t last long on his fathers ships. Jiraijin washed his face with warm water and wiped the condensation from the mirror, taking in his own facial features. No scars, perfectly smooth skin, not the features of a legendary warrior. ”Tsk.

His memory of the day before flooded through his mind whilst he was making his way back to the Academy for the second day. As normal he took an alternative route, making sure he wasn't being followed and also to stay away from pickpockets on the ground level. It only took the one petty theft to be informed, his coin purse was attached to his belt but contained simple nickel discs, his true coins sat within his outfit, tucked in by his chest. Even then he only carried enough to buy some basic supplies.

Due to his bad time management skills, combined with his  efforts at extracurricular training he would arrive just as the class were leaving for the days field trip, on his back was a small satchel with food and two larger waterskins of water, enough to get him through a couple of hours atleast. ”You’re late!” the burly and bald teacher called to him, pointing a meaty sausage finger right at him. Jiraijin gritted his teeth, his incisors would cut his lip if he did that instead. Under his breath he swore the teacher out, but instead he jumped down and bowed.

”Sorry Boss - Was caught up holding an old lady cross the bridge.” He lied, joining with the back of the group and in line with the others, he avoided people for the most part - they were all weaklings to him, not arrogance, but determination. Maybe it was his encounter with the Uchiha Genin who appeared less qualified than even him. The teacher shook his head, disappointed but no proof to suggest otherwise, it wasn’t as if he was known to be a liar, he hated liars - but a little white lie was surely acceptable.

Another student appeared alongside him, he caught her scent before he saw her, his head twisted slightly to look at her. That was the Uchiha, she had been in the same class as him the day before, she looked closer to his age than the others were. When she spoke he shrugged his shoulders,”don’t overthink it - lots fail every year, year on year I’m sure. Or some just come late like me.” he seemed nonchalant for the most part, ”Kai - the pink haired guy - Don’t know him, what can I say.”. he was ready to ask why, but before he could they arrived at the area.

”Shit joke boss, field trip to a trip. Glad I brought a sandwich.” he spoke to himself, not wanting to make to much fuss. As always, he looked around to monitor other students, some kids looked confused, Ichikai looked like something had flagged for her and that Kai guy seemed to shuffle out of the way. Suddenly he felt something creeping below, a beast? Some Genjutsu trick? When would he have been caught anyway?

The answer came shortly after, a column of earth broke the ground and a wall of thick earth appeared before him. He was divided from some of the other students, leaving him with one other. A younger girl who looked concerned, shaking with nerves. ”Tsk. pull yourself together girl, this is probably part of todays lesson.” he looked unbothered by the change in circumstances, he heard another shout and turned. Atop a column of earth was Ichikai, she had managed to scale it apparently. Either using the wall walking technique or had been lucky enough to be propelled upwards by the actual column. She shouted about avoiding the mist. ”What mist…. he was answered immediately by the young girl, who screamed at figures in the mist, they looked like demons, contouring and bending in ways that remained inhuman.

”Disgusting. his hands formed the handseals, Tiger -> Boar -> Snake which formed a handful of Shuriken, seemingly from no-where, part of his bloodline ability. They flew outward with impressive speed, curved at an angle towards the demons. The mist swirled around the Shuriken and disappeared into the distance, not hitting anything. ”What?” he seemed confused, realising that they couldn’t fight against these - were they real, he thought about his own mastered technique - mist servant, could this be like that? Potentially. He decided that getting out of here was likely more important than anything else, to show off his decision making skills and ability to perform under pressure.

It was that or they were legitimately under attack, which would mean death anyway for the most of them. Being a glass half full kinda guy he decided to make his way out, he went to grab the girl with him but she dropped to her knees, a scream bellowing from her mouth. The mist wrapped around her wrist, Jiraijin performed another handseal, Tiger -> Snake -> Rat and from his mouth came a steady stream of water, it flew upwards forming a wall of water between her and the mist, cutting her off from its embrace. The screams instantly stopped, ”C’mon girl let’s get out of here.” he didn’t even remember her name, but he still wouldn’t leave anyone behind.

The mist crept up behind, cutting off areas to escape where they had been already, it meant that the pair had to keep moving onwards and every decision mattered. It felt drastic, almost impossible to be caught by bad luck but whichever way they went felt like the right way, he considered that this maze was being controlled still, which meant that it could be influenced to block people off or allow them through. Finally they got to the outer edge of the maze, he could smell the clear air the other side - the boggy and water-logged air this side would got most be insufferable.

His back was to the wall, with the younger girl behind him. She performed basic wind Jutsu to push back the mist, but like a torrent of sea water it kept washing back, stronger each time. ”Kid get over the fucking wall, I’ll cover you.”. Jiraijin gave her a leg boost up and she flew over the top. This left just him, the tension of mist was lapping at him, almost touching his skin. It was like a living weapon too, a spear lunged and he dodged it just in time, the earth behind him broke slightly - giving him a handhold.

Once again the mist swung for him, but this time he ducked, grabbed the new handhold and pulled himself up, his hands grasped at the top and he was clear from the maze. Behind him were the students who made it, the others still screamed within the maze. ”Easy!” he proclaimed, a smile spread his lips and he dropped down to join the two others he could remember, they looked like they were already in conversation, but it was better to be standing awkwardly with them than standing on his own. ”You guys didn’t break a sweat, how’d you get out so fast!”

WC: 1301
TWC: 2157

The silver haired Shinobi had told her about his thoughts on Kai, but before either of them could continue the conversation they were seperated by the events of the day. Ichikai, who managed to be one of the first few to escape was now talking to the very same Kai, the cogs in her head whirled whilst he spoke, Kai was able to remember her from all those years ago, Ichikai was disappointed in her own memory, perhaps she really didn’t take anything in.

”It was a long time ago, I respect your efforts to continue. It must not have been easy, considering”

Ichikai ofcourse referred to the blindness of the other student, part of her need for information pushed her to ask what happened, the other part of her respected the boundaries they had as acquaintances. Kai’s openness about weakness was admirable too, strengths and weaknesses made people human, acceptance of them both made people greater than that.  

”Fear and Panic, I’d expect nothing less than probably half of all students, they will learn. Those with the heart of it will return for the next intake of students. Failure is what makes us strong, rather we kill fear and panic now than in battle.”

She wondered how many of those who progressed beyond the Academy almost a decade ago had faced fear on the battleground and lost there life’s. Everyone had years to hone the mind, but to make them fearless. That had to be done as the mind develops. Ichikai knew she missed the mark there, but she could try and fix that gap now. Kai asked about her real goals, her eyes were focused on the maze, wondering about the many who still seemed to be stuck within.

”A good question, one I don’t think I can truthfully answer. I think I need to find my purpose in life and my goals, it’s great to want to be the strongest or the fastest, truly, Kai, I just want to live a life.”

Ichikai smiled back, she wanted to explain more but before she could they were interrupted by the silver haired guy, Jiraijin. He looked like he had only passed by the skin of his teeth, though she nodded her head in his direction. Truly she was happy the three of them got through the ordeal, but what else would come before the Genin exams.

”We used our brains.”

The Kunoichi laughed, finally putting her hand out to return the hand shake she refused earlier.

|WC|  418  |TWC| 1534

Kai shrugged at her comment stating it must not have been easy. “There are worse things than failing, if the path of a ninja was easy then everyone would do it I suppose. I have nothing but my dreams and my goals. I have no choice but to keep trying until I succeed, not matter how long it takes.”

He nodded at her second comment and reflected on his own experience of battle long ago, the flashing of blades and pink light, sprays of blood and searing pain then darkness. “You are right. Better to fail here, learn and grow than be helpless in battle. Coddling students does not for a good ninja make but there I no need for undue cruelty. I think this lesson walks that line rather well and clearly separates the weak form the strong as you said.”

More students began making it out of the maze and there appeared to be some commotion between two of the other students as he caught the sound of one of them swearing at the other. He ran through the list of voices and identified the swearing student as Jiraijin Hozuki and filed this away in the back of his mind.

Kai turned his face towards Ichikai again as she answered about her personal goals. He responded softly. “An admirable goal, especially considering you hail from such a prestigious clan. I hope the same gifts do not force you onto a path not of your choosing. It is a difficult goal to live a full life as ninja. I sincerely hope you succeed.”

The pair were approached by Jiraijin and Kai turned his face towards the newcomer and surprised himself by as a single subdued noise issued from his throat though did not fully pass through his open mouth. He cocked his head as he recognised the single chuckle he had made involuntarily. He was unsure the last time he actually laughed and meant it. It was a curious feeling but he was uncomfortable with the momentary loss of control. He responded to Jiraijin plainly but without any trace of insult or condescension. “I followed the maze and took every turn that avoided the mist and the screams. Had the mist caught up with me I was prepared to escape in a similar manner by climbing the walls. Ichikai positioned herself over the wall before it rose and followed me out, though she would likely have been even quicker had she set off alone. You made it out and even helped another succeed. An interesting choice to make." He nodded his head towards the location of the girl Jiraijin had helped escape the maze. “Do you think it is likely she will pass the remaining tests and lessons without your assistance? Or will you look to guide her through each trial?” his hollow smile had returned but there did not seem to be malice in his voice, just curiosity, as though he was trying to puzzle the reason or purpose for Jiraijins actions.

Kai could not see the handshake but was aware of its occurrence, the subtle shift in the breeze and the mist, the sound of cloth on skin before skin rubbing skin. He heard the tiny sounds of suction as the skin from each hand squeezed tighter and the small grinding sounds has muscles contracted before the sound of the small suction withdraw and the hands were pulled back. He did not see the handshake but he likely experienced it almost as fully as the pair did in different ways. When he was young he had felt it was a betrayal of sorts, the intimacy seemingly an unknown breach of the privacy of those around him. He had learned to remove such worries when weighed with his ability function effectively. To refuse to utilise his honed senses would be the same as a swordsman cutting of their dominant arm and he reasoned that provided those around him were unaware of precisely how particularly aware he was then there was no harm done.

The gesture was simple, minor to many but conjured good memories which usually led to bad ones. His head tilted towards the handshake as though he could see it and smoothly turned his head to look away. “I will see you both for tomorrows lesson I am sure.” He strode away, his long stride eating the distance easily with a confident walk that took him quickly from the field. If the other two cared enough to watch they might notice that he wove around the other students effortlessly when they were in his path and all without breaking his pace or even coming close to bumping into someone.

Kai carried completely his morning training regimen and headed to the academy early and sat in the empty classroom for several hours as he reflected on the lesson of the day before and the results of his training earlier that morning. He had spent the time subtly controlling his chakra to rapidly increase and decrease the flow of chakra in his body rapidly. Kai understood that this could prove effective when dispelling genjutsu and he was keen to learn and practice the ability. He was fairly sure that visual genjutsu were ineffective on him but there were ways to trick each and every sense with genjutsu and he was unwilling to surrender control of his other senses freely. If he was able to reliably break genjutsu techniques then that would be one more weakness he had overcome. He had been carrying out such training for a long time unassisted but felt as though he was beginning to make a breakthrough.

He heard the approach of other students and the teacher, giving a curt nod as he entered which he returned. He made a note of the footsteps of each student as they entered and was able to identify the majority of them as they filed in eager for the days lesson. Several groans issued forth when there was mention on another field trip and Kai knew this almost certainly meant more tests and trials. As they headed to the location of the field trip Kai did not specifically seek out either of the students he had spoken to the previous day but would greet them if they sought him out as they travelled.

Kai felt confident with the task given, identifying materials for potions or medicine should not be too difficult as there were many plants that could be used for poisons and poultices and Kai had spent a great deal of time with his adoptive mother Hana, tending to and collecting wild plants or materials for healing potions that she brewed. Hana had been diligent in his training and tested him frequently on certain plants and poisons by smell, taste or touch. Even going so far as to mix mild poisons into food or irritants into his clothing to test if he could detect them. He smiled genuinely at the memories, she had never allowed him to suffer long and always cured his ailments quickly. Too soft for her own good her parents would say loudly and often. Kai was aware of precisely how strict they had been with Hana’s education and was grateful that it was she who taught him.

He scented the air, deeply, filtering through the smells and sought traces of herbal aromas that might lead him to something worth collecting. Following his nose he quickly located the 3 herbs with little difficulty, two were simply used in cooking, one for flavour and one for the extra nutrients it provided. The final was a broad leafed plant which could be used in basic poultices with a  slight antiseptic quality, it would not be nearly as effective without correct preparation btu Kai knew it could help prevent infection in a pinch. Hi nose twitched again as he detected a waxy scent which he identified as a particularly unpleasant berry. It was sweet in taste and delicious but had an unfortunate side effect of overrelaxing the bowels that often caused unpleasant accidents to occur. It was usually harmless unless ingested but best avoided all the same. It was made more dangerous due to its appearance apparently being almost identical to another berry that was harmless, he had been taught the only tell that the slightly larger size and a slight difference in the colour of the leaf. The scent was also subtly different from the harmless variety but it was difficult to rely on without a strong sense of smell.

Kai collected samples of each, curiously he collected extras just in case the other two were struggling with this particular aspect of the test. He was not quite certain why he did it and wa sunabel to rationalize the choice. He simply seemed to want to offer them the chance to pass if they were stuck. If they did not voice any issues then he simply would not mention the matter and would proceed as usual. As he explored the area he heard the noise of scaled coils moving along a branch above him and focused his attention upwards gauging the distance between himself and what he was almost certain was a snake. He climbed the tree carefully, managing to snatch the snake by the head, pinning its mouth closed and hoping that it was at least partially poisonous. He had been taught a grat deal about snake venom and dangerous species by Hana but unfortunately they almost exclusive were identifiable by markings and colouration which Kai had no chance of identifying.

He turned in his findings and waited for the others to finish, some came back empty handed whilst others worked together in groups, this was allowed of course as there was no rule that they had to locate the items or identify them alone. Evening passed into night and those students that were unable to locate or identify the required items in time were sent back whilst the rest of them were set up tents and went to sleep. Kai himself lay still in the night, simply listening the breaths and whispers of students nearby. Many of the conversations were dull or fantasy’s of dreams, becoming kirikage or great heroes of the village. Other discussions were more geared towards fears and doubts, friends comforting each other with their words or bully cutting others down with insults and false bravado. It always fascinated Kai normal peoples minds worked, how they formed friendships and could be so open and honest with the world around them. He pondered on the conversations he heard but was drawn out of these thoughts as cried began to be heard around camp.

Kai moved smoothly from the tent and could hear other students shouting and using techniques or throwing weapons, calling for help. Kai stood confused amongst the tents and scrabbling students, straining his senses to locate what was attacking them but he could detect nothing. He grabbed a student on the shoulder as they ran by causing them to spin slightly. “What is attacking us? Tell me quickly.” The girl stuttered slightly, it was the same one that Jiraijin had helped the day before. “Bugs! Giant bugs as big as dogs, they are attacking the camp can’t you …oh” the girl paused abruptly, cutting off the word she was going to say as she looked into Kai’s face. He recognised what she had been going to say. He released her. “Well you best hurry and help the others then.” The girl dashed away to help the other students and Kai shook his head. His senses told him there was nothing out there, even as he drew closer there was no footfalls on the ground and only vague skittering sounds mingled with the sound from thrown weapons sticking into the dirt, wet mud or singed soil.

Kai had never known his senses to not align correctly and trusted them completely. He rapidly increased and forced the chakra through his body and the skittering abruptly ceased. It appeared they were under the affects of a genjutsu, one that fortunately relied largely on sight it seemed. It was rare that his injury played into his favour. Kai wandered around the camp simply watching the other students react, some in terror whilst other formed groups to fight of the non -existent invaders. Some students cried out that the teacher had been poisoned, perhaps wounded by the creatures.

Kai located Ichikai and Jiraijin, interest to see how they reacted he moved softly, an amused smile on his face as he approached. If they had not recognised, they were stuck in a genjutsu he would tell them but otherwise took no steps to assist them in breaking free of it. He was willing to help them as he thought they both had a kind of potential but he would not carry them proverbially on his back throughout the trials.

WC: 2154 TMWC: 3,953 TMWC: Enough / 1,500

The maze behind the three of them crashed down once the Chakra holding it up was dispersed, the ground trembled and shook as the rubble seemed to be returned to the ground, the mist whirled in circles before one steady stream was almost sucked up by a Shinobi, a Chuunin vest sat over her clothing, and on her face sat the devilish smile of what she accomplished. Around her were the curled up and knocked out bodies of more than half of the students. She shook her head, and disappeared with a flash.

Jiraijin felt a shiver of fear, that woman was scary. Her chakra was strong enough to barely even be scratched by the combined effort of a number of students trying to fight there way out, and strong enough that even her mist could physically impact the earth barrier of another teacher. He was pulled back by the laugh of Ichikai and Kai, both different to the other, Kai’s seemed like an involuntary and true laugh. He had to smile himself, shaking the hand of Ichikai.

The blind student asked him why he had taken the time to help another student, would she be reliant on him going forward. The question annoyed him slightly, only because Kai was asking the right question and his intentions, honourable or not, would not help in the long run. ”It was no effort - she could have gotten out herself.” he tried to disarm the subject, but felt defensive anyway.  ”Would you leave your comrades behind in the face of danger? Perhaps that is what we should be teaching” he bit back, with the same emotionless face that the pink haired student tried on him.

”I’ll see you both tomorrow.” Jiraijin waved at them both, not thinking that Kai could not see it and headed off back home. He was annoyed, and questioning what he should have done on this day. By time he had got home it had already gone over his head, his belly was full and he slept peacefully like he always did.

The next day was much like the first, he woke up and got dressed, his same uniform was put on but had been cleaned overnight. At his hip was an empty hilt and a small paint brush, not exactly Ninja equipment wear but it was helpful for taking notes. Within an hour he was back at the Academy ready for the day. Jiraijin was sat on his own for the majority of the day, another field trip was meant to take place at sundown, his heart wasn’t in it today but he was ready at least to get the job done.

On the way there he dropped in line with Kai, and if Ichikai was there too then both of them. It was good to stick with like minded individuals, ”What’s the bet that there’s another twist today? Every class has this thing it wants to push. Tell ya what, I watch your back you watch mine.” Jiraijin spoke to them, running his hand through his hair to push it from his eye sight. ”What happened to your eyes.” he asked bluntly, pointing at them with his thumb.

They arrived at a camp, a wooden building which would house the students for the night was sat up against a stone wall, a large permanent camp fire was lit with a flick of a finger. Atop the wall, looking out towards the border of Kirigakure was the same Mist Shinobi he saw the day before, the woman who trapped them. She was not directly a teacher, having no input into the teaching, but she was here at these events. Apparently she was meant to guard the group, especially being near the borders. He didn’t believe that at all, and they were no-where near the borders either.

The teacher called them up, getting them into small groups to do some self study and also to share their learning with each other, a good technique to test people's actual understanding of a subject. He was hoping to get some training in hunting or tracking.

It was apparently a boring lesson though, dealing with poisons and berry’s, healing antidotes and what plants to avoid, all not very exciting. He took notes of what he thought would be helpful in a pinch but he was more interested in getting to the end of the day, Jiraijin at least remembered those plants which were edible - and which to avoid, especially if he was caught out in the wild. Most importantly he took onboard any plants that could help him fulfil his need to drink water, a Hozuki had to stay hydrated and if he ran out of water, a plant that contained a high amount of water was the only next step.

Class was beginning to come to an end and everything was starting to calm down. The group practiced some basic camping techniques and how to prepare a basic patrol and watch for the night, on this occasion Jiraijin was called to be part of the Watch. ”Naturally - I’m do it” he was confident he was the right one for the job. Standing at the top of the camp wall he looked outwards, it stretched for miles all around, areas where they could be ambushed if they were not careful. Jiraijin heard footsteps behind him, it was her.

The woman from before took several steps towards him, her shoes echoed on the stone. Jiraijin went to say a word, but she locked eyes with him and he fell to his knees, his hands grasped at the stones - but then he fell asleep, his face hitting the ground.

When he awoke the camp was in turmoil, the walls infested with groups of large bugs creeping around. There was a scent in his nose, the teachers were nowhere to be seen. When he pushed himself up he could see them all, hunting students and once attached they would disappear from sight. ”What the f-“ he began to speak, when one of the bugs jumped at him. He was able to dodge out of the way, he was faster than they could attack. It was important that he didn’t get caught by surprise.

”This can’t be real, and I was… I was attacked. By her.” Jiraijin remembered the woman, he was placed in a Genjutsu, he must have. His hand came up to perform a hand seal and he closed his eyes, surrounding him were the packs of bugs. ”This is gunna hurt if I’m wrong.” He bit his tongue and performed Genjutsu Release.

Immediately the scent was gone, and surrounding him were the very few students who had already gotten out. He could see others screaming and running but those who got out, he knew he couldn’t see them before - so those who escaped would disappear from view. This was a strong Genjutsu and complicated, impressive even. This level of Chaka Control was what he was aiming for himself. He looked over to see Kai, who seemed to have found this exercise pretty easy. He then looked for Ichikai, wondering if she was okay.  ”Kai - you got out.” He was going to ask about Ichikai, but he didn’t want him questioning him again, besides - he had faith that she would get out herself anyway.

WC: 1227
TWC: 3384

Ichikai listened to the insightful Kai, he was humble and to the point, traits that she found it easy to align herself with, she could see herself easily making a friendship with people like this. Here where she had no real talent she was able to use her mind to succeed, this challenge that they had to overcome was exactly that. The fact most students had failed proved the point.

”I’m glad to hear it Kai, the day you let life beat you down is the day you’ve lost. Don’t listen to anyone, and don’t let anyone take that from you.”

Kai spoke about her clan, making her nervous. By there estimations she was already a failure, unable to use even the basic techniques of a Uchiha let alone her journey to unlocking the Sharingan, it felt like it would be a long time or even impossible, perhaps her bloodline was tainted, was she a Uchiha by name only was a question she should ask herself. Either way, Kai was kind enough to wish her some degree of success in her career. She nodded a thanks. Jiraijin on the other hand seemed defensive from the question. She raised an eyebrow at them both.

”Chill out both of you, no-one’s throwing out any accusations. I would have done the same, had I thought this was anything other than a training exercise. Let them fail Jiraijin, they’ll learn more than you could ever teach them from simply saving them.”

It was commendable that Jiraijin saved the girl, and it was nice to know that if they were together on a mission he would stay to make sure she got out too. They weren’t just soldiers, but this was clearly a training exercise. Ichikai was on the fence, and decided to move on. She only hoped it was friendly banter between the two of them.

”See you bright and early!”


Todays training was something that aligned perfectly with her own background. The study of Botanical medicine, this was something her mother practised and still did to this day, the majority came in the form of pastes or herbals teas but there was also benefits to some leafs that could be applied directly to affected areas, in particular there was great skill In dietary benefits or even, with enough practice, the ability to enfuse and destroy with poisons. Her favourite were the usage of fungus, her mother when she served as a Shinobi before, was well known for her usage of hallucinogenic powders and weapons. Aswell as performance enhancement serums, the indirectness of these kills damaged her own sense of pride and she retired early.

Ichikai wanted to learn these same techniques and with the knowledge she already had, she expected this lesson to be easy. She was one of the first into class, being eager to show her skills. The Genin exams were around the corner and apart from the two techniques she would have to show as part of her abilities to be a Genin, Ichikai knew there was a large skill gap and missing uniquenesses that she would need to stand out.

This class however would serve as a step in the right direction, those and the other classes she had. Each question was something she already knew, she put her hand up for a few of them but decided against doing it for all of them, not wanting to come across as a know it all. The day in fact was dull for her, she didn’t really learn anything she didn’t already know besides perhaps just how little the average person knew about botanical study, towards the end of the day the camp was split into those who would be on watch and those that would rest, Jiraijin was chosen and Ichikai would wonder why, when everyone slept she was up, waiting and watching the patrol.

Another appeared to do the same, she approached the silver haired student and knocked him out, Ichikai’s eyes widened and she dropped into cover. The teacher then walked away, clearly something was going on. Before she had a chance to go check on her new comrade, the camp erupted into fear. She, one of the few not asleep, was able to quickly release herself from the Genjutsu.

”Fancy seeing you both here”

She confidently walked over to the two students, whatever was erupting around them didn’t seem to bother her, by being watchful she had not twice been able to escape easily from traps.

”Nice to see you using that brain of yours this time, Hozuki”

Ichikai smirked, looking at Jiraijin and then back to Kai, she imagined this task was odd for him, almost like a free class.

|WC|  786  |TWC| 2320