Low Stakes Training

Missions:

Tenizen landed on a roof overlooking the village center. The moon was hanging overhead just a few days shy of being full. Its light was  just bright enough to light up the building he was standing on. A gentle breeze carried the small droplets ofr ain through the air like a thin mist. His chakra was fully suppressed so that he was virtually unable to be sensed. The ten year old was clad in solid black ronin robes with his Kiri headband tied securely around his throat.

Seven different Katanas hung across various parts of his body. Two were attached to each hip, one on the front side of each hip and one on the back for a total of four. The remaining three were sprawled out across his back so that they could be drawn with either hand or from right down the middle. The blades looked a little ridiculous with Ten’s child-like height and stature. Each one was almost two thirds his body size in length.

Today's mission assignments should be relatively simple, he was going to conduct patrol and look for a nobles lost cat while doing it. It all seemed like basic everyday tasks of being a ninja. The village requested that he help prepare those who haven't taken the genin exam yet so they could have a better shot at passing. It seemed like an easy enough mission for the kid swordsman! There wasn’t really any risk on the line with this one other than being a bad teacher. Ten was still determined to stay focused and do a good job to increase his reputation in the village. It felt weird that he was the instructor now when he was just starting his ninja journey. He just kept on reminding himself that he was a Genin now! His new rank meant the village was depending on him to be able to carry out all missions, big or small!

Tenizen waited on the roof for his teammate to arrive so that they could begin. He was eager to see who the village sent. Ten hadn’t really got to work with anybody inside the village yet. He was curious to see how these two missions would go!


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Kirigo looked around at the other rooftops trying to catch sight of his new partner. He hadn’t really thought about being paired up with anyone when he’d asked for his first mission, though he guessed it would be odd to send him out on his own this soon. He hoped whoever it was wasn’t annoying, it was a nice quiet night and he hoped to enjoy it. He was wearing a loose, dark gray, t-shirt that rippled slightly in the wind and a pair of standard black cargo pants.

Walking to the edge of the rooftop he strained his eyes trying to see anyone else nearby. Through the swirling, misty, rain he thought he just make out a small figure a couple rooftops away, too far to discern details in the weather. He scanned the other rooftops again to make sure he wasn’t missing anything, before launching himself off the ledge and over to the next rooftop, then the next, so that he was standing across from his new partner.

Kirigo looked the new guy up and down, well mostly down. He wondered if this was really the guy, or kid, who was supposed to be leading him tonight. The kid looked younger than him, could he really be a genin already. Then again Kirigo wasn’t like most of the other kids who became shinobi, his family weren’t ninjas and hadn’t spent his childhood training, he’d just woke up and decided to try something. Maybe there were a bunch of other young ninja like this one running around. He smirked, almost chuckling, as he took in the swords strapped across the kid’s body. They looked too big for him to wield effectively and who needs 7 swords anyways. Well, whatever, maybe he could learn something from this guy.

“Hi, I’m Kirigo”, he said nervously as he approached the young man, “Kirigo Hanade, are you the one I’m supposed to be meeting tonight?” He had his left hand in his pocket as he approached with his other hand rubbing the back of his head. When he got close enough he extended his right hand offering the stranger a handshake. “This is going to be my first real mission so take it easy on me if you don’t mind.

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Tenizen turned his head to meet his partner when he arrived. They both seemed to look each other over for a moment. Kirigo was a couple inches taller and looked to be a few years older. The awkward feeling of leading washed over Ten again. He had always trained to do everything solo. It was hard assassinating people with a crowd. He tried to let the unease roll away and he stuck his hand to reciprocate the handshake.

Hey my name is Sarutobi Tenizen. It is a pleasure to meet you Kirigo! Today should be pretty simple. We just have to patrol around for a while until the next shift starts. Our route is a basic circle around the village center. There shouldn’t really be any trouble other than maybe some small crimes and domestic disputes, nothing we can't handle! We are supposed to keep an eye for a fat cat that is lost. If you see any, be sure to call them out so we can catch them! Follow me and we can get started.

Tenizen began leaping from roof to roof at a slow but steady pace. He took a pretty straightforward path around the outside of their patrol zone. He made sure they went slow enough to really be able to observe the ongoings of the area they were monitoring. Tenizen tended to ramble as they traveled. He was pretty high energy and charismatic for someone so small. He was struggling to contain all his excess energy going this slow.

If we have time at the end we can practice for the Genin Exam when we are done. I'm sure you are excited to take that soon and start going on some real missions.! It’s pretty easy so you shouldn’t have much trouble with it! You just need to really freshed up on your transformation and clone jutsu. Are you able to do those yet?

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Kirigo listened intently as Tenizen introduced himself and laid out the mission plans, nodding in acknowledgment when he finished. He didn’t see any problem with handling a couple small disputes and hopefully, the cat wouldn’t be too much trouble either. If they were able to knock both out at once maybe he could go get a new book, he’s been thinking about getting a medical textbook he’d seen in the shop earlier this week.

Kirigo followed behind Tenizen scanning the area around him as they went. It seemed like a pretty peaceful night, but there was bound to be something going on. Tenizen hadn’t given any details on the cat they were supposed to be looking for either. Hopefully he didn’t expect him to chase every cat they came across. Kirigo glanced over at Tenizen quickly measuring him up again as they traveled. He had a feeling that if he was told to chase cats, he might just be better off listening. Tenizen began to speak again catching him off-guard in the quiet night but his eyes lit up when Tenizen offered to teach him the two new jutsu.

“Really? That’d be great. Yeah, well, to be honest I’m not in the biggest rush. I’m not really sure what I want to do with myself just yet, and there’s still plenty to learn just studying at the academy. I was thinking I should go ahead and get the exams over with though, that way I can go out into the world and learn all kinds of new stuff. As far as the missions go… I’ve really only been doing enough to get a new book when I want it. I prefer to be shut up in my room reading or messing with herbs. I only recently decided to join the academy. And, no, I haven’t learned either yet. I got distracted with a few other techniques that piqued my interest a little more, and haven’t managed to get back around between classes.”

Kirigo wasn’t someone who really liked people, but for some reason, he felt comfortable talking to Tenizen. The idea of learning new jutsus, even if they were just basic techniques, had him feeling a bit anxious though. Now he wanted to hurry up and get the patrol over with so he could get some training in. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so far, in fact, it seemed like most everyone was in bed. They hadn’t ran into any cats yet either but that might just be good luck on his part.


“Do you know what the cat we’re looking for looks like exactly? I’d rather not chase every cat in the village if I can avoid it.” Kirigo chuckled nervously at the last part.

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Tenizen exchanged small talk while they patrolled the village. He tried to stay quiet long enough to not interrupt his new companion and be a good listener. It wasn’t as hard as he expected like when he usually feigned interest, he generally found himself intrigued by Kirigo and that made it easy. They were completely different as people! The two different styles in which they grew up became more and more apparent as they traveled. It made Ten a little envious of having to grow p up in the cruel way that he . He couldn’t help but wonder what his life would be like if he grew up normal and not as a trained assassin? Would he be more like Kirigo or would things be the same? Sometimes he wondered if the desire to fight was beaten into him or if it was something that would have been there either way.

There is a ton to learn at the academy. I probably should have attended more of it myself to be honest with you. I'm not always the best in social situations so it was probably best that I spend as little time around impressionable children as possible. Learn what you can from there but Don't hang around too long though, you will fall behind! The real fun begins when you graduate from there anyways! A whole new world of experiences opens up for you if you're strong enough to survive them! Well at least that's what I think! I haven't been a Genin for very long myself!

There is a lot of cool stuff you will be able to do when you graduate but you gotta have the basics down rirst. For instance here is the clone technique you need to master to pass the genin exam. It can be performed with a simple ram seal and a little chakra control.

Tenizen demonstrated the hand seals for the basic clone technique  why they finished patrolling their area. Tenizen was sure Kirigo knew it but he elaborated just in case. A very basic clone of Tenizen appeared right next to the two boys and Ten stopped walking to check out his results. It was perfectly identical to him in every way but lacked any physical form. Tenizen let the clone exist for a few moments before letting it dissolve back into thin air.

This is what they teach you at the academy, Its pretty lame to be honest, but when you graduate you can build on what you learned and then you can eventually do stuff like this…

Tenizen made a small series of hand seals and this time two legitimate shadow clones appeared on either side of Tenizen. These two clones had a corporeal form and were indistinguishable from the original. The difference between these clones and the academy clone jutsu was night and day. One of the clones made the seal for the transformation technique and transformed into a copy of Kirigo. The transformed clone stared Kirigo in the eye for a moment to increase the dramatic effect of the situation before reverting back into Ten’s appearance..

Get good with that transformation technique. It may be low rank but it comes in handy if you have good attention to detail. It's pretty simple to perform, you only need the Dog seal to do it.  Keep practicing and you will have those two down in no time. The actual Shadow Clone Jutsu is where the real fun is! Maybe I will teach it to you one day once you graduate! It allows you to do even more things…. like this!

Tenizen stopped walking again and placed his hands in his robe pocket.  Both of his clones went flying off the roof they were standing on with a sudden newfound purpose. They moved exceptionally, faster than most genin would be able to! To the untrained eye it would look as if they almost disappeared and reappeared a few meters away in the alley below them. A few loud bangs took place in the aller before the clones returned a moment later holding a thick pudgy white cat. It was hissing and trying to get away but the clone of Tenizen would not loosen his grip no matter how pissed it was. A big smile spread across their face indicating that he and his clones completed the mission.

The two ninjas who were to relieve them of their patrol could be seen approaching them now from a distance. Their timing couldn’t be more perfect! Ten gave them a small nod to acknowledge them before turning back to face Kirigo.

I'm going to return this cat now. It's been a pleasure meeting you Kirigo! Good job today and good luck with your exams in the future! I look forward to meeting you further down the road when you're a Genin. We can do some real missions then that aren't so boring! Catch you later man!

Tenizen took the cat from the clones and released them in a puff of smoke. Tenizen would use that smoke to cover his exit as he left the scene at high speed. The cat howled in terror as Tenizen took off across the various buildings but he pretended not to notice. He just wanted to return this furry animal so he could call it a successful mission. The ugly creature would be ok once he got it back to its owner, or at least he hoped!

[Exit]

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claims:

Kirigo found himself enjoying Tenizens company more and more as they went along on their patrol. Maybe he would actually end up following his dad's advice and make a few friends. He was intrigued by the way Tenizen spoke about the “impressionable children” at the academy. He sounded much older then he appeared and it had Kirigo second guessing himself. He also wondered if maybe he'd shared too much of his background, noticing that Tenizen hadn't said anything at all about his past. Perhaps, it wasn't the smartest move to spill out his entire life to everyone he met, even if they were allies. It confused him even further too learn that Tenizen had only recently became a genin. He’d been watching him as they went and he seemed more experienced than that. The swords, that Kirigo had originally thought slightly ridiculous, moved with Tenizen’s form like they were made for him. He would definitely have to hurry to pass him exam now. Kirigo wanted to learn more about his new friend and he didn't think he'd be very satisfied going on patrols with him for long.

He watched as Tenizen performed the hand seal for the clone technique and explained it too him. The replica appeared next to them and they all stopped. Kirigo looked the clone up and down. It was a perfect replica of Tenizen, he couldn't find a flaw anywhere.

Kirigo turned his attention back to Tenizen as he continues his demonstration, smirking at his remark about the academy jutsu being lame. Thats the exact reason Kirigo hadn't bothered with learning them so, they just didn't interest him. Though, he supposed, it was inevitible that he would have to learn them eventually. That is if he ever wanted to leave the academy.

He watched Tenizen perform the handseals for his next jutsu and the next two clones appeared. They were the same, but definitely different, much more solid. Seeing these two Kirigo thought that he could stick his hand right through the first clone now, like, it was made of smoke in comparison. When one of the clones turned in to him Kirigo got a slightly uneasy feeling, as he said he hadn't learned the cloe technique himself, so he wasn't exactly used to seeing a double of himself. The unbreaking eye contact wasn't helping either and a wave of relief washed over him when the clone turned back. He was going to have to take Tenizens advice on the transformation technique for sure, and he smiled when Tenizen said he could teach him the shadow clone technique, now that, was worth learning.

Kirigo stopped next behind Tenizen as he stopped talking, watching, or trying to, as the two clones seemed to almost vanish, reappearing in the alley below. There were a couple loud bangs and in a blink the clones were standing back beside them, one holding tightly to the car Kirigo assumed was their objective. The smile spreading across their faces confirmed his suspicion.

Kirigo barely had time to acknowledge Tenizen’s farewell before he had grabbed the car from his clone and they had all disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He approached the other ninjas and let them know that all had been silent on their patrol. He then turned to head home still wondering about the mysterious friend he’d made today.
[EXIT]

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