[Graded] [Festival] Lifting Weights Making Dates

[Director]

Fanho morning had started off simple. Breakfast, light stretches, communicating with the rest of the Konoha envoy, but the rest of the day he really kinda seemed lost as to what to do. Since he got here he met Yozei, Suzuko, someone watching from afar whom he didn't get a chance to talk to, but the bulk of his time at the festival was spent teasing Sachi. In the moment Fanho was blind to everything he had done up until the point of inviting her to the Hokage coronation.

His brain's way of protecting himself from realizing his unrealized strength and power in the vicious combat known as flirtation. Not a skill-set within Fanho's arsenal, and certainly not something he thought he was capable of. He sort of reserved himself to being the waiting type, but never particularly thought he'd be the forward one. It was quite a change for the shoe to be on the other foot even if he was practically along for the ride to his bodies instinctual response to a pretty lady.

As he strolled through the morning baked sky in Pebble, the festival attendees stirring up for another rousing day of celebration. He found himself back at the training grounds where he first met Sachi. Today however he was dressed so ever sightly different. Rather than styled for a vacation, he was dressed in martial artist draw string pants, training slips, and a tight black t-shirt sure to show off his athletic body, a surprise tool that will help him later.

He chuckled to himself at the thought and his face became flushed with shade of pink, to think of using his physique in such a way made him think of how much Takeo had really rubbed off on him. "That pervy mutt. Don't wanna think of how many kids you have due to no self control." At least the two were that much different. At Fanho's age Takeo was probably already a father in every corner of the globe. At the very least Hokage wasn't hereditary, there might be quite a few contenders for him to deal with.

Even chuckling at his own Takeo like behaviors, Fanho deep down hoped to see her again. It sorta made him nervous, but excited all at the same time. Now being aware of what he was doing, he wasn't exactly sure if he could be as smooth as he once was, but maybe he'll dig some unique skill out from deep within. After all this was a festival in part about bringing people together, but also one of training new skills. Even if it was flirting, a skill most people grasped at eighteen or twenty, not usually twenty-six.

Fanho took his Haori as he laid it out on a tree branch safely away from getting dirtied. Standing in the training ground he practiced a few basic fighting movements against a plain wood dummy with the sporadic arms. Basic training, fundamentals, but a good way to get the muscles limbered and moving. It gave him some time to get lost in his thoughts thinking about the other day, maybe even manifesting another encounter today with Sachi.

[chocochipgamer]

Sleep hadn’t really been coming all that easy to her lately. It was like she had too much anxious energy or something. The night leading to her current morning had been no different. She’d woken up before the sun had even crested the horizon enough to light the world and hadn’t been able to fall asleep again. So, after having rolled around in bed for a couple hours, she finally decided it was time to wake up and do something with herself. The only thing that really sounded like a good idea was to wander around the training grounds again, maybe find someone to spar and get a little training in. Worst case scenario, she knew she could also tag in a samurai and get some sword practice.

Considering her plan, she felt it best to keep her attire comfortable and flexible. She wore athletic pants that were form fitting, a loose t-shirt with a tank top underneath, and her usual boots. The gloves that were usually in her back pocket were already on her hands. Her hair had even been tugged into a neat bun to keep it all out of her eyes. A hand towel was already draped over a shoulder as she took a drink from the water bottle she always had with her.

As she made her way through the grounds, she traced the memories she’d already made so far. Meeting Yozei and seeing someone in a giant mechanical suit. She chuckled at the suit, remembering the young woman that popped out, gasping for air. She smiled as she remembered spending the day with Fanho just recently. Their interactions had been interesting, to say the least. Just thinking about it even brought a soft blush to her cheeks along with a fond smile.

Part of her had wondered if he had done any of that on purpose. Had he been flirting with her? He was an attractive man, so it’s not like she would complain. It was just something she had been curious about. In all the stories she read or had heard, he seemed too smooth to be real. That alone brought a small giggle as she considered things. To top it off, he had invited her to the Hokage coronation.

“I have a bone to pick with him about that,” she mumbled almost silently as she stomped a few times before returning to a normal pace. The fact that he saved that tidbit of information for the end of their little adventure made her think he really hadn’t been trying to put any moves on her. It would have been a great line to use, much like showing off his little pocket dimension. She smiled and laughed softly as she finally spotted the training grounds.

She gently dabbed the towel at her brow, she had already been out for a warm up jog and stretch before heading this direction. That’s when her smile widened. Fanho was actually out here. A large part of her had been hoping to catch him again before the festival had ended. Definitely before the coronation festivities. Sachi tried to ready herself to give him a playful what for, but something stopped her. It was fun to just watch him attack the training dummy for a bit.

Eventually, she let out a breath and started to walk up closer to him. She didn’t want to spook him, so she made sure to make a little noise as she did. A tiny pebble crinkling or scuffing of dirt with her toe. Sachi smiled at the silver haired man and stood off to the side, just out of reach. “I see you’ve gone for less conspicuous attire today,” her tone was soft, meant to be loud enough to be heard but not yell over the thrum of noise around the festival. “It’s good to see you again.”

[Director]

As Fanho right backhand tapped the dummy arm, he brought up his left leg to block the lower left side dummy leg. The swats of the dummy echoing on the field. He heard a friendly voice behind poke at him. "Well it'd be a shame if I got my vacation haori dirty. Though if you like it, I'll wear it more." Fanho flashed a smile as grabbed his towel off the top of the dummy wiping his hands off with it before slinging it over my shoulder turning to face Sachi leaning against the training dummy.

Fanho rustled his hand through his hair before pushing his glasses up to rest on his head. He shook his head as he chuckled to himself at Sachi's greeting. "Please, the pleasure is all mine." Had he actually done it? Manifested another encounter? It was silly to think so, but Fanho was just trying to make up in his mind probabilities for how they had gotten another chance to meet. From now on he'd just channel his inner smoothest charm, digging deep from yesterday, and doing his best cool guy impression.

"I was kinda hoping I'd get to see you again before the coronation. It seems like when I tell people I'm gonna be the Hokage they treat me a little differently. I'm not big into the honorifics or titles, I'm just a guy trying to make the world a little better everyday." Fanho chuckled as he titled the training dummy on its side laying with the arms facing the other way creating a bench in the empty training field. He patted the seat next to him inviting Sachi to take a seat as they talked.

"Well if I haven't ran you off yet, then I take it means you still wanna hang around me, is that so?" Fanho flashed a devious playful smile as he lightly teased Sachi. Good so far, haven't acted a total dweeb yet, but if she could hear his heartbeat she'd realize just how panicked he was. This time he was the deer in headlights and everything was a reflex contrast to his absolute zero in the skill of flirting.

[chocochipgamer]

She simply chuckled as he laid the training dummy on its side. With a tiny hop, she sat on the dummy beside him. The smile on her face was gentle and warm. It reached her eyes as she watched him as he spoke. Her brows lifted a little in surprise as he mentioned hoping he would get to see her again. A tiny pitter patter in her chest was about the only thing that noted how the words made her feel. Today, she was going to keep the embarrassing blushing in check.

“Well,” she playfully and gently punched him in the arm. Her features shifted to be playfully annoyed, glaring at him. The look only lasted for a moment before she couldn’t stop from offering a light laugh. “I wish you would have told me that part sooner, by the way. But, I do agree a good leader’s job is to help those that follow them.” She gently nudged her shoulder against his and let her feet dangle over the edge of her seat.

As he asked if she still wanted to be around him, she smiled at him. Though, when she caught the look on his face, she saw he seemed to be in a somewhat playful mindset as well. “I mean, you are definitely an interesting person to be around,” she said with a mischievous tone. This time when she spoke, she actually had a slightly difficult time hiding the nervousness in her tone. “And I did really enjoy spending time with you.”

[Director]

The Awai cocked an eye brow as he smiled at the clear fun poked at him. "Interesting how?" He then quickly transitioned into an over exaggerated concerned look clearly indicating his playful tone. He'd quickly soften his face as he chuckled at his own joke before lightly tapping her foot as if testing the waters as she explained.

Fanho smiled as he leaned his shoulder into hers gently sitting upright leaning close to her. "Well I guess we'll just have to spend more time together then." He peered over his glasses to ensure he made eye contact. He eased up leaning into her letting the two's shoulders just lightly brush one another.

"Well what brings you here today that graces me with your presence?" He flashed a large toothy grin as he purposefully tapped her foot once more. The Awai cupped his chin as he exaggerated the inquisitive looks on his face as if in deep thought pondering the mysteries of the universe. "Anything in particular you wanted to do today? You pick it, and I'll make it happen."

[chocochipgamer]

“Interesting how?”

He seemed curious, so she obliged. “You’re this big hot shot shinobi, yet you seem so grounded,” she smiled. He tapped her foot and she seemed to ponder something before tapping his in return. “Plus, that ‘pocket realm’ thing was pretty neat.”

After a moment, she looked up at him. His eyes were watching her, connecting with her own. They were such a light blue, she wondered if they sparkled in the sun like crystal. He was leaning against her just enough for there to be contact. She could feel her cheeks start to change color, so she quickly looked down at her feet. He said something about spending more time together and that brought a shy smile to her face.

Why was she here? He had asked, but she hadn’t thought about what to do since she got here. She didn’t want to just do nothing, even if the previous day they had been together was enjoyable. Being away from the empire wasn’t an excuse to miss out on any training that she could possibly do.

“Um, honestly,” she cleared her throat. “I’m not entirely sure. Can you give me any tips for chakra control? I’ve always struggled with that since I didn’t really grow up with anyone to teach me.”

[Director]

Fanho chuckled as she inflated his ego a bit making him blush. Such a wholesome comment not necessarily derived from the flirting, but made his face flush with red in response. A crack spawning in his suave armor protecting him in his flirtatious pursuit. "I hope it was neat, I made it myself." He responded with a smile as the two sat on the dummy.

Training chakra control was a specialty for Fanho. Perhaps even his best skill overall was his chakra control and applied usage in taijutsu. Something that required a lot of control to manage, cast, and quickly utilize in combat. Maybe it was fate that brought the two together and not just his sweet laden words. The Awai rapped his fingers on his chin as he thought what would be the best way to introduce a non-chakra focused person into jutsu. The academy trainings in Konoha were effective, but a lot of the kids had first hand knowledge and training from their shinobi families.

"Well, hopefully I'm not a really bad teacher." Fanho nervously chuckled and smiled as he took his sunglasses off and folded the arms tucking it into his shirt. The Awai patted his hands and sat up from the log walking over to pond no bigger than ten meters as he walked to the edge looking at the water. "Let's do some basic chakra exercises just to get your 'feet wet'." He'd look back to Sachi as if asking for approval of his bad pun fluttering his eye brows before grinning at his own joke. "You just walk out to me, focus the chakra in your feet and call to mind the water walking jutsu. I'll be here every step of the way."

Fanho gently stepped out onto the water as chakra lightly hummed and emanated from his feet. About three feet from the edge Fanho stood as he gestured for Sachi to join him out on the pond. The cool blue water rippling gently under his feet. "Focus on keeping an equal amount of power in each foot, maintain the flow, and I'm not far away."

Jutsu TeachingShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Act of Water Surface Walking]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A variation of the Act of Tree Climbing technique, this jutsu requires the user to focus a precise and balanced amount of charka into the soles of his/her feet. By doing so, the user is able to walk on the surface of water as though it were a solid surface. Users with low control 2 or lower are much more likely to fall through the surface of the water, while users with average control 3 or higher will be able to use this technique functionally. It lasts for a number of posts equal to the user's Chakra Pool.

[chocochipgamer]

“It definitely worked on this lady,” she whispered as quietly as possible, barely air moving past her lips. There was a coy smile as he started to move with purpose from her request. She watched as he pondered something, hopefully a strategy to help. Controlling chakra had always been a struggle for her through her training in Heart. While she had managed to pass the training required for graduation, that was it. She simply passed. There was no continued skill or training because she simply didn’t know what else to do. To her understanding, Heart would never be as big on chakra control as the shinobi villages, so it hadn’t been a big deal. But now, with Fanho, she had a chance to jump ahead of the rest.

Sachi watched as he stood and spoke to her. After a moment, he walked to a pond. She remembered reading something about shinobi being able to walk on water and she quickly became excited. Her throat cleared, trying to hide the suddenly rising excitement she felt, but who knew how well that would even work. He made a bad pun, but she couldn’t help but giggle and shake her head. She hopped off the training dummy and stepped to stand near him. Her head tilted in curiosity as he explained the basic concept of what he wanted her to do.

Though, his demonstration seemed to light a spark in her. Her eyes were bright with interest and her shoulders lifted in excitement. She couldn’t hide the smile on her face at all anymore. As he stepped onto the water, still explaining, she nodded at his words. She started to focus, herself. Her eyes closed, searching for that very same energy within herself. She knew it was there, hiding, just waiting to be used in a more effective manner than she had been able to.

After what felt like a long moment, she could feel the small hum of energy that she understood to be her chakra. There wasn’t much more than what was expected for someone her size and skill level. To her, it had a feeling that reminded her of the small, shallow areas of the rivers she grew up around. Enough to carry life and keep things in motion, but not ever enough to cause damage or be a threat during a storm. It was at this point that she willed the chakra to change course. The energy flowed and struggled a little within her, still unfamiliar with controlling her chakra. While her eyes were still closed, she raised a brow in mild annoyance. Another moment and the brow was lowered. Another, still, and she had the chakra starting to flow toward her feet. She smiled bright, opening her eyes without thinking. Sachi’s concentration wavered and she could feel the chakra slip back into its normal flow.

Silently, she closed her eyes and frowned. Her focus shifted back to getting the chakra to flow the way she wanted. It came a tiny bit faster this time, willing it to move toward her feet. She could feel the energy begin to pool at the bottoms of her feet. The feeling was off putting, but it reminded her of what Fanho was doing, so she took it as a good sign. As he gestured to her, she opened her eyes. The sheer amount of concentration on her face could be seen as amusing by some, but she also had an aire of determination.

Slowly and carefully, she raised her foot and stepped toward the water. As the sole of her boot made contact, she could feel the water push back against her foot like stepping on thick, mostly dry, mud. It wasn’t solid, but it held firm enough. There was a smile trying to race to her face, but she seemed to be fighting it. Almost as though the smile would break her concentration. Now that her first foot was stable, she slowly pulled her other foot to stand along side the first. When she put that foot down, she had the same feeling as with the first. Each time she took a step, she clearly made internal adjustments. In turn, each step appeared more solid than the last.

Finally, she smiled and looked up at Fanho. “If I move too much or lose my concentration by getting too happy, I might end up with water filled boots,” her voice was quiet, but held a hint of giddy laughter. She looked back down at her feet, the chakra flow changed in tiny ways here and there. Otherwise, she seemed to be standing solidly on the water. When she looked back up at him, the smile was even wider. “That took a lot of effort.”

Justu TrainedShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Act of Water Surface Walking]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A variation of the Act of Tree Climbing technique, this jutsu requires the user to focus a precise and balanced amount of charka into the soles of his/her feet. By doing so, the user is able to walk on the surface of water as though it were a solid surface. Users with low control 2 or lower are much more likely to fall through the surface of the water, while users with average control 3 or higher will be able to use this technique functionally. It lasts for a number of posts equal to the user's Chakra Pool.

300/300

Stat Training: Chakra Control +1
492/1000

[Director]

Fanho watched as Sachi seemed to grasp the technique quite quickly. It was no secret Heart was promoting chakra usage much to the ire of some the villages, but regardless of what big wigs thought Fanho was quite approving of the decisions to teach the populace chakra control and techniques. At the end of the day, old secrets would eventually flutter out, especially with how much the world advanced and would grow.

He watched as Sachi excitedly put her feet to the water maintaining excellent control of her chakra as she was able to feel for the water and balance against the waves. Fanho grinned with Sachi as she walked across making strides both physically and in chakra control. "Piece of cake right?" Fanho would walk backwards trying to get Sachi to walk a bit further out into the water, slowly inching back as she came forward to push her a bit more in training that muscle memory of exercising chakra control. However not too far out of reach he couldn't catch her if she were to slip and start to fall through "I guess if you fall through we could do swim lessons then. Though chakra control is more my expertise." Fanho chuckled as the two went through the paces walking across the water.

He held his hands out if Sachi ever needed to grab hold for balance or anything. He'd at least try to keep the teasing to a minimum as to not have his training partner wipe out completely in the water. If all went well he would lead her to cross the pond to the other side having her successfully traverse the pond using her new found chakra control.

"Now that you've got pushing chakra out of your feet at a constant flow to not fall into water. Let's inverse that so you can cling to walls." Fanho held his hands apart and now pushed them together to simulate the action needed in chakra flow. The Awai walked up to a tree as he gave it a firm push to ensure its sturdiness before planting his feet and focusing chakra to his heels sucking his feet into the tree as if he were walking on the ground. "Think of it kinda like..." Don't say kissing. "Like uh..." Don't say kissing. "hugging..?" The usually pale Awai now had a light flush of red as he awkwardly laughed and scratched the back of his neck as now he was on the receiving end his nerves getting to him. At least he didn't say kissing.

The stoic nature gone of his smooth operator flirting to now being conscious of his flirtatious induced thoughts. "Yeah, yeah, hugging definitely. So like you want to focus your chakra to pull your feet into the tree so it keeps you firmly planted." The Awai rushed into the explanation the redness not fading at all as some of the intrusive thoughts seeped into his vocabulary. "You'll still feel weird cause gravity its pulling you in, but the chakra will keep your feet planted to the surface." The Awai held his hand out to help Sachi keep balance as she planted her feet learning to walk among the shinobi wall riders, and see a-top the trees. He planned to walk her to the tree tops to see over the canopy and gaze at Pebble Countries sights from a different perspective.

Jutsu TeachingShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Act of Tree Climbing]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
By focusing chakra into his/her feet, the user is able to walk up trees and other vertical surfaces in a similar fashion to walking along the ground. This chakra amount must be precise, and although all shinobi learn this technique, the user's control stat will determine how well this jutsu can be executed. Users with low control 2 or lower will often fall during the use of this technique, while users with average control 3 or higher will be able to use this technique functionally. It lasts for a number of posts equal to the user's Chakra Pool.

[chocochipgamer]

She shook her head with a smile as commented on how easy it was. It definitely wasn’t as easy for her as it was for him. Growing up in a family of farmers didn’t instill any chakra training or even education in her. But, at least it seemed like she was making up for it in her adult years. As he teased the idea of swimming lessons, she smiled. “At least with swimming, I know I can handle my own in most currents,” she said with a smile. Her steps continued, following him to the far side of the little pond, inch by inch. It was comforting that, as she got closer to the bank of the pond, it got easier to control the chakra in her feet. Once her first foot landed on solid ground, she all but hopped with the other foot. The excited smile was proof enough of the tiny moment of pride.

Now on the other side, Fanho had another exercise for her. Getting training from him was actually quite enjoyable. His method of teaching seemed to suit the way her mind worked. As he explained the concept, she raised a brow at his stumbling for words. ‘Hugging?’ She pondered the example in her mind as she crossed her arms over her chest. His cheeks flushed slightly and a bit of concern rose in her. “Are you feeling ok?” she asked cautiously. But, considering he was already making his way up the tree, she assumed he was.

He continued his explanation and example. “Pull my feet to the tree,” she mumbled as she thought out loud. Sachi chewed her lip for a second as she considered her approach. She went through the same motions she had earlier. Her eyes closed, brow furrowed. This time, though, the process went a little quicker. She could feel her chakra move a little more willingly to where she wanted. The feeling of it pooling at the bottoms of her feet was becoming less awkward to her. Once she had it there, comfortably, she imagined the flow causing a suctioning like she would sometimes see in little pools on the rivers.

Carefully, she stepped up to the tree and raised her foot. Her eyes opened, an intense look of concentration as she pushed her foot against the tree. She tried to hold the concept in her mind as she leveraged her first foot to pull her enough to place her second foot against the tree. Step, step, wooooobble. Her feet slid down the tree a small bit and she reached out to grab Fanho’s hands. After a moment of collecting her balance back, her feet were still attached to the tree. She closed her eyes to resituate the image in her mind. Her chakra flow to her feet increased a little, holding her to the tree much more firmly. Sachi opened her eyes and took a step, then another. At this point, she was following his lead with a cautious smile. “This is extremely weird,” she all but giggled out the words, still holding his hands for balance. "But it's also extremely fun."

Jutsu LearnedShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Act of Tree Climbing]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
By focusing chakra into his/her feet, the user is able to walk up trees and other vertical surfaces in a similar fashion to walking along the ground. This chakra amount must be precise, and although all shinobi learn this technique, the user's control stat will determine how well this jutsu can be executed. Users with low control 2 or lower will often fall during the use of this technique, while users with average control 3 or higher will be able to use this technique functionally. It lasts for a number of posts equal to the user's Chakra Pool.

300/300

Stat Training: Chakra Control +1

714/1000

[Director]

"Uhhh... Yeah hugging." Fanho swallowed his slip of the tongue as he flashed a nervous smile affirming his previous wording. "You know holding tight to something you don't wanna let go of." Yeah don't let go, partially cause he enjoyed the hand holding and also cause it would not be smooth to let his new found crush fall to the forest floor.

Fanho held tight to her hands as he walked backwards leading her up towards the top of the tree. The sun peeking through the canopy growing stronger the higher they got. He'd slowly walk letting her find her footing as the two made their way up the tree. "It takes a second to get used to it. But it seems like you're a natural for chakra control. It took me at least a couple of weeks to get the feeling for it."

As they came up to the crest of the tree, a rogue branch at the top sitting perfectly to the side left a perfect ledge ironically waiting for the two. The gaze went on for miles as tree tops spanned Pebble with mountain ranges far out, and carvings in the canopy revealed large fields where it held shinobi and samurai training, sports, and others alike. Fanho still holding Sachi's hand walked her out to the branch as he gently sat down keeping hold to make sure she didn't fall.

"Its quite the view up here honestly. I didn't even know Pebble had this." Fanho kept chakra humming in his body as he used it to keep himself still on the branch and not spin around or fall off. "You know even though we're upright keep channeling chakra in your body to stick to the tree. It helps with the whole balance thing." Fanho jokingly wiggled his body as if going unbalanced as he chuckled.

The Awai reached into his back bag with his free hand and chucked a smoke bomb over in a neighboring tree just far enough away the two could see, and it wouldn't catch them in the smoke. As the bomb landed squarely on-top of the canopy resting on a big bushel of leaves Fanho nodded at the grenade as he moved onto the third part of the training. "This one might be a bit trickier than the last. Especially cause we're trying not to fall out of a tree. Think of it as a multi-tasking training too." Fanho nodded in confidence that Sachi would be capable of doing so. Showing promise so far, and excite to tackle challenges new and possibly scary. "We're gonna use chakra to detonate something far away. You'll have to focus and think about reaching out to the smoke bomb but with chakra. Think of it like a third hand thats gonna pull the pin and make it explode."

As Sachi trained Fanho wanted to stir up a bit of a conversation. It only seemed fair since he called her a doe and then revealed himself to be the future Hokage. Maybe he owed some casual conversation. "You know despite spending all this time together, I don't know if I've really got to know the Sachi. I know you're from Heart Country, your name is Sachi. At least you've led me to believe its Sachi." Fanho fluttered his eye brows as he teased Sachi laughing at his own joke. "So I guess, I just wanna get to know you more." The pink hue slowly came around as Fanho coughed into his free hand trying to play it cool. However, I guess realizing he was still holding her hand made him blush a bit darker.

Jutsu TeachingShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Chakra Kai]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A jutsu used with the purpose of activating seals and a range of devices and weapons, this technique begins with a single handseal. Once this has been performed, the user will focus a dollop of their chakra into what they are looking to activate in order to complete the task. Seals activated with this technique must be within 10 meters of the user's position.

[chocochipgamer]

They continued talking as they moved up the tree. He praised her chakra control and that made her smile with a hint of a blush. “Thanks, I figured out pretty early on that chakra seems to remind me of water,” she said as she carefully moved forward. Up? Yeah, up the tree. Soon, the branches dwindled away, leaving space for a great view. She gazed out over the land as he guided them out onto the branch. It was hard to hide the smile she wore, looking out over the landscape. Sachi spotted little clearings where different things were happening for the festival. She was so caught up in the view, she forgot for a moment that he still held her hand in his.

‘It’s quite the view up here honestly…’

He suggested she continue to keep the chakra running through her feet as they stood on the branch. When he wiggled around to show why, she had to stop herself from laughing. As he reached behind his back, she watched with curiosity. Her interest peaked even more when he pulled a smoke bomb and tossed it into a neighboring tree. That’s when he started to talk about detonating the smoke bomb from range. She raised a brow in confusion until he explained a little more about what she would need to do. It didn’t sound nearly as simple as he made it out to be, and that made her a little nervous. “Uh, okay,” she mumbled with a little uncertainty in her tone.

She did the only thing she could really think of at this point. With her free hand, she made a simple hand seal. One that should help her focus her chakra. Her eyes locked on to smoke bomb as she willed the chakra inside her. She understood this was going to be far different from anything else she’d tried up to now, so it was hard for her to come up with something that would allow her mind to wrap around the concept. Then, something made her smile. The idea of a little chameleon, reaching out to catch its dinner. Instead of bringing it back, she just saw it as a way to do as Fanho described, pulling the pin.

The chakra welled up inside her as she prepared to let it loose at the smoke bomb. Attempt one saw no reaction. Her second attempt wasn’t much better. She tried a third time, only to realize she was starting to sweat across her brow. Though, at that point, she also realized Fanho was talking to her. He teased her a little, pointing out that he really only knew her name and that she was from the Heart Empire. “Uh, well, Sachi is my nickname. Short for Sachiko,” she glanced at him with a smile between her attempts to set off the smoke bomb. She frowned a little as it continued to mock her, un-smokey, from a distance. “I actually grew up in River Country with my family until they all passed away from sickness.” Her tone was very matter-of-fact with very little emotion behind it. Almost like it was something she had kind of shoved away into the back of her mind.

It was then that she whipped a fragment of her chakra and encouraged the smoke bomb to let loose. Smoke filled the air around the tree off in the distance as she smiled. She cleared her throat a little roughly and glanced at him, no heavy emotions in the glance. Just someone looking at another person. “I’m not really that interesting, I promise,” she tried to add a little laughter to her tone. “Especially not compared to you, Mr. Hokage.” There was a more believable tone of teasing in her voice with the last sentence.

Jutsu TrainedShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Chakra Kai]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A jutsu used with the purpose of activating seals and a range of devices and weapons, this technique begins with a single handseal. Once this has been performed, the user will focus a dollop of their chakra into what they are looking to activate in order to complete the task. Seals activated with this technique must be within 10 meters of the user's position.

300/300

Stat Training: Chakra Control +1

1000/1000

Stat Training: Chakra Control +1

45/1000

[Director]

Fanho nodded along as it took Sachi a few attempts to get the feeling of launching her chakra outwards to trip something. It wasn't a particularly easy skill to learn at first. Not the hardest at least clones considered, but certainly a step in getting those basic steps. Learning how to move the chakra, then learning how to project the chakra. All steps towards the harder basic techniques that might require a bit more coaching.

As Sachi spoke about herself Fanho casually listened in as he watched her progress in trying to trip the smoke bomb. Sachiko from River Country until... Well now his ears had perked up, he solemnly nodded as Sachi, not coldly, not sadly, but just rather absently stated that her family passed from sickness. Almost reflexively in his defensive nature Fanho gripped her hand a little tighter gently squeezing it a bit more without realizing. While Fanho had never felt those kinds of losses like others, it made him wonder what he would feel like if he lost all of his closest family. It was almost unimaginable, and for Sachi to have faced those losses at such a young age it was an emotion he was searching for he had never felt like she had, but yet it stirred the emotion deep within him to protect her almost despite her competency. There was almost too much loss in the world at times he felt, to people who didn't deserve it.

As he thought about it he cocked his head solemnly as Sachi mentioned she wasn't that interesting he flashed a chuckle and a smile. Maybe she hadn't realized it yet, but he at least found her interesting. Someone who would at least return his sass with an acceptable equivalent amount. "Me interesting? I'm just the odd ball in a shinobi and samurai world." He rocked their hands back and forth as he talked. He glanced down, at their hands it almost seemed like they were just desensitized to it unlike the first time. The pink hue making its resurgence in his face as he smirked at his own shyness slowly overcoming it... Maybe.

"I think its about time there's more smiles in the world than frowns, you know?" Fanho flashed a smile as he twisted his body to face Sachi offering his other hand. "Try and be the light for those struggling. Make a difference in the world."

"Alright I've got another technique to show you. This one may be a little bit easier, but we'll make a game out of it. For every technique I show you going forward, you gotta tell me something about yourself. Deal?" Fanho fluttered his eye brows as he grinned and then began to explain the technique.

"Alright so this one is the chakra kai. You'll need it for genjutsu. We've talked about using chakra to keep yourself afloat, chakra to keep yourself stuck, chakra to trip something, and now this one is the complete absence of chakra. Just flush all your chakra in one fell swoop to get rid of a genjutsu user's chakra in your system. Think of it as exercising almost every muscle at once and then relaxing them so your chakra flow continues. Just remember to restart your tree technique, but I've got you no matter what. It'd be a shame to let you go now." Fanho had a devious grin grow on his face that contrasted the blush that also stirred up. Maybe he was getting the hang of this thing people referred to as flirtatious activities.

Fanho would show an example of quickly dispelling his chakra as his purple chakra made a quick flash from his body before resuming its sticky nature adhering him to the trunk. Which is why he offered Sachi his other hand in-case she forgot to redo the tree walking technique. It was totally not an excuse for him to hold both of her hands if that's what she's thinking. It totally was.

Jutsu TeachingShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Kai Release]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A rather simple technique that allows the user to escape from a genjutsu. The user will form a single ram seal and focus to reset their chakra system to purge themselves of foreign chakra. The stat requirements for this technique can be found in the genjutsu rules.

[chocochipgamer]

She watched as the smoke was whisked away by a breeze. There was a small moment of pride as she learned another new skill. Spending time with Fanho was both fun and exceptionally productive. He seemed to scoff at her saying he was interesting. “Just an odd ball? Try joining a samurai skill in a shinobi world with no background in either. You aren’t an oddball the way you think,” she smirked a little. Without even thinking about it, her thumb was absently rubbing along the back of his hand. Sachi did nod as he vocalized a want for more smiles in the world, a sentiment she could understand. “That would be nice. Part of why I went to the academy.”

Her ears perked as he mentioned another technique to show her. However, when he brought up the idea of an exchange, she hesitated. It wasn’t that she had anything to hide, she just didn’t have much to talk about in her eyes. Before she could really argue, he’d already begun explaining the technique. It was one that she’d heard about, but had never had a chance to learn. At least he was right, his explanation did make the technique sound fairly easy. After he gave her a quick demonstration, he offered her his other hand. Considering he had just stated he had her in case she slipped, she didn’t think much of taking his other hand.

With both of her hands in his, she simply nodded. “I guess I can tell you more, but there really isn’t much to know,” she said with a quiet uncertainty. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the idea of flushing all the chakra from her system in one go. Her grip on his hands grew tighter by just a tiny bit as her muscles tensed. She mouthed a countdown, silently. Three. Two. One. Sachi imagined pushing all the chakra from her system for just a split second, letting go of the tree climbing jutsu she had been using to stay on the branch. She wobbled for a long moment as she concentrated on starting it back up. Slowly, she felt her footing grow more stable under her and realized her grip on Fanho’s hands had tightened a little more once again. It wasn’t painful, but she definitely wasn’t weak.

In exchange for him teaching, he wanted to know more about her. But, what could she tell him that was interesting and not depressing? Before she could stop herself, she spoke up with a tidbit of information. “I didn’t really know how to read and write until about four years ago,” she blinked as the words just kind of came out of her. What she really hadn’t expected was the sudden vulnerable and embarrassed feeling that washed over her. Her eyes shifted, barely meeting his gaze. Why, of all the boring things that she could have told him, had THAT come up? She could have talked about helping her dad hunt, or the biggest fish she’d ever caught. Hell, she could have told him that she’d had three other siblings until they all died. But no. She had to pick something that was solely about her. Her cheeks flushed red, but it was easy to tell it wasn’t the flirty kind of flush. How was she going to recover from this?

Jutsu TrainedShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Kai Release]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A rather simple technique that allows the user to escape from a genjutsu. The user will form a single ram seal and focus to reset their chakra system to purge themselves of foreign chakra. The stat requirements for this technique can be found in the genjutsu rules.

300/300

Stat Training: Chakra Control +2

305/1000

[Director]

As Sachi trained he could feel her tense and grip tighter. Trying to maintain balance and focus on clearing all her chakra at once. Quite the strong grip for such a small stature woman. However it looked like the techniques before she was a natural at controlling chakra. In no time she'd have all the basics down pat, and then Fanho could probably teach her some of his own techniques.

Despite her excelling at training she seemed a bit reluctant to talk more about herself. Unbeknownst to Fanho it wasn't out of a desire not to talk to him, but just rather what to talk about. Maybe he'd have to do some prodding, talk a bit about himself to get her to open up. However, maybe not, Sachi albeit not realizing what she was saying until afterwards revealed how late her education took place. Though I guess it was something Fanho took for granted was the accelerated education programs in the hidden villages. Heart's own was just starting around the time Sachi would've enrolled.

The Awai nodded as he gave a reassuring rub with his thumb on the back of Sachi's hand and offered a friendly smile. "To be quite honest with you, I personally find reading kinda boring. I prefer to read manga. Mostly the shonen ones and sometimes shoujo." Tried to give some reassuring words and reveal of his immaturity to make her feel more comfortable at least. A grown adult still reading manga, let alone a Hokage that still enjoyed it seemed to definitely be an oddity as well. "But if you ever wanna write me a book or a letter of any kind. I'll definitely read that." Fanho flashed a wink as he served a teasing grin at Sachi, but also trying to be reassuring to her at the same time.

"Alright well the next technique is a little bit of a doozy. This time its transformation. I'm gonna transform into you, and you'll transform into me. It'll let you be... Well not so short." Fanho laughed as he teased her again trying to relieve some of the stress an embarrassment she felt. He started to flow chakra through his body as a puff of smoke emanated hiding himself, however when revealed Sachi would be revealed an almost mirror image of herself, size, clothes, scars, and all. An almost carbon copy visually. "Now I'm you." Fanho smiled at Sachi, although he could only imagine the weirdness it must feel to stare at yourself but yet its not yourself. He hadn't got to experience this in all his life, so I guess it was a first for him as it was Sachi.

"For this it'll be a mixture of the chakra kai technique and the water walking. You're gonna project your chakra out at a constant flow to maintain an appearance, but you gotta mold it in the shape of someone or something you're gonna change into. Really envision the form and try drawing that visual image in your head." Fanho dispelled the technique as he got his point across returning to his normal self in all his glory and normal height.

Fanho thought about how he could convey the attitude and skills needed. Transforming was almost second nature to him, but when he was younger it helped for him to really study what he wanted to change into. Take in all the details. "So you're gonna wanna focus on the details of the person you're transforming into. Like uhh..." Like hair in a bun, and the way the specks of gold danced in the sun light trapped in her light brown hair. Her eyes trapping the river waters of her home country swishing around anytime she smiled at him. The almost golden hue skin that made her seemingly glow and seem like a parallel for Fanho's own clan lineage. The little scars on her hands Fanho's fingers seemed to trace due to her hard work ethic. For what seemed like a second to him must've been a minute as he got lost in deep thought about Sachi . Guess Fanho could add hopeless romantic to the list of ever growing traits.

It took a second for him to snap out of it as he picked his jaw off the floor. "Yeah like uh... Your hair, its got these gold traces and it shines when the sun hits it just right. And your eyes look like they've got the waters of River Country running through them, you can see the pretty blue-green hues. And... And these tiny scars on your hands from your hard work... Its the little details, you uh... Gotta take notice." Fanho nervously stumbled through as he listed off these traits of Sachi, a pink hue radiating from him the entire time almost boiling into red territory as he tried to give an example, but ended up just sort of listing all the little pretty things he noticed of Sachi.

Jutsu TeachingShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Transformation Technique]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After completing the needed handseals, the user of this technique will be able to alter their physical appearance to match that of another person. By consistently emitting chakra throughout their body, the user is able to keep their appearance adjusted at the cost of their Chakra Pool draining over time. As this technique is quite strenuous to uphold, experienced shinobi may see more clearly through this delusive disguise. This technique lasts for a number of posts equal to that of the user's (Chakra Pool/2).

[chocochipgamer]

He didn’t demean or poke fun at how long she’d finally been able to read like so many others had. It almost made her suspicious of him until he admitted to what he preferred to read. She smiled a little as he spoke. “There’s nothing wrong with reading any of that at our age. I mostly read things that teach me about stuff because there’s so much I need to catch up on,” she tried to offer a more positive tone with a smile. His offer to read a book or letter she wrote to him made the smile more genuine and a little brighter. Heck, it almost reached her eyes. “Writing back and forth might actually be nice, but I imagine you’re about to be very busy.” There may have even been a hint of teasing in her tone with that. Interesting.

Her attention shifted as he began talking about teaching her another technique. It was another one that she had heard about but had never had the time to find someone to teach her. As he explained, she tried to parse through his words to make sure she understood what needed to happen. The idea of seeing what it was like to be a normal height actually intrigued her, even if it was only a short lived way. Before she knew it, another version of her stood in front of her. It was exceptionally off putting, but she found she couldn’t take her eyes away. There were miniscule details that were off, but they were the kinds of details that would be missed if she weren’t the real Sachi. Her eyes were locked on taking in the details until he released the transformation.

“Okay, that was cool,” she breathed with a chuckle. As he continued to explain, she listened carefully. The last thing she wanted to do was mess it up and fall from the tree. Though, she still had a firm hold of his hands, so maybe that wouldn’t be such an issue. He said to focus on the details of the person you wanted to change into. Sachi’s eyes looked Fanho over from head to toe. She carefully studied his features. His lean build, clearly built for speed and flexibility but hiding strength below. Eyes that reminded her of clear waters along some spots in the river with a blue of the brightest skies. Clear skin, light and unblemished. Though, she spotted a shade of pink in his cheeks that she hadn’t realized was there before. She eyed him intensely for a long moment before closing her eyes and giving a small nod.

Feeling comfortable with what details she could take in, she made the hand seals. Now, for the actual hard part, handling the chakra. She focused on the base shape of Fanho. Getting the height and buddy build as close as she could in her mind. It was a strange feeling, molding her chakra like a potter would clay, but that was the closest parallel she could make. Once she was satisfied with the base, she moved on to adding his clothes. A little harder, but not all at the same time. Now for the hard part, the actual physical appearance. She brought forth the image of Fanho in her mind, trying to layer that atop the chakra mold she was placing around herself.

How he made it sound so simple was beyond her. It seemed effortless to him. Silently, she reminded herself where he grew up and that he had been training at things like this far longer than she had. She shook her head, trying to shove the thoughts away so she could focus on the task at hand. Her mind layered the mental picture of Fanho over the chakra. Once she felt it was close enough, she took a deep breath to settle herself. Then, she pushed the chakra from her body, trying to maintain a steady flow all over. Sachi slowly opened one eye and looked around.

While the appearance was close, the hair color and height of her transformation was off. She grumbled in frustration and released the jutsu. Another long moment, some grumbles sounding like “What the-” and “Yeah, no” escaped her lips as she tried again. The next time, the height was better, but still not right. Additionally, the eye color was now wrong. Once again, she released the jutsu and focused again. The third time, the transformation was taller and almost sickly thin. Sachi released the technique and almost growled in frustration. A bead of sweat trailed down her right temple as she started to focus again on the transformation. This time, it seemed to be shorter, again, and a little heavier than the Awai in front of her. It was hard to miss the annoyed grumble that escaped her, almost like a hiss from one of the large monitor lizards at the border of River Country. She released the transformation and tried again. This time, finally, it was the closest to being the kind of spot on she could manage at this point. Right height, features, build, hair and eye color.

Sachi released the transformation and heaved a heavy sigh. “Okay, that was stressful,” she mumbled as she took a deep breath. As she held Fanho’s hands, her grip tightened and then started to loosen. Her balance shifted and her body started to lean to her right as her eyes fluttered a little. Suddenly, it was easy to see that she was feeling the effects of using her chakra more than she’d ever done, especially in one go. She managed to shake off the moment and tighten her grip on his hands again. Her balance righted before she started to fall, but her feet were unsteady under her. She took a few breaths before speaking up with a quick nervousness, “I, uh, think getting back on the ground might be a good idea.” Her cheeks flushed with the same shade of embarrassment as earlier, but some of it was also from the stress of training she wasn’t used to. The last thing she wanted was to fall from such a height in front of the soon-to-be Hokage.

Jutsu TrainedShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Transformation Technique]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After completing the needed handseals, the user of this technique will be able to alter their physical appearance to match that of another person. By consistently emitting chakra throughout their body, the user is able to keep their appearance adjusted at the cost of their Chakra Pool draining over time. As this technique is quite strenuous to uphold, experienced shinobi may see more clearly through this delusive disguise. This technique lasts for a number of posts equal to that of the user's (Chakra Pool/2).

300/300

Stat Training: Chakra Control +2

1037/1000

[Director]

As Sachi mentioned him being too busy, he chuckled at the notion as he shook his head with a warm smile. "I'll make time." She might've been teasing, but Fanho at least hoped deep down she'd write or come visit. It'd be nice to keep up with her after the events in Pebble and the coronation.

The Hokage-preem watched as Sachi went through the motions focusing on her chakra and the details. As she looked over his features he anxiously waited to see what would come of her study, and her first attempt was a little less smooth. Some major features we're slightly off skew like the hair color, and he was as short as Sachi was. He gave a chuckle at the attempted caricature of himself as he nodded in approval.

"You've got the right idea. Try it again." He watched as her second attempt was a better effort, she was about the right height, but the eye color was an off shade of blue heading into green. Another attempt, and then on her fourth she was quite successful. Obviously the small things that Sachi noticed, Fanho also noticed, but none-the-less she had pulled it off flawlessly. The Awai clapped both their hands together as he celebrated the victory over the technique. "You're a natural at this." He flashed a grin as Sachi expressed her stress over the technique.

It didn't take long for the long duress of training seemed to take a toll on her chakra reserves. Fanho nodded at Sachi as he helped her steady herself up on the tree. He figured she had to be somewhat fatigued due to all the jutsu. He gave a light tug on her hand as offered to carry her back down pulling her into a piggyback carry. "Here let me help. I've got some chakra to spare." He hoped his cologne didn't fail him now as he began walking down off the tree with Sachi in tow, taking his time to not jostle her, and then back across the pond to their training ground. "I think you'll be an expert in no time. You just take to it so quickly, and get it. It took me a couple of days to learn those techniques, but it only took you a couple of hours to learn them all." Fanho pumped Sachi's ego as he carried her, rambling on about her successes for the day. Honestly he was impressed, and really wanted to teach her more, some more advanced jutsu even. However, he'd have to go at her pace.

Fanho let Sachi down off his back as his fingers traced her arm down to her fingers as he did training with her before. Flirty but with more nervous trembling this time as Fanho was consciously aware of what he was doing. "There's a few other things I can teach you, but if you wanna take a break I understand." He scratched the back of his neck as he chuckled at himself, not wanting to let the opportunity slip to spend more time, but also didn't want to push his luck if the meter of putting up with Fanho was now drained.

[chocochipgamer]

She smiled as he so simply stated he’d make time. Such a simple statement, yet it almost had her blushing. Had it not been for how suddenly tired she felt, her cheeks may have flushed pink for a different reason. It made her happy to hear him praising her skills, but she also knew she had a long way to go if she was going to be anywhere near as proficient as half the people she’d met at the Festival. “You’re way too nice about my skills,” she playfully noted. When he gave her hand a tug, she was wobbly enough that she knew arguing his assistance was a bad idea. “I want to argue, but that’s probably bad for both of us,” she grumbled, more so at herself than anyone else. She carefully took his offer to carry her on his back.

As they made their way down, she caught a whiff of something. Likely his cologne. By pure instinct, she slowly took a deep breath, her face already precariously close to his neck, and smiled at his scent. Sachi was very much enjoying the time she’d been spending with Fanho. She’d learned so much in such a short time. None of the jutsu were perfect, but she had a strong enough base with each one to continue her practice alone. Once they were back on the ground, she heaved a sigh of relief and put a small amount of space between them. As he let her go and let his fingers linger down to her own, her hand hovered as well. It wasn’t a conscious action. More like when you find a sensation or texture to be enjoyable, sometimes your hand just lingers a moment longer. “A break for now might not be a bad idea,” her voice definitely held a note of tiredness. Though, it sounded like she was trying to hide it, turning her eyes to the ground.

When she looked back up at him a moment later, it was through her lashes with a light smile. Everything about the smile seemed natural, unintentional. She laced her fingers behind her back and twisted side to side as they stood. “So, what all happens at this coronation thing? I’ve never been to something like that.” Sachi had been nervous about attending, especially since she kind of felt like a bit of an outsider in the whole situation. Better to ask him now for details than find out she needed to wear something fancy or bring a present. Even if she had all that info, she was pretty sure she’d still be nervous. Being in one of the major shinobi villages as a leader is being named, that just sounded like a time for someone to start something if there was any trouble brewing. "I imagine there's heightened security around the village?"

[Director]

Fanho shook his head at being too nice. At least in his eyes it was hard to be too nice especially to those who he thought deserved it. "I mean it. I think you've got serious talent. What can I say." Fanho chuckled as she begrudgingly took his assistance.

Once on the ground and a break decided upon, Fanho's ears perked up as he heard Sachi still engaged in their talk. At the least he hadn't pushed her ready into a nap after all their jutsu training. Her fingers lingering behind too as Fanho's mind overthought the little signs despite his protests to just relax and take it easy. Even combat hadn't made his heart jump around this much. "Oh the coronation? I almost kinda forgot about it." Fanho stroked his non-existent facial hair as he pondered it for a minute. To be quite frank it seemed like a fairly formal occasion with the Fire Daimyo making an appearance. He also had to consider he'd probably have a considerable number of guests in the family/close friends box. After all his older siblings, Suzuko's class, Taiga, Zakuro, Yoru, and Sachi would all be there. Thinking hard about it he had to think of how to put it to not overwhelm Sachi like he did before just springing it on her.

"Welllllll, the Fire Daimyo comes down and makes an appearance. Usually the Kazekage and Raikage participate. So there's quite a bit security both personal, and Konoha steps its own up. But you'd be up on the balcony with me most likely. Personal invite and all gets you back stage access." The Awai stuck his tongue out as he teased Sachi about her exclusivity to the event. "I promise it sounds fancier than it is, its a pretty light hearted time for fun and celebration."

His gaze dropped to his hands as he interlocked his fingers together like Sachi and he had done earlier flexing them back n forth absentmindedly his super computer brain over analyzing every detail of the day, the stress of the Hokage coronation, the weight of responsibility that ever so weighed down everyday, but not before the stress relieved from thinking about yesterday's shenanigans with Sachi and then today's training a grin growing across his face, a light pink hue taking over his face. Heh, he guessed in all Sachi melted the worries away.

"Anything else that might be important? Dress code?" Fanho furrowed his eyebrows as he returned to thinking hard about the coronation, not letting his boyish thoughts of romance distract him. "Well there's not really a dress code, you can wear whatever you like. Just so long as you come that's all I need." Fanho thought harder as his hands played with his imaginary grey-beard.

"There's gonna be a lot of people up there with me. I'm not married either so I guess that usual seat for a wife would be free. So I guess you can be like my plus one and have that seat." Fanho smiled with confidence as he finished thinking about the seating arrangement. Not at all with a fear or hint that he hadn't considered the possibly one could take it an entirely different way. The Awai let the sentence sit out in the open for a while before the reality set in that he asked Sachi to take the seat usually reserved for a spouse. "I MEAN LIKE, YOU'RE A PERSONAL INVITE SO OF COURSE YOU GET A CLOSE SEAT! NOT LIKE WE'RE MARRIED OR YOU HAVE TO BE MY PLUS ONE! JUST LIKE I FIGURED... UH, I wouldn't want you to sit in the back or far away..."

Fanho slowly rubbed his forehead as he tried to forget the absolute blunder and mess of words he just spewed out. Recovery from this one would be a rough save, he could only hope Sachi found it funny or at least picked up what he meant. God he wished he had an erase jutsu for moments like these.

[chocochipgamer]

As Fanho began talking about the coronation and what kinds of things to expect, Sachi’s eyes widened slowly. Again, she knew it would be a decently busy event, but she hadn’t realized just how many high level officials would actually attend. Though, it shouldn’t really have been a surprise. The Hokage is the leader of the largest of the great shinobi villages. She swallowed hard as he mentioned the Fire Daimyo and other Kages attending. The talk about security was important, but she almost tuned out that info. He tried to play it off, but she was having a hard time with the idea of showing up in worn out clothes. Though, at the same time, she was confused why that idea bothered her so much.

As he continued, she tried to listen in to what he was saying. She nodded along and she smiled a touch when he said he just wanted her there. “I’m excited to go, it’ll be really interesting to see,” she said with a bright tone. Whether he was worried about what she would wear or not, she decided then that she at least wanted to make sure she had some new attire for the event. Sachi wasn’t much for fashion, but she could at least make her preferred functional clothing scale a little for the event. No sense in not using it as an excuse to at least upgrade herself a little.

“Oh? Who all will be up with you?” Her tone was light in its curiosity. When he mentioned not having a wife, she tilted her head with a gentle smile. Nothing out of pity, but something more akin to understanding. Fanho was very nice and caring, but he also sounded like he was an extremely busy individual. She wasn’t entirely surprised he was still without a wife.

When he started to seem panicked about something he said, she brought her hands up in front of her in a dismissive gesture. “Wait, calm down,” her words were a gentle attempt to calm him down. She replayed the words in her mind, trying to figure out why he was in such a tizzy. That’s when she silently landed on his words. ‘Seat for a wife’ and how she could have that seat. Her lips flattened into a thin line as she desperately started to fight back laughter. It was a hard fight, too. He started trying to explain what she meant and she continued to wave her hands, trying to brush away his worry. A couple tears formed as she fought the laughter and failed. “No, it’s okay. I know what you meant,” she said between laughs as she wiped away the tears of laughter.

“Please, seriously, I know what you meant,” she stuffed her hands in her back pockets as she rocked herself up and down on the balls of her feet. Her energy had started to recover a tiny bit, but she definitely shouldn’t be doing any more jutsu for the evening if she didn’t want to risk exhaustion, emergencies excluded. It was so hard to not continue the laughter, but she couldn’t stop the small giggles that kept creeping from her lips. The smile she wore was huge, though, and it lit her eyes with the enjoyment she was feeling. She did, finally, try to reassure him with a gentle hand on his upper arm. “Is it just a one day event? I’ve seen some festivals that can last a couple days, but I didn’t know if this would be anything like that,” she said with a soothing voice, trying to distract from any embarrassment once she had her laughter under control. Hopefully, just continuing to talk about something would help alleviate his panic.

[Director]

At the least he hadn't ran her off which was a plus. His fumbling of words had even earned him a reassuring touch of the upper arm. As Sachi laughed at him but comforted him none-the-less. A fair trade he assumed for not thinking clearly of what he was saying. Fanho peered at Sachi from underneath his hand as if to check to make sure everything was ok before he relaxed to her gentle touch.

Fanho moved his hand away from his forehead trying to disband the embarrassment as he leaned a little closer into her caressing his upper arm enjoying the closeness the two felt. He reached his hand up to meet hers cupping over it to give thanks for understanding him. Even if she did overwhelmingly laugh at him for it.

There was still some left over embarrassment that stained his skin with a darker shade of pink, but he fought through persevering. Women liked a man who was able to be sensitive and vulnerable right? They also liked a guy who could bounce back from a blunder right? He could only hope so as he let the worries float away.

"Well the big event is just one day, but usually everyone keeps partying for the week. Which you're more than welcome to stay for it all, or however long you want to be around." Fanho chuckled as he thought to himself before poking fun at his own mishap with words. "That is if my big mouth doesn't run you off." He flashed a playful grin as he tried to play off and recover while answering Sachi's curiosities over the event.

Her touch and soothing voice making him feel at ease even though he had just implicated marriage before. Perhaps marriage now was a bit too fast for Fanho, but thinking over it now. Did he even know how she felt about him? Was she just being friendly or was she just letting him hold her hand so she wouldn't fall out of the tree? He thought about the latter part which was entirely valid regardless of the prior. Maybe he was just overthinking, but maybe he held out hope she'd let him hold her hand outside of situations as dire as falling out of a tree. He had to remind himself baby steps, and maybe not dragging girls up trees.

[chocochipgamer]

He finally looked at her, taking his hands away from his face. Even going so far as to rest his hand over hers as she tried to reassure him. She found an odd amount of comfort in his presence, so she didn’t step away at the contact. As he collected himself and spoke up again, her laughter faded into quiet listening. When he made a joke at his own expense, she made a slightly disapproving clicking sound with her tongue and shook her head. “It takes a lot to scare me off, sir,” she took her hand away from his arm. It wasn’t gone for long because she used the hand to playfully nudge his chest, a gentle chastisement for his self-deprecating joke. Her hand lingered at his chest before trailing down his sternum, pulling her hand away just before she reached his solar plexus.

“Well, if you think you’d have the time, I wouldn’t mind being around for a few days,” she smiled sweetly. Sachi let her eyes wander across his face, noting the pink along his skin and wondering how much his words had embarrassed him earlier. If he hadn’t gone on about it, she honestly may have not even considered the round about misinterpretation that could have been made. They barely knew each other, so it wasn’t something that had even crossed her mind. “Maybe you could introduce me to some of your friends or family.” She locked her fingers together and rested them atop her head while she lifted up on her toes and leaned in closer to him. While she was only another couple inches higher, the motion pushed her face closer to his.

Her head tilted to the side with a wide smile and her eyes sparkled with excitement. She was genuinely looking forward to the event now that she had a little more information about it. Fanho was starting to become her first real friend and that was a thrilling prospect to her. The only thing that lingered in her mind was knowing that he would likely be a very busy man very soon. He was someone she truly wanted to know better.

[Director]

As Sachi mentioned her perseverance and inability to be scared off. Fanho cocked a smirk as he chuckled and watched her give him a light shove in the chest before her finger traced down his chest. That smirk bore instantly faded as his breath and heart almost stopped. Was she flirting with him? His brain was thrown a bit in a tizzy at such a small gesture. It seemed flirtatious, but gah, his brain couldn't tell up from down or left from right at the moment. It left him speechless as he lightly rubbed his chest where she had nudged him replaying it in his head as he overthought it.

At the mention of time Fanho did realize he had a larger responsibility and cut of the pie. However, he also couldn't just abandon his personal wants and desires at a whim. He wanted time with friends and family. It was true there were now larger ramifications for his actions, but in this moment now it just sort of melted away. He sort of just chuckled and closed his eyes as he briefly gave a sigh of relief letting go of his worries. With a soft but strong sound to his voice he put on an air of assuredness. He smiled warmly and reassured her, "Like I said, I'll make time."

As the topic of his friends and family came across, Fanho nodded intently following along with Sachi. He thought about his friends and people that Sachi would possibly meet. His four older siblings of course would be there. Not to mention Taiga, Takeo, Zakuro, Aina, and Hayate would all be there. Certainly lots of people she'd be able to meet. "Oh for sure, they'd all love you. You're sweet, funny, and talented, so I think you would get along really well with them."

He'd figure it all out, right now he wasn't Hokage yet and could afford to spoil himself a little. He put his hands together as if praying and put them before himself cocking his head with a shy grin. Now with more of a soft almost unnoticable trembling to his voice as he nervously yet without missing a beat proposed a solution to their busy'ness conundrum. "I may be a bit busier than normal, and I do promise I'll certainly make time for you, buuuuuut we do have the rest of this festival to spend together." Fanho locked his fingers together as he started to slowly tap his pointer fingers together as his eyes shy'd away ever so glancing at Sachi as if for approval on the idea.

[chocochipgamer]

She giggled softly at him putting his proverbial foot down, stating he’d make time with a firmness. It made her smile that he seemed to want to spend time with her, as well. Sometimes, she worried about being annoying, always asking people questions and hardly talking about her own past. Everyone else just seemed more interesting to her. Probably because most of the people she knew were samurai or ninja, whereas she only recently graduated from the academy at Heart.

Eventually, he got to the subject of her other question, meeting people in his life. But, then he started listing things about her, saying such kind things. Her eyes widened slightly and her cheeks turned a couple shades pinker before she looked down at the ground. She had never really been that good at taking compliments and that would likely never change. Instead, she took a breath before looking back up with a smile. “Great, I can’t wait.” Her tone was cheery and the smile reached her eyes. Yay, meeting more people! Especially ones that might be able to tell her embarrassing stories about Fanho.

This festival had brought far more to her life than she had imagined it would. She’d learned a lot in the way of ninjutsu and such, sure. But, she’d never really imagined she’d make friends with someone like Fanho. Just that thought alone warmed the smile on her face to appear more soft and almost grateful.

She watched as he seemed to prep himself to say something. He seemed nervous, though she couldn’t figure out why. Fanho agreed that he would have less time, but he did proceed to point out they could still spend time together at the festival. She seemed to miss his promise to make time for her, completely. Regardless, she smiled at his proposition. “Oh, yes please,” she happily bobbed up and down on her toes with a smile. Her peppy tone continued, along with the bobbing of her body. “I don’t have anything planned for my stay here, so I’m all yours.” Any other day, she would have been mortified at her choice of words. Today? She didn’t seem to realize the various ways the phrasing could be taken. Here’s hoping she doesn’t until she’s alone again… Or, will she realize?

[Director]

All his? Fanho blushed as his brain processed it before putting some sense into the statement at hand. Maybe Sachi didn't mean it the way his ape brain originally heard it. It was probably more like she had time for him, but despite deducing the more accurate meaning behind the statement it didn't stop his brain from emptying its contents at the sentence. "Uhhhh, yeah totally." Fanho's face perked up with a smile at Sachi's answer as he was able to snap back to reality, and luckily there still was indeed gravity. Maybe the two were unconsciously communicating something neither was completely read to forthright come out and say.

"Welllll....." Fanho teetered on the idea for a split second, wondering if it was a good idea to be so forthcoming, but fortune favor the bold surely. Perhaps she'd think the idea was too formal, but if he hadn't try then it'd be for naught to promise the rest of the festival and try not to deliver on some things for the two to do together. He just had to hope he wouldn't come off too strongly. It'd at least serve a good litmus test to see how the waters were. "If I get you for the rest of the festival, what say you to dinner?" Fanho spoke with smooth confidence, swallowing his anxiety and internal tics, only betrayed by his light skin showing hints of pink as he proposed at least in his mind a date without just calling it that outright.

"I heard of a good place out here that's kinda swanky, and is a good place to eat with people." His brain flashed to the description one of the Konoha shinobi gave him. A sort of swanky dining place, that's not overly fancy, but a nice soft atmospheric restaurant. The perfect place for a potential date. At least that guy's wife loved it. Surely it'd be a good idea for Fanho right? He could only hope he was on the right track, at least he had some coverage from his big mouthed moments to keep from running Sachi off. The only thing now was left to see is if he could navigate this battlefield known as romance, his weakest field of study. Flirting with women was scary.

[chocochipgamer]

His face flushed a tiny bit and she tilted her head in curiosity. Did she say something embarrassing? She blinked for a long moment as she pondered what she had said. Then it donned on her. ‘I just said I was all his.’ Cue internal panic and mortification. She did what she could to hide her sudden and intense want to bury her face in the dirt after hiding under a massive rock. Though, the bright flush of her cheeks was unmistakable, she prayed he didn’t think too much of it.

As he visibly considered something, she tried to push the color from her cheeks with some calming breaths. Her smile held firm as she waited for him to speak his mind. Part of her worried that what she had said actually put him off and that he was about to scurry off. When he asked her to dinner, her heart shot up into her throat. All the air in her lungs suddenly caught in her chest and almost felt solid. His voice was still and seemed unphased. Like a silent doe, she nodded without a word. Finally, she found her voice again, “That sounds wonderful.” The voice she found was timid and shocked with a hint of excitement underneath.

He continued to talk about the restaurant, but she barely heard what he was saying. Internally, it was a mixture of an excited dance party and anxiety riddled whimpering. She merely nodded and smiled. The poor girl wasn’t completely unschooled in the world of dating, but she barely had any education. Her parents were already gone by the time she was of age, so she never really had anyone to guide her. That said, she did like to read and would hear stories, so she wasn’t a total loss. “I’m sure it will be a lovely night, no matter what,” her words were sweet and quiet. Thankfully, the nerves left her voice alone, hiding the fear suddenly welling in the pit of her stomach. “Uh, when would you like to do that?” If only her parents could see her now.

[Director]

Fanho peered at the non-existant watch on his left hand wrist before looking up at the sun for guidance on the time. His brain calculator doing the number subtracty add thingy, he then nodded towards Sachi still trying to play it cool but bluffing as his skins pink coloration betrayed him. At this point she’d think his skin color was pink instead of the pale light that it normally was. “Let’s say we meet here tonight at around eight? Then after dinner maybe we can walk around the stalls or star gaze? I hear the large clearing near the training fields has a good spot. Not a lot of people go there so its kind of private.”

His skin started to almost started to boil as he realized the implication of a private out the way area. The Awai’s eyes went slightly big before he reigned it in. After all he just kind unabashedly asked her out on a date. Actually did he even refer to it as a date? Was it clear to her it was a date? Was he setting himself up for disappointment for it just to be a friends outing? Does a friend run their fingers down your chest? If Fanho we’re a lesser man without superhuman control over his body he’d be pouring sweat bullets just for thinking about all this. After all she was a special doe, he just didn’t want to mess it up.

When was the last time he had dated? Almost never. It wasn’t due to a lack of opportunities, nor was it due to his innate lack of skills and experience with women (only partially). He just simply never really pursued something like this before. Despite the fear and shyness there was a sort of resolve behind his actions and words that he tried to let fill him and bolster his confidence. He would try here and make an effort to see where this all led.

“So I guess its a date then?” A warm smile accompanied his words as he eagerly waited in the water to see if Sachi would join him, or if maybe he just threw himself overboard without a plan. A man could only hope he called the right woman a special doe.

[chocochipgamer]

She tilted her head slightly as she watched him ponder over something. He offered a time and place to meet, causing her to smile. Her eyes lit up when he even suggested they watch the stars after their meal, too. “Oh! I love looking at the stars,” her words were quick and excited, almost like a kid wanting to do something they enjoy. She let her eyes linger on his cheeks, a little concerned for their color. They were usually paler, if she recalled right. Part of her wanted to ask if he was feeling alright, but then she at least remembered how much he had seemed to embarrass himself earlier. Maybe he was still coming down from that? Had she been in his place, she knew she would be in the same boat. Oh wait, she did kind of just taste her boot a minute ago. Remembering that brought back a tiny bit of color to her cheeks.

With that said, he still seemed to be fairly calm considering how her own heart was threatening to burst from her ears. His voice was smooth and revealed nothing about what was going on in his head. Much to Sachi’s chagrin, anyway. Was this a date? Was he just being friendly? Did she even WANT it to be a date? Why was she suddenly so worried about all of this, anyway?

“So I guess its a date then?”

Her mind screeched to a halt. A date. Yeah, that’s what he said. He said it was a date. He seemed so relaxed, so unbothered. Was it just an expression or did he actually mean it was a date? That smile he wore, it seemed so warm. ‘Just play it cool, Sachi. He’s the soon-to-be Hokage,’ she tried to calm herself. Then, she realized what she was telling herself. ‘He’s the soon-to-be Hokage!’

Suddenly, there was a silent battle being waged in her mind. He was going to be the leader of, arguably, the most powerful shinobi nation. She was just some graduate from the Heart Empire. Barely graduated, in her mind. He was tall, handsome, strong, and so very kind. Sachi had very little to say about herself. To her, one’s station in life still meant something. She had to still contend with old world hierarchies in her mind. Just being friends with Fanho was world changing to her. Her silence stretched to an uncomfortable length of time. She would go. She had been enjoying spending time with him too much. Besides, maybe it wasn’t a true date he was after. “Yes, it’s a date,” she smiled up at him in return. The tone of her voice, however, hinted at a tiny bit of unease that she couldn’t hide.

Realizing her tone was less than convincing, she cleared her throat with a small cough. As she did so, she tried to use her hand to cover it and her face. If her voice wasn’t solid, there may be something in her voice to give away her nerve at that point. Being stoic was hard, okay? “I, uh, I think I’m going to head back to the inn so I can rest,” her tone was a little more steady this time. She lowered her hand as she took a few steps that would carry her past him. As she did, awkwardly, she gave a tiny bow. “I’ll see you back here in a little while.” No matter his title, his skill level, or any of those things, a part of her wanted this to be a real date. And part of her hoped he felt the same way.

[Director]

As Sachi revealed her excitement at the stars it at least reassured him he picked a winning combination. As she looked deep into his face Fanho had to wonder if something was on his face. It didn’t occur to him that his skin had gone from its normal pale hue to several shades pinker. However it wasn’t long before Sachi’s similar took the same shade however despite her own blunder Fanho couldn’t think of a reason why she was blushing.

However just like her his heart was threatening to jump out of his chest. Despite the smooth talking on the inside he was terrified. If she could feel his heart she’d tell they were both sinking in the same boat. Unbenknownst to her Fanho had hoped she understood it was a date. The sort of mental finger crossing he had praying she felt the same. He’d just have to see how she would react to their date and pray he could figure out the signals.

Fanho hadn’t even thought about the hierarchies, or anything that Sachi was worried about. He just found a sweet girl at a festival that he himself was sweet on now. As Sachi paused letting the ’It’s a date then?’ linger in the air, he was starting to get worried when she hadn’t said anything. However she saved him from his own thoughts with a return warm smile and confirmation. ”Yes, it’s a date.” Fanho’s own heart skipping a beat as she confirmed what he said. A smirk not of his own volition growing on his face as his cheeks turned a shade darker pink not with embarrassment, but excitement he wore proudly on his face.

There may have bit a hint of unease in her voice, but Fanho hadn’t picked up on it. He was just ecstatic for the date part. While Sachi tried to be stoic, Fanho could barely contain his excitement. Almost like a kid he nodded as Sachi planned going back to wash and rest up. “Yeah, yeah, definitely understand. I’ll be here at eight. I really look forward to seeing you.” The enthusiasm for tonight almost flooding from his mouth, he couldn’t lie nor hide it. He almost didn’t know what to do with his hands as he just kind held them in-front of himself searching for what to do.

“A special night for a special doe right?” Did he really just call her a doe again? Fanho thought about it a second before shaking the thought from his head as he returned back to be excited for the night. After all he just prayed he could make it a fun night for Sachi, and see where the road took him. Looking back he had never really dated before, so only god knew the two were up the same creek with no paddles, and in the same boat. Perhaps they’d figure it out the dating game together.

As the Awai watched Sachi walk away he breathed in deep as he gave a sigh of relief. He may not have been as smooth as last time, but he at least had been smooth enough. As Fanho let Sachi leave first, watching her walk away he slowly put his hands together. Sweet, pretty, talented, with a side of goofy just trotting down the walk as she gave a little bow before giving her final greeting. “I look forward to it.” He gave a deeper but quick bow, still struggling to contain his energy. Watching as she continued to walk away, just sort of taking the view in thinking he was a lucky guy. “God I think I’ve been holding my breath for the last two hours.”