Manly Guys Doing Manly Things

[Mortalvis]

"O' wouldja sit still already? I told yeh I sent 'im one of those birds, so stop with the fidgetin'." Orik's large hand settled upon Tobi's shoulder.

"I know, sorry. I just feel sorta bad that I didn't end up going to lunch with him." Bowing his head, Tobi sighed softly. His eyes were glued to the wooden door to Orik's home, his stomach knotted as he waited to see Oushi come through it.

"Feh. Don'tcha worry, laddie. We'll make sure that's notta problem by the end o' the night." Releasing the boy's shoulder, Orik limped his way to the fireplace to stir the aromatic stew that brewed in a cauldron over the flames.

"'Sides, do ya really think that ol' softy will care if ya had a change o' plans? No. Jus' keep an eye on the door while I keep an eye on the food."

[Punslinger]

Orik was answered by a knock on the door, followed by the throaty chuckle of someone whose voice came from somewhere near the door's upper frame.

"Did someone just refer to a village superior as a softy? Tobi, open up or I'm flunking you out of the exam for insubordination."

The semi-serious tone was followed by a quiet yelp as Oushi cursed softly at Fubuki, who'd pecked him on the head for not getting to the smell of the food fast enough.

"Yes, yes, I smell it too, just wait for a second! Ow. And you shut up, it's not funny." the bannin glared at Patsu, whose bleating did in fact sound very much like laughter at his master's pain.

[Mortalvis]

Tobi was on his feet before Oushi had even finished threatening him.

"Oushi!" Tobi said, his voice hardly more than a squeak. All the apologies he had concocted for when the bannin arrived disappeared out of his head, and instead he gawked, looking for words that were no longer on his tongue.

"Oi! Close th' bloody door, ya dimwits. It's been nippier durin' the evenin' lately." Orik turned to face his apprentice and guest, idly wiping his hands clean with a cloth as he did.

"Yeh heard me right there, Oushi. I know yer all mush in that chest o' yours." A hearty chuckle rumbled within the large man's throat as he stumbled toward whom he was addressing. When he got close enough, he noticed that Oushi had invited unplanned guests.

"Oh for the love of everythin' holy, Oushi! Didja really need to bring those along with yeh?" Taking a moment to sigh, the large man shook his head and waved for the group to come in and settle.

"Ah, yeh know I don't mean anything by that. Those two have seen more o' the world than most of the people in this village. Now anyway... Tobi! Get the potstickers off of the stove. Oushi. Come sit, lad. Have yourself a drink."

Receiving his orders, Tobi blinked at Oushi a few times before setting out to do as he was told. He was quiet, a little intimidated, and more or less afraid of what that night was going to be like.

[Punslinger]

“Hiya, Runt!” Oushi stooped slightly as he edged carefully through the doorway, grinning at Tobi. Fubuki had forsaken his shoulder, and was now sulking on Patsu’s back as the old goat slowly ambled in behind his master, found a corner by the fire and folded himself into it.

“This is for you.” The bannin produced from behind his back a gallon-sized wooden barrel, presumably filled with something caustic, and handed it to Orik. “A fella my Pop works with in the mines makes this in his spare time. I used it once last year to set a shadow demon on fire, so you know it’s good.”

Sitting down at the table, Oushi made himself comfortable, leaning back and putting one arm over the back of the chair. Seeing that Tobi was helping out with dinner, he didn’t bother trying to insert his large frame into the small kitchen to help and instead opted for a bit of fun.

“Hey Tobi, I bet you thought you’d have to take fewer orders at chuunin, huh?”

[Mortalvis]

"Oh, wouldja look at that," Orik mumbled absently as he staggered away with the barrel tucked under his arm.

Just as Oushi started to speak, Tobi had returned with a bowl full of dumplings. He set down the ceramic dish on the stone table and looked up at the bannin

"I'll be lucky if I start taking fewer orders before I'm dead," he exaggerated, wearing a weak smile.

Wiping his brow onto his sleeve, he took a deep breath and slumped down into a chair.

"Besides, can't really argue with someone who's about to feed you, right?" Tobi managed a meager chuckle, rubbing his hands together as he eyed the fireplace. "I probably shouldn't be sitting around though..."

"Darn right ya shouldn't be," Orik boomed as he reentered the room. "Up, up! Table needs setting."

"Yes, sir," Tobi replied begrudgingly, rising to his feet.

"That's what I thought." The hulking man folded his arms across his broad chest, watching Tobi disappear into the kitchen.

After returning to the fireplace to take the stew off of the fire, the old blacksmith remarked, "Good kid, but I swear that he's mushier than a bowl of porridge on the inside."

[Punslinger]

"Well from what I hear, a lot of the kunoichi around here have developed a taste for porridge." Oushi raised his voice to make sure that Tobi heard him. He was kidding, but he hadn't missed the fact that besides himself and Orik, the only people Tobi associated with in his age group were girls.

Turning his attention back to Orik, Oushi gestured to a bottle of sake and several cups already on the table.

“Well, it’s bad manners to start drinking before your host. C’mon Orik-san, pour us a round and let’s have a toast. Tobi, c’mere, we’re toasting!”

The bannin, young as he was, was a champion drinker in every sense of the word. Every toast, every bit of etiquette and superstition involving alcohol, he was at least passing familiar with all of them, and had made something of a hobby out of collecting bits of drinking trivia in his travels, thanks in no small part to his grandfather, who’d taught him most of it to begin with.

"This is a special occasion, so you guys try to think of something good to toast to. Good liquor should never be drank idly on days like this."

[Mortalvis]

Tobi wasn't deaf. As he reached into the cupboards to get the dishes, his heart sunk a little at his mentor's comment.

'Am I really that bad...?' he thought, glancing out into the living area. Then he heard Oushi's remark, and of all the ways he could have taken it, Tobi looked horrible confused. Maybe it would be better if he laughed it off if it got mentioned again instead of advertising that he hadn't quite understood what Oushi was getting at.

Returning to the table with his arms full of dishes, he set down bowls and cutlery for the three of them before turning to the corner in which Oushi's pets had settled.

"Hey Patsu, Fubuki," the teen said, warmly acknowledging the animals. "Just a moment."

Making another quick visit to the kitchen, Tobi scurried to gather up the scraps from the meat and vegetables Orik had used for the stew, packing them down into two separate bowls. On his return, he marched over to the bird and goat and set the bowls down.

"Thought you might like that." With a smile, Tobi finally sat down at the table in time for toasting to begin.

After he had set down the stew on the table, Orik seated himself and began to pour the first round of sake, which Tobi imagined meant just himself and Oushi. When his glass was filled with the alcohol, he shot a look of bewilderment at his mentor.

"Uh-"

"O' man up, will ya, Tobi? S'a little bit o' alcohol. It ain't goin'ta kill yeh," Orik scoffed, cutting him off before he could protest.

"Alright. Tonight's to Tobi here. Who'da thunk a runt like him'd get this far, huh?" Apparently that was his toast, for he lifted up his glass soon after and gestured for Tobi to do the same. It didn't stay raised for long before the old blacksmith downed it and turned to Tobi expectantly.

Staring into the cup in his hand, Tobi took a deep breath and poured the sake down his throat. The face that followed was to be expected, and it made Orik roar with laughter.

"O'! That's my boy. Another round. You better have a good toast, lad," Orik warned Oushi as he poured the second round of drinks.

[Punslinger]

As Tobi approached, Patsu and Fubuki lifted their heads from their fire-induced torpor, but quickly became more alert as food was produced. Patsu nattered as his bowl was set in front of him, and Fubuki gave the slightest of nods before flapping down to the floor and tearing into a hunk of flesh.

Oushi’s cup was drained less than a second after Orik’s, and he reached across to pat Tobi hard on the back as he coughed and sputtered.

“Don’t worry, the first one always burns a little.” He laughed.

Oushi feigned a hurt look as Orik prompted him, but stood and swelled his chest imperiously after a refill, holding his cup in the air as he boomed in a sonorous baritone,

“Drink down the wine.
Cups should not rest.
I’ll sing you songs
and put your ears to the test.

Power and wealth are to no avail;
let only your drinking prevail.

A sober man and the sages
are both lost through the ages
but all our brave drinkers never shall die.

Iwagakure produces fine wine
You know why shinobi are always so young?
Because even the king couldn’t stop my drinking!
Let’s drink a cup to a ship that’s sinking.

With uplifted cup I say to the moon
‘Why does my shadow appear to swoon?’
Wine is ready in cup, you see.
Put down my cup.
The horses are ready.

Fallen in the fields of battle, the warrior says
‘Who will remember me?’
‘Who will remember me?’ "

As he finished, he paused for a second, contemplating the cup in his hand before sucking it down with blistering speed and a satisfied gasp.

“Alright Tobi. Man of the hour, let’s hear it.”

[Mortalvis]

"Whoa, easy there. Gonna bring a tear to ol' Orik's eye if you keep that up." Orik chuckled heartily and turned to Tobi.

The chuunin wore a thoughtful look as he soaked up Oushi's toast. Everything had gone very silent save for the crackling of the fireplace, which seemed to be suiting for a toast held in Tobi's honor.

As Oushi's speech came to its close, Tobi more than readily downed his second cup of sake, followed shortly by Orik doing the same.

"Me? Well, alright..." Tobi stood just as Oushi had but with less confidence and certainly with less on his mind.

"...Ahem..." he cleared his throat, looking between the bannin and his mentor. "Okay..."

"I'm a chuunin now. Woo." With that, Tobi slammed down his third glass of sake before dropping hard into his seat.

[Punslinger]

"Damn right you are!" Oushi laughed and downed his cup and reached over to slap Tobi on the back again before looking around the table. Something was missing. Soon, it dawned on him that they'd started drinking before dinner, which would get him a sharp crack on the head if he were home.

"So uh....gentlemen. Itadakimasu." Oushi grinned as he picked up his chopsticks and snatched three of the potstickers and made them disappear. The bannin had always found it extremely funny to use his skills as a ninja at the dinner table, and it had gotten him into a lot of trouble with his grandma over the years.

Filling his bowl with stew, he smiled across the table at Orik, nodding in thanks as he spoke.

“So Orik-san, how’s Chuutetsu-sama these days? I haven’t been by to see the old man in a while.”

[Mortalvis]

Busying himself with getting some food, Tobi settled down with a steaming bowl of stew and a few dumplings. He figured he had no place in the conversation Oushi had started and he had gone silent because of that.

As Tobi started into his dinner, he felt his pocket wriggle as Pumpkin made his first appearance of the day. The little salamander was promptly lifted onto the table and left to rest next to Tobi's bowl. The heat seemed to put him in a stupor--or, maybe that was how Pumpkin always looked.

Orik finished dishing out some food for himself and had a taste before responding to Oushi.

"He's doin' alright. Gettin' old, you know, but he's still as sharp as ever." Orik scratched his head for a moment, gaze shifting off to the side in thoughtfulness.

"Can't say I've seen 'im much lately, though. Figure he's just been a wee bit busy or somethin' of the sort." Waving his hand dismissively, Orik settled into his dinner.

"That's... he's the one you've told me about, right, Orik?" Tobi inquired, vaguely recognizing the name.

Orik nodded, swallowing a mouthful of stew before speaking.

"Aye. You'll never find a blacksmith better than he. That much is certain." While pausing from his meal to scratch his side, it occurred to the old man that he had something to ask Oushi.

"Oi, Oushi. The young'un told me yeh watched that match o' his. Now I'm not much of a ninja like you two lads, but them competitive matches are a damned hoot to watch. What didja think? By the sounds of it all, I woulda had my money on the blockhead you put the wee ones against."

Although he sounded a little harsh about it, Orik was looking to use Oushi to help kindle Tobi's confidence. As it was, the boy was making himself as small as possible to avoid being a thorn in either of the older mens' sides.

[Punslinger]

The stew and potstickers at Oushi’s end of the table were dwindling at an alarming pace, as well as a few cups of sake. He nodded once or twice as Orik spoke, and sat down his bowl and cleared his throat with still more sake.

“Well I admit I had my doubts, just like I’m sure he did, but he really came through. He’s really everything we could expect from a chuunin candidate these days. They say skill is the ability to take advantage of an opponent’s mistakes, and ‘that blockhead’ was exactly that. He underestimated Tobi’s team and got blown up three times by an iijutsu specialist before…things got out of hand. The point being, Tobi handled himself rea-…” the bannin stopped, his eyes lighting on Pumpkin’s bright colors as the little animal lazed on the table by Tobi’s bowl. He raised an eyebrow and lowered his head level with the table, peering owlishly at the salamander. Without raising his voice, he reached one long arm over and pointed.

“Tobi? Who’s this?”

[Mortalvis]

Orik had shot a glance at Tobi as Oushi spoke, but it seemed as though his intention had been lost on the boy; his apprentice seemed much more interested in feeding his pet than he did in listening.

Tobi hadn't noticed, as he was in the midst of breaking up a piece of beef he had plucked out of his stew. Pumpkin had surprising tastes for a creature that would otherwise make itself at home eating worms and other creepy crawlies, and although Tobi did his best to research the salamander's diet, he had grown rather fond of sharing small bits of his meals with his pet.

"Huh?" As an arm came into the corner of Tobi's vision, he followed it to its owner. Oushi was looking very curious, his eyes fixated on the small amphibian while it nuzzled the piece of wet beef in front of its snout.

"Oh, uh. This is Pumpkin. He's my buddy." The chuunin rubbed a gloved finger lightly against Pumpkin's tiny cheek, which didn't seem to phase the salamander in the least. Pumpkin looked ready to tackle the food in front of him, but before he could even open his mouth, he was scooped up and set in front of Oushi.

"He's really tame. Well... tame in the sense that he's too lazy to do anything if you touch him. You can pick him up if you want. He's friendly too."

At that, Orik's voice boomed over Tobi's:

"I swear to the almighty, you kids and yer animal-lovin' foolishness. Yer lucky I don't make yeh take t'at darned thing outside. Yeh already let the other two uninvited beasts get comfortable by feedin' 'em, and now yer lettin' that slimy critter climb all o'er th' table." The old blacksmith shook his spoon at Tobi and Oushi before dropping it into his empty bowl and ending his outcry with a defeated sigh.

"Oi, I think I'm due in for a bit o' that demonwater yeh brought along witcha, Oushi."

[Punslinger]

Almost before Tobi offered to let him, Pumpkin was in Oushi’s hands, and the big man was hunched over him like a child with a toy, gently prodding and stroking along the salamander’s back.

“Well look at you. Look at you.” He clucked, smiling at Tobi. “Tobi, he’s great. Where’d you get him? When’d you get him? How old is he?”

Oushi’s no doubt endless string of questions was interrupted by Orik’s booming grumble, and he looked amiably over his hands at the older man with a laugh.

“By all means, Orik-san. Tobi’s first pet is definitely calls for a drink with a little more fire.”

Setting Pumpkin gently back down on the table, the bannin quickly scarfed the remainder of his food down and pulled a his flask from his vest, which he held up for a toast.

“To having someone to watch your back.” He grinned, waiting for Orik to finish pouring.

[Mortalvis]

Pumpkin's head had remained turned during the entire manhandling session, one of his glassy black eyes fixated on the food from which he had been so abruptly moved. Yet, as soon as his feet were back upon the table and he was free to leave, the salamander stood very still.

"C'mere, Pumpkin. Come over here," Tobi cooed, producing a small flame at the end of his index finger. Pumpkin reanimated as the chuunin brought the flame closer to the small amphibian, leading him back to the food that had been left behind.

Meanwhile, Orik had momentarily excused himself to bring the barrel of caustic delight to the table. After popping the cork, gathering Tobi's glass along with his own, he poured a hefty serving into each and set them back down.

"Aye, it's high time we polished yer insides with some traditional cleaner, laddie," Orik laughed, holding up his glass.

"...and I think it's high time I stopped hanging around you guys." Tobi stared into his glass while making a face. It certainly smelled like it could be used as a cleaning fluid. He raised his glass anyway, showing a little less enthusiasm than his mentor.

"Well, yeh held that sake pretty well, Tobi. I t'ink it's about time we found out what kinda drunk you are. What do yeh say, Oushi? Shall we show the lad how we old time drunkards handle the devil's spit?" Without anymore chatter, Orik pounded back his first glass. His face wrinkled as he did, which only served to make Tobi even less excited than he already was about the experience.

[Punslinger]

It was pretty safe to assume that whatever was in Oushi's flash was as rank as whatever he'd presented Orik with, if not more so, because after tipping back and taking a swig, his nostrils flared and his eyes took on the momentarily vapid expression of someone that's just taken a blow to the face before he let out a satisfied, if slightly pained, gasp.

"And it burns all the way down." he chuckled, turning to his young friend. "C'mon Tobi, this is an even better test of your manhood than the exams. This liquor was distilled from wild mountain rice, aged in a mountain pine barrel, and sold by a man who makes his living digging holes in the bottom of a mountain. You drink this stuff, and you can do anything."

The bannin looked thoughtful for a second before adding, "I haven't figured out if it's because of or in spite of it, through."

Over by the fire, a sudden snore announced that Patsu was no longer among the conscious anymore, and a quick glance would confirm that Fubuki had joined him, the bird's massive head tucked under one wing.

[Mortalvis]

Deep breath. Avoid eye contact. Regret noth--Tobi's thoughts as the hellish poison slipped down his throat were interrupted by the coughing and gagging that followed its consumption. Of all the nectar on the earth, this was one he could have easily gone his whole life without trying. His innards felt like they were on fire and his eyes had watered to the point of crying.

Through his coughing, Tobi managed to spit, "W-What is wrong with you guys?" He clearly wasn't amused by their unofficial test of his manhood, and even less so when Orik started whacking him roughly on the back.

"O' laddie, yer never going to get far wit' an attitude like yers. Yeh know what I say to t'at? Another round!" A deep, throaty laugh filled the room as Orik went about pouring Tobi another glass of alcohol.

'It's official. They're trying to kill me.'

[Punslinger]

Oushi laughed at Tobi’s reaction, shaking his head as tears welled up in his eyes. The newly dubbed chuunin’s face probably wasn’t all that funny, but Oushi was just drunk enough to enjoy it, and he reached across the table to lift the barrel and pour everyone another round. As his laughter subsided, he addressed Tobi again.

“Look at it this way, Tobi. Alcohol is the most common poison on earth. By building up a resistance to it, you can use it as a tool on others. It’s great for getting information out without having to resort to interrogation, and it acts as a social lubricant. You just gotta be careful to control it, rather than it controlling you.”

He held up his cup and glared at it, as if to illustrate. “To holding your liquor.”

[Mortalvis]

"Aye. Wash me memories away, yeh dirty drink." Orik downed his second glass of the harsh poison, his face contorting just as it had before. As the burn settled in the depths of his stomach, the old blacksmith turned to Tobi and gestured to his glass. "Don't hold up the festivities now, Tobi. We've got pleanty'a fun ta have 'fore the night's done and through."

If Tobi had been intimidated, irked or anxious, he had forgotten all about it. His ears burned and he felt a foreign mellowness grip him tightly. It said to him, "Do it, Tobi, do it because nothing matters," and Tobi, in his early stages of a drunken stupor, was inclined to listen.

Taking the glass, Tobi guzzled its contents without a second thought, and as the last drop burned the back of his throat, he slammed the mug back on to the table and gestured for another. Apparently, Tobi was the "I don't give two flaming piles of turd about anyone or anything" type of drunk.

"Hehe, that's my boy. T'ough, speakin' of dumb--er, I mean fun--t'ings we gotta do, I've been meanin' ta say. Tobi. Bein' the man o' the hour and all, yeh get to be th' first ta issue a stupid dare. Yeh know, like... somethin' stupid. Yeh can try it out on Oushi first. He might be soft on the inside, but you'll see some real manly feats if yeh ask for the right t'ings."

Leaning back in his chair, Orik smirked and eyed Tobi through half-mast lids. The chuunin looked completely somber, his blue gaze passing between his mentor and the bannin.

"I dare you... to... I dare you to sing a song." Tobi looked absolutely serious. It wasn't a particularly good stupid dare, but the intensity with which he spoke made it clear that he wasn't going to change his mind.

"...Yeh heard the boy, Oushi! Get up and sing us some pretty songs, yeh dashin' laddie."

[Punslinger]

Oushi looked mildly shocked for a second, but he screwed up his face, leaned across the table to leer at Tobi and growled.

“You’re on.”

Leaning back, the big bannin took another shot of the whiskey, cleared his throat, and sang out at the ceiling. Rather than the rumbling baritone that he’d used for the toast, his singing voice was a mild tenor, lilting and perhaps just a little too feminine for someone his size. A romantic at heart is usually a romantic drunk, and Oushi was no different.
Had he sung it sober, it might have been a touching ode to love, both won and lost, through the ages. As it was, he wasn’t particularly serious about it, his attempts to waver the high notes resulted in his voice cracking several times and each rendition of the chrorus was punctuated with another shot.

By the time he had finished, both Patsu and Fubuki were glaring at him from the far side of the room, willing him to shut up with everything they had.

[Mortalvis]

"I'll drink ta that." Taking down another glass of the crude liquor, Orik wiped his mouth off on his forearm and belched. "O' wouldja look at that. Perfect endin' to t'at song of yers."

At the time, Tobi had mellowed out so much that he was hardly in the land of the living. Oushi's song had nearly lulled him to sleep, his head now resting next to Pumpkin on the table.

"That was... a wonderful song. You should sing ano-another," he mumbled, weakly raising his mug off of the table.

"Nah, nah. Ol' softy's gotta dare one of us ta do somethin' now. Yer a pathetic drunk, Tobi. Yeh don't know a bloody thing about it and here yeh are, half-dead and we've barely gotten ta anythin' fun."

"Leave me alone..." Tobi groaned, putting his hands over his head. "You guys should do something to enter-entertain me. Ugghh..."

"Like hell, ya whiny child. Yeh don't order people around people who're more man than you. Yeh haven't got a girlfriend, yeh can't hold yer liquor, and yeh definitely haven't experienced any of the things t'at really harden a man. Now you tell me who should be entertainin' who, boyo."

[Punslinger]

"Awwww, he's a complete pudding sack!" Oushi moaned, imitating Tobi. "But. We can fix that."

Turning to Orik, Oushi passed a wink before looking deadly serious.

"Old man. I bet you can't cut me." Oushi gestured at the center of his chest. "I bet there's not a weapon you make that can make me bleed."

Over in the corner, Patsu's ear twitched, but the old goat did nothing. He was either as confident as Oushi was, or just didn't particularly care for his master's foolhardiness. Either way, if this didn't get a rise out of Tobi, nothing would.

[Mortalvis]

In a matter of seconds following Oushi's challenge, Orik had a strange smirk on his face.

"That so? I've been callin' yeah mushy up in there all night, and yeh think I can't make yeh bleed?" Rising to his feet, Orik stroked his broad, stubbly chin thoughtfully.

"Don't do it, Oushi. Don't be a hero...!" Tobi's head lifted just long enough to speak before it hit the table hard, missing Pumpkin by fractions of an inch. "Always the good that die young... always..."

"Oh, hush you." Orik turned back to Oushi and quirked a brow. "Now, boy. There's nothin' in that back room--no axe, or blade, nor spear or spade that can bring out a wee bit o' crimson?"

Laughing, Orik hobbled toward the door of the room he was speaking of.

"Tobi, watch this closely. Yer about ta see exactly what I was talkin' about." Disappearing into the dark room for only a minute or two, Orik returned with his arms full of large, polished weapons.

One by one, he laid them out on the table. Some of the obvious choices stood among them, including a broad sword, a war hammer and a katana. The less common weapons seemed to be more for the sake of Orik's ego: a jeweled mace, an arrow with an obsidian head and a small, icy blue-bladed scythe sat next to them.

"Take yer pick, ya nattering Numpty." Orik's hand stayed close to the broad sword, knowing it wasn't a particularly tough opponent, and it hadn't seen a whetstone in ages.

Orik figured that Oushi was trying to get what little the alcohol had spared of Tobi's attention. The thud of the weapons hitting the table was enough to alert the boy, yet all Tobi could muster was a mildly curious stare.

[Punslinger]

[OoC: Always the good. Never the douchebags.]

Oushi's ploy seemed to be working. Sort of. Tobi looked like he genuinely was filled with porridge and that whatever support structure had been holding it up was gone, causing him to dribble all over the table and his chair.

Deciding to up the proverbial ante, Oushi formed channeling handseal behind his back. Even by performing a single jutsu and attempting to keep his chakra under control, the air around him distorted slightly and the pressure in the room changed noticeably. Although not widely known fact, it could be easily understood that Oushi had a massive amount of chakra that he sometimes had trouble keeping under complete control.

Gesturing to Orik, Oushi grinned and pulled open his vest to leave his chest bare, simultaneously shoving the broadsword into Orik's hands.

"C'mon old timer, grab something and teach me a lesson." he paused for dramatic effect before adding. "If you think you're man enough."

Oh SnapShow

*Saekagayakusuhada [Clearly Shining Body]
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: 8 strength
By having trained their muscles to a great extreme, the user of this jutsu is able to easily resist punches and blunt attacks to a much greater degree than normal by applying some chakra into their muscles.

[Mortalvis]

"Oi, don't look so eager to be shown up. It's a wee bit strange." The old blacksmith grazed the blade with his finger, eying it mindfully as he stood across from Oushi.

"You're all insane. Completely insane." The once drooping eyelids of the uninvolved chuunin were now wide open, his attention caught although it was more or less hardly there to begin with. "You're going to die. That's a sword. You're going to die."

"Hush! Just watch, laddie. You'd be surprised." Lifting the blade, Orik eyed Oushi for but a second before bringing the blade down against the bannin's chest. It was enough to make Tobi cover his eyes and duck his head, too afraid to witness the consequences of their foolhardiness.

[Punslinger]

The sword swung in a glittering arc, glancing off Oushi's chest with a muffled scraping sound not unlike that of a blade going through rocky earth.

Oushi, to his apparent dissatisfaction, blinked and made a wry expression as he looked down. After a moment, it became clear why; a thin line of red was opening up where the sword had struck. As it opened, it began to slowly bleed, dripping down Oushi's chest as he stared irksomely at it.

Looking profoundly disappointed, the bannin flopped back down in his chair and reached into one of the pockets in his belt for a tiny vial, which he opened and dumped on his chest, spreading the contents across his wound. The white powder, apparently a cauterizing agent of some kind, absorbed the blood, and after another minute, the only evidence that the bannin had been injured at all was yellow line across his chest where the powder had been stained by the blood.

Glowering across the table at Orik, Oushi took another hit from his flask, only to realize that he'd emptied it.

"Don't even say it, old man. It's an imperfect technique that I'm not done with yet." he grumbled. Then, seemingly just remembering that Tobi was in the room, the bannin looked over to where his friend was sitting to see if he'd missed his reaction.

"Tell him, Tobi. Tell him techniques like that don't just happen overnight."

[Mortalvis]

"Oh god, I'm so glad you didn't di-die! I woulda... woulda been sad, you know, that you died," Tobi shouted, clearly losing sense of his vocal volume.

"Don't worry, Oushi. I won't say a darn t'ing." Wearing a smirk that said it all anyway, Orik set down the broadsword and limped back to his chair.

"Can't win 'em all. Not without enough alcohol, at least." Reaching out for the barrel, Orik tipped it to drain the liquid into his empty mug. When only a few drops of the caustic concoction dripped out, the blacksmith lifted it and peered into the container.

"...Outta booze, outta luck. I say we wrap up this gatherin' and get the lad to bed before he passes out." Orik glanced at Tobi, wincing as the Chuunin's head hit the table with the thud and lolled to the side.

[Punslinger]

"I'm fine, Tobi. Part of this whole manhood thing is that you learn to take scratches like that with a grain of salt. Literally, in this case. Salt's good for keeping things clean." the bannin pointed to his chest, seemingly to indicate that one of the ingredients in his magical little powder vial was indeed salt.

Nodding in agreement with the older man, Oushi stood and reached over, pulling Tobi up chair and all before dumping the teen out into his free arm and setting the chair back on the floor, all with the carefulness and ease of someone handling an unusually large egg.

"Yeah. Some initiations into manhood are shorter than others, I guess." Oushi looked down at Tobi's limp form, laid haphazardly over his arm and gestured (using the arm Tobi was on) to Orik. "So where do you want him?"

[Mortalvis]

Yawning as he leaned back in his chair, Orik waved his hand dismissively.

"Lad's got a bedroll in the other room. Put him there." The old blacksmith pointed to the room moments before another yawn caught him by surprise. The fatigue hit him swiftly and with good timing.

"Looks like I'm gonna be retirin' real soon too, aye. I say you scurry along too, yeh softy, so we can both get some shut eye. I'm gonna need it in the mornin' when he starts cryin' about his head hurtin'."

[Punslinger]

The bannin shuffled quietly into the other room and laid the teen gently down on the floor, grabbing a nearby blanket and tossing it neatly over the top of the already drooling chuunin. He stood there awkwardly for a second, apparently unsure of himself before affectionately nudging Tobi with his foot and walking back out into the living room.

Fubuki seemed to sense that the night was coming to a close and hopped down off of his perch to waddle in his most dignified fashion toward the door. Patsu, however, would not be roused and left Oushi with only option: the goat was unceremoniously thrown over one shoulder before his master paid his respects to Orik and stooped slowly out of the front door into the night.

On the way home, he mused over just how long it felt since he'd celebrated his chuunin graduation with Jakun, Ita and Yasui. He hoped he'd be around to see Tobi become a jounin, but it occurred to him with a shudder that it was also entirely possible he'd end up just like his sensei, betrayed by some unnamed ally, bleeding his life out with nobody to help him because he was too proud to ask.

The young man looked up at the stars as he walked, the soft sound of Fubuki's wings flapping slowly just overhead. A hard line formed on his usually demure features. Nothing was going to stop him from protecting his village. Not even the kage himself, if it came down to it.