A monkey, a rat, and a drunk walk into a mountain..

[Zasadel]

Hayasu's black overcoat waved loosely against the cool mountain winds of Kumo, hair rustling in the breeze. At one of it's tallest points, the sun beamed down against the collective valley, various rivers and lakes glistening against the sky. Trees swayed, meadows dotted with wildlife, and everything together painted a serene view of what Hayasu fought every day to protect. Kureiji sat perched in a small tree a few meters away, swords crossed across his back while he snored loudly. Hayasu grinned, the clouds at his feet from the altitude. It was a great spot to meet and discuss, and he had sent scrolls to his two possible students. Nezumi, the King of Rats, and Banana, The Drunken Fist. Both complete opposite sides of the spectrum, but both with their own abilities and uses. The Reason?

Hayate, the 9th Raikage himself had given Hayasu a task, and a mission. But first, he had to see if the duo were really up for what it took to be Hayasu's student. It took as much guts and courage as it did raw skill. Not to mention a very temperate sense of humor. There was a colossal fail rate of people that wanted to be Hayasu's student, but he was simply far too much for most to wish to learn under him. Hayasu was his own breed, but the respect he had gained in Kumo was enough to showcase that he was the real deal. Having learned under Hayate himself AND a trusted companion to him was far more then neccessary of what should amount to a great teacher.

All it took was dedication. And he would find if these two were willing to train, but first they merely had to show up. The biggest issue probably lied at the fact that the peak he stood upon...was one of the highest in Kumo's mountain range. It would take quite some time to get up there, but clearly it would prove if they wanted it bad enough.

[Everything]

It was early for Nezumi when he heard a thump at his door. With a slight groan, still face down in his bed, he began muttering.

"Uh... Hoshi, Sera, Old Fuji, Hara, and Kino. Your closest, right? Do you mind?"

With quickness and precision, five rats scurried out from the mass of rodents teeming underneath Nezumi's bed. There was the thumping of small paws on the floor, the click of the door, and the ringing of a small bell. Nezumi, wiping the sleep from his eyes, rolled directly off the bed as usual; his swarm catching him before his face smacked into the hard ground. The many small paws on his body pushed him up, orienting him in a standard upright direction. Awkwardly trudging through the hallways still half asleep, Nezumi took a deep whiff, gagging while trying to smell himself and his rats. "Eh. Still clean enough I suppose."

A hard gesture plopped Nezumi down at the table, as many hands made light work of the usual morning routine. A flurry of scurrying rats took care of everything; shoveling food into the mouths of everyone present, throwing an overcoat over the same crusty clothes, even dealing with the mail. "One scroll today?" A quick waving of his hands, and the rats simultaneously opened the scroll and propped it up for Nezumi to read. As his eyes moved down the page, Nezumi got excited. Without finishing reading or his breakfast, he abruptly set out early.

After wasting nearly an hour before realizing he never read the specifics of where he was supposed to meet and circling back, Nezumi finally arrived at the base of the designated mountain. Without a moment to spare, Nezumi fell face-first forward; crowd-surfing up the steep path on top of an ever shifting pile of rats.

[Ryutoshi]

It was an average day for Banana... walking around the crowds, stumbling past people as he guzzled the contents of his gourd. He hadn't even noticed that it was still morning, drinking at this early hour in such a fashion. He looked up at the sun, his eyes welling up as the beams seared his corneas. He growled, looking forward before shuffling past the final person in his way. In his other hand was a scroll, picked up from his house bright and early before going to the training grounds for some fun. He tried to read it only minutes before, but his vision didn't afford him the luxury of reading it.

He stumbled upon a person, bumping into them and receiving a low bellow of a growl. Banana smiled, holding the scroll to the back of his head and giving a smile. "Watch it, why don'tcha?" This was a response he received all-too-often, provided his level of intoxication remained the same. He looked at the man who remained still in hs path, apparently awaiting something. Banana, instead of offering his apologies, placed the scroll out in front of the man, offering it up.

"I'm having trouble reading this. Can you please tell me what it says?" He gave another smile.

"You stupid or somethin'?" The man apparently thought Banana was illiterate, surprisingly not smelling the alcohol radiating from him. The man shook his head and took the scroll. "Yeah. Someone wants you at the peak of the mountain. It's that way." He pointed. "Doesn't exactly specify a time, so you might have missed him. Oh well."

The man walked off as Banana wandered in the direction pointed. He took off in a hobbled sprint, trying not to fall as he rushed toward the mountain. As he reached the specified point, he saw a boy being carried by small objects up the mountain. Banana's eyes grew wide, amazed at the feat of which the boy was accomplishing. Determined to do something similar, Banana began to climb the mountain... crawling like a worm.

[Zasadel]

Hayasu, for all intents and purposes was sitting utop a rather large boulder toward the peak. While they wouldn't really be able to see him, Hayasu could see them almost perfect. Nezumi approached from the East, while Banana approached from the North. Neither one had apparently noticed each other yet, but Hayasu knew it wouldn't be long. Especially because he had plans to test them! Now, the fun of this could of been for them to be tested individually, but Hayasu needed a team and proper apprentices.

Formulating a plan in his head, Hayasu scratched his chin as he figured ways to test them. He could easily take the two Genin on, but he wasn't here to be a bully. He needed to see if they could cooperate under pressure, even without truly knowing each other yet. Or they may just get scared and run off. Hayasu wouldn't know until he tried!

With a grin, He hopped off the boulder and kicked it as hard as he could muster. The colossal shockwave resonated from it as the stone shattered into dozens of smaller boulders, avalanche down towards the duo. Granted, he was confident both could handle themselves on their own, but the key was teamwork. Once they noticed what was going on, they could eventually work together and probably get to Hayasu before being crushed under a tide of boulders and rubble.

Time would tell!

[Everything]

Nezumi, ascending up the mountain belly-first atop a great swarm of shambling rats, took the time to enjoy his ride up. Pose after pose, he mimed through a series of quick gags to pass the time. The motions of swimming, flying, and wiggling like a snake eventually got boring though, and he stopped by the time some rats started nibbling him. They were a hard audience, and didn't appreciate simple down to earth humor. As Nezumi was about to nap off his ascent, he heard a rumbling. Quiet at first... then getting louder. Lazily flopping over to one side on top of his rats, he caught the upside-down view of a ton of rocks tumbling faster and faster; slowly expanding in his field of vision.

For a moment, Nezumi panicked. An audible "Euuuuuh...." rang out through the mountainside, as he was loudly pondering how to deal with the rocks that were about to crush him.

Beneath a heavy outward facing layer of pure unrefined stupidity, he knew what to do. Expression caught unfocused and with mouth agape, he quickly performed some hand seals; while still on his back and still slowly moving up the steeply sloping path. A quarter sphere of rock soon jutted out from the path in front of him: angled as both a ramp for the rocks to pass right over and a perfect outcropping to hide out under for safety. His rats moved him beneath it, only bumping his head awkwardly against the defensive wall a couple times before getting him in nice and cozy. Without a moment to spare, the thumping of rocks tumbling overhead became deafening. Waiting as the deflected rocks passed over, Nezumi just lay there on his back; tapping his feet and waiting for it to pass.

Used TechniqueShow

Doton • Quarter Sphere
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals Nezumi will form a quarter sphere up to 7 meters away from himself at a speed of 6. The quarter sphere is has a radius of 3 meters and it’s wall around 2 feet thick. It has a strength of 4.

[Ryutoshi]

As Banana literally wormed his way up the mountain, he could feel vibrations beginning to shake his very core. He immediately decided to jump up, noticing through blurry vision many large rocks rolling in his direction. He took a moment to look over to the floating being, realizing he had also noticed the boulders. Banana took to action, running along the mountainside as the boulders quickly gained on him. As the first one came upon him, he stopped, his back arching as he forced himself to yield. The boulder swiftly rolled past him, allowing him to continue forth to the other ninja.

As he made haste nearer, the boulders became more frequent as the epicenter of the crushed boulder began to rush him. There were many more and slimmer chances to dodge. He slowed his pace, stopping between two boulders as he gained on the other nin, who was now shielding himself wth a rock-made barricade. Banana didn't know much about ninjutsu, but he did know the barricade could only withhold so much damage before giving in and crushing the boy. He acted fast, jumping into a roll to avoid yet another large rock, nearly reaching the boys barricade as one final rock came between them. It looked large and able to destroy the barricade, but if Banana knew anything, enough force could alter the course of a moving object.

He leaped forward, his hands in the form of claws as he drank down the entire contents of his brown and yellow gourd. He then thrust his palm forward, flattenig the claws of his hand right before impact, forcing the boulder to just barely stray away from the hiding ninja. Banana took action. He stood in front of the barricade, noticing the top heavily cracked and beginning to crumble. Whether this were a trap or a test, he'd have to push through this and use his strength to help the other. He placed a foot forward and presumed his Lion's stance, deflecting boulders every which way until his body would eventually give out and he'd be crushed. Still, it would take his life to get to the other kids. He was fine with that.

"Get out uh here while you shtill can. I'll hold off the rocksh, you jusht get to shafety."

His words were loud and his aim was dwindling, but he was functioning enough to keep deflecting the rocks until the boy could get away.

USEDShow

1x Gourd, right side. D-Rank poison. Alcohol. Gives + 2 Stamina , +1 Strength, +1 Speed / -2 Control, -2 Instinct when consumed. The gourd is brown and yellow

Zui Quan: Lion's Rage
C -Rank - Taijutsu Stance
The user targets their opponent and reaches out with hands made like claws and legs fitted one bent in front the other extended for lunging. In this stance, the user can swing a barrage of claws or fists in the opponents direction, aiming to cut them with their nails or impact them with their fists. The stance provides more power and speed, but doesn't allow for a more cautious approach in tactics, as well as expending energy with multiple swings.(+4 Strength +2 Speed, / -2 Instinct, -4 Stamina during the duration, up to five posts)

Zui Quan: Breaking Paw
C - Rank - Taijutsu Maneuver
The user attempts to strike the opponent with a flat palm in the chest, creating distance between them. If successful, this would create distance between the two while causing minor damage to the opponent. The distance created is measured 1 meter per 1 point of strength difference.

[Zasadel]

Hayasu stopped his barrage moments prior, sitting utop his boulder and chuckling heartily. So far they were holding their own, but they still hadn't quite worked together. Nezumi was great at cooperating with his rats, but Banana was less inclined to seek assistance. However, what did surprise Hayasu, was Banana's disregard for his own safety to hop in front of Nezumi. Now that was interesting!

Kureiji whooped a little as he started to get more interested in the display, soon perching ontop of Hayasu's head to look down at the duo. Nezumi had made a good call in utilizing a Doton style, while Banana made the right call of adjusting the course. However, Banana had drank his trump card to take care of the issue at hand. That wasn't a good thing to do. If Hayasu had burned every trump card in his arsenal at the start of a problem, he'd be dead. It looks like there was plenty of more to learn, but as with all things Hayasu, it wasn't over yet.

He grinned and looked up at Kureiji. "Go give the boys some fun. See if they can figure something out to amaze us with." Hayasu asked, Kureiji whooping wildly. Within the blink of an eye, the monkey was gone. One thing about the cute little bastard was he was extremely fast. Almost Lord Raikage fast. In a complete and utter blur of movement, Kureiji stormed down the mountain side, leaping from rock placement to rock placement with expert finesse until he reached the boys. He bound and leapt all around them, creating a blue of movements before springing forward to try and drop Banana's pants to embarass him. Much to Hayasu's amusement.

[Everything]

The sound of the crashing rocks changed within a moment after a resonating crunching sound from the earthen shield. It was replaced by the sounds of utter physical exertion; a noise Nezumi wasn't very acquainted with. Peeking through a crack in his defense for a second, he saw an obscure silhouette of the source from an odd angle: a man belting out strong quick strikes at the oncoming rocks, his slurring shouts indicating that Nezumi should hurry out and run away. His rats maneuvering him out, Nezumi shouted back a quick response while touching the ground to perform another technique.

"Geeze, you smell like a brewery! You sure you're not the one that needs to get out of here?"

As Nezumi's rats moved him into the free zone created by this stranger, the path in front of them began to ripple. The makeshift shelter tipped to one side, raising Nezumi and the drunkard up as it slowly sank more and more into a wall-like position. The stones falling in front of both of them either sank into the loose earth or pushed their momentum into the sand, throwing dust everywhere then cratering and becoming still. Any rubble not dealt with by this inebriated wanderer now lay obstructing the mountain path.

Sand in his eyes from this defense, Nezumi reached up blindly for a moment. He was groping for a better handhold to raise him up on equal footing with his new intoxicated associate on the partially sunken quarter-sphere. Unthinkingly grabbing however, led him to latch onto something else. Rats pushing him up, Nezumi's downward pull was on the poor fellow's waistband; fully exposing him to whoever was within sight.

Nezumi only managed to say, "Either way, thanks for helping me out of a bind there. I really appreciate th-," before getting a close-up view of the unfortunate sight while rising up, and then immediately falling back first onto the hard ground behind him.

Used TechniqueShow

Doton • Soften Earth
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals, Nezumi will place his hand on the ground causing it to tremor in a ripple effect out from his body up to a radius of 10 meters out at a speed of 10. When the ripple reaches out fully, it will have crushed the earth into a fine powder 4 feet deep that requires at least 10 taijutsu to walk on. Anyone with less than 10 taijutsu will sink into the softened earth.

[Ryutoshi]

Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe his lack of coordination, whatever the case may be, Banana felt the ground fall in below him. He managed to stay upright, only to look up as what seemed like a blur passed over them before the sky became visible again. He kept his eyes to the sky, not noticing that his pants had become compromised and the boy with him was getting a glimpse of his bare bottom. It took a few moments for him to realize anything, only a chill that made him look at the boy.

"Ish it jusht me, or ish it getting a bit drafty?"

He looked down, noticing his bottoms were at his ankles and the poor kid was being subjected to pretty much everything the boy had to offer. Banana only shrugged, pulling up his pants and looking back up to the sky. He bent his knees a bit and jumped, reaching the top of the hole with very little effort, reaching his hand out to the possibly scarred ninja.

"Come, we musht get to monkey man before anything elsh happensh."

He wasn't fazed by his pants becoming compromised or that the boy got a glimpse of him... afterall, he was drunk. As Banana held out his hand, he noticed the blur moving from place to place around him. He couldn't quite make out what it was, but if it were dangerous, either it would have already attacked, or the ninja from the bar the other day would have warned or intervened. Banana ignored the blur, still attempting to help the boy out of the hole. However, even though the blur was lightning fast, he'd have a single instance to react. He might do it early, he might be too late, but whatever the case, he'd still try. He'd go limp, and thrust his head upward by forcing himself up with his feet, trying to strike anything that may come his way.

POSSIBLY USEDShow

Zui Quan: Intoxicated Madness
D-Rank - Taijutsu Maneuver
The user seems to act intoxicated(or is intoxicated and acts more so), floundering and falling, as if too drunk to stand or remain balanced. This allows the user to dodge attacks and create feints, following through with a strike if remained standing or a kick to the knee or gut if grounded. While grounded, the opponent may also play possum, seemingly able to be attacked, but able to flop or roll to gain an advantage. If done right, the user can get in at least one strike while the opponent is fixated on attacking.

Zui Quan: Rising Horn
D-Rank - Taijutsu Maneuver
While feinting or simply dodging, the user can bend down, surprising the opponent and landing a headbutt into their stomach or chest with great force. Depending on where the user is at, this can cause a decent amount of damage or knock an opponent back by 1 meter. This technique can be used while grounded, either by rolling and launching themselves up with their legs or pushing back from their feet and launching themselves backward into an opponent.

[Zasadel]

Kureiji, being the blue of fur and pure madness, was actually caught off guard by the attack and thus actually ran smack into Banana's forhead. The monkey stopped and shook his head a moment, whooping and smacking Banana in the face before vanishing again. At least now they knew their assailant. Meanwhile, Hayasu couldn't stop the bellowing laughter that escaped his gut as he observed his own maddening creation. Banana clearly had no care in the world, but Nezumi had gotten a front row ticket. Hayasu was practically choking on his own laughter by that point but soon continued his observation.

The duo had assisted each other and at least slightly worked together, so it was a start. They would never be able to catch Kureiji or Hayasu, so it was no good for them to try some sort of ridiculous chase. He was still leaning towards boulder useage until he shrugged and decided to dish out some fun of his own. He formed the neccessary hand seals and began to barrage them with black raiton shuriken. The biggest problem they now faced was that it was Hayasu's unique techniques; they couldn't block it with solid objects.

The barrage of shuriken screamed onward, sparking and static flowing as they flew all around the shinobi's position. Hayasu took great care not to detonate them or aim them directly at his soon to be students, but the idea was to keep them calculating under pressure. Hayasu was never on a mission where lives weren't at stake, or he wasn't under enemy fire.

Jutsu UsedShow

Black Raiton • Spectre Tears
D-Rank Black Raiton Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals Hayasu will form a shuriken of black raiton approximately 6 centimeters in diameter in their hand. When kai'd, this shuriken explodes with a force equal to a D-Rank Explosive in strength. If not consumed, this technique lasts for three posts.

[Everything]

Nezumi barely had a moment to compose himself after that very awkward mishap before more danger rained itself down upon him; potentially whoever this "monkey man" was that his compatriot mentioned, though the reliability of someone thoroughly drunk is questionable at best. His rats had only just pushed him back up and started brushing themselves and Nezumi's jacket off when a strange projectile whizzed about like a bolt of lightning, crackling with some strange aura of energy. His swarm evasively pushing his body around like a rag doll in a wind storm, Nezumi was already on edge when he noticed the projectile disappearing through the boulders which now lay still all over. His rats were chittering over his safety, clearly they didn't have anything helpful to say on the matter.

Using the terrain clearly wouldn't work, and Nezumi wasn't adept at hitting projectiles out of the air otherwise. So, he used the next best tool he had in a plan pulled straight out of the stinking depths of his rat horde. Forming the hand seals, he shouted to his new friend as he tossed him a little something.

"Do you think you're sober enough to deflect that with this?"

Sailing through the air was a little smelly fur-ball of joy. Well, relatively little. Takoho was actually one of the chubbiest rats in the swarm, thanks to how the others babied him with snacks. Nezumi didn't really get the chance to pick which rat of many he would clone when working on the fly this fast. At the very least: his broader surface area, reassuring weight, and aerodynamic ball-like shape would hopefully work well enough as a projectile. This stranger, whoever he was, hopefully wouldn't even have to get too close; just close enough for the clone to detonate at least, the explosion potentially being enough. With no other options, Nezumi put his hope in this unplanned gambit and this drunken wanderer. However, on the surface, his expressions and exclamations said that he thought they were both fucked.

Used TechniqueShow

[Ninjutsu • Rat Clone]
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After the appropriate hand seals, Nezumi clones one of the rats in his swarm. The basic clone of the rat can explode whenever it chooses to do so or upon being activated via Chakra Kai or a variation. The clone has the following stats: [Taijutsu: 1, Stamina: 1, Strength: 2, Speed:2]

[Ryutoshi]

Banana watched as the curious projectiles whizzed past him, not bothering dodging the first few as they whizzed by. It wasn't due to his intelligence and recollection of distance between him and the objects, but his drunken state that had his eyes closing and opening. While he could hear the scuttling behind him, he ignored everything and grabbed his red and gold gourd, giving a grin as he looked back briefly at the scurrying person.

"I've been faking it this entire time," he spoke out the the boy moving about frantically. "The alcohol in that gourd had been emptied at the pub when I fought this guy... oh yeah, we fought." He turned from the kid and leaned in the most interesting position sideways, dodging the tip of one of the shuriken but feeling the static it produced float through his arm. "Shoulda told you before, but this will definitely give me an edge."

He had been whispering, not knowing if the other ninja could hear him. He flipped the gourd back and drank its contents just before throwing his other gourd at one of the flying shuriken. The weaker alcohol ignited, sending a ball of flame his way, just in time to catch the rat that somehow flew over his shoulder. He had roughy fifteen seconds to get to the man with this thing. Not knowing what he meant by deflecting. He dodged the fire, which would be too high to touch the other one deep within the hole. He then ran forward, still coherent in thought and able to accurately dodge things.

He rolled to the side, avoiding another shuriken while still holding the rat and keeping it safe. He rolled again, this time at an angle, inching his way closer to the man he met at the bar. Five seconds remained, so he rolled forward, tossing the rat in the air to avoid a shuriken and upon falling, caught the rat and threw it at the Monkey man, who had also just thrown another shuriken. Only one thing could happen at this point. The clone would force the shuriken back at the man, who couldn't possibly distinguish a clone from a real rat and force him to change the test. All he needed was the one second he had left of sobriety for him to yell out.

"NOW!"

If the boy heard, the clone would do whatever deflection it did at this precise moment, laving Banana open and compromised, but giving them hope to win.

What they didn't know was that in the midst of dodging, Banana had spit some of the alcohol he just drank onto the rat. This would either ignite the rat on impact, sending flaming fluid all over the Monkey Man, or send embers at him that he'd be forced to dodge. Of course, the burns wouldn't be significant, but it'd be a lesson learned for the obviously higher ranked ninja. The dodge would also leave him open. Whatever the case may be, he was running on half a gourd of alcohol and running out of ideas.

And he was severely inebriated again.

USEDShow

1x Gourd, left side. E-rank poison. Alcohol. Gives no boosts. The gourd is white. (used to ignite the first shuriken as a diversion)
1x gourd, right side. C-Rank Poison. Alcohol. Gives +3 Stamina, +2 Strength +1 speed, -2 Control -4 Instinct. The gourd is Red and gold. (Drank as well as spat on the rat clone)
Zui Quan: Fumbling Tumbleweed
D -Rank - Taijutsu Maneuver
The user feigns a stumble or a trip toward the opponent, attempting to confuse them or believe the user to be passing out, turning into a roll and grappling the leg, using his own leg against their body to take them down. This can cause minor damage to the back of the opponent as well as serve as a useful dodge or feint.(Used to roll away from the shuriken, leaving an opening to throw the rat)

[Zasadel]

Hayasu merely chuckled at Banana. It would appear Nezumi was the better one at formulating a plan utilizing the team, while Banana was the capitalist. The poor rat clone was ignited indeed by the Black Raiton shuriken, and the fire helped to stop it in its tracks. They had not noticed that the "shuriken" were Raiton chakra formed and going through solid objects. As the rat squealed through the air toward Hayasu, Banana had underestimated his Sensei. He had the high ground, speed, and experience. He also had the ability to see down below at the jagged rock formations, including Nezumi making the rat clone. Like a soccerball, he jumped and roundhouse kicked the rat clone with complete disregard from the flames. Considering it was at full strength, the rat went squealing out of sight as it soared into a nearby range of treees.

Kureiji took this opportunity and practically "warped" to Banana's shoulder, tanto at his throat as he whooped victoriously. Hayasu leapt from his perch and landed near perfectly in front of his students. "Not a bad show, side from some major improvements that need to be made. Banana, good to see you, but you left yourself wide open without a guarantee your strategy was going to work. You've got guts, but it would of been much easier to simply utilize Nezumi's plan, though, like all things unfair in life, it wouldn't of worked either. You're also too quick to try and utilize a trump card. Had you both paid proper attention to detail and studied it closely, you would of noticed that my shuriken were going through the rocks themselves without harm...and for you Nezumi, not bad, I'm glad you went out of your general comfort zone to try and work together with a stranger. Your little buddies will do you proud." Hayasu grinned, but giving them both a thumbs up. There was no real way to pass this test, just for Hayasu to gauge them. They hadn't even accepted his tutorage, but that didn't seem to bug Hayasu.

"Now then. The whole reason I summoned you both was for a simple offer. You both need a sensei, you both are complete outsiders amongst your peers, and the Raikage himself has instructed me to at least offer my services as your mentor and your friend. I will speak as honest as I can and you both are entitled to whatever questions you'd like." Hayasu spoke, Kureiji soon hopping onto his shoulder and perching with a smug little grin.

[Everything]

Nezumi sneezed loudly, forming an immense and horrifying snot bubble on the verge of bursting which he then promptly wiped away with a crusty rat from his swarm; smearing it nastily across his already filthy face as he blankly looked at the two ninja before him. Giving a sort of obvious double take, followed by an over the top shrug, in his impression of a popular person he said:

"Eh. It makes no difference to me I suppose. Just try not to cramp my style."

As he uttered that last line, he tried his best to suavely brush past his new allies to coolly withdraw and impress them. Only, this being the first time that he actually moved today using the power of his own body, he promptly face-planted directly in front of his new master. His recovery attempt only got more awkward as he tried to pass off his mistake as intentional; until he eventually stopped trying to be hot shit and just shyly sat down on his pile of rats while they were acting as a rumbling and shifting sort of stool. Drawing his finger in the dirt, he created an interlacing diamond pattern as he apologized, followed up with a couple genuine words from the heart.

"Look: I know that I am not the most popular guy around, but I mean well. I can be a bit lazy, and people have commented harshly on my strong natural masculine musk, so people usually get the wrong idea about me. If you guys are willing to have me, I will do my best not to let you down."

Realizing how unmacho that sounded, Nezumi coughed and returned to trying to play it off with faked confidence as he pushed the conversation over to Banana as soon as possible in the hopes that his contribution would be brushed over.

[Ryutoshi]

Banana wobbled over to the younger nin, nearly toppling himself before grabbing his gourd and offering it to him. He sat down, looking up at Hayasu with a smile. "You asked to train with me and learn things as well as teach back at the pub. Yeah, I can get drunk pretty fast but I also have the metabolism of ten men. I didn't come here to beat you in any test, nor did I come here to win. I got my win, taking the bottle from you, regardless of you allowing me to take it or not. This was payback, giving you a win, even if you had lost." He looked away from Hayasu and to the other boy.

"I don't care how you do or how far behind you think you'll be. If anything, we've shown that this team has potential. I charged in unguarded to protect you. That's what I do, I protect. Yes, I like to have fun, but in the grand scheme of things, unless something is serious, I won't act serious. I knew Monkey Man wouldn't hurt me and I knew he had something planned other than trying to kill us with boulders. I would be delighted to have you as a teammate. I would also love to have Hayasu as a sensei. Under one condition."

He grabbed a final gourd from behind his back, a dark black color almost alike Onyx stone. He placed it to his mouth and gave a smile.

"Every gourd I brought today, aside from my party-time liquor we blew up to hide my movements, have been filled with water. This contains the real deal. Kumo's strongest of ales. If you would agree to face me one on one after I drink this, no ninjutsu, only talent, I will join you without question. I'll join you anyway, but knowing you, you'd be curious as to what it does. So how about it? Want to see whose drunken style can best the other, or should we discuss the boring stuff?"

As cocky as he would seem, Hayasu had no idea the contents within this bottle. Taking this offer might be of great learning experience.

[Zasadel]

Hayasu paused at the different personalities laid before him. He had Nezumi, a shy, very non-confident and non-confrontational lord of rats, and the over-confident, boastful Banana. It would certainly push his teaching skills to his utmost limits. He sat in front of them, looking them both at eye level, a light burning in his eyes as he readied himself to speak.

"Nezumi. You don't need to be popular. Or smell like roses. Or impress me. You only have to do one thing and that's fight for what you believe is right. Don't ever feel like you need to hide yourself to me. You were chosen by the Raikage himself to be my student for a reason. I'm no perfect being. I spend more time in the mountains and away from society then I do amongst the people I swore to protect. And I do it because every day, I force myself to grow stronger. There's more at stake being a shinobi then looking your best. Never listen to people whom doubt you, or question you simply over something like odor. Why yes, you could use a strong bath, but if you choose not to, it doesn't make you any less of a shinobi or someone that shouldn't be given the same level of respect as the Raikage himself." Hayasu spoke out, the words igniting the passion within his heart. He reached over and patted Nezumi's head, grinning. "Don't worry about letting me down. Worry about letting yourself down. Hold your head high and march forward. I'm going to be here to guide you and Banana into the next age, just as Hayate guided me." He finished, turning to Banana with a hearty laugh. The kid absolutely had enough guts for the both of them.

"One thing you need to learn Banana, is it isn't always a matter of losing in a black and white fashion. As far as I'm concerned, you didn't give me anything, and I never gave you anything. Nothing will ever be given from me that you didn't rightfully earn yourself. We all three have room to improve. I'm not the Raikage, or the strongest , or the fastest. I have unique abilities sure. I have an even more unique personality, very true. But what separates the three of us is also going to be what binds us together. We all three don't fit with the "normal" crowd, nor will I ever let us. Our unorthodox tactics, strengths, and abilities are going to be what makes our enemies fear us and our comrades respect us. We're no pushovers, and we all have futures that cannot be ignored any longer." Hayasu said confidently, smirking at Banana's words. The strongest of ales? Absolutely. "If that's what you feel it takes for you to join, then out of respect as both a Shinobi and fighter, I will accept your challenge. Make no mistake though, if you wish to see me at my best, I will not hold back. Betting my pride into a fight won't allow me to hesitate or hold back." Hayasu replied, standing up and offering his hands to both of his promising students. He was going to train them the absolute best he could, and he would do everything in his power to do the task given to him. The torch had been passed down to Hayasu, it was his turn to lead the charge. Failure...was not an option.

[Everything]

Nezumi sat on the side lines, watching as Hayasu and Banana squared up before a challenge. He was content with taking a nice sit down and giving his rats a quick rest. Out of the way, his swarm was all in various forms of rest. Some lay on their backs, their bellies exposed to the warm sunlight leading to tiny squeals of passive delight. Others lined up for Nezumi to scritch and scratch behind their heads and just above their layers and layers of crusty fur armor. A few chewed at nearby twigs and leaves since there were no other snacks. A couple of the spoiled ones sat in his lap, slowly dozing off in a pile. The only real limit he gave them was that they should stay within a few arms length; just in case of some unexpected worst case scenario or to lazily get around as usual. Nezumi however, was completely focused on the fight which would soon begin; one which would be a good opportunity to get some good bearings on his companions.

His master was right, Banana surely had guts; though whether that courage came from the heart or the bottle still was unclear. Yet beyond courage from any source, Banana was still very clearly outclassed by Hayasu. Was he just drunkenly walking into this decision? What did he hope to accomplish with this? Sparring is an important component to training, and as first impressions go this sure was a unique one. Clearly there was a lesson to be learned here, but Nezumi could not see it immediately on the surface, which made no difference to him since he could casually sit there and absorb the fight from afar. It would be much more troublesome if he actually had to do anything.

[Ryutoshi]

Banana stepped up, closing the gap between him and the other fighter. This wasn't about taking bottles or dodging black raiton, it was about who had the better fists. He knew, of course, that this guy had years of training, was much faster than him and had a good strength build, while Banana had only trained in reflexes with drunken fighting. He knew what he was getting into, but it wasn't about fighting to fight, it was about proving to himself he had the ability to do the missions he'd inevitably face, despite the dangers that may come with them.

"You put us through a test to see if you could actually use us to be on a team. Now, I'd understand testing the rat guy, but why me? I took the bottle, I sparred with you, yet you still had to put us in danger and force me to protect the guy who used a mediocre wall to stop large rocks." He looks over Nezumi. "Sorry." He looks back at Hayasu. "And to everyone in this village who thinks I'm just a young ninja with an old drinking problem, I have to prove to them I am ready and willing to protect them and the village from anything and everything, despite personal injury. You secretly wanted this fight. You might have wanted it down the road, but you threw boulders at us."

Banana places one leg forward and a palm outward, fingers pointed.

"I might be slower and I might be weaker, but the contents in this gourd are extremely potent. I stole it from the secret stash my father has. He calls it Dragons Brew. A very rare, very potent alcohol that makes the stuff I drink seem like spring water. Bottoms up."

Banana goes to lift the gourd, only for his legs to give out and to fall on his back. The gourd breaks, leaving its contents to the soil. Banana stares up at the sky.

"I can't feel my legs..." He looks over to the broken gourd. "MY ALCOHOL!"

And thus Banana shows once again that his legs giving out was less important than a hefty drink.

[Zasadel]

Hayasu listened to his words and shook his head, counter maneuvering Banana's footing as he strafed quite calmly around him. "You don't get it yet, but that's okay. I'm not here to test you individually today, I was here to test your ability to work with someone under pressure, despite him being a total stranger. If you two are to survive in the world, you have to have comrades and trust people against every reason to come out on top. The world we live in is a gamble. Every day you wake up should be another day you can be truly thankful that you're alive. I've seen friends killed in their sleep, broken and quarted on the battlefield, and horrors that would keep any sane person up at night. You keep thinking you need to prove yourself by being stronger, faster, and a better fighter then your comrades or opponents. It's not true. Your attitude and willingness to adapt to any situation will always win over raw fighting prowess. You think that "mediocre wall" was a bad thing? It was adapting to what you had under pressure. The same with the clone that you utilized as a cannonball to try and hit me. One thing I apparently must ingrain into you is that fighting isn't always about winning, or proving yourself, it's about keeping your comrades and village safe. It's going to take time for you to come to realize this, Banana, but that's now my charge is to get you both prepared for the troubles the life of a Shinobi is going to bring you." Hayasu explained, the seriousness in his tone completely different then the usual craziness that surrounded Hayasu. This wasn't the warrior, the entertainer, or the killer; this was the teacher.


Hayasu lifted his arms up into a careful stance, his eyes reading every movement Banana made. However, he had told Banana already that he wasn't going to hold back. And he had just created a huge opening. The very moment Banana's guord dropped, and his attention turned from Hayasu, at the absolute highest speed he could muster he became a blur of movement. He kicked off from his position and aimed a strength at the absolute pinnacle of his might straight at Banana's blind side, aiming right for his side. This blow would absolutely be soul crushing strong, and to give a Banana a taste of just how physically strong Hayasu was. Hayasu had no intention of severely injuring his student, or to explain to the Raikage exactly the reason why he did, but at the same time, he would not give Banana a break. Hayasu knew that the only way he'd reach Banana is through his fists. If that meant he had to be harder on him then Nezumi, so be it. Hayasu had already warned him a few times that worrying too much about his alcohol and consuming it in combat was going to be a fatal flaw, it was time to show him why.

[Everything]

Nezumi could not have helped even if he wanted to; which he sort of did not after that off hand dig at his quick shield wall defense. He was not one for minor pettiness though; the thought only crossing his mind as he watched. The speed and strength of his master's blow just meant he physically couldn't have moved fast enough to respond. No amount of moving earth or rats could have done much against an attack from somebody that more skilled than the both of them combined. And even if jumping in the way or somehow bungling the hit were an option that was on the table, Nezumi was fairly sure it'd be the wrong thing to do anyway.

The way Nezumi saw it, Banana seemed the prideful and arrogant sort. The kind of person who constantly demands main focus and strides forward confidently without any careful and meticulous thought backing him up; all of which was only fitting of his status as a drunken brawler. That sort of bravery has it's own merits, but when it leads to disregarding the plans, strengths, and cooperation of your allies it can only lead to interpersonal conflict and danger. In Nezumi's eyes, Banana chose to embrace this aspect of himself wholly when making his incredibly ballsy challenge. Interrupting an honorable one on one challenge to try and help him, well, it would be an insult to every one involved. Whether he was wrong or right in his actions and his opinion of his comrade, Nezumi stuck with his decision in that moment.

The best Nezumi could do would be to be there after the fact of that strike to support Banana. He did not know any medical techniques, mundane or otherwise, but he could still ready himself and his rats to at least try and help him walk after the fact.

[Ryutoshi]

Banana looked at the shattered gourd, mourning the loss of the fallen comrade. His legs had become useless, jelly from the fact that his training was mostly upper body related. His attention wasn't completely absent though, listening to every word Hayasu said. The shattered gourd of obsidian color was in arms length and in the moment of being threatened, all he could do was want to hold the gourd in his arms and apologize. His gaze, the very apparent to be on the shattered object was also honed in through peripheral vision on his new Sensei.

As the speaking ended and in the fraction of a second it took for Hayasu to take that first step, Banana slammed his hand to the ground, forcing a tumble while Hayasu seemingly attacked. In the midst of maneuvering, he managed to swipe alcohol-soaked into the air, directed upward where Hayasu's trajectory seemed to be. In that moment, as Banana twisted through the air, he saw the blur of a man head for the mud. Only one problem. Banana's legs were useless. The impact alone from being unable to catch himself with his legs would hurt him, but not as much as a hit from someone like Hayasu.

He braced for impact while trying to see what happened with Hayasu, preparing to fight from his back if he had to.

[Zasadel]

Hayasu was able to read the movement without issue, laughing in his head at the luck of Banana. The one time he chose to make an opener, and Hayasu was about to attack. Banana was just out of the general range of where the kick was, but Hayasu was no amateur. He kept the momentum of the kick and used it to spin himself around to the other leg, catching himself just in the nick of time to block the incoming kick from Banana. The speed in his movements were quite impressive, far beyond an average humans. Scarier still was his strength. The very wind itself seemed to howl a bit from the vaccum the blow created. Unfortunately for a leftover boulder from his earlier assault, Hayasu's leg had connected with it at full power. The very second it hit, the stone blasted into a thousand pieces. His inhuman strength at full capacity was shown, and it was clear that it would not be something anyone would want to be hit by.

Immediately, Hayasu reacted and attempted to grasp his leg. If he was successful, Hayasu full intended to grab it and toss him over, which would be substantial enough to easily knock the wind out of Banana unless he had some method to avoid it. Hayasu had no intention to seriously hurt him, however, his pride was swollen in his heart. He needed to show Banana there was a lot to learn as a shinobi.

[Everything]

(OOC: Passing the post due to lack of anything substantial to say from the sidelines. Know Nezumi is Speedwagon'ing it up from the sidelines.)

[Ryutoshi]

Banana could see his leg being grabbed at mid-flip, worried now that without use of his legs, he'd be caught for sure. At this point he only had one option to get away from an angry Hayasu without being shattered by his strength. He curled his upper body, mustering the strength he had to slam one final thrust outward. As he felt the hand touch his leg, he pressed against his sensei's arm, doing no harm but throwing himself away with the force. His leg was narrowly missed, but his pant leg had still been grabbed, ripping a chunk of cloth from it. He flew back, heading toward the mountainside, a steep fall awaiting him as he hadn't had time to think through the exit strategy.

He contorted his head back, knowing now that his actions were a mistake. Taking a hit may have been the better option as the fall coming to him without the use of his legs might be far more damaging than the blow he would have sustained. All he could think in that moment was So this is the life of a shinobi. He began his plummet, closing his eyes as he prepared for impact against the rough terrain.

[Zasadel]

Hayasu was impressed by Banana's escape. While it did it's job, it also had the unfortunate effect of generally about to ruin his day. What a moodkiller! Now Hayasu had to be hero. In a blur of movement, he darted forward and leaped off of the mountain side, diving headfirst and rocketing past Banana. He gripped the boy and tugged him towards his chest, spinning in air as the duo slammed into the rock formations below. Hayasu took the entirely of the damage, his bulky mass shielding him from any harm. Without even a slight grunt of pain, Hayasu pushed himself up and shook it off. It certainly hurt, but Hayasu was no wimp. He stood the rest of the way and chuckled. "You still have a lot of work, but don't discredit yourself. It still took guts to stand up to me at my highest." he announced, pulling Banana up gracefully and tossing him over his shoulders fireman style. With a grunt, he crouched low and pushed off with his legs, launching him and banana several dozen feet into the air before gripping the rocks. Using chakra, he leapt from handhold to handhold, climbing up while still keeping him steady.

Once he reached back to the top, he tossed Banana over and pulled himself the rest of the way, landing with a small grunt as he stretched out, Kureiji whooping as he sped over and jumped onto Hayasu's shoulders, examining him like a worried mother. Hayasu nodded to the boys and took a seat, overlooking the valley they stood at the height of. "Well...we won't speak of that one again any time soon. No need to tell the world how I almost let a student take an incredible amount of damage simply because of a duel." He chuckled out, shaking his head as his eyes beamed at them. "I suppose now you both have questions. Ask anything you want. I"ll even start. What drives you both to be a shinobi?" Hayasu questioned, eyes darting from them both. He would of never let Banana truly get hurt, but the boy needed to learn that there was still far more to life then simply being really good at a style. Life or death was always looming, the trace amounts of blood running down Hayasu's back from the fall not visible but definitely felt.

[Everything]

Nezumi spread out his swarm of rats into a longer squiggling mat adjacent to Hayasu. The rats were spread out enough to make space for two to sit down quite comfortably cross legged on top of the mass of small bodies. So with beaming eyes and an idiot's smile, Nezumi eagerly pat the space next to him in a gesture indicating that the worn out Banana could take a load off on the oddly wet yet dry fur, and rest his body as their master spoke. Nezumi's mind still mulled over Hayasu's questions as he did this. Why was he a shinobi again? Was it all something that just sort of happened organically? As he poured over this, he droned on with a low "Uhhhh....."

"I don't know really. Back when I was in the orphanage, I just played around with my little furry friends in the sewers a lot. Then when it came time to decide whether I joined the academy or not, I did just because it felt like the best way to take care of them. So, I guess that is my reason? Protecting my friends?"

Nezumi paused for a moment. He had not really thought too deeply about this before, and the only answer he immediately had sounded sort of off. Maybe just because generally Nezumi was not really driven or motivated in any sense; instead surrendering himself to the flow of the wriggling bodies of those around him. Knowing he couldn't rightly say that out loud, especially after witnessing the drive of his new friends in combat, he instead just stammered on for a bit.

"No no. That's not quite right. Hmm." Nervously tapping his face, he just muttered one general phrase of awkward frustration to punctuate his lack of active thought on the matter.

"Pass?"

[Ryutoshi]

(OOC: Take your turn, Hayasu. Take it on a roll with Banana. Let me have a one post k-o from overexertion.)

[Zasadel]

Hayasu let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "You don't have to have an answer for this one. You will know the answer to it when you can ask and answer on your own. Your path will always be yours to walk, I'll only be here to mentor you and provide council." He replied, looking over at Kureiji, whom was busy prodding a couple of rats. The little bastard still had a monkey's curiosity, no matter what they've been through. It wasn't always a bad thing to be curious, or to seek knowledge.

He turned to check on Banana, making sure he was still breathing. It seemed he was going to recover fairly soon, that much was a fact, but even a seasoned shinobi would of been concerned with a fall like that. Hayasu still showed no signs of his own injuries, opting to ignore them and let them heal naturally like they always did. It was the most logical explanation for all of the scarring across his body, including his face. He had taken hits that would kill a man outright, brushing them off and rising back up to the challenge many times. It would be something that Banana would have to do if he wanted to succeed as a taijutsu master.

"What questions do you have for me? Are you going to just obey everything I do?" Hayasu asked Nezumi, smirking a bit. The boy was quite reserved, and didn't quite have anything driving him. But he did care enough for what most would consider as lesser beings, and that was enough for Hayasu to train him. One of the rats crept up into Hayasu's lap, whom scratched his chin and played with it. If there was another thing about Hayasu, it was his compassion for all things. Regardless of intelligence or ferocity.

[Everything]

Nezumi had his eyes cautiously trained on Hayasu's monkey. He knew that Kureiji could be trusted, and even if the monkey couldn't that he could do very little to stop him, but that did not stop his natural cautious instincts. Turning his gaze away from the monkey at the edge of his swarm and back towards Hayasu, Nezumi answered his master's questions.

"As for your first question: if I think of anything, I won't have any qualms about asking you. But right now, nothing much really comes to mind." Quickly looking over at Banana laying there completely wiped out and then back to his master, Nezumi added:
"I mean, a couple might come to mind but... nothing I need to bother over anyway. I don't think they concern me. Not directly."

"And as for your second question: it depends. I've only just met you, y'know? I don't have a good bearing on what kind of person you are. What sort of commands you'd have me obey, beyond the obvious ones. And I can't just ask what kind of person you are, not reliably anyway." Nezumi paused, taking a moment to compose his thoughts. He had trouble being concise when he got onto serious topics like this, and he usually just ended up rambling a stream of nonsense most the time. He knew that would not suffice here however, so he made sure to take his time to convey his ideas as clearly as he could. "Based on what I currently can assume: I would say almost all of the time, you can expect me to just sort of go with the flow of things. It doesn't seem I have any real reason not to. But if I somehow am given a clear and true reason not to- by you or anything else for that matter- I think I'd pretty much be forced to be disruptive. Just by the definition of the thing, right? That's not to say I have no respect or honor, if anything I'm just obligated to. For you, and those around me."

Realizing he failed to not ramble, Nezumi hushed up again, putting his hand into his swarm to pet his rats.

[Ryutoshi]

"Uuughhhhh," Banana says, sitting up on what he hoped was some very awkwardly comfortable rocks. He was holding his head, as if he had a hang over. "I'm not exactly the obeying type, as you can tell. But when it comes to crunch time, I work with my team, my village and my family. I don't really have friends. That's why I risked myself for this guy. I'll risk getting trampled if it would save him. He's part of the village, which makes him part of the family. I know what drives me as a shinobi."

He still couldn't stand, so he just laid back, his face rubbing into a fat rat's belly.

"Why does this rat look like a rock? How hard did I hit the ground?"

[Zasadel]

Hayasu nodded at them both, grinning to himself. He had two brilliant students. One was far superior in his own intelligence, and the other had a pure heart that only sought to protect others. An incredibly potent duo, they would make a great team. Hayasu had just enough of both to help guide them on their path to glory and bliss. "Very well, I like both of those answers. I'd say our first session is done then. We will resume training from this day forward. The day after tomorrow I'll be taking you both into the mountains to train and show you where I live. From there you will be free to make your own decisions. I'm going to run this quite simply; you come when I request, and you be honest. If you want to train, train. If you want to take a mission, take a mission. I'm a resource, use me as either or both of you see fit. I'm as much there to assist as I am to make sure you both have someone you can rely on." Hayasu grinned, giving them both a thumbs up before hopping off the boulder, tossing the "rockrat" to Banana for comical effect.

"Until then, prepare your own traveling bags, you're going into the wilds for a few days." Hayasu announced confidently, turning and sprint off the side of the mountain, whooping wildly. The man definitely loved a dramatic exit.

[Everything]

[OOC: Sorry for the wait, coming off a really busy pre-Spring Break week.]

Nezumi shouted to Hayasu, who was now rapidly dissipating into a blip on the horizon.

"OKAY! I mean, I SUPPOSE? I'M PROBABLY JUST GOING TO TAKE A NAP SINCE I PACK LIGHT!"

With that being said, Nezumi then turned to the much nearer Banana; still laying down on rats. Nezumi thought that he still looked like he was in no condition to walk; so with a step, a whistle, and a quick scratch of his butt, the rats began to lurch forward to follow Nezumi while still carrying Banana. While strolling forward, Nezumi stared at the ground and thought of the proper thing to say in this situation. Should he say some cool macho line about carrying his and his partner's own weight? Or maybe should he just ask about his health or where he should drop them off?

Instead, Nezumi just blurted out, "Sorry about that accidental pantsing earlier. That one... that one's on me." With a turn and a cough, he then followed up by redirecting the conversation, nervously saying "So uh... the wilderness! What do you think you're going to pack? Should we make like, checklists or something? To avoid redundancy? I mean."