Damn Treehuggers!

[yaksha]

Haidou lumbered through the Senju forest without any grace or subtletly; that wasn't in the schedule for today. No, today he'd finally been given the worst job any Jounin could ask for. He had been stuck babysitting, and everyone he met had tried to convince him it was a real honor, that he should be proud to have his own squad. All of them tried to slap him on the back, or joke with him, but he was in no mood for any of that. Not today.

"Squad leader? Sensei? Teacher? Hell, just be honest about it; playing daddy at least doesn't glorify the shittiest of shit jobs. Alright...Minoru, right? Everyone said you were out here. Don't think I won't start pulling up trees until you come out. You like trees, don't you? Of course ya do, what Senju doesn't? Probably even think about sticking your dick in a knothole, but I'm not even gonna get into that..."

He slammed a palm against one tree, watching it shake visibly from the impact of his hand, and groping in one pocket. "If I have to play hide and seek with you all day, I won't be in a good mood. Why don't you just show yourself so I can get this day over with sooner?"

[Microfiles]

Being late was becoming quite a thing for the young Senju. Usually one to push himself time usually had to catch up with him, unfortunately that’s impossible. And so, like most days, Minoru found himself late for his squad meeting which was quite a bother because his Jounin's reputation basically labelled him as a bitch. A useful bitch, but a bitch none the less. However as a Senju the Genin has had his fair share of prejudice and he wasn't about to do the same to this guy. Even if he really does turn out to be a bitch.

Hopping from one tree branch to another traditional ninja style the orange-haired kid was quite obviously in a rush. The clear orange colour of his hair was usually the most visible thing as he moved quickly, something which made him appear to be some sort of orange flicker if not looked at properly. As Minoru continued to bounce side-to-side he heard a voice within the forest, something he could almost immediately locate by using the positioning of trees and other forestry. Every Senju knows how sound can move off one trunk onto another and Minoru was no different, allowing him to know where Haidou was located.

Something which further ensured Haidou's position was his annoyed thud against a tree. Freefalling almost gracefully from his tree to tree motion Minoru landed safely on the base of his footing. His landing point was a medium to short distance from his soon to be Jounin leader behind a tree. Stepping around from behind it Minoru rubbed the top of his hair awkwardly before going on to speak. He didn't know whether this guy would be pissed or not about him being late but it sure as hell wasn't polite.

"Hey, I'm here. Sorry about being late I guess"

[yaksha]

Haidou simply glanced at Senju, before pulling a cigar from a pocket of his oversized coat. The clothing managed to hide a fair bit of his appearance, but his prominant gut still stuck out enough to give him an appearance that brought to mind and old, lazy bear; not, however, that he wasn't still dangerous. He make several quick handseals, his finger prodding against the paper and several small sparks skittering across it to set it on fire. He stared at Senju, not speaking for several moments, before tapping out some of the ashes on the ground. "Boy, you're lucky this is the first day. If you're late again, you'll be doing pushups with my feet halfway up your intestines." He grinned at the small child, and gestured around them, smoke trailing from the corners of his mouth due to his cigar.

Jesus, why am I even here? Another day I'm getting handed the shit end of the stick, and expected to smile. Relax, Haidou, one day at a time...

"Let's start off simple. My name is Haidou. I'll start by telling you what I'm not." He rose one finger, his cigar barely twitching as he spoke. "I'm not your father. I don't care if someone's picking on you, I don't care if you need girl advice, I don't care if you got commendations from all your teachers. I'm not your mother. I don't care if you're hungry; I am too, but I don't whine about it in the most annoying way possible. I don't care if you're tired. You didn't choose to be a shinobi so you could sleep all the time. I don't care if you're sick. You'll work through it, and your body will thank you for it."

"I AM your sensei, or master, or pubah, or grand high commisar, or whatever the hell they call people that get shoved into this shituation. I will demand respect, and if you deserve it I will GIVE respect. I will demand you do everything you're told; I've never found something yet that was impossible if you didn't think about it, so don't sit here and whine to me about how something can't be done. I will not be nice. I will not be your friend. I most likely will not acknowledge your presence outside of our squad meetings. That's because I'm not going to coddle you. You will grow up. You will learn how the shinobi's life goes. And you will succeed. Am I clear?"

By now, his cigar had turned into almost one single line of ash, and he tossed it to the ground absentmindedly. He eyed the small boy, before pointing a finger.

"Go home. Tell your mommy and your daddy on me. I'm sure they'll lodge another complaint. I think that'll make the seventy ninth."

[Microfiles]

Looking around him slightly whilst Haidou spoke Minoru didn't really seem absent minded or particularly paranoid. Being a ninja required some sort of awareness and if he could do it while no-one was looking it was more of an advantage. Haidou on the other hand was a sort of hard guy to figure out. While he pretty much said what he thought there still seemed to be more to him. Something which was probably much more ugly than his physical being and much more rude than his average sentences.

There was something which puzzled Minoru even more though. Besides quite obviously not being fond of the Genin and pretty much saying he doesn't care for the things that make Minoru human he was obvious in stating that the Senju would become a strong and successful ninja. Whether it was because he was so sure of his own training techniques or he was up his own ass couldn't be said. It could of even been the fact that he saw something in Minoru, but that seemed unlikely. Whatever it be the orange-haired boy was pretty comfortable around such confidence, something he constantly pushed himself for. So, naturally, the kid felt he should stick with the coat wearing fellow and at least give him a chance.

After his brief thought upon his decision Minoru looked back up at Haidou. To be honest it seemed like he didn't even want to do the job he chose for himself. Well, being an Akimichi he might not of chose it for himself. Either way it was almost like he was taunting him into requesting another Jounin. However Minoru got the other end of it and saw it as a challenge. A challenge he gladly accepted.

To confirm: Minoru's challenges included searching and bringing in a missing ninja from his clan and proving himself to his new leader. Challenges which would no doubt take large amounts of time and even larger amounts of effort but then they wouldn't be challenges suited to Minoru. Tucking his hands into his cardigan pockets the orange-haired Genin relaxed his back slightly and smiled defiantly. Displaying the weird yet wonderful drive his personality was made up of. "I don't tell on people."

[yaksha]

Haidou cocked his head, and his grin only grew larger. His hand hadn't even lowered an inch, and he was still pointing the way back to the village. He could already feel himself liking this boy despite his better judgment, but he knew he was going to have to make a point before they could start taking things seriously. "You also don't talk back to your squad leader. That's why, you're going to listen to me, and listen very carefully. You're going to go home. You're going to talk to your parents, and take a nap. You're going to come back here in four hours. And if you're even one minute late, I'll show you what happens when a very large, very angry jounin goes up against a house."

He leaned in closer, his nose nearly touching Minoru's, before he waved his hand. "Run. Get out of my sight."

[Microfiles]

At first Minoru wasn't sure whether to leave or not. Haidou's orders were pretty weird and followed the theme of rudeness he strongly stated beforehand. Clearly they weren't equals. Ones a Jounin, the other a Genin. Ones an Akimichi, the other a Senju. Quite obviously the two of them were incredibly different from each other which brought to mind the term opposites attract. Maybe that only applied to women though. Who had time for those old sayings anyway?

Turning to look back in the direction he came from the Genin took another look back at the Akimichi. He wasn't sure whether he was serious or not. The rude tone he used for average conversation wasn't something Minoru was aware of in the slightest never mind having to work under someone who basically, in some ways, put you down constantly. Something along the lines of tough love without the love would fit appropriately. Most definitely without the love and any sort of kindness. It would all probably make sense in the end though, after all its Konoha. Full of good-hearted weirdoes right?

"Uhh... Okay." Turning his back to his Jounin the Senju leapt upwards off the ground. Almost like he knew where the trees where, something someone could expect from a Senju, Minoru landed safely on the branch of one of the many trees surrounding the area. Being particularly familiar with the Senju forest area the orange headed boy continued into multiple fluent movements which were perfectly placed as he did know his way around the place.

[yaksha]

Haidou drew another cigar from his trenchcoat, lighting it the same way he had before, and taking several deep breaths, before letting the smoke drift from his nostrils. The child had looked confused and even somewhat let down when he began to head off, but that was just fine for he jounin; he fully expected for his squad to hate him before they were done with him. Chances were he'd hate them just as much after a few weeks. But for now, Minoru needed to understand the heirarchy of this squad. No matter how out of shape Haidou seemed, he was much faster than he appeared to be. "Guess it's time to start things with a bang."

He flicked the cigar into a corner of the forest, not even bothering to stamp it out. Someone else could deal with the flames, while he dealt with the fresh-faced, perpetually naive children. He bunched his legs beneath his considerable gut, leaping onto a nearby tree branch. Almost instantly, the wood began to creak and sway under his weight, and another push from the jounin's muscular legs snapped it. He couldn't hide a smile, as he continued to snap branches behind him, catching up to Minoru with frightening speed.

"Never said I wouldn't chase you, Minoru! If I catch you, it's laps and push ups until you're sweating blood!"

[Microfiles]

While hopping Minoru was pretty much, unconsciously, aiming his footing to invoke minimal damage to the branches. Even then though it wasn't like he would be able to just destroy tree branches by landing on them. Konoha's forestry pretty much gained its reputation for its supernatural strength and maze-like design, keeping up with where you were heading within the forest was one thing but kicking right through a branch by simple jumping off it was something else. However it seemed just that was happening. After gaining a fair distance from his new mentor the orange-haired boy was pretty sure he heard some sort of wood-type thing collapsing in the background. As it only got louder the only thing he could work it out to be was a person. A big, strong and 'careless' person. Someone like Haidou.

Springing straight off the flat side of a horizontal branch onto a brief one footed stance on a vertical tree trunk. After just about a second or so Minoru pushed off it with the single foot before moving forward. That forward movement continued to motion forwards into a quick flip, switching his positioning so he was facing what would have been behind him. In doing so he easily spotted the large Haidou ploughing through wood and plants almost as though Minoru was an enemy or something. Can't this simple orange-haired fellow just have something normal happen to him once?

"Why are you chasing me!?" After speaking the beady eyed youngster continued backwards into a jump. Spinning through it rather simply so he could see where he was going the lad began to flee purely out of instinct. Shifting off one branch onto another he eventually slipped through to ground level, continuing into some sort of rush. This Haidou guy didn't turn out to be just a bitch. He turned out to be a scary bitch.

[yaksha]

Haidou couldn't help but laugh; the boy was such a fool, it almost amused Haidou. He had thought that he'd get some nice, understanding and friendly leader, no doubt. He probably hoped he'd have someone he could joke with, someone that would help him up when he fell, and teach him how to do all the shit a shinobi needed to know. But now, he was getting his first dose of reality. He'd see what life had to offer him, and how hard the trip was. When he was done, when he graduated from this squad, he'd probably wish every pestilance possible on Haidou. He'd probably have nightmares for a time. But, at the end of the day, there wouldn't be a single chance this Jounin would let his squad members graduate unprepared.

"Your training starts today, Minoru! You want to know why I'm chasing you? That's because there isn't a single moment in time where you're not going to have to be prepared for a fight! Enemies are crafty, they're smart, and most of all, they're usually better than you. That means the only way you're going to beat them is if you use every resource you have to make sure you win! And you're not always going to get a formal letter of invitation to meet them on some even battlefield. They'll come at you when you're weakest, when you have nothing and they have everything, and at that moment there's no one you can rely on but yourself!"

[Microfiles]

Continuing to rush through the multiple layers of trees Minoru no doubt got out of Haidou's sight, if only briefly. That short amount of time was, in Minoru's opinion, well spent. Stopping behind the tree with the thickest trunk in the area the orange-haired youngster took a deep breath or two. Clearing his chest of the initial shock the Senju peered out from around the wood to look at his supposed opponent. Even though he could think up some pretty original stuff the Genin wasn't one to do good once rushed, which wouldn't really work well in the situation he was in.

However the young ninja continued to devise some sort of plan. Collecting his hands together he began to formulate some hand seals. First positioning his hands into a tiger seal the youngster then motioned them fluently into the seal of the dog before finally finishing in the snake position. Leaving his palms collected together in a slim position which from some angles did actually give the impression of a snake. Once finishing the hand seal sequence Minoru's body began to shift slightly in shape. Wood gradually began to spread out from his shoulder and hip area, intervening and locking on itself into a figure identical to Minoru's. After taking the shape the wood produced transformed into an image reminiscent of the young Senju in a moderate amount of time, completing the creation of the clone.

Boosting out of his cover Minoru continued to run beneath the cover of the multiple life forms that made up the forest above him whilst his clone casually hopped upwards towards a branch. Pouncing off it the clone continued upward into Haidou's sight, hopefully leaving the real Minoru in the clear to win the race. And get away from the asshole of a Jounin. It was a simple diversion but it worked for the sharpest of minds most of the time. Besides, even if it did fail it would provide enough time for Minoru to get a head start.

JutsuShow

~Mokuton • Ki Bunshin no Jutsu - [Wood Release • Wood Clone Technique]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
The user forms hand seals and causes beams of wood to emerge from his body. This wood will morph and form a clone of the user. This clone is capable of surviving several hits because of it's nature, save those caused by Katon techniques. The clone may be used as the wood source for any Mokuton jutsu which needs a source of wood, as well. Furthermore, it itself can independently use One Mokuton jutsu, fueled by itself, of C rank or lower.

[yaksha]

Haidou had lost the child; already he could feel his pulse racing, and adrenaline flooding his body. Minoru was going to give the jounin no shortage of enjoyment, over the course of their time together. He was clearly a proud, and self-sufficient kid, and that worked just fine for Haidou. He hadn't intended on solving his student's problems for them, or doing anything for them they could do themselves; let the other villages coddle their shinobi, and teach them that the best thing to do in an emergency was cry for help. Haidou was going to make sure that, when things were going badly, and every solution seemed to lead to defeat, his squad wouldn't lock up. And he wasn't going to get there by buying them ice cream and telling them nursery rhymes.

The boy burst from the trees in front of him, jumping straight towards the enormous Akimichi. For a single moment, Haidou was stunned; was the boy suicidal? Did he intend to just give up, so he could get it over with? His brow creased as he contemplated the last one. He may not have liked Minoru too much, but he couldn't imagine any genin would simply fail so they could move on. That was one thing Haidou simply wouldn't stand for. He formed a quick chain of handseals, watching the approaching boy, and finally breathing out through a cupped palm; long tongues of flame shot forth, lapping at the child, only for it to go up in flames instantly.

Haidou watched for a single moment, before he could finally be heard laughing.

"I take it back, Minoru! You're not as dumb as you look! Doesn't mean I'm going to treat you like a kid!"

SpoilerShow

*Katon • Endan [Fire Element • Fireball]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
Katon • Endan is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. By forming a series of hand seals, and placing their hands to their mouth, the user can create a jet at least 5 feet in legnth. The flames will stop when the user removes their hand from their mouths.

[Microfiles]

As the fire neared the wooden clone clenched his right hand shut. Meanwhile he positioned the other hand into a simple seal. Within the closed hand small pip-like shapes began to carve themselves out of the actual layer of skin on the clone. Those disconnected pieces fairly quickly took the shape of twenty small wooden seeds. Upon creating the seeds the clone moved the hand he initially used to seal with towards the closed one, grabbing hold of a single tracking device, or seed. Throwing the nineteen seeds left in his right hand directly at the fireball they were easily burnt and near enough all of them destroyed. Giving the impression the technique failed. However tactically flicking the single seed in his left hand over the fireball the tiny wooden object slipped over unseen. Continuing onwards safe from the fire to stealthily clip onto Haidou's jacket with one of its slightly pointed edges.

Meanwhile the fireball mercilessly plowed straight into the wooden man. Reducing it to little more than ash and a few burnt pieces of wood stuff nearly nothing was left of the clone. However the skillful and misleading use of the tracking pieces left the real Minoru fully aware of his mentor's location.

While he was running though the orange-haired Senju realised something: Haidou didn't really know where he lived. The fact that his mentor had asked him to run home the Genin concluded that the finish of the race was his home itself. With no knowledge of Minoru's home or how what it looked like the youngster quickly came up with a new plan. By using his Mokuton jutsu the Senju would create a wooden house and somehow make it out as his actual home. Which was pretty easy, in a sense.

Stopping on ground level before lowering into a crouch on one knee Minoru prepared his hands. The brief distraction the clone created would result in just enough time for him to create the house. Which was rather fortunate. Collecting his hands into the streamline snake hand seal then continuing into the sneaky rat position the orange-haired kid began to focus chakra. Upon doing so a few wooden beams began to rise from the ground a short distance from him. Moving his hands from the rat seal into the strong ox and ram positions the beams began to collect and circle around each other. Finally performing the slim snake seal once again. Upon doing so more beams began to emerge and eventually take the shape of a two floor house. The design of the house closely resembled the average design of a house found in Konoha. Marking the shift between the first floor and the second was a fanning tiled roof with a matching but much larger one at the top of the house. Above the wide front door were the markings of both Konoha and the Senju clan with large Kanji above it. The Kanji simply read: 'Senju Residence".

Stumbling forwards from being winded from the use of the technique Minoru gently leaned against the front door. With a creak or two it began to open after which he shimmied inwards slightly. Halting just a few steps into the doorway he turned and to face the forest outside and collapsed onto his bottom. Panting heavily whilst waiting for his Jounin. If Haidou would fall for the trick he would believe the house Minoru just created was in fact his home. And he would believe that the young Genin had won the race. However the heavy panting from the orange-haired kid would most likely give away the fact that he used the technique. Something he tried to hide by simply covering his mouth with his hand whilst taking slow breaths to try and counter the winded feeling.

[yaksha]

Haidou watched as the clone made a handseal, and he was prepared for anything...anything but seeds. They shot outward, being consumed by the flame and rising slightly, before the wood-made clone began to succumb to the heat. Falling to the ground, little more than charcoal, Haidou had to stop and consider his next move. He had no idea where the young genin had chosen to run off to, or even if he was still running. It wouldn't surprise Haidou if the young boy had returned to the forest, hoping to avoid his punishment; he clearly had a thing for nature, didn't he? Still, if he crippled himself with thought, there'd be nothing left for him but failure.

He lumbered further into the forest, ready to backtrack as quickly as he needed at the first sign of the Senju's deception. He was nearly contemplating turning around, when he saw it. Standing in the middle of the woods, there was a fairly comfortable, two-floor house, with a sign over top. "Guess it'd make sense for the nature lovers to live out here. May as well introduce myself..."

He stepped towards the door, pushing it open, and standing at the doorway. He didn't knock, he didn't announce his presence, and he didn't step inside. Simply waiting on the doorstop, his face giving away no emotion, he waited for any proof that this wasn't a trick from an upstart genin.

[Microfiles]

As Minoru was waiting a sudden realisation struck him: Sitting in the hallway waiting for his sensei wasn't something someone would be in their own home. Pulling himself up from the crouched position he had half-heartedly collapsed into the orange-haired kid flicked his sandals off at the end of the doorway. Still holding his chest while panting under his breath he made his way into what could be considered the kitchen area. Inside was multiple counters and storage devices which made it an ideal place to store and prepare food. However nothing was inside those multiple cupboards. Across from the counter was a simple table and chair set, made in the classic four seats to a medium sized table fashion. With a simple pull of one of the chairs Minoru sat on it and waited for his sensei.

There was another problem though, the question as to where his parents where. Perhaps he could pass it off as though they were ninja and like every other day they were at work. It would have to do since the strain of his breathing was taking up most of his attention. The funny thing though was the strain tugging on his lungs would probably be the least of his worries because his own rushed excuse would probably result in him getting an ass kicking. A bitch of an ass kicking.

However there was one thought that simply stopped him from running away from the house all together. Once Haidou entered the house he would pretty much be in Minoru's will. Being surrounded by pure wood would easily give the young Senju a huge advantage. However the fat mentor guy could level it out with his massive amount of strength, which would probably be quite uncontrollable. All he could do was hope his plan would work.

[yaksha]

Haidou stood outside the door of the building, his face already breaking into a predatory sneer. Any normal person, had they seen him(and who couldn't? He prided himself on his size, after so many years of being much too thin), would have come to the door instantly, if only to make sure he wasn't there to eat them out of house and home. Instead, there hadn't been a single sound in the time he'd stood here. After a moment, he rose a hand to the door, slamming a fist through the side of the doorway, and expanding it. If Minoru was here, he'd probably come running right away, to see what was going on. A second fist slammed through the other side of the doorway, leaving two gaping holes in the opening.

"Anyone home?"

[Microfiles]

Gradually lowering his head onto the wooden table surface Minoru slowly began to forget about his surroundings. That was until the sudden bash of his front door clearly rung out throughout the house, bouncing comfortably off the wood that made up the house. Immediately jumping off his seat to jog towards the door all out of instinct the young orange-haired fellow halted briefly in the hallway. The short halt was to simply take in the damage caused by a simple knock, or Haidou going overboard.

Eventually Minoru moved towards the door. He wasn't sure whether there was any point in opening it for his sensei since he had quite simply punched two holes in it he could of easily just knocked the whole door down. Pushing down the handle the now damaged door peered open before fully opening. "Ah sensei. Come in. Moving along with just his ninja tabi type things on due to taking his shoes off to respect his household the Senju stopped and spun slightly. It wasn't a fast spin, more of a simple turn of the heel which allowed a fluent turn. Meanwhile raising his hand to the back of his hair and simply rubbing it slightly whilst looking downwards. He was sort of nervous about claiming he had won but he would continue to do it anyway: "It looks like I won the race huh?"

Perhaps it was Haidou's personality which made Minoru uncomfortable about wanting to secure victory. Something about it all seemed the trick could not surface despite all the effort he put into it. It wasn't just that though; the plump Akimichi seemed to be unappreciative of boasting, even if it was in a quiet manner.

[yaksha]

"Yeah. I guess it looks like you won." Haidou's face showed no emotion as he stepped into the hallway, shoving Minoru aside abruptly, and glancing left and right. His girth filled up most of the area, making it hard for Minoru to find any way past. His hand stayed on his chin, scratching at the stubble there, as he began to lumber slowly through the house. With each room, he began to move slower and slower, as if he were looking for something important. All said, it took him nearly ten minutes to circle the house, and return to the hallway where he had entered. He planted a hand firmly against one wall, and nodded.

"I guess it looks like I'm dumber than a genin, too. But you're gonna learn very very quickly, Minoru; I'm not dumb. Not in the slightest." His hand crumpled into a fist, which he drove through the wall. His face was drawn into a primal snarl, as he spoke. "You were way too relaxed about damage to your house when I punched a few holes. I guess, since you're a Senju, you could patch it up, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't be upset that you had to. Then again, from how tired you look, I guess you had to already. A fully passable house, down to the bathrooms, in a few minutes? I didn't think it was possible. Then again, I didn't think it was possible that a family, shinobi or not, wouldn't have a single photograph." He paused, his fist driving through another wall, as he spoke in a soft, cold whisper.

"Where are your houseplants, Minoru? I can't imagine a family of Senju wouldn't have one bonsai. Where's the books? The board games? Do you just stare at the walls when you're relaxing? But, hey. I can forgive all that. Just answer me one thing..."

"Where are your parents?"

[Microfiles]

Still on the brink of becoming exhausted Minoru's panting had slowed but less than before. Moving towards his sandals once Haidou had walked away from him the orange-haired Genin slipped them on in preparation. Preparation for running the hell away. Especially since he assumed the Akimichi could most likely clock onto his plan pretty quickly.

Moving back from where his sandals were formerly sat comfortably the Senju motioned towards the exit of the house. Turning back only to await Haidou. No doubt if the Akimichi hadn't figured out that the makeshift wooden home wasn't his real house seeing Minoru stood there ready to run would be enough of a hint. Either way once the fat fellow returned from his search of the house Minoru simply nodded to his clumps of speech and questioning. He had figured it out.

What a pain in the ass. The pain in Minoru's chest from creating a house from scratch was enough for him to be forced into a slower run than normal. It wasn't exactly jogging speed but it was enough for his whole body to feel a slight bit of strain as he moved. He could already see himself pushing off tree trunks and what not just to carry on going. What a pain in the ass indeed.

[yaksha]

Haidou watched the young shinobi retreating, and chuckled; clearly the boy had spent a lot of time and effort into creating this home. The least Haidou could do was spend some time and effort destroying it. If nothing else, it'd keep their game interesting if he gave the boy another headstart. He formed rapid handseals again, smoothly transitioning from bulls to snakes to eagles, and finally back to bull. His left arm, hanging slightly off the ground, grew to nearly five times its size as he swung it around in a wide circle. Several walls of the home caved in from the impact of the enormous fist, and the sound of creaking became loud enough to be concerning.

Haidou lept through one of the holes left by his fist, landing on his muscular legs, and turning to see the home. As it began to collapse into itself, Haidou grinned, and then kicked a piece of the wood. "It'll decompose."

He turned back to the village, taking several deep breaths, before leaping off after the young shinobi again. This time, he was ready to catch the boy for real. It would take something better than a wooden clone or a false home to slow him down this time.

[Microfiles]

Forcing himself forward into a head start on his Jounin Minoru's running speed was slightly dulled. By building a house from scratch and using a clone to try and trick his sensei Minoru had in most senses pushed the daily use of his chakra resulting in a rather slow but heavy pant. A pant that sunk deep into his stomach. And whilst it did indeed slow him down it was only slightly. The panting only seemed to paint the picture that the young orange-haired Genin was going slower than he actually was. It was almost as though the kid was aware of the fact that he was making it worse for himself but he couldn't help but do so.

Boosting off one tree to the next Minoru was stumbling every few steps. It wasn't like he couldn't support himself. He could quite simply just run the distance but that would put more of a strain on his breathing which would prove another pain in the ass. God damn shinobi life which involves stupid stuff and what have you. He'd just have to push tree to tree and run what he could until Haidou caught up and beat him to death. Good enough.

[yaksha]

Haidou was closing the gap between the two of them quickly, his face set into a deep, almost contemplative scowl. The boy had managed to make a fully functioning house in a few moments. The boy had kept a Jounin out of his grasp for a considerable amount of time. Minoru had plenty of promise, and a will to succeed that would get him far in life. But Haidou could only remember the boy's lackadaisical response upon arriving late. He had a lot to learn about being a shinobi, about the responsibilities he had signed up for, and Haidou wasn't going to send him out of the village until he knew fully well what sort of trouble he could expect out there; no amount of promise would change that.

"I imagine you're tired, Minoru! I bet you're starting to wish you could give up, and call things off! But when you're in the middle of a mission, and your life, and the lives of others, hinges on your success, you can't just stop because you're tired! You can't just STOP being on the job because it's not fun anymore, or because it just got harder! You see things through to the end, even if it leaves you spitting up blood and exhausted! So don't you even THINK of quitting on me, before you've given me every ounce of your determination!"

[Microfiles]

Continuing to run as fast as the exhaustion in his chest and the pulsing pain in his legs would let him Minoru moved towards a large clump of trees. The trees were so close together that running through them was impossible whilst going around them would waste an incredibly important amount of time. Pushing off the ground into a jump that seemed forced yet half-hearted at the same time Minoru landed on what seemed to be a large and thick branch. However it was a strange collection of thin branches and vines crossing and locking in multiple positions to become one.

Upon landing on it with his first foot the orange-haired kid's body suddenly seemed much heavier than before. As he tried to carry his back foot forwards onto the collection of branches it seemed to lag behind awkwardly leaving it to knock against the side of the wood. The knock suddenly dragged his whole body down, sending him falling from the branch itno the multiple vines and wilderness below. Naturally the weight of Minoru forced the strands of wildlife to break and crack but no doubt soften the momentum of his fall quite significantly.

After a couple of moments the Genin's body hit the ground, landing flat on his back. Letting out a mumble of pain it seemed Minoru's body had finally been forced into defeat even if he tried to deny it mentally it was done. Clutching hold of some vines at his side the orange head pulling on it to drag his body along, the strength of the plant easily capable of standing his pull. Using it to drag himself behind the cover of one of the many trees within the clump of life it would look like something simply broke the vines and branches. Upon further investigation it could be concluded that someone had fell through them. That would require some sort of wildlife knowledge though. However the fact that his clearly noticably orange hair was in an area full of bland greens and browns could make him quite easily noticable. In fact, it did.

On the other hand Minoru felt like he was quickly losing his life. With a thudding pain in his back from the fall, a sharp sting in his chest from overusing his chakra and a constant swelling feeling in his knees and ankles he was in every term exhausted. Maybe he should just give up. Probably should have from the start.

[yaksha]

Haidou leaped off of tree branches, cracking them under his saturnine girth, and breathing out in slow, measured puffs. Though the young genin was no doubt tired enough to fall over by now, the Jounin had barely even exerted himself. He was bunching his feet beneath him, ready to shove off towards the nearest branch, when he spotted a flash of orange near the ground; another clone? A diversion? Maybe just some marker that a tree was to be cut down? He didn't know, but he didn't have time to decide. The branch beneath him snapped, sending him plummeting towards the ground. Luckily, he had managed to remain upright during his fall, and he reached out one of his ham-sized palms with starting agility, wrapping around a tree branch.

Swinging like an ape, the Akimichi made his way towards the orange dot in the sea of greens and browns. "I spy, with my little eye-oh, shit." He stopped when he saw the young genin, lying on his back, on the ground. Instantly, he could tell that he was injured. He glanced down at the child, feeling a stab of guilt run through his chest. Nice going, Haidou; just like your father. You drove the boy so hard, you broke him. You've been trying to tell yourself you were showing them the real world? Face it; you're just an angry old man. And this is your kid now. Are you going to turn into the same man your father did?

"Hell, no. Get up, Minoru. I'll take you home. We'll get a medical nin to patch you up tomorrow, and then I'll buy you lunch." He paused, before laughing slowly, almost nastily.

"You'll need the calories so you don't burn out."