A New Hope [Closed]

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A New Hope [Closed]

Post by Servant » Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:16 am

Everyone had seemed impressed with Niku's progress since the successful mission with Raizou and Fanho. It wasn't surprising, Nku had played a vital part in completing the mission and during the debriefing, Niku was all but promised that a promotion was in her future. Paperwork was in the pipeline, it was just a matter of time. She was ecstatic; she hadn't been a chuunin for too long, less than a year so moving up another rank after it took her two years to get to chuunin was extremely satisfying. But that wasn't why the chuunin was sitting at a bench near the entrance to Konoha. Or maybe it did play a part, she couldn't be certain.

A few days after hearing about her eventual promotion, Niku was approached by the Academy. They'd been given her name as a possible sensei for a team of graduating students. "Me!? A sensei? You sure you're looking for me?" She couldn't help but blurt out her response. Her face flushed, having lost control of her mouth had made her a bit embarrassed.

"You are Inken Nikuya, correct?" the man reconfirmed.

"Yes, but..."

"Genin at 14, a little older than most, but..." the man began, cutting off the kunoichi. "Chuunin by 16, and special jounin, likely to be done before you turn 17. Formidable kenjutsu user, moderate skills in fuuin and doton. Seems like a strong candidate with numerous skills that can be passed on to young students."

"All of that is true..."

"I hear some hesitation in your voice, but remember, we're not asking you to make these kids into jounin or anything. Your job as sensei would be to ignite the Will of Fire in them and help them develop their skills. There are many talented shinobi in the village that can help with the latter."

Niku had never considered teaching a team of her own. Barely more than a year ago, she was a genin still on a team with other genin. Now they were asking her to lead a team of genin. It was a serious request and one she didn't take lightly. But what the man said was true, she didn't personally have to teach these kids every ninja skill, she knew Tenzin Sensei would be glad to help students with any and all ninjutsu techniques. It wasn't something she had to do alone.

"Alright, I accept."

Two days later...
That exchange was why Niku was sitting on the bench next to Konoha's entrance. She'd been given the files of three newly graduated genin and was now waiting at the gate to meet them. In truth, the timing could have been better. Niku had already planned a trip to Tea Country in hopes of learning Iaido's secret skill, the Ougi. However, she also realized that usually genin partook in missions within the village's walls, sometimes never leaving the village until they reach chuunin. For that reason, she'd gotten permission to take the team to the Cha Outpost. The genin would never leave Fire Country, so they'd remain safe. And she could use the travel time to get to know them and maybe see what they were made of.

"Yo sensei, I made it," said the young Hyuuga as she ran up to the bench. She had a decent sized bag over her shoulder. Niku had sent word that they'd be doing some traveling, so she was pleased to see that Hyuuga Tsumami had gotten the notice.

"Good!" Niku said as she got up to welcome her student. "You're the first to arrive, so you're Tsumami, correct?" The chuunin asked.

"Yes, but you can call me Mami, everyone else does," the Hyuuga smiled at her new teacher; a fellow kunoichi that she could look up to.

"Great, its nice to meet you Mami." Niku responded, giving her new charge a smile in return. "You can just call me Niku, no need for silly formalities. We're all Konoha shinobi now." Niku's head looked towards the village, wondering how long til the other two genin would show up.
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Inken Nikuya
[color=#ffe135]
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  • Suzaku - [color=#e62a09]
  • Genbu - [color=#80461B]
  • Byakko - [color=#007FFF]
Sadame Juusha
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A New Hope [Closed]

Post by hobnob » Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:00 pm

Izaki was up and ready to go before his alarm managed to go off. He made his way downstairs where his mother was waiting for him with breakfast ready. This was a big day for him, he was going to meet his new teacher and mentor, along with the rest of his team whom he did not know from his days at the Academy. Once he finished eating his breakfast he stood up and made his way to the door, picking up his sword and special scroll on the way. Attaching both to his belt he waved his mother goodbye and walked out the door. Instinctively, he grabbed his scroll and unraveled it. He had to make use of Takashi if he didn't want to be late, that would leave a bad, long lasting impression on his team mates and his mentor. A couple of his brush strokes and the bird flew out of the scroll as if it were a cage he's been held hostage for months. Landing on the ground, Izaki hopped up and was soon flying up into the sky.

Meanwhile, outside of the Hokages mansion his team begun to gather.

'Sensei! Sensei!' screamed a young boy as he ran towards the two who were already present. Upon stopping before the two he wiped his brow, it was dripping with sweat. The boy was a rather large individual, large for his age. He was 13 and had the body mass of a grown up adult, not the healthy kind. He bowed and without saying anything else, made his way towards the bench and sat down, causing the bench to arch down under his weight. After another few wipes of sweat he finally looked at Niku and Mami and smiled. His arm was extended towards the two in an offer of a hand shake. 'I'm Essen, Kiaku Essen,' the boy said right before his stomach gave a very loud expression of hunger. This boy was something else.

Izaki, who was now high in the sky, was quickly making progress to his destination. He could see the Hokages mansion in the distance, he grew more excited with every passing second. He carried on at the level he was at until he was right above the courtyard of the mansion, until he made Takashi invert and descend nose-first. Flapping its wing furiously the bird stopped just before he touched the ground and then he dissipated, leaving a small patch of ink behind on the ground. Izaki raised his hand and smiled.

'Hello,' the boy said before lowering his hand, 'I'm Izaki, it's great to meet you,' he continued.
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A New Hope [Closed]

Post by Servant » Fri Apr 24, 2020 3:17 pm

Niku smiled warmly as the large boy came and sat on the bench. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of shape the boy was really in, his size suggested he may need some endurance training before he could be useful in combat situation. Her report indicated that the boy was a taijutsu user, like herself, and she found herself doubting his speed, coming to the conclusion that the boy likely resorted to strength. Of course, Niku's own size was rather small and she wasn't physically weak by any means, so she was also fully aware that looks can be deceiving. She shook his hand, "You can call me Niku."

"And you can call me Mami," the Hyuuga genin said, a large grin on her face. She smacked Essen's hand away, rather than shaking it. She turned to Niku, as she sat between the two, and said "We were in the Academy together." Niku wasn't surprised, it was often that incredibly green genin were placed on teams together. This served two purposes, that Niku was aware of, it allowed them to work with people they were already familiar with, but it also kept them from bringing down the more experienced genin that had gotten a handle being a shinobi.

Niku smiled at the two, she was glad they knew each other. Camaraderie was the first part of the Will of Fire, after all. A quick movement drew Niku's attention from the duo with her on the bench. She looked forward as the ink bird splashed into a tiny puddle and a genin landed with it. Oh good, we have our theatrical entrance. Niku mused as she stood, taking a step towards the boy, shaking his hand as she had done with the others. "It's nice to meet you as well, you can call me Niku," she said before turning back towards the other two. "and I will be helping you guys get ready for your chuunin exam." Of course, the exam was important for any genin, but it wasn't really why Niku was there. Her goal wasn't to help them pass, it was to make them into competent shinobi... so that they could pass. But, she felt that reminding them of the closest goal was worthwhile at this moment.

"As I informed you all via message, we are going to be traveling outside of the village. While this is a bit out of the ordinary for genin of your stature, I have some business to attend to in Tea Country, but didn't want to make you wait until I returned before getting started." She took a moment, allowing her words to sink in. She then motioned to Izaki to take a seat on the bench with the other two. "If any of you would prefer to stay here and train on your own, I won't hold that against you and I'll contact you upon our return." She motioned towards the village, indicating if anyone wanted to stay that they were dismissed. After waiting to see if anyone would leave, she continued "Great. I won't say you passed the first test, but I am pleased to have this be our first adventure."

She took a couple steps towards the bench, now only a foot or two in front of the three seated genin. "Before we leave, there are some things I'd like to take care of. First, outside of this gate," she said motioning towards the gate they were about to leave through to enter the rest of Fire Country. "You are not a big shot, and honestly, neither am I. There are samurai out there, not to mention other shinobi, that could take out all four of us even if we had years of teamwork under our belt, so unless you need to protect yourselves, don't take action unless I tell you to." She had known many genin that were gung ho out of the Academy and wanted to be sure none of these three got them into a situation that they could've avoided.

"Secondly," she said before closing her eyes. "I'd like to get some information from you." With her eyes closed, Niku allowed her Mind's Eye technique to activate. With that, she could sense the chakra signatures of the three genin before her. After sensing them, she allowed the technique to fade but then focused on her body. A moment later, her Senses Opened. With her heightened sense of smell, she could take in the specific smell of each genin. With that information, she could use her Database technique to log that info into her brain. If, at any point, they got separated throughout their journey, she'd be able to track them by scent or chakra signature. It was probably overkill, but this was her first assignment as a sensei; she couldn't very well lose one of her charges. She then made a fist and placed it to her palm, allowing her senses to go back to normal.

"Alright, ready to go?" She said, a smile on her face as she took a couple steps back.
JutsuShow
*[Sensory Style • Beyond Senses]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: Ninjutsu/Control/Instinct stats of 10
This sensor jutsu is used by shinobi to feel chakra sources within a radius of 25 meters. While this jutsu is fairly helpful in sensing chakra, it is unable to actually pinpoint specific chakras outside of 10 feet. This only gives the Shinobi an idea of how many entities with chakra are present in their general area.

*[Skitter Step • Senses Open]
C-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
The main jutsu of the Skitter Step, Senses Open does exactly what the name states. The user takes a moment to focus their bodies, then releases it. While in this stance, the users sensory input is increased, allowing them to receive more information quickly. This causes a +2 in Taijutsu, and a +4 in speed, but a -3 in Ninjutsu and -3 in Control. This stance will remain in effect until deactivated by [Stop]. Practitioners of this technique will find themselves fidgetting and constantly moving, which can make it difficult for them to use this style while on stealth missions.

[Skitter Step • Smell ya Later]
B-Ranked Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite: a form of Senses Open active
After practicing with her Senses Opened, Niku has become able to differentiate the scents of individuals. This discipline allows Niku to track people by scent alone.

[Skitter Step • Database]
B-Ranked Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite: Instinct of 25
Niku has trained her brain to file all relevant information that she's processed together and accurately recall that info in a near instantaneous manner. For example, if she were to smell a person's scent that she recognized, she could quickly match that scent with any other information that she may have previously gotten regarding it, including name, appearance, combat proclivities, village of origin, etc. While this is a taijutsu technique, it is still capable of filing information received from ninjutsu techniques allowing Niku to also file chakra signatures with this technique.

*[Skitter Step • Stop]
E-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
Prerequisite: Any form of Senses Open used.
The user will make a fist with their right hand, and place it against their palm with their left hand, against their chest. This calms the users senses and returns them to a centered state.
My Thread
Inken Nikuya
[color=#ffe135]
  • Seiryu - [color=#007FFF]
  • Suzaku - [color=#e62a09]
  • Genbu - [color=#80461B]
  • Byakko - [color=#007FFF]
Sadame Juusha
[color=#2888BD]
Imuka Makumi
[color=#Fc0fc0]
Yamanaka Yaya
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A New Hope [Closed]

Post by hobnob » Sat Apr 25, 2020 4:14 pm

A good, firm handshake was exchanged between the chuunin and genin before the commencement of the breakdown of the current situation. Izaki didn't have anytime to introduce himself to the other genin as he was quickly prompted to take a seat on the bench and his new mentor, Niku, began talking about the goal of her mentor-ship and her speech was followed by a brief reminder of their planned trip to the Tea Country, although she didn't specify what this business in Tea Country was. Izaki listened to the speech carefully, taking in all the information, sure enough this girl, who was only a couple of years older than himself, sounded like she knew what she talking about. Especially mentioning the fact about acting like a big shot out in the big bad world, Izaki knew a lot about that, but he didn't feel like sharing any of his experiences with this newly-acquainted group. Something strange followed, Izaki watched as his mentor closed her eyes after asking for some information from the trio, only to fall into silence for a few moments before reopening her eyes and inquiring about their readiness to leave; strange.

'Born ready!' the youth exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, and moved towards his sensei and beginning to mimic her posture. He faced the two who were just getting to their feet, Mimi actually managing, while Essen was struggling. It was uncertain whether the issue was of a physical or mental origin, although he was large for a boy his age, he did appear to be strong, this pointed in the more abstract direction; it would be interesting to see how he behaved out in the real world, he would have to exert more effort if the team found themselves in danger, that's what Izaki hoped anyway.

Eventually, they were all ready to go and begun making their way towards the village gates. Izaki thought that it was a good time to find out a little bit about the individual who was going to lead them outside these protective walls;

'Hey sensei, can you tell us a bit about yourself? Like why you became a shinobi and all that?' the youth spoke as he turned to face his team lead. She looked like a seasoned fighter, judging by the scars visible on her arms, although they did give Izaki some mixed feelings. She was either placed before some strong opponents or her close-ranged fighting style created the opportunity for her opponents to inflict damage, that by the looks of things, she had no trouble dealing with; regardless, fighting alongside this lady was going to be exciting, Izakis hand moved to the hilt of his sword as he thought about the possibilities that awaited him outside these gates. He could not wait to see how far he has come since the day he came to the village.
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A New Hope [Closed]

Post by Servant » Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:45 pm

Niku realized that she hadn't given Izaki a chance to introduce himself, but she figured the days worth of travel would give everyone lots of time to get to know each other. In a way, this was a nice, relaxing way for the group to mesh as a unit. Niku was glad once everyone was up and they all began moving. She had planned how long it would take them to reach the Cha Outpost before nightfall, but seeing Essen get up made her wonder if they'd have to slow their pace and camp somewhere overnight. She pushed that thought from her mind as Izaki spoke to her. "Yeah, tell us about yourself!" Mami chimed in.

Niku turned to look at all three, a grin on her face. She wondered if she would have to entertain them the whole trip. "Well, my father and mother were shinobi, so I guess you could say I'm following in their footsteps?" she said, a light chuckle escaping her throat. "That's not exactly true though," she said, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "My grandfather is an Iaido master, he taught both me and my father Iaido since we were old enough to walk. My father discarded that training, opting to become a shinobi. My father died before I was born, but, as I grew up and my grandfather trained me, I never understood discarding something so precious as your father's most prized possession. In that vein, my grandfather's most prized possession, Iaido, and my father's most prized possession, ninjutsu, I couldn't opt to discard either one. Instead, I've tried to merge them together as a way of proving that both are useful, I guess." She turned back to her new students, "Sorry that was a bit deep, but you're shinobi now. Sometimes things aren't always roses and chocolate."

"What about you three?" she asked. As the quartet continued walking and talking, it didn't take long before the village got smaller and smaller behind them. Trees constantly blocking their view of it as they meandered on. They maintained a pretty decent walking pace, nothing too strenuous for a group of in-shape shinobi. Niku wondered if she should increase the pace, but she was enjoying the conversation, so she didn't bother.

"Well as a Hyuuga, most of us become shinobi so it's my fate." the girl answered, a smile and cheeriness in her voice. While some may be disappointed with having a fate based solely on which family you're born into, Mami didn't seem to hold any ill feelings towards it. "What about you guys? she asked, turning to the boys on the newly formed team.
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Inken Nikuya
[color=#ffe135]
  • Seiryu - [color=#007FFF]
  • Suzaku - [color=#e62a09]
  • Genbu - [color=#80461B]
  • Byakko - [color=#007FFF]
Sadame Juusha
[color=#2888BD]
Imuka Makumi
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A New Hope [Closed]

Post by hobnob » Fri May 01, 2020 1:25 pm

The group carried on walking as they listened to Niku talk about her past and the decisions she had to make when she was young. Izaki would never have known that Niku lost her father and was raised by her grandpa. The way she behaved gave no indication of such a past, but after all the years Izaki himself didn't let out much about his father. So this was probably a good time to do so. He listened to what Essen had to say about his family;

'When I was younger I always thought it would be cool to be able to run around and do all this cool stuff, like use chakra and al' I just didn't think it would be so much hard work...' The youth finished, not exactly giving them a great insight to his past but at the very least they knew the reason he became a shinobi. So, now it was time for Izaki to say his piece.

'When I was younger, me and my family used to travel around a lot, we didn't have what you would call a permanent home. We just had a couple of horses and a cart. One average evening, my father went to hunt something for our tea, and came back with a deer slung over his shoulder. He was strong, he was tough, caring and loving. But all that didn't amount to anything. He was followed by a gang of ninja-turned-bandits, who didn't have any trouble ending his life.' At this point the youth paused and took a deep breath, the way he coped with this on a day to day basis was to simply ignore it. That's how he remained calm and collected, but it was obvious that the memory of this event still had a negative effect on him.

'...Then they carried on towards me and my mother, I ran towards her and tried to drag her away, but she froze at the sight of my dads body... Essentially, me and my mother would have been killed too if it wasn't for the help of shinobi from Konoha. They escorted us to the village and we were given permission to make the village our home. I enrolled at the academy withing a few weeks after.And that's about it for my past, now I concentrate on becoming stronger so that I can help vulnerable people like those shinobi one helped me.' The youth continued as the marched on into the wild.
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A New Hope [Closed]

Post by Servant » Sat May 09, 2020 2:53 pm

Niku had run into many shinobi during her time as one; there were many, like Mami, following in the footsteps of their clan or family members and many, like Essen, who had seen shinobi and admired their skill set. Niku was sure there were also some like Izaki who had suffered some sort of loss or had been saved by shinobi, but despite that, Niku still felt for the boy as the foursome made their way through Fire Country. It was traumatic losing your father, Niku was aware of that from her own life, but her situation had been noticeably different than Izaki's: she never met her father as he died before Niku was ever born and she'd had a grandfather who stepped in and still provided a strong male role model for the kunoichi. Izaki had watched the man he loved be gutted in front of him, that was trauma of a whole other level. Izaki's moment of pause and deep breath was evidence of that.

Both females, Niku and Mami, felt like they should say something, but also knew there was little of meaning they could say. "Sorry for your loss" and "Fate works in mysterious ways," were little more than platitudes which couldn't really ease Izaki's pain. Niku looked to Essen, wondering if he would say something, but his labored breathing proved enough to keep the boy from speaking anyways. It was then that Niku realized the group had slowed, likely a subconscious thing due to the conversation or maybe just trying to keep a pace that Essen could maintain.

"Getting stronger is an admirable goal, Izaki." She seemed, trying to give the youngster a reassuring smile. "Speaking of admirable goals, we should pick up the pace if we want to make it to Cha before dark." She did want to make it to Cha before dark, but in truth, she also wanted to push the youngsters a bit, force them to strain themselves a little. Essen already seemed to be struggling, but she wondered if he would step up to the challenge or give up. She wondered that about all the genin, but Niku was pretty sure she'd find out what Essen was made of before Mami or Izaki. Despite having just met them, Niku already found it difficult to connect with Essen, she wondered what kind of shinobi she'd be able to produce of the large boy.

With those words, she stepped up her pace. It wasn't even really a jog, maybe more like a trot, but with Niku's speed, she knew that would be enough to challenge some of the genin. A little smile crossed her face as she looked back to the genin, it was meant to be encouraging, but someone could have construed it as reveling in the genin's discomfort. Such is life.
My Thread
Inken Nikuya
[color=#ffe135]
  • Seiryu - [color=#007FFF]
  • Suzaku - [color=#e62a09]
  • Genbu - [color=#80461B]
  • Byakko - [color=#007FFF]
Sadame Juusha
[color=#2888BD]
Imuka Makumi
[color=#Fc0fc0]
Yamanaka Yaya
[color=#3a6e38]
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A New Hope [Closed]

Post by hobnob » Tue May 19, 2020 3:32 pm

Nikus words went over Izakis head really. He was so stuck in the memory of the night his life changed completely he was paying very little attention to what was going on around him. After Essen had over taken him, Izaki realised that the group has sped up and wondered whether he should offer Niku to speed up the journey by allowing them to fly to Cha. But when he looked up and noticed Niku looking back at the group and smiling, he thought better of it. It felt like that smile meant; 'lets see who breaks first,' so he concluded that it's best to keep that idea to himself, even if it is for now.

The youth picked up the pace, but he only matched his speed to the rest of the team, trying to show off at this point was pointless. He didn't know what awaited them ahead, whether it was danger, or peaceful vagabonds. Expending energy for no real reason would only cost him in the long run. After all, no longer were they inside the little protective bubble that was Konohagakure. This place was wild where anything could happen at any minute; he learnt that the most peaceful days usually ended up being the troublesome ones, the ones where you get caught of guard and those usually do not have a happy ending.

Amid all of this, Izaki realized that Niku had never made them aware of the reason they were heading to Cha, not knowing what they were suppose to do or achieve in the distant village bothered him slightly. He was the type that liked to have a plan;

'Hey Sensei, why are we heading to Cha?' the youth spoke with a friendly directness, trying to show that he wanted, almost needed this intel for some reason that was his own.
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Ikigai, Itoshii - Genin - D Rank - #C2B280

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