Gene had known from the beginning that Fi was of the practical sort; always by the book and going with what logically made sense. After all, that's what they were taught in the academy. Rules, regulation, laws and order, reasonable action....it was all bullshit. If there was anything that Gene had learned the hard way since graduating from the academy it was that at any given moment at any given time a life could be robbed as easily and simply as taking a breath of air. Sure, there were times where one needed to abide by the core principles of the trade: hiding emotion and so forth. But no book taught lesson would ever prepare anyone for the true problems of a Shinobi's career.
After what the boy had gone through with his previous assignment Gene would have thought the lesson was burned somewhere into his memory by now but looking at the young upstart now he wasn't so sure. From the clone to the rehearsed pacing and even his answers to Gene's earlier line of questioning; they all seemed so...monotonous.
Perhaps I'm looking at this in the wrong light...even the toughest of 'em would be skeptic of the world after what he's gone through. Lord Hokage, do you really think I'm up to this? Even while lost in thought Gene still had the presence of mind to side step the flow of oncoming Kunai knives, each slamming into the tree behind him with just enough force to stick.
Giving chase wouldn't have been a problem considering he didn't need to rely on his eyes to track the boy but Gene opted not to. There'd be no point in this exercise if he went out of his way to stamp down on Fi's honest efforts as opposed to letting him grow into his own strategies. On the other hand, he noted that the boy's style was reflective of his approach through life. During their last exchange where Gene (masterfully disguised as the Hokage) went out of his way to talk to the guy he avoided topics or questions that would place him in a vulnerable spot, choosing to stick to formalities over regular organic conversation save for a question about overcoming mental pressures and even then - it was hardly a great close out. It was almost as if the boy didn't want to get close to anyone. Just then, a light switched in Gene's head.
Don't tell me this is how you've been coping...Fi. Turning around, Gene snatched two of the three Kunai from the tree and pocketed one of them.
"Since you so graciously decided to leave these valuable tools hanging around it's only right that I take them." As for the remaining Kunai Gene plucked it from the tree with his left hand and in a single flicking motion, launched the damned thing after infusing it with Katon elemental chakra in the direction that he'd last heard Fi's shuffling. Being able to distinguish sounds with vivid clarity had its perks he supposed.
The Kunai knife tore through the bushes with ease, its blade heated enough to catch fire to the flammable material as it passed only to tear through the first tree that Fi had passed, thudding hard into the second. In total, the distance that the Kunai had traveled from Gene to the second tree was five meters and considering the fact that he'd been able to throw the damned thing hard enough to tear through another tree before hitting his target...Gene was pretty damn proud of himself.
"Huh, that's one of my better throws this year." He acknowledged, slipping his right hand inside of his pocket before stepping off in a shadowy blur. It'd taken a whole lot of practice growing up but he'd finally mastered the art of getting from point A to point B relatively quickly and without wasting much of his own energy to do it.
Landing from his leap two meters North of where he started in a tree just three meters from where Fi had been hiding, the silver-haired Jounin crouched and scanned the ground for signs of tampering. What he found could only be described as disappointing.
Well lets see... there's a life sized hole where he went into the bush plus the exit point, snapped twigs and are those...foot prints? Damned kid was in such a hurry to create space he forgot to conceal his movements. Resisting the urge to sigh, Gene raised his hands in what could only be described as the "Ram" hand sign, opting to use his right thumb instead of the index finger for the complete seal. Although his chakra pool had not been on the same level as Fanho, Gene still possessed enough of the stuff to perform low ranking techniques with little if any cost to himself. In particular, the Katon Bunshin technique.
At Gene's discretion the "Flame shadow" manifested itself at the ground level and began performing reconnaissance. Following Fi's trail wasn't too difficult of a task (because welll...he made it easy) and despite the clone's relatively slow pace it was able to find Fi's Kunai that Gene had returned to sender only a short while ago. Conveniently, this was also where the trail seemed to stop.
"There's an old saying among the wise: Haste makes waste." Chimed in the Fire shadow, leaning up against the left side of where Fi resided. Interestingly enough up until that point the clone hadn't made any noise - it's steps ghost-quiet and breathing sounds practically nonexistent. In short: This was...the proper way to use a Bunshin.
Meanwhile, Gene climbed higher up the tree he'd been resting on. Not knowing that the branch he'd previously occupied had been laced with a paper bomb. He wasn't using any of his Sensory techniques otherwise he would have been able to feel the energy stored within the explosive but his ears were functioning at their usual levels which meant that his perception was well...inhuman. Briefly, he'd caught the sound of wind ruffling paper but wrote it off as something else, clothing maybe.
Must've imagined it.. thought the Jounin too dismissively. Still, for some reason his stomach felt as though he were falling from a great height.
[Distinction ]
B-ranked discipline
Prerequisites: Perception concentration & 20 instinct
Description: As a Shinobi, it is imperative to be able to distinguish between the sounds of nature and those that are unnatural for the sake of one's own safety. To that end, Gene has gained enough experience to be able to tell the difference between natural sounds and those of a battle. Additionally, he may tune out sounds to focus on specific sounds and noises making him much harder to fool.
Katon • Heated Blade
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By channeling katon chakra into a metal weapon or blade, the user will cause it to grow hotter and cover the blade in flames. The imbued weapon will be able to carve through defenses of 5 or less strength with ease.
*Katon • Flame's Shadow
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals, the user will create a copy of themselves out of katon chakra. The clone will be able to move with the stats labelled below, while also exploding with the force of a single exploding tag upon death into a burst of flames. The clone will only last for 3 posts.
Taijutsu: 4
Stamina: 2
Strength: 2
Speed: 4
Way of the Shadow
Pre requisites: [Stealth] Concentration, 20 Instinct
B-ranked Discipline
Through intensive training Gene has taken another step further in becoming a true Shinobi. He may now remain completely silently when walking and running.