Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come

[igordragonian]

Ameoku sigh. "I never said anything about resolve alone."
She shake her head. "I feel like we are talking in circles. The will of fire isn't as strong as it used to be. Not from the intel I have, and it also make sense. It's cycle in history- the ruffian strong willed conqure the fat and the rich, and in few generations, become fat and rich, just to be a victim of the next strong willed ruffians. It's almost law of nature
Almost..."
then she smile with determination.
"But I will save the village! Konoha sooner or later will doom themselves, with or without our help And, they used to do have a good idea of how to do things. But they got corrupted. There is nothing wrong in learning from others- we all came from diffrent places and allowed each other's sounds to be heard. And I will protect it."

She get up and look at Senko and laugh.
"You are charming and a bit narrow minded for a child your age- Who say I didnt faced similiar struggles at the begining? Who to say, that I didnt had expriements with similiar nature happen under my hands? And no. My researches aren't soms candies to throw around. You will have to earn them, if at all. I never shared them with anyone."
She give a bow to Jirou.
"Let's depart as friendly rivals who both with the best for the village"

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
He will bow back.
"Yes.....lets."
he says deciding not to press the issue.

When she leaves he will turn and he and Mitsuko will whisper in a corner.
"You didn't tell her about the...y'know..."
"Plans change. If that is her reaction to an attempted poisoning and her view of Konoha, then she is too dangerous to trust with this. She is a fool who has confused the decadent upper class of Hinoshuto with the shinobi they hire. And she didn't react at all to the concept of losing all our land or the Rice Daimyo declaring us all missing nin!"
"She has forgotten that shinobi are tools. That she serves at least two people higher than herself. She talks as if she is already Otokage. Your right, she is dangerous."
"Question is...do we trust her or Shimpi more to be Anbu Commander?"
"We don't know Shimpi's goals. and Ameoku is real popular and we know what her direction is. Unless Ameoku does something we can't overlook, its better to deal with the oni we know."
"Yes, she's loud, we can plan for loud."
"And the little genius?"
"Which one?"
"The preachy one."
"what about her?"
"She is smarter than Ameoku and is an idealist. Thats incredibly dangerous in a shinobi."
"In what way?"
"In the "the last shinobi to have that kind of combination was Hashirama" kind of way."
She whispers while making a "and look what happened there" sort of gesture.
"Okay, good point. But your lucky she hasn't set her sights on you. and to be fair, the other is dangerous in the Madara way."
"I'm aware. Just tell me you have it handled."
"I do. She's reasonable and like 10. She has growing up to do and she's strong-willed, wherever she ends up I think it'll only be good for everyone."

He then turns back to the group to speak and bows.
"I apologize to everyone that our dinner wasn't as good we'd hoped. Usagi, Yuyuyu and Senko I'm willing to provide escorts from my own clan to make sure you get home safely. Unless there is anything you wish to discuss or stay a little while longer if only for the company?"
Kimiko looks up at him.
"Anniki, I want to learn medical jutsu."
"What, why?"
"How could I Kimiko, be so useless against poison? I, Kimiko Ishikawa, should learn it, to expand my genius ever further."
"No. Your already training in Paper Release, and that weird spiral ball jutsu you keep practicing and experimenting with day and night and claiming it will somehow enhance your chakra control greatly for some reason. and don't think I haven't seen you practicing Hidden Mist and other basic Water Release jutsu on the side. your already full up on training, don't bite off more than you can chew."
"But Anikkiiiiii....."
"No. I don't want to tire you out or spread you thin. Most Genin wouldn't be able to learn so much in the first place. you need to focus on having a specialization, a strength you can reliably fall back on."
"Fiiiiiiine...."

[Rater202]

He then turns back to the group to speak and bows.
"I apologize to everyone that our dinner wasn't as good we'd hoped. Usagi, Yuyuyu and Senko I'm willing to provide escorts from my own clan to make sure you get home safely. Unless there is anything you wish to discuss or stay a little while longer if only for the company?"
Kimiko looks up at him.
"Anniki, I want to learn medical jutsu."
"What, why?"
"How could I Kimiko, be so useless against poison? I, Kimiko Ishikawa, should learn it, to expand my genius ever further."
"No. Your already training in Paper Release, and that weird spiral ball jutsu you keep practicing and experimenting with day and night and claiming it will somehow enhance your chakra control greatly for some reason. and don't think I haven't seen you practicing Hidden Mist and other basic Water Release jutsu on the side. your already full up on training, don't bite off more than you can chew."
"But Anikkiiiiii....."
"No. I don't want to tire you out or spread you thin. Most Genin wouldn't be able to learn so much in the first place. you need to focus on having a specialization, a strength you can reliably fall back on."
"Fiiiiiiine...."

"On that note, Sensei, I have been meaning to ask if you could tink of anyone willing to teach me the hidden mist technique."

Senko uses the basic mist generation technique, fully shrouding one hand in a dense fog. She writes her name with it, letting "仙子" hang there for a few seconds until it dispersed, and turns back.

"I have been running into diminishing returns practicing this ever since I got to point that I could do that. I do not know if I actually can perform the hidden mist technique, but I will not know till I try."

"Interesting, it seems that I missed one hell of a party."

So yeah, Shimpi is just standing there.

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou: Close the Scene
"I know it, Kimiko probably does at this point. There are a couple of others in the clan who learned I think, maybe someone in the Kaguya clan."
"Guilty as charged, hyuhyu."
"I think I could take some time out of my day to teach you tomorrow, its pretty late now. I'd recommend my Water release teacher Rahei but she isn't from Kiri, she wouldn't know the technique but I'd recommend her for any further training after that. and-"
he jumps a little at Shimpi just being there.
"Shimpi. You again. Our clan compound seems to be a popular meeting place for the Three Thunders, what next is Samayo going to stop by?"
Shimpi probably knows that Samayo Majutsu and his team are on their way back to the village even as they speak.
"Still its pretty late, can whatever you want to talk about wait until tomorrow or something? I know its probably important but we just got through a poisoning and dealing with Ameoku who is a bit much. Its not wise to make decisions on whatever you want to talk about when we're probably all tired.

If not, at least let us put everyone else to bed first."

After the dinner:
Kimiko will be put to sleep, and Yuyuyu, Usagi and Senko will be sent home. the rest of the clan goes to sleep and we cut to either tomorrow or later in the night with Jirou talking with Shimpi.
"Alright, what is it? If you have something important, say it."

Kimiko: Wake up

Spoiler: Nightmare

Show

Kimiko is in darkness. She sees Ameoku's children- dead from poison.
"Failure, failure, failure...."
whispers the darkness around her. No, they lived.
"still failure, you didn't do it, others did."
She sees the despair girl carried away.
"Failure again. Wasn't captured. Wasn't killed. Wasn't saved. No matter the criteria you failed."
She hadn't failed yet. She could still do it.
"Yet you could do better, can't you?"
She sees the people that died by her hand, the Bye-Bye kitties she failed to save.
"Then why don't you?"
they said it was a success. People were defended.
"Enough is not enough. You must aim for excellence. You must aim for perfection. You must aim for power"
They lived.
"Question is.....what will do for it? What will do to gain the power to protect others? To achieve your goals? And which one is more important?"

She wakes up again. She growls through her shark teeth. Stupid nightmares again. She will eat breakfast and go to the training ground to practice the Rasengan some more while she waits for her team to get her mind off of it.

[Rater202]

After the dinner:
Kimiko will be put to sleep, and Yuyuyu, Usagi and Senko will be sent home. the rest of the clan goes to sleep and we cut to either tomorrow or later in the night with Jirou talking with Shimpi.
"Alright, what is it? If you have something important, say it."

"This would have been more effective if the children were still here, but... My information network got word of an incident at the border with Lightning country. Four individuals, one adult and three minors of various ages, crossed the border without stopping to present documentation... Pursued by a cloud ninja who did not stop at the border. The cloud ninja in question reacted violently when the Rice Ashigaru acted to stop him."

"It was at this point that the group fleeing the ninja ceased running. The adult of the group acted to drive the Cloud ninja back across the border using Taijutsu, then vanished with their wards. The Ashigaru were unharmed."

"I've already arranged for an investigation mission tot he area, to find this group and find out why they were being pursued by a Cloud Ninja, even found a chakra sensor willing to go, and I was informed that Team 3 were currently in your compound and thought it appropriate to inquire their willingness to join in."

"Particularly your little thief. The Ashigaru noted that the man who stopped fleeing to intervene had red hair, amber eyes, and seemed to transform into an oni when driving off the assailant. I don't believe in coincidences, do you? I believe she's claimed to have a relative that was last seen in Lightning Country?"

"But it seems I've arrived too late. The children are tired and it seems that their sensei has already left."

"...And for the record, it is not in my interest to be Anbu commander."

Senko: That Night:

Unaware of what Jirou and Shimpi were discussing, Senko lies in bed. Her guilt over stealing from Fuyuki-san was doubled, now that she'd actually grafted his cells. Now that she couldn't go back on it, and especially since it hadn't amounted to anything. How was she supposed to... A sour-sick feeling dominated the pit of her stomach.

Menko slithered into bed next to her master, and coiled around the other girl in a comforting embrace. "Senko-sama, whatever's on your mind, let it go. At least for now. Today's been a tiring day and you need your rest."

Senko leans into the hug and tries to sleep.

The next day.

Senko, back to full size, arrives second. she looks a little on the tired side, as if she hadn't slept well.

"Kimiko-san? do you think you could show me the signs for the Hiding in Mist technique?"

[igordragonian]

Odayama also bowed, and wishing a good night to his students. Wishing he could have been more meaningful to them.
Ameoku walked to another direction alongside Shushuryu.
"Work?" Odayama has asked with a sad smile.
"Work." Ameoku said and shared a big hug with him,and then her children.

"It has been quite some times,since I have used my labs..."
----


Usagi was.. dissapointed overall.
She wished a quick ranty good night.

"Well. I wore the kimono for nothing. She ranted to Yuyuyu.
"But thank you, for trying"

--

Usagi would probably train until midnight, and be a bit late
for the meeting.
-‐--


Odayama arrive as usual last. With even a bigger tobako box.
"Well. Thank you again. It was quite the dinner. Wasn't it?"

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
".....Oh. thanks. I apologize. You could've just said something about a mission for Team 3. But whatever. I'll make sure it gets to them. and....noted about the position. Scary that your heard that. I wonder how much do you know?"
He considers
"also why do you have such an interest in Senko? She is not the only notable genin in this village."

Kimiko:
Her rasengan bursts again and she curses a little, then turns to Senko.
"Yeah sure, no problem for the great Kimiko Ishikawa! Hiding in Mist Jutsu"
She makes Ox-Snake-Ram showing it clearly to you then the area is covered in thick mist. The contrast between the executions is striking. She was struggling to get this weird chakra ball technique down at all, but effortlessly and clearly did this one without a second thought. She will then cancel the jutsu so that the mist fades by cutting the mental chakra link
"So, show it again or do you got it? And yes it was....quite an interesting dinner Odayama-Taichou."

Yuyuyu will receive a letter explaining the mission and wait patiently to tell the others about it until they are ready.

[igordragonian]

"Yes. Indeed" Odayama give them the boxes.
"Eat well... we have a new mission."
and explain it.

[Rater202]

"also why do you have such an interest in Senko? She is not the only notable genin in this village."

"Oh no, I don't have a special interest in her in particular. What I have is a special interest in Team 3. As a five-man squad they're already notable... Now throw in the genius prodigy who is open about her desire to steal every Jutsu in the world, the rage-filled rabbit-girl desperate to prove that she has no limits, the little girl that's gunning for my job, and the six-time Bloodline Thief who is openly critical of the entire system of clan and villages..."

"Your sister, your protege, and their friends could easily start a war by themselves. If they are the team that makes it to the Chunin-exams in Leaf, don't be surprised if they come back and Senko has stolen the eyes out of Madara Uchiha's skull, or Kimiko has infiltrated and spirited away with the entire Nara Clan Jutsu library and damn the consequences."

"And then there's you, Ishikawa. I bring you a ronin who attempted to infiltrate the village, and you convince her to join your power base and allow her to swear herself to one of your supporters without inducting her into the shinobi corp. I am not saying that you were wrong to do that, but it is... Notable."

"...On that note, I feel that this is a mission that requires numbers more than it requires stealth, and I am not completly certain that there won't be combat or interference from Cloud. I've made a note in the official mission report that, as Team 3 is being targetted specifically, that Senko is permitted to bring her Ronin if she feels she needs to... Who by sheer coincidence is the roommate of the sensor I hired. It's always a little strange when you run into someone by chance after you've had them in the Torture and Interrogation Offices. The cigarette burns seem to be healing nicely though."

Kimiko:
Her rasengan bursts again and she curses a little, then turns to Senko.
"Yeah sure, no problem for the great Kimiko Ishikawa! Hiding in Mist Jutsu"
She makes Ox-Snake-Ram showing it clearly to you then the area is covered in thick mist. The contrast between the executions is striking. She was struggling to get this weird chakra ball technique down at all, but effortlessly and clearly did this one without a second thought. She will then cancel the jutsu so that the mist fades by cutting the mental chakra link
"So, show it again or do you got it? And yes it was....quite an interesting dinner Odayama-Taichou."

Yuyuyu will receive a letter explaining the mission and wait patiently to tell the others about it until they are ready.

Senko copies the hand signs and manages to produce a field of mist. It's smaller than Kimiko's but that doesn't stop Senko from looking pleased with herself at having successfully performed a 'real' jutsu, this time without help from formulas in a contract.

The letters that Yuyuyu and Odayama have received describe the situations more or less as Shimpi described it to Jirou: Team 3 is being scouted for this mission specifically, the details of the incident on the border including the possibility of Cloud interference, and the description of the man who stopped fleeing to save the Ashigaru and his apparent power to become an Oni.

They will be joined by a Chakra sensor who was also hand-picked for this mission, and Senko is permitted to bring "her retainer" if she feels that additional muscle would be useful.

Senko seems a bit lost in focus, muttering "Daichi" once.

A little bit later, an older girl with ear-length red hair under a cap that serves as her village headband comes up.

"Hello? Is this team 3? I was told to meet you and accompany you on a mission in my capacity as a chakra sensor. Oh, Senko-chan. And Kimiko-san... You two haven't broken anymore fingers, have you?"

Kimiko probably recognizes this as Ichika, the sensor type and medic ninja from the snow cone place.

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
"....I'd be more concerned about her stealing Nara's library if they didn't seem to consist entirely of variations on the same jutsu they seem to come up with endless application for. No wait your right that is concerning. and Madara died of old age after the Second War, he's like bones in the ground now, there is no way to get his eyes.

As for starting a war together uh....I know I'm a little....hands off with them. But I'm sure they're more reasonable than that and they'll grow into more reasonable well-rounded people. Like what genin isn't a little ridiculous at that age? I remember when I was genin I was a bit obsessed about proving myself making quiet dramatic speeches about how I'll will one prove to everyone that I can be just as good of a fuinjutsu user as any Ishikawa, and that just because I don't have a bloodline doesn't mean I can contribute to my clans legacy or be great ninja and now that I'm poised to become Otokage, soon everyone will see how great I can be through my efforts because its my dream to-
he coughs.
"Nevermind. Got carried away there. Point is we've all been through that stage in our lives. They'll mellow out. Trying to control them will only make them slip through our fingers. As for me....I just believe that its better to make allies than enemies. Its more people on your side."

Kimiko:
She listens as she eats when she finishes she says
"So meet up with those sensors and probably find out what this group crossing the borders is all about and do something about them? Sounds like a good mission to me. Worry not I, Kimiko Ishikawa will certainly get to the bottom of this!"
"I will be happy to help Senko meet more of her relatives." she says "And minors....kids like us I can only imagine they are confused being in a foreign land. But why is a cloud-nin after them?"
"Sounds similar in structure to genin team like ours. Did an entire cloud genin cell decide to go rogue? Odd, statistically most shinobi turn rogue when they are an adult. It makes sense for the potential jounin to do this, but most leave behind their genin or wait until after they become chuunin and thus are officially dissolved."
"Yeah I can see why that would make sense. That rogue must really care about these particular three if he drove off his attacker rather than leave them to get captured while he could escape."
"Real question is: why would Kumo want to pursue them?"
They will start getting ready and head out whenever everyone else is.

Also Yuyuyu apologizes to Usagi that things went so wrong but tells her she is happy to help her anytime.

"I'm fine, Ichika-san, I have not broken any fingers. Despite the efforts of those terrorist jerks."
She will say in response.

[igordragonian]

"Oh hey." Odayama wave.
"Well. I guess we are a big team this time. But please, not to spread out without reporting and all that. You are all great, but we need to have order."

Usagi chime in. "I will hunt them all!"

[Rater202]

"So, if we're gonna be together for a mission I should probably formally introduce myself. I already know Senko and I've met Kimiko, but I'm Ichika. I'm a sensor-type ninja, but I'm also a certified medical ninja. I mostly stay at the hospital but somtimes a mission needs someone exta and so here I am."

"I'm only a genin, but that's more... I could probably be a Chunin if I was better at making choices in the moment. But I'm not a leader, I'm a follower, and I'm okay with that. I'm honestly happier in a support role."

"In addition to sensing and medical Jutsu, I also know some basic fuinjutsu and written formulas. I'm just a well-rounded supporter type. I've also studied how to use things like acupuncture to manipulate the flow of chakra in someone's body to help augment"

"I also sometimes teach a yoga class or offer guided meditation support in the off-season."

"And... People sometimes make fun of me for this, but I think there are things about Chakra that can't really be explained scientifically. I really think there's something to the seven wheels."

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko:
"Nice to meet you Ichika! I'm Yuyuyu, a Genjutsu specialist and infiltrator/spymaster in training. I'm also more of a support type, so I understand."
"All good capabilities, I look forward to working with- CAN'T BE EXPLAINED SCIENTIFICALLY!?"
"oh boy here we go."
"Chakra is a physical phenomenon. It can be observed, it be manipulated, it can be replicated. To say that there things science can't explain about chakra is to say there is parts of chakra we can't observe or extrapolate from the effects it has on the world. It is possible to observe it, therefore it is scientifically possible to explain it. As for the seven wheels, your literally a medic nin, so you'd know better than anyone about the chakra coil system and the tenketsu. There is literal physical evidence of how the source of our power works, if you believe there is "something to it" then you must believe that there is some hidden six other sources of power hidden within us. I find such a claim dubious myself. A shinobi becomes powerful regardless of how spiritually enlightened they are. There is some evidence for Yin playing a role in chakra's power yes, but the number of powerful ninja I can name lived lives that hardly match the beliefs of the seven wheels aside from maybe Hashirama. It seems more general mental power is what empowers people than any specific spiritual belief. In short its a good abstract metaphor if you like that, but in my estimation its probably not true. But we have a mission to do."
She turns to towards the village gates.
"Lets go then. Got to search for them."

[Rater202]

"...If Hashirama Senju, the strongest ninja on record, fits the profile of someone enlightened under the logic of the Seven wheels, woulnd't that be evidence for their existence?"

Menko, in snake form, pokes her head out of one of Senko's sleeves.

"So what are the Seven Wheels? I've never heard of them."

"The seven wheels are believed to be seven clusters of tenketsu in the human body, located at the base of the spine, the sacrum, the solar plexus, the heart, the throat, the brow, and the crown, similar to the Eight Inner gates—in fact, some people beleive that the Gate of Death is one of the Tenketsu in the wheel of the heart... Which is ridiculous. The Heart is located slightly to the left of the center of the torso, the Eighth Gate is located in the left breast, but I digress. The idea is that the points that make up the wheels are normally closed, which limits the flow of chakra through the body, but there are certain yogic positions, exercises, and forms of meditation that can open them, allowing for a more clear flow of chakra and other... Benefits, mostly related to physical and mental health. It depends on which wheel is open."

"It's not about having more power, it's about being able to use the power you have more efficiently. And there is a direct correlation between chakra and physical health, so..."

"The problem is that the Wheels can't be proven to exist: the only people with that much knowledge of where the Tenketsu are the Hyuuga Clan, who refuses to answer either way and the ways they're supposed to benefit people don't always line up perfectly with our understanding of chakra based sciences. All the evidence is circumstantial."

"Like, if I close my eyes and focus my chakra senses..." Ichika does so. "Senko-chan's chakra seems to pool in the lower half of her body, which implies that her basal wheel is wide open, but that her sacral and solar plexus wheels are shut tight... Which makes sense, she's an earthy type who doesn't spend much time having fun or taking care of herself... But that could just be confirmation bias. I could just be seeing what I want to see based on pre-existing knowledge of who I'm looking at."

"...It would be an interesting experiment to see if changing my habits in ways that the wheel devotees beleive is 'healthier' has an effect on the flow of chakra in my body... But I am pretty sure that any data from that would be subjective at best."

"Exactly... But if you're interested in trying it just for the hell of it I'd be glad to be your guide through the more advanced meditations and yogic forms. If nothing else it reduces stress."

"I will think about it..."

Senko turns to the rest of you.

"I will meet you at the gate. This will probably take a bit of time and if the mission report suggests bringing the Ronin I should probably bring the Ronin."

Later, that the Village Gate.

When Senko returns with Tomoe, the ronin awkwardly avoids the gaze of Ichika... Who has a confused expression on her face.

"So, uh... Tomoe-san? For future reference, I would have appreciated knowing you were a ronin before I took you on as a subletter..."

...Huh. Small world.

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko:
"Counterpoint: Madara."
She says to Ichika
"Madara got so strong as to fight him to stand stills and ties. The difference in power was slight, negligible and unquantifiable. Yet many of his values ran counter to Hashirama's. He was a conqueror, he lived longer, many speculate always would because Hashirama while he had a legendary regeneration ability, modern medical jutsu science has proven such abilities tend to shorten lifespans. We never really got confirmation of what killed Hashirama, he never succumbed to any assassin yet he died early and Madara stepped up to rule in his stead. He might've just succumbed to an early natural death just because his own reliance on his natural regeneration while Madara had more decades to improve beyond what he was when he fought Hashirama. And while Madara according to legend had the nine-tailed fox under his control, Wood Release's entire thing is that Hashirama, according to legend could suppress tailed beast chakra somehow. Meaning its entirely possible that they were canceling each other out in those fights. they probably decided to just stop fighting and be at peace because neither could dominate over the other and were so tired of fighting over their philosophy-whatevers that they just decided to set their differences aside to just make it work rather than dig in on questions that can't be answered or petty differences of method.

Furthermore Yin chakra is only half the equation, the other half is Yang and Hashirama was probably blessed with an unusual amount of that. There are more contributing factors than mental state to why someone becomes powerful through chakra than just their mentality and pure physical training is one of them. He could've simply been really physically powerful which would be another factor complicating proving the chakra wheel hypothesis correct, because you can't say for sure whether the secret to ALL his power came from his mind, in addition to proving whether or not it specific values were a contributing factor against someone who got to similar levels of power but didn't share them. In the end there is too many factors to really prove which of these long dead shinobi was stronger, only that they were equal or near-equal enough that the differences were marginal and somehow, definitely stronger than everyone else. Which they probably got through a combination of luck and competency, like everyone else great.

Speaking of competency..."
Kimiko will continue practicing the Rasengan when they pass the Village Gate.

[Rater202]

"Look, again, it's not about power. You're confused and Senko-chan was confused. It's about... Wellness. You know that chakra is directly tied to physical and mental health. People who beleive in the seven wheels believe that certain exercises, meditations, or diet choices can open up tenketsu that are normally closed, allowing for a more free and efficient flow of chakra through the body, which is believed to result in someone feeling... Healthier, in both a physical and a mental sense."

"It could make you stronger... But only because being healthy and mentally sound lets, you cultivate more yang and yin, and becuase meditation is how you cultivate yin. But that's not the point."

"You don't have to keep citing flaws in the theory as if that will make me stop believing. I know all of the flaws. I acknowledge that the evidence is inconclusive."

[igordragonian]

)Is Tomoe also leaving with them?)
Odayama nod, and offer her from his home made sweets.
"Welcome Ichika-san." He say warmly.
He would be kind, but wonder why he of all chunins is in charge of five girls, that at least two of them dont have a use for him...

Usagi wave. "I am Usagi! And I am never helpless!" she simply present herself.


Odayama was about to present himself,but the girls seemed lost in their discussions.


Usagi tried to listen, but was a bit bored, while she walked on her hands.


At the gates he stop the group.

'I am sorry to interupt your discussion, but it's important- I want to present myself to Ichika-san"
He bow his head a bit. "My name is Odayama Nekozaki. I am the Captain of team 3. You are all very skilled and strong willed, but we need to keep discipline-when it's time to act, you all will listen to me. Also. We are relativly a big team, so if we ever split up, Yuyuyu is my second in command, and would lead the team I am not leading."

Usagi gasp. "Yuyuyu?! Why her?!"

Odayama wrap his hands with seriouse expression "She is the most level headed among you."


Tomoe might notice that, Yoroi look at her from afar.

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko: (Light-hearted BGM)
She looks at Ichika
"....But pointing out flaws in peoples arguments is fuuuuuuuun...."
She whines in a hurt squinty comedic face looking like this: >_<.
She then yells comedically in response to Odayama.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, I THE GREAT AND POWERFUL KIMIKO ISHIKAWA, AM COMPLETELY LEVEL-HEADED! HYUHYUHYUHYUHYUHYUHYUHYU!"
Her face has gone white-eyed and simplified as if drawn in a gag panel for this.
Yuyuyu ignores both of these gags and says
"Thank you Odayama-taichou. I'd say you relatively level-headed aside from your weird desire for your team to be a family that looks up to you like a father immediately."
"Hyuhyu, doesn't he already have a family? Maybe Odayama is just a natural parent, he just can't stop because he likes being one so much. I think he was hoping for a team of orphans or something." Kimiko says with a sly look and a grin.
"To be fair, there a lot of genin team that are exactly that in all villages. war has all kinds of victims. But think about it Odayama: do you REALLY want to be like a father to KIMIKO and SENKO? I'm pretty sure those two would do things like out the flaws of the arguments of their own father just because they could. It wouldn't be much of a difference."
"If anything we'd do it more to make sure your truly correct!"
Kimiko says with a wide shark smile. She does while still practicing the rasengan in the other hand.

[igordragonian]

Usagi join the yelling.

"I AM EVEN MORE LEVEL HEADED YOU SPOILED PRINCESS!"



Odayama has a sweat drop.
"Oi. Pointing out motivations directly like that is kind of embarssing." he rub the back of his head.

"Well. I was almost out of the ninja life for some years, focusing on my daughters. Maybe that why Nozojo has decided I could guide you all.. I cant replace your real fathers of course, but... from a personal exprience, having an adult you can trust... is a rare treasure in our world. Also, you are motivating to work hard and to be a worthy teacher. For example, I am improving my control over my pseudo beast mode, so I could relate and maybe help Senko-chan..."

[Rater202]

(Yes, Tomoe is coming with.)

"...I do not need a family at this time. At least, not like that. Right now all I need in that department is to verify if The White Snake Sage's story about Daisuke Senju is true."

"Huh?"

"According to the White Snake Sage, three generations prior to the birth of Hashirama Senju, so, you know, during the bloody warring clans period before the Senjus were all peace and love types, a number of Senju Clansmen developed powers... Like mine. The pre-Hashirama Senju, being no better than anyone else, attempted an internal genocide, trying to stamp out the mutant lineage under the beleive that they were some kind of changeling—demon children swapped with the real Senju children at a young age. Allegedly one man by the name of Daisuke was abet o maser the power and use i o escape, to fight off those who come to kill them, and my clan are his descendants.

"The White Snake Sage claimed that a few years ago, a relative of mine by the name of Daichi came to Ryuchi Cave to learn what she knew, as she has been alive for thousands of years, that she told him this, and that he then began journeying toward lightning country. And I can confirm independently that I have a relative trying to create a full history of the origins of my Clan"

At this point, you are in the process of leaving the village.

"The White Snake Sage also compared my Clan's powers to the Shinju, the Ten-Tails, and the transformation that The Sage of Six Paths underwent when he sealed the Ten-Tails in himself. And she seemed to be speaking... Literally. If this claim can be verified... Well, it would have a lot of historical and theological ramifications."

[Lord Raziere]

Yuyuyu:
"See, Odayama-taichou? Senko's reaction to her current situation of potentially finding one of her lasting remaining family members is to calmly talk about this as if its just business. If her morals didn't conflict with what shinobi do, she'd be one of the better examples of shinobi discipline. Personally I think she needs to relax. While form what I could observe last night, even her actual family has trouble raising Kimiko. How do you teach someone who is currently trying to invent what according to her should be an A-rank technique if she is successful when she hasn't even gotten to Chuunin yet- and his learning other stuff on the side?"
Kimiko is busy practicing the Rasengan even now saying
"Hm....its unclear if I've even progressed at anything.....I think I need to make a system to measure where I am in getting this technique down then I can properly figure out what I'm doing wrong."
She will pull out a notepad and starting writing down mathematics to try and work this out.

[igordragonian]

"Bah!" Usagi roll her eyes.
"You need results! Actions! I do stuff until they work out!"

Odayama smile with serenity.
"...Ameoku was almost the same when she was Senko's age. Back then, I dont think she has noticed my existence, until I came back with a konoha Anbu tropby. She was A bit more.. fiesty... but very similiar attitude. All I have is patience. I can only promise to be there. It's up to you, Genins to use it or not."

Odayama look at his rather large unit for a shinobi unit- especialy a sound ninja unit.
Seven including Menko. Eight if to include Yojimbo, when Uaagi will eventually summon him.

How he always end up in charge of situations over his head?
Well. He has plans B C D and so on..
his only worry that with this amound of strong induvdials,things might get chaotic.
"Again. We are a large group. Discipline is more important then ever. When I give an order- and I will make it clear this is an order- question me as you want- when things CALM DOWN. Yuyuyu if needed is second in command. And anothet precaution- the size of our group and the fact some of us are new to each other, what we called "inorganic unit' might be used againt us. I used this to inflitrate Konoha during the war. So... Before we completly out of the protection of the village, I want us to have a password or... something similiar. so we know it isnt a doppleganger.'
He tap his chin.
"Something simple, but unique."

Usagi offer:"Maybe a specific whistle?"

[Rater202]

"If I may make a suggestion? Having experienced shinobi interrogation techniques first hand..." Tomoe still has a black eye by the way. It's healing but still noticeable."They seem to amount solely to torture. Torture is... Less than effective. If you're captured, lie through your teeth. Make some ridiculous claim like..."

"...Like all of you girls are Senko-sama's harem?"

"Menko, I was joking about that!"

"Maybe something more believable, but yes. Something that you all know to be untrue so that if someone captures and impersonates you it will be obvious that they are an imposter."

"Or... I'm a chakra sensor. I could just memorize everyone's unique signature."

"For the record, I find that breaking your fingers is a good way to test if you're under a genjutsu. The sudden shock of pain tends to reboot your perceptions. Just be sure to choose a finger on your off-hand."

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko:
She thinks
"A good password would probably be something we change in an easy manner with each mission. Saying something important to any of us would be too obvious and could be figured out. So....I propose this. We do rock paper scissors until we're down to two people, the password is the name of whoever loses last, aka the second place of the last two players. This randomizes the password each time its played and since the second place is used it outs any enemy who expects us to use the winner of the game as the password. So if you get captured, just state the winner to throw them off."
She smiles a shark grin
"This is needed even with Ichika's chakra sensing, because what if Ichika herself splits off and gets captured? I have my chakra goggles but this is in case both of us get captured or if people meet up without either of us around. Not that it'll ever happen of course, but my brilliance wouldn't shine if I didn't plan for this. We could even play it once per day to change the password daily if we want."

(OOC: We can just skip over the actual game of rock-paper-scissors/janken and reveal the password after the fact when relevant if we go with this, or determine who "wins" by dice roll or whatever.)

[Rater202]

At this point, you've left the village.

After some time traveling, you end up on the main road heading toward the border and other than a bridge being out, requiring you to water walk* across a lake, there's very little in the way of conflict by the time you stop for the night.

Once stopped for the night, Senko steps off to the side to practice the hidden mist technique a few times. Menko is curled up on a rock basking in the light of the setting sun.

Especially now Tomoe seems to be avoiding Ichika as much as possible. Ichika, meanwhile, seems to be... Meditating? They both volunteer to take first watch.

If you have anything else you wish to talk about, you can, otherwise the night passes uneventfully.

*While it may not surprise you to learn this, it is here where the rest of Team 3 learns that Senko cannot walk on water. Instead, she hands her robes to Tomoe to carry and undergoes an extreme transformation, extending her hands and feet into webbed fins and producing a tail from the small of her back with which to swiftly swim across.

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko:
She will say to whoever is listening, holding up her hand that she practices the Rasengan for to the setting sun:
"I'm going to admit.....this Rasengan jutsu is the hardest thing I've ever tried to do. I know the theory of it. I know its possible. But its harder to do than I expected. Either I'm bashing my head against the wall or have stumbled across something incredibly advanced. I keep trying day after day....and my progress is minimal or even nonexistent. Its frustrating, confounding, baffling. The exertion of learning this one jutsu....makes me sweat, exhausted at the end of the day. I've never felt this way before. Is....this is what its like to not be as awesome as me? To have to work hard for everything you do? Is this what others in the village are referring to when they talk about achieving things through hard work? Its so difficult.....normal people do this so much and succeed?"
Her hand is worn and she has a pensive expression on her face.

[igordragonian]

Odayama is on the listen with radio for reports from other units that travel in communication range.
He usually quite, but will listen and offer sympathy and even advice if anyone ask for it.
Internly he is quite anxiouse being responsible for so many.


Usagi mostly walk on her crotches, and if speed is at essence, she summon Yojimbo.
Yojimbo doesn't like Menko, but the stern Samurai bunny he is, he keep it to himself.

Usagi trying to tinker a new kind of arrow.
'Learn to like it princess.' she say, as the arrow electrfying her, her hair all strained.
After a blink she laugh.
She smile with determination, and with smokey face, try to tinker another arrow- she trying to make an arrow with electric hit that will blast at hit.

'It make your victories sweeter. To has meaning.' she smile.
'I remember, I felt victory over getting up in my bed.' she laugh.
'Did you ever had the joy of feeling victory of such a banal thing? Someone like me will feel thousand victories, before you can.'

[Rater202]

"the point is to make the chakra go spinny, right? Are you spinning it the right way? Everyone's chakra naturally oscillates in a certain direction. If you're spinning against your natural current that might be making it harder for you. There are a couple ways to check, I could find out for you"

"Have you considered the possibility that you're skipping a step or two, Ishikawa? That appears to be quite advanced shape manipulation, far beyond anything I've seen. Have you practiced any shape manipulation that isn't tied to elemental manipulation or another shinobi trick? Have you ever tried to give shape to chakra in its raw form before beginning on that technique?"

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko:
She thinks about feeling such a sense of victory.
"Huh. I guess my standards for victory ARE higher and rarer....But that just makes them more special when they do happen."
She decides, but inwardly she thinks of the time she became friends with Yuyuyu as a banal victory. Before that....she remembers no friendly interactions with people her age. It makes her frown and she distracts herself with what Ichika and Tomoe advise.
"Hm....that could be apart of it, the way your chakra spins is an irrelevant detail most of the time since we just use hand signs, but for more direct manipulation it might like using your non-dominant hand. As for whether I've done this before.....No I have not. The closest I guess is Wall and Water walking, I can do those flawlessly, but no one really talks about general chakra control exercises beyond that. Shinobi education breaks down into specialized fields and personal teacher-apprentice relationships once the academy is over due to the secretive nature of the profession. Otogakure may not even have anyone capable of teaching me shape manipulation on this level or the steps before it, as the Three Thunders are the only Jounins in town, and what I can glean from old reports about the Third shinobi war, shape transformation isn't the most common thing even in more powerful nations."
After all when you can just blast a formless cone of fire at someone from your mouth and it works in most situations, why fix what ain't broke? When you can kill someone with a kunai, why expend all that chakra and focus to make a fire blade? Sure some shape transformed jutsu is probably more powerful and better, but a vast majority of situations it simply isn't needed, thus most people don't improve to fight in those rare situations where it is. After all most people think: what are the odds? The Thunders may not even have jutsu that utilize shape transformation.
"Perhaps I could experiment with something.... "simpler". In a sense."
Kimiko holds up her hand and attempts to....well....gather paper chakra into her hand and compress it formlessly, much like how in another universe, Kakashi did to make the Chidori with Lightning Release. A formless wad of paper and ink surrounds her hand, the ink and bits of torn paper whipping about aimlessly as she focuses into into a single point in her palm, a crinkling of paper fills the air, then she charges forward at a rock and tries to stab at it with the.....ink? paper? chidori? and...
...all that results is the rock being splattered with ink and paper as well as Kimiko herself. Oh and her hand hurts a little from hitting a rock. Her expression is miffed. Yuyuyu is covering her mouth trying not to laugh.
".....No. Nevermind. This was a stupid experiment. Forget it ever happened."
She glares at Yuyuyu whose attempts at not corpsing are failing.
"...Just...please check for my stupid chakra rotation."
Its counter-clockwise by the way.

[igordragonian]

Usagi frown. She groan and keep tinkering.
But she laugh at Kimiko's failure with a sense of statification
Odayama open one eye.
"Hmm. Well. I am able to use Earth Release techniques"
he get up.
"But there were no one to train me. So I made up my own method." he pull out a scroll, and from it set of jars with pieces of soil within.
It had thin "breathing" cloth to close them

"It worked for me. In the end." he say, open one of the jars and emtying it.
He tap his forehead.
'Mmm....", If Kimiko oblige, he place the jar on her palm and then cover the jar with a scarf.
"If it explode it wont hurt you. Try to focus the wind inside the jar and to make it spin"




(The concept should be similiar to the balloons of Jiraya- I just dont think it realistic, Odayama would came to this exact briliant idea. But he might think of something in the lines- just more akward)