A room of mirrors, reflective surfaces of gemstone of various colors not quite natural. Hues of red, violet, yellows, and greens illuminated by electric lights in a dome shaped chamber. One of the quietest training areas in all of Iwagakure, set on the east side of the village in a quiet alleyway tucked between and old archive and an art museum. A place that had been a source of frustration and failure for many trying to grasp the subtle art of illusion. Most who came to cut their teeth here would fail in their endeavors and turn to arts with more practical application, but the ability of the ancient gemstones to catch and display visual genjutsu in their reflections was one of the most valuable things for a complete beginner to understand when progress was being made.
Itaru had spent the greater part of the morning within the chamber sitting cross-legged with scrolls of parchment splayed out in front of him. He sighed as he felt his head throb with an intense headache. He had burned through most of his chakra trying to cast the most basic of illusions without finding progress.
“This is hopeless, isn’t it…” Itaru complained aloud, his voice echoing through the empty chamber. He grit his teeth and began repeating the hand seals once more, trying to weave his chakra into something useful. After performing the hand seals, he did start seeing spots in the corner of his eyes. For a moment he got excited but then a paleness in his face and a blur caused him to lean back momentarily.
It wasn’t an illusion at all. He had gotten close to his limit. The migraine that set in following the near-black out was something that made him sick to his stomach as well. He stood up an wobbled out of the chamber, wincing as the village sun stung him with a glare that managed not only to catch him on his head, but several eyes that had become displaced from their bandages on his body. Annoyed, he tightened them to cover up the exposed extras so that he could walk amongst the stone without as many awkward glances.
He wasn’t going too far. He was using the walls to help keep himself propped up, spotting a small tea shop settled in an outdoor garden with a circular wooden pavilion to shield it from the elements. Resting along the pavilion were linen cushions, which he all too eagerly set himself down on. He clutched at the hair above his forehead as he waited for service to arrive to take his order.
simplicity
Last Edit: Sept 11, 2021 2:18:19 GMT by Itaru Tokoro
[attr="class","addybody"]It was a truly beautiful day to relax and just do nothing, which was why the pink-haired Chuunin found herself lounging on a cushion at one of the many tea shops. The servers were good here about taking her order and then leaving her alone, which allowed for a mix of quiet contemplation and people-watching that was more enjoyable than a teenager asking if she needed a refill every five god forsaken seconds.
Caffeine and snacks - the backbone of Sawako's practiced zen. She carefully lifted a sugar-coated flower between two fingertips, trying to keep it intact on the path to her mouth, where it was popped unceremoniously. The violets had a delicate but sweet flavor profile that matched well with the green tea, which at this point had been long drained and cup removed from her person. It was nearing time to leave and she would have if blue eyes had not landed on a familiar face.
Sweaty. Pale. Distressed.
A quiet hum escaped her lips and she stood, bringing the pouch of candied violets with her, of course. The dark-haired youth was presently alone, so she slid into a cushion next to him, right arm tucked in to tap fingers against the hilt of her katana. Not a threat, merely a habit. Despite being both quiet and fast in her movements, Sawako held no illusions about sneaking up on this particular Genin.
"You know, Tokoro," she started, her tone cool and perhaps overly formal with the use of his surname. "If you were in this state out on the field you would have been killed. Or worse, one of your teammates would have been tasked with protecting you and then they would have also died."
[attr="class","comabody"]I kept an eye on all of my protégé one way or another - today directly. This wasn't necessarily due to an overwhelming sense of duty. No, it was usually the opposite. I needed to keep an eye on them lest they end up doing something that resulted in my blame for lack of duty. There was a fine line that needed to be drawn between helping those under me progress and allowing them their own devices. Too much help always ended up in a significantly lesser ninja devoid of any sense of individuality. Then there was this, I couldn't even help the poor kid. No, I might have actually helped him if I had any clue beyond the simplest concepts of Genjutsu. Sure, I could spit the textbook on it out to him, but I didn't have the knack to even complete a single technique myself. Sad really. I felt for the kid though, I once had tried a bit at it. Luckily, just as I was about to interrupt his feverish attempt at causing himself chakra deprivation he had decided to stop himself. To make sure he didn't continue I had no choice but to pursue.
It wasn't hard to track a nearly incapacitated Genin who was barely standing even considering I had to leave the vantage of the random apartment I had set up in. Neither his destination nor the appearance of Sawako was unexpected. This popular haunt was frequented by the whole village and possibly more frequently than all of them Sawako herself. I didn't make myself known to them, instead deciding to somewhat blend in with the crowd as I entered the shop proper and talked up the owner. Nobody stopped me as I skipped straight ahead of the line either. We had a deal him and I, this was a 'tea' shop sure, but I never liked the drink. Coffee. Now that was more my taste. It wasn't cheap but I had once convinced him to stock the stuff if you knew of the 'secret menu'. Only myself and a few other Jounin who managed a taste of the bittersweet nectar on missions to other countries ever ordered it, and the only reason it was continually stocked was my insistence it was.
"Let me get the usual, C off the menu. Milk. Two sugar." My hand waved the owner off dismissively as I leaned against the counter and waited.
With his body covered he had no spectacular senses, though he had likely walked right by her when he went to take his seat, he hadn’t realized it was her. So, as he sat nursing his head and waiting on the help, he shuffled around briefly in surprise when she landed on a nearby cushion at his chabudai and began speaking.
“I was training, of course I wouldn’t…” he began before his lips tightened, remembering their place in the pecking order. He began a bow and stammered to start correcting himself when he felt an awkward shadow standing over them.
“Your order sir?” a young man with olive skin and a dark crewcut said, dressed in drab kimono with a pad and paper in his hands.
“Ginseng tea please, plain,” Itaru replied. The waiter nodded, seeming to recognize that he had already served Sawako. Itaru turned back to Sawako. “I apologize senpai. I will reserve more chakra in case we are suddenly deployed without notice.”
He was eager to improve. He had lost so much time on hospital beds.
The waiter moved behind the counter towards the door to the kitchen, as the owner was stepping out with a cup of hot coffee. In a sad twist of fate, the two collided and hot liquid drenched the legs of the waiter, who let out a yelp.
Itaru’s eyes moved towards the window of the inside of the shop that served drinks to the pavilion. He hadn’t been sitting at a good angle to catch a glimpse of their sensei, but Sawako may have been better situated if she looked for the sound of the commotion from where she was sitting.
simplicity
Last Edit: Sept 11, 2021 2:21:26 GMT by Itaru Tokoro
[attr="class","arubody"] Higa was going from rooftop to rooftop, walking silently while Kishi remained on the ground, he was training, practicing fluid and concise movement, training his chakra control and hand-eye coordination, doing his best to make the movements as human as possible.
He was passing by less crowded streets, and it was just easier that way because anyone who bumped into Kishi would quickly realize it wasn't real, and he wasn't trying to cause any panic. He could already hear the lecture Azuma would have for him.
Soon enough, he heard Tokoro's voice beneath him. With a flick of his wrist, the 7ft puppet would poke its head against the tea shop window, staring in as Higa continued to practice the ruse of his living puppet while he sat on the rooftop idly listening.
[attr="class","addybody"] Lips parted to respond with some drabble about how training should be treated like real combat, but they were mercifully interrupted by the waiter who had taken her own order not long ago. Sawako watched them closely, plucking another candied violet from its pouch and popping it in her mouth; they practically melted on the tongue, mostly sugar at this point. This gave Itaru more than enough time to form his apology, which visibly seemed to relax the pink-haired Chuunin, her muscles uncoiling. The pouch was set down on the table.
"Good, keep that in mind. An emergency can come any time, and in this state, you would be useless to the village and us," she drawled, but quickly changed the topic. "What were you training? I would be happy to assist you, if it's something within my power - or even if you would just like a set of eyes." If that was supposed to be a joke, it didn't show on her face ---
Clatter. Noise. Distraction.
Her head whipped to the side, gaze finding the source with precision befitting a trained observer. The hand had imperceptibly tightened on katana, but relaxed when she saw it wasn't a threat. Poor kid, scalded by some mystery liquid.. oh, and poor us. Poor us, because one of the other figures in the throng was one she hated to recognize, small nose wrinkling slightly. It made sense that he would be roaming around the village too, but it was such a chore to interact with him. Goodbye, peace and quiet.
"Pull yourself together now, Tokoro," she whispered to him out of the corner of her mouth. Then, louder, "Hey, Shoichi! Not planning to say hello to your own platoon, hm? We're practically all here if you count Toshio's dolly." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the window, a perfect frame for the fucking weird puppet that was trying to spy on them.
[attr="class","comabody"]Even with the volume of the establishment I could easily hear the two converse. Of course, my attention was more on the exact pour of my coffee. The exactitude of the owners movements was all I cared about. You see, I liked my coffee done a special way. It needed to be 'frenh pressed'. The owner already knew this of course and I had knocked him on his particular technique before. At first he couldn't be considered anything but a 'Rookie'. The exact 31g to 465g coffee to water ratio had escaped him, the blooming process was beyond him, and as much as how to properly grind the beans was beyond his capacity to understand. Who the hell wanted too finely ground coffee grits in their coffee? We had gone through a proper training montage though - and lately I had wondered if he was surpassed me. Had he reached 'Grandmaster'? My eyes inspected my finished cup before my lips did, taking a sip of what seemed to be the most perfect cup. He'd done it.
"Hey, Shoichi! Not planning to say hello to your own platoon, hm? We're practically all here if you count Toshio's dolly."
I turned on my heel with coffee in hand before I responded to her in the same loud boisterous fashion, matching her volume and doubling it. Toshio was a bit touchy about his dolls - no, no, that wasn't their proper name.
"Listen Sawako, as a Chuunin you'll need to gather proper information. When a man takes interest in things like this they aren't dolls. No. That there. . ." My free hand pointed to the odd puppet before my volume raised even higher. "That is a god damn action figure! And you'll call it that." He couldn't hear or see any of this probably - not properly anyway. It was the thought that counted though huh? I thumbs upped the action figure, before approaching their seating and sitting on the edge of the table top lightly.
"Oh and Tokoro-kun, listen I'm not gonna bullshit you. Genjutsu is not my specialty but practicing it on an actual person makes it much easier. Oh. Oh! Look we have one right here. Sawako is over you so its only right that she helps, yes? That's an order of course." I crossed my legs before sipping my coffee.
[attr="class","arubody"] Higa slid off the roof with a soft thud, displacing some dirt, not as graceful or quiet as he would've liked but whatever. He walked in through the door bringing in Kishi and relaxing it against the wall in a corner so no one would accidentally bump or push into it. He wasn't particularly hungry or thirsty either, sitting down among his peers before glaring at Sawako.
He heard pieces of their muffled speech and Sawako's boisterous call out. He still couldn't shake off the feeling that Azuma was making fun of him, but it was still leagues better than Sawako's prodding, especially since he respected the Jonin and his skills as opposed to her.
Now it was all four of them together in this small tea shop, an amused look sprouting on his face as Azuma ordered Tokoro to practice genjutsu on her. Higa's eyes met hers as he held back a wider smirk. "Least you could do since you are being lazy today is become someone else's training dummy, right? Help the team out."
He took out a kunai and attached his chakra strings to it, lightly tossing it up and trying to make it hover, practicing his control more idly, curious as to what Tokoro would do. Although, now that he was done sneering at Sawako, he realized Tokoro was a bit worse for wear. What did he miss while he was out with Kishi?
Sensory overload. Itaru wished that at least his arms were unbandaged so he could better catch all the activity that unfolded. What started as a polite averted gaze from Sawako as she ate fell upon the strange figure that had started peering into the shop, watching the commotion.
Even as she asked him what he had been training he hadn’t quite started to reply, and his curiosity must have drawn her gaze to the window. She caught sight of something and told him to straighten up. He tensed on his seat as she called the name of their sensei. Were they all following him?
Sensei had already figured out what he was training. He winced as he answered Sawako’s question. Eyes knowingly glancing at her. He should have kept her informed about what he was doing before the sensei did. Now she was going to be embarrassed and probably mad at him. Returning to active duty was weird, he had forgotten more things than he liked to admit. He could feel a dark cloud forming as she was ordered to help him.
Then slid down Higa, the other chunin in his platoon. Now it had come back to him, why he had recognized the figure standing near the window. He was still only acquainted with the team, but familiar enough that there was recognition. When he began to heckle Sawkao he slunk back further.
“Oh, h-hello sensei,” Itaru stammered with a shaking bow forward as he stood up from his sitting position. “…and senpai. I think that um… you know… she...”
The words weren’t coming. His palms were sweaty, knees weak, and his arms were heavy.
simplicity
Last Edit: Sept 12, 2021 23:01:51 GMT by Itaru Tokoro
[attr="class","addybody"]The perceptive may have noticed the way her muscles tensed and flexed, but the Chuunin's expression remained placid, almost lifeless. Blue eyes peeled off of Shoichi and locked with Itaru's, watching as he stuttered and sweat and fretted. While it was good that he felt some loyalty toward her - or was it fear? - Sawako worried about his indecisiveness. She was aware of his background and his late start, and at this rate he would never catch up with his peers the way he wished to.
"Tokoro!" she snapped. "You heard your sensei's orders. If you have recovered enough energy, proceed."
Higa contributed nothing but scorn to the conversation, so she did not even glance in his direction. In fact, both the other Chuunin and Jounin no longer interested her. Shoichi was a strong but eccentric man, they would never get along as friends but she understood his methods. It was not untrue that practicing genjutsu on a living, thinking target would progress him leagues faster than whatever solo venture he'd been on before.
She flashed him a brief but gentle smile, encouraging.
[attr="class","comabody"]Itaru did in fact hesitate, fixated on the idea of superiors. It was a good trait for a fodder, sure, but that wasn't quite what I had lined up for him. I glanced at his bandages and coverings a moment, imagining the eyes that attempted to peer out to the world as I noted their usefulness with my gaze. No, such a useful tool was lost to the idea of staying a basic weak Genin forever. He needed to become Chuunin someday at least to have his own Genin support his prowess. Though, this made me digress a moment, the typical set up was two Chuunin to one Jounin and I already had Chuunin, but what if they proved less useful? There was no hiding my smirk.
I drank the rest of my coffee, before standing to my feet suddenly. A single clap of my hands would be used to get my Platoon's attention and consequently nearly everyone else's in the process. Maybe he just needed a incentive. "Great! She agrees, and so go ahead and attempt something. In fact, what about this, you might have read about the Temple of Nirvana Technique? Now that's much too difficult for you, but if we localize that idea to just Sawako, perhaps it may just work. If she begins getting drowsy or groggy rather than falling fast asleep then we know that perhaps you achieved some minor success."
We had to set the scene first though. My hand stretched out in front of me after completing a series of seals, conjuring up what was a simple vortex. It wasn't a particularly complicated nor powerful technique, but it had the benefit of being quick to cast. The air churned around us to my will - in such a manner that would form something of a tornado if it was powerful enough, but instead simply pushed onlookers and patrons back to give a proper stage.
"Higa, if anyone so much as breathes you know what to do."
[attr="class","arubody"] Higa watched the exchange, curious as to what would happen next, between Tokoro's stammering and Sawako's encouragement. Something was about to happen; with a quick flick, Kishi came to life as Azuma stood up. Whatever it was, Higa wouldn't be caught off guard, and he stood straight, poised.
The Temple of Nirvana? Wasn't that area of effect? He quickly racked his brain, trying to recall the rules of dispelling genjutsu just in case. He would probably be fine with his control of Chakra, but you could never be too sure. Little did he know while he was stuck in his thoughts, Azuma was explaining that it should be localized to Sawako, but it mattered little at this point.
Most civilians probably wouldn't be able to get past the churning wall of wind. But orders were orders; Kishi guarded one side while he the other. He was keeping aware of their surroundings. It wouldn't matter who made it in. Straining himself as he attached chakra strings to the kunai, he pulled off Kishi. He could abandon it for the sake of control if worst came to worst, but the more practice, the better. Even this was just another training exercise.
He gave Azuma a curt nod of acknowledgment before watching, trying to listen through the wind, waiting for even the slightest change to its patterns.
Itaru remained flustered, more so now that his accidental disobedience was called out. He bit his lip and shuffled, easing up a bit when the chunin smiled. Maybe things weren’t so serious. Maybe.
“Yes ma’am, yes sensei, I-I’ll do it now,” he stammered out. The Temple of Nirvana was something he had heard about, it was something that was a pipe dream for a begginer. The basic principles of expeling chakra into a useful form to affect another mind in the simplest of ways was where he currently stood.
He paused for a moment as Shoichi began making a series of seals and the wind began blowing around them. He raised his hands up to adjust his glasses, his wrappings getting a bit more disheveled and drooping down. The eyes on his arms blinked as his vision opened on them. He tried to pull the bandages back up, but they were too loose, and he didn’t have much time to fiddle with it.
He was exhausted but didn’t want to disappoint anyone. He began forming a few hand seals as he looked at Sawako. As the very basic building blocks of illusory chakra resonated with him there was a flickering of the eyes on his arms, going from a soft hazel to a piercing golden. The yellowed eyes began moving back and forth in a strange pattern, almost hypnotic to look at.
It lasted only for a second before Itaru let out a sharp exhale and the eyes closed. No illusion would have truly taken hold, perhaps a weak poke of the kunoichi’s chakra network that’d be difficult to notice as anything more than a brief unease.
“I’m sorry, maybe I’m not cut out for genjutsu,” he said as all of his eyes closed. He felt sick to his stomach now. “Maybe I will have to do something more conventional.”
It was disheartening, because genjutsu had always been an interest of his since he had graduated academy. There was some mystery and allure about it, even though many didn’t find it to be as valuable as ninjutsu.
simplicity
Last Edit: Sept 19, 2021 1:48:49 GMT by Itaru Tokoro
[attr="class","addy2body"]The entirety of her attention narrowed onto Itaru, somewhat offended that this test was going to happen but mostly just intrigued. Yes, it turns out, this was worth it; her gaze darted to each eye on his arms in turn, taking stock, unreactive even when they flashed to a different color. A medical marvel, she had heard about this clan's terrible curse but had never seen it in action before, since this lovely genin was new to the platoon.
Although she was lost in her own musings, thoughts trailed away.. eyes locked to eyes.. swirling, relaxing. A sense of foreboding welled up in her chest but it was snuffed out by the sensation of calm. Just as soon as it started it ended, the Chuunin sitting up straighter in her chair, lips parting to exhale a hard puff of air. The boy was apologizing? Interesting that he had the control necessary to make this attempt even when at low chakra reserves, yet he could not fathom the effect his own efforts had.
"Conventional? Tokoro, don't be silly~ That was phenomenal for someone with no formal genjutsu training!" Naoko clapped her hands once in excitement, then practically jumped out of her chair and moved around to his side of the table. Shoichi and Higa could be dramatic, so very dramatic, how could they not see the talent in front of them? Or perhaps the Jounin did see it and that was why he was pushing the boy's limits this way. "Your eyes.. They're perfect. Absolutely, utterly. We must form a training regimen to help you take advantage of them.. preferably with supervision this time, huh? No more pushing yourself 'til you're about to pass out! None of the medics here can save you then."
The kunoichi crouched slightly, squinting at one of the eyes on his arm. Nose wrinkled slightly. She wanted to.. poke it.. no. Control. Studying only. "Yes, it's decided. I'll be your senpai. Higa can have others." Purple eyes shifted to stare at Shoichi questioningly.
[attr="class","cbody2"]If anything didn't have an exact science it was most definitely the idea of natural aptitude, but that didn't mean there weren't some hints. Those who acquired a hereditary dojutsu for example, usually had a predisposition toward being able to perform genjutsu with some level of abnormal expertise. Doubly, this was further skewed toward ocular triggers and hallucinations. Whatever the mechanism was, the patterns could often be clear in that way. At the same time, if one took my own aptitude there was no outward trigger; no specific one event, person in my history, or physical manifestation that said I'd be good with wind. Perhaps it was personality in that case, but even then personality could change and develop with age whilst ones particular chakra natures never did. I digressed.
I was somewhat surprised that Itaru even managed to come up with some measurable effect on his first try and under the current stressors. It was a test I had planned for him to fail - he was to fail so he could see the necessity of making sure body and mind were up to such tasks rather than fatiguing himself so. Nevertheless, this could be used. My jutsu dropped once I knew he had nothing left in him, signaling to Higa with a wave to remove his outward aggression.
"She's correct.", I spoke quickly while stretching a bit and sitting my otherwise empty cup onto the table. "There are very few people would would have accomplished that on the spot, and probably. . . maybe you're the first I've heard of who was actually able to suddenly take that improvisation and run with it to a degree of success." There was no surprise in my eyes for Naoko's reactions and declarations once she discovered fully the Genin's maluses. Similarly, I had already decided to defer Itaru to her. Her unique brand of obsessive behavior coupled with forwardness was just what the Genin had needed after-all. He was timid, unsure, and not quite yet mature enough to see his own strengths. She'd be able to see it for him. Ironic you know, with all the eyes he couldn't see. I laughed out loud to myself, throwing my head back a moment before raising my hand to catch it in awe of the minor amusement.
"There are policies and procedures for that sort of thing, Naoko. However, I'll put in word and have it adjusted. Just make sure he becomes something. Those abilities of his are useful - hopefully one day he'll. . see. . ----" My fragile disposition cracked as I laughed hysterically before up and disappearing - a flicker, I was gone.
