Ok, maybe Koma wasn't the right person to be having this sensitive conversation with. Every word he spoke felt like an emotional punch to the gut, even if his soft tone cushioned the blow ever so slightly. It was difficult for Daichi to open up like this, to admit he was vulnerable or unsure about something to begin with. And worst of all, he knew that the younger shinobi was right. He wasn't fully convinced that the kazekage wanted him here. For all he knew this was just a test, one she expected him to fail so that he would realize just how hopeless he was and give up on wasting his time and energy trying to make something of himself.[break][break]
He sulked a bit as he went through his notes, eyes darting between thoughts of despair and glimmers of hope as he tried to figure out which was the intended message. The silence between them was suddenly broken as Koma spoke up again, causing Daichi to furrow his brows a bit as he turned to face the other. And yet again, the words were sharp and without an ounce of tact. As much as he would've loved to linger on the fact that he actually considered them to be friends, it was hard not to fluster a bit as he was called out on his lies. Why was it so much easier to lie to enemies than friends?[break][break]
But his jaw would clench at the accusation, his first instinct being to double down and fight back against the claim that he was obscuring the truth. But it had been a long day, and he wasn't quite sure he had it in him to keep such a facade up against someone who clearly couldn't care less about it. And so in the end, his shoulders sank as an exhausted sigh escaped him. If he really wanted Koma's help, he was going to have to be honest with him. "...I'm not lying about everything. It IS a gift from the Kazekage. I went to her to ask for advice on getting stronger and being a better shinobi. She kept telling me I was looking for a shortcut, but..." A hand reaches up to run through his shaggy hair, his expression sinking as he reflected back on their conversation. "She told me that there is no special trick, gimmick or training technique. That she just does what she specializes in the best and that it's not something that requires blood. Then she gave me the book, said it would be helpful and told me not to come back until I was ready."[break][break]
The genin leaned back a bit, turning his eyes to the star filled sky. It was always nice to get away from the lights of the city and see just how beautiful the night sky was. It might've been his favorite part of taking missions that would take him far from civilization. "See, I thought that if she said that then it must mean she was expecting me to come back. But then I read the book and it's like...I dunno, man. I really want to believe that she's trying to say something positive, but..." His voice softened as he swallowed back the lump in his throat, his brow furrowing as he felt an unexpected wave of emotion threaten to overtake him. "...I'm kinda scared, man." Man, this honesty thing was rough.
Ok, so maybe this kid actually just kinda sucked. His attitude was rotten to the core, from the way his attitude immediately changed when something was offered to satisfy his greed to the way he turned to insulting others when his own pride was wounded. Though it did make the genin pause for a moment as he was cutting himself down, brows furrowing a bit as he glanced back toward the other. Was this what he sounded like when he tried to act cool? Had he ever gone and put somebody else down as he scrambled to elevate himself in one way or another? It was a painful thing to consider as he got back to work cutting himself down. He could only hope that nobody looked at him the way he was looking at this Akimichi brat right now.[break][break]
His descent wasn't a graceful one, as he wasn't high enough off the ground to right himself before falling to the forest floor. He only managed to catch himself a bit with his hands to keep himself from faceplanting in the dirt. But now that he was free, it was time to decide his course of action. The target's guard was down and he was distracted with a meal, which meant this could have been the perfect time to strike and apprehend him by force. But the Akimichi were a strong people, which meant that trying to restrain him to drag him back home would've been very difficult. Even if he could win in a fight, he really didn't want to bring the boy back home bloodied and bruised. So after a brief moment of consideration he pushed himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. "Alright, big shot. If you're done with the trash talk, how about we have an actual chat?"[break][break]
He could only hope his sensei wasn't too disappointed with his approach so far. It seemed like the obvious solution to this problem was to overpower the opposition and bring them back by force. But that just wasn't Daichi's skillset. For now all he could do was use what skills had been passed down to him and see what happened. "Gotta admit, that was a pretty good trap you had set up back there." Daichi approached the target, reaching into the paper bag to pull out his own sandwich. May as well enjoy his snack now that it was practically part of the mission. "Lemme guess, you think you're too talented to bother with training. So you decided to skip out today and come hang out in the woods cuz that's somehow a better way to spend your time." He took a look around the clearing where the other genin had set up, keeping a close eye to watch his step as he took a few steps in. All the while he was careful to keep the other in his field of view, just to make sure he didn't try anything fishy.[break][break]
"You must be pretty good if you're not worried about the rest of your platoon passing you up while you're messing around. Like I remember this one kid that was a real prodigy, just like us. Really thought he was goin' places. But then he just started skipping class, talking about how he already knew all this stuff and whatnot. Shame he failed the final exam like that. Would've been a pretty cool guy to work with." Daichi shrugged casually as he bit into his sandwich. Did the kid he was talking about actually exist? Was there even an ounce of truth to this story at all? That didn't really matter. After all, he was just a guy telling a story. Whether it's true or not, maybe there was some sort of lesson to be learned from it.
With the surge of pain came a newfound clarity, his eyes widening as so many of the countless rhinos seemed to fade from existence. Only a handful remained, including one that was charging directly for their group. Daichi’s heart started to race, the adrenaline kicking in as his fight or flight response kicked in. He could see that Hoshi chose to wound her leg to break free of the jutsu, which menat running would be more difficult. And at the end of the day, they didn’t come here just to spend the whole time running like cowards while their jonin swooped in to their rescue[break][break]
He could ignore the pain in his hand for a moment, his focus instead shifting tot he situation at hand. His eyes jumped between his platoon mates, a plan quickly brewing in his head. One he could only hope would make a difference. ”Koma, smoke! Ladies, eyes up!” As he spoke, his hands would come together to form a series of handseals. His teeth clenched as he fought through the pain in his hand to properly and quickly mold his chakra, something that was as difficult as one might expect. But not enough to break his determination.[break][break]
A moment later, the earth underneath the two Hyuga would sink down in an instant. The sisters would find themselves in a pit just deep enough to keep them safe from the approaching rhino, with the open sky still above them. Hopefully they understood what he had intended for this technique. There wasn’t much time to explain, after all. And the moment his work was done he would dive off to the side, hoping that the smoke his fellow genin deployed would obscure their movements enough to allow him to do so.
The squad was cast aside as a rhino came crashing through their platform, fortunately at least managing to toss them to the side of the stampede. He managed to catch himself for the most part, protecting his head from snapping back and colliding with the ground. Instead he found jagged stones tearing through his uniform to cut at his skin, the hard ground impacting to surely leave behind bruises where the fabric wasn’t torn. It wasn’t the best ride, but at least they were safe from the worst of it. ”Is everyone alright?” Daichi pushed himself to his feet, quickly looking around to get his barings and assess the situation.[break][break]
Mai was under attack, Anotsu was moving to assist her, and…Kai? Oh no. ”Nobody’s TAUGHT me that yet!” There was a hint of frustration in his voice that masked the bit of panic. His attention then shifts to Aiko as she speaks, her words reminding him of his father’s advice long ago. Though it would’ve been nice of the man to actually teach him the proper technique, the advice he gave was similar to Aikos. Daichi stared down at his hand for a brief moment before looking up to catch her gaze, lips pressed together into a flat line as their eyes met. She knew what he was going to do, it seemed. And as much as he could see she didn’t want him to, he wasn’t about to sit here and be useless in the face of danger.[break][break]
The genin would fall back, keeping behind the others should they have followed Aiko’s orders as well. As he moved, he would reach into his bag and pull out a single kunai. His finger slid through the loop on instinct, giving the blade a twirl before gripping it in his hand. It would have to be a pretty severe pain to break this illusion, which meant there was no room for holding back. His teeth clenched as he glanced around at his platoon, silently hoping they wouldn’t notice as he took this drastic action.[break][break]
He could only stifle the groan of pain so much as he stabbed the kunai through the back of his hand, his face contorting in pain as his body screamed out in pain. The breath hissed through his teeth as he closed his eyes, fighting back against the waves of panic the wound sent through his body. He had to stay in control. He had to keep his wits about him if he was going to fight. And so he stopped short of a full retreat, instead turning to face the stampede as he silently hoped that this last ditch effort wasn’t for nothing.[break][break]
tl;dr Stabbed himself in his left hand in an attempt to break the genjutsu while retreating a short ways before turning to survey the situation
[attr="class","text-space"] The amount of positivity she had for this little arrangement of theirs was shocking to the genin. She was actually looking forward to all of this? Sure, it was nice and all, but it was surprising to think that it was something she was actively anticipating. He was really gonna have to turn it up and wow her to meet these expectations. She was probably used to really high quality, fancy stuff. Granted he had no idea how wealthy her family was, but she was always so graceful, elegant and put together that he could only assume she had a pretty posh upbringing.[break][break]
He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as she protected the remaining riceballs from his greedy hands. Maybe he was a bit too eager to enjoy the fruits of her labor. So for the moment he leaned back, placing a hand on the log behind himself as he got comfortable. ”I won’t say no to that. I think we’ve earned a bit of a rest.” He could feel himself almost let the truth slip as he nearly mentioned how they had both been training before this. Couldn’t let himself get too comfortable, no matter how cozy this situation made him feel.[break][break]
His eyes followed her gaze out to the training field, a familiar space to many shinobi across the village. It was a definite bummer that his screw up forced them to change up their plans for the day, but at least Aiko didn’t seem to mind too much. And so he was content to relax and enjoy his snack, seeming perfectly relaxed and ready to just enjoy this peaceful moment. Right up until the shocking reveal.[break][break]
”Wait what? You don’t have a favorite food? Like, at all?” Not having a favorite food was like not having a favorite color! Surely she must have just been trying to be accommodating. ”Come on, you’ve gotta have something that makes your mouth water just thinking about it. Just close your eyes and imagine your perfect meal. Or maybe that meal that really fills you with that warm fuzzy feeling.”
[attr="class","text-space"] ...Was she blushing? Aiko Hyuga? Because of him? No, it must’ve just been the way the light was reflecting off of her fair skin. Or maybe she was just embarrassed because of his praise? But surely she was used to such a thing, considering how talented she was. Whatever the case, he couldn’t keep his smile from softening a bit as he watched her. It had been a long time since he felt like he was even close to regarding her as his equal. But in this moment he could swear he was just a normal guy talking to a perfectly normal girl rather than the prodigy Hyuga he was so familiar with.[break][break]
His smile grew a bit more excited as she approved of his initial suggestion, the facade slowly fading as he found a more genuine comfort in the conversation. ”Oh you’re gonna have to try it at least once. They make everything by hand. It’s like having a homecooked meal every time.” Or at least that was what he assumed it was like. Daichi couldn’t recall the last time he had an actually homecooked meal. But he would swear up and down all day long that Kanda’s place had that flavor down to a science.[break][break]
Though his excitement would fade a bit at her offer. His instincts forced him to react with caution to her offer, taking a moment to process it to make sure he fully understood before jumping at the chance being offered. Eyes lingered on her hands for a few beats as she continued to fiddle with his ankle, that intense pain a distant memory now thanks to her gentle touch. Yet another thing she was a natural at, it seemed. ”...Yeah. I mean, yeah! That sounds like a great deal to me. I know a ton of great places in the area that you’re gonna love. So you keep the rice balls comin’ and I’ll make sure to take you out to some real nice meals.”[break][break]
His head bobbed confidently as he reached to take another ball from the box and bite into it. This was probably going to cut into his super secret training time, but it would be worth it. Building a relationship with the squad was important, right? ”So! Do you wanna get to training? Or would you rather tell me what your favorite kind of food is so I can start planning ahead?”
Man...Koma was kind of a weirdo, wasn’t he? He was nice and everything, but the kid’s lack of expression was always somewhat eerie. But the boy’s saving grace was his eyes, the faint sparkle within them conveying that there was life in his soul. And perhaps even a bit of interest in what was being discussed? It was hard to tell for sure, but for his own sanity he was just going to assume it was there.[break][break]
Though the quiet that followed his explanation didn’t help much. Lips pressed together as he debated whether or not his teammate understood what was being said. Or if he just realized he didn’t really care and tuned out part way through. Whatever the case, Daichi let out a sigh as he turned his attention back to his notes, going back to digging through them once more.[break][break]
Brows rose a bit when Koma spoke up, his attention flicking to the other genin’s hand. The words of...encouragement? Were nice to hear at least. It was a good reminder of what he had told himself before, that the kage wouldn’t have sent him on this mission if she thought that he was hopeless. He was a representative of the whole village, after all. ”I mean...Yeah. Yeah, I know.” And yet for some reason he didn’t sound entirely convinced.[break][break]
With a sigh he handed the book over to the other genin before burying himself back in his notes. "You can give it a read if you want. Just be careful with it. Whatever the message is, it’s still a gift from the Kazekage. I can’t let anything happen to it."
It was a relief to see that the rabbit wasn’t too beat up over their defeat. They took a pretty rough tumble, and definitely seemed like the passionate sort. He knew that if he took a tumble like that he’d be beating himself up for sure. But this person was able to keep smiling and pushing forward despite it all, which was oddly striking to him. He watched Hikari’s expression for a few beats, his own smile becoming more genuine as his silver gaze met their fogged eyes. All of this while being apparently blind to boot? What an amazing shinobi.[break][break]
But the moment of admiration was brief, as he would turn to see the eyes of a wolf staring him down. Daichi felt a chill run down his spine as she remained silent in response to his words, her animalistic confidence and drive suddenly making him feel like a lamb to the slaughter. He knew he didn’t stand a chance against this woman, but it was too late to back down now. A quick glance was shot toward the rabbit as they spoke again. ”My name’s Daichi. Not Daishi.” He just barely managed to project his voice enough for others to hear him, though it likely got drowned out before it could reach the edges of the room.[break][break]
He swallowed heavily as he moved back into his position, flexing his aching fingers as kneeled beside the crate and placed his elbow down once more. Was there any way out of this? Chakra was allowed, but he heavily doubted he would be allowed to use a jutsu on the woman. Besides, blowing dust in her face wouldn’t do much more than piss her off in this situation. No, this was going to be a battle of pure strength and technique. Though maybe he could learn something from the technique of his previous opponent. It seemed like they had rooted themselves, so it was worth a shot.[break][break]
With a deep breath, Daichi clenched his teeth and locked eyes with the bipedal canine across from him. If he was going to go down, he was going down fighting. ”Good luck.” As he spoke, Daichi would direct the chakra through his body, anchoring his elbow to the crate and his legs to the ground. A strong foundation would be vital, so long as he didn’t make the same mistake as Hikari.
Whoops. She looked a bit uncomfortable after he mentioned the possibility of grabbing a bit to eat together. Did he miss her intentions? Oh shit. Of course he did! She was a busy person. A super cool and skilled chunin like her probably had a super busy schedule. He was lucky enough to spend some time training with her, but to assume she wanted to spend her free time with him as well? Clearly he got a bit ahead of himself in his attempts to appear confident he went and thought too much of their relationship. Though it did hurt to think that his platoonmate wasn’t interested in spending time together, it did serve to reaffirm his need to continue pushing himself. Clearly she wasn’t convinced he was cool yet, something he would have to correct in the future.[break][break]
"Don’t worry about it too much, though.” His voice wavered a bit as he quickly and quietly tacked that on, his eyes focusing on his ankle as she continued to so tenderly care for it. She really was a sweetheart to keep taking such good care of him despite his silly little mistake there. Though it seemed like she was seriously thinking about it, even considering what places might be good to go together. Was he misreading the situation? Was she just a bit awkward when it came to social situations like this? That would make sense. What with her being a prodigy and all, she was probably busy doing her important family clan stuff and training. Not like him, who pretty much only inherited social skills from his family.[break][break]
He bought himself a few moments by munching on his rice ball, his confidence growing as she capped it all off with a soft bit of laughter. There was no way she would be faking that, right? Not everyone was trying to put on airs to make people like them all the time. Aiko was far too good of a person for that, without a doubt. With this realization his excitement quickly picked back up, his anxieties taking a back seat for the moment as he considered the possibilities. ”That makes sense. I guess when you’re this good of a cook you don’t need to eat out very often.” He held up the remains of his rice ball before popping it into his mouth with a satisfied hum.[break][break]
”But my dad and I don’t cook very well, so we usually just order out. I know a bunch of great places in the village. Have you ever been to the Kanda’s place? They’ve got without a doubt some of the best udon in the village. Really cozy place, too. Nice little corner place that doesn’t get a whole lot of foot traffic. I’ll have to take you sometime, for sure.”
Daichi was a trusting sort, the kind of person whose instinct would always lead him to have faith in a member of his own village. They were comrades, all working toward the same goal of protecting the village and the people of their territory. Why would he ever assume that a fellow Ame Genin would do anything to harm him? That being said, he wasn’t a total fool. Though his approach was casual, his senses remained sharp. Especially after that strange attack that was launched on the dog. There were traps everywhere in these woods, it seemed. And this boy was likely the source.[break][break]
So when the trap was sprung, Daichi was quick to react. Although not quite quick enough. Three out of four limbs managed to escape the cables as he launched himself back in an effort to avoid the snare. But the foot used to kick off the ground wasn’t so lucky, the snare quickly wrapping around his ankle and dragging him up into the air. ”Woah! Someone’s paranoid.” The genin was less surprised by this and more amused, a bit of a laugh escaping him as he dangled there. Even as his heart was racing as he felt the judging eyes of his teacher above, he would maintain his projected confidence and keep any signs of anxiety well hidden.[break][break]
”This may be your first time skipping, but this is my hundreth. I practically live in these woods.” As he spoke he would open up the paper bag and toss it to the genin’s feet. Inside they would see a pair of sandwiches they may recognize from one of the local shops within the village.. ”My dad said I was supposed to share with my sensei, but I said screw it and dipped on the guy. But I gotta admit, this is a pretty nice trap. You can have one if you want.”
[break][break]With both hands now free, Daichi reached into his tool bag to pull out a Kunai, giving it a bit of a twirl as he revealed it. ”Speaking of losers, the only reason we crossed paths is because I got curious and followed the pup over there. You know you wouldn’t have to set all these traps if you just covered your tracks properly. You did notice the dog, right?” As he spoke he would start to pull himself up, moving to casually try and cut himself free.”I’ll be down in a minute. Sit tight.”
Wow. This was going way smoother than he thought it would. Mrs. Kanda was a fierce woman when angered, the kind of person who would make anyone short of the Kazekage think twice about crossing her. Running out on a tab was as dangerous as being in the bingo book as far as he was concerned. He knew that making this suggestion was a dangerous one, but seeing her be so understanding was...really nice. He actually managed to build something of a reputation, even if it was just in this one little corner of the city. A breath of relief escape dhim as he gave the Akimichi a pat on the shoulder. Just as he was about to offer her a word of reassurance-
He jumped, eyes wide and jaw clenched as he watched that beefy arm of hers decimate that poor countertop. And with that the brief moment of genuine pride came crumbling down as well, a quick glint of pain flashing in his silver eyes as it all happened. But it only lasted a fraction of a second before it was blinked away. The genin was quick to correct his posture, rolling his shoulders and standing firm and confident as she unleashed her rage. No matter how scary she was, he wasn’t about to let himself show fear. If he hadn’t earned her respect yet, then hopefully this would be a step in that direction.[break][break]
”Fine. But...Still put it on my tab. If we don’t find the wallet I’ll come back and handle the dishes.” This was stupid. He knew it was stupid. But dammit he inserted himself in this situation to try and make a difference, as minor as it may have been. And he wasn’t about to let fear of Mrs. Kanada or his father get in the way of that. ”Thank you for your understanding, Mrs. Kanada. We’ll be back before sundown, with or without her wallet.” He bent at the waist as he spoke, bowing deeply before the business owner. Playing it cool and suave wasn’t going to do much against her, so instead he chose to humble himself before the woman.[break][break]
His attention then turned to the green haired girl, eyes widening slightly as she started her anxious rambling. As if he didn’t already feel enough pity for this poor girl in this tough situation. He held upa hand toward her, giving her a slightly uneasy smile. ”Don’t worry about it. I’m just helping a fellow genin out. You’d do the same for me, right?” He gave her a bit of a nudge as he moved to leave the building, assuming she was going to follow along with him.[break][break]
”Ok, first things first. I’m Daichi Konishi. I’m in Anotsu Uchiha’s platoon. I’ve seen you around, but I don’t think I ever caught your name.” He kept his tone casual as he stood on the sidewalk outside the building, hands resting on his hips as he looked up and down the street. ”Second, we need to find the last place you remember having your wallet and start our investigation there. With any luck, we’ll still be able to find it there.” Daichi had already decided he would be taking the lead on this investigation, as was so obviously his natural role. He was confident that between the two of them, that wallet was as good as found!
Wow. He actually did it. Koma was always so quiet and distant that Daichi assumed he wasn't too interested in other people. Like he was just a kid who was going through the motions and wanted to get the job done so he could go home and...do whatever he did. Watch TV? It was hard to imagine Koma doing anything recreational, but he could only assume that he was more relaxed at home than he was with the team. Or at least one would hope. Whatever the case, Daichi would give him a smile as he got comfortable, even reaching over to give him a pat on the leg.[break][break]
"Yup. Shinko Osore herself. I actually got to have a meeting with her a few days before we set out. I guess she had heard of my talents and wanted to meet me herself." Sure, she didn't even know his name. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure if he remembered to tell her who he was. He was so nervous and caught up in everything that was happening that it completely slipped his mind. To think that after all that she may have not even known who he was or cared to remember his face. "Been trying not to make a big deal out of it. Don't want people getting jealous, y'know?" That and he didn't need people to start asking questions he didn't wanna answer.[break][break]
His attention turned down to the book sitting in his lap, his smile fading significantly as he flipped through the pages. "Not exactly. See, I went to her asking for her wisdom. Cuz...y'know, when you're gonna be the best it's good to learn from the best, right?" Definitely not because he was getting desperate to find a way to set himself apart from the various prodigies and shinobi with generations of experience flowing through their veins. "It's actually a story book. About a guy who...Honestly is really stupid? No, that's not right. Mentally challenged. He gets a procedure done that makes him really smart, and it's all great. Except he realizes that being smart doesn't actually make him happier? In fact he realizes that a lot of people were actually mocking and taking advantage of him back when he was dumb. And then he learns that it's gonna wear off and...It was all useless? He got smarter, but it didn't actually make him any happier. And at the end, he loses it all and runs away to someplace where nobody knows him." His voice loses its strength toward the end, brows furrowing as he turns to start flipping through his notes. The more he said it all out loud, the harder it was to keep up his confidence.
"Like...Is the moral that...When you're not any good, nothing's gonna change that? Even if you get a shortcut or something, if you're no good then eventually you'll just...fall behind all over again? That I'm- I-I mean! That HE'S totally hopeless?" He really hoped that wasn't it. Especially after what he could've sworn she was trying to tell him at the end of their conversation. She was expecting him to return someday, right? So why would she give him this book, of all things? "A-anyway. It's uh...I'm just trying to figure out what the message is here. Why give me this book out of all the ones she keeps in her office? I'm still trying to figure that out."
Daichi could feel something was off with his opponent. He could tell that they were up to something, something that could very well spell the end of all this for him. The genin clenched his teeth, face contorting as he tried to put every little drop of strength he had into his arm. He couldn't fail here, not like this! Even if it meant breaking his own arm, he couldn't let himself be made a fool of in front of his fellow shinobi![break][break]
And then, suddenly, he felt his opposition give under the pressure all at once. Daichi instinctively released Hikari's hand as he him crashing down, his concern that he might accidently break his rival's arm immediately overriding everything else. "Oh! Oh shit!" While everyone else was cheering, he was scrambling on the floor to check on the other shinobi. As much as he wanted to win, he really didn't want it to be at the expense of another. Especially not when they all had such an important battle coming up. "Hey, you alright? You didn't crack your head or anything, right?" A hand reached out instinctively to gently brush through the other's hair, feeling their head to make sure there were no lumps or bleeding.[break][break]
Though before he could confirm anything he found his attention being pulled back to the room, as if the outcry of victory had only now reached his ears. Oh right, he still had to fight that crazy lady too, didn't he? It took him a moment to collect himself, pulling his hand away from his former opponent to instead flash a confident smile to the rest of the room. Now that he had his momentum going and a little something to back it all up it was much easier to put on a front for these people. "Don't be too cocky. Or you may end up like poor Hikari over here." He looked down to the hare after that, quickly whispering a quick 'i'm sorry' that he hoped at least they would pick up from amidst the din of the crowd.[break][break]
He felt kinda bad about it, but this was his big moment. A chance to stand up and receive the praise of the crowd. The people he could very well be fighting alongside in the coming days. There was a hint of childish excitement to his smile as he rose to stand tall and absorb the cheers of the crowd. In the back of his mind he knew they were all just caught up in the excitement, but so was he! So what difference did it make if they were awed by his skills or power or simply excited to be there in that moment. It was important to take what little wins one could get. "Alright. Now lemme see what our champ is made of." Daichi flexed his fingers, hiding the fact that his entire right arm was aching from the sheer amount of effort he was putting into that last match. He knew he was screwed, but maybe he could buy time to think of something to give himself an edge.
If it were up to him, Daichi would've been scooping up that dog and investigating why the hell anyone would've tried to attack it like that. But after a brief moment of consideration he remembered oh yeah this is just a test, huh? That was probably just a trap Anotsu set up in advance to test his reactions. Those were probably blunted arrows or something that wouldn't cause the dog any harm of they connected. At least he hoped his teacher wasn't the kind of person who would put an innocent animal in harms way just for a test.[break][break]
Whatever the case, Daichi would only let his mind wander briefly before focusing back on the objective. His eyes never left the pup and his pace never slowed, even if he was starting to feel the first signs of burn in his legs. Moving at full speed continuously like this was definitely something he was familiar with from his training so he was confident he could go for a while longer. But he couldn't let himself show any signs of slowing down, even just a little bit. Not during an important test like this.[break][break]
Though these movements came to a welcome pause as the jonin spoke once more, Daichi taking advantage of this to catch his breath. Brows pinched together as the sound of an unfamiliar voice caught his ear, a hand immediately reaching toward his tool bag. But then he caught sight of the source, a young shinobi just enjoying some alone time in the woods. Was he off engaging in some secret training too? Anotsu's further instruction made it clear he was doing exactly the opposite, which was a bit of a relief. The last thing he wanted to worry about was some kid showing up while he was trying to do his how private routine.[break][break]
"Yes sir." The instructions were clear, and the young shinobi already had a plan of action. He took a moment to run a hand through his hair, fixing it up a bit while collecting himself and blowing out a breath of hot air. Now it was time to put into practice the one thing he learned from his father. Lying through his teeth. Daichi silently walked down the side of the tree in full view of the other genin, lips pulled back into a friendly smile. "Huh. Wasn't expecting to find company all the way out here." Daichi approached his target, shoulders squared as his well practiced expression oozed a casual confidence. "You skipping out on training too? Nice. Mind if I join ya for a bit?"
Daichi just couldn't get over how weird it was to be in a foreign land. The more time he spent in Otogakure, the more he found himself curious of the culture. The people, the customs, the cuisine! He always imagined things would be so different, like how Amegakure is full of towering buildings while things around here were much more humble and modest. But at the end of the day, the more he walked around, talked to people and just took in the sights the more he realized that people really weren't too different. A lot of them were just ordinary people going about their days trying to make ends meet. In a way it made the place feel...familiar. Definitely wasn't the strange foreign land that it felt like when he first arrived. Though it was still weird to think that nobody around here had TVs.[break][break]
As he pondered how the people around here entertained themselves, an oh so familiar scent caught his attention. With a deep breath he inhaled that age old smell of freshly baked goods. Daichi could already feel his wallet growing lighter as he followed the smell, a of delicious breads and oh so tasty sweets. His stomach practically roared, conquering all other thoughts and demanding that his every action be with the end goal of delicious foods. The place wasn't too far off, and yet in the moment it felt like he had been chasing this high for hours.[break][break]
Eventually he would make his way to the establishment, a small 'mom and pop' style place that was fairly busy. Clearly he wasn't the only one drawn here by the smell of fresh product, as he could see other shapes making their way over as well. He'd have to be quick if he wanted to get first pick of the goodies. The young genin hurried in, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet to have it at the ready. His mind was already racing with options of what to get. So much so that he was hardly paying attention to his surroundings. The boy had his eyes on the prize.
