[ANBU Class] Assassination

[Kogami Ayumu]

Upon Sennin Kogami's insistence, the practice of delivering messages to ANBU members via self-destructing letters had resurfaced. This practice was one which Kogami Ayumu became quite familiar with during his time as a trainee under the leadership of the possibly lightly insane Santaru Rin. Any time she had a message she wanted sent to her branch, it was also a test of their quick thinking and reaction time. After she had died, messengers had stopped this practice for a short time. However, as Ayumu grew more accustomed to his role as Sennin he found himself looking to Rin's example for guidance on many occasions. This was one such idea he borrowed from her.

One morning, trainees and even a few ANBU would hear a knock at their door, or someone calling out to them. An envelope would find its way into their hands with the seal of ANBU upon them. Inside was a summons to report to the Sileo for a class. It seemed an odd way to bring people into a class, but with the chaotic lifestyle of a shinobi one couldn't expect to hold regular classes like was possible for an Academy Student. As soon as the summoned understood the purpose of the letter and their eyes left page they would have three seconds to separate themselves from the paper before it would ignite whether in their hands or on the ground. Fortunately for them, there was a warning at the end of the letter... but whether they heeded it or not was up to them. Those that had already received such correspondence knew it was true, but an unlucky few would test the truthfulness of the warning and get burned.

Now that the message had been sent with a time and location to meet, it was a matter of showing up on time. Ayumu found himself in the classroom five minutes early, taking his seat behind the instructor's desk at the head of the classroom. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed one leg over the other and folded his hands in his lap. Shuusei Touma was the one who had determined who was in the village and not preoccupied by something with a higher priority, so Ayumu didn't yet know who was to be in attendance. His eyes caught a manila folder on his desk, assuredly left by Touma for him. He reached over and opened it up to find an attendance list complete with names and pictures of each of the students expected to attend. He would check them off as they showed up.

[OoC: Let's see if we can get more than one person in this class!]

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

[Topic entered with Ghost NPC Airi]

There was a certain swagger in Hiraku's stride today as he walked down the long halls of the Sileo Tempestas. It wasn't long since he'd felt the effects of ignoring the warning on the last class summons, this time he didn't let it catch him out. Admittedly his chosen method of disposal might need some work, it seemed that simply tossing the letter into some bushes and hoping for the best was not his greatest idea, but at least after putting out the small resultant fire he'd managed to come away unscathed.

Hiraku was on a roll today. As if surviving the summons wasn't good enough, he was even running a few minutes early for once.

"You know, you really shouldn't be proud of just getting to class on time and intact."

"Give me some credit, at least it's better than last time! You can't pretend you're not proud." Hiraku pulled a cheesy grin in the direction of Airi who floated gracefully beside him. Airi sarcastically agreed with her brother as the pair reached the door to today's classroom.

As Hiraku opened the door he saw he was the first person to arrive, save for a man sitting at the front of the room inspecting a folder. Hiraku assumed he was their teacher for today and therefore bowed politely upon entering the room. Airi smirked in the corner of his eye, "First one here and everything…Teachers pet…"

With a muffled sigh at his sisters comment, Hiraku scanned the room and selected himself a seat before waiting patiently for the class to begin.

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

[Topic Entered with Ghost NPC Houki, Description Here]

It was a beautiful yet somber day out when Shashu received the letter calling her to the Sileo for training, and she was taking the opportunity to clean and tend to the grounds while there was no rain, sleet, or snow. Light cloud cover blocked out the worst of the sun and a steady breeze ruffled the lace and skirts of her maid's uniform as she swept, more for Houki's sake than anything else as it was the broom's aura that was doing the real cleaning, but they both appreciated going through the motions. In Houki's case it helped keep her grounded in reality to do things physically and reminded her of when she was alive, while Shashu was just grateful that the routine chores took her mind off things. A lot had happened recently, and she was still coming to terms with most of that. It was also part of the reason she had moved out of the Dragon's Rest and into a guest house at Kitsune's old manor. Saya had been sorry to see her go, but she had also understood why she had to leave. Shashu was in the ANBU now, so she had less and less time for a side job, and with Kitsune gone Kahako was the only other person living there. All the servants were gone, so Shashu had taken up the cleaning for the grounds and guest houses. It was quiet out here, unlike the bustle back at the Dragon's Rest, and it gave her the freedom to do her duties while having enough alone time to think.

Shasu was sweeping the front path when the messenger arrived, silently handing her the envelope before bowing and leaving without a sound. As she broke the wax seal and read what lie inside Shashu found she had mixed feelings about it's contents. On one hand some special training would keep me busy, and I can't disrespect all the good will Ayumu-sama has shown me, but on the other... She sighed inwardly. She wasn't sure she was ready to face the ANBU Sennin again after what had happened at the gates. Shashu was pretty sure he hadn't noticed her...after all, who would notice another person while they were preoccupied with their crying lover, even if that person was heartbroken... Shukun...why do you have to make things so hard?

A flash of warning shot through her mind as she made to wipe her eyes and stuff the letter into her pocket while a dark chakra tendril snatched the envelope away and pinned it to the ground a few feet away. No sooner had it touched the brickwork then it burst into flames, immolating itself in seconds and leaving nothing behind but a scorch mark on the stone path which the tendril absently wiped away as it pulled back into the broom.

"Thanks Houki," Shashu said, a slight tremble in her voice. " I'd have some burnt fingers if you weren't here. I guess I'm pretty out of it huh?"

A feeling of concern emanated from the broom, directed more to her well being than any particular threat at the moment.

"I'll be ok, don't worry. It's just..." Shashu waved her hand absently in the air. "Stuff. I'll get over it in time...hopefully..." She sighed. "Lets finish up here and head to that class alright? We should have time to finish up if we hurry a little bit." Houki signaled her affirmation and they wrapped up the cleaning, then Shashu took a quick shower, changed, and headed off to the Sileo.

* * *​

Shashu arrived at the Sileo right on time, and headed down the halls with ease. She had changed out of her maid's outfit and back into her ANBU stealth gear, which seemed to be all she was wearing these days, and she carried Houki on her back. She was grateful for the spirit's silent company, even if she was gloating over terrorizing a small dog and giving horrible night terrors to no less than four litterers on the way here. Not Houki's fault they were littering. They should know better than to throw dirty up the world others work so hard to clean.

After being accepted into the ANBU she had made a point of learning the building's layout (or as much as one could learn of a secret ninja hideout in one day), so she was familiar with the location of the room she was heading for. A different sort of anxiety was bothering her however, one that was only made worse at the sight of their teacher.

"Shukun! Why are you teaching? You should be in your office right now and-" She clamped her hands over her mouth and blushed furiously. Baka baka baka! You can't just go around acting like you know his schedule like you were his secretary or something! He might get the wrong idea and think you're a stalker! A throbbing feeling of amusement emanated from behind her. "ShutupHoukiI'mnotastalker!" she hissed, before blushing even more as she realized she was still standing in the doorway and everyone inside was probably staring at her.

With the speed only a thoroughly embarrassed girl could muster she shot towards the seat behind a taller hooded boy and buried her burning face in the desk. She expected Houki to still be chuckling at her, and prepared a sharp retort only to find her attention fixated on the boy in front of her. Hmmm? Is something up Houki? The spirit did not answer her, instead staring at the boy, or perhaps something next to him? Houki didn't often come out of her broom, so whatever it was it must be pretty interesting to her. All Shashu could feel was curiosity coming from her though, so she decided to wait and see what the hooded boy would do, if anything.

[OOC: I thought this would be a good opportunity for Houki to socialize, but if you think she's creepy or something Hiraku, feel free to ignore her. You'll only hurt her feelings a little bit, I promise ]

[MFT: WC - 975]​

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The first to arrive was Kurosawa Hiraku, a trainee that Ayumu had not yet met personally. It was good that he was now getting the chance, even if it wasn't one on one. The boy bowed and Ayumu nodded at him as he went to take his seat. He took a few moments to skim over the file. Touma had taken a moment to note that he was an active participant in class. He briefly described how Hiraku had undertaken the challenge of some basic intel gathering for the class in a unique way. 'Hm, interesting,' Ayumu thought, knowing how most of the students preferred to stay quiet unless called upon. It was good to see someone who went out of their way to participate. As a few minutes passed, several other students entered. Ayumu had met with some in interviews to join the trainee, while others Touma had interviewed in his absence. Some greeted Ayumu, others simply bowed and sat down as Hiraku had. They all took various seats though oddly the one next to Hiraku remained empty as those that attempted to take it felt a strange dread when they considered sitting in it.

Soon, a trainee arrived that Ayumu didn't need to consult the folder on. Ayumu was planning to simply nod and smile at her as she took her seat, but that intention quickly went out the window. Shashu took one look at Ayumu and quickly exclaimed her surprise at the fact that he was teaching rather than sitting in his office as usual. Ayumu blinked a few moments in surprise, not having expected such an outburst. He could see that she obviously had said it out of genuine shock as she covered her mouth, realizing it was a bit strange to tell him where he should or shouldn't be. Ayumu chuckled and shrugged. "I don't get the opportunity to teach very often, I figured I'd make a guest appearance," he explained simply, not that he truly needed to explain. A couple more students slipped in at the last moment brushing past Shashu and running to their seats. It was time for the class to begin. "Take a seat, Shashu," he said, nodding towards the numerous desks before she went off silently and quickly to the desk behind Hiraku.

"Alright, then, let's get started. For those of you who don't pay much attention to the branch you're apart of, I am Kogami Ayumu, your Sennin," Ayumu said, mostly for some of the newer trainees who had only just joined. "This is a class on the subject of assassination... something all ANBU will inevitably face one way or another. Our name, ANBU, is short for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, meaning "Special Assassination and Tactical Squad". It's in the very name," Ayumu explained as he stood, wondering how many actually knew what their name meant. There was, of course, many aspects to an ANBU's job, but assassination was definitely one- perhaps their most infamous.

"Now, let's jump right into it. I don't need to give you a definition for assassination. You know what it is. But what's the best way to go about it? There are different kinds of assassinations. Sometimes you want to make it as if you were never there, sometimes the assassination is a statement. But there's no assassination you won't benefit from knowing a lot about your mark. Knowing key details about your target can and will be the difference between a successful assassination and your ceasing to be alive. Anybody care to give me an example of details that could be important to know?" Ayumu began the class, leading into a question. He scanned the room to see who would volunteer to speak up for the class. This was an open-ended question with a lot of answers, so he was mostly just giving the trainees a chance to show what they already knew. It helped him get a feel for what he needed to cover.

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

It didn't take long before the room started to fill up. Students filed through the door, Airi's piercing gaze sending a shudder down the spine of anyone considering taking the seat she was currently occupying. While the majority of students entered with just a simple introduction or bow to the teacher, there was one girl in particular who managed to completely capture the attention of the whole class at once, albeit unintentionally.

"Shukun! Why are you teaching? You should be in your office right now and-"

And as if bringing a broom to class wasn't enough already…

Both Hiraku and Airi eyes were locked firmly on the girl as her face flushed a bright pink, they certainly weren't the only ones. In an instant she flitted across the room to the seat behind Hiraku. As she passed by, something caught the young boy's eye. There was something out of the ordinary about the broom she had with her, in Hiraku's eyes a blue glow surrounded the cleaning implement, much like the blue glow which he saw emanating from his sister. "So that's what it is…" he said to himself, thinking aloud. Out the corner of his eye Hiraku noticed something wrong with Airi, she kept glancing over her shoulder as if something was bothering her, "What's the matter?"

"Broom girl back there keeps staring at me."

"What?.."

"The haunted broom, it's some pale girl…she keeps looking at me."

Hiraku rolled his eyes, "It's not like she's the only other ghost we've ever seen. Just leave it, now's not the time." But this was Airi…

"Look lady, what is your problem?!" she shouted, spinning round in an instant.

"Airi!" Hiraku growled out the corner of his mouth. She continued regardless.

"Ya never seen a dead girl before? Have you tried looking in a mirror lately?!"

By this point Hiraku's head was firmly buried in his hands, part of him wanted to turn round and apologise to the girls, he assumed that the living girl would be able to see the two ghosts in the room but for his own embarrassment he hoped she couldn't. Luckily a distraction was right around the corner as the teacher introduced himself and started the lesson.

Hiraku knew the man by name but he'd never seen or met him before. He removed his head from his hands and listened carefully, doing his best to ignore whatever was going on between the phantom pair. The class began with an open ended question, Hiraku paused for a moment as he looked around the class before raising his hand. When prompted he'd speak, "It would be useful to know your target's schedule, then you could work out the best time to strike."

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Her embarrassment momentarily forgotten, Shashu was more interested in the boy that Houki had her attention fixated on. No, that wasn't quite right...it was more like the space around him that she was so keen on. Whatever it was, the boy mumbled something out of the corner of his mouth and buried his face in his hands. As he did, Houki jerked back, blinked a few times, and slowly shook her head. "Houki? What's wrong?" Shashu whispered, and Houki responded with a feeling of...familiarity?

"There's another ghost there?" The spirit nodded and pointed to the air on the boy's right. I see...Houki might not have ran into many spirits, now that I think about it. She's spent most of her time as a ghost sealed in that broom with only the living to talk to...hmmm. I guess it can't hurt to have someone to talk to besides me... "Well, say hi then? It's rude to just point and stare you know. I've got class, so you two have fun." She told the spirit softly before turning her attention to Ayumu as he began to speak. It wouldn't do to be mumbling to invisible people while her Shukun was graciously taking time to instruct them personally. Hopefully she wouldn't go embarrassing herself any further...

To start things off, the ANBU Sennin brought up the topic of assassination. Not the prettiest of subjects, but necessary to any potential ANBU. The world that they lived in wasn't all sunshine and rainbows after all, and as ANBU they would be put up against the worst that it had to offer. Shashu had recently been given a crash course in the kind of fallout even a successful mission could have, and that was a lesson she wasn't going to forget for the rest of her life. Assassination was a tool. A dirty, bloodstained tool, but one that, when used properly, could stop things like that from happening in the first place. Not the cleanest path, but sometimes the ends do justify the means...

As for what details one would need to perform such a deed, Shashu had a pretty god idea. She spent a lot of time observing people from the shadows as is, and she had gotten in the habit of taking mental notes about the people she watched. Especially a certain someone.

The boy in front of her mentioned schedules, and she nodded agreement. You had to know where your target was going to be in advance in order to find the best lookout spot, the best places to listen in, and so on, but if you just payed attention to the one person you could end up in a tight spot. It was just as important, if not more so, to learn the schedules and habits of the people around them.

She would raise her hand as well, and stoically wait to be called on as well. "One would also need to pay attention to who the target surrounds themselves with as well. They could show up unexpectedly and make things much more difficult."

* * *​

Houki was a bit surprised at the other spirit's outburst. She hadn't really had a chance to meet other spirits after she died and she hadn't been able to see them while alive either, so this was a new experience for her. Unfortunately, it seemed she had already done something to offend the other girl without even trying. Shashu took notice of her reaction, and after Houki has explained in her own fashion, pointed out that what she was doing was considered rude by most people. The spirit sighed inwardly. She had been dead a long, long time, and even while alive she had been more concerned with how clean someone was than being polite, so she really had no idea how to act around anyone. Even her previous owners had mostly ignored her, so there was no help there. Shashu was the first person to really talk to her since her death that hadn't been a priest trying to exorcise her.

"I've got class, so you two have fun." Shashu said, and with that Houki was left to her own devices. She cocked her head, unaware that she was still staring at the other girl. Fun? Cleaning was fun, but she doubted that the other spirit would think so. She had mentioned mirrors, maybe she liked them? Human mirrors were rarely capable of showing a spirit's reflection, but maybe....

With a smile on her face she reached into the sleeve of her yukata and pulled out a small silver hand mirror, it's back engraved with the image of a lotus blossom. Whether it be lost items or litter, Houki had a tendency to suck any unattended objects she found into the spirit realm where they would be obliterated rather than leaving them laying around. Occasionally she found something worth keeping, and this mirror in particular had caught her eye. Having claimed it for herself it was part of the spirit realm now, something that only ghosts like her could interact with. If she looked into it she could see her own reflection, so maybe it would be the same for the other girl? Only one way to find out.

Shyly, Houki took a step forward and offered the mirror to the girl with both hands and a slight bow. Oddly, where she had had no problem staring at the other spirit before, she found that she couldn't quite meet the other girl's eyes. She couldn't really explain it, but she wanted this girl to like her for some reason. Hopefully she wouldn't end up making her mad again...

[OOC: Shashu is attuned to Houki, so she can see her, but she can't see other spirits. Good for Hiraku, eh? XD]

[MFT: WC-945]​

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Just before Ayumu had begun the class, he observed two of the trainees whispering to one another. At least, that was how it seemed to him. They looked to be glancing in each other's general directions and they were both whispering, so clearly they were whispering to one another. If he didn't know any better, he might have guessed that the two of them were familiar with one another. Possibilities entered his mind about the content of their whispers. 'Hmm, it seems Shashu has made a friend... perhaps more? Ooh, I wonder, could it be?. Aww, how cute,' Ayumu pondered, concealing his thoughts with an expressionless face. For a long time, fraternization within ANBU wasn't permitted, but that rule had been revoked before Ayumu had joined and he certainly didn't mind if trainees had crushes. He laughed internally at the slight worry he held for Shashu after the strange findings from the other day near the gates. Feeling slightly relieved, he started the class.

After his question, he looked out over the class to see who would have the courage to answer. Unsurprisingly, Kurosawa rose his hand, as prophesied by the manila folder on Ayumu's desk. "Go ahead, Kurosawa," Ayumu said, granting him the chance to answer. The boy's answer was pretty much spot on and one of the various details that Ayumu was looking for. "Good," he said, noticing Shashu's hand also raised. They were the only two hands raised, so naturally Shashu was selected next. "Tsuirakuya," he said, to denote that she could speak, though she was the only one left anyway. Her answer was also good, yet another option that he was looking for.

"Good, both of you. Yes, often a target's schedule is studied for weeks, or even longer so that the assassin can determine where their target will be and when in order to choose the best moment to do the deed. It's also important to be aware of the target's known associates. Particularly those with whom they associate frequently. Naturally, those that live or work closely with your target could easily get in your way if you are not aware of their schedule to some degree as well. Of course, in the world of shinobi those that we're sent to assassinate are frequently not your average joe civilian. You might be sent to kill someone who's very good at fighting. You're going to want to know what your mark is capable of and how best to counter that. If there's security involved, you'll want to know the ins and outs of that setup and how to bypass them," Ayumu continued, adding a few more answers that had not been offered by the class already.

"Now, say you've got your day and time, your best location to find your mark alone and vulnerable. It's your best bet... what else do you need to consider in your plan?" he asked, once again an open ended question. There were many answers, but any could lead to a good discussion that would make the class all the more useful. Some of the so far silent students shifted restlessly in their seats, still refraining from using their voices. Others made a point of staring at Hiraku and Shashu expectantly, willing them to speak up so that they wouldn't be called on. Ayumu was fine with allowing the vocal minority to speak. This was just another way of separating true ANBU material from those that weren't up to it.

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

There seemed to be a trend developing in Hiraku's academic career as he found himself the first to offer up an answer again. His mind flashed back to what Airi said when they first entered the classroom today, 'Oh no…maybe I am a teacher's pet…' He didn't have long to dwell on his discovery as his wandering mind was snapped back to the matter at hand by the sound of another answer being offered from the girl behind.

Now that the class had their target where they wanted them, the next task was to discuss what else they would need to think about before they could put their plan into action. Closing his eyes, Hiraku dreamed up a scene of himself in the same situation. He had his target in front of him, alone, defenceless and unaware of his presence. What else did he need to know before he'd feel comfortable taking out his mark?

A few moments later his eyes opened and once again his hand projected itself skyward, "Before making a move I'd want to consider what I was going to do once I'd taken down my target. Maybe plan a safe escape route, or set up a diversion to help me slip away." Considering the absence of his sister's shouting in his ear he presumed that she'd blown off the worst of her steam, either that or she was just winding up for the haymaker, the two sides never seemed too far from each other.

It was probably a good thing that the girl was already a ghost, judging by the look on her face if she had still been alive she would have probably died of shock. Airi's dagger-like eyes were locked on the spirit girl, ready to pave the way for another verbal barrage at the first hint of an attempted comeback. The girl cocked her head, still staring back at Airi who screwed up her mouth 'Is she making fun of me?'

Airi's eyes flashed down to the other girls sleeve as she appeared to reach for something, a small mirror? At first Airi assumed the girl was taking the piss, playing on the expression that she'd used earlier, but that assumption was quickly swept aside as the girl approached and respectfully offered the mirror to her. Hesitating for a second Airi slowly reached out and took the mirror. Looking at the back first, she ran her hand over the silver surface, feeling to grooves of the engraving and silently admiring the pattern.

Airi turned the mirror over. For the first time in 13 years she saw her own face staring back at her. Without a word she scanned the 20 year old living snapshot of herself, her eyes drifting around the image which claimed to be her, inspecting each feature in great detail. It was a strange sensation seeing herself again, it was like looking at a long lost friend, familiar yet not exactly as she remembered. With her free hand she gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face.

An unfamiliar feeling fell over Airi, she could feel herself welling up but she was the last person alive who would let herself be seen crying. Taking a subtle breath she composed herself, and tearing her eyes away from the mirror, looked back into the eyes of the spirit girl, "It's beautiful... Where did you get it?" She paused for a second, not long enough to allow an answer, just long enough to allow her eyes to drop for a second, "Sorry for blowing up at you like that. Baby brother always says I have a short fuse… My name's Airi" She said with a hint of guilt, "What's your name?"

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Shashu waited a bit before replying this time. She looked around the room at the assorted other ANBU there, but they all seemed uninterested in offering an opinion. This is probably all old hat to them, I guess. It must be pretty boring for them to have to take a refresher course on this stuff when they already know it...guess it's just me and Kurosawa-san then.

She grimaced slightly when Hiraku offered his answer and took second to think before she offered her own. Stole my answer, damnit. Hmmm...what else would I need to do...I guess it would depend on the assignment, yes? She considered, then raised her hand again.

"I would consider how exactly the target needs to be taken down, the methods would change depending on the assignment after all. For example, whether I should make it look like an accident, pin the blame on a specific person, or make it obvious who took them down in order to leave a message." Shashu said. See how you like that, answer stealing-san. I won't let you embarrass me in front of my Shukun!

* * *​

Her name? The question put Houki further off balance. In her entire memory, what she could recall of it at least, no one had ever asked her name. When she had been alive what little socializing she had been forced into had been at the behest of others, and the same people had also handled the introductions. These same patterns had also followed her into death: first the priests, then the succession of Kiritani family members, each explaining to the next owner who and what she was. Not that she minded really, but the realization threw her for a loop. This girl was just chock full of new experiences.

Houki did a quick shake of her head to clear her thoughts, a gesture she had picked up from Shashu, and extended a hand towards Airi. She didn't want the mirror back, that had been a gift, and if Airi were to try to hand it to her Houki would shake her head silently and glance pointedly at the girl's free hand. Should Airi offer her own hand Houki would gently rest her hand over top of the other girl's. If Airi didn't pull away she would experience a series of thoughts and images describing Houki's name to her: a broom, an image of Houki sweeping while she was still alive, the feeling of a fresh breeze on the skin, and an overall feeling of cleanliness. Overall the intention would be that they would combine to form a single word in Airi's mind: Houki.

The spirit wasn't sure how Airi would react to that either, but it was the only way she knew how to communicate besides simply projecting her emotions at people. The girl would probably want an explanation if she didn't bolt straight away, but that was fine. This was her first time interacting with someone other than her owner in a very long time and she didn't want it to be over just yet. Hopefully Airi would be patient enough with her to stick around...

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu watched as the same two hands shot up one after the other, Hiraku's coming up a second before Shashu's. Ayumu could see that not answering first had been somewhat to Shashu's chagrin, but she would just need to be quicker to post raise her hand next time. He nodded in Hiraku's direction to indicate that he could give his answer. "Exactly. Even once you've determined just how to get to your mark, figuring out how to leave is almost as important, if not just as important. In a situation where you don't want to be known as the assassin, which is most of them, not getting caught is vital. You need to have your exit strategy prepared so that once the deed is done you can vanish without a trace. Diversions are also very useful in many situations. Anything that can be used to draw others away from your target or your escape route. In some situations it can even be used to bring your target to you, away from others," Ayumu responded to Hiraku's question.

Once he was done speaking on that matter he nodded at Shashu for her to say her piece. Her answer harkened back to something he himself had said earlier when talking about different kinds of assassinations. She had a good answer as well. These two trainees were enough to renew a man's hope in his branch. If it weren't for his training, Ayumu might have become emotional at the thought. "Yep. Once you've got your 'where' and 'when', you need your 'how'. In some situations the goal of an assassination is to publicly make a statement with the kill, though it's rare that Kumogakure would participate in such an act. Sometimes, you've got to make it look like an accident, as you said... otherwise fingers will be pointed at anybody who might have wanted the mark to be dead, including the client. Most of the time, it's best if nobody knows you were ever there which is where some of our useful ANBU techniques come in, as well as others..." Ayumu continued with the lesson, pausing as the door to the classroom cracked and opened.

Kogami Tsumugu

A dark and shaggy haired teenage boy with blue eyes, dressed in a black jersey and track pants passed through the threshold of the door, entering the room. "Finally... Is this the class on Assassination? I-" he stopped short as he noticed Ayumu at the front of the classroom. The somewhat sheepish look on his face darkened as he stared, perhaps even glared, at Ayumu, taken aback by his unexpected presence. Ayumu stopped speaking to look at the new arrival and his face adopted a somewhat distressed look before looking down at the papers on his desk, pushing some aside until he found what he was looking for. He had not seen the boy's name on the list until now. Ayumu looked up to address the boy.

"Kogami.... you're late. Take a seat," Ayumu said sternly, though it somewhat pained him inside. 'He's going to hate me even more...' Ayumu thought, sighing internally. His relationship with his younger brother was strained when Ayumu first joined ANBU and had little time for anything else. It had only gotten worse as Ayumu became the Vice Commander with even less time to spare. It was around then that Tsumugu began to act coldly to him and avoid him even when he did have time. When Tsumugu joined ANBU, Ayumu thought it might have been for some brotherly bonding, but he couldn't have been further from the truth. Nothing could've ticked Tsumugu off more than when Ayumu was named the Sennin.

"Yes sir," Tsumugu said with a chilly tone as he quickly turned and went to find a seat beside Hiraku. The observant would recognize the surname immediately, though no one in the class recognized the boy at all. He sat back in his chair in what most would call a slouching manner, saying nothing more but clearly avoiding looking at Ayumu as he fidgeted with the white bandana around his neck. He slipped his unoccupied hand into his pocket. Ayumu meanwhile marked something on the clipboard on his desk before looking back up at the class. With the distraction out of the way, it was time to continue the class, even if there was obvious tension between the two sharing a surname.

"Pardon the interruption. As I was saying, there are many techniques we shinobi, and ANBU in particular, employ in order to escape notice and furthermore make it as if we were never present. Is anybody familiar with any jutsu that would aid a shinobi in such a task? Bonus points if you're able to demonstrate, but speak up even if you can't," Ayumu said, looking out over the class. Despite Hiraku and Shashu answering all of the questions previously, Ayumu showed no signs of looking at them expectantly or giving up on the other students. Whoever would answer, would answer. Some of the students in the class had been trainees longer than the two most vocal, so it was possible they would be able to demonstrate some techniques even if they weren't the ones to speak up.

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

There was no prize for guessing which other student would offer an answer as the class double act continued. It seemed that between them, Hiraku and the girl had managed to answer every question presented to the class so far. As Kogami-sensei was expanding on their answers Hiraku felt something strange behind him, it was not too dissimilar to the feeling he felt from someone when they were releasing chakra to perform a jutsu, although this wasn't quite like that. It was like he was feeling something which wasn't for him to feel, as if it was reaching him by mistake.

Looking over his shoulder, Hiraku's face held a confused expression. The sensation didn't feel as though it was coming from the girl behind him, it was closer to Airi and the other spirit. 'I wonder what's going on with those two…' He thought to himself as he continued to stare at the spirit girl for a moment.

It wasn't long before a distraction brought Hiraku's attention back to the front of the room. The door opened as a dark haired latecomer enter the class, it didn't take long for the tension between him and Kogami-sensei to become obvious. As the Sennin searched the papers on his desk it almost felt as if he was trying to disprove the boys presence in the room.

"Kogami…you're late. Take a seat,"

'Wait a minute, Kogami?...' Hiraku thought to himself as he looked back and forth between the pair, there were definitely similarities. The age difference between the two didn't look like enough to be father and son, so Hiraku made the assumption that they were siblings. The younger of the Kogami's walked over and took the seat next to Hiraku. He seemed to be sulking, as if he really didn't want to he here.

Luckily it wasn't long before the class rolled onwards and the students were presented with another question to move them away from the distraction. Hiraku's hand flew skyward, when prompted to answer he hesitated slightly. His original decision was to go to the classic transformation jutsu, but having used that in a previous class he decided to change it up, "I think Genjutsu could be a good option, maybe a technique like Perception Filter…" he hesitated once more, "Umm...I'm not really sure how to demonstrate that to the whole class at once though."

Meanwhile Airi's request for the girls name seemed to cause quite a shock. After a moment of hesitation the girl replied with an outstretched hand. Airi assumed that because she hadn't said anything she was expecting the mirror back and so before taking one last look at herself she began to reluctantly hand it over. Luckily this wasn't what the other girl was after, an unconscious smile of relief slipped onto Airi's lips as the girl shook her head and pointed to Airi's free hand. Slowly and silently Airi placed her hand on top of the girls.

At first nothing seemed to be happening, but a few seconds later Airi started to get a strange feeling. Suddenly a chill swept through her body. Airi jumped and pulled her hand away quickly, it was unlike anything she'd felt before. She paused for a moment as she looked back at the girl, she was a peculiar one, "Sorry…I wasn't expecting that." she said as she cautiously offered her hand back to the girl for another try.

This time Airi didn't let the strange feelings startle her and after a while thoughts started to form in her head explaining what the strange feelings were. She saw the girl sweeping, the chill she'd felt last time turned into gentle breeze and everything just felt clean. "I don't understand…" Airi said quietly as she looked back at the girl, confused. She glanced over to her brother for an answer, he was much better at working things like this out, she saw him looking back towards them for a second before his attention returned to the front of the room, he was busy and Airi was on her own with this one.

"You were a maid when you were alive? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" she asked, racking her brain to try and put it all together.

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Ayumu responded much as Shashu expected he would, elaborating and expanding slightly upon the boys answer. As he did so the hooded boy looked over his shoulder at her with a confused look on his face before shifting his gaze to her left to stare at Houki, who looked as if she were holding an invisible person's hand. Aha...so he can see spirits too. Though he can see Houki, which means he can probably see more than just one since he appears to have a spirit of his own. Interesting... A bit to her chagrin he seemed to be ignoring her completely, instead focusing on Houki, which made her feel a little stupid about getting mad at for stealing her answer. Whatever had caught his attention soon lost his interest however, and he turned his gaze back to the front as Ayumu responded to her answer.

Although she was glad Ayumu approved of what she said, Shashu was more pleased with the other words of his reply. She knew that there was a high probability she would be sent to kill someone at some point in her career, but that didn't mean she was looking forward to it. Even though it was true some people need to die in order to create or maintain peace Shashu believed that a better solution would be to keep things from escalating to that point in the first place. Hopefully I can just stick to espionage...

Ayumu trailed off as the classroom door opened, revealing someone that immediately brought suspicions of familial relation to Shashu's mind, suspicions that were subsequently corroborated when she heard his name. Kogami?! She thought incredulously as she stared intently at the younger Kogami, her nails digging into her desk as he made his way to a seat diagonally in front of her. Though the two shared somewhat similar builds and facial features, the resemblance stopped there. Ayumu stood tall, poised, and well dressed while the younger Kogami stood slouched, sullen, and looked as if he might be any random layabout too lazy to put on actual clothes. I didn't know Shukun had a brother! Actually, come to think of it I haven't seen any of his family at all. He spends almost all of his time here at the Sileo...hmmmm. There's a story there, I'm sure of it. I'll find out your secret, Kogami bro, just you wait!

Distracted as she was Shashu almost missed Ayumu's next question, once again giving up the initiative to the hooded boy in front of her. She wasn't familiar with the technique the boy mentioned, but the fact that he didn't chose to try to demonstrate gave her an opportunity to stand out. Hehe, I've got this one in the bag easy. Thought Shashu, grinning inwardly. I have just the Jutsu...and since it doesn't seem like Kogami-bro likes Ayumu-sama if this goes right I can impress them both in one fell swoop! Mwahahahaha! She paused for a second. Ok I have got to stop talking to myself...

Shashu would offer her own answer after Ayumu replied to hoodie-san. "Active Camouflage would be the best for getting in and out without being seen I think, as it not only hides you from sight but also masks any noise you might make. I can demonstrate if you like." At Ayumu's approval she would step into the aisle and perform the handseal for the technique, slowly enough that others could see the seals she used in case they were unfamiliar with the jutsu. The instant her fingers formed the last seal the air around her shimmered and seemed to bend for a split-second before becoming still, the room exactly the same as it had been the moment before sans Shashu. The jutsu (at least as Shashu understood it) didn't remove her presence per se, it just prevented it from reaching the enemy by bending the path of light and sound around her and confining any light or sound she made herself to the affected area.

She waited a few seconds for the class to get the idea before she made her next move. Ayumu had only asked for one jutsu, but Shashu had never been one to content herself with following instructions exactly to the letter and calling it quits. Lets see how you like this... She thought with a grin before performing the seals for two jutsu in rapid succession. The first, Stunt Double, left behind a lightning clone that shot a wink at her as she used the momentum from the other half of the jutsu to execute her second technique: Inner Earth Reflection Lure. She had originally stumbled across the technique while reading about the trap-door spiders native to the Wind Country. Their tactic of lying in wait within concealed holes in the ground to snatch unwary prey had provided inspiration for the technique that was now used by espionage agents and assassins alike. The jutsus combined would leave Shashu safely concealed within the earth while her clone took her place with the rest of the class none the wiser, all in the span of time it took her Active Camo to fully dissipate. That was the plan anyway.

While the clone took her seat, no doubt blushing at any praise she might receive, all that was left for Shashu herself was to see if she had managed to fool the one person that she needed to: Ayumu. She had her doubts as to whether or not she would be able to slip this one past the ANBU Sennin himself, but there was no point in not trying. The only way to get better is to test your limits and push past them. Now Shukun, let's see how you like this...

* * *​

Meanwhile, where Shashu was trying to hoodwink an entire room full of people Houki was struggling to get one person to understand her. Airi's response made it clear that while she may have got her message, she hadn't quite understood what it meant. It was becoming clear to the spirit that centuries of near isolation had eroded what pitiful social skills she had once possessed away completely, leaving her completely incapable of communicating properly at all. It was frustrating to say the least, as Houki withdrew her hand and frowned. She searched her memories for anything she could use to tell Airi, but came up with nothing. It was odd. She could convey complex concepts through feelings and images, but when it came to something so simple as telling someone her name she was a complete loss.

Embarrassed, she wrung her hands and averted her eyes from the other spirit's. It wasn't fair that she finally got the chance to talk to somebody who could possibly relate to her and she was stuck like this. However, an idea crossed her mind as her gaze fell across a notice tacked to the wall. Houki couldn't read it any of the words, but that wasn't important. What was important was what she could read. She remembered a day not too long after Shashu had met her when the girl had been in a similar situation with a small child...

"No Kari-chan, that's not what it means. They may sound the same, but they have different meanings. See, what he said was 'I'm just following the law'," Shashu crouched down and scratched the words in the dirt, then continued. "Not 'I'm just following brooms'." As she said the last word she scratched out 'the law' and wrote 'broom' underneath it. "See? It seems weird, but....

Houki couldn't help but crack a smile at the memory of the little girl's confused face. She was in much the same situation here, but now she knew a way to remedy that. Keeping the image of the words fresh in her mind Houki used a bit of spiritual energy to draw her name with clean black lines in the air before her. As she finished the spirit looked up and smiled earnestly at Airi again. She hoped fervently that she hadn't messed it up somehow, because if she had she was completely out of options. At the very least, she wanted Airi to remember her name. She didn't know why, but the thought of the other spirit girl remembering her, remembering who she was, made Houki strangely happy. All she could do was hope that her words reached her.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The sudden arrival of his brother had distracted Ayumu slightly, but he had refocused and was prepared to continue with the class. He had asked a question of the students and the usual suspects were ready to answer. Hiraku, as usual, was first to raise his hand and be called upon. He had a good answer, though it could not be demonstrated. Genjutsu was actually a subject that was not Ayumu's strong suit, but he knew enough to understand how it could be useful in certain circumstances. He was not familiar with the Genjutsu known as Perception Filter, so Hiraku got points for knowing something the teacher didn't. If there were points to be gotten, that was. "Well, you're right, it would be somewhat cumbersome to demonstrate a Genjutsu to the class. Why don't you just explain what it does and how it could be useful?" he responded, allowing Hiraku to speak again to explain. He would be learning something himself here today.

"Good... Genjutsu is a field that not many shinobi choose to venture into, and thus it can be very useful for catching an enemy off guard. Now...Shashu?" Ayumu would say once Hiraku was done before moving on to Shashu to have her give her answer. For some reason she had a particularly devious look on her face which was somewhat creepy, but Ayumu dismissed it and awaited her answer. One of the answers Ayumu had been specifically looking for was brought up in Shashu's response. Active Camouflage was a useful technique that ANBU had originally developed and perfect for staying out of sight. "Good, Active Camouflage is very useful for obvious reasons. Go ahead and demonstrate," he said, somewhat impressed that she already knew the technique. Shashu stood and performed the handseals for the technique. As soon as she finished, the light began to bend around her and make her incredibly difficult to see. What was more, one couldn't hear footsteps of someone under the effects of the jutsu which made it a perfect technique for stealth. Tsumugu took notice of the technique which he himself had yet to master, slightly impressed.

"Perfectly executed, Shashu. As you can see, it does not completely hide your presence but it masks it well. Accompanied by sticking to the shadows, you might as well be invisible," Ayumu went on while unbeknownst to the class Shashu partook in mild shenanigans. Through the use of the Stunt Double technique she simultaneously created a clone and swapped places with it while she herself went into hiding. She used Inner Earth Reflection Lure to sink into the earth. Fortunately for her, the Sileo was underground and the very classroom around them was carved into stone which was quite compatible with her technique. What seemed like Active Camouflage deactivating was actually Shashu being replaced by her clone all while Ayumu spoke as if to continue on with the class.

"At any rate..." Ayumu continued only to stop as he noticed one final hand raised. This one belonged to Tsumugu whom had only just arrived but was seemingly ready to participate too. Ayumu simply nodded in his brother's direction, indicating that he had the floor to provide his answer. "It's a pretty standard technique, but Transformation is handy. You could transform into someone your target knows in order to get close to them and kill them. Then, that form might also allow you to leave without confrontation if nobody sees you commit the deed personally," Tsumugu responded before briefly placing his hands together to form a seal. With a poof of smoke to hide the transformation he emerged from the cloud as what appeared to be a standard soldier. "You could also take out a guard and transform into them to take advantage of their access and avoid suspicion. After using Destroy Presence to get rid of the body, at least. It could be useful if the kill needs to be blamed on someone particular too," Tsumugu continued before allowing the jutsu to fall off and returning to his original form after another puff of smoke. The observant would take note that he seemed to be speaking to the class more so than to the instructor.

Ayumu took notice as well, but chose to ignore and simply nodded. "Yes, it's important not to forget the basics. Transformation is a useful tool that is sometimes overlooked because it's taught in the Academy. Even if you're seen with the murder weapon standing over the body, if you can hide away and become someone else you can immediately escape suspicion. Destroy Presence is another useful technique. It can be used to dispose of bodies, for one. As morbid as that sounds, if making it seem that the target has simply disappeared is your goal, it could be very useful. It also has the capability of destroying evidence that you were present. It can erase footprints, fingerprints... blood... gone without a trace," he went on to explain, filling in the gaps left by Tsumugu for the class. He took a look at the clock in the room and sat back on his desk.

"Well, I believe it's about time we wrap this up for this class, unless someone else has another answer or technique to demonstrate. Otherwise- does anybody have any questions or comments?" Ayumu asked, looking around the room.

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

Hiraku was caught off guard when his answer was bounced right back at him for further explaination. "Umm..."</COLOR><i></i> he hesitated, trying to think of the best way he could put it into words, "Its not a technique that stops people from being able to see or hear you, it just simply makes them ignore you. If used effectively against a guard you could quite easily walk right past him without him really noticing."<i></i> he said before shuffling around on his seat slightly, that was a difficult one to explain.

Unlike Hiraku, the girl sitting behind him seemed all too eager to provide a demonstration along with her answer, a rather impressive demonstration at that. The jutsu in question was one which Hiraku was familiar with but had so far not been able to consistently perform. Watching carefully he analysed the way she performed the jutsu, trying to feel what her chakra was doing behind the scenes in an attempt to learn anything which would advance his progress.

As the girl returned to her seat something incredible happened. A third hand found its way into the air, it belonged to the younger of the Kogami brothers. Hiraku turned his head to watch as the boy gave a similar answer to the one he had discarded. Unlucky enough to be sat right next to the boy as he showed an example of the transformation, Hiraku squinted as the resultant smoke from the jutsu stung his eyes. Determined not to get another face full Hiraku edged away slightly before the boy released the jutsu.

The ANBU Sennin appeared to be satisfied that all of the class material had been covered as he opened the class up for questions, if he wasn't worried about forgetting what he'd learnt from studying the girl's active camouflage he might have asked a question, but for now he was just determined to crack the technique which had been eluding him. Half turning around in his seat, Hiraku saw Airi deep in conversation with the other spirit, for the few spirits the pair had met he couldn't remember ever seeing his sister interact with any of them like this.

Unaware of her brother watching and waiting, Airi continued trying to crack the enigma which was the haunted broom. A sickening feeling of guilt started to rise up through her stomach as she watched the girls face drop at Airi's admission. For some reason, whether it was just as a result of Airi's outburst or something more, this girl was really trying to get Airi to understand, but she just didn't get it.

Airi began to look around the room helplessly for answers, desperate not to let the girl down with something that was clearly important to her. Luckily from the smile which snuck onto the face of the girl it seemed she had thought of something. Airi watched closely as a series of thin black lines followed the movements of the girls finger through the air, leaving a faint trail before slowly fading away again. <COLOR color="#00BFBF">"H...ou...ki..." she recited slowly to herself before the realisation and excitement hit her all at once, manifesting in a huge ear to ear grin "Your name is Houki?!"

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Houki smiled at Airi's reaction. She was overjoyed that her words had reached the girl despite her limited knowledge and stunted attempts at conversation. Now that she had communicated what she needed to say though, she had no idea where to go from here. What did two ghosts have to talk about? And how would she do so? It would probably annoy the other girl if she had to constantly project images into her mind. Shashu didn't seem to mind, but then Shashu seemed to be a special case as far as humans were concerned...

At any rate, Houki would blush and look shyly away from Airi. The logistics of a ghost blushing aside, the red would stand out extremely well against her pale complexion. She wasn't sure if the girl even wanted to continue talking with the one that Shashu called Ayumu wrapping up the class. Perhaps if they had more time together they could talk more. At the very least Houki could lend a sympathetic ear and be someone Airi could talk to besides her brother. She herself knew all to well the dangers of isolation, and that was the last thing she wished on the other girl. To be alone for so long that you lose even the ability to speak...it was a harsh fate indeed.

Meanwhile Shashu, still moving silently beneath the earth, came into position behind Ayumu. As he spoke to the other students she would silently rise up out of the ground behind his desk with a long and thin senbon needle grasped firmly in her fist. When he asked if anyone had any questions, she would pop up behind his sitting figure, the needle hovering a hair's breadth away from his neck. "How did I do?" She would ask. Let's see how they like this one she thought, smiling internally. If anyone would look back at her clone, it would smile and wave at them.

[MFT: WC-323]
[OOC- Sorry about the huge long wait. Real life kinda kicked my ass for a while.]​

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

"So, Kurosawa has explained how a Genjutsu might be used to force a target to ignore your presence by manipulating their mind. Tsuirakuya has demonstrated Active Camo, a technique which allows one to become nearly invisible. Kogami has taken us back to the basics with Transformation which can give you an inconspicuous disguise..." Ayumu said, as he looked out over the class, waiting to see if anybody had any more responses or questions. The room was mostly silent save for the whispering of ghosts than most of them couldn't hear anyway. It was in the dead silent that he got an unmistakable feeling that came with his Sixth Sense. No, he was not seeing dead people (though there were some in the room). It was rather a feeling of paranoia when something he couldn't see or hear was coming for him. A strange sense that he couldn't explain as anything more than that. A feeling. Someone was behind him, but there was no killer intent. It was not life threatening. His eyes trailed down to the senbon at his neck just a moment before Shashu spoke to him proudly. Ayumu chuckled.

"Excellent. That's a very useful technique to use in stealth," came Ayumu's words... from above Shashu. The clone to whose neck she was holding a senbon waved back at her own clone. He had used the very same technique she had to swap herself with her clone, Stunt Double, to swap himself with his own. Of course, whereas she had used Inner Earth Reflection Lure to hide, Ayumu had not gone to such lengths. Instead, he swapped places with the clone created during the technique and simply positioned himself on the ceiling above Shashu and his clone. The class itself would have seen the technique demonstrated quite clearly and would mostly just see Ayumu pop up on the ceiling. It would almost seem as though he was the clone summoned by the one remaining in front of the desk if it weren't for the clone being held at the point of a senbon disappearing in a puff of smoke leaving the real Ayumu to drop down and land in a seated position on his desk. He reached over and patted Shashu on the head.

"Impressive, to be able be able to sneak behind a Sennin. Well, it seems we did have one last demonstration. Shashu here used a technique known as Stunt Double to seamlessly summon a clone in her place and disappear into stealth with the help of another technique. What you saw me do was also Stunt Double, though I did not hide my true self so you could see how it was done. It is a very useful technique for hiding away into stealth... Tsuirakuya's execution was spot on. That's how you want to do it," Ayumu said, giving Shashu a bit of praise for her trick. If he hadn't felt her a moment before and she had truly intended to attack, she could have caused some damage. Tsumugu too, had taken notice of her demonstration. He had leaned forward in his seat watching, trying to figure out just how she had managed to do what she did.

"Swapping with your clone aside, how did you manage to get behind him without any of us seeing you?" Tsumugu spoke up, fascinated by the technique that had evaded all of their notice including his brother's. It wasn't as though he had any designs on assassinating his brother as much as they didn't get along, but such a technique would surely be useful in missions given to ANBU. He wanted to know more, to learn about how to become a proper ANBU. Where logic would suggest asking his ANBU Sennin brother for advice, that was out of the question. Perhaps, however, he could learn from his fellow trainee. He awaited a response as the older Kogami turned to Shashu as well, awaiting her answer. It was another technique that the class could benefit from hearing about after all and he hadn't seen exactly what she had done himself.

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

After the initial joy shared by the pair as Airi recited the name correctly, Houki seemed to hesitate noticeably for a moment before shying away. It was an understandable reaction, making conversation with someone you'd just met could be difficult at the best of times, even putting aside the trouble the two would have communicating and the fact that they'd each been fairly limited with their social options since death.

Pushing away the thoughts of where she was going to store the mirror, Airi smiled back at the girl opposite her, now that she knew Houki's name she could thank her properly for the gift, "Thank you for this gift Houki, I wish I had something as special to give you in return." She helplessly looked around as if she'd find the perfect gift, pre-wrapped with a bow just waiting to be discovered, Me and baby brother are always out exploring, I'll keep an eye out for something nice. Airi didn't like being on uneven terms with people, she was determined to return the girls kindness sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile Hiraku had turned his attention back to the front of the room just in time to see the mystery figure slide up through the floor, needle catching the light as it poised threateningly close to the Sennin's throat. It was only upon catching a glimpse of the dark purple hair that Hiraku realised the assailant was none other than the girl sitting behind him. Turning around quickly he saw the same figure, still there, waving back at him.

It would be an outright lie to say that Hiraku wasn't alarmed by the whole display, it was only upon hearing that the next words from the Sennin came from the ceiling that he started to realise what was actually going on. Much to Hiraku's relief the Sennin was quick to explain exactly what had happened in the time he'd been distracted by the ghostly encounter behind him. Well, not quite everything was explained, Hiraku opened his mouth to ask his question but the words came from the boy next to him rather than his own lips. Leaning forward slightly, Hiraku looked towards the girl at the front of the class, keen to hear her answer.

[ OOC: Sorry for the delay, work-life balance fail on my part x_x ]

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Shashu smirked as she tucked the senbon needle back into her belt pouch. Operation Impress Kogami-bro successful. Now to seal the deal...

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to show you." She said, nodding to her clone. It would join her as she stepped out from behind the desk so that the rest of the class could more easily see her demonstration. While Shashu began forming handseals slowly as before, in order for the assembled ANBU to see them, her clone would give out the explanation.

"It's simpler than you might think, though it takes some practice to execute smoothly. The technique I used is really a combination of two. Stunt Double and another technique called 'Inner Earth Reflection Lure'. It allows a shinobi to sink in and move undetected beneath the earth." The clone nodded and the real Shashu finished the handseal chain, sinking slowly into the ground. "While it is an excellent technique, it is rather slow. This is where Stunt Double comes into play." The clone repeated the handseals for Stunt Double, then executed the technique slowly enough that the class could see what really happened. "As you can see, Stunt doesn't teleport you, it increases your speed to the point that the human eye cannot follow. We used that speed to accelerate the speed of the Inner Earth Reflection Lure in order to make it nearly instantaneous, ensuring that it would go unnoticed. Of course, we were unsure of whether or not it would work in a setting like this, and we weren't expecting to test it on a Sennin, much less Shukun himself."

The clone blushed slightly and bowed deeply before disappearing in a flash of of lightning chakra that arced back to Shashu, who was, of course, sitting back in her seat. She had used the second Inner Earth Reflection Lure to travel back to her seat, using the clone's explanation as yet another distraction to arrive unnoticed once more. The perceptive would have kept an eye out after she disappeared back beneath the earth, but hopefully they had assumed she would resurface where she had disappeared. It wasn't a big deal if anyone predicted her movement, she had made her point.

She nodded to Tsumugu, a grin on her face. "Does that explain things well enough? If you like I can show you later, after class."

* * *​

Meanwhile Houki was experiencing surprise, yet again. Thanks was yet another thing she had not received up to this point, living or dead, but she felt like she was getting the hang of the experience. Third time was the charm, or so it was said. It was also said that good things also came in threes, and Houki sure hoped so. She had been hoping that she would be able to meet the spirit girl again, and her unexpected promise pointed towards that being a definite possibility in the future. She nodded happily and emphatically, tiny tears shaking themselves from the corners of her eyes. She wasn't quite sure why she was feeling so strongly about the idea of meeting her again, but she figured she would just roll with it for now. Who knew, it could just be that she hadn't felt anything in a very long time, and she was just being overwhelmed.

In any case, Houki would emanate gratitude in thanks strong enough that the other girl was sure to feel it. For such things no words were needed, and truth be told words could never express raw feeling in the way that spirits could. The spirit girl would recall a faint memory from her childhood, two children making a promise by wrapping their fingers around each others' as sort of a chain, a link. She hadn't had anyone to do that with before, but perhaps now....

Tentatively, Houki would reach out, pinkie extended as if she were holding a teacup, and offer her finger to her newfound friend. A promise made was a promise kept, and Houki looked forward to the day when this particular promise would reunite them again.

[MFT: WC-680]​

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu remained quiet as Kogami Jr. spoke up to ask how Shashu had accomplished the fete of apparent teleportation. It was a good question, if Shashu was willing to give up the secret. Fortunately, she seemed happy to explain. A part of her seemed proud, as she probably was right to feel. As she stepped out from behind her desk she performed the handseals at a sluggish pace so everyone could see each one. As she explained it one of the two Shashus began sinking into the ground, part of the Inner Earth Reflection Lure (whatever that name even means) technique. She slowed down the entire combination of techniques so that all of the students could see.

Some of the trainees seemed genuinely interested and were absorbing everything they could. Some seemed annoyed that they were being kept in class longer for a demonstration. Tsumugu was in the former group, studying Shashu's every movement with sharp eyes. He nodded as she continued, understanding how she had pulled it off, though he of course did not know the techniques. At some point he had lost track of which one was the real Shashu, so when she appeared back in her seat he was impressed even more. When she offered to show him in a bit more detail later, he nodded, interested.

"That'd be great! I'll figure out how to do it myself before you know it, won't even have to give me much direction!" he said, an extremely and probably overly hopeful statement. With that, the focus of the class returned back to Ayumu. He had technically already ended the class once and many of the students were itching to be released for real this time. "Well then, thanks for the demonstration Tsuirakuya. That does conclude our class, and I must be going now. Busy Sennin things and such," Ayumu said, standing up. The class complete, he headed towards the door and was the first to leave. Shortly thereafter most of the other trainees stood up and filed out of the classroom as well. Tsumugu, too, stood and left. He didn't have anywhere to be, however, so he would wait to see if Shashu was busy once she exited. He wanted to know some more tricks, anything to help him get further ahead.

[Ayumu leaving the topic unless stopped. Class is over! YOU ALL FAIL!]
[Tsumugu sticking around if you want Shashu, otherwise also leaving topic.]

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

Hiraku wasn't kept waiting long for the demonstration which he was so eager to see. Shashu's clone joined her as she explained the two jutsu which were behind the impressive technique, 'So she used one jutsu to remove the weaknesses of another, very interesting…' Hiraku thought to himself as he tried to think of any of his jutsu which could be improved in a similar way. This would be the focus of his training for the next couple of weeks.

The pair then began to slowly demonstrate each side of the technique so that everyone in the class could see the correct seals. Focusing on the real Shashu, Hiraku tried to keep track of her as she slowly sunk into the floor. It wasn't as if she'd disappeared completely, he could still feel her presence, but tracking it as she moved around beneath the surface was a real struggle. Hiraku couldn't help but feel slightly frustrated as he felt her reappear at the seat behind him, he'd never been in the situation where he needed to keep tabs on someone who was clearly proficient in the art of stealth, the whole demonstration opened his eyes to just how much further he would have to progress.

With the class concluded, Kogami Sr. dismissed the trainees and made for the exit himself. Glancing over his shoulder, Hiraku noticed that Airi appeared to still be talking to the other spirit. While Airi was alive Hiraku would have been too young to remember ever seeing her interact with other people and now that she was dead it was far from a common sight, he felt bad for interrupting them but the class was over and it was time to go. "You coming Airi?"

It wasn't just the emotions that Houki was projecting to Airi which showed her how much the promise meant to the other girl, it was written all over her face when Airi declared her intent to return the girls kindness. But the deal was not yet sealed. A smile was Airi's initial response to the outstretched finger of Houki, the pair were proof that experiences like these weren't just reserved to life, even in death there was still an opportunity for new friendships to bloom. Airi finalised the promise by adding her own finger to the link, "Well then, I'll see you later Houki." she said before turning back towards her brother who was waiting.

"Just as always, you can't sit still for five minutes." Airi scoffed as she stood infront of Hiraku who replied with nothing but a slightly guilty laugh. Hiraku looked past Airi to the other spirit with a sort of apologetic smile, she seemed very different from his sister and he couldn't help but wonder what kind of things they were talking about, whatever it was he had no doubt that he'd be hearing all about it from Airi at some point soon. With that Hiraku filed out of the room with the other trainees, Airi trailing behind to wave goodbye to Houki before they walked out of the door.

[Topic Left]
[Thanks for the class, was another good one ]