Burning Youth [Private]

[Hitsugaya Ryoku]

Upon receiving the results to his Genin exam, Ryoku knew exactly what it was he wanted to do next. Or who he wanted to talk to, rather. Finding a retired ninja wasn’t easy, though. It took a bit of asking around, but eventually he was pointed in a direction that seemed like it would be the most promising.

As he approached the multi-layered dojo that was the Ishi Clan House, he noticed that it still seemed to be under repair from the recent events that were being talked about all over the village. Before he began his studies to be a ninja, Ryoku would have been too sheltered to have heard anything about it, but he had made a point to start keeping up with the current events of the village.

Ryoku entered the clan house and was amazed. So many people, all wearing different colored vests. The vests must indicated some kind of ranking or hierarchy within the clan. There only seemed to be two colors, but the younger people for the most part seemed to be wearing blue and the older, more experienced looking people seemed to be wearing red. While wandering around for a bit, he noticed a huge, fighting arena with several of the clansmen sparring. He stopped and watched for a second, his attention fully grasped until he snapped himself out of it. He had something to do and he needed to do it as soon as possible. He found one of the red-vested shinobi that didn’t seem to busy and he asked for directions.

“Nice. Already on the right floor,” he thought to himself as he thanked the person and began to walk in the correct direction.

He had arrived. It was the door to the Clan Head’s office. Ryoku took a deep breath in.

. . .

Then he exhaled. “Slow and concise,” he thought to himself. Then he raised his knuckles to the office door and gave it a few quick knocks.

MFT: 330

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

NPC Yuu Kenshin

Kenshin was enjoying the retired life. He had spent his time so far rebuilding his clan house and training some of the new recruits. Physically and mentally he felt better and there was far less paperwork. Still, he was in his office reading an old training manual for a type of taijutsu that mainly used kicks. The ex-Sennin was wearing his black training gear of a tanktop and sweatpants.

A knock on his door interrupted his reading.

"Come in." he said as he marked his place and closed the book.

"Yes please come in. Please sit." Kenshin would motion towards the chairs in front of his desk.

"How may I be of service to you? Not many shinobi come to see me anymore." Kenshin would say his grey eyes sparkling.

 

[Hitsugaya Ryoku]

Ryoku entered the office and noticed that the retired sennin had been reading. “Sorry for interrupting, Kenshin... sama..” he said with a shallow bow, slowing down as he stated his former teacher’s name, unsure of exactly how he should address him now. As he straightened his back, he made his way to the chair in front of the desk and took a seat. Without wasting too much time, he continued with his purpose for visiting. “I just passed my Genin Exam, and I need help with my next steps. I would like your guidance in becoming a Taijutsu Master like you. I know that you retired and all,” he said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair and looking down to his hands, fidgeting on his lap. “but I was hoping that if nothing else you could just point me in the right direction.”

"I've been training non-stop ever since that class with you, and I feel like I'm not progressing fast enough!" Ryoku said, quickly shifting to the edge of his seat, becoming slightly worked up. His fingers gripped the edge of the seat tightly. When he noticed, he quickly relaxed his grip and allowed a smile to take over his face. "I just need a little help is all," he said with a chuckle.

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kenshin would smile. So it looks like he still had one student that wanted to learn. The scar on his left temple throbbed with pain but he just rubbed it casually. That scar from that fight would hurt him on occasion and no medical ninja could fix it. It would be something he would have to deal with.

"Congratulations on your passing of the exam. And it seems you still have a hyperactive streak a mile wide. Relax and I can help you." Kenshin would smile as he stood up.

"Remind me of your fighting style. What weapon do you prefer? Do you like to be up close and personal or far away? Most everyone here prefers melee fighting but we do have some bow masters and masters of ninja tools." Kenshin would walk over to his bookshelves crammed with books and run his finger along the titles waiting for an answer.

 

[Hitsugaya Ryoku]

“Hmm..” Ryoku took a second to think as his eyes shifted up to the ceiling and his finger made its way up to his face to rub his chin. “I’ve been focusing on unarmed combat. I see myself closing the gap between me and my opponent quickly and being aggressive.” He looked down at his hands, calloused from the training he’d been putting himself through. “Hopefully my reflexes are as fast as my mouth so I can react to enemy attacks at that range quickly,” he chuckled as a big goofy smile appeared on his face.

“Eventually, I do plan to further my knowledge and master more fighting styles, but for now, I will focus on just this.” Ryoku’s grin was replaced by a more serious expression.

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kenshin would nod.

"An excellent choice. The best thing with unarmed taijutsu is that you don't need to wield anything unwieldy. Usually just a gauntlet will do to protect your fists from the impact of hitting an opponent. This is useful if you strike a glancing blow because you can break your fingers if you connect wrongly." Kenshin would explain as he pulled off a couple of books.

The first book was a dusty yellow and manual sized.

"This book is about basic meditation techniques. Yes medication techniques. You wil find that everyone here meditates daily. It is so we can focus ourselves at the task at hand. You are hyperactive but I expect at least some attempts being made. Now this book," he put the other book in front of him "This book is about basic forms of combat. There are a few different styles but just introductions to them. Some focus on fast attacks, some slow. Some mainly deal with kicks. Now as for your training goes, you will train under myself as I was already your teacher. What say you, will you join this clan of mine?"

Kenshin would ask this as he pulled out the vestments of the Disciple the starting rank.

 

[Hitsugaya Ryoku]

Ryoku looked up to Kenshin-sama from the books that were just handed to him. His serious expression slowly shifted into a smile, but not his typical goofy smile. This smile was was one of excitement, determination, and confidence. The smile was accompanied by a sparkle in his eye. He couldn't believe that Kenshin-sama was offering to both train him and allow him to become a disciple of his clan. This was the opportunity of a lifetime and one that could not be passed on.

"Heck yeah!!!" Ryoku shouted, leaping from his chair and pumping his fist in front of his face. "Oh! Apologies, Kenshin-sama!" he said, bowing to his teacher and immediately regretting his outburst. The excitement was just a lot to contain, something he would hopefully learn to control with the meditation. "What I meant to say was, 'Absolutely. I would be honored to join your clan.'"

It was the perfect atmosphere for Ryoku. Several disciples all thirsty to learn just like him. People to train and spar with on a daily basis. Masters to look up to and ask advice from. Several different fighting styles to observe and learn from. Another family to grow with. It was perfect.

Ryoku accepted the blue disciple's vest from Kenshin-sama and tried it on. "I think I look pretty good in blue," he said with a goofy chuckle. He wiped the smile from his face in favor of a more serious expression and bowed again to his teacher. "Thank you again, Kenshin-sama, for this opportunity. I will not disappoint."

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kenshin would smile and place his hand on the student's shoulder.

"Good. I look forward to seeing you grow as a shinobi. You may go out and join the other disciples Other masters will give you introductory lessons in other forms of combat. Everyone learns a little of everything but unarmed styles come to me. No off you go. Enjoy your youth while you have it and we will train in a week's time. Being grandmaster means I am busy."

Kenshin would sit himself back down and continue reading over some notes. It was expensive to rebuild the place and he had to make sure all the finances were in order. It was going to be a long day but Kenshin was happy that his clan grew by one more this day.

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[Hitsugaya Ryoku]

Ryoku gave an affirmative nod to his now-again teacher. He turned to the door and stepped out, a smile of excitement coming to his face again. He was excited to see what would come of this training. His resources were vast and he was determined to use them to their fullest. But first, he would return to that arena so he could watch more experienced people fight some more.

After observing for a while, a man in a red vest called out to him. "Hey you must be new around here! How would you like to spar with my disciple here?" he said gesturing to a young boy about Ryoku's age who was also wearing a blue vest. Ryoku gave a quick nod with a smile of excitement. His first fight as a shinobi and only minutes after joining the clan. This was going to be a great time, he could tell.

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