[Class/Exam] Toning Things Down (Req. Suika)

[Shieo]

I can't seem to escape the brats... It's your job... Puffing his cheeks ever so slightly at the response in his head; Ain't gonna stop me from moaping...

Shieo had been standing out in the middle of a field in the back-end of the Academy; figuring the natural environment would be a good change of pace for the student in question. With one hand tucked away in his pant pocket, and the other holding a single sheet of paper. In which Shieo had idly read over again while he awaited the arrival of the young candidate; it detailed the progress of Suika, a recent Student that had shown great promise in a number of fields and attributed to above-average grades. Quantifying an exam to discern whether she was prepared for the beginning career of a shinobi.
In the end, it didn't really bother Shieo too much in either spectrum of whether she should or shouldn't pass. In the end, the Headmaster and her advisers made the decisions based off statistics and their own intuition- and quite often they were correct in their numbers and their guts gave them plenty of success to withdraw any persons doubt.

Why do they keep choosing you to do these? -- That being said, what did you have planned? There was a moment of silence while Shieo folded the sheet of paper and tucked it away into his shinobi pouch. Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure myself. On both accounts; I suspect something more low-key will suit this better. These kids have been through a lot.

The young instructor was far from wrong too. In recent times, the students that were given the directive of being under Shieo's tutelage had undergone some interesting and challenging training that wasn't considered... Orthodox in the long run. Their minds had become hardened and their bodies conditioned to the effects of the mental trickery he and his tools prompted in them. It was, of course; a planned environment that had undergone a great deal of thought. All while avoiding the seriousness he took in his career to be seen by the youngsters... But it seems those in the higher-standing of the Academy were taking notice.

Behind Shieo littered a plethora of tools at his disposal for the exam, in which; he was genuine about keeping it simple. It would be challenging perhaps in it's own way, but nevertheless more attune to the traditions of an Academy. With the environment, staged combat dummies, targets, trees, pitfalls, man-made water-falls and the like. It was all there, with the discernment of the instructor to decide what to quantify on the Aspiring-Genin.

Thus, he awaited the arrival. With his atypical demeanor of lethargic apathy, the dour-eyed man had been slouched over ever so slighty. And greeted her with his usual. "Welcome..."

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Spoiler

Shieo
Bahamut
Anything Italicized is Thought

 

[Suika]

Today was her big day.

Suika slipped on her kunoichi attire and prepared herself for her upcoming Genin exam. It wasn't too long ago when she received word of her upcoming test. Her examiner? Shieo, of course. He was originally just a random guy she tried to hustle at the marketplace, but his importance in her life evolved exponentially upon her designation as his pupil. Since their first fateful encounter, the Suika has undergone intensive training under his care. She was challenged in chakra control and environmental adaptation when he summoned the monstrous Bahamut, she faced her deepest fear in a terrifying illusion that he constructed, and she was taught the crucial art of genjutsu cancellation. Above all, she discovered her aptitude for the illusory arts through his mind-bending exercises and has gained an aspiration to surpass him in jutsu prowess. He was a simple, seemingly dull-expressioned man, but he was also an influential figure in Suika's life. Shieo poured into her what many cared not to. She appreciated him for it, but she'd surely never let him know. “He still kind of irritates me.”

She jumped swiftly from building to building until she made it to the Academy and its obstacle courses. Upon arrival, the student was greeted by her instructor in his usual plain fashion. “Hey, Shieo.” she responded cordially as her magenta eyes immediately fixated on her surroundings. The obstacles around her appeared common to her past drills in the academy. While nothing looked contrary to the norm, she knew better than to underestimate Shieo's work. Most instructors would probably keep it simple, but she recognized him now for his unorthodox methods of molding future shinobi. “Or not, which would actually be a relief from the crap he's put me through recently.” Regardless, she was prepared for whatever he had in store, whether complex or typical. Her demeanor was confident as she readied a stance and gave Shieo a “go-ahead” nod. It was time for this former dancing gypsy girl to become an official Genin of Kumogakure.

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[Shieo]

Coughing a few times quietly, the air was crisp this morning. While Kumogakure had winters, and it was; in-fact winter. The grounds were surprisingly green, given the coursing chakra and the heat a lot of the systems gave off; it acted as a sort of environmental stabilizer. Given this contrast, the area was filled with biting air, and warmth from their feet upwards. "As I'm certain you can see, today is a bit more traditional. Considering the formality of the Academy asking me to do this; I need to wield some level of conformity." After she arrived, and displayed the eagerness to proceed with the tests, he turned on his heel and started to slowly walk towards the first sets of obstacles. Continuing to talk, loud enough for her to still hear; yet his tone seemed to retained its flatness.

Stopping about ten feet away from a pitfall that one could wager was about a hundred feet long; across the pitfall appeared to be a log for balancing. The log itself only made it about halfway across the pit with a support beam to keep it held up. Past that, were ropes, diagonal wooden platforms to vault off; wires that strewn across horizontally in the air to cut off any advances and forced a person to think decisively to get past.
Once Suika got beyond that, she would notice blunted arrows firing towards her from hidden contraptions all with paint on the ends of them. For obvious reasons. "Your goal is to get across basically. Any falls, or mishaps (Arrows) you suffer will count against your total score. And finally, time will contribute to the lasting score of this particular trial." Stepping aside to reveal the starting position; he had appeared to be wielding a clipboard in one hand and a stop-watch in the other.

"When you're ready.... Set.. Go." With a droll voice, even his starting phrase lacked life~ But nevertheless, she should be starting. As the click of the stop-watch had initiated the clock.

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Spoiler

Shieo
Bahamut
Anything Italicized is Thought

 

[Suika]

Upon his go-ahead, Suika was off like a lightning bolt. Since time was a factor in her assessment, she decided to lean toward quick, on-her-feet thinking for this course. The obstacles before her, after a brief scan of her surroundings, didn't seem anything too special. Random instructors made them do similar drills all the time. If she played her cards right, she knew this was going to be a breeze.

She gracefully dashed across the log with no real issue of balance. Thanks to her first class with Bahamut and her eighty foot drop, she was unaffected at the sight of a deep pit below her. After crossing the wooden beam, she firmly grasped a rope in front of her and swung from platform to platform. While speedy, she still kept to her senses and held a conscious awareness of any hidden traps. She noticed the horizontal wires, so she tossed projectiles to cut them down before reaching them. This proved to be a bit difficult initially, but she was able to accomplish this with some finesse. “Onto to the next...” she muttered to herself with an extreme focus in her eyes. So far, so good.

Next in the obstacles were painted arrows firing every which way with no noticeable pattern. They were emitting from random contraptions. Knowing that the clock was ticking, she didn't have time to search for and eliminate the mechanisms. She just had to go, go, go. Suika was reminded, again, of her exercise with Bahamut and her dancing-style way of evasion. In a similar, but more refined manner, she entered her mastered Magenta Twirler's stance and prepared to enter a flow of swift dodge and precise deflection. She drew out two blades and made her way across.

'Ping, pang!' was a sound continuously echoed throughout the room as she slashed any arrows she couldn't dodge. She had a few close calls with a minor streak or two that brushed against her attire, but there were no direct hits. Finally, she made her way passed end of that course. She refused to celebrate just yet. She kept her wits about her and anticipated anything that her Chuunin instructor had in store for her. “Illusions, Bahamut... I'm ready.” she thought as she readied herself yet again.

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[Shieo]

And like a horse to the race; Suika went darting ahead. She held no bit of energy left unchecked, young and full of power behind each stride in the grand scheme of her physical capabilities. This was reflected with her advancement of movement, grace, speed, balance and the aptitude to adapt to growing pressured challenges.
Without a doubt however, Shieo had been quantifying her actions in silence. Each movement, the scuffs of paint across her clothing and how she handled things like the wires; while successful were still scrutinized based off alternative methods. After-all, she could be sure after the lesson she would have been told about such methods; as a shinobi needs to be stealthy, and maintain their quantity of tools for more dire situations- for such, he would tell her to avoid the strings rather than brute-force.

Once she came to the finishing platform; he had noticed she was rather on-guard. Which was good, although wholly unnecessary. After finishing his grading of this particular course; he had looked up and focused on an object near Suika. Which she would have come to notice when an audible 'fwomp' was heard. Revealing a Hiraishin kunai, and Shieo standing right next to her. "Not bad, passable for sure. Moving on..."

Without much hesitation, but a mere furtive glance to Suika to make sure she was in-tune to follow as he proceeded to walk towards a river-like course. It was clearly man-made, and intended for conditioned training; at the end of it stretched a small waterfall-- small in the sense of about a hundred feet up. Pointing calmly at the river's starting position, which was at the very end of the river; opposite of the waterfall. "Start there. Timed. Once you start, you must stay above water; and no stopping. Once you're at the water-fall it's a full water-walk vertical climb. Again, no stopping. Any slip, fall into the water or use of hands results in a point deduction." Sniffing once her gave Suika one more glance. With a subtle motion of one of his hands to usher to the starting point. "Once you're ready, I'll start the watch when you begin running.
Take as much time as you need to prepare."

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Spoiler

Shieo
Bahamut
Anything Italicized is Thought

 

[Suika]

It wasn't too long after her completion of the first course that Shieo transported right next to her with the aid of a shinobi tool. Suika rolled her eyes. “For someone so bland, he sure loves to flavor things up a bit. I'm not sure if he even realizes it.” The girl gave the bored-looking man an acknowledged nod to his praise. While she felt okay with her performance, she knew it could have been more clean. She didn't have time to dwell on the thought; her instructor began to explain her next task.

Suika sheathed her blades and took a deep breath. Luckily, she didn't expend any chakra during the last challenge. She had ample amounts to complete the next portion of the test. Again, this was also very reminiscent of her first class with Shieo. A huge portion of the class centered around chakra control on water. At the time, she relied on Siu's example in order to efficiently remain on top of the liquid surface. She utilized her limited skills to evade Bahamut's attacks on water and bounce off his aquatic blasts. That exercise left her body drained of her reserves and completely exhausted. Since then, she adamantly trained her chakra control in various, and sometimes harsh, conditions. She felt more than ready to put her hard work to the test.

Suika gathered energy on the soles of her feet and dashed down the river stream. That part was easy enough. Using her prior speed and momentum, she charged up the one-hundred foot waterfall. The first fifty feet was effortless due to her aggressive start, but what remained of the climb was a bit rigorous. Not only did she face the force of an opposing current, but vertical climbs themselves expended a lot of chakra. This required her to spend more than the usual amount for water-walking and generally led to chakra fatigue. Luckily, and through intense training, she found a solution what used to be an issue for her. Now proficient at controlling the flows of chakra in her body, Suika gathered a formulated quantity of chakra and only used what she had to. It was crucial that she did not let any excess chakra go to waste. The determined girl also lightly coated other parts of her body as she made her ascent. This helped her cut through the elevation of the climb.

She made it to the top of the waterfall and down the finish line without one hiccup. Her previous obstacle had a few mistakes, but this differed for the sole fact that she went through an even more difficult challenge months in advanced. Suika learned and grew from that class and the product of that was shown today. The gypsy breathed a bit heavily; she was slightly winded from that last push forward. Regardless, she was ready again for whatever Shieo threw out next.

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[Shieo]

As he observed in silence, there was a bead of sweat that slid down the side of his face; but this only occurred when Suika managed to get to the top of the waterfall. In his awkward moment of said silence, he felt a stirring and a voice in the back of his mind that was poisoned with ridicule. You forgot to release the logs... "Hn... I noticed." He muttered such words under his breath; as if snapping back in defeat at Bahamut.
While he had the conflict mentally, it was certain Suika would notice Shieo was taking a bit longer than his former glory to arrive. But rather he let out a deep drawn sigh; looking up to the student, giving her the acknowledgement of the success of the particular test, and begun to jot down her time and score based off the criteria of the event. Upon finishing the last little bit of the grading, he gave the young-student a furtive glance; pondering listlessly Despite all these students being so young, they've all shown such remarkable talent... Such is truly... All you feel?

Closing his eyes a moment, to take in the air and the words from his counter-part. Of course not- It's a shame they need to expend their talents and aptitude in a field of death. While perhaps they will find peace in their worth as a Shinobi; I can't help but feel the sorrow for them sometimes. After-all, not all of us wanted to be. Clearing his throat, he came to his senses after a solid twenty seconds of appearing to space out.
Without much differing from the last; he had arrived at the platform she stood on atop the waterfall, to once more a designated kunai. It's like he worked extra hard, to work less; a theme, one might find to be depressingly common for the young man. He then tapped a pen against his clip-board, and her grades a moment. Sizing her energy levels up, physical appearance based off strain and the like. Ending his pondering stares with a sniff, a quick glance to his clipboard... Pause...

Another sigh, as he tucked the pen into a holder on the clipboard. Tossing both aside and clapped his hands together. "Last test." Allowing some emphasis to his words to linger into the air, growing restless with the vicious sounds of the waterfall only meters away from them. "When you're ready." Something seemed unsettling; different than his usual demeanor, and it didn't reek of his usual foul play of Genjutsu. A tension, like staring and anticipating when an elastic will snap under too much pressure.

Without many words followed, Shieo had knelt down and dislodged the kunai he had planted into the wood that the platform consisted of. Tossing it very gently up a few inches and catching it a few times, like one might do when weighing a weapon. During this, his eyes didn't leave from the kunai; contemplating something-- All until he caught it and didn't toss it again, instead he twirled the kunai on the palm of his hand and caught the blade; gently enough to not draw blood or cut through his glove. At this point, he held the kunai out towards Suika. "To finish this all off. A Shinobi- or Kunoichi respectively, need to be able to assassinate anyone, and anything given the circumstance. Including their kin, teachers, friends and the like. Thus--" with his off-hand he started to unzip his flak-jacket, revealing his shinobi slacks underneath the protective armor. The clothes of course, served hardly as any sort of defense.

Clearing his throat once more, a bead of sweat coursed down the side of his face. As he stared at her with the dour, lethargic look he seemed to always have. "You should know what to do."

And without a word longer, he began to observe the student. What would she do? It was fairly clear what the instructor implied. And she just knew she was being graded somehow.

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Spoiler

Shieo
Bahamut
Anything Italicized is Thought

 

[Suika]

“Hm, he's taking longer than usual to show...” mused the girl as she remained in a defensive, readied stance. Her senses were directed at her environment in vigilance of any unexpected surprises. She didn't know what her instructor was up to, but she knew it best to be prepared for anything. That was until he finally poofed near her. Her instructor, Shieo, plainly jotted notes about her performance, she assumed, as he revealed that the next test would be the last. Before Suika could respond, he took liberty in unveiling the final portion of her exam.

Suika tilted her head as she shot an incredulous stare at her teacher. Was he serious? She then sighed to herself. She theorized that he was either jesting or simply ran out of obstacles to throw at the her. Regardless, the student humored him for a second. While she was skeptical of his intentions, Shieo usually proved a form of method to his madness. She made the hastened decision to take this seriously. Her magenta eyes glowed as he held out his kunai. What was she to do? She could do as he implied. All the gypsy would have to do was equip herself of his weapon and aim to attack. He'd probably stop her advance, anyway. She came to the conclusion a long time ago that she was no where near his level. That was an easy choice.

Contrary to this, she could feign sentimentality toward her instructor and refuse to inflict him damage. Shieo witnessed the monster inside Suika during her illusioned nightmare, so maybe that's what he wanted to see in her? Compassion... kindness... “But such isn't the way of the shinobi. That isn't my way, either.”

Her described contemplation, in real time, was pretty brief. It appeared as a matter of seconds when she unsheathed her own blade, pointed it toward the sweating, dull-faced man, and grinned in fueled determination. “No need to strip further, Mr. Grumpy Tired Man,” she twirled her knife and fell into an offensive stance. The man almost forced her into a corner, but she pushed back with her own resolve. “You are correct that shinobi, at some point, may have to make the quick, undesirable decision to the end the life of someone they have or had value in, especially if they pose a threat to our village and its people. You know, more than anyone probably, that I'm not exactly afraid to do that.” Her once confident smile shifted downward. Her eyes grew cold. “But, it is also a shinobi's duty to practice optimal discernment when reaching that irreversible course of action. It is unforgivable to rid this nation of its assets without complete certainty or an executive order.”

She tightened the wielded grip of her weapon. It was impossible to interpret what was flowing through the young gypsy girl's mind in that sliver of time. “I ask you, Shieo, do you mean harm to Kumogakure, its people, and me? If so, your wish for a swift end will be granted.” Suika sounded almost robotic, as if this village's ideals were now deeply ingrained in her head. This was the exact opposite of who she revealed when she first met the Chuunin. “Or enforce upon me an order to kill. Either will make do.”

Always formulating for the worst, Suika prepared a counter. She kept an awareness of everything around her as she had no idea what would follow.

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[Shieo]

Arching a brow as she begun her speech. Only left him to give off a gentle smirk- In almost an instant a level of control was felt in the situation; out of sheer power of will and the demeanor shift in Shieo. "You failed." Within' a fraction of a moment, Shieo had done something a bit unusual to his typical facade of character. With a twirl of his wrist, a flick of his thumb and he snatched the kunai in his hand, whom of which hadn't been disarmed. She would feel a haunting chill, like her blood had started to run ice cold. His body flickered in a blur and grabbed her weapon wrist with his free hand, with a snap of his own wrist forced her forearm upwards to be revealed in open-form and without hesitation drove the kunai through her forearm.

And there we have it...

While holding the weapon, the coursing of red blood flowed and he simply caught her eyes. A chill that resonated with Bahamut had lingered around Shieo, but his voice wasn't altered; apathetic and droll as usual.
He was in-fact himself, as he spoke. "To be frank. I suspected a reaction somewhat to what you did... And it has equated to a large loss in your grade-- But to explain, and allowing this pain to drive the point." He drew out the kunai, twirling it and throwing it to the wood platform, the splatter of blood spraying across it as it made a deafening 'thunk' to the growing tension of the air. "Do not claim to be fearless. You hesitated; not in action, but in word and ideals. You put too much thought into it; you're in the line of duty of shinobi... To resonate that term in your heart, understand. That means you kill." As he spoke, he quietly zipped up his jacket. And let out a deep sigh.

"I indicated you were supposed to act. It's not your job to sit around and wait for someone to pat your back and say it's okay. You won't always have that luxury. Or you might die yourself."

Clearing his throat; Suika would feel a wash of vigor come back to her. As if her blood liquefied and returned to warmth; if she had looked down at her wrist, there would be no wound-- Yet the agony resided, in a wallowing scream of what her body felt like a blade had drove through it. "You pass off talent, but you have a long ways to go to be sufficient as a shinobi. I hope to see you never succeed; but as a teacher-- Good luck."

Genjutsu. But definitely not a normal one... That was-- Advanced, Uchiha would be impressed. It wouldn't be right to disable her weapon arm, she needs to try not to die somehow... I won't be there to protect her.

Moments after saying good luck, he had retrieved a head-band and tossed it to her. His half-lidded expression seemed to size her up one last time, afore withdrawing his kunai from the wood platform, and then the clipboard nearby. Without much pace slowing; which wasn't all that fast to begin with he begun to walk towards the school. Figuring, out of everything she's been through~ That may have resounded the most, and perhaps giving her room to recognize what he meant. Was ideal.

Figure she'll hate you for that? That's the goal... I hate being a Shinobi. But my job is to foster killers; killers can't be nice and sweet. They should never hesitate to kill, to climb a ladder of death and corpses. It's what they're designed for, as sickening as it is... She will grow to hate it, or die trying.

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[Class Complete/Exit Thread]

Spoiler

Shieo
Bahamut
Anything Italicized is Thought

 

[Suika]

Everything that transpired was like a dream gone nightmare. It was instantaneous, too. Was this a genjutsu? What was real? The pain felt real and so did the blood that coursed down her pierced forearm. Refusing to give him the satisfaction of an agonized reaction, she bit hard on her lips. The taste of iron filled her mouth. “I'll kill you...” hissed the gypsy under her breath. Apparently, it was long too late for that. Her window of opportunity had faded as quick as the arrival of her instructor's reprimand. Her magenta eyes glowed furiously. She was ready to decapitate him.

Instead, she felt compelled to hear his speech. Maybe it was the earned, cultivated respect she had for Shieo that aided in her silence. His words were ice-cold; they were within the realm of a subzero climate. They were spoken in his usual stupid tone, but the content was nothing she would expect to receive from the teacher she had come to know. Rather, the man she thought she knew. As swift as it had occurred, Suika suddenly returned to an uninjured state. Unfortunately, the pain remained intact. She shook it off. The man followed with the news of her advancement. His wishes, however, were grim and uninspiring. Her expression was masked by the flurry of emotions that bounced chaotically within her. She remained blank-faced and conveyed no visible sentiment. She did not even react to the tossed headband and let it simply fall in front of her. The girl watched her instructor exit the premises.

“He's right. He's wrong.” she whispered aloud. She shifted her sights toward the motionless accessory that represented her promotion within the world of shinobi. Suika's determination flared as her demeanor was finally livened. Her mind was made up. “He's right that I did hesitate to end his life. I normally wouldn't care much, but I guess I did.” She grasped her blade and slowly twirled it as if examining its cut. What was she going to do? “He's wrong in assuming my ideals. My actions were based on a miscalculation. Unlike our first meeting, I overestimated him.” Suika, lacking the hesitation Shieo criticized earlier, suddenly tightened her grip of the pointed weapon and stabbed her forearm. The pain returned and so did the blood. She released a clenched grin. Has she gone mad?

“The lesson I was supposed to learn? Kill without thought. Apparently, that is the shinobi way.” The crimson essence bled down from her limb and onto the metal forehead protector below her. It's silver was now painted red. “It's a joke. Rather, it's the grand illusion everyone in this village is controlled by. Sadly, Mr. Illusionist himself can't even escape it. It's a powerful one, I'll give it that, but I'm done with the bullshit. I will no longer be puppet to anyone's spell. I will create my own way.” The now Genin crouched over and grabbed her Kumo headband. She then tucked it into her pocket and held tightly her injured arm. She purposefully missed her vitals and, thus, was free from any real danger. This was more symbolic to Shieo's failed reprimand and her desire to live life beyond the mental ambush that exhausted her so.

With that, Suika was off. Although unorthodox, she actually did learn an abundance under Shieo's supervision. Her time in the academy came to a intense close, but with that burned within her a new resolve. How would it manifest?

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[Class Complete/Exit Thread]