Enjoying good spirits[Class]

[Ryu Hime]

How quickly men have forgotten the ways of the distant past? Chakra is made from the combination of spiritual and physical energy, but before the age of chakra one merely used their spirit to preform miraculous feats. These practices have practically died being labeled as a dark ancient art. The manipulation of spirit is often forbidden in villages because of what such techniques can do. Kumo is not one of these villages for they willing accept these and other forbidden arts.

Under the veil of night on the day of the new moon Hakuren awaits in the gardens that is the Nimbus Delactatio. A campfire acts as a beacon in the darkness to welcome any who cares to learn. Hakuren being the person as she is drinks a glass of sake while she waits. She is curious if any of the students is brave enough to adventure to such a location at the dead of night. It would be disappointing if no one came, but it was to test a person’s desire. If they are afraid of the dark they are not fit for such dark arts.

 

[Kiri]

Sometimes it unnerves him, the way he would wake up at night with a surprise, catching his breath as if he’d run a mile. It wasn’t like he was running away from something, rather, he was trying to catch something. Most of the time, it would leave him unable to sleep again until the morning sun comes shining in the sky. That night was one of those as he sat on his small bed and looked across the small rented room. He had his back against the shut sliding window, void of any moonlight that may pass through. He spared a moment to out but it would seem as though the night wanted to stay as dark as possible and he didn't mind. He was used to it.

Somehow, unlike most nights, he knew what he was chasing for in his dream. The recent days of going to the library, of training, of reaffirming his conviction to be a shinobi, he had been thinking of one day discovering just who his parents could be if only he could access to the records from thirteen years ago. And already, he could tell that he would have to reach a certain rank, or at least be part of a certain organization given precedence to handle such information.

Anbu… the word resonated in his head as he remembered his classmates before had mentioned about joining it when he was still uncertain of his own goals. Now, more than ever, such goal was his.

After finally coming to terms that he would not fall back asleep again, he decided to go out. He would always take a walk at night, try and get a feel of the village as his new home. Sometimes, what you find at night were things unseen at day. The coliseum had a different light about it, and the games inside were probably less civilised that should be. The market that he would frequent outside the walls of it was closed save for some curio shops and some food stalls, but the customers that went by weren’t like those of the day. These ones had that dangerous or mysterious aura about them. Well so long as they didn’t cause trouble to the village they were allowed, he supposed.

But his heart was still not set on returning and trying to get some sleep once more. In the end, he found himself standing at the edge of the entrance to the forest. He had heard from some gossips about something going on in the forest at night, though he was sure it was just the upper classmen trying to scare the new guys in the academy. Nevertheless, he was piqued if he said so himself. With the last class, he had come to learn of new things, to venture to new frontiers, and the forest was becoming his second home as well.

Thus, he let his hand touch the handle of the small hammer tool that rested on his weapon holster as an act of assurance as he then proceeded to enter the forest. Venturing forth into this dark place, the gust of wind reminded him that the night air was different. He made a mental note that he should have brought his green jacket, but his white shirt would be fine for now. He was used to battling gales out in the open seas anyway. And the deeper he went, he saw a light flickering up ahead.

At first, he hesitated, but then his eyes turned sharp with conviction as he proceeded further to investigate.

---

Topic Entered. Joining the class.

 

[Airiko Yuzuki]

There were rumors that new lesson will be in the forest in the middle of the night. Some kids said it was a joke, but without any thinking Yuzuki simply went there. There is only one little problem. The blonde girl has a great ability to get lost in the forest in the middle of the day and now it’s a night time. So, what does Yuzuki do? And of course she gets lost. Yuzuki wonders through forest about an hour and she is getting angry now. Even if she tried to go home she could barely remember from what direction she did come.

‘’Why? Why? Why every damn time I get lost!?’’ She whines as she keeps on going around looking for something. She doesn’t even know what she is exactly looking for. Cold breezes her cheeks and she continues to whine under her nose quietly to herself. After some time of walking she sees light. Her face lightens in excitement and hope that a teacher is waiting for students by campfire. Yuzuki quickly moves faster to that direction, even if there wasn’t any teacher she hoped that there would be at least some people that could help her. Well, hoping that some people in the woods would help her is kind of naïve idea, but hope dies last. When she makes her way to campfire she smiles in relief, because she sees a familiar lady. Not so far she could see a figure which looked like another student.

‘’Oh! Good night! I mean, good evening!’’ Yuzuki laughs and makes her way closer to fire and squats down in front of it and stretches forward to warm fire, because her palms were horribly cold now.

 

[Amari Yasushi]

Yuzuki's voice is what had drawn her attention as she walked along to the class she was told to go to. Iolanta protested against her father's words not wanting to leave her brother home alone. He was not technically alone, her father was there too, but the young girl's father never paid attention to Mio, he never attempted to take care of him. But it was either take care of Mio, or her father pull her out of the academy so the young six year old would have to fend for himself.

Pushing past the bush leaves, Iolanta followed her friend's voice to the class, assuming correctly in the taller blonde was heading to the class as well. The girl had a good sense of direction, but she was taking her sweet time in getting to the class, slightly fatigued.

Upon reaching the little campfire, Iolanta remained in the shadows just outside the area where the fire illuminated. Her expression remained stoic; not wanting to show emotions. It was best for everyone if she didn't in her slightly cranky state anyways. Her eyes met Yuzuki's, the red headed boy, and finally her teacher's before she looked to the side, feeling slightly awkward. Iolanta just hoped that she wasn't going to be mistaken for shy again though it was more than likely going to be seen as it regardless.

 

[Ryu Hime]

She remembers the face of the first student to arrive. “Well look who we have here. The boy that thought I was a child.” Nanashi dug himself a hole with that comment and it was going to take a while for him to climb himself out. Before she could continue with her tongue lashing another student arrives. Nanashi was saved for the moment. “Yuzuki my former teammate, I’m a little surprised to see you this time at night. I assume you’re here for the class.” Hakuren then squints and stares into the darkness, “Is that another student out there. Please come near the fire.” Hakuren wave the person over. She then takes another sip of her drink. She was actually was a little surprised about the turn; considering the time of night it was, she thought she would hardly yet anyone. He she is with a normal size class for academy standards. Not to mention she recognized them all.

 

[Amari Yasushi]

Iolanta did not want to step into the light, but she did, reluctantly. It was only one step, so most of her face was illuminated by the light. The only thing she was told about this class what that it had to do with manipulation of spirits. The smaller girl wasn't so sure she was comfortable with the topic, but she needed another way defending and attacking others so she would have to deal with it. It did not mean Iolanta felt like it was wrong regardless.

The young girl made no sound, but finally looked up at everyone, clutching onto her right arm with her left hand out of habit. Standing near the fire was something she was not all for, at the moment. It wasn't that she was trying to be insubordinate, it was her natural instinct to avoid socialization, granted Hakuren was now her sensei and not her opponent, this type of friendly, or inviting aura, was the type she avoided for some odd reason.

 

[Airiko Yuzuki]

Yuzuki smiles at the redhead and waves her hand at him ‘’Hello there, I’m Airiko Yuzuki!’’ she says happily and then turns her head at Hakuren. It was nice to see familiar face like a sensei also there was such enjoyable friendly aura around. At this point it feels like simple campfire where everybody will tell different stories. Moreover, she was glad that class in the forest wasn’t a joke, because she would simply lost alone in the forest. The blonde girl keeps on smiling and nods her head ‘’Yep, I’m for class. It’s a bit strange to see you like a teacher.’’ She comments and giggles. Should she call her former teammate Hakuren-sensei now?

Yuzuki keeps warming up her hands till she sees her friend Ioalanta come from darkness. It wasn’t surprise that little girl didn’t give any face expressions, but today she looked a bit strange. ‘’Hey, shortie, don’t be so far away! Come closer!’’ Yuzuki says chirpily and pats ground next to herself.

 

[Kiri]

He was surprised when he reached the firelight in that forest that the first person he saw was a familiar face. Well, to be honest, he wasn’t expecting to see her and already he had a feeling deep within him that he had made a genuine mistake in their past meeting. This was to be affirmed by the other’s greeting, a quick recall of his mistake, to which Nanashi’s cheeks flushed redder than his hair if only there was enough light to illuminate it.

But then, the presence of two more students coming to the spot had helped eased his awkwardness. He quickly made it to the side, as quietly as he could, not really sure if he should be there or not, but when he heard the woman from before mentioning that this was a class, his interest was piqued. Was this about the rumor that floated in the academy? About a certain unattainable and highly secretive class in the den of night out in the forest?

Without further ado, everyone seemed quite eager to join this class. It somehow made things a little less eerie, in the way that the blonde was rather cheery or eager to start it. She did seem quite bubbly despite the darkness that surrounded them. Still, Nanashi kept a good long look at the supposed teacher before he approached her and bowed.

“I’m sorry for before. I didn’t mean to offend you,” he would say before looking away, still not sure to what degree were formal speeches were in Kumogakure. He has yet to completely learn of the customs around him. But he couldn’t contain his curiosity, “What sort of class exactly is this?”

 

[Ryu Hime]

Hakuren smiles at the boys question for it made the perfect starting point for her class. “I’m here to teach about an ancient art that has nearly became extinct.” The only reason she knows these techniques is because it has been passed down from generation to generation within her family. Hakuren does not belive this is good enough to keep the art alive. More must be taught in order for it to survive. She glances over to Yukuzi, “I am aware I do not have the appearance nor the personality of you normal teacher, but as a chunin I guarantee I am qualified to teach a class.” Nanashi would likely noticed that she has yet to really answer his question and she was aware of this. “Would it surprise you if I tell you shinobi did not always use chakra for jutsu? What energy do you think they relied own?” Hakuren hoped the third student would come closer for she felt like she had to speak louder than she was comfortable doing in order to make sure the student could hear her.

[OCC; I'm expecting one more person, so next post may be later than usual. That and I'm going back to work tomorrow.]

 

[Amari Yasushi]

‘’Hey, shortie, don’t be so far away! Come closer!’’

There it was, that nickname again.. It wasn't as irking to hear the nickname this time though, but she definitely did not like it. She stepped forward a little more, though she could hear perfectly fine. The smaller girl was also glad she wasn't noticed much by the red head; it meant for less conversation and not having to introduce herself. She was obviously still a little cranky from earlier.

“I am aware I do not have the appearance nor the personality of your normal teacher, but as a chunin I guarantee I am qualified to teach a class.


The girl listened as Hakuren explained herself, thinking nothing about her rank and more about this class she was going to teach. The red head seemed skeptical of it, and their new sensei seemed offended by a comment that he must have made earlier.

“Would it surprise you if I tell you shinobi did not always use chakra for jutsu? What energy do you think they relied own?”

As Iolanta remembered from her family's medical textbooks, and the history books they held onto from over the centuries, humanity has used chakra, stone, star, spirit, and elemental power to their disposal. The answer to their new sensei's question had numerous answers, and the young girl did not want to speak up in case she was wrong. Taking another small step forward, unconsciously, Iolanta listened intently, now more interested in the lesson than her previous urge to defy everyone.

“It could be anything from stone to the elements,” she finally whispered after no one answering the question. It could have been rhetorical now that she thought about it, but the raven haired girl spoke up regardless.

 

[Kiri]

He mused at the other’s way of being mysterious though he did pay attention to her words. Something about an ancient art nearly extinct. Quite a fascinating choice of words, he admitted, and this teacher surely knew how to captivate her audience well. Nanashi, despite his curiosity, would always be a bit more guarded, but she seemed both quite mysterious and very alluring all the same. Perhaps it was because he was beginning to think that what she meant by those words fell along the lines of regaining something that was permanently lost.

But then her next words would only complicate matters. Nanashi paused for a few moments as he tried to think on her words. Where else could a shinobi gather power from aside from chakra? Wasn’t it the fundamental energy of all beings? Even if he had only recently known about it when he had entered the academy, he had discovered that he had been utilizing it for most of his early life, so it was an absolute fact. But if her words are true and there is more to the shinobi world than he initially had known… ah he could hear his heart beat faster. Curiosity, intrigue and that nagging voice at the back of his head that was repeatedly telling him this was a chance to be stronger, to get stronger.

Why walk away?

The meek-voiced student seemed to finally speak up and tried to address the teacher’s question. Her argument was to be considered, but he always thought that even nature would have its own chakra. Therefore, if what the teacher wanted to ask was something that was not influenced by chakra itself then…

“Desire,” Nanashi abruptly said. “Intention… will… demons?” He was unsure but those were the only things he could think of for now.

[MFT]
WC: 302

 

[Ryu Hime]

Hakuren drinks the rest of her class in a single gulp and then shakes her head disapprovingly. ‘Did they teach nothing about the basics in the academy anymore,’ she thought to herself. She could tell the shy girl said something, but she couldn’t really tell exactly what it was, but it didn’t sounded correct. The boy was going all over the place with random guesses and her former partner remained quiet. With a deep sigh she gives the answer, “You’re over thinking it. Before the formation of chakra we of coarse used the two energies that are used to create it separately.” Hakuren wonders if they even knew chakra was made from a mixture of physical and spiritual energy. Perhaps she will have to do a lesson on charka later on, because not knowing that fact is unacceptable for a graduate. “Tonight I will be teaching you about using spiritual energy without tainting it with physical energy.” Hakuren pours herself another glass before continuing, “Any questions so far?” Hakuren was probably going to regret answering that, but she was hoping someone would ask they would want to use spirit energy separately.

[OOC: Takeo decided not to join after all.]

 

[Kiri]

Despite all the thoughts that he was trying to explain about the question that the teacher posed, of which he knew he was just trying to gather from what he understood so far and frankly he was a rookie by all accounts because he was far from being the prodigious student there was, he ended up speechless when the teacher finally said the purpose of the class. For starters he was quite glad that there was no need for summoning of demons for now, even if they were inside the forest. He had gotten quite a bit of an experience from Tesa and the Kyodo Clan for that.

Now, however, he decided to pay attention to the explanation and when the teacher asked for any questions, he raised a hand. “I’m sorry, but I’m still quite new to this. When you say spiritual energy void of any physical energy, I don’t suppose it is something different from what Ninjutsu arts are?” And that may pose a problem for him if that were the case. He may be better off with Ninjutsu and could hold a bit with physical combat, but if it were more complex than those, he might be in for a bit of a challenge.

 

[Airiko Yuzuki]

The blonde girl hugged her knees as she listened everybody say there guesses and then teacher finally answer. Yuzuki didn’t have many ideas about old ways of shinobi or about chakra in general, so she decided to stay quiet. The idea of using demons in the middle of the forest did make her shiver a bit. Besides that, she calmly continues to listen Hakuren and then her eyes flash in interest. Feeling quite intrigued by the topic the little girl was getting exciting. How they are going to do? Is it hard? How much time it will take to learn the basis? How such young women like Hakuren knows about spiritual energy so much? Quite few questions appeared in the little one’s mind and she quickly raises her hand. After the red head boy asks questions without giving time to sensei answer his she snaps her question.

‘’Can we make inanimate objects alive whit our spiritual energy?’’

 

[Ryu Hime]

“This isn’t a different type of jutsu, but a different style of casting it and yes Yukuzi is correct. As my father phrased it, it’s a style to bring life to the lifeless.” Hakuren knows the two girls have already seen her golems, but the boy has not and thus a demonstration was in order. She raises her hands to the sky, closes her eyes and takes and deep breath. She lets her spiritual energy float out into the air and the unseen force gathers moisture to form an entity. The being stood shyly to the rear of Hakuren almost hiding behind her creator.

The creature appears to be a girl made completely of water. A kimono adored her form which sparkled slightly as it reflects some of the light from the campfire. Within her hand was a small orb and around her floats small bodies of water. The floating water seemed to swim around her like fish, gently circling her in a fluid like fashion. However with Hakuren’s command she could easily turn them into blades. Standing barefoot on the grass, the girl looks at all the students and give a meek smile.

“This is Ame. She’s a Water Whip jutsu. Many has used this art form for darker uses by animating the dead. I particularly avoid such things because there are a bag of mixed emotions among the common folk. It is generally accepted here in the village, but not so much outside. So I warn you to follow that route at your own risk.”

 

[Airiko Yuzuki]

The blonde girl stared widen eyed in the awe of water forming into small female. Yuzuki stood up from her place and walked closer to water girl. ''Wow! That’s amazing!'' she yelps out wanting to touch Ame but doesn’t dare. Little girl’s mind crosses wooden wolf that Hakuren casted when they were playing a game few days ago. From wooden motherly beast to gentle water female what else sensei can do? It was amazing how sensei made give life to something lifeless look so easy to do. All that Hakuren did it was breath while holding her hand up. Well at least that was Yuzuki saw.

''How many of them can you make at once, Hakuren-sensei?'' Yuzuki asks curiously still looking amazed at Ame. Water whip jutsu probably wasn’t amazing or hard to master but Yuzuki never tried it and either way the blonde eyed girl probably had awful connection with water jutsu.

 

[Amari Yasushi]

The young girl finally sat down by the fire, interested in her teacher's words. Spiritual energy? Why would anyone want to use it, and why would it be forbidden? She watched in awe just as Yuzuki did, as she watched as Ame came to life. It was fascinating, and beautiful, and a technique that the young girl was more excited to learn as she watched.

“Many has used this art form for darker uses by animating the dead. I particularly avoid such things because there are a bag of mixed emotions among the common folk. It is generally accepted here in the village, but not so much outside. So I warn you to follow that route at your own risk.”

Well that explained the reason why it was forbidden else where. Why would anyone want to bring back what was dead? It seemed foolish and that it would unbalance the way of life. Iolanta felt a tinge of concern as Hakuren spoke. She definitely did not want an army of dead risen, but her faith that her classmates would be responsible with this power soothed over that concern just a bit.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Ame retreats from Yuzuki’s approach and attempts to position herself so that Hakuren sat between them. Noticing Ame’s nervousness Haruken tells Ame to have a seat. She then pours a glass of sake and offers it to Ame. Sitting next to her creator Ame graciously takes the cup and drinks its contents. Instantly the watery girl begins to so signs of calming down. Hakuren smiles and then looks towards Yuzuki who asked her an interesting question. “I am actually uncertain. I have never tried to summoning multiple golems simultaneously, only consecutively. Creating golems is very difficult and takes years of practice to perform. I have heard of people being able to summon an entire army but spent their entire soul in the process.”

 

[Airiko Yuzuki]

Yuzuki sits down on the ground where she could have good view of Ame but closer to the fire because the weather was chilly and Ame didn’t look like she was communicative. But one thing that young student didn’t understand and didn’t want to ask. Creatures that Hakuren-sensei created seemed to have feelings, which was quite strange. Does this mean that animated dead people had feelings too? So creepy and confusing…The blonde girl nods her head as a lady answers her question from. It looked so easy when Hakuren did that and this takes years to practice… It was kind of disappointing. But maybe one day she will be available to create golems herself? Yuzuki claps her hand and rubs them together.

''So, what do we exactly do on this lesson?''

 

[Ryu Hime]

“This is just a lecture class to see who is willing to learn. I would like to begin teaching the basics on a one-on-one bases. I’ll send each of you an invitation to a private class. As for now that concludes our lesson. You all pass. I wish you all sweat dreams.”

[ooc: Looks like about everyone is gone, so I'm ending this. Class has completed. Claim your rewards when you do your training. Make sure to link this in your Training Thread.]