Ninpocho Chronicles is a fantasy-ish setting storyline, set in an alternate universe World of Ninjas, where the Naruto and Boruto series take place. This means that none of the canon characters exists, or existed here.
Each ninja starts from the bottom and start their training as an Academy Student. From there they develop abilities akin to that of demigods as they grow in age and experience.
Along the way they gain new friends (or enemies), take on jobs and complete contracts and missions for their respective villages where their training and skill will be tested to their limits.
The sky is the limit as the blank page you see before you can be filled with countless of adventures with your character in the game.
And so the onslaught of information he wished for us to memorize proceeded. Not even I with my strange brain that seemed to remember the weirdest crap could keep up with all the variations and situations they were to be used in. Begrudgingly, I whipped out a notebook and began jotting down lack luster information on each of the suffixes and what they meant, and what they were used for. After she had finished, I exhaled loudly and looked at my awful hand writing, seeking the word to use for this old lady. What to use what to use... My eyes found the set of words "born before" next to sensei. To me it made most sense since the old lady would have definitely been born before me. "I would use Sensei to address her, because nothing else really fits." I explained lazily, twirling the pencil in my hand in a conic motion.
Taking out his small notebook, the cloud student began scribbling into its many lines all the things that he was learning; however, the boy also was having some issues with the scenario laid before him. Though, he didn't really have time to think about it before other student in the class began answering the question. Noticing there was a slight agreement on the word "Obasan," between two of the students, the small boy decided that was to be his answer.
"Sensei," stated the small boy, "I don't know for sure, but I think I'd also use Obasan."
A grudging apology offered and waved away. Jareshu was more interested in the term she had brought up. "Reifujin--not very commonly used, but appropriate for a married woman. It is not a suffix like -san, -sama, and so forth. In related terms, you have fujin and reikei, or joshi, as in fujoshi, a woman pervert. Gentlemen, do avoid fujoshi. It seems like fun at first, but things quickly go downhill. It is an excellent way to turn the tables on young ladies who like to bandy about terms like hentai and rapist when insulting you, though."
The confused girl asked, "Ummm, sensei, how would you address your guardian?" What a strange question, he thought, narrowing his eyes slightly on the slip of a girl.
"Well, Kaoru-chan... It depends on who he or she is. If my guardian is my parent or grandparent, then I would address them appropriately. If a distant relative or unrelated by blood or marriage, perhaps obasan or ojisan. It depends on your relationship--how close you are, how formal, what is the social distance between you? Those sorts of considerations." Given the lack of information she had given, he couldn't imagine a more detailed answer without making a great many assumptions--and in any case, he was loathe to spend more time on the subject.
Kahako had chosen the answer Jareshu had in mind. "Yes. If you are going to use obaasan to address a woman, choose your target thoughtfully--if you want to insult a middle-aged woman, it is an excellent choice to find out just how sensitive she is about her age and appearance. However, it is not inappropriate to use on a woman who really does look like your grandmother. Likewise, you can use ojisan to address an unrelated adult man, or ojiisan towards an unrelated, elderly man.
"It is true that certain regions use slightly different suffixes. This typically has roots in a difference in regional culture rather than a real linguistic divide--in other words, culture or the area's mores influence word choice. It is a good way of figuring out where someone may be from; slang, pronunciation, all of these things are influenced by where a person grew up and learned to speak the language.
"A more formal or a more informal culture will select different honorifics and use them with different frequencies. For example, the long-established practice in Kumogakure no Sato, until the last decade, was to use the family name of all individuals you spoke to or about excluding only your near kin and most intimate companions. These days, it is not uncommon at all to use and have used your first name, even in more formal circumstances. However, one should not use that as an excuse to be incautious. Many people still reject this level of casual intimacy and will not look favorably on anyone who calls them by their given name."
Kagatsuchi had decided to go along with the other homicidal brats, but was evidently choosing to practice his polite speech. It was certainly a better tone than he had adopted at the beginning of class. Maybe he'll manage to not be screened out of the village's forces after all, Jareshu mused. He nodded slightly at the brat and turned his attention to Zaku.
"Sensei, okyakusama, oishasan... Hm." Well, Jareshu really hadn't burdened the question with a lot of context.
"Sensei, I don't know for sure, but I think I'd also use obasan."
Jareshu nodded again. "A perfectly respectable choice, and coincidentally, Higa-chan and Uki-kun, what I had in mind. So, as you have all heard, there are a few good ways to curry favor and to court disgust--these things are influenced by how much space you create between yourself and your target.
"What do I mean by space? Social status. How far do you elevate your subject? Do you make it sound like you think the person is close in status to you? Do you let them know how far beneath you they are? These things can be accomplished by the manner of your speech and the way you address them. Using intimate honorifics will lessen the space between you, and in the case of diminutives, can place the person beneath you. This is only disrespectful when the individual truly is not your subordinate in status--using this tactic can yield dividends if you want to humiliate or sting your target, but it can also backfire tremendously. Tread with caution.
"Likewise, elevating someone on a pedestal can be an excellent way of manipulating them and giving yourself something of a halo effect; people tend to think more positively of individuals who treat them with courtesy and respect and, frankly, who say what people want to hear. You don't want to appear servile--unless, of course, you do--but appearing to agree with others is an excellent way to fly under the radar in a favorable way. There is more to the ninja law of passing unnoticed than mere hiding in the shadows. You must also don a social cloak as well.
"I think a story might help illustrate the point. You should have all heard of Chacellor Tachibana Ami. She is the head of the faction with legal, traditional authority over the nation in times like this when a new Shogun has not been elected by the eleven Daimyo. She has hired Kumogakure shinobi in the past to complete various missions.
"Over the summer, she hired a force of Genin as security for a convoy. As is customary, the two Genin met with our client, Tachibana-sama, to plan the final details of the operation. One of the Genin elected himself to act as spokesman for the team, and in addressing her, said something along the lines of, 'Lady, why are living in the stereotypical life like a stuck-up bitch?'"
Jareshu looked around the room. "Well, why don't you explain to me what is wrong with that sentence? I've told it to you exactly as it was told to me."
Tomotoya Sensei's answer did not lift Kaoru's spirits as she jot down the notes of his lecture thus far, but she still attempted to answer his question she raised her hand and said" Sensei what is wrong with that sentence is that you spoke to the client disrespectfully by not using san or sama, also you called her a "a stuck b****" Kaoru seemed to be content with her answer. She looked straight at Tomotoya Sensei and sat down, dazing out the window at the winter sky.
Shisou sat silently and listened to all the words that Tomotoya-sensei spoke. The man seemed to be very intelligible in his given field, and Shisou had no problem with listening to the entire lesson. The question posed at the end, though juvenile in nature, was not one that needed much thought to be honest. When dealing with people of a higher nature, sticking one's foot in one's own mouth usually resulted in a whipping, maiming, then hanging, and those circumstances are for higher ups that are only marginally higher than you on the social scale. Someone of the magnitude of Tachibana Ami would have the power to torture for years before the eventual death of the shinobi in question. There would be no recourse.
Kaoru spoke up first, and though her answer was not well spoken or loquacious in nature, she certainly had grasped the correct point. It had been disrespectful for the Genin to address his superior in that way, it would have been disrespectful for any man to address a woman that way. Once again, Shisou shook his head at the apparent stupidity of some people nowadays. Inclining his head once more,"I find it quite appalling that whatever bodyguard or security that Tachibana Ami-sama didn't disembowel the Genin where he stood before he could finish his statement. In the current state of affairs, if I am to be understanding the phrasing that the Genin used, it would not have been improper for the Genin to be first bludgeoned and then hung. There is no excuse for such behavior in any setting involving a person of such a glaringly higher station. Not only does that reflect poorly on the Genin and the team that he is championing, but it reflects horridly on our entire village as a whole. If we could not fill his lexicon with more than just petty words and trash, than how could we possibly promote him to any station above village dunce? I may have faults, but none as glaring as that." Shisou was as concise as he could be while speaking his mind, but it was hard to keep quiet when the face of stupidity did not even understand when it was being talked about.
Kuma had his notebook out and wrote down everything that the sensei was saying. Tomotoya-sensei gave very well spoken examples on suffixes on how to address someone higher, lower, or close to you. Kuma was happy to have a teacher like him. Kuma was brought up to know all this though, so he let everyone speak before he gave his two-cents. Inna still on his back, now falling asleep from hanging and hearing what the sensei had to say. Kuma just shook his head and gave a smile.
Once everyone had answered, Tomotoya-sensei asked everyone to tell him what was wrong about what he had said in the way he was told as well. Kaoru went first and her wording was a bit off, but Kuma doesn't nor has ever judged what another has said. Then went Shisou, who gave a really good thought. Kuma agreed to everything he said. It is disrespectful to call someone a bitch, even as a Genin. Shisou, in Kuma's eyes nailed the head on this one, but Kuma wanted to let his voice be heard this time. With that Kuma spoke up saying, "Tomotoya-sensei, I have to agree with Shisou-san. The Genin, if under my supervision would have been in a lot of trouble and I would have made him work for the lady for three weeks to make him understand that that is no way to speak to an elder. I am appalled by his behavior."
In fact, Kuma was so interested with this class, he wanted to know what the sensei would have done. So, Kuma added, "In this circumstance, if you were the leader of the team, what would you have done?"
(OCC: sorry I haven't posted in a while. been busy with school and work.)
Hikari tucked her flyaway hair back behind her ear and continued to write. Obisan. Elderly lady. Then as he presented the story of the genin her mouth fell open. The three students who spoke before her had it right, "Demotion, death, yes, that 'spokesman' brought great disgrace on his group, and his village. How awful." Something about it sounded off, though, "Now, sensei, such a statement taken out of context seems awfully bad. Perhaps worse than reality. Perhaps he misspoke... or provocation on the part of Tachibana-sama, not that that would excuse the way he spoke. May I ask, Sensei, what suffix did he use? Was it simply a misuse of one that you presented to us, or did he use an epithet?"
I tapped my fingers on the table with one hand, and was writing down 'Fujoshi'. I was going to save it for later use. Whom I would say it to, I wasn't sure, but it would most likely be a certain Santaru with unique hair color. The gods had dictated such an action to take place, so there was no way it wasn't going to happen.
The class continued with more personalized mumbo jumbo that I only half paid attention to. If it were up to me I would be at home in bed, dreaming about standing on top of a mountain shooting down jutsu at the enemies of Kumogakure. Oh wait, we didn't have any enemies. Strange... normally shinobi villages rivaled each other. Perhaps we were the only village like ours in the world then. Who knows.
It seemed my answer had brought some question the the man's mind, but I had not noticed. I was just waiting for the next portion of the class. I knew how to show people the honor they deserved, even if I didn't know the words for it. However, the discussion to take a turn for the interesting as he began to explain just how useful these terms were in conversation. Because everyone took them so seriously, I don't know why they would, it made it easy to flatter or piss them off. I began to pay attention more through a 4.834% increase in having my eyes on the man.
Then commenced a wonderful story about a genin who decided to pipe up against a rather important person in Lightning Country. We were posed with the question on what was wrong with the sentence. While there was a probable chance that if I were next to the boy, I would have thought the exact same words, I wouldn't have voiced them. "Sensei, whether it's true or not, it's disrespectful. One should be able to voice his opinion without sounded like drunken fool." I said simply, now somewhat interested in the class.
"It wasn't me, I promise," Jareshu gently reminded Kaoru.
"I find it quite appalling that whatever bodyguard or security that Tachibana Ami-sama didn't disembowel the Genin where he stood before he could finish his statement. In the current state of affairs, if I am to be understanding the phrasing that the Genin used, it would not have been improper for the Genin to be first bludgeoned and then hung. There is no excuse for such behavior in any setting involving a person of such a glaringly higher station. Not only does that reflect poorly on the Genin and the team that he is championing, but it reflects horridly on our entire village as a whole. If we could not fill his lexicon with more than just petty words and trash, than how could we possibly promote him to any station above village dunce? I may have faults, but none as glaring as that," fumed Kagatsuchi.
"It is certainly surprising. To be a fly on that wall," Jareshu mused aloud. "Alas, most exams have not been a test of a student's social graces, so he wasn't weeded out early."
Izumi piped up. "Tomotoya-sensei, I have to agree with Shisou-san. The Genin, if under my supervision would have been in a lot of trouble and I would have made him work for the lady for three weeks to make him understand that that is no way to speak to an elder. I am appalled by his behavior. In this circumstance, if you were the leader of the team, what would you have done?"
Everyone's diction seemed to be improving. Such is social pressure. Jareshu leaned back against the blank portion of the board.
"Well, if I were the Genin who so grievously misspoke, I probably would have committed honorable suicide after composing a suitably abject death poem. If I were his Main Branch superior, I would have demoted him from the field and banned him from missions, which chokes the life out of his pay and would likely cause him to either try harder or turn traitor. Obviously, he would be under watch, and any attempt to betray the village would be dealt with rather harshly by the powers that be. As a team leader, I would have given my most abject apologies on his behalf, and done my best to keep him stifled and distant from the client for the rest of the engagement--that is, if she did not cancel the mission right there and abstain from ever hiring Kumogakure ninja again. Fortunately, she needed us desperately, I think, or that could have been the result. As it was, our apology was probably quite expensive."
"Demotion, death, yes, that 'spokesman' brought great disgrace on his group, and his village. How awful. Now, sensei, such a statement taken out of context seems awfully bad. Perhaps worse than reality. Perhaps he misspoke... or provocation on the part of Tachibana-sama, not that that would excuse the way he spoke. May I ask, Sensei, what suffix did he use? Was it simply a misuse of one that you presented to us, or did he use an epithet?"
"As I heard it, so I've told you. He did call Chancellor Tachibana-sama a 'stuck-up bitch.'" He lifted his hands to give the phrase scare quotes. The crop gently flapped against the board. "What dreadful taste in insults. Moreover, simply addressing her as 'lady,' and in this context he simply meant the more polite form of 'woman,' not the noble equivalent, was insufficient."
"Sensei, whether it's true or not, it's disrespectful. One should be able to voice his opinion without sounded like drunken fool," Zaku added.
"Indeed. Moreover, his grammer was atrocious--the one I heard it from is a stickler for such things. However, you will all be relieved to know that the reprobate was evidently erased from existence. Some Seikon nonsense or some such.
"Anyway, I said we would discuss bowing. Bowing is an integral part of how we all perform our social status in this world. Some people say it's old fashioned, but even they still nod to others or kneel to a liege lord--or to propose marriage. A foreign salute--" Here Jareshu paused to demonstrate, standing stock-straight and bringing his straightened hand up to just above the corner of his eye, "Has become oddly popular these days, though," he dropped the salute and relaxed, "Its use in Kumogakure no Sato and Kaminari no Kuni has not become widespread."
He pushed the clean board back over the notes on suffixes.
"A bow, like a smile or a bared blade, can mean many different things depending on how you do it. What is the situation you're in? How deeply do you bow? How long do you hold it? Perhaps you're bowing to apologize, like the Genin in my story should have. You might bow in congratulations or thanks, or when you meet someone, or to acknowledge them. A bow can signal how high an esteem you hold someone in. You can use it to humble yourself, or appear to humble yourself. You can use a bow as an opening for a theft, an assassination, or to pass a secret scroll.
"So from least formal to most formal, let us review them. Most, if not all of you, know these things from natural observation, but you might not have ever given this ritual much thought.
"Today, as you came into the class, some of you nodded to me, some of you nodded to your classmates. This is a casual greeting--declining your chin approximately five degrees. This is essentially the least forward of all bows, so much so that you might not have even considered it a bow. This signal is used in many cultures, not just the dominant one of Kaminari no Kuni. You use it to greet your close friends or to acknowledge a subordinate. Perhaps you might use it to acknowledge someone separated from you by a crowd, or use an even shallower version to signal that you recognize someone you've seen... But you don't necessarily want everyone else around to know that you know each other.
"The 'eshaku' more of a real bow from the stomach or waist, and is shallow--fifteen degrees, classically speaking. It is more formal than a nod, but less formal than a keirei. You might use this for peers in your age-group at work who aren't your superiors, for some neighbors at your apartment block, or so forth. It's an all purpose kind of bow that doesn't take much space or time. You certainly wouldn't hold it long, and it's a good way to greet someone you've met but aren't really too close to.
"The 'keirei' is a truly respectful bow. You perform the keirei for people who are of greater status than you. It's twice as deep as the eshaku, and you hold it a bit longer. If you happen to informally meet a Sennin, a keirei is a solid way to start out on a good footing--you are telling him that you acknowledge him as your superior and that you respect him properly. It's an appropriate way to greet someone higher ranked than you whom you are meeting for the first time.
"Above the 'keirei' is the 'saikeirei,' which shows someone great esteem. Again, classically, this bow is 45 degrees and you hold it longer. If you are meeting a real, ranking royal, if you have committed a huge mistake, this is the bow of choice. Hopefully none of you will ever need to use this bow.
"Now, there are only a few positions you can go to from here... The sublime, elegant 'dogeza,' in which you kneel on the ground and place your palms on the floor and bow until your forehead touches the floor. In doing this, you either--or perhaps both--express supreme regret or utmost respect. You might perform the dogeza for a revered family elder or a great Daimyo or the Shogun. You might perform the dogeza for someone from whom you desperately need a favor or to apologize profoundly for some grievous offense. Someone who receives this bow will often accept how you have humbled yourself and feel generous--they may help you or forgive you. The dogeza is unusual, outside of religious rites, because it usually demonstrates that the one bowing has gone far outside of the norm for acceptable behavior.
"The most abject bow is essentially lying stretched out on your stomach with your arms before your and your legs together behind you. Prostration of this sort should make you feel utter shame, and honestly, is shameful to behold. We will speak no more of it.
"Once common among ninja, and still used among the warrior class, is the kneeling bow--right knee on the floor, right hand braced on your thigh, left forearm across your chest. This is not so often used these days, but is perfectly respectful."
Jareshu paused for a few beats, letting things sink in a touch before carrying on. "A useful way to add a more apologetic note to anything but the dogeza on is to hold one of your hands up like this." He demonstrated with his free hand, as though praying one-handed. "Two handed is less casual and more apologetic.
"Another note on bowing. When you bow, you break eye contact--usually. With the more respectful bows, this is obvious. With the nod, you typically don't break eye contact, and that's fine. Otherwise, you should be looking at the ground or at your shoes, or keeping your eyes closed briefly. Trying to maintain eye contact during most bows is essentially a way to try to intimidate the person you are bowing to--eye contact is control.
"That brings us over to the subversive use of bowing... Who cares to guess what I mean, or give an example of something that might be a subversive bow? You can demonstrate on myself or a classmate, if you like."
Kahako continued to focus on her note-taking. This caused her to take longer than usual to actually think of her answer. Just as she was about to speak, Tomotoya-sensei continued on with the class. She gave a mental shrug. She didn’t particularly mind the fact that she didn’t voice an opinion. It was going to be similar to most of her peers anyway. However, as the class progressed to bows, Kahako chose to remain silent, writing down each bow and the correct degrees. When Tomotoya-sensei asked for a volunteer she raised her hand. Her father told her that bowing was important in her family’s line of work. Although she always had issues with understanding different bows, she felt confident enough to choose an answer she felt was appropriate. “Isn’t a subversive bow one that means to undermine someone higher in status that you?”
She chose not to give an example. She was feeling particularly lazy today. Her mind went back to her mother’s letter. Obviously more interested in thinking of a response instead of showing an example. Besides, if she was right then Zaku or Shisou would surely find an entertaining way to bow to the sensei.
Miya's hand was getting tired as she wrote all the main points she felt were important. She felt that the man before was extremely rude to call someone of higher class a 'stuck up bitch'. She shrugged inwardly thinking about it and thought it was interesting to know that the man had been taken care of. She knew that if someone had insulted her in such a way, they would no longer be on this planet. She may be small but she was fierce when angered, and most of the time she didn't think about things before she did them anyways.
The sensei then moved on to bowing. She wrote each one down as the sensei explained it. He then asked his next question, "That brings us over to the subversive use of bowing... Who cares to guess what I mean, or give an example of something that might be a subversive bow? You can demonstrate on myself or a classmate, if you like." She did not understand the question. Subversive bowing. Subversive meant undermining or overthrowing the government. How could you do an undermining bow? Unless you bowed to a higher-up like you would to a friend.
"Sensei, I don't understand. How can you do an undermining bow? Unless, for example, I just nodded to the Raikage, keeping full eye contact. Because I am so young and far under him, he could come to the conclusion that I planned to overthrow him later on. Could you possibly give a better example or explanation of this?" She sighed and waited to see if another classmate knew what the sensei was talking about or until he explained it himself.
[/color]Karu's hand was flying over the paper as she took notes on all the bows Hmmm a subversive bow, never thought about it. She thought on this for a moment and then gave up she couldn't see any scenario except for Yosnaga - san's. She slipped her hand up and said"Sensei I would also like a deeper explanation on this, I don't quite understand what you mean by a subversive bow. Kaoru sat down and awaited for the Tomotoya's new instructions.
Unfortunately for Shisou, the teacher was accepting his answers with little to no rebuttal, which means that both held a similar opinion about the subject matter at hand. The thought of the two sharing anything made Shisou shiver inwardly, considering the fact that he had such an initially low opinion of the man in their first few moments. Shisou just couldn't help but stay aligned with the topic, however, for he truly did care about the fundamentals of etiquette; one generally tended to garner a healthy respect for a subject while its principles were literally being beaten into the skull with a bat. Shisou did mean that literally.
Shisou could feel the air shifting, the class almost seemed to be coming to a palpable end. The nature of the question had transformed from a probe of generality to an intense look into the intelligence of the class. Tomotoya-sensei was clearly more skilled than he was letting on, and the gradual increase in difficulty was clearly weighing on the class. Though Shisou did not pretend that he knew everything, but he did know that he would give no answer before embarrassing himself.
"Tomotoya-sensei, a subversive bow, to my understanding, would probably, in a real world application, be something that Daimyo Amakusa Ryuu Ro Kaminari would do to any individual he sees as a threat to his current plans of elevating his status to Shogun." Shisou stood up then, "He would never openly display his vehemence towards someone of equal or higher status, or he would be stripped of his rank and potentially imprisoned. Therefore, to show his openly combative spirit in a more 'proper' manner, he would bow something like this to a person of higher or equal status to himself." Shisou bowed then, slightly deeper than a keirei, but not the full forty five degrees needed to be properly respectful. All the while, Shisou kept his eyes dead set on Tomotoya-sensei's eyes; Shisou was bowing towards his teacher after all. "Such a small margin of error would not have been publicly viewed as malevolent, but anyone in the room with Ryuu-sama may see his actions for what they truly were: a challenge." Shisou returned to his original seated position, and settled in for a moment. "This is the only knowledge I have on such a bow, if I am missing anything, please enlighten me. I have not had a proper teacher in this particular subject matter... for many years." Shisou left it at that and inclined his head to imply the end of his speaking turn.
OoC: I am given to believe that the war occurring is a bit of public knowledge, at least the outer aspects of it. I used that to my advantage here, and I hope that it is not entirely incorrect.
As Sensei spoke, Hikari wrote and did little diagrams. This bow that bow and its appropriateness. Then Sensei began to speak abour the"Subversive bow." and how they could demonstrate using either him or a classmate. The only one Hikari knew in class was Zaku, who seemed a bit of a goofball. Hikari turned to her friend with a cheeky grin and she stood. "Oh hello! Zaku san" She said dramatically bowing in an overly dramatic matter, "How do you do?" Her arms flared widely and cheekily, then out of the corner of her mouth she hissed, "Play along, Zaku kun,"
As she performed, she said, “Such a bow might be disgracing to, for example, Zaku, because I have taken what is traditionally deeply respectful and made a mockery of it. It is clear that though I use an honorific, I mean the opposite of it. The bow is sarcastic. And so brings dishonor rather than honor.”
She straightened up and smiled at Zaku to make sure he was OK with the demonstration.
Due to my bad taste in posting this round up right before a holiday, I'm waiting an extra day before starting the next round. Please go ahead and post if you planned on doing so!
So much hub bub about showing the proper respect through bowing. But by this time, these actions were no longer about respect, but tactics for manipulating people. So I noted the different types, and the proper way to do so. It seemed strange to me however, to do such a thing as a ninja. But Hikari quickly took to demonstrating a bow toward me in the most obnoxious fashion and disrespectful fashion. I stifled my laugh and shook my head quickly standing up and giving her a BOOP on the head. But I would make fun of this, yes I would! I too began a bow to her, but instead I flipped her off with my middle fingers starring straight into her bright eyes, a wise smile on my face. But once I was done I would sit down and face the Sensei and propose my question. "As ninja, wouldn't it be hazardous to take our eyes off of potential enemies with a bow of respect?"
Hikari rolled her eyes at the BOOP, and when her friend sat down she BOOPed him back with a giggle, completely ignoring his middle finger, and sitting back down, "I think, Zaku you should know..." She feigned a whisper, "Ninja have more than one sense." She brushed the hair back out of her face and said, "Besides that, sometimes it is useful to appear not to be watching a target even when all other senses are trained on him." She raised an eyebrow, "Chakra for example. Hearing? Scent. Scent is often quite useful for those of the 'male persuasion'." She used finger quotes as Sensei had, while mocking Zaku's earlier words. "Of course, if your target is aware that you're watching him, he's likely another ninja, or you're being overly obvious, and then you have bigger problems to worry about than whether or not to bow so you can't see their faces." She said in an almost uncharacteristically dark fashion.
Continuing to write every little thing that Sensei was saying was beginning to cramp Kuma's hand a bit. Though, he was excited to learn what he could. Rin had said that he would have demoted the genin and ban him from missions. A reasonable punishment for someone, but Kuma would have done the suicide because he wouldn't want to be a laughing stock.
Sensei then began on bows and how to properly perform one. Having a lot of respect and showing that respect for those of higher status than Kuma, he would perform the "keirei." A deep bow with a long hold to show that respect is being shown. As Kuma was writing, the sensei asked to see who can do a subversive bow. At firs t no one did, a question came from Kahako though, "Isn’t a subversive bow one that means to undermine someone higher in status that you?" Then Miya asked if the sensei could give an example. Kuma though that would be nice to see, just so he could do it right. With no one still giving an example yet, another question arose, this time from Karu. Next to say something was Shisou, but not only speaking, he gave a bow. It was deeper than the "keirei" and as he said the person wouldn't do it to someone of equal or higher status. Kuma thought it was a great performance shown by Shisou.
Kuma wrote the demonstration Shisou gave down in his notebook for an example. Kuma noticed Hikari get up and do a bow to Zaku, which she explained brings dishonor. Zaku returned the bow, but with a very disrespectful gesture, then sat back down and asked if taking eyes off an enemy be hazardous. Again, Kuma thought that the question asked was interestingly awaiting an answer.
Kuma wanted to give it a try, he rose from his seat and got down on one knee to the sensei. Put his left arm on his left leg and bowed his head.
"I saw my grandfather do this to my grandmother once when he mistakenly did something wrong. I am not sure what it is called, but I would like to know if this is a bow you are talking about." Kuma asked. He then got back to his feet and sat down awaiting answers to be said.
“Isn’t a subversive bow one that means to undermine someone higher in status that you?” Higa asked.
"Yes, that's right," Jareshu replied. When an example was not forthcoming, he looked around to the other students. Surely one of the resident clownishly homicidal brats would be happy to mock stupid sensei or tease a rival.
"Sensei, I don't understand. How can you do an undermining bow? Unless, for example, I just nodded to the Raikage, keeping full eye contact. Because I am so young and far under him, he could come to the conclusion that I planned to overthrow him later on. Could you possibly give a better example or explanation of this?"
"Sensei I would also like a deeper explanation on this, I don't quite understand what you mean by a subversive bow."
"Take a broader look. Subversive means something intended to subvert, that is, to overthrow or undermine. That does not necessarily mean to overthrow the entire government--you could be undermining the authority of an institution or an individual. You make a mockery of your target, an object of humor or derision, and thereby wound the target's authority and influence. The psychological effects on your audience--which, by the way, includes yourself and your target--can be quite great. Let's say you do nod at the Raikage, and that if it came to blows, you have the power to survive or even kill the Raikage. By acknowledging him at best as an equal, you have sent the Raikage a message that not only do you not fear him, you do not respect him as one should respect the Raikage. Perhaps you are even signaling that you do not respect the office of the Raikage itself. Others who see this might be emboldened by your actions, especially if the Raikage does not respond or if his response is ineffectual. You yourself would also feel a boost of confidence in your own power if he were unable to directly put you in your place." He felt that was a pretty thorough response, if he did say so himself.
Shisou chose that time to give an excellent demonstration along with some vague comment about many years. Considering that the kid probably didn't even have hair down there yet, Jareshu smirked... Inwardly. Open derision was only useful occasionally.
"Precisely, Kagatsuchi-kun. I hope that Kagatsuchi-kun's demonstration and the context he gave illustrates the principle to the rest of you." The praise was likely meaningless to the boy, but perhaps being a good example would provide him with a positive sense of mastery that would keep him from turning into yet another nukenin or wannabe Kage assassin.
Hikari followed up with another example, this one much more humorous than her dour classmate's.
"Tanaka-chan provides another good example. This one is more overtly humorous and pointedly mocks the target. An excellent way to break down someone's self esteem or push them off balance, but don't do it to someone with significantly more power than you yourself have or you will likely find yourself on the floor."
Zaku responded with a pop on Hikari's head and a question posed to Jareshu. "As ninja, wouldn't it be hazardous to take our eyes off of potential enemies with a bow of respect?"
"Life is dangerous. But if you meet an enemy worthy of your respect, why not demonstrate that if you have already revealed yourself? You also bow in the dojo; that is, however, not a bow to an enemy, but to your partner. Tanaka-chan is correct again--you have other ways of detecting enemy movements. A ninja would not be surprised simply because he could not see his enemy. You must develop all of your senses or you will surely meet your final defeat early," Jareshu emphasized.
Kuma also demonstrated a bow--but not one meant to insult its recipient.
"That is the hizamazuke dachi. I didn't name it earlier, but yes... That is another traditional military bow. Certain martial arts schools also use this bow as a salute.
"The bows I mentioned before were mainly standing bows. There are also sitting bows which are performed from the seated position--when you are kneeling on both knees, as though performing zazen. Just as before, the various depths indicate the level of respect classically offered to the recipient.
"I'll give some tips, and then we'll move on to the next part of class. As I mentioned, looking up at the person you are bowing to is rude. Your eyes should be fixed before you, which means if you are doing a deeper bow, you will be looking at the ground. Your hands should remain at your sides--but naturally--and never just slap them to the sides of your legs, that's weird. Your back should be straight, and don't bob your head. The motion should appear natural and effortless. If it's hard for you to bow, your inner muscles are weaker than an old woman's. If you are bowing from the seated position--zarei--your hands will slide forward from their resting position on your thighs until they are before your knees. The deeper the bow, the closer your fingertips should be to each other.
"Now, moving on... Apologies. I have outlined how to address someone, and how to bow, and how to bow apologetically. Now for the final step. I am supposing that you wish to at least appear apologetic, as I believe you all understand how to apologize insincerely. First, you must accept responsibility, and perhaps even accept a greater amount than what you truly owe. Determine what went wrong and your role in it. Did you fail a mission? Did you hurt a loved one? Break a promise? When did this happen--was it recent, or a long time ago? How great was the harm done? Sometimes, you may not have done something wrong, but you've hurt someone anyway and you regret it. Perhaps you've offended someone and you regret it. Simply apologizing for the feeling the aggrieved party has will likely mean that they will not accept your apology as sincere. In general, it is best to accept responsibility for unforeseen consequences.
"So own the mistake. If you want to regain respect with the offended or harmed party, or with tangentially related parties and observers, take complete responsibility--don't try to share the blame, or mitigate it with explanations. A heartfelt apology--or a heartfelt-seeming apology--is unreserved and timely, offers no excuses, is complete, and from you. Never send an intermediary to tender your apologies. If you must, send your apology via letter--but the best apologies are delivered personally. Remember that an apology with an excuse is not an apology. At best, those are weasel words. They are unworthy of anyone who wishes to represent the village. A lie would serve your honor and purposes better. Remember: if enough people believe it, it becomes truth.
"Then comes timing. Everything comes down to timing, from assassination to extortion. It is not always a good idea to apologize immediately after your mistake, especially if it is immense and you need some time to think and cool down yourself. If you offend someone inadvertantly--or perhaps purposefully--a quick apology is good... The greater the offense, though, the more likely your apology will be delayed.
"You may find that formulating an apology is challenging. Don't be ashamed to research the classics if you have the time. Write things down and revise them until the words feel right to you. Practice. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Start with what went wrong. Include no qualifiers--no ifs, ands, or buts. No excuses, no apologizing for how the person feels--don't blame them. Acknowledge the effects or potential effects of your actions and take responsibility. Then say that you are sorry. Be direct. Use active language--"I am sorry that I hurt you. I am sorry that I have failed Kumogakure. I am sorry that my team and I destroyed your hydrangeas during practice." Saying something like, "I'm sorry if I seemed mean" is pushing the blame off; so does "I'm sorry you were offended."
"Then it is time to make amends. Outline your plan for setting things right--if you must make someone whole again, this is a good time to say how you will do so--and how you plan on avoiding your error again, if possible. Then, thank the person--for their work, or for their support, or their love, or whatever. This part depends on your relationship with the person or organization to whom you are apologizing.
"Lastly, ask for forgiveness. We all live together here and we work together. The firmer your relationships are with the people around you, the less hindered you will find yourself and the more resources you have to call upon when you need them. Your social bonds are extremely important. Those who turn rogue are almost always isolated from their peers, have few, if any, positive relationships, often have little or no family, and feel abandoned or unappreciated. By extending yourself to others, you are doing your part to keep the village whole. Those who give also receive--positive overtures are generally reciprocated."
Jareshu scratched his chin. "Well, I suppose the real last thing is that sometimes you must be patient. The person you apologized to may never accept your apology, or may simply require time. Leave the potential for reconciliation to occur. That does not mean you need to bend over backwards for them; few events are appropriate to hold against someone for the rest of their life.
"These directions are vague as to specific situations, but because of that, they are flexible enough to guide you in any situation, from apologizing to a lover to apologizing to the Torre Celeste.
"I believe we have already demonstrated some apologies, so instead, ask any questions you may have before we move to the end of the class."
Her memory proved to not fail as Kahako wrote down a quick definition of subversive bow to ensure she would remember it this time. Lazily, she flipped the pen between her fingers as the others took their turn to either answer or express an example. She apparently wasn’t the only one among her peers that didn’t know how to approach the question before them. Both of the younger girls in the class inquired for Tomotoya-sensei to expand upon what he meant, and she only listened lazily to his extended response.
The Kagatsuchi kid, she had forgotten his first name by this time, seemed to have been the first to provide an example that met Tomotoya-sensei’s expectations. The eye contact would have been picked up by anyone in the class, but Kahako did take note that his bow was deeper than the normal keirei. ‘Has he’s had similar training as me?’ she thought as he was praised by their teacher. The vagueness of his last statement perked Kahako’s interest a little, and she tucked the knowledge away on the off chance she conversed with him in the future.
Hikari and Zaku’s exchange allowed her to crack a wide smile. After Tomotoya’s response, she whispered quietly over Zaku to Hikari. “I wonder what ‘scent’ persuades Zaku.” She said with a joking smile, going along with Hikari’s jab at the blonde between them. She was only teasing Zaku lightly because of his shenanigans with her pocket the other day. Honestly, she was relieved to have the two of them in class. They both made the class lively when it would otherwise have been boring. Remembering the experience, she smiled and refocused her eyes to class, keeping her ears open to Hikari’s response in case she gave one.
She noticed the boy returning to his seat, and allowed her smile to fall a bit when Tomotoya-sensei acknowledged it as another military bow. She quickly added ‘another military bow’ to her small list, but since she missed what it was, she didn’t add anything else.
As the class continued into its next section, Kahako’s attention began to wane. There was a decent portion of knowledge she knew on the subject, but still she didn’t feel like the class was a complete waste of time. She didn’t add anything to her notebook. She felt as long as apologies were truly heartfelt, how they were expressed shouldn’t matter as much. There could always be an instance where more than just an ‘I’m sorry’ was needed for the victim to understand or forgive the transgressor.
Kahako’s eyes vacantly scanned the room as Tomotoya-sensei mentioned the importance of bonds with one another. She had been taught the importance of ‘networking’ with clients and fellow business owners. She knew the importance of connections for oneself, but she didn’t think about their importance to her community. She didn’t pause to think about it more at the present time, however. She wanted to get out of the class, and write her letter to her mother. So, with the final call for questions, she tucked the letter lightly back into her notebook and closed it. She waited for any last comments and concerns from her fellow peers, itching for freedom.
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