Let's Get Down To Business (Class/ Eiji & Ryuichi)

[Kiri]

As they would enter the coliseum's training grounds once more, Uri checked on his watch. He was certain that it was almost time to meet the other one.

It was just yesterday that he was called by his guardian once more to get the update on the Ryuichi kid and he thought it would only be that. However, much to his surprise, he learned that there was another. One boy was one thing, but two at the same time felt a little straining. In fact, wasn't Ibaraki-san being too trusting of him? Or perhaps it was just another part of some kind of test. Either way, it wasn't like him to give up halfway.

He told Ryuichi to grt ready and wait by thr center of the training field. They were surrounded by walls though the roof was open to let in the sun. It was almost noon and he knew the day was just starting. After a brief welcome to Ryuichi earlier, it was finally time to see if the boy had learned since their last encounter, and to see if this new one had it in him to join the ranks.

And so while the boy busied himself, Uri found a nice comfortable place to sit by the stands. He took off his jacket and gave a stretch before settling down with a lollipop. He counted the seconds before the new kid appears. And as part of the test, he better make sure ambushing Ryuichi would prove entertaining.

[WC: 408]
[Post: 1/5]
[Requesting Eiji and Ryuichi in that order]

 

[Keigo Oen]

The Colosseum. The place of battle. Where rivalries ended. Where they were spun together like thick webbing of a black widow. The Colosseum. Where the masses would find their fun and the warriors that fought would find their purpose in the glory of the crowds roar. It was a place where Eiji would find himself with his father from time to time. Learning more about the arts of being a warrior for the land of Kumogakure. Studying strategy, and applying that to his quizzical investigation of shinobi-hood. Eiji was a boy putting his entire will into becoming the best shinobi the village had ever seen. Someone that could be trusted, to be able to bring comrades out of battle in well conditions. He knew now that things would never be perfect, but Eiji would do the things necessary to bring his friends home.

"Man... this is such a pain...", speaking in a monotone droll, "...I didnt think I would be fighting day one back... but I guess I got no choice... Pain in my ass.", shaking his head he'd press his hands into his pockets pacing into the spot where he was told by his father to meet his instructor. It would definitely be a new experience as he carried with him the crest of Bazu in a necklace he wore around his neck, his attire was a dark grey jacket with orange lining on the zippers and typical Kumogakurian academy attire, nothing flashy aside from the jacket which held his family crest on the back.

"Oioi, Sensei. I'm here. Endo Eiji reporting for class.", nodding again he would remove his hands from their enclosure of his pockets, to give a lazy wave. He wasnt often like this, but the first class back was always a drag to get through. However, he felt like he would be reinvigorated by the end of this...

 

[Otani Ryuichi]

Ryuichi stood in the middle of the Colosseum as told, and looked back and forth for a few seconds. "So I just....stand here? what's the catch?" he asked, not knowing what the plan was. Was Uri gonna attack him with those shadows again? Would this be day one all over again? The young boy shivered at the thought of getting hit with a weakened water dragon again, and decided to put up his guard, ready for whatever Uri threw.

Then another boy around his own age. Had he just entered, or was he here the whole time? Regardless, he didn't seem hostile so Ryuichi loosened up. "I'm here too!" He said with an exaggerated wave. . "Name's Otani Ryuichi. You another student?" He looked back and forth between the new kid, and Uri expecting some form of answer.

He wondered exactly why someone new was here, and why he had been given no info previously. "If so, then it's nice to meet ya." He said, taking off his blue-green scarf, balling it up, and throwing it as far as he could in the opposite direction. It landed unfurled several yards away from the walls, where it would stay for now.

It was pretty obvious that recent training had payed off due to his improved posture, more dignity in how he held himself, and a looming increase in chakra that the naked eye couldn't notice. Though he still had leagues above him it was obvious he had at least improved a little since day 1. He looked to Uri, and smiled. "So.....now what?"

[wc:264]

 

[Kiri]

Uri raised a furtive brow. His students came together in a rather strange way. Didn't he instruct the new one to lay an ambush? Well, he could understand any apprehension, especially for the new kid. And since he wasn't wearing his mask, he couldn't really afford to force something with an anbu threat. Heck, he was still cautious on who was allowed to know such things.

He glanced between the two and then shrugged. "I dunno. This is a training ground, not a socials party. What do people do here? I'm fairly certain it's not giving out business cards and trading gifts." He was close to reaching his no-care attitude, probably because he was suddenly feeling lazy. But then a voice reminded him of his work and so he stood up and patted he dust off his pants.

Before anything else, he lit his hand in blue flames as blood drew unnaturally across the palm from severed tissues and and he made a sign. Quickly, there was a spark and then a yellow stream of light rushed from behind him. It shot to the sky before it revealed itself as a bird of sorts. But without a care or warning, the bird suddenly released itself into multiple sites and started to swipe at the two boys in succession.

"Okay lesson one. Try stopping Karura. Every hit you suffer equates to okay additional hour of this. Originally, I intended to see how you'd fare in just one hour. But now, I think it's best to see how far you can go with penalties." Said Uri before going to sit again, this time propping out a small book from his pocket that read "child rearing 101".

 

[Otani Ryuichi]

Uri's usual monotone, and emotionless reaction to the new arrival didn't seem to phase Ryuichi in the slightest. He's only known Uri for a little less than a week, yet this was already known as the usual. However, before the white haired boy could respond, Uri flashed a few hand seals, and a bird appeared before his eyes, and sent the flock flying towards the two students from all directions. They started to cut at Ryuichi's clothes, and seem like a blur rushing past with the naked eye.

The white haired boy was barely able to avoid several, even punching one out of the air. Then he felt the beak of one more barely pierce his skin from behind, causing him to react quickly. He vanished into a puff of smoke, and several feet away he could be seen from another vanishing cloud of smoke. In his place in the flock of birds was the large rock he panicked to switch with, which fell to the ground after a brief moment of suspension after it's location swap.

Ryuichi pulled out two shuriken, and threw them at some stray birds that flew at him, both hitting the targets he had intended, and having the two birds fall to the floor. He was now a reasonable distance away from the flock, but now he had the body-switch technique's time limit on him, and the birds would soon close in on him again.

Remembering that were was another kid with him, he looked into the swarm of birds trying to find Endo. Did he have any tools to get out?

[wc: 267]

 

[Keigo Oen]

His hands tucked firmly in his pockets he would find himself a way to listen to the male before him. Tactics seemed to be the way to go about this, he knew he was supposed to jump out and surprise the proctor, but something like that would never work. He would be pulling no points to get thrashed by putting all his work into a single few blows that he'd maybe be able to land but his jutsu was weak right now, hell he'd not even practiced jutsu on a real basis until a month ago before re entering the academy. Alas, Eiji would nod, but looking over to his white haired comrade he would see that things wouldnt be as they needed to be, in a perfect world, they were going to get pummeled. Thrashed. Victimized. However, Eiji had it on his own mental authority that this was the way of some proctors and shinobi teachers.

'Alright... I'll show you what I've got!' Eiji would think to himself trying to mentally picture the moment and rehash ideas to support his decision to attack from which angle. Like a game of chess Eiji would look down on the pieces on the field. Right now, they were pawns, Ryuichi and He were, Against what could be known as a Knight or a Rook. It was possible to pin a Rook down with Pawns... but if this were a knight? They would have to have a bit of luck to maneuver and take this male down. So he would watch as the birds would all appear around him and his comrade. 'Alright no Doton...' then they would be relentlessly attacked but Eiji saw his opening as Ryuichi would switch with a log, Eiji would draw a smoke bomb from his jacket before moving back into a new position, boulders were scattered along the field and in the hustle and bustle Eiji would toss his jacket behind one of them and holding his remaining two smokebombs coupled with his short supply of other ninja tools.

He could see Ryuichi from his position, but he wasnt close enough to send him any signals, so Eiji would prepare himself placing his bombs in his belt pouch before forming a few handsigns and pressing his hands against the ground. "Doton: Juri Henka.", he'd smirk as the jutsu would be aimed for the last known spot for the proctor to have been before sending the birds to attack them! 'C'mon Work... Work!' all Eiji could do was pray!

[Gravel Shift - Used.]

 

[Kiri]

As he watched the boys get down to business, Uri made sure to keep a close watch to their capabilities as well as any progress. Any encounter held a possible growth in it, and even if this was Eiji’s first interaction with him, Uri was hoping the boy would meet his expectations. As for Ryuichi, he simply counted the times the birds hit him, wondering what else the boy had in his tricks. The body-switch replacements were quite rough around the edges, but they worked well enough to deter straight-on collisions. Karura, the fiery spirit bird was calm as it hovered over Uri’s head while it directed the many birds in the onslaught.

Just then, Uri caught sight of the smoke bomb and felt Eiji move in the cover. He had a feeling the boy was trying to get him into this fight, and as much as Uri wanted to let Karura handle this one on its own, would he simply stand there as a target when he was the next one being assaulted? He didn’t wait for the boy as he took a few steps forward to his direction and met him head-on. His eyes glowed, the crimson color coming to life as he faced the incoming earth jutsu. Then, in a split second blue flames erupted from all over his body and sent a radial shockwave all around them, searing through the earth and potentially turning it bits and pieces of dust, while blasting away the boys.

At the wake of it, Uri stood there with tongue of blue flames licking around his shoulders and pants, a frown across his face. “Fine. If you want to involve me in this, I’ll have to oblige. Just a warning, though, my flames will bite you if you're close enough,” said the redhead as he suddenly gathered up chakra around him and dispersed it into the air. At first, it would seem as if nothing happened, until the atmosphere around them began to feel extreme hot and dry. In fact, the ground seemed to lose its moisture and some of the ornaments around the training grounds began to crack from a strange heating pressure. More importantly, it may cause their bodies to agonize with a heat emanating from within, as if they were being dehydrated rapidly.

And even then, Karura’s birds were about to attack for a second wave.

[WC: 401 + 408 + 284 = 1,093]
[Post: 3/5]

[Note: used Mantle of Flames (Pyro Ult) + Dehydration (Scorch C-rank)]

 

[Otani Ryuichi]

Ryuichi tried to warn Eiji of trying to attack their teacher, but it was pointless. Even his shouting was completely drowned by the sounds of flapping wings all over. Ryuichi had remembered the last time he tried to attack Uri, and it did NOT end well. He also didn't see Uri as the type to have hidden tests in his combat training. He says survive, he most likely just wants you to survive. He says hit something, and chances are he wants you to god damn hit something.

Of course Ryuichi had no way of relaying this information as the newer student launched an attack through the flock of birds. Soon after, the flock dispersed revealing a fire-cloaked Uri, and an increasing heat in the area. Ryuichi soon got smacked in the face with a burning sensation as he inhaled a breath of scorching hot air. He nearly doubled over in shock of how hot the air was getting, and felt like his actions got slugish, and the very water in his body was boiling. When he saw more birds prepare to attack, he used the brief moment of time to pull out a kodachi from his haori sleeve. He flicked it upwards towards his face, and prepared for the birds to strike.

The handle was hot, and he was pretty sure he was getting burns at this point, but he didn't care. His only care right now was avoiding as many birds as he could. Of course, that would be more of a challenge with his actions hindered, and his body-switch not being available. He estimated another 20 seconds before he could use it again, and the birds were starting to fly at him, and Eiji. Fast.

 

[Keigo Oen]

'Oooh now you've done it Eiji... Crap. I attacked the wrong person? Geez, this is such a pain in my ass right now...' thinking to himself, this was not the best situation for them to be in for now. Thinking for a bit, he would take the brunt of the attack from Uri nearly knocking himself unconscious, with just one attack! Eiji was singed and charred but he felt himself picking up from the rubble and debris. 'Another attack like that and I'm toast... Heh. I'm clever.' chuckling to himself at his own joke, a huff out would be seen from the boy before rolling his shoulders again and watching Ryuichi prep himself for the coming moments. And the Birds from Karura would be coming soon so... with his last two smokebombs and a bit of ninjawire, Eiji would tie them together for his tactic.

'Alright... Rook has me pinned. And I only have two moves... Which one will keep me alive...' closing his eyes for a moment he would toss one bomb on the ground giving away his position before. And from the cover of the smoke he'd toss the Kunai linked to the last smokebomb in a volley upwards to the area of Karura! It would depend on certain factors but the kunai would land and the second bomb would go off causing more of the field to be invisible for them to see though but Eiji would have an idea. "TIME FOR THE ONE-TWO!" and Through Both clouds of smoke Eiji would lunge forward first then from the right of the second bomb before clammering down on Karura with two successive strikes! Eiji was all about Strategy and attempting to find a reprieve against a stronger opponent. Utilizing his planned attack then working them down and using their strengths against them.

'Lets hope this works!'

 

[Kiri]

The kids sure don’t know when to give up. Uri grinned at the thought. Well, they ought to or else he would drop them dead right away. If these kids were picked up from the academy as possessing the qualities to become the next generation anbu, he would not fail them… aka. he’d make sure they would be prepared for whatever life and mission would require them.

With the coordinated smoke bombs, Uri would rely on his senses to feel their presence. The new kid was quick on his feet, already hunting down Karura. Meanwhile, Ryuichi was cautious, perhaps remembering the other day’s events.

“That won’t do, Matcha,” said Uri, casually giving the boy a codename. “Even if the mission requires certain victory conditions, you cannot simply steel your heart and leave your friend to die.”

What did that mean? Simple. At the moment the boy had attack Karura, the summon took the force head-on, not even flinching. But as the summon was known as the Guardian of Warriors, it, too, had a yearning for battle and took focus on Eijij. Immediately, Karura would turn and head straight towards the boy, knocking him with a dangerous blow to pin him to the ground with his sharp talons. And by this time, the smoke would dissipate to reveal Uri standing beside the fallen form with Karura on top of the boy, and a hand that burned in blue flames simply hanging just above where Eiji’s head would be.

“What now? Daifuku is about to be severed and scorched. Don’t tell me this is the end of today’s training. Was all that talk earlier just a bluff?” Uri spoke with a slight amused tone.

[WC: 283 + 1,093 = 1,376]
[Post: 4/5]

 

[Otani Ryuichi]

Ryuichi looked over the situation, and took a deep breath. He needed some kind of plan to run at two targets who were league stronger than him. Brute force wouldn't do anything. All he had was this kodachi, and a couple of weak jutsu that would fizzle out before they even reached them, and his own body would suffer the same effects getting close.

7 seconds were left until he could body switch again, so if he had to act quickly, he had to be smart. there were no easy ways out here. But he had to move. Eiji's actions most likely gave Uri a chance to change the subject of the day's training to a moral one. Ryuichi held up his kodachi, and looked around. seeing the rock he had previously used for kimawari. 6 seconds.

He then ran towards the pinned boy full-speed with the kidachi held in his right hand. When he got to the large bird he quickly dug one foot into the ground, and swung his entire body, pivoting of of his other foot that was sliding in an arc motion behind him. He used this momentum and force to try and hit Karura in the leg.

 

[Keigo Oen]

'Crap... Man how do I end up in a position like this...' shaking his head, the attack that he'd launched would send him into a pinned predicament with the Bird-like being. Its Talons tightly pressed into his shoulders, but he had a partner that cared enough about him to push him enough. Nodding, Eiji would find himself smirking as the attack launched would loosen the grip on his left shoulder enough to free it! He'd quickly turn his body, kicking at the other talon holding him captive. Maybe he would manage to free himself fully but if he did he would be under Karura and he would only have one more attack.

Forming handsigns he would huff, "Doton: Ishi Dangan!" and he would blow out chakra create rocks at the under belly of the beast. '...This is my limit.' Eiji would think as he finished the jutsu... but he was sure that there would be something that would come down upon them, however, he'd given it his best shot. Unlike anything he'd done in years. He knew that he needed to master that Kawarimi no jutsu and transformation. Though, maybe now he would know there was alot more making up to do with him being out for so long. All he would be able to do would be to wait to see the consequence of his actions...

'This is such a damn pain... I hope being a shinobi is less of a pain than this class... Ehhhh.' There was much to say about the skill both students attempted to show. Vigor. Strategy. And a willingness not to leave a partner pinned down by a giant bird thing? Who knew, it was up to the proctor... but there was definitely more to be see in the coming moments, would Uri think they were clever? Smart? Did they have a future as shinobi of Kumogakure? Could they become the elite and join ANBU? Or would they have to settle for being less... All these things and more on the next episode of Kumogakure Tales!

[Stone Bullet Used]

 

[Kiri]

Casting a glance at Ryuichi, almost seemingly daring the boy, Uri would jump back as soon as the latter moved. He watched things unfold from a distance, leaving the matter to Karura.

A combination of quick thinking, and surprisingly, coordination between the two, released Eiji from Karura's hold. And as the bird summon rose into the air, it had to dodge the projectile rocks formed by chakra manipulation. But things wouldn't end that easily. Had this been a real fight, they would both burn without a second thought. Had this been a real fight...

"And to think you've only meet just now," called Uri as he raised a hand in the air. In an instant, the heavy heat in the atmosphere would disappear and Karura shrunk into a smaller bird that flew around the training grounds before perching on Uri's hand. "Well, that should do it. You both survived long enough. And you both seemed to have realized that surviving means coordinating with each other."

Karura puffed his cheeks and looked away before flying away and disappearing into a crest made of flames. It would probably give Uri an earful about today's lackluster fight. Being a guardian of warriors, he was meant for those rigorous ones, not babysitting jobs.

Then, Uri would approach the two hand them out some lollipops. "I guess matcha and daifuku do get along. I'll have to tell Rokudo-san. For now, it should be a good time to meet Yuki-sensei, the resident physician at the clinic just outside the training grounds." And seemingly without a problem he grabs the two boys by the back of their shirts and starts dragging them along. Exhaustion may be wearing them out but that only means he'll have to increase their training to fortify endurance.

"Oh right. Eiji, you passed. From now on you'll be living with us, at least until you pass the anbu exam because I want you both to training 24/7... And because Rokudo-san needs more help at the teahouse. Ryuichi can fill you in later. As for me, remember my name well. Eru Uri. But the moment you speak it so easily, you'll be nothing but ash on the ground if I'm merciful, got it? That aside, Aoi-sensei should do just fine. Right, Ryu-chan?" Uri gave a mischievous smile as he continued to drag them across the grounds and off to the clinic.

[WC: 398 + 1,376 = enough]
[Post: 5/5]

 

[Otani Ryuichi]

After his kodachi made impact with the bird, Ruichi pulled it back along it's tough skin, and stapped back. It barely left a cut on the creature, but the resulting minor reaction from Karura allowed for Eiji to take action. When he used his jutsu, Ryuichi jumped back, and flashed three hand seals. Horse, Ram, Tiger!' He thought as he went through them. With that he took a deep breath, and released a stream of fire from him mouth along with Eiji's stone bullet, making contact at the same time as his partner's own attack.

Ryuichi's fire seemed to do nothing to the bird, considering it was already made of fire. However, the distraction was enough for Eiji's stone bullet to land without flaw.

The following result was pleasurable for the two students, as the bird flew up into the sky, and vanished without a trace of ever being there to begin with. Ryuichi sat down on the dirt, and took several deep, dry breaths, thinking of how some cold water would be one of the greatest things right about now. His wounds from the countless angry birds earlier were minimal with the worst of his injuries being a large bruise on his right arm. He smiled, and nodded at Uri's compliments. "Hell yeah! We did it, doton-kid!" He joked, before coughing due to his dry throat.

He then glanced over to look at Eiji, wondering if he was alright, and to see if the bird's talons had cut him. To Ryuichi, any kind of injuries that the other boy took didn't look major on the surface. Well, if they were they would be fine, considering the close proximity to the clinic. The white-head then remembered why they had to fight the bird to begin with, and frowned. His entire personality seemed to shift slightly, and he began to speak to Eiji. "We did it for now, but ya gotta be careful. We were given a goal. A mission. And even if you thought it was right, you only made it harder." He said. Before he could continue on, though he was given the lollipop and the both of them were grabbed by the shirt.

Ryuichi lightened up, considering in the end today was a success. He chuckled, peeling the plastic off of his lollipop and started eating it, letting the redhead drag him without resistance. Eiji was strong. Before even getting any training from Uri he had already learned earth release when he himself was struggling with his own fire release. Even if Ryuichi was a bit faster, he couldn't waver in his training. Because while there are people weaker, or just as strong as him, they won't stop getting stronger.

The thought of that left Ryuichi with a lingering pain behind his eyes. A wince, and a small jerk were given in response before his eyes went blurry. It lasted for a second. So brief that if he had close his eyes for a small moment, he wouldn't have noticed it.

He needed to get that checked out...without Uri knowing.

[512+202+288+267+264=1533]
[Posts:5]
[TLUS]

 

[Keigo Oen]

After the bird dodged his initial attack, Eiji would think, 'Shit. I dont know how we're gonna get outta this... My planned failed..' he'd huff but just as that would happen, Uri would begin to speak, calling off the rest of the fight. 'Thank God.' shaking his head he'd stand to his feet brushing off his clothes and mozzying over to his jacket he'd dropped earlier to grab it before Uri would continue. Bowing his head to Uri, Eiji would look over to the other boy. "Yea... We did it. The names Endo Eiji.", bowing his head to Ryuichi he would listen back to Uri, and taking the lollipop, removing its wrapper, and sticking it into his mouth.

"Yeah yeah... I made a bad judgement call, but its better I make that call now, than in the field. I wont let you down again... but dont slack up, else you'll be receiving orders from your's truly.", nodding with some confidence Eiji would turn to leave just before Uri would continue speaking about the living arrangements. He paused... looking down to the drit below him for the moment. 'I passed, cool but... I'll be leaving until the ANBU Exam? I'm joining ANBU?' shaking his head Eiji would turn to Uri with the biggest smile on his face.

"Are... Are you serious? Thats freakin awesome! Thank you Eru-Senpai. I wont let you down. I promise.", the smile would fade, but the gleam in his eyes would remain, the moment would come that would define him as a man and as a fighter, this was the first step to the next stage of his life... ANBU. Black Ops. The Elite. The Selected. The Few. He would rise through their ranks... become respected. He would outdo everyone from his clan... rise to be the leader one day. Eiji was excited because it was as if he could see his entire life before his eyes... his dreams were within reach but, he would have to stay consistent... diligent.

Eiji was going to become anything he set himself out to become... nothing would stop him. With these thoughts roaming through the young Endo Clansmen's head, he'd make his way home to let his parents know the news. They would be happy for him... but sad to see him go for how ever long he'd be gone for. Alas, step one to becoming a shinobi was on the move... Next goal was to become a Genin.

[TLUS]