One with the Wilderness [Tutor]

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Such was the life of a Chuunin level ninja that the training of young minds eclipsed far more exciting duties. To Keiyaku though, this was a fine calling. He'd volunteered himself at the academy to take on any new student who showed some degree of Taijutsu promise and both he and Morutobu were certainly ready to fill that requirement. After signing, he'd left his new student instructions to meet him at the Inuzuka clan complex, at 8am sharp, for an exclusive training session to learn the arts of shinobi tracking and hunting. After all, it was a skill any new shinobi was expected to master. Without any mask to hide his face, Keiyaku awaited his student on his front porch, Moru at his side, the dog's head perched lazily in his lap as he awaited some semblance of action. Moru, the Shiba dog, whined now and then, restlessly fidgeting as he sought to expel the boundless energy that welled up inside him. Keiyaku, however, was displaying more discipline. After meeting Kino, appraising him, he'd sent him a letter, and if he answered the summons, he knew he could promise a fruitful beginning to the boy's new career.

Spoiler: Class Invitation

Dear Kino,

I see you've signed up for my class. Looking forward to seeing you again! Please come to the Inuzuka Clan Complex on the edge of town tomorrow afternoon. We'll be working in the woods. Also, please give Moru a scratch behind the ear for delivering this for me.

Class Rules said:

- 5 posts totalling 1000 word count minimum.
- Missing a post within the 72 hour time limit will result in a strike.
- 3 strikes and you are out.

[197/1000]
[1/5]

 

[Chikamatsu Nashi]

Kino, having recieved the letter, started his day earlier than usual. Waking up hours in advance to get a small bit of cardio in before the training, as his father had always drunkenly said "You need to be warmed up if you're gunna be a shit mouth", which Kino took as actual advice. So, having thoroughly warmed up he made his way to the designated meet up location. Seeing Keiyaku waiting for him, actually filled Kino with a sense of pride. This was what he wanted to be doing, so he was for the first time in his life taking something incredibly serious.

"Good morning Keiyaku Sensei, hope you haven't been waiting long." Even if he had, Kino knew it had very little to do with him. But if he was going to make a good impression, the first step was to be polite and attentive. Two things absolutely out of his natural wheelhouse, but he would learn well enough if he put his mind to it. "I have to say the letter was a bit of a surprise, given that when we met I was fully expecting to not leave a good impression." This was true, Kino had thought that he would have come across as arrogant given that Keiyaku had stumbled upon him almost entering into a altercation with a peer. Though, he supposed that most shinobi in training would get up to similar antics, so maybe it was more of an easily understood situation.

[247/1500]
[1/5]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

He couldn't help but raise his eyebrow as the boy approached, who greeted him with great deference.

"Ah, relax. No need to be so formal, kid," said the Inuzuka as he stood up from the front porch and approached the black haired boy, cuffing him playfully, but rather roughly on the shoulder, a warm smile playing across his lips. His eyes surveyed Kino, giving him a look as though he were reserving judgement of him for now, waiting to see what he would become.

"Pfft, don't worry; takes more than witnessing a backalley brawl to put my nose out of shape. Right, Moru?"

The Shiba gave an enthusiastic bark of agreement, his curly tail wagging happily as he came up to greet the student.

"Come on," Keiyaku said, gesturing to the house behind him, "we'll be in the woods today; we can cut through my house to get there."

As they stepped inside, the first thing the student would notice was the smell. Not bad, per se, but it definitely smelled strongly of dog fur. The streaks of drool on parts of the floor and the tumbleweeds of fluff lining the corridors were all hallmarks that screamed 'big dogs live here.'

"Bringin' home more strays, are ya, boy?"
The voice was low, slightly feeble, but extremely gruff and coarse. A shaggy, black wolf-dog stood up from his bed, speaking, quite plainly in human language, and giving Keiyaku a stern look only a parent could give. The dog was definitely old, and every movement was accompanied by the stiff clicking of worn out bones and joints.

"Come on, dad, have we gotta do this every time?"

"They keep gettin' runtier, these students of yours," said the old dog, a smirk curling his grizzled muzzle as he eyed Kino appraisingly.

"Don't listen to him. He's always this grumpy in the morning," said Keiyaku with a sigh to Kino, ushering both him and Moru through a back door, leading out into a small grove, surrounded by trees. Unmistakeably, one of the forests bordering the village. As they headed out, the old black dog followed, slowly lowering himself to the ground with a few grunts, laying down to watch Keiyaku teach his student.

"Right," said Keiyaku, clapping his hands together as he stepped out into the sunlight, Moru bounding around his heels, "nothin' like on the job experience right? Come at me. Give me your best shot!"

[590/1000]
[2/5]

 

[Chikamatsu Nashi]

Kino was still in shock over the dog-dad that was following them when the words hit his ears. He turned back to look Keiyaku in the eye with a curious smile. He wasn't sure at first that he had heard him correctly but seeing now that he was waiting expectantly, Kino let out a sigh and got into a low stance. Without saying another word he lets out a long exhale, while initially sounding similar to a sigh it was more clear after the sparks began that he was in fact focusing his chakra.

A small sparking energy gathered at his fingertips and he rushed forward, he was certain it was not going to land but he was going to give it his best. He took off toward him in a dash, once he got close enough to strike he dropped to the ground and slid. The lightning Fist attempting to slam into his knee as he slid past Keiyaku. In his experience, he was going to need Keiyaku to not be quick or it was going to be a wasted effort.

Once he slid past, he spun on his knees to assist his rise back to a standing position behind his trainer. He readied himself incase it didn't land, holding himself in a defensive swaying position. "How's that then?" His smile grew a bit feeling the rush of adrenaline hit his system. This was his element, his preferred place, combat.

[486/1000]
[2/5]

(Lightning Fist)

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Keiyaku gave a fanged grin as Kino wasted no time in rushing at him, seeming eager to get to work and reveling in the action. Kino already seemed to have decent control over his chakra, and his ability to perform his jutsu as fast as he did was a good sign. As the boy brought his attack down, he made contact with Keiyaku's knee and succeeded in up-ending the Inuzuka, knocking his legs out from under him as Kino quickly spun around. However something was a little off. Before Keiyaku's body could hit the ground, there was a great puff of smoke, and the adolescent Shiba dog took his big brother's place. Morutobu landed on the ground, on his paws, his fur standing on end a little from the electricity, but otherwise looking unruffled, ready to react to a further strike.

"Nice work; ya got me," said Keiyaku right into Kino's ear, having suddenly appeared behind him out of nowhere. With very little warning, the Inuzuka gave a flick of his wrist and a strange, unseen force, would send the boy flying a couple of metres away, through the air, not hard enough to cause much damage though.

"But, your first mistake; in a 1 v 2 fight, always make sure you keep tabs on both opponents at once. And don't stop to check if your opponent is impressed or not," Keiyaku said; his tone was stern, but not aggressive, more like he was trying to make sure the lesson sank in quickly. He wanted Kino to feel the sensation of landing a hit though, wanting to get that adrenaline and dopamine pumping through his blood to keep him alert and engaged.

Keiyaku advanced on Kino, his claws raised, and Moru seemed to have mysteriously vanished while they were talking.

"Come on, boy, think fast! Which do you prioritise?"

[897/1000]
[3/5]

 

[Chikamatsu Nashi]

Kino smiled as his eyes scanned the area for a split second. As Keiyaku advanced Kino jumped up into the air, he slammed his fist downward as he did. A huge gust of wind burst as it propelled him over Keiyaku, while it wasn't perfect it was clear he'd used this trick once or twice before. As he landed he focused on where Moru had ran off to, if the point of 2v1 was to be aware and create openings then he was going to do just that. He jumped back putting himself at an angle not only with Keiyaku, but with where Moru was most likely to be.

He braced himself, putting both hands up and widening his stance. He was no stranger to being outnumbered, but not by those of a much higher skill level. He knew that he would need to play defence over all and that if he wanted to make a difference in this fight, it was when there was an opening, not when he rushes in but when they do. Part of him had wanted the pressure burst to land on Keiyaku, but if that had been the case he would not have had a successful dodge. The debate on which was more important in that moment was so brief, but now he was left wondering if he had made the right decision.

"Right, both then."

[786/1000]
[3/5]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

"Clever little sneak," smirked Keiyaku as the boy quickly got to his fight, conjuring up a stiff breeze and riding it through the air, sailing over the top of the Inuzuka's head, forcing him to shield his eyes. He whipped around when Kino landed and watching him carefully. There was a pause, and then Keiyaku let out a strange kind of grunting and snarling. It was answered by a similar sound somewhere in the trees, coming from Kino's immediate left side. It seemed the two of them were communicating in a kind of dog-language, planning while cutting Kino out of the conversation.

"Smart move, dividing your attention."

He stood waiting, and there was no sign of Moru, the two of them trying to make Kino crack under the pressure of anticipation. He kept his slit-pupil eyes trained on the boy as he very slowly took a step or two towards him. There was another bark, this time to Kino's immediate rear. Then, all of a sudden, Moru flew from the tree line like an little orange bullet, aiming right for Kino's shoulder. At the exact same time, Keiyaku attempted to sweep the boy's legs out from underneath him, curious to see if he was able to defend against two simultaneous attacks at once.

[1102/1000]
[4/5]

 

[Chikamatsu Nashi]

Kino's eyes shot open wide as the sound of the rushing dog and his teacher hit his ears. He watched as the pair came in toward him, he needed to think quickly and in this moment, he could barely do that. Well, that's what it looked like on the exterior at least, but inside Kino was counting in his head.

1. Kino's right foot dropped out, lowering his shoulder.
2. Kino's left arm came up as his his body turned.
3. His left arm lifted toward Keiyaku as he approached
4. Kino's face turned to lock on the dog as it passed.

FInally, step five. Kino's hand let out the same gust of wind as before, except this time directly to Moru's belly. His other hand flipped up into a fist, slamming downward as the sweep approached him. He watched as things moved so quickly, yet it felt like every second was a day. He watched contact being made, felt the sting, what happened next would decide if his planning was accurate, if his abilities were capable, and it was also about to show him exactly what it meant to be Anbu.

[973/1000]
[4/5]
[fleeted for movement/planning]
[Slam on Keiyaku]
[Pressure burst on Moru]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Keiyaku was pretty disarmed at the boy's curious ability to react to everything so quickly, hell, he thought he himself had pretty good reflexes, but this was something else. It was a surprise that the boy didn't possess the Sharingan or something similar. Though his reflexes were good, Keiyaku was just a little faster and managed to sweep the boy's legs out from beneath him. However, a tiny yelp let Kino know that he's successfully knocked Moru off course, sending him hurtling to the ground. The dog landed upright, but a little dazed for a second.

"I think that'll do," Keiyaku declared, beaming down at Kino. Moru seemed to switch out of battle mode in one solid second, sitting down and happily panting with his tongue out as he looked from teacher to student.

"Bravo, boy. Weren't a bad shot, ya'know," said the old wolf-dog who had been watching the proceedings, and who was now getting up, his bones and joints clicking as he winced. A few steps and the old dog was at Kino's said, giving him an approving smile. Kiiromaru clearly wasn't a dog used to smiling, unlike Moru.

"Yeah, Kino, that was totally awesome," he grinned, offering his hand to help the boy up, and clapping him rather hard on the shoulder, a warm smile plastered to his face, "great reflexes, brilliant thinking on your feet, all of it. Gotta make sure your body can keep up with your brain though, eh?"

Keiyaku thought he could see quite a lot of himself in Kino, and that only made him all the more curious as to what and who he would grow up to be. Yes, he thought he'd better keep an eye on him.

"I'm sure your parents must be pretty proud of the progress you're makin', huh?"

[1398/1000]
[5/5]

 

[Chikamatsu Nashi]

Kino took the help up and laughed for a moment dusting himself off. "Yes well, I'll get there.." His breath was clearly knocked out of him on the landing, but he was trying his best to keep up with conversation. "Wouldn't know, unfortunately, Orderlies don't exactly love me practicing on the grounds, so this was rather nice." He took a few more labored breaths befor he calmed himself. "thank you again, this is exactly the sort of practice I needed."

He stretched himself for a moment before correcting his stance, back to his normal relaxed state. "I have been working on some things, this rally set my head straight on them. I think I can be more clever with them, quicker even. I really owe you and Moru for this one."

[wc 1103/1000]
[5/5]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

"Orderlies?"

The word struck him as odd and it took some time for the implicity there to sink in. Keiyaku raised an eyebrow, starting to feel a little sorry for the kid, "orderlies as in... the caretakers in an orphanage?"

Man, life had really shat on this kid; no parents and kids trying to stab his eyes out in the streets? He hoped for Kino's own sake he really was going to step up his practice and work on defending himself a little better.

"I'll give you a place to practice, kid. So long as ya don't mind the smell of dogs, feel free to knock on the door and use this little grove we have here. Anytime you feel like you need a bit more training, come find me. I run classes at the academy pretty often too."

Truthfully, his interest in Kino wasn't so much about the kid himself, but rather that he spotted potential in him which he figured could be pretty useful to the service of the village.

"Come on, kid, I'll buy you some lunch for your good work today."

[Topic Left]
[Congratulations! You pass! Request class rewards here within 7 days: https://ninpocho.com/threads/mission-reward-yen-request-thread.50090/page-56 ]

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Rewards approved for Inuzuka Keiyaku
2000 yen due to 1 student passing. +1x training.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Rewards approved for Tanatsu Kino
+1x training.