The Byakko Clan Heir (PVT - Summons Lessons)

[Toraono Kuro]

Mouko Kuro's body had once been a promising scion of the Byakko Clan by the name of until he made a pact to hunt Toraono Kuro and take his blood in a ritual to gain demonic powers and eternal life. Byakko Hanamuke Hanon had been a fearsome opponent and a lost cousin to Kuro. Ultimately his soul and body had to be taken in Hyakujuuonouu's name and service but many of his primal abilities remained tied to his body. One of those abilities was summons mastery and it was time to pass that gift on to the next generation of the Byakko clan. Akujin better known as Kyuji to the Byakko clan had fathered a true heir and although Akujin would have to find his own path to Summons mastery his son's path was far shorter and far more specific because by blood it was necessary that he learn to speak with the celestial tigers so that he might have their council and aid as he grew up. Hanon had been too stubborn and full of rage to accept council or aid outside of demonbeasts. Mouko Kuro an extension of Toraono Kuro was no fool he would accept any aid or counsel and was now going to pass on his lesson to the next heir.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

It seemed that the more capable he became, the busier he became as well. Today, rather than being able to train by himself by either observing the people of Suna or studying in private, he was going to be meeting with one of Toraono Kuro's "paths," still not entirely sure of what that meant. Perhaps he would have to ask some questions after the goal of this meeting had been accomplished... Of course, that was beside the point, and it was already getting close to the time they were meant to meet.

Thankfully, among the many things that his father taught him while the boy was still able to consider him useful, timeliness had been one of the things that stuck with him. So, already dressed and ready to go, Yanjirou was out the door and on his way to the Undersea, which seemed to be a bit of a strange place to meet.. Why not the dojo itself, for example? Not only would it be closer, but also more convenient than going all the way underground just to have a meeting. Oh well, whatever it was this man had to discuss, it was likely important enough to make up for the short trek.

Upon arrival, the cat-eared boy was quickly able to identify the man who he assumed he was supposed to be meeting with. There was no way to really tell, as he never really payed too much attention to anyone in the dojo, not even Toraono Kuro himself. Sure, he'd learned plenty about the clan and the building, but the people themselves never really seemed to interest him enough for him to want to watch them. Or train with them really. 9 years of seclusion in the celestial realm really didn't help with the boy's social abilities...

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Mouko Kuro smiled as the heir of the Byakko Clan approached, this was his first time seeing him and it was quite the sight. Mouko Kuro stood at six feet, two inches, weighing in at two hundred and eighty pounds. Kuro’s silver gray mane of hair had a reasonable amount of muscle mass to conceal. With a twenty one inch neck Kuro’s hair couldn’t conceal very much even as it cascaded to the center of his upper back. Violet eyes with gold slits peered from a chocolate brow with large ebony horns growing from where a normal man’s temples would be. He wore a black gi belt around his thirty six inch waist. The belt allowed Mouko Kuro to carry his scrolls in a specialized carrying case. Kuro wore his battle pouch just above his right hip. Adjacent his scrolls Kuro carried a pair of fighting wraps, and last but not least Kuro wore his leg sheath on the interior of his gi pants just atop his fighting gi shorts with his medical supplies and extra summon scrolls. A convenient cut in the silk cloth of his left gi pants leg allowed Kuro full access to his extra gear without showing exactly where it was till he motioned to grab it. Securing his clan arm guards and leggings Kuro covered the runic terran markings of his hand and leg wraps. Kuro’s tail swished back and forth its tiger stripes faintly surging with chakra. His black gi top concealed his overly muscular upper body.

He had already developed neko jin features, he would learn to turn them on and off in time. First he would learn to summon his natural allies and then he would learn from the Tiger Clan exactly how to wield his true strength. Things that neither Kuro nor Kyuji would ever be able to truly teach him, the beings of the Tiger Contract would impart just as they had taught Kuro. "Greetings young Byakko clan heir, I am Mouko Kuro the hunter aspect of Toraono Kuro the Demonbeast Sage of the Toraono Clan. It is my greatest honor to train you in the art of summoning and to teach you how to call upon your kindred the servants of Byakko himself. Before we begin your lessons what are your questions?"<i></i>

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

This man truly was an imposing figure... The young Byakko was easily dwarfed by the monster of a man before him, and as he wondered how a human - or what he could only assume was a human - could grow to be so large, he was nearly distracted from the conversation that had begun.

"Ah- Ye-yes sir, hello. I am Byakko Yanjirou, pleased to make your acquaintance." His cowardice showed slightly as he spoke, but after getting past the initial intimidation, the boy managed to squeeze out what needed to be said, adding in a nervous formal bow after his introduction. At this point, the boy had no ounce of confidence in his body, but once what was said began to register... His eyes began to glow, a familiar feature that only happens in certain situations. And now that he knew why he was called to meet this monster of a man, he simply couldn't help but crack a smile..

"Oh... So that's why I was called down here." He mumbled to himself, barely managing to contain his excitement. He'd always wanted to speak to some of those who work under their lord, and apparently - if all went well - he would be able to do that as much as he pleases. Imagine what he could learn! However, now that everything has begun, he must act quickly before he makes it seem as though he isn't interested.

"Ooooo, what questions do I have? So many, to be perfectly honest with you, but I believe that many of them will be answered once you pass this precious knowledge onto me." The boy said, an excited tone dominating his usual monotonous facade. "Shall we continue? I can't wait to see what power these creatures hold..."

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Mouko Kuro presented all the basic items needed to learn to summoning, a small needle to take a drop of blood a set of scrolls to write the summon seals upon and a book on summoning. "It is good that you are enthusiastic and that you are gifted in presence and arts. Have you learned to control your features yet? You do understand that as a nekojin that you do not have to keep your feline features... You can simply will them to subside until you want to reveal that you are blessed with feline capabilities. Well beyond that we will start your lessons. You will begin with basic summoning. I will place a set of items in a circle around you. After you learn how to place a small seal upon those items that responds to your chakra we will work on your summoning skills."<i></i>


Contract Summoning :

Spoiler

Upon mastering the basics of summoning weaponry and lifeless tools, one can learn to further their skills and develop new, stronger methods to summoning. However, skill is not the only necessity to this advanced summoning jutsu, as the user is required to have been fortunate enough to bond themselves within a mythical contract family. Once they have been accepted into the ranks of these creature's families and are called kin, the user may then request aid of their Family by summoning their familiars, often with a small stamp of their blood. The creatures summoned can ranged from a frail kitten to a mighty Toad, but the method behind the ritual is the same.

Information
Prerequisites: A Summoning Contract

Rank 1: Allows the user to Summon D-B Rank Summons.
Rank 2: Allows the user to Summon A-S Rank Summons.

E-Rank Summon Cost: Rp Only
D-Rank Summon Cost: 375Cp, 1 AP
C-Rank Summon Cost: 750Cp, 1.5 AP
B-Rank Summon Cost: 1500Cp, 2.25 AP
A-Rank Summon Cost: 2500Cp, 3.25 AP
S-Rank Summon Cost: 4000Cp, 4.5 AP

Notes:
- Your OOC Rank must match the Rank of the summon contract before you are able to summon it. (B-Rank shinobi can summon B-Rank contracts and below, etc.)
- Any Rank user may use this jutsu, so long as they meet the prerequisites.
- This jutsu may not have its timing reduced in any way or form.
- This jutsu does not need to be mastered in order to gain a Minor and/or Major for Non-Elemental Jutsu.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

It was a miracle sent by Byakko himself.... Yanjirou could actually hide his feline traits!? That thought alone almost made him want to ask to learn that before they ever even touched on contract summoning, and his eyes lit up like the sun in the sky. But, he knew that composure was an important thing in life, so the boy quickly calmed himself down and focused on the task at hand.. "That is certainly interesting, I was not even aware I was capable of that. Perhaps, after we finish up here, we could have another session where I learn how to do that as well?" The boy asked, watching Kuro place all of the items necessary for his training before them.

It was certainly an interesting spread.. Scrolls, weapons, general items; none of them seemed to have much in common, but once Yanji took one of the scrolls and examined it - assuming it would have something on summoning contracts written within - he quickly realized what was going on. Just about the same time that his mentor explained it. "I believe I've read about this before.. I suppose it makes sense for contract summoning to work like weapon and item summoning." He mumbled, mostly to himself but also loud enough for Kuro to hear. He got to work right away, beginning to become quite excited as he would be able to teach himself how to do such a thing.

For his first attempt, the boy picked up a kunai and a smaller scroll, opening the scroll to its full length before placing the cold steel upon the parchment. Assuming that, if they were both supposed to respond to his chakra, he would simply have to pump some of his own chakra into both the paper and the weapon. Much to his surprise, however, he did little more than wear himself out, and for some odd reason make the paper a bit wet... He decided to ignore the second effect, and instead continue on with his trials. After all, failure is merely a feature of success.

It took some time, questions, and pointers before the boy finally managed to seal one scroll, and his look of concentration quickly faded into one of excitement. His childish side came out for a moment as he shouted for joy and leapt into the air, before quickly calming himself, realizing that he was anything but alone. Old habits die hard, and doing most of your studying alone apparently forms bad habits such as that..

"Well, Kuro-san, it seems I've finally been able to successfully seal an item into the scroll, what would you have me do now?" The boy asked, his anticipation building for the coming lesson.

OOC: Sorry for the delay Kuro! Had a busy week.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

It was always fun teaching children how to do new things and spreading knowledge was a joy that only true teachers knew. As a former Byakko clansmen Mouko Kuro had been a prodigy in sensing and his blood had special capacity for chakra. Yanjirou had 3 times his capacity he could become a contract master just like him. He was a strangely quick learner with his usage of chakra actually producing water chakra briefly. Mouko Kuro almost laughed as the young man did not realize he had used water chakra which was common since his mother was a master of ice chakra as well. Seemed he would have to teach him the basics of elemental chakra mastery as well. "Well first young tora-jin you will need to concentrate on your own body in a manner you are not used to, you will need to sense every cell then simply bend them to your needs. When you close your eyes sense every portion of your anatomy and breathe out. Open your eyes and picture how you want to look without your tiger side showing. After you have what you want yourself to look like in mind focus your chakra into these 3 handseals in this order... Dog → Boar → Ram." After 3 small pulses of chakra Mouko Kuro's tail, horns, and excess runic tiger stripes faded away revealing a tattooed, dark skinned man with long silver grey hair. He kept his human look for 3 minutes stretching and positioning more tools for summoning practice before releasing a deep breath and changing back to his demonbeast humanoid form. Mouko Kuro then sat back to watch and see how long it would take Yanjirou to learn transformation jutsu before going back to mastery of basic summoning.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

Yanjirou's question was answered far sooner than he anticipated, but it would be nice to get away from all of the scrolls and weaponry - if only for a moment. The boy listened intently as he watched the beast of a man, listening intently to his instructions and staring with wonder in his eyes as he turned into a man of a man instead. Once he was finished, the boy immediately began trying the technique himself while his teacher continued to lay out the tools required to become better at seals and summons. It was obvious that he would have to start simple, so he began with the image of his normal appearance, just without the ears. He was perfectly fine with his eyes, but ears weren't something easily hidden. "Dog..." The boy focused on his entire body, a strange feeling passing over him. He'd never concentrated this much on building up chakra before, "Boar..." Another burst of chakra rushed through his body, and he could feel the power inside him beginning to swell, "Ram." With the last thought, and ideal appearance still in mind, the boy released the built up chakra within him and felt relieved to finally have it all gone. The young Byakko's first reaction was to rush to the water to check his results, and it seemed he'd succeeded! But before he could celebrate his accomplishment, the jutsu dispersed, and he returned to normal.

"Maintaining jutsu is much harder than I originally thought..." He mumbled, stumbling forward slightly and catching himself on his knees as his head began to spin. As a taijutsu practitioner, this whole day was proving to be exhausting. Thankfully, the boy always tried to come prepared, and he quickly reached into one of the pouches on his side and pulled out a blue liquid contained within a glass vial. Popping the top, Yanjirou gulped it all down in a moments, feeling rejuvenated as it passed through his body. With a quick shake of his head - in an effort to get the taste out of his mouth - the boy returned to his tutor and sat back down in the sand.

"Thank you, Kuro-san, for teaching me that. I'll have to practice on my own time, but for now I'll return to the scrolls." He said, already reaching for some of the new items. Now that he'd managed to seal one of the items available in a scroll, it was time to try and take it back out. This was another technique he'd read about, and it seemed far simpler to do than sealing it. The boy lifted his thumb and bit as hard as he could into it, flinching as his teeth sank in. When he looked to see if it was bleeding, there was no difference. "I suppose my first challenge is getting through my own skin..." He mumbled, trying again and again until he finally got it. Once the red liquid flowed from his fresh wound, the boy placed his thumb on the sealed scroll and made a simple hand sign, calling forth his chakra as he'd done before with the transformation jutsu. This time, however, he focused the chakra into his thumb until a puff of smoke appeared, and a kunai with it.

"As I thought, summoning is easier than sealing.." He now knew how it would feel if he ever needed to seal something again. And that was awful, of course. But with the basics out of the way, he would need to make sure he's able to do it whenever he needed to, so the boy resealed the kunai into the same scroll - which turned out to be far easier when the scroll already has a seal - and began trying to seal and summon other items. After a good hour of doing nothing more than playing around with what was available, the boy placed his hands on his knees and let out a sigh of relief.

"I believe I have this down well enough, Sensei. For the past twenty minutes I've been able to seal and summon items with little to no trouble, and the only thing I've accomplished recently is tiring myself out from all of the chakra I've used." Yanji stated, looking up to the man that was watching him. What would the next step be? Or would he be told to continue practicing?

MFT

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Mouko Kuro sealed several objects and then placed the scrolls at various points. One scroll was on the roof of a nearby cistern that took filtered water to the village. Another scroll was placed beneath a set of stones near beach. A third scroll was placed on a small wooden boat and sent out to Undersea. The remaining scrolls would be used in later challengers. Mouko Kuro then turned to Yanjirou and grinned rather evilly as he spoke "You will need to retrieve three scrolls from three locations... each scroll has an object and a clue to the next scroll. Your first clue is a small lantern floating on the gentle tides of Undersea. Once you reach the scroll summon the object within the scroll for the next clue and an item you may need to retrieve your next scroll. What, if any are your questions?"<i></i>

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

Yanjirou watched as Kuro prepared the scrolls, but was too busy with his training to see where any of the scrolls but the one on the boat was sent. As he continued sealing and summoning, he listened to the large man's explanation of what the next task was, and the boy couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as he prepared to break the monotony of his previous task.

"None at all, I think I already have an idea of where the first scroll is." The boy replied, already walking toward the shore. He didn't understand the lantern metaphor, but if it was floating on the sea then it had to be the boat. His only problem with that would be getting out to the boat... By this point, the gentle tide of the Undersea had already carried the boat out quite a ways, so the young Byakko was already faced with several options: He could swim out to the boat - getting wet in the process - and climb aboard the boat, only to swim back with whatever clue the scroll contained. Throw a kunai tied to a rope into the boat, and attempt to pull it with the tide to get it back to shore. Or try out a certain technique he'd read about in a one of his many books on shinobi technique..

The most logical option, at least in Yanji's eyes, was attempting the technique. Though he knew that there would still be water involved, especially since he had to practice it before ever attempting to walk out there. The boy thought back to the book he had read, and tried to remember the steps that he must take for the technique to even begin to work. He smiled as he realized that he would simply have to focus chakra into his foot, seeing how that was something still fresh in his mind from all of the summoning he'd done so far, so he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. After several minutes, he gathered what he assumed would be enough chakra into the bottom of his foot, then took a step out onto the water, his sandal immediately sinking into the sand and rocks beneath the surface of the water. It was obvious to the boy that his first attempt hadn't worked, so he decided to remove his sandals and try again, this time gathering much more chakra over the span of about ten minutes. Once he was satisfied with the amount he had conjured, the boy stepped out again, this time successfully creating an artificial surface for him to stand on.

His second step was a bit unstable, and a single wave that crashed against the shore threw him off balance and into the water, creating a miniscule splash as he fell into the shallow water. The boy got back to his feet and sighed, this may be harder than he originally thought...

This, like the act of summoning an object from scrolls, took the boy some time before he began to get the hang of it. Gathering the chakra was simple, but even with his dexterity, it was difficult to keep his balance, even on the calm waters. After about an hour, however, the boy managed to keep his balance on that second step, and once he was satisfied with his stability, he sprinted out to where the boat now was and climbed in as fast as possible. Going back would not be fun... For now though, it was time to see what kind of clue the scroll contained, so he unwrapped it, reopened the wound from before on his thumb, and summoned the clue. Whatever it may be...

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Mouko Kuro smiled, as Yanjirou could have swam or tried any number of ways to retrieve the small boat but instead he attacked his weakness and used chakra to walk on the water. As he retrieved the small lantern boat a series of large fish swam beneath him attracted to the light as he summoned the next clue. It read ((You must look high and you must look low when you search for allies to aid you and places to avoid your enemies. Search atop the nearby buildings and find your next seal, don't waste blood your chakra will allow the deal.)) The fish circled beneath the lantern boat and Yanjirou as he stood upon the water peaking out of the water to see if it was something special as light was a prized commodity in Undersea and the lichen were very soft in their glow in comparison to the tiny lantern.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

Yanjirou read the note, quickly scanning the shore as his eyes passed over the last character. Thankfully, it seemed Kuro didn't have any plans to make these riddles too obscure, and it seemed the only buildings were a cluster near the area he was originally practicing. There were several buildings, which meant there were only so many that he would need to scale before he would find what he needed, which was good because it was difficult to keep track of time underground - believe it or not - there was no telling how late it was without a watch or clock nearby. Once the boy was finished, he began to walk back toward the shore, lantern still in hand - but it didn't take long for him to notice the school of fish that had conglomerated beneath him... Not only did the initial surprise catch him off guard, but his sudden lost of focus caused him to plummet into the sea, all of the fish dispersing as the lantern went out upon touching the water.

It took a few moments, but the boy eventually surfaced, a look of fear in his eye as he tread the water. He could almost consider the situation terrifying, but he knew that he would just have to stay calm and slowly swim back to the shore. The waves of the undersea weren't powerful enough to drag him further into it's depths.. Yanji managed to reach the shore once more after a couple of minutes, and immediately removed his jacket and shirt, shivering as he did so. The skin he always hid beneath his clothing was pale, almost pale enough to be a light source of its own, but the boy's tone was rather pronounced. A product of his practicing taijutsu. With his jacket gone, his ears were now revealed to any who may be watching, but he managed to keep himself from being embarrassed by remembering he was at a "beach," and ignoring the fact that his most embarrassing feature had been revealed.

"Deep breaths, Yanjirou.. The knowledge from this training will be well worth it..." He mumbled, a partially successful attempt to comfort himself. After a few seconds spent gathering his thoughts, Yanji made his way to the cluster of buildings he had seen before, making good time as he jogged through the rocks.

Upon arriving, he prepared to climb the nearest building, but quickly stopped himself as he decided to keep with the theme of chakra control. He'd already taught himself to seal, summon, and even walk on water by focusing chakra into certain points of his body, and there was yet another technique he'd read about which was supposedly even easier than walking on water. And that was, of course, walking on walls. If he'd already accomplished the more difficult of the two, then it should be easy enough to teach himself this as well, right?

The young Byakko approached the building, which was - conveniently - the smallest of the cluster. He took a few minutes to gather a decent amount of chakra into his feet, and placed one foot onto the side of the wooden structure. Much to his surprise, despite it being his intention, the boy was able to keep himself attached to the wall as he placed his second foot onto the wall. It was a strange sensation for certain... After admiring the world as it appeared sideways, he continued up the wall until he reached the top. After a couple minutes of searching, he learned that the scroll was not on the building. Typical. When was it ever the first choice?

Thankfully, the boy realized that it may be easier for him to search from the tallest structure in the village, and that just so happened to be the nearby cistern... It wouldn't be too easy however, as his first attempt at scaling it using chakra was unsuccessful, his chakra fading less than half way up the tower and sending him back down to the ground below. Even after several attempts, the boy seemed to make no progress, and he began to become frustrated with himself, and the training.

"How is it that people are expected to do this sort of thing!?" He thought to himself, a clear look of frustration on his face. His next attempt, though fueled by his irritation, allowed him some amount of progress - this time managing to reach the halfway point before falling back down, flipping around and landing on his feet, thanks to the "nine lives" cats supposedly have. This immediately gave the boy his motivation back, and he kept at it, nearly sprinting up the tower each time, for a good half an hour before he finally reached the top. Knowing that his building was part of the village, he made sure to give it a quick scan as well, which is when he saw the scroll lying on the ground...

"He would put it on the tallest building, wouldn't he?" He sighed, shuffling over to the rolled up piece of paper and picking it up off the ground. Considering how the last scroll contained advice from his tutor, he decided to follow it and try just using his chakra, rather than blood. Thankfully it was successful, and he wouldn't have to make himself bleed again for quite some time... He hoped. Once he read this next hint, the next challenge would be getting down...

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Mouko Kuro watched with interest as the young heir asked for neither favor or advice and simply pushed himself to his natural limits to reach his goals. It was inspiring to say the least as Kuro remembered when he was a child he had to do round about the same thing. The major difference was that Kuro had books, and siblings to teach him where Yanjirou only had his curiosity and his natural capacity for self sufficiency. It was going to be delightful to teach him Toraono Clan fighting secrets in the manner of the Byakko Family's genetic heritage. As Yanjirou opened the seal and summoned the item without spilling anymore blood since his wound was still open and all he needed to do was press chakra into it. A small but heavy package appeared in a puff of smoke. Inside was a soft lavender fighting gi with a Byakko family sigil in white silk thread on the front and the Toraono Clan sigil in black silk thread on the back. It was well made and tailored for defense and comfort with leather reinforced mesh at the elbows, collar, knees and rib cage. There was also a pair of enhanced leather sandals of dark violet make. A small clue was atop the clothing as well. It read:
((You have braved Undersea and are likely wet.
Tired as well is a safe bet,
you have yet to figure out what powers are true,
but in these trials we will bring them out of you.
Where rocks and sand meet the black depths
just near a set of stones where a woman once wept.
Remove the stones from the shallow grave
and a gift awaits you along with a scroll to be saved.
The tides are slow so you can make it yet,
Make haste in your search before the scroll and its guardian get wet.))

Yanjirou would have to move fast since he had spent so much time climbing the cistern.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

The boy was surprised to see a package appear rather than another parchment, but quickly opened it as he knew he was growing closer to his goal. Inside he found a gi that was rather similar to the one worn by his father.. Unsurprisingly, it was well made and soft to the touch, yet clearly durable and meant to be used by a fighter. Though it wasn't something he saw himself using over his normal attire, Yanjirou decided it would be best if he put it on for now, simply to get out of the damp trousers he wore. Being careful not to allow anyone to see him change, the boy managed to slip into the outfit without much difficulty - and almost began to see why his father only ever wore this... He could not allow himself to be like his father, however!

Once he was completely changed, the young Byakko turned his attention back to the letter which came with the package. Reading the riddle, he immediately realized the urgency of the new task at hand. Seeing how he already had a decent vantage point, Yanji scanned the shore with his feline eyes, looking for any stones that seemed to rise higher than the rest. After only a couple of minutes, he noticed what could potentially be the spot, and how saw the tide growing closer and closer by the second.

There was no time to think... If he lost the scroll, and whatever the "gift" mentioned was, he may lose his chance to learn how to summon Byakko. The boy took a single deep breath and closed his eyes, sprinting toward the edge and leaping forth, feeling the wind in his matted hair as his legs reached for the ground beneath him. After a couple of seconds of falling, the boy forced his eyes open - resisting the fear he felt just in time to be able to roll on landing, ultimately ending up on his rear end, but quickly jumping to his feet to check for any injuries. Once he was satisfied with his own well being, he reminded himself of his objective and sprinted toward the anomaly.

Upon arriving, the boy quickly removed the stones, already seeing some water spill over into the hole beneath them. Once the stones were all removed, the boy quickly removed its contents without even checking for what they were. After making sure to get fairly far away from the shore, the boy checked what he had grabbed and let out a sigh of relief. At least he'd guessed correctly... Now it was time to see what this "gift" was, and what the final note said.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

A scroll sat atop a medium sized stone box with a Byakko sigil engraved into the metallic clasp atop the box. If Yanjirou opened the box he would find an ancient blade that had once belonged to one of the FIrst men whom fell in battle aiding the Toraono Clan's last surviving members during the Ancient War and the only force that had been able to protect the people were the Flame Court Gladiators that had banded together to form the Toraono Clan. The fallen swordsman left behind a living sword that only people of the Western Winds and of direct faith to Byakko itself could ever wield. Long ago a woman of the Byakko clan had wielded it as a staff and eventually another had used it as a sword. It was very versatile, whenever Kuro was near it he could hear the growl of a tiger ready to pounce. It should be the perfect gift for the Byakko heir. If Yanjirou opened the stone chest and looked inside he would find an oddly warm but resilient saber blade.

If he looked upon the blade Yanjirou would notice It seemed to glow in his presence, would he grasp it or leave it be?

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

Yanjirou was almost surprised about what he found in the box.. It made sense, considering how he was gifted with masterfully crafted clothing bearing his clan's sigil, but for such an ancient looking blade to be gifted to him? Why not his father, who was the current patriarch of the Byakko clan? Or even his mother, who was the true ruler? Was his potential really so great that he should receive something that - he assumed - was so valuable? He would have no room to complain... If Kuro believed that he was the one worthy to wield such a weapon, he would simply have to listen to hist tutor and accept it. As the boy reached for the artifact, it began to glow, and its surface almost seemed to vibrate slightly, which caused him to pull back and try to observe. Oddly enough, it stopped the moment he pulled his hand away, which obviously left him with only one choice if he ever wanted to learn why it did this.

Once more, the boy reached for the blade, this time gripping it by the handle and quickly pulling it from its temporary home. As he did so, the vibrating became more intense, and the warm metal almost seemed to squirm as held it. [col]After a few moments, the blade split apart, one half shooting to his other hand and seeming to melt on contact, while the other went through a similar process in the other hand. It didn't hurt, but Yanji couldn't help but fall back into the rocks, unable to stop himself from being worried about the sword - or whatever it was - consuming him. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the weapon to complete this strange activity, and when its form settled, the boy stared in awe.

Whatever was contained within the box had transformed... Leaving behind a pair of gauntlets - which Yanjirou now wore. Much like the blade, these gauntlets were oddly warm to the touch, and a slight vibration could be felt when worn. On each fingertip was a sharp claw, almost like a talon, which were sharp to the touch, and clearly meant to be used as a weapon. His mild panic attack finally coming to an end, the young Byakko stood and examined this "gift" further before turning to his tutor for a moment, and looking back to the gauntlets.|

[/col]

"Well if the glove fits.." He said with a sigh, trying to ease his mind before returning to the beast of a man, forgetting entirely about the scroll that came with his gift, having placed it into one of his pouches. Upon returning to Kuro, the boy stared for several seconds before speaking.

"What is this thing," The boy would hold one of the gauntlets up, both now fitting his hands perfectly, "And how is it that it... Transformed? And why gauntlets?" He questioned, sure that whatever answers given would surely bring about more questions. That was the way of the unknown.. But also one of the things that lured him to it.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Mouko Kuro smiled as hesat before Yanjirou and admired his fighting soul manifestation. That it had come about immediately was an even better sign. "Well young heir of the Byakko Clan, your test was to see if you could wield Tetsuyaiba, but the blade itself has a true name that only it's soul bonded may call. It is a living weapon from Ancient times wielded by a warrior of the First men whom came to the aid of the Toraono Clan during the Ancient Wars. He helped save the remaining gladiators that had bonded together to form the Toraono Clan and fought till there was only a dozen left out of three hundred when Homura's forces decided to purge the strongest group of humans in their area. That it adapted to you with just a touch shows that you may well be a perfect match. Your mother once took Tetsuyaiba's test but because of her true nature she could only master herself not the power of the blade and herself. This shows that you shall be stronger than both your mother and your father. It is a rare honor to witness Tetsuyaiba accept someone. One hundred years ago Tetsuyaiba accepted a young woman by the name of Byakko No-Une when she passed his test the blade transformed into a massive bladed spear for her. When she passed away from illness it returned to its blade form awaiting the next worthy heir of Byakko. You are truly blessed, Yanjirou, when you are ready use your next summon seal to begin your next training steps."<i></i> It seemed that Mouko Kuro would be able to train Yanjirou fully now and perhaps he would finally be able to see Tetsuyaiba fully awaken like in stories from the Chronicles of the First men.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

"Tetsuyaiba..." Yanjirou repeated what Kuro had said as he listened to the explanation, staring at the weapon which had made its home on his hands. It was certainly an interesting story to hear; the blade certainly looked old when he first saw it, but to be as old as the Toraono clan itself? Impressive to say the least. Not only that, but it only accepted masters it deemed worthy, which his mother wasn't, apparently. One question ate at him though, and it wouldn't be something that he could leave without having answered...

"I am certainly honored to have the privilege to wield - or I suppose fight along side - Tetsuyaiba... But I do have one question before we continue. Why me?" The boy would give Kuro a moment to consider his answer before continuing, "In a female dominated clan, why is it that I'm the one who was chosen? Wouldn't my sister be a more worthy applicant? Despite her current lack of drive, of course." He explained, half way wanting to find any reason to give the weapon back. It almost felt as though a great deal of responsibility was just thrust onto his shoulders... A weight that could crush him if he wasn't careful, and determined to fulfill whatever plan Byakko had in mind.

Once an answer was given, and Yanji wasn't planning on continuing without one, the boy would reach into his pouch and grab the final scroll that came with the gift. He would unroll it the moment he had it in both hands, placing it on the ground and summoning the final item for this portion of the training. Assuming it was a note, there was no telling what could be written on it. From the instructions given, there were no other scrolls that needed to be found, so the only thing he could really do is read about what comes next.

Sorry for the short post here.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

"I am certainly honored to have the privilege to wield - or I suppose fight along side - Tetsuyaiba... But I do have one question before we continue. Why me?" The boy would give Kuro a moment to consider his answer before continuing, "In a female dominated clan, why is it that I'm the one who was chosen? Wouldn't my sister be a more worthy applicant? Despite her current lack of drive, of course."

Mouko Kuro answered Yanjirou's questions while he prepared the necessary training for Yanjirou's chakra capacity and his combat skills. "The answer to your questions is rather simple. WOMEN tend to dominate things, they have only the capacity to control and rule so as to make things safe for their children. Men do not embrace safety, men share when necessary and take when necessary. Your mother was able to touch Tetsuyaiba but she could not share her soul with it. She was too self centered and focused on mastering herself. She is trapped in tradition and unable to accept change. You are capable of accepting change on your own terms, YOU are capable of invoking self reliance and accepting help. You will master yourself and Tetsuyaiba. You will learn its true name and master your own soul and the soul of the weapon that has accepted you. Since the weapon has accepted your touch we will spar on the surface of Undersea in weighted training gear. I will wear my weighted gear and you will wear a thirty pound weighted vest. We will draw forth your skill and the capacity necessary to learn the Tiger Contract. I apologize for the harshness of the training I am about to offer you but this is a necessary step to invoke the rites of the Tiger Contract."<i></i> Mouko Kuro put on four hundred pounds of iron training gear, his vest, his neck guard, his arm and shin guards, and then walked five feet off the shore to stand on the shallows. He then waited to see if Yanjirou was going to accept his training challenge. He then summoned a heavy leather training vest and some protective training wraps for Tetsuyaiba so that it would not get any excess water or blood upon it.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

The explanation certainly made sense, even Yanjirou knew how stubborn his mother could be... It was enough for him, well, at least for why it wasn't one of the women. To Yanji, there were many other applicable men in the Byakko clan that could have wielded this weapon, but it seemed that Kuro was intent on having him wield Tetsuyaiba...

The boy continued thinking about what happened thus far while his tutor explained that they would continue training, summoning training gear for all two three of them. The thirty pound vest was almost difficult to lift, which very near discouraged the boy from continuing his training for the day, at least, but he eventually managed to lift it over his head and onto his shoulders. After doing so, he wrapped up Tetsu and shuffled his way next to the water, allowing himself a moment to gather chakra and walk out onto the water as Kuro had.

"So what are the rules for this spar?" The boy asked with a huff, the vest he wore making him fatigued, even when he stood still. He could already tell that things wouldn't be easy for him, there would be no easy way out of this now that he'd accepted the spar. The quickest way to leave, would be to learn as much as he's able...