The Hug Heard Round the World [Tutor]

[Funai Ikko]

The Tea Country was almost creepily idyllic. The climate was perfect, the streets well kept and the environment in tact and beautiful. Even its people were pleasant, helpful, and incredibly enthusiastic to do nothing more than to wish you a pleasant afternoon. It was shocking that you could not perpetually hear ukuleles cheerfully plucking along with every step. The place looked like it was straight out of a cartoon. The patch of farmland that Tatsuo would find himself strolling alongside was not unique or absolved from this overwhelmingly positive environment. If he had bothered to stop, a passing chipmunk would probably have strolled up and affectionately eaten a nut out of his hand or something equally befitting something considerably beyond how animals actually behaved. However, unbeknownst to all, a predator lurked within their midst...silent...waiting. The predator's legs tensed, hidden amidst idyllic foliage, as he crouched down...ready to pounce. His prey was encroaching upon the kill zone, his breathing still, he wound further and then sprung forward, pouncing with the fury of an apex hunter...

"TATSY-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN"

Ikko flew out of the trees like a ballista bolt, hurtling through trees and shrubs as if he were fired out of a cannon and at a speed that, if Tatsuo retained any memories of the young boy, was significantly faster than he should have possibly been able to move. With his arms out stretched, Ikko would move to crash into Tatsuo, wrapping him up in a hug and, likely, knocking the pair of them clear off the road and into the rice fields to Tatsuo's left.

Regardless of the state of the pair of them, Ikko would roll onto his knees and glare, with a mix of anger and excitement, straight at Tatsuo. Despite the boys general disposition toward overdoing it with emotions, the look on Ikko's face was difficult to read. He held it for a few moments before, almost literally, exploding into a barrage of words.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!? YOU DIDN'T SAY GOODBYE! I THOUGHT YOU GOT EATEN BY A SHARK AND A WATER BUFFALO BOTH USING YOU TO PLAY TUG OF WAR BUT NO YOU COULDN'T BOTHER COMING BACK AND TELL ME WHICH ONE WON THE TUG OF WAR COULD YOU!? WHAT THE HELL TATSY!?"

[wc: 377]

 

[Tatsuo]

Re: The Hug Heard Round the World

Tatsuo had been enjoying the scenery ever since he got here. He had always loved nature and while the manufactured feeling of farmlands wasn't ideal, it definitely looked pretty. He had been walking down a path when he could feel the hairs on his neck stand up. Whatever it was, it had an almost icy feel to it but as he'd soon find out, it wasn't an unwelcome one. Within an instant Ikko shot out from the grass and straight towards the defenseless man. "W-wha!!!!!!!!!!" While he would most definitely recognize Ikko, there wasn't much time to recognize anything. Knowing it was a boy coming at him he opted out of using any barrier jutsu, not looking to break anyone's neck today.

Upon contact Tatsuo was sent flying alongside Ikko into the grass fields to their side, even firing off with enough pressure to make them slide a bit. Unfortunately destroying a bit of someone's crops! After they had stopped sliding, Tatsuo was quick to use his leg to gently pry Ikko off him. Tatsuo was having a hard time reading him until he spoke, "I--uhh." a frown filled his face, it was right. He never did say goodbye, he didn't really have enough time. "I'm sorry kid." he said going to pat him on the head as he managed to get back to his feet, brushing off some of the dirt and stuff. "I had to go back home, I should've said something before." he rubbed the back of his neck, his face filling with red as he was obviously embarrassed by the situation. It never was his intention to not tell Ikko goodbye, he stopped by his apartment the day before he left but he wasn't there.

However his frown was quick to go, despite the awkwardness of that situation he was happy to see his old friend again. He took his hand and brought it down horizontally. "You used to be about this tall last time, and a whole lot slower." Rubbing his chest with the same arm, "I'm definitely going to be feeling that one tomorrow. How's Kumogakure been treating you? Seems like you're getting stronger." He was so happy for him, seeing such a young kid grow, especially one he took an interest in earlier really made it for him. Tatsuo might have been only 16 but he always felt a bit responsible for Ikko, he did train with Hoshi and them. "You still train with Hoshi? If so, that explains the growth." Thinking back to his intense training alongside the Hyuuga, it really was a great way to improve. Hoshi didn't know how to train anyway but hard.

WC: 445/1500
PC: 1/5

 

[Funai Ikko]

The intense mingled look of excited fury slowly washed away into a look solely of excitement. It would seem that nearly years of resentment had been completely wiped clean with one simple apology and all had been forgiven. Ikko pulled himself up to his feet, wiping away bits of rice and soil from his clothes before excitedly turning back to Tatsuo, fully ready to regale him with tales of his adventures in Kumogakure. However, before he could really get in to a groove with his epic adventures, Tatsuo's question cause Ikko's face to droop slightly, a small crestfallen air coming to him. He wasn't really sure how to answer that question. After Tatsuo had left, Ikko's interactions with Hoshi were mostly academic, literally. Hoshi had helped Ikko learn to read and write, but after those lessons Ikko had not seen the man at all.

"No...not really...he's been really busy I think. I was put in a team though, and Kiri has been...teaching me...I guess."

He said the words "Kiri" and "teaching" with contempt that Tatsuo had never seen on his face before. However it was gone almost as soon as it had come and he had moved back to the familiar jubilant persona. As he went back to regaling the more exciting things he had enjoyed, specifically leaving out the parts involving Kiri. He went in to the journey for the Legendary Lightning Log where he met Shiro and Honnou, then he talked about his adventures with meeting his team and serving under Junko Sensei. And then, with a grin, he raised one hand in front of him with a grin.

"And look what I can do now."

As soon as the words left his mouth the moisture in the air began condensing fast as the air around them seemingly turned frigid as three icicles formed around Tatsuo's head and began to circle around him, the needles spinning and twirling up and down in orbit around the elder man's head, as if they were doing a dance, Ikko grinning up at his work. Before shifting his eyes down to Tatsuo's, the grin widening.

"Hoshi and I figured out what my Kegger Genki is and I'm really good at it! Wanna see more!?"

[WC: The intense mingled look of excited fury slowly washed away into a look solely of excitement. It would seem that nearly years of resentment had been completely wiped clean with one simple apology and all had been forgiven. Ikko pulled himself up to his feet, wiping away bits of rice and soil from his clothes before excitedly turning back to Tatsuo, fully ready to regale him with tales of his adventures in Kumogakure. However, before he could really get in to a groove with his epic adventures, Tatsuo's question cause Ikko's face to droop slightly, a small crestfallen air coming to him. He wasn't really sure how to answer that question. After Tatsuo had left, Ikko's interactions with Hoshi were mostly academic, literally. Hoshi had helped Ikko learn to read and write, but after those lessons Ikko had not seen the man at all.

"No...not really...he's been really busy I think. I was put in a team though, and Kiri has been...teaching me...I guess."

He said the words "Kiri" and "teaching" with contempt that Tatsuo had never seen on his face before. However it was gone almost as soon as it had come and he had moved back to the familiar jubilant persona. As he went back to regaling the more exciting things he had enjoyed, specifically leaving out the parts involving Kiri. He went in to the journey for the Legendary Lightning Log where he met Shiro and Honnou, then he talked about his adventures with meeting his team and serving under Junko Sensei. And then, with a grin, he raised one hand in front of him with a grin.

"And look what I can do now."

As soon as the words left his mouth the moisture in the air began condensing fast as the air around them seemingly turned frigid as three icicles formed around Tatsuo's head and began to circle around him, the needles spinning and twirling up and down in orbit around the elder man's head, as if they were doing a dance, Ikko grinning up at his work. Before shifting his eyes down to Tatsuo's, the grin widening.

"Hoshi and I figured out what my Kegger Genki is and I'm really good at it! Wanna see more!?"

[WC: 749/1500
PC: 2/5]

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo was happy that Ikko seemed to forgive him, but just as quickly he frowned after realizing Hoshi hadn't kept up with Ikko's training. "I guess he just got busy with the tournament stuff." he said trying to offer an excuse for his good friend. "Either way i'm sorry to hear that, if you.. I think I can still show you a few things." he said laughing a bit, "You're a lot stronger than the last time we met but I haven't been slacking either." He grinned and thought about how much he had improved since he was last in Kumogakure. It truly was a wonder, but he had a reason to fight and get stronger now. Motivation could do wonders for a young shinobi.

He paid careful attention to all what Ikko had to say, regarding Kiri, the friends he was making, all of which brought a smile to his face. "That's good kid, i'm glad you're having fun and making friends. Sorry about not liking your teacher all that much, any reasons why?" he said asking tenderly, "I'm actually a Jonin now, i've got a squad of my own. Three kids, one from Kumogakure actually. I don't know if you've met him though." Tatsuo was pretty sure all of his students liked him and he could only wonder why one wouldn't like their sensei. Though, thinking about his experiences with Kaji he could understand sort of. Sensei are still people, after all.

Impressed by the Ice Jutsu, he nodded a few times and made no comment on Kegger Genki despite it tugging a smile at his lips, no point in embarrassing him at a moment like this. They were both enjoying themselves too much. As the icicles danced around him, when asked to see more. Tatsuo said "Of course, though.." looking to the farmland around them. "Let's clean up this mess before." Reaching into his pack he grabbed a few bills, more than enough yen to pay for whatever the lost crop would be and a bit more. "Here take this and run over to the house." he said pointing to the small farmstead at the edge of the farm. "Go say you accidentally ran off the road and tore up some of their carts and pay them back. Don't want you looking bad or getting any complaints." he said with a firm nod. Crossing his arms he waited until Ikko went off and did it.

WC: 853
PC: 2/5

 

[Funai Ikko]

Ikko let the comment about Hoshi slip right by him. He didn't especially hold a grudge toward the man or, as it were, the boy since Hoshi was really only a little older than he was in the grand scheme of things. Ikko, however childish he seemed, was a lot wiser than people gave him credit for and the boy, in general, knew very well that he was not the center of the universe. He had no claim to Hoshi's time and if the man was too busy for him, then, Ikko would just need to progress himself in different ways. Which is exactly what he did. On top of that, he had progressed much, much differently than he might have if he had truly studied directly under Hoshi's tutelage. Ikko was content with it however. With how he got to that point however he also seemed to completely neglect to answer why Kiri provoked such an irked expression. That wasn't a subject Ikko was in any rush to broach with Tatsuo, especially not now. Things in Kumogakure worked differently than they were likely to in Konoha and Ikko had enough sense of propriety to not give away any information that wasn't necessary to give.

Instead, most of Ikko's enthusiasm was directed at what Tatsuo had to share. He nodded vigorously when he mentioned his students and then shook vigorously when he half asked half explained that Ikko had never met the Kumogakure transfer. However, despite Tatsuo's claim to being familiar with training children, he seemed to have very little experience with how little they were willing to be accountable. As Tatsuo forced the money on him, Ikko's immediate reaction was to pout in protest before, grudgingly, doing an about face and aiming himself at the house. With a wild grin, Ikko took off, except he wasn't running. With a simple seal Ikko had rocketed off, skating on a bridge of ice arcing through the air toward the house, steadily melting behind him in the heat once he chakra stopped holding it in place, leaving nothing but a light shower of water in his wake.

Ikko landed softly in front of the farm house and knocked, but got no answer in return. A frown crept onto his face as he looked through a nearby window. Shooting a perplexed look back at Tatsuo as the only warning, Ikko vaulted right over the window sill into the house. Sliding through the house, Ikko couldn't find anyone and immediately moved on to the next foolproof plan, leaving the money on a kitchen counter with a note. Unfortunately, Ikko couldn't actually find anything to write on or with. So instead, Ikko pulled some ice to his hands and wrote a small letter in snow on their counter. Seeing no problem in his foolproof, soon to be a puddle sitting around some money plan, Ikko left the house the way he came and did the same iceman trick on his way back to Tatsuo, landing a few feet before him with a wild grin.

"So what else have you learned to do!?"

[WC: 1266/1500
PC: 3/5]

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo kept a careful eye on Ikko the whole way, while he trusted the boy he knew he was always a bit of a prankster so he was making sure he didn't just pocket the money. Not that he didn't trust him, he just thought Ikko might find it funny. Either way they were responsible for the destruction of someone's livelihood and the only option was to re-compensate them. His jaw nearly dropped as he saw Ikko capable of such useful ninjutsu especially at such a young age. Damn what are they feeding them nowadays? Tatsuo shook his head a few times before smirking, "At least some of them don't seem to be so angry all that time. I wonder what all the Kiri stuff is about." he said to himself, never actually meeting Kiri, but hearing the occasional off statement about him from Hoshi and a some other talks around the town at some trouble he started.

When Ikko finally returned and posed a question on what Tatsuo had learned to do, he rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, a whole lot. I guess?" He looked around the terrain and felt it wouldn't be wise to just fire off some huge ninjutsu here. "I'm just a better shinobi, you know? I've got a few things though.. maybe you'll like this." Tatsuo walked over to a pile of what seemed to be mud, but considering the farmland it probably had a few other uses. Tatuso brought his together and formed a quick series of hand seals, probably too quick for Ikko to keep up with, but with how strong he was getting who knows. After finishing the sequence he brought his hands down onto the earth and for a few moments.. nothing.

Tatsuo turned to Ikko and smiled a bit awkwardly, as if he had failed his jutsu but before either of them could get that disappointed. A huge wooden bear, taller than both of them erupted from the ground. Pulling itself out piece by piece before running straight towards a nearby treeline. Wreaking terror and havoc wherever it went. It seemed to cut through the forest like a hot knife through butter. Tatsuo shrugged his shoulders, "I used to be able to do that, sorta, but it's a whole lot stronger now." Tatsuo turned his attention to Ikko now, however, "I think yours was a lot cooler though. I can't slide around like that or anything!" Tatuso couldn't help but smirk at his own bad joke.

WC: 1280/1500
PC: 3/5

 

[Funai Ikko]

Ikko watched with rapt attention as Tatsuo was about to showcase what exactly being an elite Konoha Jounin entailed and the enthusiastic gleam in Ikko's eye, which had started out shining so, so bright, slowly began to fade into a dimmer an dimmer look of dejection and disappointment....and then flared right the hell back to life as the the creature shot out of the ground. Ikko's lips parted and his mouth grew wide with excitement and shock and was immediately followed by the boy jumping up and down for joy. Clapping his hands exuberantly in the process. However, by the time Tatsuo tried to speak to him in summation of his progress and his new found abilities and making a pun so criminally painful Ikko would normally would be surprised that a child magically appear at his feet, all other thoughts were driven from him but one.

"BEAR!"

It happened faster than anyone could conceivably react to. Ikko was gone, the spot where he was standing moments earlier completely vacated as he repeated the trick he had done before but now was so blisteringly fast that it was difficult to believe he was the same child. Ikko crossed the distance between him and the bear so fast that the creature barely had a chance to get into the treeline before Ikko's path of frost had arched over the creature. Ikko leaped and fell straight down on the creature's back with an oomph, but maintained his balance as the creature romped through the woods. A few moments later, Tatsuo would hear a familiar, joyous screaming from the woods.

"HA HA, ON YOUR BACK YOU STUPID BEAR, I'M GOING TO PUNCH YOU AND PUNCH YOU AND WALLOP YOU ON YOUR STUPID HEAD BECAUSE I AM IKKO, BEAR SLAYER MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

As would be expected, every proclamation was punctuated with a loud "thunk" as Ikko's fist crashed into the top of the wooden bear's head as Ikko, true to his promises, punched the ever loving crap out of the bears head with a maniacal laugh as the creature would bound through the woods, a cackling glean in Ikko's eyes.

[WC: 1621/1500
PC:4/5]

 

[Tatsuo]

Well.. he couldn't say he expected that. Ikko went into an almost insane frenzy at the sight of the bear, a violent tendency that was just a bit off putting for someone as peaceful as Tatsuo. Rubbing the back of his neck he watched as he hit and hit the bear before the jutsu finally ran out of juice and fell to the ground with a huge thud. Ikko riding on top as the wood sank back to the earth, returning to wherever it came from. Conveniently leaving Ikko above ground and unscathed except maybe a few bruised knuckles from when he punched the otherwise inanimate bear. Tatsuo mostly made it a bear for looks, much like people made dragons out of fire or water, he just thought a dragon made out of wood would be a bit ironic, a bear made more sense.

"Wh-what was that all about?" Tatsuo was confused at why Ikko went into such a primal rage. If anything it worried him a little bit, but it really wasn't his place to give the kid any lectures on violence or anything. He was a ninja from a different village and if that's how the opted to raise their kids there wasn't much he could say in regards to it.

WC: 1493
PC: 4/5

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Susumu had had to make a near dive for the few loan bushes on the side of the farmhouse when Ikko slipped into the building to deposit the money. ”That was close!” he thought silently as he used a tiny hole in the branches to watch the two shinobi.

Unbeknownst or beknownst to the Kumogakure gennin, Susumu had been stalking following the teen since he left the inn everyone from cloud had decided to stay at. In truth, Susumu was curious as to who this kid was, and really liked his style.

So here he was for the better half of the day, stalking following and waiting for such a good moment to introduce himself. The opportunity failed to present itself, but Susumu was not one to give up easily. Now, as he watched Ikko He-man rode a bear made of wood and covered in mud, laughing maniacally as he fisticuffed its head into oblivion, a very quiet snort came out of his mouth before he could stop it. He quickly covered his mouth, hoping no one heard him from this distance.

And his mother called him wild? Clearly he needed to learn a thing or two.

[OOC: Just keep your posting speed up and ignore me if you wish! I'm not taking any tutor rewards since I'm entering with an NPC]

 

[Funai Ikko]

As the bear sunk into the ground beneath him, Ikko would find himself in mid punch aiming at something that was rapidly giving way beneath him. Swinging forward with nothing to hit, Ikko's momentum carried him toward the ground, tumbling over the collapsing bear and rolling, happily, through the grass at it's feet. Ikko, still letting out excited laughter at "fun with bear punching," rolled onto his hands and knees before pushing himself up. He was little worse for wear, no scratches or bruises and even his knuckles looked suspiciously unharmed, but the boy had managed to get all sorts of greenery coated all over himself, from grass on his knees and elbows to, somehow, a twig in his hair. Ikko grabbed one of the crumbling ursine limbs and tossed it up in the air, juggling it in his palms as he jogged back to Tatsuo, a jovial grin on his face. Unfortunately, Tatsuo didn't seem nearly as amused as Ikko and when he caught up to him, a small frown creased the boy's features. Why did he look so worried?

"What do you mean? It was a bear."

Ikko said this as if he was pointing out that the grass was green and the sky was blue, as if it were and immutable and obvious fact of the universe. Clearly beyond puzzled at Tatsuo's puzzlement, Ikko's head tilted to the side as he gazed up at him. Did...did they not punch bears in Konoha? Before he could really delve further into just how weird Tatsuo was for not doling out fist related judgement upon the ursine populace, Ikko's eyes lit up. He had completely forgot about what time it must be getting close to and, probably for the first time in Tatsuo's life, he would see genuine fear in Ikko's eyes.

"Oh no no no no no, I didn't notice where the sun was. No no no. Tatsy Tatsy you don't understand. I was supposed to meet this girl to see something called a Bee Luufed or something. You know what that's gotta be right? It's gotta be a giant bee. I don't wanna be stung by a giant bee for being late or worse. I don't know what's worse than being stung on the bum by a giant bee but I don't wanna find out. Bye Tatsy!"

And with that Ikko did an abrupt turn and sprinted back toward the city proper, apparently completely forgetting he could probably skate there faster and completely oblivious to his definitely not a stalker. He hadn't managed to notice him from the boat all the way to this farm and he wasn't going to ruin his streak now, what kind of loser would quit while he was on a hot streak? Not Ikko, that's for sure.

[WC: Plenty over
PC: 5/5]

[Exit unless stopped]

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo truly was confused, but sometimes kids were just weird. As quickly as he came he ran off just the same, Tatsuo supposed it was endearing but he couldn't help but be confused about everything going on. Letting out a yawn he looked up to the sky and realized he should've probably head home himself.

[Topic Left unless stopped]
WC: 1500+
PC: 5/5

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Fortunately, Susumu’s snort went unnoticed as he cowered under the bushes. But just as quickly as he thought he was safe, Ikko was making comments about meeting up with a girl and made a mad dash back to town. Could it have possibly been the girl he saw them talking to on the boat?

Susumu tapped his chin, looking to the blue sky in thought. He guessed she looked kind of cute. Shrugging, and once Ikko was out of sight, Susumu hopped from the bushes and made a mad dash for the road. “Yo.” he said, passing Tatsuo on his own treck home. Still an academy student, it would be hard to tell what village the boy came from… but maybe a bit of nostalgia would hit him when he looked in Susumu’s eyes.

Not giving the man much time to consider, the boy was up and over the hill with a renewed grin, Mission: make a new friend was in full swing today, and he wasn’t going to fail it.

TL