The New Kid on the Block [Seeking Ayumu]

[Enatsu]

It was one of those cold summer days. The sun was out, but there were those occasionally showers, yet it never blotted out the Sun. One could look at it as another day or they could look at this like a blessing from above. A symbolic meaning that this day would face trouble but retain joy. It was always better to be positive instead of being a negative Nancy. Yuuto cheerful as usual, walked strolled into the Anbu Facility. However remembering where he was without even thinking he had came in unprepared. "Oh no, this just won't do. How can I expect to meet the ANBU Sennin out of uniform? He'd probably wring my neck or something if I were to do that. The least I can do is wear my mask until he says take it off." Making quick work of a simple handseal Yuuto would use an Anbu Special, to summon a mask. It was pure white, and completely dull nothing special about it. However it was a trainees mask, something he was going to have to make due with. His other attire was a simple black muscle shirt, with pants to match. His sandals and a blade that rested in a crimson red and onyx black scabbard. His newest blade, was the Nosferatu. It was a blade made of black silver, and dipped in a pool of the Primordial Shadows. The Primordial Zone was the place where their shadows came from, the place where darkness began before light, and light goes to become dark. It was always a very eerie subject for Yuuto but he never dismissed it seeing as their shadows were somewhat enchanted. What else could they be if they could fell beast normal means could not?

"I'm going to have to do something about the way you look Nosferatu, or at least be able to conceal you. Swords become too identifiable when you carry them around like I do." It wasn't as if Nosferatu was his only sword, but it was by far is favorite weapon. Another idea as sharp as a whip, came to his mind. If he could conceal his own Ninjutsu with shadows who was to say he couldn't hide items within them? Never trying this before Yuuto would warp the shape of his own shadow and create what looked like a mini whirlpool of darkness. Yuuto would let the Nosferatu drop down inside of it. "Well that wraps that up". The Masaru would head towards the ANBU Sennin's office next knocking on the door slightly loud. He didn't mean anything by the loud knocks, it was just that he was excited. Now of course the Sennin wouldn't be able to see this due to the mask but Yuuto had a very large smile drawn upon his face. The only other thing to hint to his joy would be when the Sennin answered, he'd say in a cheerful tone, "Good Morning, Chief got a few minutes to spare?" While he was so cheerful he did have a few things to discuss, concerning his place in ANBU, and the start of his assignments as he had great ambition to move up in the ranks.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu was sitting at his desk as per usual. The paperwork strewn across it was looking slightly more organized than normal. Most of it was stacked rather than spread carelessly across the surface, and there seemed to be less of it than usual. If anybody truly knew Ayumu, they would probably guess that this wasn't his doing but rather the second-in-command Shuusei Touma. The truth was that the two of them had tackled the paperwork together the night before after Ayumu had nearly reached the breaking point and threatened to throw it all in a furnace. Now it all seemed much more manageable, and Ayumu hoped to keep it that way. In a week's time, however, it would probably return to the usual. He was dressed in his blue colored uniform as he was most of the time when he wasn't enjoying his limited free time. As always, his face was bespectacled.

Upon his desk laying between the stacks of papers was his Grand Commander's Daikatana, an obscenely long blade that he carried into most battles. Laying right beside it was a slightly shorter blade that he had been using since his days as a trainee, a katana affectionately dubbed Ayumu Jr. Both of them were sheathed in navy blue scabbards with golden trim which seemed to match his uniform. At the moment he was busily writing what appeared to be some sort of report. There had been an incident the other night which had required him to draw Ayumu Jr. and put down a rogue shinobi. Even if he was a Sennin, he still needed to write up reports to record what happened. The Raikage in particular would probably be reviewing this one. As Yuuto approached he would find the thick metal door to the ANBU Sennin's office open, though he knocked on it as visitors were expected to. Ayumu's pen stopped and he looked up to see the masked figure standing in the door frame, requesting a bit of his time.

"Of course, come in," he said, setting down his pen and pushing the page aside under a few others. Ayumu had no special powers to see past a mask, so when an ANBU was masked he was just as anonymous to Ayumu as anyone else. This one donned a blank mask. 'A trainee?' Ayumu pondered as the man walked in. "You know you don't have to wear the mask inside the Sileo. Well, unless you want to," he commented, wondering if the supposed trainee did indeed wish to remain anonymous among the other ANBU. "Well anyway, what can I do for you?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands in his lap. He welcomed the momentary break from writing the morbid report.

[MFT: 458]

 

[Enatsu]

Though the door was open, manners like his mama always taught him. Ayumu, generously invited him in, calm as ever. To be quite honest, he might have seen the sennin on one or two occasions, but generally the trainees didn't meet with anyone special. Least he didn't get to. "Thank you kindly, nice digs you got here." Yuuto would walk into the office immediately noting the Sennin's stack of papers which seemed to be spread out in a messy but organized manner. It took a certain level of care to get papers in that order, he'd chuckle in his mind. However lying in the thick of it all was a very long blade accompanied by another blade, that seemed dwarfed in comparison. They both were in a navy scabbards with a gold trim, the designs on those sheathes alone were exquisite.

Yuuto would stand in front of the Sennin's desk not wanting to sit before being told it was alright. He had this things about his superiors and while he was very light-hearted and happy there was the sting to not step on people's toes. "You mean, I don't have to wear this thing right now? Oh good, I don't even like this one." Without a moment's hesitation, he'd tear off the dull mask and reveal his grinning face. "Masaru Yuuto, newly recruited full ANBU. Just graduated from the AiT program about a week ago. Mind if I sit down?" If allowed to sit down he'd plop on in the first seat he could. Ayumu seemed a lot more laid back than he expected but this kind of personality was alright with Yuuto it would mesh with him to a tee.

"Nice swords you got there, I have one too usually on my hip or back but I thought having identifiable items in the open wouldn't be good for my status. Truth be told I was worried you'd wring my neck if I looked like a normal civilian strolling in through here haha." Yuuto's hand would move in circles warping his own shadow to make the same mini whirlpool of darkness he used to put Nosferatu in. Reaching down he'd pull out the crimson red, and black scabbard with the gold hilted blade, Nosferatu. "Never knew much about you beyond your name to be honest, but it's good we can meet." Now that the pleasantries were conducted and properly if one thought from his tone still, Yuuto could pursue what he came for.

"Well sir, let me not waste your time. I came here today to get a better understanding from you, as to what it means to be an Anbu. I've longed for a better chance to protect Kumogakure. Ever since my young days I've been thrown into the world of fighting with my family in tow. Against different creatures honing our slaying abilities, to what some may say preparation. It is a separate way of pay beyond the shinobi, but it seems like the things we take out are always hurting others or sometimes we just beat the creature up so badly it won't come back. We've even helped a few. It's always been protecting someone or something in the grand scheme of things. I've always had the idea that this is what Kumogakure's Anbu stand for. To protect the village in a higher degree than the Main Branch. To do the things they cannot and take the hard tasks so no one else has to." Stopping for a moment he'd revisit his training, and how one of his instructors had called him a bleeding heart. He didn't think caring about many things was a weakness in fact he believed it was a strength. It was what gave soldiers their conviction more than that the shinobi world was just death and you were just another tool. Yuuto didn't hold that sentiment and he likely never would.

"With a better understanding of Anbu, I can figure out what to do better with my job. I'd like to one day be an Elite, even move onto Captain Rank, my ambition is strong and when I get started I do not give up. I want to protect what we hold dear, like the Raikage. However I just don't know what my specific role in this league would be yet. I'd also like to request a mission to start me off if you have anything." With the serious talk ended the shinobi would relax little loosening up whatever tense feeling he had before. "Oh one more thing, this mask is from the trainee days. I would need a real one I assume, and a callsign I don't have one of those yet either. I kind of forget to request for them.." He'd twiddle his fingers together with that classic "my bad" look on his face.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu chuckled as Yuuto commented on the office. It was large, but it was a bit plain looking in all honesty. The walls were all an encasement of concrete, stone, and metal. It was a dull mixture of gray and black for the most part. Not much thought had gone into decoration. It seemed almost all of the effort had gone into functionality instead. Still, it was big, so it did have that going for it. Ayumu had inherited it and not changed much. He wasn't much of an interior decorator anyway. The masked man approached the desk and introduced himself after taking off his mask at Ayumu's prompting. Apparently he was a recent graduate to full ANBU status. His name rung familiar as Ayumu reviewed all promotions even if he did not directly assign them. Yuuto asked if he could be seated reminding Ayumu that generally those that entered would stand until he gave them permission to sit. He was still getting used to that.

"Of course, by all means," he said giving Yuuto permission to seat himself which he promptly did. He commented on Ayumu's swords which were strewn across his desk since he had arrived earlier. He supposed he really should put them somewhere else but he just hadn't had the time to worry about it. "I like to have them within arm's reach at all times, you know? But no, I have no intention of wringing your neck. What you look like in our base of operations isn't as important as what you look like when on duty," he said as he watched Yuuto pull his own blade out of a pool of shadowy darkness. 'Interesting trick,' Ayumu thought with a grin as he leaned back in his chair. It would certainly be handy to have the ability to hide away his weapons and bring them out with such easy. The best he could do was probably to put them in a summoning scroll, but that took a little more time to withdraw them from than he liked. Always within arm's reach- having them in whatever dimension summoned items came from didn't fit that category.

The ANBU now began to explain his purpose there in the Sennin's office. He had come with questions about the ANBU seeking clarification and perhaps direction. Yuuto began by explaining how he had always been fighting, though from the sounds of it he was more of a monster hunter before he enlisted with Kumogakure. That undoubtedly made him a valuable recruit. Ayumu could imagine a recruiter was very excited when Yuuto came to them. He transitioned into what he thought the ANBU's purpose was, and actually he seemed to have a better idea than he knew. Ayumu smiled. Yuuto continued, speaking of his ambitions to become one of the Elite ANBU, and eventually a Captain. It was good to see someone ambitious that wasn't solely in it for power or prestige. Lastly, he was here to inquire about his mask and callsign, which he apparently forgot to request. Ayumu chuckled again. 'This guy is amusing,' he thought as he prepared his long-winded response to the various questions.

"You seem to have a better idea of what ANBU are about than most, to be truthful. We get so many recruits coming here thinking that ANBU is all about assassination... and so many on the outside think ANBU are just cold-blooded killers. I myself initially came here as a trainee looking for action packed missions, I confess. But I found a greater purpose. You hit the mark... ANBU's primary purpose is to protect our village. We have various methods to meet that goal. Some do involve assassination. Many involve working in the shadows.. and because of that, we may not always be understood or appreciated. But we are needed. We do things the Main Branch can't... hence the additional training ANBU receive. ANBU have many tasks. There are hunters who track threats to the village and eliminate them. The Raikage guard does just that: protects the highest ranked shinobi in the village. Some guard the village directly from any threats. Some act as rapid deployment forces for special operations as they arise. With time, you'll find your place here," Ayumu responded, hoping not to come off as too preachy or rehearsed.

"As for your callsign and mask... you'll retain the callsign you used as a trainee, just to keep things simple. The mask you'll be able to design yourself. I'll have someone call for one the mask making staff to guide you through that after you're done here," he said, hopefully answering Yuuto's remaining questions. "And I don't blame you, the plain mask is a bit dull, but it gives trainees something to look forward to, eh?" he suggested with a laugh. "As for a mission, you will be assigned one in due time, I'm sure. There's always something that needs doing, after all," he concluded, wondering if Yuuto had further questions.

[OoC: Just so you know, call signs are obtained as a trainee so you can go ahead and request one here and consider yourself to have had it all along. If you're looking for an ANBU mission, you can make a request here and we'll see if we can get some other participants interested (if not, something solo will also work).]

 

[Enatsu]

It was good to know that the Anbu Sennin was not a hard ass when it came to things like these. If anything he seemed like he had that big brother vibe. The mature guy who had been through various things, but not enough to fully match with the older generation. However he was a Sennin, so it meant something at least to people who worked under him. There was a reason why this man was chosen. There were a few light-hearted chuckles before Ayumu really began to answer Yuuto's questions.

It made sense that many of the people who came here believed that Anbu were just more elite assassins. That they were just slayers in the shadows, and it wasn't hard to see why. They were forced to wear masks when on duty, and their identity held a secret most times. It was the Anbu people gossiped about when things got rough or a group of criminals had gone too far. There were even times they got credit for things they didn't do, but it mainly always dealt with some form of death, and sabotage. Ever soldier in this village is trained to kill from birth but they all didn't make it a priority to always kill. It seemed as though Anbu was definitely the right place for him. A realm of protection, and though yes to protect something it sometimes meant you had to kill another but this was an inevitable path. It does not mean that it had to be the only path one could walk on. It was assured to him that one day he'd find his path in the line of Anbu.

The Sennin would begin to explain the situation of his call-sign and his mask. The call-sign was going to be the same one he had as a trainee. The name was one he was given after explaining his power and the theory behind it they gave him the name "Zenku" as to signify him being a precursor as his power had nicely fit. He had always wanted something more cooler to be all scary to the enemy, but truth be told the name Zenku fit well, he couldn't deny that. The last things to be discussed was the mission and the mask. It had seemed that he got all of the information he was going to need from Ayumu. "Right then, I'll head to the mask artisans and look around for a mission. Thanks sir, you've been a great help today. I believe that I've made the right move coming to the Anbu." Yuuto would extend his hand to give Ayumu a firm handshake before heading out. It was good to have met a man who didn't turn away the ideals of a "bleeding heart". When he was dismissed the newly recruited Anbu would head to get his dull mask refitted into something more him, and then he'd head to the mission administration. There was bound to be something in HQ for him to do.

[Topic Left when dismissed]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

It seemed that all of Yuuto's questions had been answered to satisfaction as Ayumu was thanked and the trainee stood and extended his hand. Ayumu stood as well and took the offered hand giving it a firm shake before releasing him to depart. "I'm glad you feel that way. Feel free to stop in anytime if you find yourself questioning that," he said with a smile as Yuuto turned to leave. He watched the man disappear through the doors and then turned to one of the secretarial staff that was busily working on something at a nearby desk.

"Hey, you got a pen? Mine's running out of ink," he said, groaning about how much he had been forced to use it as of late. A pen was tossed his way which he deftly caught and spun around his fingers clenching it in the writing position. "ALRIGHT, time to get this done! I'll finish it in less than half an hour!" he boasted, sitting down abruptly and figuratively tearing his pen into the page. The pen flew across the page applying words to it so fast one would swear they saw smoke forming from the friction.

[Topic Left]