What Didja Wanna Show Me? [Tutor w/Tatsuo]

[Samsara Saito]

On a beautiful morning such as today, Saito never found himself displeased to be in the Ancient Forest, on the way to Tatsuo's house. The boy had returned to his little flat across from the library with the small space just as he left it before his journey to Konoha, everything neat and tidy and clean. Not that he'd been there often since his return to Kumo, he basically only slept there and even then not a lot. He would train with Tatsuo and Team 11 most days, or spend his free time in the Bibliotheca Conscientiae, researching new jutsu and learning more about his old jutsu. He woke up that morning thinking his day would hold more of the same, but today Tatsuo sent him a message calling him out to the forest, apparently to show him something special.

The boy wondered what Tatsuo had to show him, probably some sort of new move or jutsu. Rarely caught unprepared, Saito came fully equipped to spar, since any meeting with his sensei could end up in a sparring session and the boy definitely wanted to be ready for that. Saito seemed obsessed with training, always coming to Tatsuo and looking for tips or tricks to prepare him for the dangerous missions he knew would one day come, always diligent in his studies. His sensei never denied him, always taking the time to teach him something new or work with him to improve his jutsu, and the 11 year old cloud genin took advantage of that as much as he could. He and Tatsuo would one day sail on the ocean and fight pirates, or go deep underground to root out bad guys in their hidden bases... or do some sort of high difficulty mission one day. Saito patiently aspired to be strong enough to go with Tatsuo and be exactly what his sensei and his team would need in the desperate moments. Today would likely be training in much of the same vein -- or at least that's what Saito expected would happen. Though to be fair, Tatsuo was unpredictable at best... thinking about it for a few moments more, the boy realized he had no idea what Tatsuo had in store for him today.

"HIIIII Shinrin-sensei! I'm heeeeeere!" Saito called out as he flew into Tatsuo's forest home with the same comfort he had at their apartment in Konoha. The child grew a bit since then, but aside from that his mannerisms changed little; the boy still teemed with excitement to be at his sensei's house, about to learn something new or see something special. "So! What'cha got to show me?"

[WC: 442, TWC: 442, PC: 1/5]

 

[Tatsuo]

There had been a technique Tatsuo had learnt in his travel in Tea, during one of the weeks they were there, Tatsuo was absent and while he had an excuse when he got back he hadn't really felt comfortable to show anyone the technique just yet. However, now that he had learned it, and mastered it, he wanted to show it to Saito. He sat at outside his house, leaning against a wall. He had spent most of the day training and mastering a new technique, so he was quite sweaty, it was definitely an early morning session considering the sun hadn't even reached it's peak in the sky.

He had taken a break with a nice refreshing glass of lemonade. Part of him forgot that he asked Saito to come today, the days had begun to mesh together as most of the time he spent training since returning to Kumogakure. As far as Tatsuo can remember molding chakra he also had access to natural energy, so the natural energy parts of being a sage were not difficult for him. However there was a whole other part of it that he didn't realize until Koto, his summon, had grown more and learned his own instincts better. Even Tatsuo was the one who showed him how to mold chakra, perform hand seals, and the other basics of ninjutsu, there was a certain something that animals were just born with and Koto was the same.

A certain way of attacking, or moving, and with style. Something that he aptly named, Saru Ken. It was a style that Tatsuo had a hard time adjusting too, considering up until this point his fighting style had been mostly defensive, reacting to his enemies and taking strikes where he could. However the monkey's of Hiroo Onoda had no such way of fighting, constant offense, a relentless flurry of strikes which lead most opponents to become overwhelmed and lose their defenses. Quite the contrast of Tatsuo's old fighting style, one that would take quite a bit to adapt to.

He was doing it however, slowly but surely his fighting style grew to mach his newfound companion. He was cut and bruised as he had been training hard and his clothes dirty and torn, while Saito had never known Tatsuo to avoid hard work this training seemed intense even for the Jonin he knew so well. He had noticed Saito coming for a while, his tracking through Natural Energy seemed to just get better and better as time went on.

When his jovial student appeared before him and exclaimed what he wanted to show him, Tatsuo stood up slow, a grunt following as it was obvious he was sore, however his friendly smile was just as bright as usual. "I want you to meet someone!" A quick series of hand seals, one longer than most jutsu Saito would've ever seen Tatsuo perform then he brought his thumb up and took a quick bite, a bit of crimson appearing as he marked his now open palm. Slamming it to the ground there was a poof of smoke which quickly dispersed leaving in it's wake...

An admittedly cute monkey. "His name is Koto, I have a contract with the Monkey's of Hiroo Onoda, we've been teaching each other lots of things about being shinobi." he said grinning as he motioned to the area around him, "As you can tell, we've both been training pretty hard." While Tatuso was talking, Koto walked to Saito on all fours, peering at him with inquisitive eyes. He approached the boy slowly before getting close enough to touch him and running back to Tatsuo, using his arm some what as a grapple as he slung from Tatsuo's arm to behind Tatsuo's neck, where Koto rested his chin on Tatsuo's head and looked down to Saito, eager to see what he had to say, but not without his own suspicious.

Tatsuo laughed a bit and shook his head, "C'mon, Koto, i've told you all about Saito, he's my protege ya' know?" The monkey was a bit less scared of Saito after that but he definitely kept his distance. However he mostly just tapped his hands on Tatsuo's head as if he was a drum in the meantime. Tatsuo had gotten used to the monkey's antics so he had brought a hand up to poke the little guy in the belly which made him spring off a bit, but was quick to return to tapping on Tatsuo's head.

"So what do you think, pretty cool, huh?" he asked Saito.

WC: 762/1500
PC: 1/5

 

[Samsara Saito]

It was obvious to Saito that Tatsuo had been working hard, the Jounin appeared to have been training heavily and feeling the pain that came with it. Beneath the bruised and sore exterior still existed the same Tatsuo, however, and the pain from training couldn't bury the happy smile and warm pleasure the boy's sensei felt at seeing him. "I want you to meet someone!" Tatsuo said excitedly, before executing a long chain of handsigns and biting his thumb.

Saito had heard of the summoning jutsu of course, but had never actually seen it with his own eyes. Not like this, anyway, where a cute little monkey appeared from a puff of smoke! It even had its own little neckerchief and backpack! The little creature drew close enough for Saito to touch, but the boy didn't move, figuring it wouldn't appreciate any sudden movements as it first got to know him. After a quick investigation, the little monkey dashed back to Tatsuo and climbed him, sitting on top of his head.

Saito's happy surprise couldn't be more plain. "WOW Sensei! Ahh... Hi, Koto!" the boy greeted, waving up at the little guy on Tatsuo's head. "It's so nice to meet you!" Back to Tatsuo, excitement high in his voice, "WHEEEEEN did you master the summoning jutsu, sensei? You're amazing! I can't wait to master that jutsu! You two have been training together? What have you been doing, can I see? What does Koto like to eat? What do you like you eat, Koto?" the boy starts, endless questions about and for the Jounin's newest companion bubbling over as is the boy's normal custom with Tatsuo. "I can't believe you can summon monkeys now! Have you shown Ryo and Yaboi?"

[WC: 289, TWC: 731, PC: 2/5]

 

[Tatsuo]

When Saito greeted the monkey, it stood on Tatsuo's shoulders and gave a long arcing wave much to Tatsuo's relief, seemed like they'd get along. "I took some time to explore in Tea Country while the rest of you were on some adventure, I ended up getting lost and ended up training this little guy in shinobi arts. After saving him from a poacher, the leader of the monkey's made me sign a contract. Showed me how to summon him and all, but sometimes Koto summons himself. Which can lead into some issues ya' know?" he said letting out a laugh thinking of the one time he was eating at a restaurant and Koto decided he wanted to play. "Though he's pretty well behaved, aren't you Koto?"

Koto nodded and said "Yep, me behaved." Then gave a cheeky grin as he went back to using Tatsuo's head as a drum. The Jonin let out a little sigh but smiled and let Koto answer the rest of Saito's questions. He thought it'd be important for them to know each other, who knows maybe he'd one day teach Saito the contract. Koto rubbed his chin, much like Tatsuo does, monkey see, monkey do, ya' know? "Me like fruit, meat, sometime I eat banana but mostly to make sensei laugh." he said nodding once again, "What do Saito like to eat?" Koto asked as he jumped off Tatsuo's neck and walked straight in front of Tatsuo, plopping down in front of him.

Tatsuo grinned as it seemed the two were getting along, he looked back and took a seat on the step at the foot of his home, placing his hands in front of him as he listened to the two bond a bit. Considering how bad he did in school, at least he was able to enable students to do well. "He's still a baby, so that's why he talks like that. Eventually I hope he'll learn to shake off the accent a bit, but in the meantime it's pretty cute." Koto turned to him and stuck his tongue out, before giving all of his attention back to Saito.

 

[Samsara Saito]

When Koto jumped off Tatsuo's shoulders and stepped forward toward Saito before plopping himself down, Saito did likewise, taking a few steps forward before plopping himself down in front of Koto. The boy's focus rested entirely on the little monkey, it was clear that the young Genin was absolutely fascinated. "I like to eat... well, pretty much any kind of food! Meat, fruit, vegetables... I actually have some rice balls, if you want to try some?" the 11 year old continues, retrieving a double-layered bento box, packed with extreme care, from his pouch. Opening the top half, the boy reveals a beautiful set of a dozen rice balls, hand molded and prepared to be an easy snack before lunch. Saito had learned long ago to pack several meals when preparing to see Tatsuo, and he never seemed to have leftovers no matter how much food he packed. The young cloud Genin gestures over to Tatsuo to eat as well if he wants, the Jounin seemed to have been training hard already and might be hungry. "Are you hungry, Shinrin-sensei? I brought snacks!"

Munching on a rice ball, Saito continued to be clearly charmed by Koto, whose antics amazed the boy endlessly. It was clear that this was Saito's first experience with a summoning animal; he pored his attention into the enchanting little monkey the way he devours a new book or lights up at the sign of a possible adventure. With the boy having already adopted several of Tatsuo's mannerisms just by exposure, the Jounin might notice how Saito's cheeky grin looks just like the monkey's, or that they sometimes mirrored expressions that looked just like something Tatsuo would do. Saito asked questions about Koto's home, about the monkeys of Hiroo Onoda, and what kind of stuff he and Tatsuo had been up to, and answered the monkey's questions openly with a smile on his face. "You're probably going to be REALLY big when you grow up, right? Kinda scary! I'm glad you'll be Shinrin-sensei's friend, and my friend too!"

[WC: 343, TWC: 1074, PC: 3/5]

 

[Tatsuo]

When offered the rice balls, Koto gave a quick glance to Tatsuo for permission in which the Jonin gave a solid nod into which Koto grabbed two of the rice balls and stuffed his face. He seemed able to eat almost as face as the Jonin and Saito, a good fit at least when it came to eating food. After swallowing the two rice balls, Koto stood to his feet and did a little dance as he grinned and laughed, "Saito make good rice ball! Saito make more rice ball!" he joked and laughed as he ran Saito in circles.

Tatsuo himself bent over to take two and ate them in a similar fashion, he was absolutely famished all things considered. He hadn't been training so hard in such a long time, it was surprising just how powerful this monkey was considering his age and size, but he was able to push Tatsuo which made him a better shinobi in all ways. Continuing to eat his rice ball he listened to the two talk and when Saito asked if Koto would become large when he was older the monkey shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Me hope so, I want to be big monkey, scary monkey!" he said baring his teeth and placing his arms over his head to make him look bigger. This received a roaring laugh from Tatsuo who fell to his back and munched on the rice ball as he stared at the clouds. This was nice, that was the only feeling he could really think as both Koto and Saito joked and laughed. It was nice that they both could just enjoy this time together, perhaps he was just being sentimental, but all things considered his transfer seemed to be going a lot smoother than he imagined. He could only hope it remained this way.

"Who is Shinrin? Me am Koto." The monkey asked perking a brow as he got probably too close to Saito staring him in the face, not in a threatening way, more in a lack of social tact way. Koto had a huge smile on his face even if he was wondering, "You Saito, not Shinrin?" Tatsuo called over to Koto and said, "Hey be respectful, Koto." To which Koto nodded and said, "Am sorry Saito!" the monkey then sat back, giving Saito plenty of space to answer his question.

WC: 1516/1500
PC: 3/5

[Green = Koto, Blue = Tatsuo]

 

[Samsara Saito]

I am gonna have to pack wayyyyyy more lunch, the boy thought with a happy grin as it turned out that Koto's appetite matched Tatsuo and Saito's. Gonna have to use the transportation jutsu.</B><i></i> Koto loved the rice balls, which thrilled Saito highly! And when Koto got up and started dancing around, laughing with delight in the boy's food preparation, the monkey had the boy won over completely. Complimenting the 11-year old's cooking was always a sure way to make a good first impression, and the summon's genuinely happy response in that moment earned him a free source of food forevermore. "I'll make you tons of rice balls, Koto! You wait and see, you're gonna be made of rice before too long!" The monkey's impersonation of a large, scarier ape had Saito bursting into giggles, rocking back and forth in his seat even as Tatsuo fell to the ground in laughter. Even as the two Kumo ninja laughed, however, Saito decided to take a mental snapshot of the monkey's imitation. The moment would brighten his world with laughter in even the most difficult of times, and he would have something fun to show them both when Koto really WAS that big some day.

Treasuring the memory a moment longer before tucking it away, he didn't flinch when Koto all of a sudden got in his face asking about Shinrin, feeling too relaxed with the monkey and his master to feel threatened -- earning him a light <B>*tsk tsk tsk* from Grandfather Copycat in the background of his mind for letting his guard down so easily. Though even the old spirit sat back to take pleasure in the upcoming exchange, where the child took on the task of explaining his nickname for Tatsuo to a monkey. " So... you know how Tatsuo looks like a human? Well, he's actually a tree! He just looks like a human and walks around like a human. Just watch him! When I found that out, I started calling him Shinrin-sensei. He can't fool me!"

[WC: 339, TWC: 1413, PC: 4/5]

 

[Tatsuo]

"Tree? Tatsuo no tree.. tree grow food, Tatsuo grow nothing but hair!" he said pointing to the few chin hairs growing on Tatsuo's face. It was obvious it had been a few days since he had shaved, a new thing the boy had to deal with considering he had finally grown old enough to grow facial hair. Tatsuo instinctively rubbed his face and shrugged his shoulders, "You're just jealous you've got hair everywhere, Koto." Koto furrowed his brows and took the remaining piece of his rice ball and threw it at the Jonin. "You jealous you not have hair everywhere."

Wiping the rice off his face, Tatsuo gave the monkey a little nudge with his foot which sent Koto toppling over and face-planting into the ground. Tatsuo laughed a bit as Koto stood back up and jumped on Tatsuo's stomach, "Why you kick me!!! Ahh!!!" he turned around, still sitting on Tatsuo's stomach he took a seat and began to pout a bit as he put his chin up and looked up to the sky. "I like Saito-chan more now. He no make fun of Koto."

Tatsuo laughed and shook his head, "Whatever you say, buddy. Guess I won't train you any more then." he said shrugging, into which Koto shook his head fervently too, "No, no, I am joke! I like Tatsuo-sensei mostest!" Nodding with a smirk, Tatsuo said "Uh-huh, whatever you say buddy." Into which Koto went behind Tatsuo and tapped on his head much like his earlier drum maneuver, "No, no, am serious!" Laughing again Tatsuo said, "Okay, okay, I believe you no worries, i'll still teach you." There was an audible sigh of relief from the monkey, it was easy to tell that he was still just a baby and Tatsuo kept that in mind.

As they continued to banter together, the hours passed between laughs, snacks and other fun the trio had. Finally Tatsuo asked to Saito, "Hey do you want to go see a movie? I hear that new movie, Iron Flak, is pretty good." Koto said "Movie? Can me come?" Tatsuo rubbed his chin and thought, if he tells Koto know he's likely to summon himself in the movie and create an issue anyways.. but maybe if he just lets him come he'll be able to behave. Shrugging his shoulders he said, "Yeah sure, but you're going to have to be quiet or we might get in trouble.. and if you get us in trouble we won't give you anymore rice balls." he said with a firm nod. The monkey fell over, grabbing his heart, "Swear I do to all good in world, that Koto, will behave during movie." he said with a firm nod. Tatsuo rolled his eyes and said "Alright you two, ready to go?"

He was sure Saito would accept, especially if the movie was on his tab, they would all make their way to the theater where they would watch a mediocre action film but entertaining for a night. Despite Koto cheering just a bit too loudly at the end, everything went smoother than expected. All in all it'd seem the three would share many adventures.

WC: 2043/1500
PC: 4/5

 

[Samsara Saito]

Saito kept chowing on rice balls as Tatsuo and Koto played, his eyes gleaming with adoration for both figures. Saito would probably make Koto rice balls no matter what happened at the movie, but he didn't tell the monkey that -- plus it meant that Koto could join them! Saito hadn't seen too many movies in his life, so the idea of seeing one with his sensei and a monkey sounded like the best way to going about it. The day had been better than he'd expected when he first left his small flat for Tatsuo's place that morning, he thought they'd train or spar or possibly just goof off, but meeting the little monkey summon gave him something much greater. The first of the boy's days together with Tatsuo and Koto finished with all the promise of many more.

[WC: 139, TWC: 1522; PC: 5/5]

 

[Tatsuo]

The movie went pretty smooth all things considering, it was a relief and Tatsuo looked forward to watching a few more with the two. After walking Tatsuo back home and sending Koto back considering the monkey had gotten tired after all the adventures of the day, he told Saito, "Hey from now on, I think i'll be spending more time at the Blazing Spirit Dojo. If you've got nothing to do, you should start meeting me there in the morning and we'll do a daily training."

WC: enough
PC: enough