Starring:
Midoru, Tsukiko
Date: August 21, 2010
Summary:
Tsukiko is introduced to the Kuroyari students she will be in charge of and aiding in training in the ninja arts.
"First Impressions"
Secluded Clearing in Konoha's chuunin training grounds
Midoru stood in the clearing that he had used in previous training excercises with his aide in Konohagakure. The sun shined joyously from overhead, reflecting off of the steel of his fittingly ornate armor and blade both. His face held a stern expression as before him stood his men.
Some thirty boys, youngest around eleven, oldest around seventeen, stood at parade rest, legs spread, hands behind their backs, permission to look around given.
Tsukiko had thought about this moment for at least a day. She planned in her mind what might be the best way to make her entrance. Her first introduction to the recruits. Grand leaping entrance.. smoke bomb appearance… finally she decided. She marched silently and solemnly down the path to the training area. Not hiding herself. not drawing undo attention to herself. Simply walking. She strides right up to midoru and bows a slight, but polite greeting to him before turning to regard the toops
Midoru allows himself just the smallest twitchings at the corners of his lips, denoting a bare smile. He inclines his head slightly, acknowledging and greeting both. And then his voice rang out, thunder unsheathed. "Platoon!" All bodies perked up. "Atten…tion!" On his commands, on heels snapped toegether, the ring of metal crashing through the trees and beyond. Each soldier stood stock still, thumbs correctly tucked, pressed in the correct place, feet at a precise 45 degree angle.
"Right /Face/!"
The soldiers all pivoted to their right, the sound of earth crunching underneath ringing. They then brought their next foot up to the other, continuing to stand at attention, now facing him. The Kuroyari captain waited a few seconds, eyes never straying from a point in front of him. "Salute!"
30 mailed hands slam into the chest of their armor, over their heart, standing in salute to him and the girl next to him. Midoru reached over his shoulder and drew his weapon, Mhaldor. The blade had a dull gleam, the full legnth of it just a little over 6 feet, large in size and split in the middle, creating two prongs. He hefted the blade and with one single motion, he slammed it into the earth all the way to the hilt, the stone and dirt parting like water. "Introduce yourself," said the giant of a man to Tsukiko.
Tsukiko puffs her chest up a little, not trying to be bigger than she is, but at least trying to be all the size she does have in her. "My name is Abe Tsukiko. I have been asked to be your instructor in the ways of chakra." She looks up to Midoru, not sure how the protocol should go so she doesn't step up to the great sword just yet.
Midoru gives a lopsided grin at the introduction. Short, to the point, and all they needed to know. She sounded a bit like him. It would work well for the students. The grin suddenly vanished as he regarded his troops again, "Miss Abe Tsukiko has just become my second in command. I am well confident that you know what this entails…."
He spoke again after a meaningful pause, "I believe you all remember the attempts we had at lifting Mhaldor from the ground, just as it is now. Only about half of you had any more than three inches to your name, and Kitsu, of course, managed the most at a foot and nine inches. To prove her worth and to show her place, my new second is going to attempt the same trial as all of you. Let's see how we do, shall we?" Too proffessional to move from their spots, Midoru spotted their brief looks of disbelief regardless. She was such a small thing. How could she lift the weapon as well as any of them?
Tsukiko steps forward to the sword. She stands beside it and turns to face the troops. "At Ease… I want to make sure you can see this." She reaches her hand up and places one hand on the hilt for a moment. She looks over to Midoru, then back to the trops. She lowers her hand and reaches behind her to her scroll pouch. She peels a mirror from it and takes a step back from the sword. She plants the mirror on the ground and makes a series of one handed seals against its back. She braces both hands behind the mirror and lifts the glass up. the sword rises with it, moving as its reflection does, instead of the reflection moving. She steps back into a ready position, the sword hanging in mid air in front of her as if wielded by some ghost.
Midoru arches a brow, watching as Mhaldor lifted itself from the earth, soundlessly sliding upwards. All was quiet as it continued upwards, the heavy weapon eventually sliding completely from the ground. The Kuroyari captain let out a low whistle, unheard by the troops. He hadn't known she could do that. Murmurings began to spread through his soldiers put at ease, many awed, many excited. Their renewed desire to learn was palpable.
Tsukiko smirks a moment, then with a smooth motion she steps back and swings the mirror towards the practice dummies in the distance. She breaks the jutsu at the peak of the swords momentum, causing the massive blade to hurl off, spinning once, twice, three times before burying itself halfway through the wooden victim. She focuses and sends her mirror back into her scroll before turning back to the troops.
Midoru's eyes tracked the progress of the blade as it flew through the air, an eyebrow arched a bit. He hadn't known she could do that, either. It was because of times like this that he remembered not to underestimate her. He turned to Tsukiko with a firm salute and a nod of approval before turning away. "Platoon! Fall out!" After the quick snap to parade rest, the boys quickly started talking excitedly among themselves, wondering if things like that were in store for them. "Prepare yourself, Tsukiko. You have about fifteen seconds before they come over here, and they're a rowdy bunch." He paused to grin at her, "After that, though, I think they'll be pretty careful around you."
Tsukiko takes a breath, steeling her nerves for the onslaught of questions. "no, I won't be able to teach you that right away, you have to learn the basics first" "The mirror jutsus I use are pretty rare, you might not be able to learn them, but there are many others. Chakra control is first. You can't learn to fight like your captain until you learn to draw your strength through your whole frame from your feet to your hands, likewise, you have to learn to draw the chakra from within you to your hands." She turns beet red, flustered, "no I won't go out with you.. its.. uhm.. you're my student.. it would be improper."
"Hold it, hold it! Quiet and calm, now, boys!" The commands did not come from Midoru. Not this time. These ones came from a young man, maybe around the age of sixteen. He had blond hair and a tanned face that held a smile use to being shown, probably with a bit of mischief. He held himself with a sort of rakish swagger and he nodded, now that things are more quiet. "You have to lead them right, or they'll stampede over you. Happens every time." He offered a hand to Tsukiko to shake, "I'm Kitsu Ayanami, and… Midoru-sempai's third in command now, I guess. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss."
Tsukiko accepts the hand, both as a geture of greeting and gesture of thanks to the man who rescued her from the mob. She takes a deep breath, trying to keep her fluster down from the mob scene. She acts like she has control again, but her pink cheeks give her away for now. "yes, well.. i wasn't expecting that after seeing their normal discipline."
