Starring:
Shisei, Raion, Taji, Tosai, Haru
Date: March 13th, 2010
Summary:
Raion meets with a group of Genin (and an Academy Student) to begin the recruitment process for a Ninja Team.
"The Recruits!"
Konoha - Near the Hokage Mountain
The cliff upon which the face of the first Hokage is still being constructed was something to behold, but standing atop the hill that overlooks the village was even more telling of what Konoha was about. It was a scene that depicted the hard work and dedication of it's people, as well as the first's connection with nature as well as progress into the future. Raion had requested a few shinobi, in training or other wise, to come meet him in this location so that he could get to know them better. He gave no other explination as he stood with his arms behind his back, glove hands locked with fingers interlaced and head tilted towards the monument in silence.
Dragged away by the call of the village after being assaulted by a bird was enough to get Haru's attention. However, given the time it took for him to get here, he figured he'd be one of the last people to show up. However, he's wrong about this. He had begun climbing the Mountain and taking a steady pace up the mountain. For some reason, he didn't really want to seem so flashy or otherwise when approaching the situation. Instead, he's just trudging along the path beaten by workers and other shinobi and kunoichi. He's bundled up slightly to protect against the cold weather, wearing a jacket over his yukata that hangs to waist length… and visible pants. As he approaches the top of the hill, he slows, seeing Raion's back, and blinking slightly. "… Ah… Aburame-sama?" he asks.
His little face set in an expression of mild confusion, Uchiha Shisei trots down the path towards the cliff face with the emerging image of the Hokage's head. Despite the frosty weather, the boy is wearing his usual black singlet and shorts. As he nears the cliffs he looks up and smiles as he sees the face. The boy found the idea of a giant face statue to be extraordinarily amusing. Still, he couldn't work out why he'd been summoned here, and what this 'special training' was all about. The kid turns a slow 360 to take in the area, spotting several shinobi around but none that particularly stand out to him. "I wish they'd told me more about who I'm supposed to be meeting," Shisei mutters, folding his arms in front of him in a slightly childish petulance.
Where did Taji come from? He didn't take the normal path, that much is clear. He's arriving from a direction that… really seems odd, but from behind the mountain. He's bundled up against the cold as well as he arrives, just looking around curiously, hands tucked into pockets as he arrives from over the mountain. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, a cloud of fog created by his breath as he approaches the 'meeting' spot.
Meanwhile, Tosai, expecting this from one who had trained him in the past, kind of had an idea of what he had been summoned for. The large Akimichi Chuunin had no problems meeting with the man who's stoic silence was only eclipsed by his incredible size, a stature which exceeded even Tosai's. The man had been impressive to Tosai, and with the akimichi still training with the first technique, taught to him, the chuunin found this meeting to be more of a progressive one, to see what had been up since they had last met. Tosai would have made his approach only to see a few others present, pushing his first idea of why he had been called, slightly off center.
On approach, the large Akimichi would give a wave, and a bow to the man he refered as "chou-sensei", and waited for what would be the call to order.
Raion would say and do nothing as they all fell in to place, holding his position and seemingly staring at the mountain without any form of weariness or bordem. Of course where his eyes were actually looking as near impossible to actually know. Even his breathing seemed to be nearly stalled as there was barely a rise and fall of his chest to be noted. One might begin to wonder if there is some statue in the place of the man, or if something might be wrong. However, eventually Raion would say one thing to all who were present. "Duck." his increadibly deep voice would reverberate through the area in a calm and collected tone.
"Duck?" … Haru, having approached from the normally beaten path, and is standing and facing the tall Aburame's back seems confused. The word sort of dawns on him, though, after a split second or so, and he looks around, his body sliding downward and making a small profile of himself. There's also a quick shedding of clothing as he loses the coat and yukata in a quick motion of his arm, leaving him in a dark-colored t-shirt and the pants… but there's also a visible kunai holster on his left leg and a shuriken pouch on the right side, at the small of his back. A kunai is also produced as he ducks. Prepared? Indeed.
There's a moment of confusion on Shisei's face as he hears the voice, but he still isn't completely sure what's going on. 'When you don't know what's going on, listen to the ninja,' the boy thinks to himself, noting the forehead protector of the man who gave the order to duck. The boy then drops down on to one hand and draws a kunai, closely following the movement of Haru. His ducked posture looks almost animalistic as he narrows his eyes in preparation for what might happen next.
The tone of the voice, not warning but more calm and collected leaves Taji frowning, and… not ducking. He does glance around quickly, ready to react if neccessary, but dropping to the ground is not the first reaction on Taji's part. Instead he tries to observe the surroundings, especially Raion in case the source of danger comes from that source. He remains quiet. He listens, after all, perhaps Raion was merely noting the presence of a particular type of water fowl?
"Hmmm..", then immediate ducking would result from the command issued by the large Aburame, obediance of course being only natural. He needed really no reason to, for ducking usually meant avoidance of something. Tosai wasn't really the questioning type anymore, as he often knew that the orders of the ninja infront him were law, and insubordination, even in a gentler village like Konoha, could either to death from folly, or punishment from the powers that be. Besides… this couldn't go wrong…could it?
Nothing seemed to happen at first, though Raion would slowly unlock his hands and point one of his fingers towards the freshly chiseled left nostril of the Hokage. There did appear to be something sitting atop it. Perhaps… a duck? However, just as his finger fulyl extended, hundreds of Kikaichu would fley over head of everyone but Taji, who would be surrounded, but only brushed, by the relatively small swarm of insects. They would settle in a strange, undulating pattern of rings around Raion as he lowered his hand. "Words are simple things. Taken as truth, regardless of substance. You can never close your mind to the possability that the correct answer is all of the above. This is especially true, when there is no clarification." Raion would explain as he'd turn around to face them all now. "I am Aburame Raion. This, is what it means to be a shinobi."
Well, that's rather surprising, to say the least. As the bugs begin to do their thing, Haru stays down… listening to the buzzing and the like as they finally begin to settle. When they do so and the Jounin starts to speak… he blinks. The kunai in his hand is slowly slid back to the holster it had been in, but he doesn't make any move to get off of the knee he had knelt down and ducked onto. Instead, he listens, tilting his head slightly…
Not completely sure that he wants to stand back up yet, Shisei stays in his crouched position. However he looks over to Aburame Raion, and then to Taji who got swarmed by the insects. 'Boy am I glad I'm not that guy,' he thinks, a grin slowly emerging on his face. He doesn't rise back up to his feet yet though, predicting that there might be yet another lesson that the strange looking shinobi might be trying to teach the group. And for now he decides to let the others in the group ask the questions, and he'll find out anything he needs to once the others are done. Looking around again, the young Uchiha wonders once again what all of this is about - after all, he appears to have been the only Academy Student called to this particular meeting.
Taji's reaction is a bit… odd. He reaches out a hand, as if to give some of the bugs a place to land, if they so wish. The he looks back to Raion, and tilts his head, "Unclear words are what it means to be a shinobi?" He asks, frowning slightly, "Your tone did not seem to be an order or a warning. A single word can mean many things." He notes as he shrugs and looks to the others, "Action without clear purpose is wasted action." He adds, softly as if repeating something he had been taught in the past.
Meanwhile, Tosai would have been shaking his head as he would watch Taji disappear within the insect cloud, thinking in his head, 'Heh…reminds me of when I /didn't/ listen either.', chuckling to himself slightly, before he would listen to Raion speak as he did, during the /rare/ times in which he did speak. He would look to the reactions of the other nin gathered, smiling at Shisei as the boy would blink and saying, "Get use to it…Aburame chou-sensei is wiser than you think.", chuckling. He would look to Haru noting his preparedness as well, but still take a particular interest in Taji, who right now seemed to be a large brain, knowing of all things except common sense. Tosai would shake his head again.
"Action without purpose is wasted action." Raion would repeat, perhaps as if he agreed to the statement, or was questioning it; hard to tell. Though he would continue just after, "The answer still remains, all of the above." Raion would state as the distinct squaking of a duck would be heard just as the speck moved from the nose towards where ever it was actually headed towards. "In our line of work, we do not have the priviledge of knowing all of the answers prior to having to choose our responces. What it is to be a shinobi, is to react to situations with purpose, so that it is not wasted." Waving his hand slightly towards them all in general, he would say, "Some of you are obedient. Others are wary. Still others, scrutanize the situation. Yet others still, follow the crowd. None of these answers are incorrect. Not today. As you develope as shinobi, you will learn that the most important thing you will do, is act with purpose. What turns you in to a leader, is understanding which action will provide the best result. I am here to see who amongst you has this potential. You are here, to display your aptitude for such." Raion apparently had much to say at this particular time, even in his very low, almost droning voice.
Slowly, Haru begins to rise from his knee, dusting himself off as he does, and looking past the large Jounin toward Taji… But he remains silent, blinking a little bit. As he does, the kunai is slipped back into it's holster. He's also clinging to every word that the Jounin creaks out… despite the sort of vacuum-cleaner like drone. It's important, isn't it? Otherwise, he'd probably not be saying it…
Shisei also rises up from the ground now, and tucks his kunai away into its holster at his thigh. Seeing that there isn't any further immediate danger or test, the boy also walks over to be a little closer to the group. Obviously this is the 'special training' for which he had been sent here. The boy hadn't been expecting that it would be him and a group of Genin with a single team leader.
"Aburame-san," Shisei inquires, his little voice quite serious, "What's this all about anyway?" The boy examines the tall Aburame in front of him, and notes that the man must have some sort of connection with the insects hovering around him. 'I wonder if he can control them or something,' he ponders, but quickly snaps his mind back to the present. "I was sent here for special training, but I don't really know what's going," Shisei clarifies, hoping that the man will fill him in further on what's expected.
Taji lowers his arm, leaving it at his side as he watches the insects then looks back to Raion. He doesn't say anything in response to the Jounin. He does have to look up a bit. He glances to the student, then studies the other two. He gives a nod to Haru, then peers at Tosai curiously, studying him. Finally he returns his attention back to Raion. He takes a deep breath then lets it out slowly, just listening for now. After all, no questions have been asked yet. The faint quack of a duck does make Taji smirk a bit.
"I am here to see who amongst you has the potential to understand the consequences of action. you are here to display your aptitude for such potential." Raion would repeat for Shisei before moving on. "I wish to know what each of you believes is the path of the shinobi. In a single word. I have chosen the word "Purpose"." Raion would then fall silent again as to leave them with a bit of time to consider their answers if they had any.
As Raion finally gets to the brass tacks, Haru's head tilts a little bit and he furrows his eyebrows… sinking into his thoughts, he closes his eyes and seems to just remain there, standing. After a few moments of the persisting silence, he opens his eyes, and lets a hand reach up to his hairline… touching the forehead protector that he wears, before letting his face set into a look of decision. "Dedication," he finally states.
Shisei takes a moment and a deep breath, folding his arms over his chest as he ponders the question at hand. Various answers swirl through his head, and he analyses and discards each one in turn, having trouble coming to an answer about a single word to describe the way of the shinobi. "I guess…" he begins to answer, but still doesn't actually have a word in mind. "No, I know… Diligence," he finishes, arms still folded over his chest. His face shows no sign of doubt about his answer, and from here the boy simply waits for the next in line to give his answer.
Taji frowns a moment as he listens to the various answers. He tilts his head then says simply, "Balance." He says as he straightens up. He looks at the others then back to Raion. There is an odd sort of way about Taji at the moment. Hard to put your finger on, just something about the look on his face or the way he's standing. As if this is something he's been through hundreds of times, this very discussion.
Raion would nod, and he wouldn't comment further on their answers. Instead, he would ask, "Why are you all wanting to be or already Shinobi?" A question they should know in their own hearts and he should not know without them baring it. But he had one more thing to ask, "And what are you willing to do to achieve or maintain that status?"
Silence. The wind kicks up slightly, and Haru bows his head as he thinks about the latest question. "I was always traveling when I was younger. When my family settled here, in Konoha, it was so that they could make a better life for themselves and give me a better way to grow up. They wanted me to have a chance they never had. I owe it to them to protect them, and the village, because the village is what's allowed me to grow into what I am. I'm willing to go as far as I have to to ensure that I can do that." His voice remains steady as he speaks… It's not exactly an emotional speech, mind you. But it's still something to think about.
Putting his hands down and in his pockets, Shisei looks to the ground and starts thinking again. It isn't that he doesn't already have an answer to the question, but he wants to make sure that his answer comes out in exactly the right way and with the right words. When he looks up, Shisei replies, "The Uchiha Clan. We've been Shinobi for so many generations now. Each generation stands upon the shoulders of the one before it, and we get taller and higher. I will be a shinobi to be a part of that honour - to build the clan and the village and to make the Uchiha name known throughout the world." His face still bears the stern expression, which looks almost comical on the face of someone so young as he looks up at the much taller teacher.
Taji stands there, looking rather stunned. It's as if he's used to a script, but that Raion just went off it and some how has upset the boy. His hands tense, clench, then release. He frowns, listening to the other answers. When its his turn he says nothing at first. Then, after a moment he simply replies, "Duty." He lets the word hang out there for a moment, then adds, "I have no way of knowing what I am willing to do, I can't know, until I have to deal with it, for real." He lets those words hang there for a moment. He looks away, over the village, mostly new construction in the last three or so years. Something in how he looks at the village is haunted.
Raion's head remained still, thus where he looked remained a mystery. His reply however may indicate more so than his actions. "Duty to what… It is something that we all have to face at some point. Even if we do so in our own way. For the time being, this will be adequate information. However, i will have to evaluate your abilities as some point, and from there, i will make my recommendations." Raino would state, seemingly being done with the session for today.
