Starring:
Naoya, Kasai and Chiru, Okochi, Ren
Date: October 1, 2016
Summary:
A training mission with guise of acclimating the Genin to true pain, but with a more true purpose of promoting teamwork.
"Student Lessons: Coordination under Pain"
Kirigakure - The Forbidden Path
For spring the sky was clear while within the village though the few who gained a 'requested presence' from Okumo Naoya would find the location was far from content. The request was simple but stated something abnormal 'Ninjutsu and Genjutsu offensive use is strictly forbidden while near or at the meeting location'. Something unnatural in the air could be felt as the path was further walked the dimmer the light got within the haze of the mists. If traveled along the path, the young man would be found, kneeling in the soil of the path, his hands in his lap with his fingers interlaced. 'I wonder which ones will arrive this time.. only a few of those Genin will be worth while.' Shrugging his shoulders lightly, it was clear he was speaking hushed to someone else and force once it appeared to be someone or something else a few meters away. No scent could be found exactly though it held a notable amount of chakra throughout its figure.
As much as Kasai and Chiru enjoy spending what time they can at home with their father, there weren't many chores that needed to be done at the house today and the time they had left was plenty to see what Naoya was summoning them for this time. The location definitely stuck out as a little strange to the twins, it was a place that was fairly close to the Blood Marsh; a place where not only students and recent graduates alike have terrible after terrible story to offer but the same place that always caused their father to grow quite distant. It was almost as if he didn't want them to go at all, but know Naoya, he reluctantly allowed it so long as they promised to be safe. Down the path they walk single file with their arms extended as if they were picturing an invisible tightrope they were walking over. "What do you think it is this time?" Kasai asks her sister over her shoulder since Chiru chose to let her take the lead. Chiru shrugs and smiles as she watches the way her feet move carefully, "Who knows, probably something really important like every other time. So it's gotta be fun." Kasai bobs her head and squints to make out the figure in the distance, "Think I see Naoya there." Kasai tells Chiru as she lifts her hand to wave Naoya's figure in the distance as they approach him.
Ren was invited and of course with everything that has happened recently he had to expect the worse out of it. He had of course brought his sword, but having more focus on his ninjutsu normally meant that this was a very… Rought plan for him. He had not practiced nearly as much as he needed to with the sword and that would likely show soon enough. His movements weren't slow though. He knew he had to be on time and in fact he was well on time when he made it there. His actions upon arriving were normal enough. He nods towards them and would wait silently for directions here. Was the most he could do right now.
It is not entirely unfortunate that Okochi would be wretched from her normal schedule to participate in something that would inevitably lead to gain. She assumed. Every time she participated in one of these extroverted events, she gains a new skill is ordered to take a new direction in training. Even though she is not a sensor, there seemed to be things that did not quite line up. Such as Naoya's scent being the only scent in the target area save for those approaching. Did she hear whispers in the distance though? Inconclusive. She had done as she usually had before arriving. She seemed to scour the perimeter, even if it had no point. This wasn't unfamiliar territory, after all. Thus, she would arrive last.
Glancing over his shoulder, Naoya narrows his eyes before offering those approaching a faint nod before looking forward again. "The body and mind are elegant tools, tools that can limit or surpass one another given correct stimulants." Lifting a hand, ha waves his hand in the air slowly, almost drawing the mists closer towards his face though in response the figure that had been listening to Naoya walks around him. The figure was just that, it was hard to tell their appearance due to the cloak they wore and wrapped around their forearms were armored gauntlets, littered with shallow blades and short barbs to punish direct contact with them. "The body can be weakened, tainted and confuse and weaken in turn the mind. Stripping what was possible to become the impossible. That is a basic lesson in principle, but.. more difficult when afflicted in the field. Should you pass the trial and remain conscious, then you will be granted a request, if you fail you will wake possibly in a few days in a bunk within the Barracks."
Whenever Kasai and Chiru notice Ren and Okochi, they each wave at them before their heads lift up to watch Naoya as he moves around them and explains the purpose of the lesson. Both of the twins nod their heads slowly, but Kasai in particular seems fairly confused. "So…" Kasai mumbles trying to comprehend the main point, "We're going to be trying to deal with poison and other stuff today?" She lets Naoya choose whether or not to answer the question, though the stakes do have the twins looking at each other fairly warily. "Huh. That'd be an awful long time to sleep…" Kasai decides and Chiru concurs, "Yes, a lot of lessons missed too…we might have to catch up by a lot…" Kasai's hand comes up to rub her chin, but eventually she flashes Naoya a thumbs up, "Okay! We accept the challenge, and we'll do our best to survive."
Ren blinked a bit before tilting his head to the side. "If I am being poisoned or something similar…. Do I have to prevent my blood from healing me since that would probably be classified as ninjutsu?" He asked and hopefully reasonablly so. "Well either way I accept the challenge too I suppose." He shrugged lightly and would just start looking around and that included looking at this one cloaked person if he could.
Whereas Kasai and Chiru might wave to Okochi, Okochi would only return a slight nod of her head. This did not seem like an exercise suited for a student, because it involved not learning a new skill the normal means. It was learning in a method non-conventional, though not surprising. "The objective of the lesson, then, is to take as much punishment as possible?" Okochi asked. The figure, granted, seemed to be plenty suited towards doling out not deadly strikes… Yet… Painful strikes. In that regard, it seemed like Okochi's prized coat would take more damage than could be repaired.
The solution was, of course, that Okochi would begin to unbutton her coat completely. Her hand slipped to each one, and undid each from the top downward. Eventually, her coat slipped open. The lining of the coat on the inside were weapons and explosive tags. Things that would not be permitted in this exercise. When the coat was shrugged off her shoulders she was merely wearing a light undershirt and a par of shorter than average shorts. Her serpents, always taking the representation of hair, would suddenly coil around each other, twisting about each other upon her chest like a braid. All as she reached up to her Hitai-ate, and sought to remove it as well. Indeed, it was hidden underneath her hood, tied upon her head like a hairband. It joined her coat upon the ground. The orange-eyed female would close her eyes a moment as she brought her hands together, palms flat against each other. Perhaps it wasn't too easily seen from behind her hood, but it seemed as if there was a scar on the left side of her head. Something perhaps Kasai and Chiru have seen before, and know the reason of. "My only dissonance is that I cannot feel pain. I hope that, in the event that I pass out of consciousness, that the activity will cease."
GAME: Save complete.
"The goal isn't simply to be a punching bag, but work through the fog. To over come the withering flesh and continue toward to your goal." Lowering his hand back to his lap, Naoya relaxes his shoulders but then gently shakes his head, thinking something over. "Ren, you body may react naturally. The matter is.. I am more familiar with your blood line than you are. I have learned and taught ways to poison and infect the Shimizu in particular. Your blood cannot mend what is not torn, now can it?" Turning his head slightly, an ear is offered for a few seconds in Ren's direction before looking forward again.
Tilting his head off to one side, Naoya allows his next to become highly exposed for as long as he spoke. "The trial is as you see it. You're 'objective' is to subdue and collect a target. The target has hired interference to subdue any aggressors for interrogation. Killing the possible victims is not acceptable, torture until submission is.."
Straightening his neck, Naoya falls silent and lower his head but then he spoke suddenly to Okochi, "Okochi-san.. I promise you, your body still is able to feel pain, to say otherwise is a request for me to attempt to prove otherwise. Remember that."
The twins nod their heads slowly at Naoya's further elaboration, before they look into the fog with a curious frown. "Huh, okay…think I get it." Kasai muses before she asks Naoya, "But who's the target then? Is it just somebody we'll know when we see them? Are you gonna be the interference protecting them?" Chiru nods her head along, finding these fairly useful questions. She smiles and scratches the back of her neck, "Guess we don't know any special ways of dealing with poison…" Chiru breathes out a soft sigh before trying to check a toolbelt hidden beneath her dress sash, "But I got other first aid stuff…One of the other students said that if you can get the poison sucked out of the wound somehow, then you can wrap it up and it'd feel better." Kasai scrunches her nose at the thought and shakes her head, "Hope we don't have to do that…I'd rather we just tough it out together. Might hurt just a little less then…"
Ren didn't pay much attention to the others. It was really because in this situation he did feel like he was more on the outside. Main reason being that he was used to only having Mizumi when in the academy. Luckily having to do some sorta mission with them might bring him to speak to them a bit of course. "So Naoya. You are saying you have a way to make my body think something is meant to be in my system and therefore my body won't heal it?" He asked. "If you know more then…. Can I force my body to heal something like that? Or does it only heal things that it sees as.. Foreign?" He waited before nodding to what he said next. He frowned a bit though. He wasn't good at subduing. He had no real skills to capture someone. And then he turned between Okochi and Naoya with a raised brow. Can't feel pain? Interesting… Wonder why… Though upon closer inspection there was something on her head…. Some sorta scar maybe? Not sure so might as well wait to ask later. Anyways he would watch the mist for a moment with a bit of interest. The twins were speaking up and so he just nods to them. He hoped he could handle most of the things thrown at him if need be.
Okochi raised her hand up to the scar upon her head, barely visible through her hair. She tapped it a few times as if expecting Naoya to understand. "You are authorized to do so, and know." That is all she could say, however. It is both a blessing, and a curse to not be able to feel in any fashion. A work of art in both how it was hidden from Naoya initially. Nevertheless, she would be glad to aggress upon the targets provided as orders predicted. Though not expressing enthusiasm, she was assembling a disassembled 'Yari' which is a basic spear. That included removing the explosive tags from it's blade. "Specify my target, sensei."
Tilting his head off to one side, Naoya lightly nods his head. "It seems I was being vague with my posture.. I am. I am your target, I contracted 'it'." Closing his eyes, a soft chuckle escapes his as the figure shifts into position. Lowering itself slightly into a grappling position, the figure didn't appear aggressive, it maintained a rather defensive pose waiting to be attacked or for its charge to be attacked. Lifting his head slightly, Naoya began to answer questions that lingered. "The toxins I use aren't those same ones you know that are necrotoxins. And the reason your body cannot simply purge them or cure the effects is simple as you said.. your body doesn't recognize it as an alien pathogen. Subtly at times is the point." In the end, he would nod lightly after hearing Okochi though.. he didn't go into detail on the matter for the time being. "I trust all that begin will see this through to the end."
"Ohh…" The twins both say in unison, allowing their heads to nod slowly as they examine Naoya over. "Huh, okay! That sounds fine, we'll do our best! Even if it's a little early to be going up against you." She listens to Naoya talk to Ren and looks over at Okochi to watch and see how she would prepare. Soon, after Naoya has said his last words to them, Chiru reaches out and takes Kasai's hand in hers. "Together, right? Better chance of dealing with it until the end!" Chiru asks Kasai, who grins and squeezes her sister's hand to reassure her sister too. "Together." Soon enough Chiru would start to get drawn into Kasai's body, their bodies and clothes melding and absorbing until only one girl remains. "After our target then!" Two voices chime together from one mouth, before two arms sprout from beneath where her ordinary ones would be and she runs forward to attempt to fight with Naoya hand to hand.
Ren frowned a bit and nods. Great more of him having to hunt Naoya and this time with people he doesn't instictually click with. If Mizumi was here they could work together well together, but these others were not someone he trained with often. "Alright. Good to know. Things I have to obviously work on." He said to Naoya with a sorta glaring stare though it was more of a…. Studious one rather than hateful. Then he just began to stretch some. Once the twins ran forwards he nodded and decided to back them up as he charged after them and when they were out of the way he swung twice in quick succession at Naoya. The one who actually taught him the move but one he used anyways.
Okochi would have waited, and observed. Naoya was, as an opponent, highly dangerous. It was, without a doubt, nigh impossible to eliminate him. Given that the point of the exercise was to reduce the pain taken and not to attack, wouldn't the best action be not to act at all? "If we do not attack, then no damage is inflicted in the first place…" Okochi openly theorized. A hand would slip up to her head, however, as her serpent awakened. Yamaru's eyes, in specific. "It would be clever, but would defeat the purpose." Okochi slipped her Okochi-length spear into a balanced posture, and slipped around behind Naoya, striking out in a basic array of maneuvers. Slight forward lunges.
Naoya.. doesn't move beyond lowering his head, remaining on his knees seemingly helpless. Shifting in front of Kasai was the mildly armored figure which intercepted punch after punch, using its open palms. The protective gauntlets were warm to the touch though Kasai wouldn't feel the warmth for very long as the figure steps forward, attempting to bash its forearm against her chest and prick her with the barbs at the same time.
Stretching out its arm, the figure intercepts the first thrust with the back of its palm when Ren chooses to strike, the second slash isn't so narrowly deflected as it uses the width of the gauntlet to block the strike. "Using that technique? I can see someone is becoming serious. I wonder what it is that you'll request if you can still my guardian and subdue me." A faint smirk appears on his lips but the young Okumo doesn't appear to be worried or willing to defend himself.
"Spear, before I thought it was a blade she was practicing with.. Hmm, study the difference please. Thank you." Shifting focus from Ren to Okochi, the figure rips away the hand that had attacked Kasai to aid it regaining it's balance while knocking the thrusting lunges off to the side, defusing her momentum. Once she slows to a stop, the figure lunges itself with its arms spread wide, attempting to slam both of its arms into the center of Ren and Okochi's chests. "Don't disappoint me now, any of you," is softly said by Naoya.
The merged twins frown in concentration as Naoya's hands easily move and the fists connect with the palms of his hands. She gets shoved backwards when the bash connects and she hisses in pain as she reaches up to rub at the wound some. "Well, guess we get to see how that poison Naoya-sensei was talking about works…" They both mumble to themselves as they rub their shared blood between two of their fingertips. This doesn't stop her from hopping back up on her feet and attempting a running jump to help her gain higher ground and try to leap onto Naoya. If he doesn't manage to step out of the way or swat her aside, both sets of arms would try to wrap around his head and obscure his vision for the others, "We're trying not to!" The twins say together in their form, "We're gonna wear you out eventually!"
Ren glared at Naoya for a moment. He wasn't sure what he wanted to request. All he was doing now was trying to prove he was worthy of being a Genin. Though Naoya personally already decided that once. "I guess we have to find out don't we?" He said as suddenly the figure rushed him and Okochi. His own movements would be bringing that sword up and trying to use the flat end of it to knock the figure's arm upwards and over his head before slicing into its side. Then he would slam the hilt into its back to knock it forwards and away from Naoya hopefully before turning and charging Naoya directly and would try to kick him right in the chest to knock him onto the ground. Probably dumb to not make sure the other one was out of action first.
Okochi tested her thrusts, to get a measure of how well Naoya could defend. His ability to block was impeccable at least. His ability to follow up was rather swift as well. Rather quickly, she found herself struck upon her chest. She skid backwards a moment. This was simply a new weapon configuration, and thus it was very clear she needed a little more time getting used to the longer haft, and the non-curved blade. Her shirt was punctured, and her skin etched by tiny blades. It would be painful, if that part of her brain was not removed. Okochi stepped forward stroking across Naoya's chest, before slipping back and thrusting forward. "I will adapt." She mumbled beneath her breath.
Once again the guardian figure had its hands full, what it seemed to fail at predicting first was her new found dexterity and failed to keep Kasai away from Naoya. Naoya who had his head down until that point would be rocked to one side though would manage to keep himself upright with the help of a hand to the ground. Shaking his head, Naoya tests how snugly the twins were attached before mumbling, 'If you are trying a choke hold.. you're doing it wrong.
Quickly adapting when Ren met its strike with one of his own, the guardian figure takes a step back quickly. Using its gauntlets as shielding still, the twisted slash was quickly stopped in its tracks. The hilt strike was noticed and slowly slower from the rest of the flurry, a pause in momentum the figure would step into, bracing the gauntlet along the length of the blade Ren would have very little time before an elbow strike aims at the center of his chest before it would disengage.
First first slash from Okochi that utilized her new found reach was rather effective, almost too well as the guardian underestimated how the reach could be adjusted mid thrust resulting with Naoya being stabbed in the side. Blood tipped her spear now but it would be the only strike of the pair that would. When she moves in for a second thrust, the figure focuses solely onto Okochi, forcing her strike back with one of its own before low kicking at her ankles once, and following through with a side kick at her knees.
"Huh…that'd be a smarter idea than whatever we planned from here…" The twins note down to Naoya after thinking about it for a second or two. "We'll remember that next time." For now, they simple try to hold onto their instructor's head for dear life as he tries to swiftly deal with the other two wards before him, while they do their best to try to muster up some more chakra in order to maintain their form together. They do their best to watch Ren and Okochi's display together and they grin to themselves before cheering for Okochi encouragingly. "Way to go Okochi! That one nicked him really good! Keep it up Ren! He's getting real tired now I think! Getting him on the ropes!"
Ren was knocked back a bit by that elbow strike and it knocked the air out of him a bit. He looked over the guardian of Naoya's and then Naoya himself before grinning and stepping back a bit. He was going to go for Naoya, but he needed to get past this guardian thing. So he readied his sword and just stared at them for a moment before running full speed. Which isn't SUPER quick for him. But he would get there. The guardian would be met by a blow to its left side before a quick move would bring Ren around and placing the second strike at its leg to knock it down. Then he would keep going right for Naoya with another double slash move. This one would be two clean slices aimed across his chest to avoid damaging the twins before he would aim his sword into his leg in a spot he remembers to be….. Not dangerous to be stabbed in. Would look it, but likely wasn't fatal. Helped he studied with Mizumi some.
Okochi was now being focused. Even with Naoya holding back as much as he was, only using the most basic techniques of what any shinobi ought to know, he was fighting them evenly. It was his countered strike for her follow up thrust that was unexpected. His countering blow knocked her spear up as his gauntlet scraped her knuckle, easily draw a fair amount of blood. Her recovery was quick because the the centers of her brain that processed pain were quite plainly gone. She hopped over the low kick, before bending herself to narrowly miss the second kick aimed at her midriff, and brushing the kick away with her staff before lunging a thrust into Naoya. A sloppy thrust, but she would eventually follow up with the blunt end of her weapon. "I feel that the purpose of this lesson… Is lost upon me, sensei. My apologies… I hope I am at least providing a formidable opponent regardless." The blunt-ended strike was followed up with a rather long sweep as before and another follow-up piercing blow.
Lifting a hand up, Naoya grasps at Kasai's mouth trying to smother her shouting before tugging at her trying to free himself not little if any effect. "Shouting in the target's ears does do quite a bit to distract them, you should remember not all targets will sit sit there little ones." Moving his other hand from the ground, he curls a knuckle to thump at their forehead.
A strike was expected though a strike targeting the guardian was not, the confusion was enough for Ren to carve deeply into the guardian's chest though it didn't draw any blood. Shifting to a more defensive position, the guardian once again began using his arms to defend itself along with Naoya, becoming a bulwark against Ren's assaults. Unlike before there was no retaliation, only a steady decline of mobility outside of bursts of movement.
Managing to spill Okochi's blood faintly again and again she would be the main one to notice the gamble that Naoya spoke about didn't seem to exist. The first strike towards the Okumo was once again blocked but the second.. the second blow was blocked in a unorthodox manor with the guardian's head while it accepting the spear's strike. What was revealed was the figure wore a face plate, armored like its arm but brittle. Looking past the mask was nothingness. A shell rather than a person, one lined and infected with a colony of arachnids. 'Hmm.. I will need to work on refined toxins for you lot without having to worry about the after effects..' "The purpose was to see your reactions, to hunt and work together to take down the guardian or work alone and trip over each other working towards the same prize."
The hand is enough to muffle the twins briefly and while they are sticky and scratching like a cat that desperately doesn't want to be tossed aside into a puddle, it is easy for Naoya to pull the twin's body off and dump her on the ground. He even gets to sneak in the knuckle thump whick makes her pout and reach up to rub the spot knicked with two hands on the same side, "Yes Naoya-sensei." Their voices chime together and they climb to their feet as if they were getting ready to jump back into the fray and try again. That is until the clone seemingly breaks apart like brittle and leaves only the real Naoya there. The twins blink but gradually their postures start to relax and Chiru starts to pry herself out of the joined form from what is now Kasai's back. She brushes her dress off afterward nd trots around to stand beside of her sister to listen to the lesson, but both of the twins are looking just a little woozy. "Huh so…we won, cause we worked together, right?" Kasai asks, digging a knuckle into her eye as she tries not to wobble too much in place.
Ren yawned a bit once things seemed to be sliding down. "Okay then. So yeah we didn't really step on each others toes even if we didn't make a full plan. I feel like we worked together well for not having a full plan." He stated honestly and then looked at the others and just shrugged. "Request or not. How did we do in your eyes Naoya?" His actions would simply be him putting his sword away now. Letting things go by as he waited for things to happen and this to officially end.
"It wasn't… about avoiding and becoming acclimated to pain… It was a teamwork drill…" Okochi would back off. At that point, the poison in her system was indeed starting to kick in. She couldn't 'feel' it, but her body reacted to it. She dropped her weapon and fell to one knee, though there was no wince of pain. Only the blank look of a living puppet. Was this the poison he was talking about earlier, finally starting to affect her coordination? "… It was good that I attacked you from the opposite side, from Ren, it seems…"
Slowly standing up, Naoya began to dust himself off though several thrusts and slashes that got past the guard were still open wounds that leaked blood lightly. "Yes.. and no. I think we will need to work on each of you working largely alone as well as focusing at the goal more than the route to get to said goal." Turning to look at the broken and over worked husk, he simply shakes his head. "It takes too much concentration to work this well. A few pieces cracking ruins everything.. if you all worked together to assassinate the guardian, the mission would of completed quite quickly." Turning to Okochi, Naoya approaches her slowly until he could rest his fingers on top of her head lightly. Waiting and watching her reactions, he waits until it was clear she wouldn't retreat nor strike before closing his eyes to focus on her condition. "Pain is also a useful aspect to know when the body is weakening.. steps will be needed to be taken is this is a liability. I hope it isn not.."
