Who Wants To Live Forever [Team Topic]

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Musashi opened the gates to the Third Training Ground, an unofficially historical site in itself, as it's well known that many celebrity squads originated there, including the original Sannin. Many squads have tried to rub off some kind of magical luck by training in this particular area, though some have faced success while others have been stuck at the Genin rank for years now. How foolish it is to think that anyone of them could inherit the fortune of Naruto Uzumaki like that. Yet, here he was, a retired Hokage, teaching three kids who didn't quite get along with each other no different than what a past Hokage and a Hokage candidate did here. Musashi stepped onto the miniature battlefield in the middle of an open field surrounded by trees and what appears to be a small lake. They had more than plenty of space here. Usually it'd be hard to get this place reserved, but as he had some former administrative influence, Musashi was able to accomplish the feat relatively easily. He'd wait til his Genin get settled, whether they choose to sit around as if they were near a campfire or just stand. So long as all three of them are doing the same thing.

"Alright. We're going to be do a series of training exercises today. I'm going to start with the first one, which involves jutsu and chakra. Now, you know the relationship between those two from your Academy days, but here, I want to go further than that by talking about how chakra can be manipulated. Obviously, practice is the best way to master jutsu, so really this is going to be independent work, but I want all of you to look at each other's jutsus and make a comment or criticism about it. All of you will be doing a demonstration... don't feel shy about it. In time, you'll be able to manipulate your chakra levels at maximum efficiency. Now you can use whatever jutsu you want, for example you can concentrate chakra to your feet and walk up a tree over there and on the lake over there. You can use it to 'magnetize' objects to areas of your body - this can be the feet, but with skill in manipulating chakra, you can actually make it stick to practically anywhere on your body. This is versatility at work. You can do elemental jutus, which is what I want to talk about. Two concepts. Nature transformation and shape transformation. When it comes to controlling elemental jutsu, EVERYTHING is in the mind. Nothing is a more powerful, more useful tool in utilizing elemental ninjutsu than a shinobi's mind. Your aptitude to visualize and create is what will determine the product. I've seen this many times, and this is how ninjutsu masters come to be. Now as a Genin, you can better utilize elemental ninjutsu by imagining how chakra changes according to your element type and what your element naturally does. This will give your jutsu the most realistic effect. For fire, you must imagine the heat of a flame, observe it, and mimic it by heating up the temperature of your chakra. Wind, you must imagine your chakra as a pair of blades rubbing against each other to produce that sharp effect of cutting. Lightning, think of the diffusion of electricity and its ability to shock. Earth is versatile, so you think of solidity like that of a rock or pliability like that of clay. Earth is about changing the hardness and composition of materials, so as to manipulate forms of rock. Water is equally versatile, and can be tamed by visualizing the flow of a river or stream. From that, you attain energy. Next is shape transformation, which is a bit more rare I should say. This involves some innovativeness, but you can set the form, size, and range of a jutsu if you master shape transformation. It's unlikely you'll be able to re-arrange the structure of an elemental jutsu you now have as Genin, but there should be some overlap in which you'd be able to get your jutsu out of you in the exact form that you want. Think before you act, and the battle is yours". Musashi stepped back a few yards, after having finished his long lecture, putting in various gestures and articulations along the way to enhance his presentation of information and his expectations. He waited to see who would want to go first.

Once her hand was bandaged up abruptly by the sensei she was shocked but mostly confused. It was such a small wound, she could have easily healed it or ignored it why care for it when it was just something simple. She questioned to herself before making her way with the group to the training grounds. She knew this place well, she nearly exhausted herself here just to get stronger as she once claimed. It was still a haunting day that dawned on herself. if it wasn't for her teamate Takeo she'd had pass out from exhaustion or worse had she kept over pushing her limits. In all she didn't want to be stronger, she just hated what happened and was trying to find an outlet, little had she known her outlet nearly costed herself.

With that she looked over to the small campfire built by Musashi sensei and sat by it listening in on his words. She knew well on Chakra manipulation, that was her life. However she didn't want to go first, she'd rather see what the others could bring. With that Kuroo went first with his leading type of personality. Of course she didn't hate him for that, more so she was annoyed by his way of sticking to what is there and what isn't, like being trapped in a box. She knew there was more loads more than just this, more than just doing one job. Hell she's able to admit she has crossed the gates without permission. She did follow rules however she also knew that hiding things only made things worse. She wanted to travel, see what really was out there and see what other places where like. Similar to her elder cousin and what she had done.

Once he finished his words Kuroo went to a large open portion of the field and began his hand signs, with quick succession he had brought up a large waterfall that poured over itself however was like a still block, unmoving from it's place. She paused to look over the jutsu then sighed, closing her eyes and hating how she'd have to talk but it was needed for an explanation. "I think, it's very good...but what if someone was to go behind you?" She said in a serious manner. She was impressed considering how still the water was and all however her concern was rightly made. Being ready for any situation was important, yes he did work hard to make the jutsu work however anyone can take advantage over it and so working with the jutsu and other things can benefit oneself. Once again, thinking outside of the box.

WC: 443/500
((OOC: next post she'll do her own turn, She's got to heal her hand first so she doesn't mess up.))

Takeo was glad that the cleaning mission was now over. Partly because he found it to be a tedious task that could be prevented if some people in the village weren't so lazy but also because he hoped that the change of mission and location would help him forget his comical incident with one of the inappropriate magazines. Takeo didn't find it funny but he knew if someone else saw it, they'd most likely find it funny. He probably would've laughed if he had switched roles with someone else in that embarrassing experience that he had the luxury of going through.

Takeo followed everyone as they all made their way to the training grounds. Takeo had been here recently and it had been the place where him and Hitomi first met. He never even thought that the two of them might be put in a squad together. The thought seemed slip his mind since she tried to train herself to death. Even Takeo, who had fatigued himself from training from time to time, thought she was being ridiculous that day. He wasn't so sure how she was now. But he guessed (and hoped) that the extremely long and tiring training sessions that Hitomi had been doing had stopped. Takeo decided to stand by the campfire instead of sitting. He hoped that by standing it wouldn't resulting in him sleeping or giving of the appearance that he wasn't listening since one of Takeo's crippling weaknesses was lectures. They seemed to have a great effect of putting him to sleep quickly. However, Takeo done his best to persevere and stay focused on what Miyamoto-sensei was saying. Takeo didn't take all of what his sensei was saying in but he at least gave the impression that he was paying attention. The main things that stuck with him was the information about wind chakra and what the task at hand was.

Luckily for Takeo Kuroo offered to go first, giving Takeo a little time to think over what jutsu to use. Not that it was a vital choice but Takeo seemed to have a knack of taking a while on deciding what to do when presented with multiple choices. However, Takeo made sure to pay attention to Kuroo as he performed his jutsu, whatever it may be. He watched in awe at the defensive jutsu by Kuroo as the wall of water rose from the ground up and stayed in place. Takeo grinned in excitement "That's awesome!" Takeo exclaimed, not listening to Hitomi point out the flaws in the jutsu. He seemed to engrossed in the wall of water that stood in place yet still flowed like a waterfall.

Takeo looked over to Hitomi to see if she was going next but it didn't seem like it. He shrugged and backed up a bit as he prepared to perform his chosen jutsu. Takeo had decided to use one of his fuuton techniques, air bullets. It was quite useful in taking out multiple enemies or at least injuring them. Takeo had learned it towards the end of his time at the academy. He had struggled the aim with it and even one it was something that he always tried to improve on.

Takeo positioned himself so everyone would be looking at his right side so nothing would hit them. It would be quite painful if one of the bullets did. Takeo closed his eyes, trying to recall Miyamoto-sensei's advice with wind chakra. Takeo pictured his chakra as two blades as his sensei suggested. Thinking of the sharpness of it. He then began to imagine in the form of the sphere that the would be released as. Despite being rounded they still cut skin easily. He formed the bird seal before he took in a deep breath and quickly exhaled as he fired out 3 bullets out in front of him. They shot out at high speeds and soon hit some nearby trees. Causing small holes to left in them and the bark strewn around the trees. Takeo smiled and turned around to face his team. Waiting for their feedback.

Word Count: 680/500
Chakra Pool: 120 - 40 = 80

Jutsu Used:

One brave ant, who would no doubt be at the helm leading the colony as they  carried leaves back to their queen, stepped forward and accepted Musashi's challenge. His posture indicated to Musashi that he was not afraid of showing off his jutsu. Distance taking into caution, it seemed like this technique would take up a bit of area, so it is something that does require a deal of Ninjutsu control in order to be able to utilize it. He didn't know how good of a fighter these three were, but after getting a sense of how they execute jutsu today, hopefully they'd at least have the confidence to take even shinobi a rank higher than them. That was the best thing Musashi can instill in his pupils. Courage and self-discipline as a ninja, but those also had to be moderated by good sense, and that's something that can only be learned in the battlefield. Jutsus were merely a part of a shinobi's power, and like many other things, mere tools apart of a warrior's arsenal. Handseals were performed, and the product was that which Kuroo felt comfortable showing a little bit of his skill in. Mind ---> matter, moisture from the ground accumulated and sprouted like a fountain geyser. Very few things were more arresting than the beautiful blue of a simple barrier of hydrogen dioxide. The wall was relatively large for all that it was worth, and likely prevented some decent defensive perks. Musashi could tell that after the hand seals were performed, shape transformation was something that occurred almost spontaneously so long as the element of the chakra was already determined by the user. "Hmph...." Musashi hummed as he observed the technique loudly, preferring not to clap just yet for his student's performance. That shall be savored for the end. As the water came crashing back down, it spreaded out and headed towards Musashi - truly a snake of a jutsu. Musashi simply leapt right above it, and in mid-air, was able to focus minimal chakra around his feet in order to adhere to the surface at the molecular level.

The water would make its way back to the roots under the ground, and Musashi was free to conserve his energy. Hitomi was quick to pose a question, pointing out a flaw, or perhaps a loophole, in Kuroo's design. Musashi simply kept his mouth shut until Hitomi's question was answered, for he did not feel like Kuroo was the vindictive type to snap out against criticisms, so there was no need for his own criticism to be heard before Hitomi's was answered. It was only after Kuroo decided how to respond to Hitomi did he then lay down what he had to say. "That was good skill, Kuroo. Since you don't seem to be winded from using it, it appears hat you've gotten a handle of how to manipulate your chakra properly and apply Ninjutsu efficiently, or at least for that particular jutsu. For a moment even, I had a glimpse to a waterfall I'm familiar with near the outskirts of this country, just from hearing the sound of your jutsu and its flow. There is a realism behind your technique, and even though it was made artificially, it still shows that you have a basic grasp over what it means to execute jutsu.  I'm not primarily concerned with the technique, but rather your skill, such as in using jutsu, and if you were to pull up water from the ground like that, I have no doubt that you will be able to find that you can do that with the rest of what you already have. That is what I think, though you still have ways to go".

He hoped that positive encouragement from a teacher and a suggestion for improvement from a peer would not  only enforce Kuroo's psychological needs, but also apply a bit of a pressure to actually improve, whether it be his jutsu or his ability to execute it. Takeo was up next, and his cheerful aura would have an impact on the ones gathered near him. Musashi knew that like he, Takeo had an affinity with the Wind element, and correctly deduced that a Fuuton jutsu was in order. Musashi likely already knew the technique and the mechanics of it. Musashi saw Takeo close his eyes, tapping into the influence of his mind to perfect his performance. Although Kuroo was able to execute his jutsu without stripping away his ability to see, it did not make any difference to Musashi in training scenarios, because it helped the user concentrate on himself and what he was doing. 'Course if this was the battlefield, Musashi would immediately go in and blitz him from behind right there with a single slash of his sword. But doing that to a student would be cruel and bloody. The seal was formed, and from the way Takeo inhaled, as well as the posture he's taking, the number of possible jutsus were reduced to a few and was made fully known to Musashi. A projectile was coming out of his mouth.

Three spherical bullets came out of Takeo's mouth, travelling at a decent speed with some lethality to them. The bullets were of a fair size in diameter, and Musashi rather not be the poor tree roughly ten meters away that was riddled with holes by Takeo's technique. "Mhm..." Musashi hummed again, not betraying a hint of a compliment or criticism like that. "Bullets can be rather hard to see, so dodging for the Genin can be difficult. Well, anyway.... Nature can tell us a lot if it act as dummy practice. Even from here, I can see with my eyes that the holes you put in it were similar to what you'd get if someone were to drill into it, instead of plowing something blunt and hoping it goes through butter. That effect is a result of a frictional spin, generated by imagining your chakra as blades. Takeo, I can see that you poured in your effort and energy into sharpening your chakra. What came out was a wind that'd blow anyone away. Literally and figuratively. I too, am a Wind user, and I can tell you controlling your wind chakra takes a lot of time and practice. Did you know our element is considered rare among the basic chakra natures? In time, you'd be able to produce stronger techniques as your skill grows, but next time, with all of your confidence, try letting out as much of those bullets as you can possible. It'll be worth your time".

She allowed some time for her hand to atleast stop stinging before she would take her turn. She'd rather not screw up because of a wound and even so a small one that was more of an irritant. She looked at her bandaged hand before looking back up at the group, seeing Takeo take his turn. She was mildly impressed with his use of Wind jutsu. It was fast, effective, and flowed where he focused on. Just as it needed to be. Of course she heard the same from Musashi sensei as he explained. She thought on it and had very little qualms with the jutsu, after all he wasn't a ninjutsu specialist which was fair to judge on. "I agree with sensei, it was very effective for what it needed." She spoke out towards Takeo.

Kuroo had responded to her, explaining that even he couldn't help the dilemma of the jutsu. She nodded, understanding the fact she nearly had no clue about the jutsu anyhow, she merely assumed it could be worked to wall off from all over. However she noticed he seemed irritated at something, it wasn't herself it seemed however it was rather the over all team. That was right, two wind users were here however she wasn't just a wind user, she also could heal. More so, without the team noticing she was a low level sensory, she probably couldn't fit into full sensory however she could still sense a presence or see small quirks. This is how she noticed his facial features weren't towards herself. More so whether element or not the question was whether the team was really balanced.

She then stood up gripping her wounded hand into a fist before going to a clearing. She knew exactly what the sensei meant by shape and nature of chakra transformation. She trained the hardest just to do that, and now her own fruits of labor would come forth. She had practiced this jutsu before, even when sparring. She found ways to use even it's failure to her advantage. With that she took a minute and rather than go into a fighting stance she stood there. She then lifted her finger in the air, as if pointing to the group. After a while her finger lit with bright blue chakra and she soon started to move it, causing a line of white almost foggy aura to trail behind the finger. She had to have the utmost concentration for this, even a small distraction could cause a blow back.

She begun to shape this trail into a Kanji letter, the letter however was in the shape of this 猿 which meant monkey. Soon as she finished the letter she pressed her hand onto the kanji and it dropped to the ground, shaping into one monkey however it looked wispy, almost airy like it was made entirely of wind. She then merely pointed her finger out and the wind monkey was controlled, as if like a tamed beast. It followed where she pointed and where she wanted it to be. It actually went as far as nearing the group, sniffing at her teammates. Soon after it finished she held out her hand in a straight formation and then swiped it to the side as if like a sword cutting through an enemy, just like that the wind monkey dissipated back into the air, as if it never existed.

She then put her hand down, clutching it with her other hand in a wince of pain before awaiting the team's response to her own created jutsu from working with chakra in a focused environment. This is what she trained on so harshly that nearly costed her so much, this jutsu. If it wasn't for her teammate Takeo she'd have practiced until her end. However it seemed to fruit her labors well. She wasn't proud of it because she knew it could be better, but it was something to show for her work. and with that she awaited their response, still holding her harmed hand.

Jutsu used:

Chakra Pool: 120-50=70
Word Count: 671
Total Count: 1114/500

Takeo listened closely to what was said  by Miyamoto-sensei. Taking in whatever criticism there was and hoping to correct it at a later date. Takeo was quite happy to hear there wasn't much, although that wasn't because he was a person who couldn't take criticism, it just felt nice knowing there wasn't a lot errors that needed fixing. However, Takeo knew the jutsu he executed was far from perfect.  "Thanks. I'll make sure to follow your advice and improve that jutsu" Takeo replied with a wide grin, he was clearly proud that he'd done well.

Takeo proceeded to position himself to face Hitomi and also to keep a bit of distance from her. Obviously he didn't know what she was going to do yet so he made sure to keep a distance between them for now. The young Genin watched intently as Hitomi's finger began to glow brightly with what he guessed was her chakra. Needless to say, the Genin was clearly intrigued as to what would happen next as his eyes widened with excitement and curiosity. His eyes followed her finger as the slowly formed a kanji letter. It was similar to watching a cat follow and trying to catch a beam of light on the wall or floor. Although Takeo wasn't trying to catch the foggy trail that Hitomi's finger left behind. He remained where he was and continued to watch, already fascinated with the beginnings of Hitomi's jutsu. Once the kanji letter was finished and activated Takeo let out a few words of awe like "Woah." Or "Cool." As the wispy monkey was formed before his eyes. He continued to watch with great intent as the monkey followed Hitomi's commands. Wherever she pointed it moved which truly amazed Takeo. He'd never saw a jutsu like this before.

When the monkey moved forward to them Takeo smiled as it inspected him. "If it wasn't for the wispy form it could pass as a real animal." Takeo commented as he raised his hand to pet it but quickly withdrew his hand before doing so, he was unsure of how the monkey would respond to that or if it could even be petted. Takeo guessed that his hand would just go through it since it wasn't solid. For a few seconds his eyes widened with surprise as the monkey dissipated into the air. For the that short time after its disappearance Takeo looked similar to a small child who had just had their toy taken away from them. However, his facial expression quickly changed back to normal.

Takeo looked towards Hitomi with a smile. He was clearly impressed. "That's pretty cool Hitomi, but eh... What can it actually do?" Takeo asked with an inquisitive look on his face. He hoped the way he asked the question didn't sound insulting but the Genin couldn't deduce what the monkey's purpose was. Maybe it can act as a decoy, then again can it even harm someone? Maybe it an act as a scout? Takeo thought of a few purposes for the monkey but was unsure of which of them was correct, if any. He decided to simply wait for Hitomi's response or suggestion from Miyamoto-sensei or Kuroo.

Word Count: 532/500

Musashi could see that it was Hitomi's turn now that most of the pain in her finger had subsided, and she was ready to perform jutsu. A finger raised, she began drawing in the air, leaving trails of white aura energy wherever her little digit moved. Saru.... Musashi thought, curious about what seemed to be its kanji letter drawn in the air. Not a moment later, the kanji dropped to the ground, and as if summoning a creature from another portal, the form of a monkey made from the characteristic colors and distortions of wind took shape. The pinnacle of what Musashi was expecting today, here a wind user had crafted her own work from her own heart and her own mind. Aside from being warriors, soldiers, and magicians and sorcerors of all occult fields, they were also artists, able to create their own reality from abstract concepts. He hoped that should his students live longer than him, and live a full life to retirement, that they could spend their life as artists and artisans, using their skills for craft and not for military duty. She had complete control of the monkey's movements. Musashi did not flinch as the monkey approached him, although he did know that monkeys were tricky creatures, and at the snap of a finger, the thing could jump right at his face as part of Hitomi's prank, so his hand was always ready to react to this. About a minute later, a shuto-like slash had ended the marvel that her doll had given to the group, and all that was left was reception.

Musashi clapped his hands for a few seconds; although it was mainly directed at the whole group's demonstration rather than an individual's performance. He scratched his cheek. Hitomi's technique was a somewhat advanced jutsu that was at its preliminary stages, given that she was still a Genin. So, perhaps with more focus and manipulation, the monkey could act as a weapon or an explosive. But indeed, if they were in times of war and this some lesson was done, Musashi would have asked her to show something that's more directly applicable in combat, whether it be with the same jutsu or not. He knew that the monkey could not be just for entertainment and play purposes, precisely because it was a jutsu that combined the two essential changes in chakra so well. If Hitomi could move it around as she liked, then of course it would at the very least harass anyone that it comes close to. But he didn't care about the technique itself today, and would have handed Hitomi a medal.

"Well done, Hitomi. That jutsu is a good representation of what we're doing today. You showed that shaping wind chakra into a familiar form and manipulating it can bring its own pleasant rewards and versatility. With that, the possibilities are potentially limitless for the ninja. That is how one can appreciate Ninjutsu. Haha.... I have no more words today other than you've got a very good handle on jutsu execution".

Musashi scratched his chin once more, before his face suddenly lit up and he smacked a fist onto the palm of his open hand.

"Ah, that's right. I just remembered. The village has issued a certain task to shinobi sensors, and now that I know two of you have some skill and there's four of us here, we can fulfill the challenge while playing a little game of tag. Kuroo and Hitomi. Basically you two are tasked with finding either Takeo or me. We'll be off in the forest, hiding, and you two would try to find us via chakra sensing, and try to tag us. Actual contact is not necessary, as just throwing a kunai or jutsu and having it land somewhere near us will suffice. After that, we'll regroup here and resume our usual program. Takeo, you go that way, and I'll go the other way. It'd be up to you two to decide who to pursue after, but you are not to move until there has been at least a 150 meter gap in between you and whoever you're after. See ya!" Musashi explained. And with that, he turned the other way and headed straight for the forest. He was no doubt the fastest one here so he'd pick up some distance the easiest. He really didn't have an ulterior motive behind this, as this was just a way for him to get the group to exercise themselves physically. A post-post warm up if you will.

Spoiler:

As soon as she finished her jutsu she noticed their surprise for it. It was a good feeling however she still felt she could have done better. She noted Takeo's question with an answer for him in return. "Actually you're right, this is for confusing others, acting as a decoy, or deploying traps incase of danger." She noted to him then over hearing Kuroo's own explanation for it. "You're right on that too, however the monkey isn't the one for that, this jutsu is much more versatile than you think." She then over heard sensei's clapping sounds as a congratulations to it. Once again she felt it wasn't worth such appraisal, she showed the weakest point to it.

However she noticed him explain on about another mission, an idea or training session that they were to try. She looked over to Kuroo whom had chosen Takeo to be found. She was alright with that even if he did have better sensory than she did. "Go on ahead, I can handle this myself."She said towards Kuroo as she watched Musashi run off quickly from the group. She smiled a little, well more of a smirk as she looked at Takeo take off as well. This was going to be interesting as she could use the other part to her jutsu, of course it's alot of chakra and it wasn't easy to form however if she wanted to find someone like the previous kage himself she'd need to use every arsenal she had.

She then begun her Kanji letters once more, it pulled so much chakra already however she planned it out. This Kanji was different, not a different jutsu but a different letter all together. This one was made quicker and like a speeding bullet as her finger followed the lines she needed. The symbol came up as 鳥 for Bird and she'd finish it in time for the sensei to have gained tons of distance. After all she'd need a good walk around to keep calm from using so much energy today. She looked over to Kuroo as he watched Takeo take off, this would be a walk in the park compared to anything. However the sky was an advantageous spot and many never look up to be seen by the seeker but forward.

She followed back to the jutsu as it was nearing completion. Her finger in pain however she needed to keep concentration. As soon as it was done, she knew what to do and how this would alter what one means by chakra control and transformation entirely. Her jutsu was her own, and one may be able to replicate one part, but it would be difficult, if near impossible to replicate it all. Leaving her and her alone to know it, and giving her the advantage of surprise.

WC: 500
Total: 1614 wc

A puzzled look formed on Takeo's face at Hitomi's response to his question. He had know idea how she knew what he was speculating as to what the monkey could do. Maybe she didn't notice the italics. That or she's reading my mind. Takeo thought to himself with a chuckle. Yet he still felt a bit paranoid about the latter thought of the two. He dismissed the thought once Miyamoto-sensei began talking again, explaining the next mission they would do. Takeo nodded occasionally to notify his sensei that he knew what to do. Soon after that Takeo's sensei was off into the woods and Takeo was about follow suit until he was stopped by Kuroo. Takeo turned to face Kuroo before he took off into the woods as well. He wondered what Kuroo was going to say. As Kuroo whispered into his ear and patted him on the shoulder Takeo gave him a very confused look. There was also a little bit of fear in his eyes. He smiled at Kuroo, nervously and swiftly ran into the forest.

I hope Kuroo doesn't find me anytime soon. The way he talked... He sounded like a psycho. Takeo continued to jump from branch to branch, hoping to find a good hiding spot soon. He wondered if Kuroo's true colours were showing. Maybe he was a psycho killer and would take out his first victim in the woods. Or maybe he was trying play mind games with Takeo, trying to confuse him so he could be caught quickly. As Takeo made his way into the forest he began to slowly ascend up the trees. Branch by branch he was slowly but surely gaining more height from the ground. After a few minutes of running at his top speed he stopped and climbed up to the highest point of one of the taller trees. He sat upon one of the higher branches and basked in the sunlight that shone down. Takeo quite liked this mission, it was a simple game of hide and seek for him that he was getting paid for. He wasn't good at masking his chakra or anything like that so for him the best way to stay hidden was to get far away fast and stay wherever he thought best.

Takeo was aware this wasn't the best hiding spot and was a bit predictable but he didn't care. He was sure that Kuroo was bound to find him in reasonable time. Even if his team mate couldn't Takeo had made it a bit easier for him. The young genin just hoped that in Kuroo's attempts to throw the Kunai at him he wouldn't miss and hit him. Takeo let out a happy sigh and closed his eyes, now seemed like a nice time to rest to him, despite this not actually being the best time to rest he couldn't think of anything else to help elude Kuroo except from continuing to move so he couldn't catch up but Takeo thought that was unfair. Plus there seemed to be another mission coming up after this, he'd need to save his strength for that.

Word Count: 520/500

I wonder if they could find me before a leaf from up there would drop on my head..... or my nose...

Musashi positioned himself right under a large branch with a great bush of leaves covering the top of his head and everything downwards. The tree was thick with enough diameter to stretch across the length of his body. This would be his hiding spot. To his left was a tall pile of leaves all raked up concealing any sight that would be coming from his left, thus he only needed to concentrate on what's coming from his right, as that would be the only possible direction where his enemy would show up. He prepared himself in case he needed to move out quickly, and tried to rely on hearing to see how either Hitomi or Kuroo would come after him. After all, they may launch an attack that would break through the tree that was behind him.

It had looked like the team had understood what to do and went off to execute the task. Musashi had had already plunged himself into the woods of the abundant forest, surrounding himself with more plentiful colors of soft, stale green and rigid, cracked brown. Wherever leaves and wood met, Musashi pinpointed a potential place to hide out. There were several tall pile of leaves spread out all over the place. He didn't know who was after him, but it should not matter. Musashi had no ability in hiding his chakra presence, and if anything the only thing he could do in the sensory arts was erect a sensory barrier; although that'd be more likely to give his position away to a sensor type. In this microcosm of a battlefield, Musashi would rely on the stealth typical of a ninja swordsman, positioning himself in an area that would appeal to the senses the least while harnessing precision and timing to dish out ambush attacks. He began to slow down his pace when he was 250 meters away from where his tracker, who should already be after his trail by now, would be.  He didn't have the time or will to set up some traps or tricks, and it's not like his opponent won't know where he is once they get within close proximity of him, but Musashi can still make a run for it until he felt like the sensor took too long in finding him. With his superior speed and agility in this habitat, he can keep on opening up the distance so that whatever attack would come at him would land far away from him. This is where his own natural senses would be useful too to hear or see the opponent coming, but also in cases where he didn't know the opponent got within close range of his hiding spot, he could still try to knock him out cold. But right now for the most part, he should be sniffed out pretty quickly as this was a good exercise for the village's sensors to get a feel of their usefulness in combat and the effectiveness of detection when the enemy is unaware their their enemy is a chakra sensor.

She watched Kuroo take off and just before she gathered the chakra for her jutsu she thought back on it, yes it took time away from her however she needed some chakra rather than just use it all up until she slumped over. She decided instead to use a low chakra draining jutsu that was so basic one would never think to use, however she wanted to cover lots of ground and be able to hide herself from her sensei incase he was to run. You could never know what one thought to do off side from something so she wanted to be ready. She looked to the trees seeing small squirrels running past and smirked. With that she dropped her hands then started her signs from Dog to Boar then finishing it off to Ram as a puff of smoke went around herself. In a flash she appeared as a squirrel and took off, though it was much tougher to do so than to walk as she normally did.

Her jumps were a bit off and she was tired however she was able to climb a tree and keep the form for a while as she hopped through the trees quietly, looking around for Musashi or something similar of his left behind. She would only save her sensing jutsu for when she felt she was nearing. Due to her distance she was gaining some time to look around for a while, seeing if any of the trees had leaves that were disturbed or shaking, let alone seeing if any foot prints were left behind. She then decided it was time, taking in a moment to close her eyes and for a moment only the wind went through to be heard as she opened her eyes once more as if a flash of light and saw through the trees, She was about 200 meters from the group since she knew she gave him much more time to get farther. For a while she looked at the tree's chakra patterns just to see if she could see anyone or anything disturbed within it.

She took her time with this, she wanted to find him however she knew her chakra wasn't going to keep up for long. She only hoped she could upkeep it for a while enough to find him. She only was soon to find why she was jumping oddly other than not being an actual squirrel other than to shift forms to hide any alerts. Her cut, she thought she healed it but it looks like it wasn't so. She'd need to keep off from it then, only treading by three appendages from tree to tree. She wanted to make sure there was no way he'd be able to tell her apart from any other squirrel so sensei wouldn't run off and be unable to be caught. She could only wonder what the other two were doing, and if Kuroo had already found Takeo or had he out thought him in this exercise.

The only way to tell is to finish this, and she felt she was getting closer to her goal with each second. However that was only a hope so she wouldn't mind the cut. Something to take her mind off and keep her going rather than just give up and rest or over do things and end up passing out.

WC: 564
Total: 2178 wc
CP: 70-25-5=40

Jutsu Used:

Takeo let out a happy sigh as he rested on the tree top which was surprisingly comfortable. He liked having moments like this were he could relax without a care in the world, even when he was on a mission. But he wasn't too concerned as this was nothing serious, at least for what he had to do. Slowly but surely, the young genin felt himself begin to slowly drift off to sleep. Despite the fact that he was precariously high in the tree, with only some clumps of leaves around and below the branch he was on to stop his fall, if they even could. At best they would slow his descent to the ground, were he to fall from the branch during his nap.

Luckily for Takeo, the first few minutes of his nap were undisturbed and he seemed to stay in the place, rigid. As if he was still aware of the height he was at, despite being asleep. He began to lightly snore, causing some of the birds in the tree to flee. Assuming that a predator was coming. Unaware it was just a ditzy genin snoring in his slumber, dreaming up all sorts of fantasies. Becoming Hokage, wielding one of the seven swords, and the strangest one being that he won a lifetime supply of cotton candy. It was then that Takeo woke up, blurry eyed and drowsy from his short nap which had resulted in a plethora of strange dreams in the short amount of time.

He let out a yawn and began scratching his head and rubbing his eyes. He quickly glanced up at the sun and realised hardly anytime had passed but realised Kuroo must be nearby at this point. Maybe even preparing to throw a kunai at Takeo to show he'd found him. Takeo sat were he was for a few seconds, slightly afraid to move in case he would move into a kunai by accident. Nothing happened.

Takeo began to laugh a little. Maybe Kuroo isn't as good as I th- Takeo's thought was cut short as he heard a twig snap and some leaves be ruffled below him. Takeo froze, unsure if it was just an animal traversing the land or if Kuroo had heard him and was about to strike. Deciding not to take any chances Takeo began to move swiftly. He descened the tree as deftly as he could and began to run further into the forest. Takeo looked around wildly as he ran, looking for any signs of Kuroo. Slightly hoping Kuroo was nearby so he didn't look like too much of an idiot. Something he seemed to have a knack for.

Takeo continued to run, not concerned about being stealthy in his escape at all. It seemed simply running as fast as possible in one direction was good enough for him. As he ran, Takeo failed to notice a root from a tree that had broken to the surface. It was just the right height to catch someone's foot if they were not see it. And catch Takeo's foot it did. The oblivious genin's eyes widened in surprise as he felt his foot get caught on the root. "God dammit!" He  yelled in anger just before his face smacked the ground.

Word Count: 542/500

Deciding on his conclusion, he carried it out. He unsheathed his katana and ran out of there at full speed, while Hitomi as a squirrel was in the process of leaping from one branch to that of another. With the power to smash rock his weight, Musashi channeled all of that energy to the edge of his S-rank blade, and with a swift slash, he cut down a tree that he was about to pass. It was not a particularly thick tree, but should Hitomi try to throw something at him, the tree would block her view or intercept her. Of course, in this case, it would have either been the tree Hitomi was hopping to that would fall, or the tree would hit the branch Hitomi was on. Musashi then continued to run, as although this was not exactly the best way to show how a shinobi deals with hunters, it sure is a hell lot of fun for the hunted....

The man had gotten ready. He had slowly unhinged his knees, allowing him to slowly rise from his resting position, but still well hidden. He quietly placed a hand on the sap, both to steady his balance and allow him to hear better. For a few seconds, he swore he heard a twung. Followed by that were the rustling of leaves. He could have mistaken it for the wind, as light as it was now, but the repetitive pattern of rustling told him that deliberate movement from an animate lifeform was approaching him. His hand reached for the grip of his Takashi blade, and grabbed onto it, pulling it out by a centime- oh wait! What was he doing?! Musashi quickly sheathed his sword in and had himself a quiet thought chuckle. Instinct had given him the feeling of ambush, and so he thought he was battling a predator once more, when really he could have approached his own student with lethal intentions. One slash would be a kill. He listened closely. From what he could hear, it seemed like whatever was moving to him was kinda small. As if they were skipping right along the ground, brushing against the leaves scattered all, giving away their position. After pondering for a few seconds, it then occurred to Musashi that it must be one of Hitomi's creations. She could craft a monkey, and so there was no reason why she could not have sent out something like a rabbit scout to look after him. A smile creeped over Musashi, as the usefulness of the jutsu was now realized for its tracking purposes. He can't move out now, as he was not sure how to react, but he did know that something was coming towards him, and if he were to carelessly leave his spot and put himself out in the open, he would, even for a single instant, give away his position to Hitomi who should be homing in on his chakra levels. As the sound had gotten closer, as if it were just fifteen meters away, that tension slowly built a smile on Musashi's face, as he wondered whether or not Hitomi had found him already and she was just creeping on him to get him to get out of there. After all, the tree provided safety, so she would not be able to throw a kunai at him or anything. That, of course, made Musashi come to his conclusion.

This was it, she had come so near towards him however the tree right infront of herself had fallen over, With such quick succession she was surprised to say the least. However she knew by the sounds, and how near she was to reaching she was gaining ground. She blinked for a moment to hold her sensory since she could clearly hear the rustling of the trees However opened them to see a path to go. She also couldn't see him through the tree log itself so it would just waste her energy. With that she ducked into another tree nearby, catching her speed up once again and rather than get caught behind she took a breath in as the tree passed with such a loud sound and blew out, creating a gust to push her forward. If only to catch up to the sensei quicker. She could have used her Kanji jutsu however unfortunately her chakra levels were already low and so she couldn't even up keep it.

She however could still carry on to follow him as this transformed figure. After all he didn't know she was a squirrel, the most he knew was that she showed her jutsu and gave off a farse of how it's usefulness was. That way not a single person would even guess she'd had used such a simple technique. Only as long as she wasn't hit would she keep the form and as she heard the leaves settle she aimed for the last area she had heard them from. Appearing and acting like a squirrel she rustled through the leaves for a while before finally showing herself onto the tree, however as per mentioned unless one had sensory or had known she was using such a simple technique the most they'd see was a squirrel on a tree, nothing more. She finally had him, he was searching for the rustle sound and assuming things she'd never even done. Sometimes it's the simple problems that can take one down.

With that she looked at him for a while to see what he'd do before poofing out of her transformation, holding a kunai to him while still able to hold onto the tree with her chakra, using another simple training method. The tree climbing practice, to hold herself to nearly any surface of the tree without falling. Now she had found him, there wasn't much to say other than as she spoke. "I'm done, may I go rest?" She seemed tired, using most all of her chakra today has worn her down. If this were a real situation of course she knew she wouldn't make it, however the task was to find the person, not anything else. She had done just that, of course though her methods were unlike many and thus would give confusion. She outsmarted people, by using what was normally never used. No different than the other times, she wasn't like a shinobi who'd kill and use power, she used the outstretches of a jutsu to it's limits.

WC: 506
Total: 2648 wc
CP: 40-5-5-15=15

Jutsu Used::

Takeo groaned as he heard the footsteps of Kuroo come closer to him as he continued to lay on the ground, face down. Before he could roll over he heard what he assumed to be a kunai thrown next to him to show he had been caught. As if it wasn't obvious enough. Takeo rolled over onto his back and looked up towards what little of the sky he could see due to the all leaves up above connected to the trees. While Takeo was a bit embarrassed about what had just happened he still laughed as he rubbed the dirt off of himself. Takeo took Kuroo's hand that he had offered to help Takeo up. Takeo brushed himself down again to get rid of any remaining dirt he'd missed.

"If you didn't run, this would've made my job easier, and saved you a lot more pain..." Takeo laughed in response to Kuroo's comment. "No way would I let myself get caught so easily when I knew you were there. I already picked an obvious spot so I could nap but I'd be annoyed if I let you off too easy... Although I didn't get much further." He replied, beginning to laugh again at his clumsiness. "Maybe another time I'll be able to hide from you better." Takeo said with a beaming smile.  He was obviously still amused at his fall. "While it was kind of funny when I fell I'd prefer you didn't mention that when we head back." Takeo said sheepishly to Kuroo.

"Your face is okay right? You might need your dignity back though." Takeo rubbed the bottom part of his nose with the back of his hand to see if he'd fallen on his face hard enough to make his nose bleed. No blood seemed to have gotten on his hand so he guessed that wasn't the case and because his nose only hurt slightly he assumed that it wasn't broken or anything serious like that. "Nah I'm fine. Just a sore nose." He cheerily replied to Kuroo's question. As if he hadn't completely embarrassed himself just a few minutes ago.

Takeo turned scanned the area around him at Kuroo's question about the way back. Despite having been disorientated from fleeing from his hiding place in a  mad rush and falling over and hitting his head,  Takeo recalled the way back. At least he was pretty sure the way he was going to go was the way back. "I'm pretty sure it's this way." Takeo said as he pointed in the direction he believed would lead them back to where they started outside the forest. Takeo began to walk in that direction at a moderate pace. Assuming that Kuroo was going to follow him since it didn't seem like he knew exactly which way would lead them back. As he made his way back, Takeo began to wonder what the result of Hitomi trying to find Miyamoto-sensei was. He assumed that their sensei could probably elude them easily since he was once the Hokage. Unless, like Takeo, he didn't have any techniques to mask his chakra so he could better hide himself. Whatever the result, Takeo guessed he'd find out soon enough once he and Kuroo returned to the starting area.

Word Count: 546/500

"Mission completed", he said, giving his earnest approval. Like this...like that... Musashi thought about raising his hand as if reacting on reflex, sending up an arc of his blade that would slice the arm off while she was positioned with her feet to the bark of the tree. That was the way to kill. Oh no, no man.... why are you thinking of this? he shook himself, as that was what he would have done had she been the enemy, or if he hadn't reacted instantaneously. "Yes... we'll meet up with the others and all three of you can rest. There is actually a building with a recuperation springs near here". They would then make it back to the meeting point.

While he had been running, Musashi had continued his pace; the background noise of his own running speed had put forth interference as if he had had conduction deafness, preventing him from listening to the small but rapid footwork of Hitomi The Squirrel. He had slowed to a crawl at about 80 meters from his original position, stabbing the trunk of a tree with a Takashi blade which helped him come to a halt. He then turned around abruptly, prepared for the incoming attack. Granted if the attack was launched already, there really wasn't much he could do. So long as it entered within his range basically, his expectations were met completely. He turned just as the squirrel had leapt onto the tree. What occurred next was a little bit of stealth, with the innocent-looking squirrel hiding within itself a snake at the alert Musashi, the prey that was unaware that the tracker had already entered within his perimeter. Musashi glanced at the last second to spot a squirrel that was near a branch, before suddenly it changed in size, shape, and color to that of the sneaky Hitomi, with a kunai a few inches from his neck. Musashi nearly flinched, but surprisingly, he had kept himself still and just looked at Hitomi's hand before his eyes motioned back to Hitomi, a light smile grinning on his face.

OOC: Y'all can go and recover all your chakras by making a separate topic. You'll need it . Also good for some genin-only discussion time.

She noticed the two coming from the bushes however still tired from everything done today, she almost forgot they were there for a while. However hearing Kuroo speak about the hot springs she debated upon it. Yes she needed the rest, and this isn't doctor worthy wounds so really a good amount of relaxing and healing would probably help tons. Of course she felt uneasy about actually agreeing with him, after all she claimed him as a rival. It was like she didn't seem to have a reason to dislike him more so that she just does. Of course she'd need to take things easy, she wanted to conserve chakra but being put to find their own sensei was like putting a warbler next to a neighboring nest of eggs and expecting it to leave them alone. A warbler being a well known bird that kills other nests, birds, and especially hatchlings.

She held her head with a sigh before joining up with the two and replying. "Might as well, I need to brush and wash up anyhow, my mom would kill me if she saw how much dirt I got on my clothes." She joked at, she did love her mother but that damned interest in clothing and apparel, especially on appearance was just overbearing at times. She knew she was a seamstress as well as a retired shinobi but it was still apparent that her quirky attitude followed to her, after all she is the girl of the family. "and look, once it's all done I guess I can be nice a heal some wounds up if you guys need it." She carried on smiling a little, if but a little.

WC:282
Total: 2930wc

{Exit}

Takeo nodded to show he was going to follow Kuroo as he led them in a slightly different direction that would lead the directly to Hitomi and their sensei. Takeo trusted Kuroo's senses to lead them in the right direction. Takeo was not too far behind Kuroo throughout the rest of their small journey and burst out of the foliage just behind Kuroo. Takeo beamed a smile and waved towards the other two as well. He was happy to see Hitomi was successful in the mission as well. Takeo gave a thumbs up in response to Kuroo's question pertaining to the hot springs.

"Sure! That first warm up session took it out of me a little. Although not as bad as you too. Still I should wash up. I don't want to walk into my house looking like this." Takeo replied, rubbing some dirt on his arm that he'd noticed. He looked towards Hitomi. "Thanks for the offer Hitomi but thankfully Kuroo didn't beat me up or anything. I don't need any healing. But thanks." He said, laughing at his comment on Kuroo beating him up. Not that he doubted that Kuroo couldn't. Takeo would wait until the other two decided to start making there way to the hot springs and when they did, he'd be quick to follow.

[Exit]

Word Count: 218