Leaf in the Bluster

A heavy sigh escaped him, another casual morning. This was one of Natsuki's favorite spots, the grass beneath one of the shurikenjutsu target ranges. The window was brief, where the angle of the sun shed light beneath these trees, where the ground was soft with the aeration of so many missed shuriken. Indeed, he wasn't here to train, he was here to relax- to enjoy the spot before the clings and clangs of more ambitious shinobi spoiled the atmosphere.

He'd reach out, in ambivalent meditation, doing his damnedest to 'feel the chakra of those around him.' It sounded like a neat trick, and one that technically allowed him to utilize the space this way, but it was all so foreign to him. No, until it came naturally to him, he'd just lay there in the dirt and hope he heard people coming before they bothered him.

The member 'Natsuki Uchiha' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

It was during early training sessions that Tōri felt he did his best work, thankfully it was when the fewest people tended to frequent the large facility. He thought it had something to do with the extra brisk air that made the morning so appealing, it was a welcome addition when heating up from exercising. With a light jog he made his way to a clearing of trees he recalled doing some volunteer work with his clan to regrow some trees after a particularly rowdy training session some shinobi had and left it in such a state. It had been a few months and he was curious how some the trees were holding up and if the targets had been moved in any funky place with the new branches as they continued to grow, checking up these things had become a habit of his before starting his training when in the area.

As he walked through the woods to the clearing it seemed he was surprisingly not alone out here, seeing a lad that was no older than Sera in the early morning. There he lay in a patch of grass with a beam of sun warming them, looking not dissimilar to the way he’d seen cats doze off in the sunlight. Amused, he approached the clearing the boy lay in and went about his business checking the trees, looking to see if he noticed or if he was passed out.

The member 'Tōri' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

There it was, the flapping of birds flying from a nonchalant pedestrian, followed closely by the subtle vibrations in the earth. Company. One eye peaked open, glancing to the side to see some dude approaching. Natsuki eyed the man up and down for a moment only to close it after a moment or two. Eeeyuup... Only serious bastards would keep a beard that well groomed. He let out another sigh, this time with the mild frustration that other people dared to exist.

With an exaggerated groan, Natsuki pulled himself to a sitting position, his long hair and haori speckled with clumps of loose soil. "Alright, alright," he tutted softly, keeping his head down as he rose to his feet and patted away most of the dirt. He didn't even look the stranger in the eyes as he began to walk generally towards the exit, from where the man arrived.

"All yours, pal," he sighed with all the angst of a frustrated teen being kicked out of 'his spot.' He didn't even notice that, in the dirt, lay his katana, fallen from his haphazard belt loops.

The member 'Natsuki Uchiha' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

At his approach the lad got up with an exasperated sigh with a comment indicating he thought Tōri meant to use the field. Leaving in such a rush he noticed a katana laying suspiciously close to where the boy had been as he shuffled off. Moving to grab it he called out in case he took off, you never knew with kids. “Hey, you dropped your sword.” Offering it to him he realized he recognized his face from amongst the genin, in fact one that had been one for quite a while. This fella seemed to be quite more what he recalled of the youth than his bubbly student Sera, a different approach might need to be taken to get to him.

“Have you taken that sword out of its sheath in a while, Natsuki?” Curious how he would respond he would offer the katana to him hilt-first and continue before waiting for an answer. “I’ve seen your name on our rosters for a while now. Why haven’t you been paired with a sensei yet?”

The member 'Tōri' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

“Hey, you dropped your sword.”

Natsuki suddenly stopped. Turning around and keeping his eyes low, he looked only at the katana he left behind. The young Uchiha took a step forward to retrieve it when Tōri continued: “Have you taken that sword out of its sheath in a while, Natsuki?”

Once more, he froze. His arm still outstretched, the mention of his name sent a chill down his spine, and not the pleasant kind offered by the cool dirt. "Don't stick your neck out, don't stick your neck out," he muttered under his breath, closing his eyes and catching his breath. "I guess so," he started, softly and almost embarrassed as he recalled his last mission. "Does dog grooming count?" As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed the katana, hilt and sheath so as not to remove the blade.

“I’ve seen your name on our rosters for a while now. Why haven’t you been paired with a sensei yet?”

"I'm well enough at what I do, what's the point?" He pulled at the katana, taking it from Tōri if he'd release it.

The member 'Natsuki Uchiha' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

The unprompted mention of the boy’s name might have been a bit too much, he froze in place at its mention half-way to taking his weapon back. An inaudible muttering proceeded an attempt at an earnest answer to his first question. Allowing the sword to be pulled from his hands freely as he took the blade back. “That remains to be seen. Though I don’t suppose those paltry excuses for missions they make you genin go on are enough to hold your attention, eh?” He recalled himself the senseless missions the village had sent him on as a child, though there had also been times at his age that he'd seen real conflict. It was a good thing that a lad like this didn't have to endure such hardships. With a single hand he began weaving four seals before the ground below him began to rise. An earthen slab rose from the earth, his gaze locked down at the Uchiha before continuing from his newly elevated position.

“Tell me, what is it that interests you other than lounging in the woods?”

Used:
- Earth Release: Earth Shore Return | 10

Chakra: 310 / 320

Spoiler:

The member 'Tōri' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

“That remains to be seen. Though I don’t suppose those paltry excuses for missions they make you genin go on are enough to hold your attention, eh?”

Hold my attention? They're just jobs... Were missions supposed to be exciting? That sounded stressful, dangerous... Natsuki pondered the question briefly before the stable ground beneath their feet began to lift into a mighty wall. His black eyes widened as he took a step back, his eyes straining against the sun to keep an eye on the jounin.

He quickly looked around, keenly aware of how much attention this sort of jutsu could attract. Every instinct told him to just walk away... but he stood there and gazed in awe at the effortless upheaval. Of course, the heroic lighting helped.

“Tell me, what is it that interests you other than lounging in the woods?”

"Uh... I'm not sure, lounging in the woods is pretty awesome..." Suddenly, a wash of embarrassment. Why was someone capable of this, without even breaking a sweat, even bothering talking to him? "I dabble in some earth release ninjutsu, I guess... but nothing like this..."

The member 'Natsuki Uchiha' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

As Natsuki responded with a, at best, timid capacity that hinted at his proficiency with doton, Tōri's mind lit up with an idea to engage such a lackadaisical individual as he seemed. With one another sentence making its plummet into falling off Tōri joined the momentum and leapt from his perch with the addition of a few extra hand seals. With that the height of his original wall lowered just just the chest as three new ones rose to form a sectioned off square in the ground. Two more hand seals were formed as he held the last one before releasing, looking at Natsuki with intrigue. “Ninjutsu isn’t just for combat, it has a great variety of uses. Even for relaxation.” While there hadn't been any development with this particular idea of his it could still be useful in getting the lad interested in something. Anything.

With that he released the held technique, water then began to swirl and rise from the lidless box of doton next to them. “This particular piece is something I’ve been working on. I’ve been trying to recreate natural hotsprings wherever there’s earth to utilize but I still can’t get the dang thing to heat up. I’ve tried a live fire underneath but that takes too long. You wouldn’t happen to have katon as well, would you?” Hoping that this new application of jutsu had piqued his interest it didn’t matter if he had the required element or not. If he could elicit any reaction other than what he’d seen it’d be taken as a win.

Trained:
- Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Walls (A-Rank) | 261 / 250 WC

Used:
- Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Walls | 20
- Water Release: Waterfall Basin Technique | 5

Chakra: 285 / 320

Spoiler:

The member 'Tōri' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

Just as effortlessly as before, Tōri continued to show off his incredible control over the landscape with both the lowering his original wall and the raising of yet three more to reach it.

“Ninjutsu isn’t just for combat, it has a great variety of uses. Even for relaxation.”

Natsuki wasn't immediately sure how a square would be useful for relaxation, but that didn't bother him. What struck him was how someone else seemed agreeable to Ninjutsu as something other than a weapon. It seemed that most shinobi were want to use it as a weapon. A slight smile began to form, though it was quickly dashed.

“This particular piece is something I’ve been working on. I’ve been trying to recreate natural hotsprings wherever there’s earth to utilize but I still can’t get the dang thing to heat up. I’ve tried a live fire underneath but that takes too long. You wouldn’t happen to have katon as well, would you?”

Natsuki winced at the mention of Katon.Oh boy, here we go again... Memories of training with his mother, and her insistence that he'd learn to use the element like most of their family could. "Uchiha are considered full-fledged clan members only after they are able to use fire style jutsu," she used to say. She was... Let's call it "traditional" that way.

Dejected, he leaned forward and crossed his arms on the chest-high wall and rested his chin thereon. "'Fraid I don't; I'm the screw up of the Uchiha clan, haven't you heard?"

At the mere mention of katon Natusiki’s face seemed to drop, even the hint of a smirk he swore he saw earlier was nowhere to be seen. The smile was barely noticeable but it was something, even though it was gone as soon as it had appeared it gave Tōri the feeling that he was moving in the right direction.

He knew it had become somewhat of a staple amongst the Uchiha to utilize the fiery element but it certainly didn’t seem like a cultural offense to lack such a thing. Realizing that this might be blown somewhat out of proportion came a tad too slow to Tōri, still having little experience interacting with many of the younger shinobi amongst their ranks. He wondered why the lad became a shinobi in the first place, though for many it was more than an expectation from family members. Being a part of a similarly prestigious clan he knew fully well the hardships such pressure can bring with it.

Unsure if any of this dejected outlook was brought upon by a past sensei or in his upbringing, Tōri was sure to have his work cut out for him with this one. As he leaned against the makeshift hotsprings the water within finally settled as its surface drew clearer and clearer images of their surroundings.

“That has yet to be seen. He would let those words that had been used to chide him earlier settle before continuing. "Elements are simply tools, proving nobody's worth. Whoever told you otherwise has a warped perspective of shinobi life.” Being unsure who might have said such a thing made the comment risky, really hoping it was some asshole sensei who had trained with him prior.

“That has yet to be seen. Natsuki scoffed slightly, rolling his eyes and hoping Tōri wouldn't notice. He's a screw up, he just needs to work harder, it just takes time. He's heard it all before.

"Elements are simply tools, proving nobody's worth. Whoever told you otherwise has a warped perspective of shinobi life.”

At this, the lost smirk returned. I wish I could say that to her... Still, the topic was one from which the boy was eager to move on. His mother and her shenanigans weren't exactly something he wanted to talk about. He had few skills, but deflection was one of them. "Hah." Natsuki chuckled, forcing it despite his amusement. "Damn right... But what are you doing wasting time with me?" He spoke quickly, hoping to switch gears. "Surely you've got better things to do..."

Ever on the defensive, this sort of self deprecation was a common ploy to get others to leave him alone; but there was something else at play. A thought... No, a hope... that Tōri would stick around.

Unsure how his final comment had gone, Tōri was at least happy to see a little more engagement out of Natsuki with a grin on his face. Something or someone had a hand in shaping his insecurities, though at the moment he seemed to be his own biggest hurdle that needed crossing before change could be made. Wanting to help guide this potential he looked to Natsuki, wanting to be as direct as possible with him.

“I don’t waste my time. And I didn’t come here for shurikenjutsu practice either.”

Walking from the tub of filled water that he was just now realizing he should clean up before leaving, Tōri inspected the branches around the targets. There were a few larger branches that had likely been sliced with some ridiculous fuma shuriken or wind technique and had cut through the rope of a target leaving it dangling out of view. Forming the snake seal he sent a trickle of chakra through the tree that grew a new branch from its torn appendage. The winding branch wrapped itself around the target to raise it back up before stiffening its movement and cutting the connection.

“Us senju sometimes volunteer to help out with things like this around the village. I like to check up on some of my plants too when I can.” Wiping his hand over the scar from where he’d had to regrow the tree a few months ago he inspected the trunk, glad it had taken well to the extension.

“I actually have a couple more things I said I’d help out with that require doton to fix up that would be a pain alone. How about you join me? It should go faster and I’ll treat you to a meal at your favorite food stand after.”

Used:
- Wood Release: Nativity of a Sea of Trees | 10 → 5 (Ninjutsu Mokuton)

Chakra: 280 / 320

“I don’t waste my time. And I didn’t come here for shurikenjutsu practice either.”

The sudden shift from banter piqued Natsuki's curiosity as well as calmed his nerves. So he doesn't see me as a waste of time? He allowed himself a bit of blush, not that he could help it, while this "Senju" stepped towards the trees. With nothing but a hand seal, suddenly the tree was repairing itself. No, that wouldn't explain the branch wrapping around and correcting the broken targets.

“Us senju sometimes volunteer to help out with things like this around the village. I like to check up on some of my plants too when I can.”

He was dumbfounded.

“I actually have a couple more things I said I’d help out with that require doton to fix up that would be a pain alone. How about you join me? It should go faster and I’ll treat you to a meal at your favorite food stand after.”

"What is this guy?" He couldn't help but ask aloud. ""Uh,I mean, he started, shaking off the awe. If this moment had happened with anyone else, without any of the pomp or circumstance, and without the mention of free food, he might have refused immediately. In this moment, however, he found himself saying "yeah, for sure!" The excitement could be heard rather plainly in his voice.

Glad to have really gotten through to him, Tōri motioned with his head to follow him towards another training area that was nearby down the path. Walking past the half-baked hot spring he let out a sigh, knowing he’d feel guilty if he didn’t at least try to clean up his mess. If he didn't, the dispatch he got these gigs from wouldn’t ever let him hear the end of it. That and he too would be pissed if someone left such an obnoxious obstruction in the middle of a path. With four quick seals he created a rising muddy mess that wobbly lifted the four doton walls and their aggressively spilling contents away and into the forest leaving behind a muddy trail in its wake before crashing into a tree. Thinking this to have gone far smoother he kind of panicked and messed up its trajectory, though in truth he wasn’t really sure where to put it. Wincing at the point of impact he refused to look at it and walked on in the direction he’d started in. A truly graceful display of doton mastery if there ever was one.

“Um, well… Yup.” Moving on he couldn’t help but mutter under his breath. “Yikes.”

Arriving at a cliffed area of the training grounds that had experienced a small landslide from a nasty storm Tōri saw that the situation had actually gotten even worse with more of the cliff having slid away. Beckoning Natsuki to his side he looked at the situation and wondered what he might think.

“Alright, this is going to take a little more than I’d thought, we’re gonna need to move some serious earth. Follow my movements, Natsuki.”

Hare. Snake. Boar. Tiger

Making the hand signs at a slowed pace to ensure Natsuki could see each one clearly he would nod for him to perform the same before continuing. “Once you’ve moulded your chakra the same as me, we'll slam our palms to the ground together and release our techniques at the same time. Once transferred to the earth your chakra can push and pull the earth to tremendous effect that allows you to raise and lower large platforms or pits. Or in our case a couple of brand new cliff sides.”

He’d nod to him and look expectantly for a response before going for a palm slam once he was ready. Chakra flooding the earth a large section of cliff would begin to rise and reform half of the training area. Hopefully there would be two cliff pieces fitting into place, he’d look to see Natsuki’s progress with the advanced technique

Learned:
- Earth Release: Earth Flow River (C-Rank) | 205 / 150 WC

Teaching/Learned:
- Earth Release: Moving Earth Core (B-Rank) | 230 / 200 WC

Used:
- Earth Release: Earth Flow River | 5
- Earth Release: Moving Earth Core | 10

Chakra: 265 / 320

Spoiler:

Natsuki watched in continued awe as Tōri continued to weave chakra like a professional; at least, until the muddy water and stone walls just sort of haphazardly slammed into the forest. The young Uchiha immediately stifled a snicker, but it was a welcome sight: Even one so well versed can screw up.

“Um, well… Yup.” Closing his eyes and nodding in understanding, Natsuki followed the jounin to a ruined portion of the grounds. Of course, such was the nature of Ninjutsu that such a mess could be an opportunity. He sounded a long whistle as he observed the landslide itself, this was certainly above his paygrade, but he was eager to see how Tōri would handle it.

“Alright, this is going to take a little more than I’d thought, we’re gonna need to move some serious earth. Follow my movements, Natsuki.”

"We? For this?" He asked reflexively. It was in his nature to not even attempt such a daunting task; his was to walk dogs and deliver mail, after all. "Erm... okay..." He watched intently. Where he had some sort of natural affinity for learning the easier earth release jutsu, this was something he dared not even dream of.

He watched and mimicked. Hare. Snake. Boar. Tiger... It seems like such a simple jutsu, but on this scale?

“Once you’ve moulded your chakra the same as me, we'll slam our palms to the ground together and release our techniques at the same time. Once transferred to the earth your chakra can push and pull the earth to tremendous effect that allows you to raise and lower large platforms or pits. Or in our case a couple of brand new cliff sides.”

Natsuki nodded, slamming his palms to the ground in unison with Tōri as he forced chakra through the earth. He felt the affected area without much difficulty and began to grow confident. "Alright," he started, opening his mouth and taking a deep breath in. "I think I've got it, now LIIIIIIIII-"

His breath was stifled as he struggled against the massive heft of the earth. It stuttered and rose mere inches at best as Tōri's reached for the sky with the effortlessness that he came to expect. But he wouldn't give up, not as his face went red from the strain. "-FFFFFFFF-" He continued, giving it more effort than he has probably anything in his life. Why was he seeking the approval of this new acquaintance? Why was this the thing at which he wanted to excel? Natsuki didn't know, but he felt something with this pillar of earth; he felt that it was an obstacle he could overcome, one that would have seemed impossible earlier this morning.

The pillar continued to rise, albeit slowly and unreliably, as Natsuki's frustrations and straining battled it out on the field of his chakra. "FFFFFFTYAH!" With one sudden gasp of air, he fell back on his ass as the pillar ripped upwards and settled neatly next to Tōri's. He sat there, looking with unbelieving eyes towards the new cliff-face that he helped build, breathing deeply with a level of effort he never before expended in a single go.

"Heh... Did- Was that- I... Still seated, the genin tilted his head to the sky and laughed. He just kept laughing; it was unbelievable, what he had done. He scarcely believed it was his work at all. Tears began to form, but not ones of sadness, and he continued to laugh in the dirt as they streamed down his face. He had never been this happy.

[Learned Jutsu]
Earth Release: Moving Earth Core - B rank (502/400 words) - 10 CP

CP: 40/50

It was heartening to see Natsuki follow through the motions with him so readily, assuring Tōri all the more that he’d made the right choice in having him tag along. Through considerable effort the lad was able to raise the platform up to the same level as his own side of the cliff, fitting in snuggly to complete the scenic training area’s restoration. Hands on his hips he took in the view, realizing he’d never exercised in this terrific little hidden gem in the massive training grounds and simply had to take advantage of it in the future.

“Man, look at that view.” He couldn’t help but take a real moment to enjoy it, after a few breaths he’d look to the excitement beaming from the lad’s smile. No attempt to hide this clearly displayed emotion this time, nor was the feeling fleeting.

Offering a hand to Natsuki he would help him to his feet if accepted. Looking out to the field he squinted his eyes as he surveyed their work. “I think we did a bang up job, wouldn’t you say?”

Not wanting to leave it rhetorical he would wait for a response before continuing. “Heck, I need to make it out here to practice doton jutsu sometime. Though I do think it’s missing a certain something.”

Forming the snake seal a dozen or so oak and birch trees would pop up around the cliff's edge, making some of the oaks quite plump with thick deep-reaching roots and grass around their base. Hoping that this new addition would help keep the cliff safe from landslides in the future he’d turn to his student and add, “There, now there’s some targets to practice on, as well as some nice shade for dozing off in. Anything else we should add?”

Used:
- Wood Release: Nativity of a Sea of Trees | 10 → 5 (Ninjutsu Mokuton)

Chakra: 260 / 320

“Man, look at that view.”

Natsuki took a deep breath, wiping away at the tears with his sleeve. The sight was almost surreal; it couldn't have actually been him that pulled that off, could it? He glanced towards the extended hand for a moment, grabbing it before his eyes fell back to the new cliff.

“I think we did a bang up job, wouldn’t you say?”

"Fuck yeah we did!"

“Heck, I need to make it out here to practice doton jutsu sometime. Though I do think it’s missing a certain something.”

The young Uchiha watched curiously as, with the same seal as before, Tōri manifested a number of trees that grew from nothing into aged beauties in a matter of moments. This was tremendously unlike what he had accomplished earlier with the shurikenjutsu target and, again, without breaking a sweat?! His jaw dropped. Man... Imagine not having to find the perfect lounging tree, but making one...

“There, now there’s some targets to practice on, as well as some nice shade for dozing off in. Natsuki nodded in agreement.

Anything else we should add?”

"Well, actually," he resisted the urge to trail off- asking for something, especially training- wasn't exactly within his comfort zone. He pushed through it, thinking back to that magnificent wall from earlier. "If you're offering, I wouldn't mind learning that big ol' wall from earlier..."