Kokunai jolted from sleep disturbing the water around him and in the process scaring away some fish. He was panting now and his heart was pounding, "What a nightmare" Kokunai said with a sigh trying to slow his heart rate and pounding. His mind had recreated the events the other day except things did not go nearly as smoothly as they had in real life.
In his dream Kokunai had lost control and broken free of the guard, he was eventually restrained but not before having almost Killed shikayumi. His mind couldn't get the final image of his dream out of his head. Him standing over her body looking down on it as his arms were soaked in her blood. Kokunai shook his head furiously hoping somehow expel what his mind had created.
"Relax child.... I do not wish to take your body, nor hurt whomever you think of" Matatabi said between a yawn being awoken by the turmoil inside Kokunai. "It would be far too much work to do so. I would prefer to just sleep..." Matatabi said once more allowing a yawn to escape before no longer speaking to Kokunai, he assumed she fell back to sleep.
Kokunai sighed a small smile crossing his face, "Thanks for the reassurance Matatabi, it really helps" Kokunai mused allowing a sigh of release to escape. [u["Hush child... let me sleep" Matatabi whispered before once again going silent.
Kokunai waded in the water sighing for a few moments knowing he should see Shikayumi, it would be a good way to get those images out of his head and even if she was scared of him showing her he had control would at least bring himself some closure on the whole event.
Kokunai nodded in agreement with his plan as he stopped suppressing his chakra. He in fact began to build it knowing that Shikayumi would be able to sense him as well as everyone else so anyone looking for him or even entering the forest would be able to sense him nearby. Kokunai chuckled realizing he hadn't put his clothes back on, it didn't really matter the water was quite murky from him swimming around so whoever came wouldn't be able to see anything beneath the surface.
Shikayumi pushed on in her book, reading about the actual process required to pulling poison from the body. It was tricky work making sure that one could extract the poison without allowing the remains to seep into other parts of the body. She thought diligently on how this could be accomplished and realized that it worked exactly like her fighting style. By using her right hand to strip the poison from the body, she could use her dominant left hand to maintain isolation. In the end it would require absolute focus.
Speaking of focus, Shikayumi was still drawn between herself, Kokunai, and her family. Was she to follow the beliefs of her clan, or follow her own path. As she finished up her book, Shikayumi collected her things and decided to go for a walk to clear her mind. To her surprise she stumbled across the very person she was looking for. "Kokunai!?" she said in an awkward surprise as she found her rival potentially naked. "Put some clothes on! Have you no decency!?" Shikayumi was a bit embarrassed as she diverted eye contact.
Kokunai turned seeing Shikayumi splashing the water a bit as he whirled. "Oh come now Shikayumi we both know you can't even see below my ribs." Kokunai said looking at her brushing his hair back as he did. Kokunai's hair always seemed to spike on it's own but those spikes were now soaked with water and would obscure his vision if he didn't readjust them. "I intentionally stood at this depth so nothing could be seen, you can't even see my stomach" He said looking down at the murky water nodding in agreement with himself. "Besides it is night time as well and last time I read your file night vision was not listed as a talent" Kokunai said with a playful smirk at the end of his comment. It was strange, he was expecting himself to be angry at Shikayumi for how she treated him but with her reaction and general disposition he just couldn't seem to surface those emotions even if he tried.
His mismatched eyes stared intently at her almost appearing luminescent in the moonlight. One shining like liquid gold and the other a deep green like a shimmering pool of jade. "Don't be such a child" Kokunai uttered slyly knowing the irony of his statement. Shikayumi probably wouldn't be able to tell their age difference apart with Kokunai's height and intelligence but from reading Shikayumi's file Kokunai saw he was in fact two years younger than her. Kokunai stood in the cool water so that it covered his shoulders so making only his neck and head visible. He figured that if most of his body was covered up Shikayumi would be more comfortable.
Shikayumi glanced out of the corner of her eye as Kokunai dipped lower into the water, but she still couldn't face him; especially after what she had done. "I- I just wanted to say...sorry." Shikayumi was horrible at apologies. Usually she avoids ever being wrong, and it was tough for her to find the right words. "I probably should have trusted you on...that day when we fought. Things just got out of hand, ya know?" Even though she tried to split the blame between them, it was a pretty good start to an apology.
She turned to face Kokunai as she sat down against a tree. "You know, my family isn't too fond of your friend?" referencing the two tailed beast. "Since that day they've been looking at me like I'm some kind of prodigy." Shikayumi stated with a grin on her face. She felt like it was a joke. "Binder of Beast they say. Heh, the attention is a real drag." She said as she fidgeted with a twig.
Kokunai sighed hearing her apology. "I didn't know it was inside of me either so I can understand your fear" Kokunai spoke softly his eyes looking deeply into her own being sure eye contact was made for what would be said next. "You barely knew me and it was obvious I did not know my own capabilities as well, how could I expect you to act any differently?" Kokunai asked earnestly as if looking for an actual answer from her.
Kokunai chuckled at her final remarks, "There are a lot of people who are not fond of me now. The uchiha seem to be nice enough, though I think they just are interested in my power" He said sighing once again knowing their kindness was a ruse. Kokunai began to laugh when she told him her new nickname. "Technically you couldn't bind me, remember?" Kokunai said his playful disposition returning. "Why put down this achievement? It was rather impressive that a genin could do something like that to the power inside me" Kokunai said reassuringly. Sure Shikayumi did make matters worse by restraining him but he could not deny that her ability was impressive.
He looked at her waiting playfully for a response.
Shikayumi looked back at him with her overly confident grin, "It's not like I couldn't restrain you, I just couldn't restrain "him" is all." She spoke as if was two verses one, and the tailed beast had carried all the weight. "...So what's it like to have to have a be- something inside of you? Does it hurt?" Shikayumi really never understood the concept of how a Jinchuriki worked, but it all seemed very interesting.
Kokunai laughed at her opening remark, "If it wasn't for HER, I wouldn't have gotten restrained in the first place" Kokunai said quietly but playfully. He put extra emphasis on the her letting Shikayumi know Matatabi was to Kokunai's knowledge a girl. During their spar Kokunai had intentionally over exerted himself and Matatabi's chakra had caught him off guard ruining his strategy but on the other hand she did save his life with her chakra.
Kokunai thought for a moment before responding to her second answer. His eyes gazed down at the lake as if he was searching for something beneath the murky surface. "It is what I'd imagine a mother to be like" Kokunai said in almost a whisper. He had never had any sort of family and this new feeling inside him seemed to fill a void that had clearly been within himself for as long as he could remember. "She is quite unorthodox I'll admit and perhaps even a bit intimidating, but then again I'm not very conventional myself so I think we fit well together" Kokunai spoke smiling softly as he finished his statement.
"Are you afraid of water?" Kokunai asked noting her desire to simply remain seated under the tree as opposed to swimming. "It is actually quite the pleasant temperature, I will even turn around for you to get in if you'd like" Kokunai said turning away so he was not facing Shikayumi. Kokunai was obviously taunting Shikayumi, he was once again testing her to see how she'd react. Kokunai knew the more he knew of her the better the two could perform together.
𝓗𝓪𝓻𝓾𝓴𝓸𝓚𝓾𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪 ♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫ Kurama ♬ The Idols ♬ Genjutsu
Haruko walked into the training grounds, taking in a moment to enjoy the rays of the sun on her skin, soaking in every ray of light and heat. She savored moments like this and this was no exception. She looked around, realizing she had beat her Sensei's clone to the training area and picked a nice shade to sit under. She let her mind wander and it drifted to music as it always had, and always would. It was this music that she used as her most potent weapon after all.
It didn't take long for the clone to come to the training grounds. Spotting after a brief surveillance of the training grounds, would catch sight of the musically inclined girl and approach her. Upon coming underneath the shade, Yumi smiled a bit as he squatted down, "So you are to be my student? Tell me, what made you wish to embark on the road of a shinobi?" Yumi asked in the same softened voice as the one that was utilized at the office. Questioning Haruko in wondering what was her purpose and reasoning for embarking in such a harsh road.
𝓗𝓪𝓻𝓾𝓴𝓸𝓚𝓾𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪 ♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫ Kurama ♬ The Idols ♬ Genjutsu
Haruko looked up at Yumi for a second and pondered the question for a second before coming up with an answer. "Well, my entire life I looked up to how strong all the other Shinobi in the village were. As someone who was only ever talented in the realm on Genjutsu, it was hard for me, but I wanted to show I could be just as strong as any of them." Had anyone else said those same words, they would have came across as a sob story, but somehow, Haruko could make it flow like a story. "What about you Sensei?" She asked, eyes full of wonder, waiting to her the Sannin's tale.
Yumi would listen intently. Genuinely interested in what pushed his students to put on the metal of a shinobi, and at times even pull up a blade to kill. It is, or rather can be, a very dark life. Haruko seemed to want to join it for strength. "Interesting. But do not doubt the power or might of Genjutsu. My father was a Genjutsu master. His illusions that were brought to the mind of the enemies, put many to fear him on the battlefield. Something of the things that he has passed down onto me, and that I shall pass onto you." Yumi said with a light smile before sitting back on the grass for comfort while he chatted with his student. When she inquired about his want to be a shinobi, Yumi tilted his head back to look up at the tree branches and their leaves that shaded them from the sunlight.
"I guess I did it because of my father. He was one of the past Hokage of this village. With him, I wished to serve the village faithfully. To be a shinobi, that does not betray the village for neither power, nor betray my friends. To be loyal to them. And with that power, I pushed through the ranks until I achieved the highest rank underneath the Kage." Yumi said as his hazel eyes fell back down upon Haruko, "Essentially, I wanted to just protect my friends. My family. And my home."
𝓗𝓪𝓻𝓾𝓴𝓸𝓚𝓾𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪 ♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫ Kurama ♬ The Idols ♬ Genjutsu
She looked up at him, eyes still wide, with questions yet unanswered yearning to be asked. "So, are there any other members of the squad or is it just us for right now?" She asked, genuinely curious about the state of her new squad. Though her Genjutsu was stronger then most, she didn't stand a chance without others at her side, and she knew it. Her thoughts also drifted to the Sannin's story. A pround lineage of ninja to say the least, and Haruko was determined to make her own mark in the ninja world one day, no matter what.
"I also have not been entirely honest with you. I focused on Genjutsu because of something I was born with. My Genjutsu are so powerful, many think they are real, and even harm themselves because of it. I wanted to put this gift to use for the village. I was also born into the Idols, hence my voice and affinity for music." Once again her voice seemed to flow like a melody, carrying her voice on the slight breeze that had begun blowing across the field to her Sensei.
Mundane: Yurei make no noise in their movements and release only a very faint scent, one which fades from the surfaces it touch in mere minutes. Their chakra signatures are hidden until the moment chakra is used. Most importantly, however, a Yurei’s actions are trained to be the pinnacle of mundane. A Yurei can be the only other person in the room but the other party will not notice. This unconscious lack of presence is almost always being active without any effort. The only times when this passive can’t be active is when the Yurei has somehow slipped up and created a cause to be noticed. Most notably, this will be during combat if the Yurei is not hidden, whenever the Yurei uses chakra for anything other than clan techniques, or when the Yurei attacks directly. ↬ Against ninja one rank lower than the Yurei: In this situation, a Yurei is seen as an unimportant bystander, even more unimportant than a normal bystander. It is very easy for the eyes to slide carelessly over the Yurei. In fact, that is exactly what happens unless the viewer happens to be on alert. At most, only suspicions that an innocent stranger would arouse are directed to the phantom. When a phantom is hiding, there are no signs to give away the phantom's presence. ↬ Against ninja of the same rank as the Yurei: In this situation, a Yurei is noticed. However, the Yurei is taken to be a normal bystander, of little consequence in most cases. When a Yurei is hiding, there are no signs to give away the Yurei’s presence. ↬ Against ninja one rank higher than the Yurei: In this situation, a Yurei is noticed and taken to be a very weak threat. The Yurei’s abilities are gauged to be two or more ranks lower than their actual abilities. When a Yurei is hiding, there might be slight signs to give away the Yurei’s presence, but only if the Yurei moves. ↬ Against ninja two ranks higher than the Yurei: In this situation, the opposing ninja sees the Yurei for exactly what they are. Forgettable: It’s hard to remember a Yurei. Almost impossible, in fact.
〖 No response. Oh well. Kageko merely turned away and continued on her unnoticed way, noticing as she moved on that one of Konoha's S-ranked shinobi had entered the training grounds. She made a conscious effort to give him a wide berth, not in the mood to have yet another person react to her presence. Then again, Kageko never was in the mood to be noticed.
When she found a nice, clear area, Kageko stopped and readied herself for training. The spot she had chosen wasn't secluded in any way. If Kageko did anything to break the mundaneness that kept her hidden, she would be noticed immediately. However, that was all just part of her training, or at least it was for the first part.
Misdirection D The first order of business in Kageko's opinion was to create an back-up plan for when she fails to misdirect the enemy's attention. She picked up a rock from the ground and focused her chakra into it. Immediately, the usage of chakra alerted the shinobi around her to her presence. Most didn't bother paying any attention to her even then as they were too busy training. The nosier ones, though, turned to look at where the presence, weak as it was, suddenly came from. All their eyes would bother to see after a glimpse of Kageko was a rock being tossed into the air and then falling onto the ground. The Yurei that had attracted their attention would disappear from their minds with the distraction as quickly as she had appeared. [1/1]
Bakemono D In pale Kageko's place, there would be a rather normal-looking girl: brown-haired, brown-eyed, and freckled. Rather boring to look at, the few that had been curious about the sudden presence soon lost all interest and returned to their training. Once Kageko felt all eyes leave her, she ended the henge and returned to her usual appearance, sighing in relief silently in her mind. She wasn't sure if the trick would work without disappearing behind anything, but it evidently did. Although, she was certain it only worked this time because everyone else was busy with something. [1/1] 】
『Combat Systems』 Chakra: 130/130 Speed: 4 → 5 if >1 post out of Mundane and in combat Strength: 3 → 4 if >1 post out of Mundane and in combat Perception: +1 Mundane: Active
☯Ⓚ𝔞𝔤𝔢ʞ𝔬Ⓨ𝔲𝔯𝔢𝔦☯ ▣ Female ■ 11 years ■ 4’ 5” ■ 98 lbs. ■ Useless Chatting ■ The Angels Among Demons ▣ ✖There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖ There are two sides to every coin, sometimes more. I’ll be here watching and remembering them all. ✖
『Techniques』
Misdirection:D This is an alternative to the passive ability of the same name that uses chakra to seal the deal. A small bit of chakra is applied to the distraction to create any number of attention-drawing effects, such as a vision-obscuring glow of light on a projectile headed for a face or a attention-grabbing sparkle on an important object being tossed into the air. This Misdirection shares the same cooldown as the passive, but it can be successfully used on those of higher rank than the user. Bakemono:D Bakemono modified version of the Henge no Jutsu that, like all other clan techniques, does not require handsigns. The user, as usual, vanishes from sight with the help of blind spots and reappears transformed into whatever disguise they choose. Because chakra isn’t used to help positioning but rather used to active the Henge technique, this technique is best used in crowded places, where it’s very easy to lose the focus of an alert enemy. However, under the right circumstances, it is possible to pull off the trick without any intruders. Keep in mind, Bakemono doesn’t ensure a disappearance but rather requires it.
As he spoke with his student there was a girl within the training grounds that... brought about a deja vu moment. Almost as if he's seen her before in some other lifetime. Yumi was quite consciously aware of the impossibility of this but still... it was an odd feeling for sure that he's seen that girl before. Slowly shaking it off Yumi returned his focus back to Haruko when she questioned about the numbers of their squad. He stifled his chuckle with her many questions and eyes full of wonder. It reminded him quite a bit about his "brother's" children and how they had similar looks when bringing about a series of questions. "For now, I believe that it is just you and me." Yumi said with a nod. "Which means, I can focus solely upon you and your skills."
Yumi then canted his head when the full truth of who Haruko's lineage came out. When she described herself then, Yumi recognized her lineage but only indirectly. "That clan reminds me of my brother's clan. He learned Hijutsu from a clan, that had powerful Genjutsu. It made him nearly as powerful if not as much, as my father in terms of the illusionary art." He said trying to relate, but he was still learning about the plethora of clans, bloodlines, and their mixtures. These days, due to so many mixing blood, it was almost an impossible task to learn them all. "Interesting combination of powers Haruko. It will be a pleasure to have you within my squad furthermore." Yumi said with a soft smile.
𝓗𝓪𝓻𝓾𝓴𝓸𝓚𝓾𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪 ♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫♩♪♫ Kurama ♬ The Idols ♬ Genjutsu
Haruko leaned her head back for a second and rested it on the tree. Listening to the Sannin's words made her realize just how much she still had to learn. She knew Genjutsu could be a powerful tool, but never fully thought about just how far it could be taken, and to what extremes it could be used.
The sun felt good on her skin, breaking through the leaves of the tree. She looked around to see who else was roaming the field, wondering if any of them would one day join her squad. She was surprised to say the least that she was the only one in the squad. She would have thought that people would have been lining up to be taught by one of the legendary shinobi of the leaf. But for now, it was just the two of them. A smile appeared on her face for a brief instant, at least I will be able to get in some one on one training for a while.. "So, what do we do first then?" She asked, genuinely curious as to what was coming next.
