Orientation. (D-rank mission.)

Mission details:

In a rare change of attire, Yamamoto stood at the gates of the wearing not a Kimono as she would at home or a scruffy pair of jeans and shirt but instead, a smartly pressed shirt matched with a pair of freshly washed and ironed trousers, namely the stylish black ones you would typically find worn with a suit. Yamamoto was feeling understandably uncomfortable with the affair. She was here and her sword was at home, the result of the school’s faculty refusing to allow her to bring it. That was something which she was never going to be happy about and it showed on her face.

Yamamoto’s features were pale and while she was still smiling, albeit in a neutral and reserved fashion as was the norm for her, it was clear she was not as comfortable as she wished to be. The stiffness of her posture, the taut nature of her smile and just the general unsatisfied look to her eye made this all clear. However, despite how unhappy she was to be here without her weapon Yamamoto had still signed up to this mission and she was not one to simply abandon the mission.

But what was this mission? What was the goal? The objective? Simple really: As an ex-student Yamamoto’s presence had been requested, and paid for as was the norm, to provide her experience of the school to concerned parents and students, all to ensure an upturn in the number of new students. It was a logical goal really and one that made plenty of sense, not that it made the swordsman any happier about being away from the only thing she could really trust anymore.

Marcus squinted his eyes at the piece of paper in his hand detailing the mission he had today. Then he pulled the paper closer, rereading it for the fourth time within a minute. "Orientation? The fuck? I don't know how to talk to groups of people," he muttered to himself, baffled at the mission he had been given. What did one even wear to something like an orientation? A suit? A formal kimono? Marcus owned neither one of those things! Cursing silently to himself he would crumple the order up and toss it onto his futon before heading to his closet. The hinges creaked with the strain from how roughly he pulled the doors open, a scowl beginning to make itself near permanent on his face.

He tossed articles of worn clothing, good training clothing, old clothes that didn't fit him anymore, and basically ninety percent of his entire wardrobe, onto the floor as he searched for what he could wear to an event like this. It took him an agonizingly long fifteen minutes, but he had finally settled for something. His nicest pair of night black trousers tucked into the only pair of boots he owned. They were a pair of worn leather boots that had the appearance of being well taken care of. They had character but still looked somewhat decent. For shirts though... he really didn't have too much. He settled on a decent looking red vest so deep in color it was almost burgundy in color tha the buttoned almost to the top. He left the top couple buttons undone however. After all, people like him got hot very easily.

Marcus slicked his hair back with his fingers into one of his favorite hairstyles, the one in his avatar. With an exasperated sigh he would leave his weapons behind for this particular mission. Most of what he knew was taijutsu related anyways, so it wasn't too big of a loss for him. His steps were quick as he headed towards the predetermined meeting location.

That had been the other part of the order that surprised him; he was on a mission with that Akahana woman. Had someone from the village seen their interactions? Perhaps the Queen herself had interfered with things? After all, she had watched Marcus's performance that day at the training grounds. Thoughts such as that clouded his mind as he hurried to where Akahana-san should have been waiting for him. As usual, his sensory abilities were on and scanning everyone that passed him. Marcus had actually grown in that capacity since the last time Akahana and he had gotten together. He had virtually doubled his range and had sharpened his senses overall as well. Mostly in response to how quickly she had moved that one day at her house. Marcus didn't want to get caught off guard like that again because it meant death on a real mission.

He arrived at Akahana's location a few minutes later, following her chakra signature the last fifty meters. Once he saw her, Marcus would let a smile pop onto his face. Not a huge one, just one that was glad for the chance to talk to her again. He got the feeling she was pretending to be something when he was around her. The volatile mood swings and apathy towards life in general gave him a few questions, but he wanted more than a couple interactions with her before making any kind of real judgement.

His arm also rose into the air to wave as he called out a greeting. "Yo Yamamoto-san! You look pretty good today," he greeted cheerfully. "Ready to talk to some overprotective parents today?" Marcus pulled up to a stop as he asked his question a little less than a meter away from Yamamoto. Just out of arms reach but close enough they didn't have to raise their voices to talk.



Using:

Sensing

“Oh? Hello Marcus-san. Are you here to see the facilities?” As far as Yamamoto was aware, there was not to be anyone accompanying her for this mission and so, that meant Marcus could only be herein the capacity of an interested party. The swordsman turned to face Marcus, tilting her head sideways as he gave her reason to doubt her initial assumption that he was simply here as a visitor. If he was not a visitor then there was simply only one logical conclusion.

“Hmmm...you must be here to assist with this mission no?” There was no other explanation. Marcus’s presence, how he asked if Yamamoto was ready to talk to parents and even, to a certain extent, his attire. The swordsman’s eyes, emotionless and analytical, scanned his appearance and choice of clothing. It was far from what Yamamoto would have chosen but she did have the advantage of her parent’s left behind wardrobe.

“Hmmm...let us make our way inside. I do believe the faculty had specific ideas in mind for us.” Without saying anything else, she turned on her heels and walked inside the school, making her way directly towards the faculty office and fully intending for Marcus to follow after her.

When they reached the faculty office Yamamoto would simply walk through the open door, as confident as a peacock before casting her gaze over the room. The majority of the staff disregarded her and Marcus, ignoring them however one of the teachers did not. The male teacher, hair dark and well groomed, rose from their chair and approached the duo. With a neutral smile decorating their features, they would begin to talk.

“Are you the shinobi we called for assistance? If so, I would like you to head to the main hall and assist the different stalls we have set up while answering any questions from the parents and just...generally helping out.” It was a rather easy set of instructions and should not cause any issues in the long run, at least not unless the unexpected happened.

“Understood. Let us go Marcus-san.” Unless there were any reasons to stop and wait, Yamamoto would lead the way to the main hall. It was fortunate she still remembered her way around from her student days.

Marcus faltered a step.

Catching himself before looking like too much of an idiot, he would stare oddly at Akahana for a couple seconds after she asked about his purpose. Look at the facilities? There's no way she was so oblivious as to think she wouldn't have a partner for this. Right? Come to think of it, he honestly wasn't quite sure whether or not he could even guess Akahana's intentions. She was still a mystery to him, one that he planned on figuring out by any reasonable means. Clearing his throat after she had asked if he was her partner, he would nod irritably to indicate he was.

"Not even a little excited to see me? There's no way your orders didn't tell you whether you had a partner or not," he said, sounding as irritated as he felt once she turned on her heels to walk into the building. This woman was odd, but Marcus would be damned if he didn't think she did part of this on purpose to be rebellious or annoying. He couldn't quite decide on which adjective he preferred, both of them just sounded... right. "'Are you here to see the facilities'" he quoted, mumbling the words slightly though Akahana could probably still hear him quietly with their proximity. The tone of irritation in his voice had all but disappeared, replaced instead with a scoff. He kept his eyes on the back of Akahana's head the entire walk to where the one guy was waiting for them. Marcus was trying to figure out her angle and it just wasn't working very well for him.

Marcus would nod in affirmation to the man's question and followed Akahana towards the main hall. He briefly remembered his time at this place. Truth be told he hadn't been there that long. He had learned almost everything the academy taught from either his father or his mentor. The only outstanding thing in his education had been genjutsu as Marcus had been practicing ninjutsu and taijutsu since he had been a child. Not many friends were to be had here either what with him having been five or six years older than most of the kids in the academy. It was not a time he really cared about, the only bright spot being his promotion to genin once the farce of an education was over with.

"Any ideas as to what this is going to entail?" He was serious with the question, even slightly unnerved. The prospect of speaking to a group of people wasn't one that particularly excited him if he was to be honest with himself. This was a first for him. Sure, he could give orders in the heat of a battle, but an extended conversation with a crowd where your words needed to be carefully chosen? Yeah, not exactly his cup of tea.





Using:


Sensing

When questioned about whether she was excited to see Marcus or not Yamamoto remained silent, pretending to not have heard it over the chatter. The truth of the matter was that yes, she had it and that no, she was not excited to see him. However that did not mean she was unhappy to see him. The swordsman’s opinion on Marcus being here was one of pure neutrality. She had no real issue with his presence and was sure that he would be of use on this mission, even one as easy as this. Sadly, that opinion was a little damaged by Marcus' immature and irritated quoting of herself.

“I am not entirely sure what to expect. Nothing dangerous I would fathom. I feel we may simply need to answer parent’s questions and show them around.” The main hall of the academy was a hubbub of activity, with numerous tables set up to provide refreshments, snacks and to serve as small stalls on the academy’s different departments. When the duo ended they would be approached by a woman close to their age, wearing a blue shirt sporting the academy’s logo and name.

“Can you please put these on for me? It will help let the parents know you’re here to help. After which, there’s a group of parents by the table over there who wanted to ask some former students a few questions.” She handed the two the loose fitting and thin shirts before gesturing subtly towards a table devoted to sports programs offered by the school. It may have seemed strange for a ninja academy to bother with some sports programmed but they had been implemented to help motivate the students into adopting a level of physical fitness demanded by the Shinobi lifestyle.

Yamamoto slipped the shirt on over her current attire, the white shirt hidden under the deep blue before walking towards the group of chatting parents, their children fidgeting nervously at their sides.

“Hello? I was informed you wished to speak to some former students? Can we answer your questions?” Yamamoto’s expression was the pinnacle of politeness, a neutral and reserved smile that was neither too friendly nor not friendly enough.[/color]

So Akahana-san was just as clueless as he was as to what this was supposed to accomplish. People either wanted to send their kids to the academy or they didn't, right? Marcus didn't really know. His father had been too busy being who he was to enroll Marcus in the academy in his homeland and had gone through Kumogakure's academy relatively quickly and without parental approval. Marcus has just shown up one day, enrolled, and here he was.

When he was handed a shirt by one of the people running this shindig Marcus would eye it suspiciously for a few moments. Akahana didn't care, slipping the shirt on smoothly. He made sure to follow her as he debated putting the shirt on or not. It took until Akahana had stopped and begun to speak to the first people that he chose to reluctantly put the shirt on over his vest. That was his best piece of clothing, after all, so why should he have to cover it up? Shit is whack, yo.

One woman brazenly stepped forwards as soon as Akahana had finished speaking, a nervous looking boy around the age of seven clinging to her skirts. "Do they teach you guys anything other than how to kill people?!" Marcus blinked at her tone which was openly hostile. Her chakra was volatile as well to indicate that she was, indeed, one angry lady. There was a man standing near her but obviously he had been spurned recently over them even being here.

He sighed, scratching his chin in thought before answering honestly. "I couldn't really tell ya, honestly. I graduated too quickly to delve into more than the basic courses. I knew how to read and do math before I got there, too. All I really did was get a certification from them that I already knew most of what they wanted to teach me for being a shinobi so I passed easy peasy." He paused here, seeing the man's face get even more dejected as the woman's face got even more red than it had before. Thinking on his feet, Marcus would continue. "Oh, uh, but I'm sure that there are other courses available. I, uh, I'm not sure why a ninja academy wouldn't want their students to know how to read, write, and do math."

Thinking that was a fantastic way to save the conversation, he would pat Akahana on the shoulder a couple times and give an uneasy laugh. "What about you Yamamoto-san? Did they teach you anything else in the academy?" He was really hoping they had because this woman was staring murder at the two of them and the man looked like he was trying to find a way to leave that wouldn't immediately alert his wife. He... probably wasn't going to find one.




Using:


Sensing, .5 upkeep

Surprisingly, one of the mothers was angry. She yelled and shouted, barking questions at Yamamoto and Marcus, demanding answers. She seemed hostile and undoubtedly unhappy about this school’s curriculum. Yamamoto did not miss a beat, allowing the woman to finish her tirade, during which the swordsman had cast a brief glance down at the small child cowering behind his mother. She was curious why the mother seemed so angered about a ninja school’s focus on the necessary arts of being a ninja.

The moment Marcus extended his hand to pat Yamamoto on the shoulder she would pull her arm back, a faint scowl flashing briefly over her features for she wished not to be touched. Physical contact was something the swordsman was unfamiliar with and as such she preferred to avoid it. It was an odd sensation feeling the touch of another and as such, it was one she very much wished to avoid.

“I can assure you the school does educate its students on a wide variety of topics. How to read and write, basic mathematics, a variety of jutsu disciplines, tracking skills, basic chakra theory, information gathering and a variety of physical sports.” Yamamoto wondered why this parent was even here if she was so angry with the very idea of what the ninja academy taught. This place existed to train and start the next generation of ninjas on their path. If one did not wish to walk that path then do not take the first step.

However, this answer was not enough for the mother whose expression only twisted further, enraged spittle hissing out from between her lips.

“So you teach our children useless skills that will get them killed? Ugh. We’re leaving.” Just like she stormed off, pulling her insecure child along as the obviously embarrassed husband walked alongside his family. Yamamoto could only blink in surprise, watching as the family walked away. It was rather surprising for a woman seemingly so opposed to the very idea of their child studying at the academy to even show up in the first place.

Akahana flinched away from Marcus's light pat on the shoulder which caused him to hesitate a moment before returning his hand back to his side. Not even a shoulder pat? She was more than willing to threaten him and fight him, but couldn't stand a simple touch to the shoulder? Well, he was determined to find a way to make that work. This woman was going to learn that it was okay to be a normal-ish person once in awhile!

If only that once in awhile were now. Akahana's answer to the mother seemingly didn't help the situation very much as she only retorted with more bad words about the academy and mentioning leaving. Marcus coughed as she went to go, prompting the woman to stop and give him a dirty look. He sighed before deciding to continue on with this... discussion? Argument? He wasn't quite sure what it was, really. And that's why he hated trying to talk to groups of people. He supposed that speaking to angry parents should probably find its place on that list somewhere, too, because he was genuinely not liking this experience one bit.

"Look, being a shinobi is going to carry some risks, that's a given. But every job has its risks. If he becomes a shinobi, he'll have most of his medical expenses taken care of by the village and he'll have a retirement plan that begins the moment he becomes a genin. That isn't even mentioning that a shinobi is one of the better paying jobs in the village or that he'll be able to defend himself and his family without fear if someone decides to do something." He paused here to see if his words were sinking in at all.

The mother was still glaring at him though, red hot fury embedded deep within those smoldering spheres of hers. Mr. Superdad had begun to approach the mother and the child before Marcus had started speaking and he had his arm wrapped around her shoulders by the time Marcus had paused. "Everyone's good at something, and everyone needs to be able to make choices in life. You son will get an education here that's just as good if not better than anywhere else, so if being a shinobi isn't something he wants to do after the courses then he can still pick another path. Not every graduate becomes someone who goes to kill people on the front lines."

She glanced down at her kid who had stepped out from behind her to stare at Akahana and Marcus, the first two people he had probably ever seen stand up to the woman if Marcus had to guess. He was still shy, but Marcus could sense that he had a little more chakra than most regular people did. Truth was, he might actually be able to become a shinobi if he entered. That much he kept quiet for now though, no need to stoke her fears by saying he would be a good killing machine. Her husband squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Come on Aoi, we've got to go," he said with a depressed sigh. The woman followed him, dragging the child behind her as they walked towards the exit. Marcus turned to watch them go, a little miffed about the whole having to talk to groups of people thing going as well as he expected it to. To his surprise though, the woman stopped by a table that had been set up for information as well as potentially signing a child up for the academy.


Using:


Sensory

“I wonder why she wished to ask us questions if she had already decided on an answer Marcus-san.” People were strange. That was the lesson this series of events had reinforced. She waved goodbye to the young boy as he took one final look back towards Marcus and Yamamoto, features wracked by shyness and insecurity but with a small element of surprise as well.

“Was there anyone else who wished to ask anything?” Yamamoto’s interest in the family faded as they walked away. A small part of her did wonder if the husband and child were happy with the wife and mother but surely they must be? In truth, the swordsman did not care that much. She had been asked to speak to them and that she had done. Regardless of whether they were satisfied with the answers given or not was ultimately of very little concern to Yamamoto.

What was not of no interest to her were the remaining parents, a group of two chatting mothers whose conversation had been put on hold due to Aoi’s raised voice and anger. It was unsurprising that Aoi’s anger fuelled complaints had quieted down the other parents nearby but now that she was gone, a soft smiling woman with her dark hair tied up into a ponytail stepped forward.

“I apologise for Aoi’s behaviour. She is one of my neighbours and is adamantly against the very idea of her son being a student here. But enough about her. I want to know if students wish to specialise in certain areas, such as Genjutsu or Taijutsu, is that something the academy can assist with?” Yamamoto’s yellow eyes turned to focus on this second woman, noticing how she was seemingly far more polite than that last lady.

“Yes and no. The purpose of the ninja academy is to teach students a wide variety of beginner skills in all areas, which they can build on and develop into any skill set they wish in the future. However, I can promise that among the faculty there are those who have specialised in specific skills. In the unlikely chance the instructors are not good enough, there is always the option of finding a specialist outside of the academy.” Yamamoto’s expression was unchanging, a soft smile unnerving in how very neutral it was.

"Because people are fucking weird," Marcus stated plainly but a bit hushed so as to not let anyone overhear in response to Akahana's statement of curiosity about the woman's motives. He eyed her briefly, unsure if her curiosity was real or feigned. The way she acted on the couple previous occasions hadn't given him a very good idea of her yet, but hopefully this mission would give him a bit of insight. Akahana asked if anyone else had any questions to ask with two women in particular catching his attention. They were eyeing them and they did come over to ask some questions.

Thankfully Akahana would take the lead for what the next woman voiced a concern over, that of specialization while in the academy. Marcus knew of a few such cases where someone extraordinarily talented in one field such as taijutsu or ninjutsu were given some leniency. The student in question has to be particularly talented in one or the other however, with the academy generally desiring a proficiency in at least two of the three fields before graduation. There were degrees of moderation with their decisions based on certain factors, but they did try to teach everyone equally when they could.

Marcus would nod in agreement with Akahana's statements and decided to add his own opinion on top of her own. "There are a few rare occasions where someone who is -excessively- talented in one area or another is allowed to be deficient in one or, if their talent is truly impressive, two of the three basic arts is allowed to graduate." He had made sure to really emphasize his point when speaking to her though without being rude. To say there's a possibility of specialization is different from a guarantee but some people didn't hear what was said but what they wanted you to say. "And when I say impressive, I mean generally one member of a graduating class per year is slightly above average. But if you show incredible talent, generally one or more of the shinobi instructors will find the time to teach you more than they normally would in that particular area."

The woman nodded slowly before thanking the two of them and turning to her companion who also wished to ask them something. She was a bit shy, dry washing her hands slowly at her waist as she approached to ask. This woman was definitely the most timid of the group from what he could see and sense.

"Um... D-do children ever, uh... do they ever die while at the academy?" Her question caught Marcus off guard, the genin slightly cocking his head as he thought about what she asked. Had anyone ever died? Wait, HAD any students died? He hadn't really been in Kumogakure long enough to know if there was a precedent for that here and honestly didn't know the answer. Kirigakure was rumored to do some wacky stuff to their genin which is probably where this woman got her concerns. Even the slightest possibility of harm made mothers nervous where their children were concerned. Marcus looked to Akahana, a look comprised of an even mixture of cluelessness and pleading as he hoped she would be able to answer this better than he could.


Using:


Sensing

‘Because people are fucking weird.’ Yamamoto recited back to herself inside her head, pondering the meaning of it before deciding that she simply could not agree. What did it even mean to be weird to start with? How did you define it? And what even made a person a people? It was all so very undefined and so she simply disregarded it, cutting away another thing she considered useless.

Yamamoto remained silent as Marcus continued on from her own explanation, expanding upon it and offering yet more information that would hopefully satisfy the mother’s question. The parent in question did seem rather happy with that answer, as she simply nodded with confidence and satisfaction. The parent was not under the delusion that her son was an amazing and perfect ninja, bristling with all the potential in the world and required a specialist teacher. What she did believe was that if her son so wished to specialise, he should be given the opportunity to do so.

However, that was when the remaining parent stepped forth, visibly nervous and seeming more than a little insecure. Yamamoto could not fathom why. She was only here to talk to people correct? Was that not an ordinary thing people did everyday as part of their natural lives? Yamamoto tilted her head sideways towards the insecure woman, the unchanging smile remaining as potent as it ever had been regardless of how contradictory it was to her feelings.

“Hm...the school always has a medical ninja in station to provide healing and medical assistance in case of emergencies but as far as actual deaths are concerned? Nobody died during my brief tenure here and they do use blunted weapons to reduce the risk of injury.” Hopefully that answer was enough to lay her concerns to rest. Yamamoto was still confused why the mother seemed so concerned? She could not grasp the understanding behind it.

Akahana's answer was fairly concise and that was what Marcus had begun to expect from her. He hadn't yet had a single interaction with her where she did not speak and act in one of two ways; calm and pragmatic or excited and... bloodthirsty? Was that the right word for it? She hadn't tried to kill him or anything but he had sensed a few changes in her chakra with the swaps and that usually indicated some kind of psychological shift with the person you're sensing. Even emotional changes could elicit changes in a chakra signature, so complete shifts in personality definitely left a mark as well.

"About the only way you could possibly die here is in a freak accident or if you try to push yourself too hard. Like, really, really hard. So hard I haven't heard of it happening yet, and we've had some, uh... enthusiastic... people come through," he added. It wasn't so much an indication of the academy's ability to prevent harm or death as it was an attempt to shift any potential hazard from the academy to the student in the event of something like that. The standards were very strict, so personal mistakes are probably what would cause any sort of injury to a student there.

The woman bowed her head gracefully in gratitude to their questions. "That's good to hear," she said with genuine relief in her voice and displayed on her features, "It makes me feel much better about this whole thing. Yuko really wants to learn how to be a shinobi, but he's such a bull-headed child that I worry for him in a place like the academy."

Marcus blinked at the new torrent of words from the woman. She had been timid and still was, just not to the same degree. The answer she had gotten was apparently better than what she had been expecting or was what she wanted to hear but couldn't admit to herself. A light blush colored her cheeks but her eyes shone with the beginnings of joy.

"Thank you both, please have a good day," she said, bowing in thanks before taking off to another part of the room to chat it up with the other potential academy student parents. He looked to Akahana with an unsure grin on his face, not quite believing that to be the positive experience he was thinking it was for some reason he couldn't quite put a finger on.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," he commented with a light tone. "Where to next, do you think?"



Using:


Sensory

Yamamoto remained silent, a quiet vigil being adopted as Marcus exchanged words with the timid housewife.Yamamoto felt little reason to interject in the conversation, only watching and listening with that unnaturally consistent smile on her face. She was unsure what specifically it was that had laid the house wife’s concerns to rest but they were seemingly laid to rest nonetheless. Yamamoto waved softly, a gentle motion, wishing the wife well as she retreated away to converse with the other parents present.

“A reasonable question to ask Marcus-san but one I do not have an answer for. We were asked to speak to the parents but as we have done so….” She then went silent, pondering the matter at hand. Just what exactly were they meant to do now? Yamamoto looked over the hall, eyes scanning over the other families chatting among themselves and with the faculty.

“Perhaps we should simply wait? Or maybe..hmmm…” There was always the possibility of asking for additional tasks but Yamamoto felt as if that was the exact opposite of what she was expected to do. There were a few moments of silence, the Kunoichi grasping her chin before speaking up. She knew exactly what it was they were expected to do.

“I dare say we should simply remain on station no?” If that was accepted then Yamamoto would simply spend the rest of the day helping whoever came forth. Faculty members, other visitors, prospective students, non-teaching staff. It turned out to be a lot less busy than one may have expected and as the day turned to afternoon and the amount of parents grew less and less, a member of the faculty approached Yamamoto and Marcus.

“Yamamoto and Marcus was it? Thank you for your help today. Is there anything you wanted to tell us or was everything okay?” The female teacher smiled, her long auburn hair framing sun kissed skin and blue eyes.

"We're fine," Marcus replied to the teacher. The two of them would then help a few more people before heading towards the exit. The first woman had signed her son up and he was smiling like an absolute idiot. A good sign, the world needed more idiots. Marcus and Akahana then left the building where Marcus promptly tore the shirt they had given him off over his head and readjusted what he had initially worn to the event. "Well, it was good to see you again Akahana. Take care," he said. She replied similarly and the two went their separate ways.



exit thread