Leaf in the Bluster

The lesson seemed to be taken more than well by Natuski, he was positively brimming and even asking about the earthen wall he had used earlier. Grinning at the eagerness displayed he nodded, it was a classic doton technique that had protected Tōri many times and would serve any adept earth user well in their arsenal.

“Oh, yeah? Sure, that’s a solid choice. A reliable defense, unless you're finding yourself against a raiton user. There’s a target practice area nearby that’s always in need of repairs, it’s not on the list but would benefit from our practice.”

Walking over to an area that had many targets lined against a wall it became quickly apparent that someone had been practicing ninjutsu at the destroyed backwall. Forming four hand seals he didn’t wait for Natsuki to follow, though in truth the speed at which he could form seals was perfectly average and could be kept up with no issue. He almost thought he'd be able to make it a difficult task but quickly realized the folly in that thinking, he'd need to work on that front to see any noticeable difference.

“It’s a simple technique, but requires a proper chakra manipulation to form the layers of dense stone. Now slamming the palms to the ground with this one thankfully.”

With that he would release the technique as a wall would rise from the rubble of one of the torn down sections to replace it.


Trained:
- Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall (B-Rank) | 242 / 200

Used:
- Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall | 10

Chakra: 250 / 320

”Techniques”:

“Oh, yeah? Sure, that’s a solid choice. A reliable defense, unless you're finding yourself against a raiton user. There’s a target practice area nearby that’s always in need of repairs, it’s not on the list but would benefit from our practice.”

Against a raiton user? The thought hadn't really crossed his mind, that Tōri might expect Natsuki to use these in combat... Against an enemy shinobi, at that. "Mhm, mhm," he mumbled, trying to move past it.

He followed the jounin to another spot that needed fixing. How many of these "Senju" kept this place up when all it takes is one errant jutsu to ruin a place? It was a question for another time, perhaps. Now was the time to improve his prowess with simple earthen walls.

“It’s a simple technique, but requires a proper chakra manipulation to form the layers of dense stone. No slamming the palms to the ground with this one thankfully.” Replicating the hand seals was a simple matter, though the lack of placing one's palms to the ground was of particular note.

"It feels very similar to the jutsu we just used, but so much smaller. This should be a piece of ca-" Once again, his breath evaded him as the first bit of stone began to rise form the earth. Natsuki had grown a little overconfident with the previous jutsu, but he was humbled once more. It's so much smaller, but this stone... As his chakra melded with the earth and attempted to lift the stone, it felt so much heavier. With each inch that he managed to condense and lift, the next became that much heavier. He persisted, though, pushing through it and gritting his teeth. The first attempt is the hardest, it was known.

With a final push, he hoisted the wall up and into position with an emphatic "KYEAH, haah, haaah," his panting was overwhelming by this point. Just these two techniques and he was already so spent. "It's a, haah, haah, piece of, haaah, cake..."

He wavered in his standing and fell, light headed, to his ass once more. "How, haah, do you, haah, manage?" The fact that Tōri hadn't even broken a sweat, let alone winded himself, was something of a marvel to the young Uchiha. They were basically moving mountains and it was just another morning for this guy. It was almost inhuman...

"Please, do not take this the, haah, wrong way... But are you, like, some kind of freak?" Immediately, he regretted the way he asked. Stupid, stupid; what a stupid thing to fucking say... He could feel his face flush a warm red from embarrassment, but Natsuki hoped that the the exertion might cover that. "Err, no, what I meant was, ah..." He just stopped talking, he had already put his foot in his mouth. "Sorry..."

Why was it now, when he felt the slightest possibility that he might be driving someone away, did he feel regret? Isn't that what he wanted?

[Learned Jutsu]
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall - B rank (429/400 words) - 10 CP

CP: 30/50

After watching Natsuki complete the new technique Tōri couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh at the question that followed, poorly worded as it may be. On account of the liberal use of mokuton on top of the abundance of jutsu he had thrown around today it was no wonder such a question was raised. It was sure to be well over the lad’s own

“No, no, it’s quite alright. My chakra reserves are quite large even amongst my clan members. Senju are gifted with fortified chakra along with the mokuton element that we use to create trees and plants.”

Though at that his stomach growled an audible protest which led him to his next thought. “Though I still need to eat.” Slapping his stomach he realized how hungry he’d become, his offer from earlier still needing to be fulfilled.

“How about we hit up those food stalls now? I’m feeling a little peckish after all those techniques.”

“No, no, it’s quite alright. My chakra reserves are quite large even amongst my clan members. Senju are gifted with fortified chakra along with the mokuton element that we use to create trees and plants.”

"Mokuton, huh? It seems wicked cool!" Natsuki marveled; while the sheer immensity of Tōri's chakra was a hell of a thing, it really was the wood release that caught the young Uchiha's attention. He had always felt an affinity with the natural world, given how much time he spent lazing about within it. It always was his assumption that this was why he was granted the gift of earth release, but to hear that there were those out there with such an affinity for the trees? Was I born to the wrong family?

The loud grumbling broke Natsuki out of his head as Tori said those magic words: “Though I still need to eat. How about we hit up those food stalls now? I’m feeling a little peckish after all those techniques.”

"Oh hell yes!" Natsuki literally jumped in excitement, raising his fist to the air. The exhaustion of the past few moments faded with the offer of free deliciousness. "There's a food cart that is usually hanging out around the entrance here, Okonomi-Yum. They've got okonomiyaki on a stick, have you ever had it??"

At the immediate eagerness Natsuki displayed at the mention of food he wondered what it could be. Smiling at the answer he nodded in agreement with the choice.

“Mmm, fried goodness. Good choice. I think I’ve seen them before, maybe we’ll be their first customers today.” He’d never had okonomiyaki on a stick before, but anything fried on a stick was good in his book.

Taking Natsuki’s lead to the food cart he couldn’t help but chuckle at the sign, it really was too good of a name. Placing an order for a couple himself with pork belly on top he let Natsuki place his own before paying the vendor.

As fried food tended to be, it was quick and before too long they were handed their order, his eyes watching hungry as the cabbage pancakes bubbled in the oil. Taking a first bite quickly turned to wolfing down the first stick, realizing he was hungrier than he thought.

Burping after destroying the first one he looked with approval to Natsuki. “They’re pretty great, though there’s a food stall in the market district that would give them a run for their money. There’s aren’t on sticks though, never had my okonomiyaki on the go.”

“Mmm, fried goodness. Good choice. I think I’ve seen them before, maybe we’ll be their first customers today.”

"Hell yeah, that's why I come here so early. That, and the quiet, and the dewy grass..." He felt he was talking too much, but he was excited. He didn't afford himself too many luxuries, but the occasional trip to Okonomi-Yum was a semi-frequent treat. He reflexively went to pull out his wallet, but resisted as they approached the cart.

"Ah, the usual, my boy?" The cart tender smiled in recognition as Natsuki approached. "Yup! On him!" He said with a massive smile of his own, nodding towards Tōri.

It was two of the standard affair, but with mayo and spicy mayo, just so much mayo. He ate his in kind with Tōri, stepping slowly away from the cart. The warm crisp pancake juxtaposed with the cool and generous slathering of mayonnaise was ecstasy. He tended to savor them, taking his first one in slow bites and chewing methodically to get the perfect flavor and texture combination before swallowing.

“They’re pretty great, though there’s a food stall in the market district that would give them a run for their money. There’s aren’t on sticks though, never had my okonomiyaki on the go.”

"Mmm," he started, with his mouth full. "Nyeah, they're pre'y good." Swallowing his bite, Natsuki continued: "I don't care much for the crowd, though... These I can eat anywhere! I'll usually eat one of these on the way to the second sunrise, then enjoy the other while I'm there." He took another bite.

The interaction between Natsuki and the vendor confirmed the lads frequency to the wheeled establishment, glad to see someone he was on good terms with and felt comfortable talking with so easily. He couldn’t argue with the opinion on sticked vs non-sticked okonomiyaki, he was quite enjoying the fried food on the go.

Biting into his second stick he nodded in agreement as they leisurely walked the still empty training grounds, finding the whole experience quite agreeable. The picture Natsuki painted of his typical routine sounded like a favorite of the lad’s, he was sure it was one that had been done many times.

“That’s a nice sounding morning. Maybe I’ll have to bring my other student around in the morning sometime soon. Get some nice use of that new shade on top of the cliff we rose while we enjoy some fried goodness."

Hoping he would be receptive to the idea, he was curious how he would gel with Sera. The two couldn’t be more different on the surface, but he was curious…

“That’s a nice sounding morning. Maybe I’ll have to bring my other student around in the morning sometime soon."

"Kohkoh!" Natsuki choked on his food at these words, coughing briefly at the shock. The sudden implication of meeting another shinobi was like a splash of cold water. He had been getting on famously with Tōri, but an entirely new person? What if he said or did the wrong thing? What if he ruined it? Panic began to set in.

But then... A calming realization. 'other student?' Does that mean..?" He hadn't had a sensei since he was in the academy, so many years ago. The village needed dog walking and package delivering shinobi, so why should he need one? But this morning, as he gleefully took another bite of his delicious treat, he found himself hopeful that he might have found one.

Get some nice use of that new shade on top of the cliff we rose while we enjoy some fried goodness."

"Mm." His agreement was soft spoken, he was still nervous as hell; but, for the first time in what felt like forever, he wanted to give it a try. "I think we could do that..."

Uncertain if the response was genuine, Tōri was at least happy that the lad seemed willing to meet with others. "I'm glad to hear you say so." Sera might do the quieter teengager some good, her energy might even rub off on him. He was glad to have made the shurikenjutsu target practice his first stop of the morning and ran into Natsuki. Tōri was always on the lookout for little surprises in life like this, his mother had always called him distract from such proclivities. He preferred curious.

“Well, I should probably go let dispatch know I finished up a few more off of their list early. It was a pleasure meeting you Natsuki. See you around.” With a wave of his hand he walked towards the administration building and tossed the two sticks into a trashcan on the way. He started thinking up ideas for the training session where his two students would finally meet, getting himself more excited than he’d been in a good while.

Teaching suited the jōnin and he wondered why he’d put it off for so many years. Just foolish.

“Well, I should probably go let dispatch know I finished up a few more off of their list early. It was a pleasure meeting you Natsuki. See you around.”

Likewise, Tōri; I hope to see you soon!

He watched the Senju leave, continuing to savor his own okonomiyaki, and eagerly awaiting what the future held. He'd never really been "trained" before; but that is what happened, right? He never sought it out, and no one seemed to think it was worth the effort. This was all so new and strange... Just what was going to happen to him?

He shrugged, taking another bite, "What's the harm in sticking your neck out a little?" And with that, he took leave himself.