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Dec 6, 2013 17:45:24 GMT -5
Post by Uzumaki Minato on Dec 6, 2013 17:45:24 GMT -5
SPIRAL KID: THE CHŪNIN EXAMS CNT. FLASHBACK
Standing on one leg with the other arched over his knee in a manner befitting of someone sitting Indian-style, the spiral ninja, was sweating bullets. Looming over him from the wooden steps above, the elderly, pink haired woman gazed at Minato with a blank face. Due to the sporadic twitch of her left eye brow, he could tell that she forcing herself to maintain her aloof demeanor.
"Straighten up, I don't want to see your knee quiver again." Her tone was strict, but soft and quaky, after having sixty years of age skew the sound of her voice box. Her cyan-colored oculars observed her grandson closely; she'd trained many shinobi in her time, from aspiring medical ninja to her son the Chakra Control and Sensor instructor. In all her time she'd never met anyone as thoughtlessly talented, but shifting as her grandson.
It would seem that Minato possessed a lot of his grandfather's traits. She could see it in his posture, and his witty-or-snide remarks that were always delicately placed. Ironically, his great grandfather was the person who he resembled- even now, with his maturing age, the spiral kid and yellow flash's likeness remain parallel, despite being completely different.
In lieu of the persons who he was a product of, the young Uzumaki couldn't escape the sharp claws that were even grander than the mighty Rokudaime Hokage himself- his widowed grandmother, formerly Haruno Sakura. Learning under her was too fictitious for him to define usually, the definition couldn't compare to a fraction of the torture she put him through prior to the exams. And now, standing with one leg firmly placed, and his chakra boiling in anticipation, Minato waited for it all to be over.
'She's crazy...' his inner self chimed on subconsciously, causing the bushy blond mop on his noggin to rock rhythmically. He'd stand like that for an hour before she'd even think about allowing him to stop.
NOW
He found himself zoning out quite often, images from the past stalked his mind today for some reason. So far, he'd had a flashback about Naruto, a couple about his dad, Sio, and just now, out of no where, he had a flashback about the week prior to participating in the Chūnin Exams.
His arms systematically curved as his elbows poked upwards, with his hands linked by his fingers, the palm of his hands pressed against his neatly made head of hair. Things had been quiet for quite some time. It was the morning after the conclusion of the exams, he had just been promoted, meaning he came and successfully obtained what he wanted to get out of this excursion.
Shirt off and sloppily folded, on the ground under the tree behind him. he had been training all morning. He'd been training all morning, much like he usually did. It was about 5:24-ish and no one else was really up and awake, so he figured right now was the perfect time to practice the techniques he didn't want to neglect.
Inhaling, he soon released a deep breath as he seemed to become revitalized by the environment, the energy around seemed to rush inward. He repeated his breathing for a full sixty seconds, with his eyes closed before he opened them again.
Extending a hand outward, his digits extending straight and his palm facing upward. His left hand then hoovered over his right hand in a similar manner. A hum resounded softly while the green orb of chakra began to form, spiraling and mixing the wind chakra that Minato was channeling into a compact sphere-- The Wind Release: Rasengan.
With a fluid upward thrust of his hand, the Rasengan was launched into the sky. It was almost relaxing to watch how beautiful this technique was. Sadly, it only made him morn those who had lost over the past year. This jutsu meant more to him than anyone could every imagine.
"Now that I'm done with the exams," he spoke audibly, looking down at his hands as he closed his hands into fist. Today marked the start of his next advanture. There was only one question, though.
"What's next?" |
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Dec 6, 2013 23:23:31 GMT -5
Post by Arisato Ein on Dec 6, 2013 23:23:31 GMT -5
"Next, you seek to beat the person you were yesterday." Ein said, approaching from just west of Minato, her steps silent, wakizashi making the only sound in the area as the blade went back into its scabbard. That metallic dragging SCHWICK! was such a comforting sound to the kunoichi.
Her victory was bittersweet. Of her entire team that had come, she was the only to advance to the final portion of the exams and be promoted. She had not yet seen Nu and Nozu. It probably would have helped had she actually gone to bed last night, but promptly after the conclusion of the exams and the announcement of those who had succeeded, Ein was back out the door and training. After all, she had to punish herself for that abysmal attack against Guoduan. She would not be able to sleep until she did. And so out there she stayed all night, one thousand wind sprints with double her normal weight. She would not miss another hit. She would not trip again.
But now, here she was with her partner from another village. It was sad to think that after they departed here, they may very well never see one another again. So that was why Ein would make sure that they had today, at least. She dropped into a sit next to him, watching the sun peek over the horizon. "I know what's next for me." she said, smiling and running a hand through her plentiful, snowy hair. "I'm going to go back to Kumo, and work hard at my Kenjutsu. And maybe one day, I can become the best swordswoman and blacksmith in my village." She turned to Minato, focusing large, expressive violet eyes on him.
"What do you want most out of the world, Minato-kun?"
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Dec 7, 2013 0:02:10 GMT -5
Post by Uzumaki Minato on Dec 7, 2013 0:02:10 GMT -5
SPIRAL KID: THE CHŪNIN EXAMS CNT. That warm grin of his adorned his face upon hearing Ein's voice. He had already grown familiar enough with it to recognize her tone of voice. With neither of his squad mates from the village present, due to the other obligations they had, it was comforting to know that there was someone he could talk to- he didn't feel like training all day like he'd been doing for the past few months.
'Blacksmith?' his thoughts stirred after hearing her state that was a blacksmith. Deciding to hold off on inquiring about the subject, his immediately began to contemplate about the question she asked.
"Hn." he mused, "That's a hard question, usually. I used to want to be able to eat ramen all day and live a happy life. That was until I found out that life isn't always as great as you'd expect it t be." Leaning against the bark of the tree, his bare back could feel the warmth of nature caress his frame. His gaze shifted to the sky above, "No. These days, I just wanna be as great of a shinobi as my grandpa was."
That smile of his managed to return to his face again as a he could see a formation of clouds that were shapes like the head of Naruto. He almost wanted to chuckle, but he fought the urge to do so.
"What about you?" he turned to face the snowy haired kunoichi face to face, eye to eye. "I mean besides being a shinobi, what do you want most in life, Ein-chan?" |
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Dec 7, 2013 0:23:43 GMT -5
Post by Arisato Ein on Dec 7, 2013 0:23:43 GMT -5
It really was a loaded question. But at the same time, it was not an impossible one. Ein wanted a lot of things out of life. A lot of little things, none of them unattainable. The problem was deciding which one she wanted to do first. It was nice for her, also, to have someone here to talk to. While she was comfortable conversing with any of the other Genin who had come here, also, Minato knew her best. He knew who she was and what she was, and that wasn't necessarily easy, particularly for someone from another village. Everyone might not be as accepting as he was initially.
"I think you will be." she said, recounting what he had said about being as great of a shinobi as his grandfather. "I mean, you're already on the right track. Just figure out what it is that you want, eventually, and never lose sight of that. I think the thing about Naruto-sama was that he always had a goal. There was always something in his heart that he just had to do. As long as you have that, you have something to strive for. You have a reason to never give up, and to always do your best." She leaned back on the grass, hands behind her head as she stared at the lightening sky.
"I want to do lots of things." she answered simply, smiling. "I want to visit The Land of Iron one day, and meet my father's people. I want to learn their history, and learn from them. Then, I want to help other people learn the way of the sword, the same way they did before the arrival of the Rikudo Sennin. Before the advent of chakra. I want to make great weapons...weapons that will take people's breath away, that will be seen as art and treasured by artists. My clan started out as smiths for the Samurai, back centuries ago. At some point, we adopted their kenjutsu and as we learned to use chakra, we adapted that energy into that technique. Over time, we became less of smiths and more of warriors. But I want to take the Arisato back to what we were. While embracing my samurai heritage at the same time. That's why I want to be the greatest swordsman and the greatest blacksmith. Because I feel like understanding the blade is paramount to creating the best one. And understanding where I came from is paramount to understanding the blade." She rose again to a sitting position and nodded.
"That's what I want most. To understand. And to create."
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Dec 7, 2013 11:04:26 GMT -5
Post by Uzumaki Minato on Dec 7, 2013 11:04:26 GMT -5
SPIRAL KID: THE CHŪNIN EXAMS CNT. "Speaking of blacksmithing," Minato chimed in near the end of Ein's explanation. "I was wondering, do you think you could...make me a weapon of some type?" He wasn't quite sure what sort of weapon he'd want, though. Sure, having a katana or nunchucks would be cool, but they didn't really fit 'him.' Despite his inability to decide on a weapon for himself, since he's been pondering over possible choices for two days, he knew that he wanted one. Watching Ein utilize her wakizashi helped him come to that realization.
"If you aren't interested," he said looking at Ein, his shoulder moved in an idle shrugging motion. "You can say so. Maybe I can buy something somewhere."
He allowed himself to relax a little more, a calm breeze whisked across the lime grass. Minato always found the early morning to be the most environmentally pristine time to train; everything was always so serene.
Grabbing his shirt that was on the ground into his hands, after standing to his feet he'd place place it on over his head. Patting off the specs of dirt that managed to get on the back of his shirt, Minato stretched his arms out to the side. Promptly after, once he was satisfied with his garb, he slid his hand into the pouch that rested on his side, he retrieved his headband, and tied it. |
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Dec 8, 2013 20:45:30 GMT -5
Post by Arisato Ein on Dec 8, 2013 20:45:30 GMT -5
Ein's eyes just about lit up when Minato mentioned crafting him a weapon. It would be her first real commission. To now, she had only helped her mother with her work, and crafted her own blade with the help of her father. But now, for this, she would be creating something with their help. She was already getting her start as a blacksmith.
"Psh, shit yeah I'm interested!" Ein said excitedly. "I can make you something that's a hundred times better than any piece of commercial crap that you can buy in a shop. No, we'll make a splendid weapon. One of a kind. A Minato-original. What did you have in mind? You did really well with that wakizashi in the exams, but it doesn't really seem to fit you. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Ein wasn't being mean in saying so, really. For someone untrained with the blade, he utilized it well, but the style in which he used it...it was reminiscent of something a bit more...different. Ein wasn't sure what exactly she was trying to think. It was almost as if it was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't get it out.
She watched him as he stood, tying on his headband. Ein smiled, letting her fingers roll over the metal-banded fabric that was tied to the side of her scabbard belt. No matter where you wore your hitai-ate, be it on your forehead, around your neck, at your waist or around your leg, you wore it as a sign of pride of who you are and where you're from. You wore it as a sign of who you were to become. A splendid shinobi.
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Dec 9, 2013 1:10:51 GMT -5
Post by Uzumaki Minato on Dec 9, 2013 1:10:51 GMT -5
SPIRAL KID: THE CHŪNIN EXAMS CNT. "Yeah," he nodded his head. "I understand."
His eyes shut. He started to think long and hard abut what sort of weapon he could use that would allow him effectively utilizing the talents that he had. He walked in a circle, stroking his chin.
"Hn..." he muttered. Suddenly, his eyes popped open. "I know! A boomerang," he said with a grin. Turning to Ein in a burst of excitement, he'd grab for her and look deep into her violet orbs. "Do you think you think you could forge me a boomerang that I can use as both a projectile and a melee weapon?"
He could picture the concept vividly. Boomerangs, at least what he's heard bout them, were primarily used as projectile, throwing weapons that were designed to always come back to the user. He liked that concept since it would allow him to save the amount of kunai and/or shuriken that he used. In retrospect, he also wanted to give the boomerang some sort melee attributes so he could use it more effectively- for both long and close range combat.
'It would be amazing if she could really pull it off...' he thought to himself. Without even meaning to, he began to think of jutsu and tactical maneuvers he could use to effective utilize the boomerang. He fought the urge to take out an ink pad and scroll to jot down some of his thought; he manged to do so somehow, there were some habits he was able to monitor. |
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Dec 9, 2013 1:39:49 GMT -5
Post by Arisato Ein on Dec 9, 2013 1:39:49 GMT -5
"Boomerang..." Ein repeated, shutting her eyes momentarily. She had never made one before, nor had she even really met that many people who had one. But perhaps that was because the ones that were out there weren't very good. She was picturing it already. A melee weapon as well as ranged. It would need to be larger than the average. Maybe double the size, if that could be managed. Perhaps bladed on its outer rims. Lightweight, but could function to slice and shear. In order to create it to bludgeon would make it too heavy to fly as a ranged weapon.
No, it would need to be thin, and sharp. She would personally make it carbon steel, as thin and light without being brittle, with steel inside for good weight distribution. Perhaps folding for easy storage. That would be the most difficult part, but no more difficult than the hinge mechanism on a fuma shuriken. Yes, Ein could see it already and was getting jazzed. Her fingers were working as she sketched the weapon out in her mind, and vibrant eyes popped open. "I'LL DO IT!" she practically shouted exuberantly, storing that image and those specifications away for later. She almost wanted to start now, but she didn't have any of her tools.
"Oh man, I can't wait..." she said, practically jittering in place. "I'll have to get my dad to help me, but I already have a rough idea in my head. If we make it large and thin enough, it can function like a blade in the hand as well as ranged, folding like a fuma shuriken in order to store it more easily and conceal it. Ohhh yeah. This is going to be great!" She had to resist the urge to take off running at that particular moment toward home. She had control enough to stand and talk to Minato until it was time for them to leave.
"Oh..." she said just a little sadly. "How would I get it to you once it was done, though? You'll be back in Konoha, probably busy on missions."
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Dec 9, 2013 12:11:46 GMT -5
Post by Uzumaki Minato on Dec 9, 2013 12:11:46 GMT -5
SPIRAL KID: THE CHŪNIN EXAMS CNT. "Maybe I can request a leave of absence," was the only possibility he offered as a reply to Ein's question. "That way I can just go with you to Kumogakure. You have to pass by Konoha pretty much before you get to your village, if I request a leave then I could go with you and be present while you make it. Our villages are allies, so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle."
Folding his arms across his chest, he murmured as he considered a few other possibilities for this situation. There were other, more plausible things that they could do but Minato wouldn't even voice them as a suggestion.
He'd never really visited another village located in another country prior to the exams, and he was finding himself more and more intrigued by his ally nations. Konoha and Kumo's relationship was intact; hell, the Raikage even came to his grandpa's funeral.
"Yup," he grinned. "I think that's what we should do!" |
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Dec 10, 2013 23:54:42 GMT -5
Post by Arisato Ein on Dec 10, 2013 23:54:42 GMT -5
Ein wished she was a more accomplished smith. If that was the case, she could just go to Konoha with Minato instead of the other way around. But she knew she would need help. Her parents were back in Kumogakure. Along with all her equipment and the ore that her family's land sat on. His idea was a good one. And she quite liked the idea of getting to stop at Konoha on the way home.
Ein grinned, nodding. "That sounds like a great idea. I would love to see a bit of Konoha, myself. We could stop there for a day and rest on our way to Kumo. It should take me about a week to make your boomerang, from start until finish. We can mine the materials right off my home land, and all the equipment we need is there. If you request ten days leave, then we might even have some time to explore the mountains and I could show you some really good training spots where we can test it out and make sure it's in good shape before you head home." She ran her fingers through her hair before thinking if she was missing any details. Finally, she grinned, nodding in finality.
"Yes. That's definitely what we should do!"
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