[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Waiting

It wasn't often Azarea found herself with requests to teach. Her time in the village rather limited with the amount of missions she was routinely running and work she was putting in to try and shore up the slow slide of Kaminari no Kuni towards the disaster that the Daimyo was allowing to draw closer and closer to their doors. It was frustrating. Each mission leaving her feeling like she was but a drop in the bucket of water meant to put out a raging forest fire, but there was little else she could do without Kizumi-sama's permission. So she worked.

Today her work just happened to be surprisingly enough teaching a younger genin how to tree walk. An essential skill in her opinion as making her way towards training ground fourteen, a rocky training ground with a small cliffside, Azarea settled in to meditate. Allowing her senses to expand as she pooled chakra to the forefront of her man as she awaits her student. Sifting through the signatures around her in an effort to determine which of the various shinobi bouncing around the training grounds might be the genin she had been assigned too. Within her her hive hummed soft and low reacting to the calm steadiness of her chakra as she slowly circulated it through her coils.

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流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 219| Natsuo Jokyū

[Natsuo Jokyū]

The young Genin had been training much before Azarea had arrived, just at a different training ground. Mostly, he was training with the new dual cleavers he'd received, trying to get a handle on the new weapons his aunt had given him as a present. The hardest part to understand was the chain, moving it so that the blade would fly back to his hand. However, as time went on, it was approaching the time when he'd have to meet with Azarea. He placed his weapons back on his sides before looking at the sky for a bit, "Wonder what Katsuo's doing?" His brother had seemed more distant recently, but maybe they were both just busy with being on separate Genin teams. Hopefully, that was the only reason.

Eventually, he left the training ground he had been at previously. He headed for number fourteen, where Azarea would likely be waiting. He had been informed of what the lesson would be over prior to the actual lesson: The act of Tree Climbing. He wasn't sure exactly how to prepare for this lesson, but he did his best to regardless. 

Upon reaching the training ground, he'd recognize the familiar rocky area with a small cliffside. Most commonly, Natsuo would come here with Chuya, in an attempt to get better at wielding her trident form. He spotted a woman matching his instructor for today's description. Red hair was definitely there, eyes that matched with a scar over one of them. Now he just had to approach the girl. "Uh... I'm Jokyū Natsuo, but Natsuo's fine. Are you um..." He wasn't sure what name to call her by, so he proceeded in the best way he could think of. "Are you the person teaching me Tree Climbing?" He would ask, trying to save himself from looking like an awkward mess.

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Chakra

Azarea cracked an eye open from her meditations as she offered the boy a slim smile inclining her head in greeting, "Hello Natsuo-san I'm Azarea. You may call me Azarea-senpai if you like. You wouldn't be the first nor likely the last to do so." She quips as the woman stretches and stands shaking out her hands and limbs as she does so. Before reaching up to flip a few wild strands of red hair over her shoulders and gesturing to the short cliff behind them.

"We'll be practicing tree climbing on the stone behind us. It's the surface you'll be scaling most often here in Kumo so it's good to learn on. Do you lean more towards chakra control or have larger chakra stores?" Azarea questioned with a tilt of her head as she lead the way over to the surface they'd be practicing on today. Jokyu really could run the gambit when it came to how much chakra they possessed. As clan children they still even with control had larger stores then a civilianborn, but when they did have large amounts of chakra it tended to be pretty massive. Meaning she needed to know if she'd be playing 'catch the kid' when he inevitably accidentally launched himself away from the cliff if his stores were above average.

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流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 219| Natsuo Jokyū

[Natsuo Jokyū]

The girl opened her eyes, giving a smile to Natsuo as she introduced herself. She was, indeed, Azarea. Though, the thought of calling her senpai was weird to him. He'd always been the oldest, excluding his twin of course, so the thought of someone being his superior had always felt weird to him. Even more when she didn't look to be more than 5 years older than him. "Is just Azarea fine?" He would ask, not really giving any indication as to why. He didn't realize it might seem rude, so he didn't feel the need to defend the comment.



She mentioned that they'd be practicing tree-climbing on the stone behind them, a terrain Natsuo was quite familiar with. Her reasoning for learning on the stone was pretty solid, it was definitely one of the more common terrains in Kumogakure. "I have a better reserve, from what I've been told." It was pretty common for those that specialized in Buki and Ninjutsu to have higher reserves, at least from what the academy instructors had told him. It wasn't always the case, but it was often enough for some people to think there was correlation. Not to mention, Natsuo was from a clan, which usually meant they had strong reserves of chakra. Natsuo would walk towards the edge of the stone wall, "So should I just start whenever or wait for instruction?" He grinned, obviously making a joke to lighten the mood. Not that there was tension, but it was an ice breaker of sorts.

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Lesson

"Whatever suits you so long as it's polite," Azarea agrees with a loose shrug, but it wasn't as though she was a chuunin teaching him so it made sense that he might not wish to call her by any title. The woman gesturing to the stone as she lifts her foot and presses the sole against the rock channeling her chakra down into it as her leg sticks to the stone.

"Right this may be more difficult for you then. Channel your chakra down into your feet and imagine it latching into the surface you want to walk on. Too much and you'll launch yourself back like forcing two same pole magnets together and too little and your foot will slide right off." She explains waking a few sets up the cliff before turning to stare at him expectantly before recalling a tip.

"Oh make sure to keep your core tight. Gravity is still a factor so unless you want to go over backwards like a limp noodle you need to be prepared." Azarea advises gesturing to how her muscles kept her upright. Lest she relax and sag sideways and risk toppling off or hang down like a bat from a tree.

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流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 202 | Natsuo Jokyū

[Natsuo Jokyū]

So long as it's polite, yea he could do that. No sense causing more issues for his aunt, after all. She proceeded to start with her demonstration, placing a foot on the stone. She explained that it'd be more difficult for him, since he'd need decent control to channel his chakra into his feet and latch it onto the surface he would be walking on. Stone, in this case. If he gave too much chakra, a likely scenario with his larger pools, he'd launch himself from the surface. Too little and he'd fall right off. Neither option sounded too appealing to the young Genin, he'd much rather not get injured learning a technique.

She continued on, giving him another tip to keep his core tight while doing everything else. As if he didn't already have enough to remember. "Okay, that doesn't seem too bad." The boy lied. If he embarrassed himself here, Kizumi would probably be embarrassed too. Not to mention Katsuo. He walked up to the stone, focusing chakra in his feet before trying to walk up the surface. Naturally, he got launched. Not nearly as far as he'd expected, only a couple feet. Still, it was embarrassing. He'd pick himself back up, as he always did, ready to give it another shot.

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Try Try Again

The red head can't quite help the amused snicker that leaves her lips as the boy proceeds to launch himself like a frisbee off the surface of the cliff. The woman shifting to lean sideways against the stone as she watches him her lips quirked into an amused smile. "Don't worry about it kid. It's happened to the best of us." She assures him not wanting the boy to feel too discouraged as she gestures for him to try again. "Try pouring in the smallest amount you can and then working up from there. Better to not stick to the wall then fling yourself into the sky." The woman advised as she patted to cliff with one hand.

"Once you get the hang of this you can even use that same theory of adding or lessoning your chakra to leap further between branches and run more easily across surfaces." She adds not wanting him to believe there was nothing to be learned from his failure. One rarely got anything of value from quick success anyway. At least not anything that would stick around. However, the lessons of failure tended to be well and truly ingrained. Lessons he'd need in life.

"So... tell me about yourself kid?" Azarea quips looking to make some conversation and also teach Natsuo the importance of splitting his attention.

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流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count:223  | Natsuo Jokyū

[Natsuo Jokyū]

As the white-haired boy got up, he could hear Azarea's slight snicker at his self-made propulsion system. He didn't mind too much; it was better that it was someone he didn't know seeing him fail than someone like Kizumi. She did reassure him, that his failures were also teaching opportunities. He could use more chakra to launch himself farther in the future. For now, though, it was better to start small and work his way up to the perfect amount. Plus, it happened to everyone. He imagined his aunt and brother launching themselves from the cliffside, that brought a smile to the Genin's face.

It was true that failure was a much better teacher than success. Not to mention you could only fail so many times before it turned into success. He'd learned those lessons a while ago, especially with how complicated his weapon could be. He walked back towards the stone, ready to try again. A fresh start, if you will. "Attempt number 2." He would say as he approached the cliff once more.

As he placed his foot on the stone again, he didn't go flying this time. Azarea told him to tell her more about him while he started as well, but with how complex most weapons were, Natsuo was used to multitasking. Pulling the chain of his cleavers while he prepared his hand for the impact they'd receive. His foot slipped off as he started answering her, but it almost stayed on the stone. "I'm the Raikage's nephew. I have a twin, but other than that I'm the eldest of four. I mostly use Bukijutsu. Not much else to tell." He was a rather boring individual when it came to his social life, but at least he was a hard worker.

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Cute

"Oh! You're Aunties Nephew! I knew she had a sister, but I didn't realize they had kids. Well we're happy to have you around." Azarea quipped beaming brightly at the boy. Kizumi had slowly inch by inch and with patience worked her way into the small circle of people Azarea trusted and would allow herself to depend on. The woman never pushing her to be something she was not nor scoffing at her dreams and the odd views she carried for a shinobi. Azarea had always been like a paper bomb. Dangerous in the wrong hands, but useful if you knew where to direct her and Kizumi accept, nay, even took advantage of that.

"And Bukijutsu huh? I take it your weapons of choice are those two big choppers of yours?" She inquired nodding to the swords with a smile as she spotted his foot slip, but at leas the boy didn't tumble over this time. Her conversation an additional teaching tool whether he realized it or not.

"Are you going to become one of Aunties Guardian Shinobi down the road?" Azarea asked with a tilt of her head and a smile. The white haired kid was pretty cute like a fluffy snowball puppy. She could almost understand why people became genin sensei's. Almost.

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流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 214 | Natsuo Jokyū

[Natsuo Jokyū]

Azarea's reaction was about what he had expected, though he didn't feel the usual pressure to succeed like he normally did when people learned that information. He was used to having expectations along with that knowledge, but it didn't quite feel like Azarea expected more of him due to him being the Raikage's nephew. It felt more like her expectations of him were realistic, for him being a Genin. He didn't need to be some kind of genius. It was also really strange hearing her call Kizumi auntie. "Yea, mom doesn't like that me or my twin are shinobi but, not much I can do about that. Following in my aunt's footsteps and all that." It wasn't that he wanted to follow in her footsteps entirely, more that he just wanted to be a shinobi. He wasn't too sure of his twins reasoning though.

"Those as well as a couple others. I left my sword at home because it'd get in the way a lot more. I'm also working on wielding a member of the Ha clan, she turns into a trident so." His repertoire of weapons was definitely more expansive then most Genin, but that wasn't a bad thing. His sword was for close range, his cleavers for long range, and the trident was a mix of the two. 

As for the question of his aunt's guardian shinobi, he wasn't too sure. He'd thought about the idea, but that seemed like it was so far away that he didn't feel the need to come to a conclusion yet. "Maybe, but I can't say for sure. That's a long time so plans could change." He shrugged as he put a bit more chakra into his foot, what felt like a natural amount. His foot stayed, not launching him or slipping off. Now for the second foot.

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Inheritance

"Life throws you curveballs. It's wise to have options. I started out when I first became a genin aiming to go black ops, but nowadays I think I'd prefer anything else even if the work would suit me," Azarea agrees as she listens to Natsuo list out his considerations and weapons. The woman nodding along. "I was the previous Raikage's... ward? I guess that's the right word. Your Aunt sort of inherited me when she took the hat." She explains with a quirk of a smile and a shrug. She leaves out the fact that she's technically the bastard child of Kizumi's sensei and thus the woman feels somewhat responsible for her mentors terrible parenting.

"You're doing well. This is the most difficult part." She assures and encourages Natsuo as he manages to get his first foot stuck to the wall and moves to have his second join the first. The woman ready to catch him if he drops to prevent him from conking his head. "Are you planning to enter the exams or wait till your Aunt hosts them in Kumo?" Azarea inquires keeping a hawkish eye on the boy ready to act when needed. Should his grip on his chakra falter she'd lunge to help control his fall.

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流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 210 | Natsuo Jokyū

[Natsuo Jokyū]

"It's definitely good to have a goal in mind for the future, but you also have to be adaptable to whatever might change." Plenty of things could change in between now and when he'd be able to be Kizumi's guardian. She could no longer be Raikage. Who knows if she'd even let him do that. Those were all problems for the future though, Natsuo preferred to live in the present. She revealed that she was the ward of their previous Raikage, someone Natsuo knew very little about. His aunt had basically inherited her as a result. Okay, her calling Kizumi Auntie made a bit more sense now. "I guess that makes sense. We didn't see my aunt a whole lot growing up, she was busy with shinobi things from what we were told by my mom." At least her aunt always brought cool gifts though, or at the very least shared cool stories.

The difficult part of this jutsu was obvious, not falling over as your perspective changed. He grabbed his weapons for a moment. They could be helpful in slowing his fall, but more weight usually meant using more chakra. Not to mention they could just as easily harm him. He threw the blades a good distance away, so as to avoid being skewered. That'd be embarrassing. "Not sure yet. I don't even know if my sensei recommended me or not. Honestly not sure if I'm even prepared enough for it." The boy would say, he was confident in his abilities but how would he know how he stacked up against other Genin? He wouldn't know until he went, which was terrifying. He placed his second foot on the stone, applying the same amount of chakra. When he fell towards the ground, he quickly moved his hands to catch himself. He took a couple deep breaths, preparing himself for the weird perspective of being on a wall.

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Exams

Azarea reached out bracing the boys back when he began to topple over, "Easy now. You're getting it." Holding him upright for only a second before she backed off. Confident he'd gotten the feel of it somewhat now to not go backward onto his head. "Keep your core muscles tight like doing a sit up. You're doing well." Azarea coaxed as she channeled her own chakra to step up onto the wall beside him. Keeping in lockstep with the kid as she observed his progress.

"And there's no shame in waiting or in wanting to go just to gauge what you might be dealing with in the future. This will be my second exams actually." She adds musing a bit on her previous experience in suna. Tsukimono had lost an eye, but overall their team had done quite well all things considered. They at least hadn't ended up dead as doornails and regretting their life decisions.

"Sides you could always ask your Aunt to go with her to spectate the exams if you don't want to enter. Half the fun is getting to see other cultures." She adds with a small indulgent smile recalling her time in the Suna markets. She wishes she still had the souvenirs she bought there and mailed home.

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流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 213| Natsuo Jokyū

[Natsuo Jokyū]

Natsuo didn't need to brace himself with his hands apparently, Azarea had quickly done the task. Holding him upright until he got the hang of it, Azarea continued instructing him. "It just feels weird walking on anything other than the floor." He had gotten a sense of nausea from it, as if he was defying nature and it was getting payback. He tightened his core as best he could though, and slowly needed less of Azarea's assistance. The nausea had also started to fade, so that was good.

Once he was able to hold his position on his own, Azarea stepped up onto the stone beside him. She mentioned that there was no shame in waiting or going just to gauge how strong the other Genin were. In fact, this would be her second exams. In other words, he'd have a familiar face there. He could also ask Kizumi to let him go just to spectate, a much less deadly option of the two. Then again though, the exams could help him grow a lot. He'd heard from a couple chuunin that they'd had a sort of fight or flight moment in the exams. Maybe it could be beneficial. "I'll probably decide as it gets closer. It's nice to know that you'll be there though. Friendly face and all that." There was still one major thing he had to do in this training session though, climb while adjusting his chakra.

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Walk to Run

"Yes I'll be there. It's high time I make chuunin unless I want to end up a desk ninja for life." She quips, but there's an honest truth to her words as she gestures for him to continue. "Try walking up the cliff now." She instructed nodding towards the top of the overhang. "You'll need to lower your chakra in the individual foot to release it before upping it to the correct amount to stick it again as you progress." Azarea advises as she observes Natsuo's movements for any sudden alarming change. Lest the boy forget and launch himself form an actually somewhat dangerous height and break an arm. Kizumi would probably understand, but Azarea truly didn't want to have to carry the boy to the hospital to get it fixed. It'd look bad on both their parts.

"Just a little bit more now. You'll get the hang of this in no time and then move to the fun joys of water walking... in winter..." She trails off hoping whoever instructs the kid in that takes him to an indoor pool lest he freeze. Then again trying not to freeze is an excellent motivator all things considering. If one wants to not have frost bitten fingers and toes one had better get a hang of the jutsu quick.

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流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 218| Natsuo Jokyū