[Sora Minami]

Sora stared up at the clear blue sky with a look of calm, focused boredom.

It was half-past two in the afternoon, and the sun beat down on Kirigakure amidst a cloudless sky, broiling the air in a wave of oppressive heat that had most civilians hiding indoors for most of the day. Only Shinobi bothered to do any real work during the heat of the day, and even then they tended to stick to the shaded areas, hydrating often. It was doubly worse for those who possessed water-focused forms such as the Ama- true, they could exist in human form just as easily as their animal one, but it wasn’t easy or fun, not in this kind of heat. Which made the fact that she was meeting with one here, in the middle of the largest open field on the Academy’s vast training compound quite unfair of her, in retrospect.

The Jounin sat up from her place in the grass without a word, yawning as she basked in the sweltering air around her. She’d sent her message to the Ama clan compound a good twenty-eight minutes prior, requesting the presence of her third and final student, Ama Kasumi, at this specific training field in thirty minutes. And given that it took ten minutes to travel from the Academy to the compound… well. The girl would likely be arriving soon. If she’s not here already.

Brushing bits of stray grass and dirt from her qipao, Sora stood to her full height, looking around as she waited; there weren’t many people out and about today, even in the training grounds, so it ought to be easy to spot her newest student, given how distinctive most Ama were. Even if she didn’t spot her though, the Jounin wasn’t exactly worried- Kasumi (and boy wasn’t that going to get confusing) would make herself known soon enough. Ama could be a bit air-headed at times, but few would dare to miss an appointment, not for something as important as this.

Time to wait and see, I suppose…

Ama Kasumi

[Ama Kasumi]

Every step she took , came with a bit of an extra struggle. She knew very well she was not made for this kind of inclement weather, but still a shinobi must continue their duties in spite of any hardship, mostly so if they were going to meet their new tutor. Despite the dry weather, Ama Kasumi had tried her best to give a good first impression. The unpleasant hotness was something she was trying not to focus on, though it was admittedly almost impossible to ignore.

Kasumi’s hair was adorned with a few pearls, and her eyes gleamed subtly - this thanks to her usual makeup. Trying to look her best. She was still wearing her shinobi gear, ready just in case she would be faced with any training. She still remembered the first time she went to meet a Sensei. Her first old deadbeat sensei, she still respected the man, he had taught her some useful things - But she had hated how put together she had looked just to be met with an underwhelming alcoholic. She knew little about her new sensei. The Enduring One - that's what her mother had called her new sensei before she left the Ama Clan Compound. She didn’t give much detail, albeit not to spoil the meeting. But it seemed like the new sensei was a famed one. She much rather preferred the idea of a Kunoichi as a Sensei.

She had finally reached the destination, the training grounds. She did not try to pull any ninja surprise tactics, she knew better than to try to be arrogant with a Sensei - it hardly even crossed her mind. Without any other intention but to make herself known, Kasumi’s face lit up with a genuine smile and a wave. There stood Minami Sora, she was so pretty - and looked strong as well. She had to hold in the emotion.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, my sincere apologies” It was a lie, she was exactly on time. Still she apologized and vowed to her superior " I am Ama Kasumi. By my understanding, I am to be your new student. I am pleased to meet you, sensei.” She gave another small smile, hoping the woman didn't mind to be called Sensei. Unbeknown to Kasumi, all of her efforts trying to look flawless were disrupted by one tiny little detail. No, it was not the few drops of sweat that her teacher might have spotted, it was… A Crab.

It was no other than Kanikama-Sensei, her little crab companion. The crab was fanning them both with a paper fan, frantically trying to ward off the heat . When Kasumi inclined to politely vow and greet the sensei, Sora would easily see the miserable face of the tiny crab, the heat was doing him no favors.

Kasumi would usually not bring the crustacean around for shinobi duty. Even though Kasumi didn't want to admit it, she brought Kanikama with her as moral support. She guessed her sensei would pose no threat for the tiny - and comical - crustacean.

CODED BY LOGAN

[Sora Minami]

Sora looked Ama Kasumi over with a calm, focused eye as the girl approached, noting the care with which her newest student had put together her outfit. Every color was complimentary to the others, every fold and line teasing out the desired shape, the hint of make-up just enough to bring out her eyes. A young girl, certainly, one who was still interested in the more feminine side of being a Kunoichi, and eager too, if the wide smile that spread across the Ama’s face when their eyes met was any indication. The Jounin returned it with one decidedly less bright but no less warm, the heat draining much of the expression from her face as she chuckled at Kasumi’s pet crab frantically fanning itself in the sun.

"It’s fine. You’re right on time, actually." She said when the girl straightened herself up, voice light and friendly as she gestured towards the crab atop her student’s head. "Though, I am curious why you brought a pet to our meeting." It wasn’t against the rules, but it did seem odd, bringing a crab out in the heat like this. The thing didn’t look like it was combat capable, so the choice to bring it along was certainly… unusual, to say the least.

"Regardless," Sora began, resting her left hand on Samidare’s hilt as she spoke, "-as you well know, I’m Sora Minami, your new Jounin Sensei." The girl likely knew a bit more than that as well; she had been teamed up with several Ama during her time as a Hunter-nin, and one of them had even come up with her pseudo-alias, albeit as a joke. It still fit though. "I’m sure you have at least a few questions for me, so why don’t we get those out of the way before we cover why I called you out here on such a hot day."

Ama Kasumi

[Ama Kasumi]

"O-oh!...” shoot.  She was stuttering, even. Her face sinked a bit, filled with a bit of visible embarrassment. For one second she had forgotten about the small crustacean on top of her head. Why did she bring him along? Well there were two reasons for that. The first one was admitting she was nervous and needed his support, which was extremely embarrassing. The second one was also embarrassing, but just as true, and she could avoid blaming just herself for the stupid decision of bringing a crab to a meeting.


"My mother can be a bit over protective… Even now that I am a Kunoichi… She makes Kanikama-Sensei follow me around to make sure I’m okay. Even though there’s not much he can truly do to protect me… It's admidetdly a bit embarassing for me. I-I truly apologize.” She scooped the tiny crab gently, as she spoke, putting him aside on the floor. The crab looked mad due to her words, making him feel ‘less than’ with her comments. He found them a bit harsh on him. He was trying his best - He was just tiny! Kasumi then poured a bit of water on top of the crab, this coming from a regular water bottle she had in her pouch, she was saving some water for the heat, the crab's expression instantly changed due to the colder water. He looked much more serene.

"My mother just became paranoid since…” the Sanbi killed her sisters. But she couldn’t bring herself say it out loud. She was silent instead, avoiding eye contact for an split second. " I promise I’ll leave him at home next time, it was a mishap … But yes. I guess I do have a couple questions!” Her voice became more cheery again.


" You already met my teammates right? ...Am I the last one who was assigned to the team? Do the others know of my existence...” Kasumi asked, fiddling with her hair. She would probably have more questions as the conversation went. Right now she worried about who her teammates would be. Were they assholes? 

However there was a second question. One she would have to wait to ask, or rather wait till her new Sensei decided to say it. What was the nature of this meeting? Sora-Sensei had already said she would reveal this info at some point - but the question lingered still. The girl gulped a bit, as her eyes felt dead on the Katana her sensei was carrying. It seemed special - powerful. But honestly, she remembered how it felt to be impaled by one of those. Just like in the Chunin Exams. Her face , for mere seconds, reflecting on that pain. She brought herself back, however, shaking the feeling. In any case, they were at the training ground and young and inexperienced didn’t equal completely clueless. Her new sensei was wearing a whole ensamble, and had her weapon with her. If that was no coincidence, which she suspected it wasn’t, and her mother was not exaggerating when she called Sora by a nickname, this meeting was probably going to be more than simple tea time.

The young kunoichi shakily but lightly brought her hand closer to her own weapon, the gourd she carried everywhere; Nakihime, almost by instinct. Another sweat drop falling from her cheek. Her scales feeling dryer by the minute. This weather and a whole new team, she was a fish out of water - in all sense of the word. But hopefully she would not be made sushi by a katana today, or at least not yet.

CODED BY LOGAN

[Sora Minami]

The girl’s answer was clear, simple, and so obviously a lie it was almost cute. She knew a few Ama and, while Kasumi’s parents weren’t among them, Sora knew how they did overprotective rather well, as they wouldn’t have sent a small, cutesy crab to watch over their daughter. More like a giant, man-eating one with claws the size of a bear. She would humor the girl though- there was no point in being cruel or rude to her newest and, so far, most well-adjusted student, not when she simply wanted to bring her pet along with her for comfort.

"It’s fine to bring him along." The Jounin said, chuckling at the crab’s antics as she shifted her weight onto her back foot. "Just make sure he isn’t in the way when we start training. I’d hate to see him get hurt." Or worse, killed. Once the Ama was finished speaking, Sora nodded, watching Kasumi’s face for any noteworthy reactions.

"I’ve met with your other teammates, yes." Ikana was a good girl, if somewhat damaged, but Enyo… Well. She was working on Enyo. Slowly. "And no, they don’t know you’ve been assigned to Team 1 yet. I prefer to meet with my students individually before I introduce them to the rest of the squad." There were a variety of reasons for that, but the chiefest among them was that it made evaluations easier- with only one student to deal with, she could give them her full attention, rather than merely a part.

"Is that all?" Sora asked, tilting her head to one side as she waited for the girl to go on; she had a feeling there was more, but perhaps she was wrong. Kasumi was nervous, after all. Understandably so, given what was about to happen once they got started.

Ama Kasumi

[Ama Kasumi]

Kasumi smiled as Sora-Sensei said bringing Kanikama-Sensei was not as bad as she had thought. Stil, sensei was right. While a tough cookie, the little crab was still fragile. She wouldn’t want to get him hurt. However, something that Sora-Sensei said has stuck with her way more than her warnings regardings pets whilst on duty.



‘When we start training’ she had said. Kasumi’s suspicions were right, this was going to be a meeting to train her abilities. She was not surprised, of course she wasn’t - it was admittedly pretty obvious since she was standing in a training ground anyway. But she would rather not get into any physical confrontation with her sensei right now.



She stepped back lightly, the idea of fighting her sensei right away was scaring her a little - mostly because of her sense’s clear love towards weapons. One swing of that sword and the Genin would be done-for. In any case, Kasumi wouldn’t suspect Sora-Sensei would be rough with her in any way, she was simply a Genin after all.



"I guess it does make sense to meet us and test us separately first…So you get an idea of what our strengths or weaknesses are… Yes. I just hope the rest are nice. Y-You’ve been very nice to me so far, sensei. I’m grateful for it. ” The girl said, taking a few moments to think. Did she have any other questions?



"Honestly… Cue the music!” The mermaid said, as she jumped back as far as she could to make space between her sensei and her. She was not the strongest Taijutsu user to try any hand to hand, and she was hoping that her taking the initiative would give a good impression in front of her sensei. She was scared, too scared - she could feel all of her scales shiver - but she was also a Kunoichi. Her sensei could probably disern the Genjutsu fairly quickly, but the sudden distraction might give her an opening.


Kanikama-Sensei saw her sudden movement, so the crab knew to scutter away into the bushes - poking his eyes out to watch the confrontation that would ensue. The what taking a toll on both the mermaid and her crab. After making space between her and her sensei, Kasumi would attempt to throw a regular senbon towards Sora - however it would be unknown if she would be quick enough to even take the senbon out of her pocket before Sora reacted.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Ongaku no Atama-dashi [Cue the Music]


RANK: D


CHAKRA USAGE: Low


CLASSIFICATION: Genjutsu


HANDSEALS: 0

TRIGGER: Sound - Hearing the user say "Cue the music!"


DESCRIPTION:
Upon hearing the user say the trigger phrase, the target will hear loud music emanating from all around them, all other sounds fading into the background with quieter noises even becoming undetectable. The music differs depending on the individual, generally their least favorite genre, but will always be intrusive. Lasts for 2 rotations.

CODED BY LOGAN

[Sora Minami]

Sora chuckled as her student spoke, clearly not quite ready for what she had heard but willing, at least in the moment, to give the Jounin the benefit of the doubt. The girl seemed to steel herself before she said anything more, her gaze hardening slightly as the crab scuttle off into a nearby bush- and then Kasumi did something she hadn’t expected, kicking off their training session with a weak but very obvious Genjutsu while leaping to create distance.

Music filled her ears, a mix of dull religious chanting and powerful strings that rated on her nerves, but the pink-haired woman ignored the sound, right hand grasping Samidare’s hilt as she took a single step forward and drew her blade, forcing Fuuton chakra through it as she swung the weapon out- and unleashed a blast of wind as strong as a tornado, which knocked her student’s senbon off course, and likely blew the poor girl completely off her feet as well.

"First lesson." Sora said once the wind had died down, forming a single hand seal to Kai out of Kasumi’s genjutsu as she spoke, her voice calm and kind despite the annoying music. "Training begins after I say go. But not bad. You’ve got good instincts, using a Genjutsu on someone like me."

Ama Kasumi

Jutsu/SA's/Equipment Used

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu:
NAME: Ittoryu: Tatsumaki [One Sword Style: Tornado]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: Fūton
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION: The user brings their weapon around in a fast, powerful arc that creates a minor shockwave, disturbing the air and creating a gust of short-lived wind similar in strength to an F2 tornado, which can be felt by anyone within about thirty meters of the swings arc. The winds are strongest close to the user (within 5 meters), and are capable of knocking senbon, kunai, and shuriken off course, and even lifting people off their feet should they be caught unawares.

Special Abilities:
The Kunoichi That Goes On And On And On… [Endurance SA]
Perhaps part of her genetics or simply a random quirk of fate, Sora is unnaturally resilient, be it to physical pain or the toils of extended combat. While most Shinobi would collapse in exhaustion at having used all but the smallest sliver of their chakra reserves, she pushes on; while most Shinobi would wilt beneath the weight of sleepless night after sleepless night, she keeps going. This does not mean she does not feel pain/the strain of extended combat, but rather that her threshold for shutting down because of it is far higher than others. To give an example, if she were to be stabbed through her abdomen, she would still feel the pain of the injury, and it would hinder her ability to move/act, but it wouldn’t stop her, whereas a normal ninja might freeze up or shut down from the pain.

Bet You Didn’t See That Coming [Speed SA]
A byproduct of her enhanced endurance, Sora (despite what many would think) dislikes being injured- and with that dislike comes the intense desire to avoid getting hurt, a desire that has pushed her to hone her body until it could move faster than most others of her rank. In short, Sora is fast- very, very fast.

POWAH! UNLIMITED POWAH!! [Chakra Reserves SA]
After a lifetime of utilizing nearly every ounce of chakra in her body just to survive, Sora’s chakra reserves have expanded a considerable amount to compensate- while she’s no Jinchuuriki, her ability to toss out jutsu after jutsu and still have enough chakra to keep going is quite remarkable, a testament to just how much of the stuff she actually has.

I Am Not Left-Handed [Kenjutsu Mastery SA]
Sora is not merely a Kenjutsu specialist- she is a master when it comes to the art of the sword; after over two decades of training, her skills are unrivaled within Kirigakure, falling short only to the Seven Swordsman themselves… some of them, anyway. This mastery allows her a distinct advantage when fighting other Bukijutsu specialists of similar or lesser rank.

If You Try For Speed, You Do Not Achieve Speed [Bukijutsu Speed SA]
Beyond being a master of Kenjutsu, Sora has practiced for decades to become the faster swordswoman she can be. As such, her Kenjutsu techniques come out faster and move quicker than those performed by others of her rank.

Equipment: Samidare | Spring Rain Blade (Drawn)
SA’s
Unbreakable
Whatever metal and forging process was used in the creation of Samidare, it worked; Samidare is utterly unbreakable by most any means, capable of being engulfed in an S-Rank Jutsu and remaining unscathed. Though it is possible that the blade could potentially be broken by a sufficiently powerful attack (such as, say, a Bijuu-dama), this has never been tested, so it is not known if it would survive.

Sharper Than Your Average Blade
Due to its nature as an unbreakable blade, Samidare bears a cutting edge that is of particular note, which allows it to slice through even steel with little in the way of resistance, so long as the proper force is applied. Additionally, this edge never needs to be resharpened, as it never grows dull or rolls, thus making it perfect for frontline combat.

Light as Spring Rain
Perhaps a quirk of its forging (or perhaps an intentional feature), Samidare is considerably lighter than a blade its size and length ought to be; while this would normally result in a less effective weapon, Samidare loses none of its integrity or cutting power, as it is somehow able to leverage the same amount of force through less mass. This lightness allows the user to swing the weapon about with much greater speed for the same amount of physical exertion.

Chakra Conduction
Being Chakra Conductive, Samidare is capable of channeling all types of Chakra for use in Bukijustu, and, more particularly, it has a slight affinity for Raiton chakra thanks to Sora’s constant use of the blade for that purpose. This affinity does not do anything of real note, but it does feel as if the blade were more eager to drink in Raiton Chakra than other types.