[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

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Konoha, Training grounds near Nara forest, 11:00


”I wonder…” she sighed while pulling at some grass next to her head. The Nara girl was lying in the short grass and waiting for some neighbouring clan representative to train together. The Nara clan had been friends with the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans for ages and today it was Shun's turn to foster the friendship by learning from someone of the Yamanaka clan. The only other member of the clan she had learned from was Yamanaka Tomomi. They were interesting but Shun couldn't place the look in their eyes. Come to think of it, all Yamanaka she had seen visit the Nara compound or hang out with her parents shared one thing - all of them had a peculiar look in their eyes. First of all, most seemed to have the most clear and stunning eye colours but it also felt like they knew something… more. There was this look like they could constantly see within a soul. It was impressive yet somehow invasive. It was cool and beautiful yet cold and intimidating. It was hard to do it justice with mere words. One had to experience it to know it.

”I wonder… if this person will have the same eyes.” she thought out loud while throwing bits of grass in the air and watching them rain back down. The young Nara had long raven hair casting shapes around her form. Her skin was fair and her eyes dark grey. Shun wouldn't stand out in a crowd at all but most of her clan had regular hair and eye colours. There was only one person in the clan that stood out that way and she was half Uzumaki.

Shun was dressed in dark grey shorts, dark grey ninja boots and a baggy dark green t-shirt with unusually large, white hems. The Nara clan symbol was printed on her left sleeve. She stood at about 165cm and these days weighed around 55kg. Puberty was finally kicking in and filling her out. It was a nice change after being small and skinny for years.

The girl would keep waiting. Usually, Shun would procrastinate somewhere till the last second and then run but this time she had already been outside and couldn't be bothered to go home before coming back so she had arrived a good 20 minutes early and enjoyed watching clouds pass by. To her, clouds had it easy. They didn't have to make life decisions or worry about careers and societal norms - they could just float and then stop being a cloud. It was simple.

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Words: 437
Tag: Yamanaka Itsuki
Shun: 395828

[Yamanaka Itsuki]

Yamanaka Itsuki

Itsuki wasn't sure why he was suddenly chosen to interact with the other clans of Konoha's triad. A (somewhat literal) black sheep amongst the Yamanaka for most of his life, now that he was a chuunin it seemed they were more willing to interact with him and include him in wider clan matters. Which meant that on this morning, someone had come up to him and told him he'd been volunteered to help train one of the Nara clan as part of their general practice of training one another amongst the three clans.

On the one hand, he was a little grumpy to be volun-told to do something, but on the other, he certainly owed the Nara after he'd gotten medical training from Shikajin-san when he was still in the academy. That more than anything meant that he arrived at the training ground in a silent blur of speed, his attention focused immediately on the figure in the grass as he stared down at her from a branch a little behind her. He was in his full chuunin uniform, Haori tucked neatly beneath the flak vest and shin guards layered over his pants.

Legs swinging idly in the air, he couldn't help but ask "same eyes?" with a curious smile, alerting the Nara of his presence in the training field. Looking at him, Shun would be able to see someone clearly smaller than her, both in height and weight, a cheerful expression, but... there would be that same knowing glint that she had been thinking about, even tempered by the cheerful kindness, there was an air of unnatural knowledge that only Tomomi of all the other Yamanaka shared.

Shun wouldn't know it, but she would be looking at one of the four greatest sensors in Konoha, and though neither of them would know, the fourth most skilled sensor on the continent.

"Hiya, I'm Yamanaka Itsuki~"

Word Count: 315
Training 1/6
Tags: Nara Shun

[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

- t h e  t a l e  o f -

C L A N   T I E S

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”?!” Shun tilted her head back to look wherever the voice had come from. She didn't recognise the voice but it was clear she wasn't alone anymore. A boy appeared in front of her and, at first she looked up at him upside down. The first thing she'd notice was, of course, the eyes. Something she was curious about and looking forward to. *Oh! I knew it!*

The girl smiled upwards and pulled her knees to her chest before jumping up to a crouching position and then stood straight. The Nara turned around to face Itsuki and shook any loose blades of grass off her clothes. She gave a curt bow: ”Pleasure to meet you, Itsuki-senpai. My name is Nara Shun.” The girl would gather her hair to one side and comb through with her fingers to get any grass out.

”Are you a prodigy? I didn't know there was someone really cool around my age in Yamanaka…” she inquired having observing him. Itsuki's appearance was neat - Shun's mother would love it. Shun wasn't messy but didn't stress being too tidy either. ”I mean, I don't know your age but it looks close to mine. It's so cool to have a chunin jacket already - was it hard? Well done! I imagine it must've been hard.” Shun's mind had a tendency to race when her curiosity was tickled and she had no idea she'd meet someone so accomplished. Her tone was honest and it felt like she could keep asking questions for days - so she reeled the excitement in and stopped at that. It took effort.

There were a lot of talented people her age and sometimes it seemed the younger generations were becoming more and more powerful. Sure, the young Nara was a good student and exceeded some expectations but she didn't finish early - actually, her graduation exam was only a few days away - nor could she imagine being of chuunin rank or higher at her current state. Shunshin and tree walking weren't enough. The girl couldn't even fully maintain her clan jutsu yet. Shun had trained with her dad, Satoshi and Shikajin, as well as Tomomi and a bunch of other shinobi older and more experienced than her but she had never learned from someone who was her age (or, at least, appeared to be). Would it be different? Would the approaches seem somehow more relatable? It was time to find out.

”So, senpai, what are we doing today?”

*Come to think of it, I haven't seen him before… the Nara compound can be a bit of a maze and not a lot of people know how to get here. Some of the Yamanaka and Akimichi come here often but it's still strange I've never seen this person. Must've missed him every time?* she thought.

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Words: 479
Tag: Yamanaka Itsuki
Shun: 395828

[Yamanaka Itsuki]

Yamanaka Itsuki

Deciding to continue the conversation upside down, Itsuki fell backwards from his branch and spun a little until he was hanging from it by his feet, closer to the eye level of the Nara girl, his hair dangling towards the ground but otherwise seemingly defying gravity. "A prodigy? Eto..." he thought about it for a moment before shrugging, "I dunno, I wouldn't call myself that, but maybe others might. If I were a jounin already maybe? What makes a prodigy though...?" he pondered, before shrugging slightly and returning his attention back to the Nara.

"It was tricky, but I worked super hard, got to the chuunin exams the day after graduation, and got third place so... I guess it was worth it?" with that he dropped down from the tree with a flip, coming to stop near the Nara with a bounce in his step. "As for what to do today, I haven't a clue~ What did you want to work on? I'm pretty versatile and could probably help you with anything you wanted to improve!"

It wasn't like he had been given any further information when he was told here, and there was no point him deciding what to teach the older girl when he didn't know where she was or what she was aiming to achieve. The only way to be a useful teacher was to help someone learn what they needed after all. 

Word Count: 236
Training 2/6
Tags: Nara Shun

[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

- t h e  t a l e  o f -

C L A N   T I E S

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The girl giggled. First she had been upside down and then the boy was. ”So cool…” she gave out after listening. Of course, a big part of her wondered what her genin life would be like or what it might be like to go on missions or participate in the chunin exams later. There was the promise of many adventures and new people - SHun was always curious and hoped that she would be able to learn more about the world. Thus far the girl hadn't even been out of the village.

”Hmmm, if I get to choose then…” she thought out loud and took a moment to think. The girl crossed her arms over her chest and looked down thoughtfully. There were a lot of things she wanted to know more about but didn't know what she could get the most out of so, after some deliberation, she came to a conclusion. ”Can we work on becoming faster?” she asked. The girl had already been training speed for a couple years but her methods at the time were pretty much mundane - perhaps Itsuki had some tips on how to kick it up a notch. Hopefully she'd take something useful away from this.

”Itsuki-senpai, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?” It took a lot of willpower not to full-on interview the boy. Also, it still boggled her that they hadn't played together at one point or another. It was something she'd ask her father about later. Maybe Shun just forgot? Maybe there was a reason for it? Whatever it may be, it added mystery and was very exciting to the girl.

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Words: 282
Tag: Yamanaka Itsuki
Shun: 395828

[Yamanaka Itsuki]

Yamanaka Itsuki

"Humm, speed huh?" the Yamanaka mused for a moment, sending a tiny spark of chakra through his hair as he tilted his head, the sudden sound of tinkling bells accompanying the motion as he activated the hidden chōshō bells tied within his hair, allowing them to make noise one again. "The key to working on your speed is definitely motivation, so we'll give you some motivation~" he said cheerfuly as he began untying the bells from his hair and placing them more visibly on his flak jacket, what he had in mind wasn't going to allow them to stay where they were if he wanted it to work.

"Things like strength and speed training can be really boring, and you need some sort of goal or reason to do it if you can't stay focused on what your end goal is. So, here's your motivation, for each bell you manage to take from me I'll answer one question you have to the best of my ability, as long as it's not a clan or village secret. I won't attack you, just move away from you. It'd be even better if we had some weights or something, but maybe something you can add in to later training." They hadn't been in close proximity for more than a couple of minutes and Itsuki already had figured out a fairly decent motivation by his reckoning.

The Nara hadn't passed up any opportunity to ask him questions, and the glint in her eyes indicated a hunger for more knowledge, the emotions he could sense from her only reinforcing that point. 

"Any questions? About the training I mean~" he deliberately didn't answer her query about his age, it was meant to be a bit more motivation.

Word Count: 291
Training 3/6
Tags: Nara Shun

[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

- t h e  t a l e  o f -

C L A N   T I E S

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Bells? She tilted her head curiously and blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing right. *Where was he - no way, he always has bells in his hair?... does he keep bells on other parts, too?* This boy was full of surprises. Not once had Shun thought to hide things in her hair - was this what was required of modern shinobi? Maybe graduating would come with many new adjustments in not just tasks but fashion, too.

”How did y- oh.” She began to ask before the words 'About the training, I mean' were said. It was curious how this person found her in the compound. Most people got lost their first few times.

She would have offered some weights if she had taken hers with her. Actually,... she would have thought a bit about handing them over if they were going to have her use them. The taller teen nodded: ”Pretty clear thus far.” She took a couple of moments to look at Itsuki and process what she knew about him already and what to ask with a limited number of questions. The boy was playing on her curiosity which motivated a bit but also made the teenager feel a bit handled - something adults would usually do and assume their victims don't pick up. And a small part of her thought this also meant Itsuki didn't want to answer any of her questions - he should have just said so.

Without any hesitation, the girl reached a hand out for one of the bells attached to his jacket.

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Words: 265
Tag: Yamanaka Itsuki
Shun: 395828

[Yamanaka Itsuki]

Yamanaka Itsuki

Shun might have felt a bit 'handled', but it wasn't intentional on Itsuki's part, he just didn't have much on him in the way of proper motivation, and considering what little he had picked up about the Nara in their very brief interaction, what he came up with was the best solution he could find. Still, it was best to take this at face value and help her out with her training the way he had been instructed to.

Which meant taking a simple step backwards to avoid the questing hand that was reaching towards his vest by a small margin, an eyebrow raising slightly at the lackluster attempt to grasp one of his bells. "Can't blame you for trying I guess, but come on, surely you can move faster than that~" he encouraged, hopping slightly to jingle the bells with a slight smile on his face. 

He also wondered if she would pick up on the fact that he hadn't said he wouldn't answer other questions, just that the ones she asked for each bell would be answered the most thoroughly. That might be a bit much to expect from someone still in the Academy, but you never knew, there was a stereotype about the Nara clan for a reason and perhaps she would already have that kind of mindset.

Regardless, the Yamanaka waited patiently for Shun to come at him properly, ready to help encourage her to build her speed further and further.

Word Count: 245
Training 4/6
Tags: Nara Shun

[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

- t h e  t a l e  o f -

C L A N   T I E S

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Shun didn't think that her simple approach would work but it never hurt to try the simplest approach first. Her father Nara, Shikarui always told her that often times a fight starts before anyone has thrown a punch which meant that a shinobi should take into account their surroundings and the people they were engaged with. It was a detail-oriented and complicated way of viewing the world that could yield a lot of benefits. However, a lot of things in life were simple, too. Not trying them seemed like a waste to the young Nara.

Dark grey eyes locked in a couple of the bells as Itsuki moved back and she'd stay low and would launch forward. Since it was a day without weight, she felt herself moving lighter and faster. Shun would stay low and swipe up for one of the bells when she was close enough. It was easier to avoid attacks from above at close range than from below, she thought, if the reach was big enough.

If that didn't work, the Nara teen would make a couple of hand seals and suddenly five clones would appear. They weren't shadow clones but would provide distraction enough for the girl to move among them. The sextet of Naras would attempt to surround Itsuki and swipe at the bells like a growling of playful cats. if Shun got any bells, she would pocket them and head for the next. The questionnaire could wait till after.

Finally, the third strategic way to get a bell on short notice was to mix between the afterimages and then, when covered, make a single hand seal and use Shunshin no Jutsu - a technique that allowed her to enhance her speed even more and seemingly vanish. Aided by her already nimble nature, she'd reappear behind the chuunin who was, hopefully, still a little distracted by the clones. She'd reach out for a bell from behind…

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Words: 321
Tag: Yamanaka Itsuki
Shun: 395828

[Yamanaka Itsuki]

Yamanaka Itsuki

As Shun charged at him, the young Chuunin picked up his own speed to be just a bit beyond hers, matching the pace of the Nara just enough to push her further but not so far as to demotivate her by the difference in ability. Itsuki was small, which meant he had focused far more on speed than strength as a shinobi, and his top speeds would have been far too much for Shun to keep up with.

The clone trick might have worked had she been facing someone else, but as one of Konoha's pre-eminent sensors even at his young age, Itsuki didn't even need to look to know which one was the correct Nara, allowing several of her bunshin to swipe at the bells even as he continued to move faster to encourage her to continue to do the same.

"That's better, I can see you're trying now but you have to- WAH!" his attempted encouragement was interrupted by a sound of surprise. He hadn't bothered to keep his eyes fully on her as he had been relying on his sensory skill and general spatial awareness to keep track of her, which meant when she used the unexpected shunshin (who taught that to an Academy student, honestly?) he wasn't ready for the sudden burst of speed.

Shun would find herself holding a bell as Itsuki also blurred out of sight to stand across from her, clearly not using shunshin, but moving faster than Shun could follow with some sort of jutsu. Tugging on one of his forelocks in thought, the Yamanaka stuck his tongue out at Shun playfully.

"That's one, I wasn't expecting that trick. Lets try and work more on natural speed though ne? Unless you want to go into jutsu instead?"

Word Count: 295
Training 5/6
Tags: Nara Shun