Miroru posed a series of questions, and rather surprisingly, the instructor was caught off guard.
Not an easy feat by any means... but the surprise only further proved his suspicion about his younger relative. She was intelligent, and mindful well beyond her years. Izusa kept his eyes focused, but listened to her intently.
Considering his own words carefully before he responded.
"It might be for nothing." He said, his smile seeming to fade.
"At present, I mean." This topic was... a tricky one, for him. Like many things he spoke about, it would be a delicate balancing act. Izusa paused, taking a moment to ponder it all.
"We tell ourselves what we do is for survival." He began, but how much of his true opinion did he want to reveal?
"Since the world is the way that it is... there is war. And we fight, and we die, over and over..." The instructor shook his head slightly as he spoke, quite clearly in disapproval of the current state of things.
Of the way they'd been for hundreds of years.
"...but what meaning does any of it have? Beyond our own circular reasoning— the sacrifices you mentioned?" Izusa stopped himself for a moment, his mind turning to his late squadmate. Hayase Satoji, a boy younger than Miroru, slain by a rain of arrows.
For what? Ryō in the daimyō's pocket?
"Do we lay the responsibility for our actions at the graves of the fallen?" He asked, slowly turning to stare at the girl.
"Or does someone stand up... and finally make a change?" It was a cyclical problem, deeply-rooted and entrenched in every facet of their lives. Any solution would be hard— bloody, by necessity.
"I know that... wasn't really what you were asking, so—" An interruption, talk of suspicious individuals. It seemed their time to relax was in fact over. Like a switch had been flipped, the instructor's smile returned, using only the periphery of his sharp eyesight to glance east-southeast.
"There." He thought, catching a few of the masked figures in the corner of his vision.
"Never give up the advantage, little cousin." Came his assured reply.
"We feign."Something he was quite practiced in, appearing to be nonchalantly conversing from a distance. The more of them they could draw out into the open, the easier it would be to deal with them, and the less likely an ambush would be.
Or so his experience told him, anyway. Izusa saw movement, a group of four figures shuffling around, reaching for weapons from the look of it.
"I wonder if any of them are ninja..." He thought.
"...but I suppose it doesn't matter." The instructor looked to his relative.
"Can you cover me from here?" A question, the unknowns drawing closer. Some meters away, a group of three masks approached from the opposite side. All set to converge on the tower soon. In seconds, there would be conflict.
"I'll seize the initiative... before they can harm the laborers." He muttered, his smile wavering as he turned his gaze to the advancing bogeys. His dark eyes narrowed, and he felt something click.
Old instincts returning to the fore.
"To answer your question, Miroru-chan..." Izusa brought both hands up and formed a single
Hitsuji seal.
"I feel cheated, now." In a whir of movement, the
Shunshin no Jutsu carried him away, and down towards the figures. Only to stop a few feet in front of the odd group, his back facing the tower itself.
"Kindly take your hands off your weapons." A request, his gaze shifting between each of the figures. By the time he reached them, his smile was gone. Cold, uncaring, a dangerous glint in his eye.
"I'd rather not bloody the pavement."As he confronted the four figures on this side, the group of three continued their slow advance. It would be up to Miroru to watch them now... at least until one group or the other made the first move. Had he been in his Foundation guise, this conversation never would've happened. But he was a teacher today, not a masked killer.
SUPPORTIVE TECHNIQUES:
NAME: Shunshin no Jutsu [Body Flicker Technique]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 1
DESCRIPTION:
By invigorating one's entire body with chakra, a shinobi can seemingly disappear and reappear in another location faster than most people can see. Often times one's movements are disguised with the use of an extra element, be it a smoke bomb, leaves, water, sand, etc. in order to hide the user's trajectory from those with skilled eyes. Though it mimics teleportation, it is important to remember this jutsu merely boosts the agility of its user. As useful as this technique is, it can only be used 4 times in a battle thread, compounding in exertion and difficulty each time. with any more usages beyond that result in muscle tears in the legs from overexertion. The hand seal for this technique must be held until the shinobi reaches their destination, making it impossible to utilize other techniques regardless of any preparation.
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
JISEISHIN - ENHANCED CHAKRA CONTROL
"Self control." Possessing only average chakra reserves, Izusa learned early on to keep his energy expenditure minimal. Using only the required amount of chakra and nothing more to perform his jutsu. This allows him to not only ration out his chakra more efficiently, but to remain active in battle for longer periods of time without tiring. Restraint is vital to any ninja.
SHARINGAN - KKG
Wielder of his clan's legendary dōjutsu, the Sharingan gives Izusa incredible sensory awareness. Color springs to life in vivid hues and his clarity is enhanced, making even chakra visible to his red eyes. Still incomplete since its awakening, it requires further improvement. As his one tomoe spins, his eyes allow him to perceive his opponent to an enhanced degree and follow their movements with more ease. Understanding firsthand the great cost that comes with furthering one's Sharingan, Izusa is in no rush to develop it soon. Instead utilizing it only when necessary and treating his Kekkei Genkai like any other skill. Notably, his dominant right eye has a tendency to activate first on its own when his emotions rise.
ONKOCHISHIN - INTELLIGENCE
"Review past, know future." An avid reader for as long as he can remember, Izusa is ever thoughtful. Scrolls on poetry, life, war, tactics, human nature— all providing him keen insight into others. Making him an experienced tactician. Applying this to his shinobi training, his sharp mind allows him to read situations and opponents expertly. Concocting masterful plans even in the midst of combat to compensate for his own shortcomings and capitalize on weaknesses in their defenses.
