[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu NPC - WORDS - - -

T

raveling was not something Shuka did significantly much of these days. Staying home in Yukigakure tended to make the most logistical sense, as she was busy and had much to deal with. However, for events like the Chuunin Exams, it was practically a necessity. A worldwide event that was as much a celebration as it was a political field. It provided an opportunity to get out and maintain connections. With Mizu no Kuni hosting, there were also lessened fears of the peace treaty being broken and the risks that would come with such.

She wanted to be here to support the efforts and ambitions of her genin. This was only her second Chuunin Exams since fully entering the leadership and perhaps the novelty hadn't quite worn off yet.

One of the competitors from Yukigakure was a member of her own clan. Yuki Kazu. Quite honestly, she was mildly concerned about his ability to participate. He had shown decent decision-making skills in opting not to partake in the exams last year, but he still showed a mild lack of engagement. His sensei had recommended him for the exams, however, and she would not deny him the chance to prove himself on his own merits.

Still, it was something she wanted to discuss with the young man. When there was time between his regular activity, she found a moment to have one of her bodyguards go to give him summons.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu had been laying down on his bed when he heard the knock on his door. He had been told earlier in the day that he'd have the option of participating in the upcoming Chuunin exams, he accepted this time unlike his last opportunity to do so but he still didn't understand why they thought he was ready. As he opened it, no one was there, the only remnant of whoever had knocked on the door was a letter. He opened it quickly, quite curious as to what it was.



Dear Kazu Yuki,

You are hereby summoned to the Palace of White Ice as soon as possible.

Lady Fifth of Yukigakure.



The boy was shocked to say the least. Why did the leader of their village wanted to see him? Did this have anything to do with the exams? He wasn't sure, but he knew he couldn't keep the woman waiting, so he grabbed anything he might need when meeting her and headed to his destination.



As he arrived, he was guided through the building to where the fifth lady was. Upon reaching the room, he knocked on the door and waited for her permission to enter. Once prompted to do so, he would open the door and enter the room before closing it behind him. "You summoned me ma'am?" This was his first time meeting the woman, so naturally he was nervous.

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu NPC - WORDS - - -

E

veryone always did a good job of arriving promptly to her office. Naturally - no one wanted to keep the leader of the village waiting and it was just good decorum, all things considered. It still surprised her, however. Maybe she was still used to her career in the Diplomatic Corps where people took more than ample time to get back to her on anything.

When Kazu knocked on the door, Shuka spoke up quickly, telling him,

"Please, come in."

The young boy entered and asked about his summons.

She grabbed from her desk Kazu's entry application, the paperwork that would need to be submitted to ensure that he would be allowed to take part in the upcoming Chuunin Exams. It was information compiled by his former instructors, his current sensei, everything that would indicate the level of skill that he had reached.

"I have. Thank you for your quick arrival. I had wanted to discuss with you the upcoming Chuunin Exams," she said. She offered the file to him and then motioned at the seat across the desk from her.

"You may sit. I want you to tell me your current feelings about the exam and your own preparation for it." The file noted him as someone who had plenty of skill, but lacked only in ambition.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

As far as first impressions go, Lady Fifth did really well. She seemed to be sturdier than anything life could throw at her, as if Kazu couldn't even imagine what she had been through in the woman's many years of life. As the woman grabbed paperwork from her desk, the boy had a feeling he had been right on the money. This had to be about the exams. Based on the stack she had grabbed, she'd probably gone around to most, if not all of his previous and current instructors. 

Then came the confirmation as she offered him the file, motioning for him to take a seat as well. He did as she asked, with how intimidating she was it was hard not to. She asked him what his feelings were regarding the exam, as well as how he planned to prepare for the obstacles he would no doubt face. Kazu hadn't really had time to think about either, he was only told he had been recommended this morning. He'd barely even had time to relax at home after deciding to take part in the exams before this summons had interrupted him, it was almost like Lady Fifth could see the future or something. He gripped the file in his hands, refusing to open it since he already knew what it said. He was lazy and lacked motivation, it was obvious to anyone. 

"The quick arrival is no problem, ma'am. Though it isn't a common thing for me, I felt that this was probably incredibly important since you're Lady Fifth and all. Plus, I had a feeling it was about the exams." He took a breath before continuing, "As far as my feelings towards the exams... I don't want to disappoint the people that believe in me. Sensei is the main one but that's what helped me make my decision. I also haven't really had time to think about how to prepare for them, you summoned me very quickly. I know I lack motivation and I'm lazy but who knows, maybe these exams can help me find some motivation... I know it's a long shot but..." The boy didn't really need to finish, it probably wouldn't happen. Yet, he stayed hopeful as he glared into the grey-green eyes of the Lady Fifth.

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu NPC - WORDS - - -

A

s the boy answered her questions, his responses sounded quite like she had expected. There was a hopeful note to what he'd stated, though - he cared about doing right by the people who had taught him and making his sensei proud. That was a motivating factor that would be a lynch pin in allowing him to perform slightly better at the exams. That would be important. She had often found that people without clear direction or motivation often performed worse. Even something as simple as proving oneself could make them care more about the exams and, in turn, cause them to succeed.

"You may be right," Shuka said, perhaps to Kazu's surprise. She was one who liked to respect other's perspectives and try to find the truth in them. That was the responsibility of a diplomat.

"The Chuunin Exams are an interesting institution. They will test you in ways that you have never experienced before. Trials that are nothing like your standard missions, battle with the other nations' best and brightest. It may highlight for you some area of interest you haven't noticed before and start you on a forward path in your career," she said.

"This is part of why I have called you today. I am certain it will not surprise you to realize that most of your instructors note you as a natural talent and skilled shinobi, but someone without much direction. I wanted you here to ask you if this is true. If you have thought any about what you might want to do with your future. For example, if you were to pass the exams and become a Chuunin?" She asked.

If he did pass, he would leave his role on his genin team after a while and be moved up to a new position. What would he want to do?

"I also wanted to offer," though who would refuse an offer from the Yuki Lady, "to help you train in preparation if you would like."

When he got on that international stage, he would be representing what his country and clan could do.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu looked extremely confused, the Fifth Lady said he might be right? Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that his reasoning would actually make sense. Especially to someone like her. She made him feel validated in a way he wasn't supposed to. Maybe his sensei wasn't so bad at guiding him after all.

The woman was very knowledgeable about the Chuunin exams, mentioning that it was somewhat of a trial by fire. He'd be tested in ways he couldn't possibly imagine, nothing like the missions he'd been on so far. Battling the other nations best Genin in an attempt to come out on top, it definitely could give the boy some much needed motivation. It'd be the true start of his career as a shinobi but talking about it all still didn't instill the motivation he needed. Hopefully being there in person would.

As the Fifth Lady spoke, Kazu listened even more than when he was on a mission. It was obvious that this was important, and it was a possibility that he would die. As she began talking about the fact that most of his instructors had deemed him as skilled, but with no direction, the boy knew it to be true. She asked if it was true, and Kazu already knew what his response would be. However, he chose not to interrupt her so that he would seem rude on top of the other stuff. She then asked if Kazu had thought about what he would do in the future, using the example of if he made the rank of Chuunin. This caused a realization in Kazu, he hadn't thought about what he would do after he was promoted at all. 

"It's true yeah, I've never had much motivation to begin with honestly. So, that's where the no direction thing comes from, I think. As far as being skilled I tend not to judge my own abilities, but I would say that I'm stronger than a lot of our Genin at least. I've never really thought of what I'd do as a Chuunin honestly, I don't even know the options really." As he finished, the woman offered something he really didn't expect, almost causing him to fall out of his chair as he heard the words come out of her mouth. He was still in disbelief, the Fifth Lady wanted to train him? Surely, she had much better things to do. Not to mention he had just said that she was right, he had no motivation. No direction. The boy almost felt like he didn't have a choice either, this was the leader of their village after all. "I uh... I would be honored Lady Fifth, but I also don't want to take up too much of your time. I'm sure you're very busy since you're the leader of our village. Not to mention I'm still unmotivated so I'd be taking up even more of your time." He still couldn't wrap his head around the concept of being trained by the Fifth Lady of Yukigakure. What would they even do for training?

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu NPC - WORDS - - -

P

ersonal investment in the success of her soldiers was something that continually surprised people. It made sense - she was a busy woman with a lot on her plate. Going out of her way to meet who she could and offer them specific guidance, giving them the option of her helping them see through their development, was a very strange idea to many. Especially when most had grown up under the rule of Saya Yoi and her firm, severe hand. Shuka wanted to be a more kindly and personable ruler than the Third Lady. It was important to her to help where she could.

Kazu expressed that he was uncertain about his future position and uncertain about being trained by her. He had not put any thought into what he wanted to do and barely even understood what the options were. Beyond that, he felt that this lack of direction made him unworthy of being trained under her. A waste of time. What he failed to understand was that having time invested helped one to feel and find their place in the world.

"Let me first address the matter of positions," she said. "There are many options in the shinobi world. Joining an Operations team is the most common. It allows you to continue the work that you've been doing on your genin team, but with a suite of your peers. You can even rise to become the leader of one. You can also become a gate guard, an academy instructor, a bodyguard, a member of our Diplomatic Corps, a member of the prestigious and secretive GOKA - though that one takes more specialized training." She couldn't see the young boy being interested in assassin work anyways.

"As for training - I never find teaching the next generation to be a waste of my time. I want to learn my soldier's skills. What are you interested in focusing on? I can aid with your kekkai genkai, or try to teach you anything else I may know."

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu still couldn't quite believe that of all people, the Fifth Lady was going to train him. Why was he deserving of this? It was so strange to him. The only other person who had really devoted time to training Kazu was his sensei, and that was kind of his job. Maybe that was just how she was though; it wasn't like helping to train her shinobi would hurt the village. So, maybe she preferred to train some of them personally and Kazu was simply the latest recipient of that training. 

Pulling his attention back to her, the Fifth Lady addressed the positions that a Chuunin could occupy. There was the Operations team, which allowed you to continue the work you did as a Genin, with more peers to help. It was even possible to lead one. Leading didn't interest Kazu all that much though. He could also be a gate guard, but that seemed extremely boring. Academy instructor? Kazu didn't have nearly enough patience for that. A bodyguard sounded cool, but it would be for people he didn't know. The other two definitely didn't sound fun either, he was no diplomat. He also didn't much care for super-secret organizations. She continued on, alerting Kazu to the next topic as she said that training the future generation could never be a waste of time. What did he want to train though? He didn't really need anything in particular, but with her being the Fifth Lady, she surely had better use of Hyoton techniques, "So... How to put this? My Hyoton is good, but I think I can do better? Is there anything that like, sets your use of Hyoton apart that you could teach me?" Surely the woman would have something that matched his description, she was the Fifth lady for a reason! 

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu NPC - WORDS - - -

P

ositions were something that Kazu could worry about later. He was still relatively young and though the exams were soon, promotion was not necessarily just around the corner. Deciding what he wanted to do with his future, where he wanted to slot into the shinobi world, was something he could be allowed to ponder on for a longer time, something he could reckon with until the time actually came for his promotion to a new position. Perhaps he could even find what compelled him at the exams. That meant that the focus could shift to this second topic.

Kazu emphasized an interest in learning how to make better use of his Hyoton techniques. Shuka made a soft sound of comprehension, contemplating that question. Every Yuki's kekkai genkai manifested slightly differently, but Shuka had put a great deal of effort into focusing on her practices with the craft, developing her skills, becoming stronger, forcing the snow under her fingers to become colder.

"Most in our clan would call me one of the foremost Hyoton experts in the world," she admitted to Kazu. "My Hyoton has been honed to be dense, durable, and sharp. I can help you practice with your Hyoton and begin developing the skills necessary to create stronger ice."

She made her way past the desk and to the door.

"Let's go to the training grounds. I want you to show me what you can do."

It was a recently short walk, at least for a shinobi, from the white palace to the training grounds within the black ice castle. On her arrival, the other people training would make way for her. She motioned at the open space.

"Demonstrate."

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

As Lady Fifth explained that she was one of the best Hyoton experts in the world, Kazu was a little surprised. Did that mean she was in the Yuki clan, or did she just know a lot about them? Kazu was oblivious to what the answer was, so he decided he would ask after her statements. It seemed however, that he didn't need to ask. As the Fifth Lady said that her Hyoton had been honed to the point of being more dense, durable, and sharp. So, they were related, that was a strange thought. Before he could really state his own shock, the woman got up from her desk, moving to the door. Kazu followed her lead, walking over to the door as he heard her state their destination. 

He didn't talk on the way to the training grounds, his usual lack of motivation was overpowered by the sheer intensity the Fifth Lady emitted. It was a short walk at least, not far at all from the duo's previous location. As the two approached the training grounds, it was obvious just how respected she was. Even those caught up in her training stopped to make way for her. 

As she motioned to an empty space for Kazu to train, he walked towards it, stopping a little bit before it. The words Lady Fifth spoke were quite simple, demonstrate. He didn't need a super complicated jutsu, just something that involved his Hyoton. Low chakra consumption was probably better as well. Thinking on these things, he began to move both his hands, making two handseals. He began by gathering the moisture in the air, creating around ten ice structures. Then with his simple words, the ice flew towards the target dummy, "Hyōton: Guncho Tsurara." Once he was done, he looked to the Fifth Lady, waiting for her to speak.

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu NPC - WORDS - - -

S

tepping forward, the young man started off with a brief demonstration of a fairly fundamental and simple Yuki technique. The icicle flock. Basic to learn, but potentially deadly in the right hands. When the icicles struck the dummy, she stalked forward towards them, pausing to look at the icicles embedded in wood. As was the nature of the technique, some had shattered against the hard surface while others had burrowed in, demonstrating their cutting power.

"Decent show," Shuka praised Kazu, tugging the icicles out of the dummy and letting them drop to the ground to melt. They'd be bothering this poor dummy quite a bit, so it was better to clear space.

With that handled, she returned to Kazu's side. She held up her hand and began to gather moisture from the air, forming and creating an icicle which she held in her hand. It was a lethal looking thing, desperately sharp and jagged. She offered it to Kazu.

"Make another icicle to hold in your other hand. I want you to compare the weight of the two. I imagine your own will be lighter," she informed him.

"This is likely because of your formation method. When you create your Hyoton techniques, do you just allow them to come together as they naturally would, or do you focus on the crystal formation?"

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

As Kazu used his Hyoton technique, opting for one of the rather simple ones, the Fifth Lady watched him intently. This of course, made the boy nervous. He still didn't feel that he'd earned her advice. She was an expert after all, she shouldn't be bothered with basics. That being said, as Kazu finished his demonstration, the woman walked over. Calling it a decent show, Kazu felt a slight amount of pride at the fact that he'd been acknowledged. She cleared the icicles embedded in the dummy, allowing them to drop to the ground and melt. 

As she walked back to Kazu, she held up her hand to gather the moisture in the air around them. This caused a simple icicle to form in the woman's hand. It was obviously much deadlier than Kazu's ice techniques. Kazu's creations didn't even compare to the level of sharpness and jagged structure of Lady Fifth's. She instructed the boy to make another icicle as he grabbed the one that she had made with his right hand. He held up the other hand, closing his eyes for a moment. Due to his instruction from Nakajima on water-walking, he understood a bit more of ice than he had before. It was something that flowed, it was fluid and ever-changing. It wasn't something you should force into whatever shape you wanted. No, the person using the jutsu needed to adapt to it.

While his mind was in the right place, it had no effect on the outcome currently. He still made the same type of icicle as he usually did, what could be going wrong? As he compared the weight of the two icicles, he realized that what the woman had said was right. His icicle was definitely lighter. Did Lady Fifth's deadly ice have to do with weight? Then, she mentioned Kazu's formation method. He thought about her question for a bit, he tried to just let the ice come together on its own, but maybe he couldn't do it because he was so used to focusing on its formation? He looked at Lady Fifth, deciding his answer, "I think... I think I'm so used to focusing on the formation of it that I do it out of habit. I had a lesson recently with a guy that could basically light himself on fire, he had something to do with centipedes too. Forgot his name, but he taught me how to do water-walking with snow and sleet. He didn't want me to get hypothermia, I think. Anyways, that lesson kind of showed me that water wasn't something that adapted to you. You have to adapt to it; I figured the same could be said for ice since it's just frozen water."

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu NPC - WORDS - - -

S

omeone who could light himself on fire and had something to do with centipedes. That sounded like Ryuunosuke to her. Troublesome young shinobi, though certainly a good and strong one. He tended to be too hot-headed on missions, but was at least dependable and had shown his skill in many situations. The fact that he was taking time out of his day to encourage and train young shinobi did warm her heart to him slightly. Despite his attitude problems, he did care for others. Encouraging.

"I think that Nakajima Ryuunosuke offered you some very sound advice in that lesson. When we're engaging with the natural forces of the world, we are obviously exerting our influence upon it in order to achieve an effect we want, but nature is wiser than we are. It has been around for far longer and it developed in the ways it did for a reason. We are merely borrowing from its lexicon when we inherit our bloodline abilities, when we develop our techniques," she explained to him.

"That's not to say concentrating on it slightly isn't a good idea. It is about knowing when to exert your opinion over nature and when to allow it to develop normally. When you're creating with Hyoton, you generally want to form a sort of... scaffolding for nature to build off of, but not wholly control the entire design," she tried to explain.

In demonstration, she held up a hand again. She would go through her icicle creation process, but slower this time. First she build a strong core, focusing on drawing in moisture to create a dense building block. Once that was done, she allowed ice to begin to build naturally, blooming off of it as it took shape into the deadly and jagged dagger she had handed him.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

It seemed that the woman knew who Kazu spoke of, and as she mentioned the name Kazu remembered. Nakajima Ryuunosuke. The lady agreed that he had given him sound advice and began to explain how to engage with the natural forces of the world. It was obvious that you had to exert some influence over nature to get the outcome you wanted according to the Fifth Lady. However, nature was definitely wiser than most shinobi. Being around possibly since the beginning of time, it had definitely developed far more than Kazu at least. All shinobi did was utilize natures power, borrowing from it. Whether that's through regular elemental jutsu, a bloodline, or anything else. 

While that was all true, Lady fifth continued by stating that concentrating on it wasn't necessarily a bad idea. Kazu simply needed to learn when to exert his influence and when to let nature do its thing. Lady Fifth gave some advice in this regard, for her she simply made a start to it and then let nature take over. A shell for nature to make an extension of. 

Once the lady seemed satisfied with her explanation, she gave a demonstration. She did the same thing, as was obvious by the end result, except it was slower. She seemed to want to demonstrate the process more than the end result, picturing it in his mind wouldn't help Kazu in this situation. Kazu watched as the core Lady Fifth had made slowly began to build ice, until it was another icicle, with the same deadliness as the one in his right hand. 

"Okay, I think I understand. That being said, there's a difference between a Jutsu and an icicle. There's a lot more that you have to think about when it comes to actual Jutsu." After stating a rather obvious fact, Kazu began to make a second attempt. He started out similar to the Fifth Lady, having a core that was clearly meant to be the middle of his icicle. A base for nature to build off of. Out of habit, he still influenced it slightly. The end result was an icicle that was definitely sharper than his previous one, heavier too. It wasn't nearly as deadly as the one Lady Fifth had made, but it was a definite improvement. "That's better, right?" The boy asked, hoping for the woman to acknowledge his improvement. Maybe he was deserving of her training.

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu NPC - WORDS - - -

T

here was a difference between a jutsu and an icicle. That was an obvious statement, but it was also true. Even the simple terms made clear a general truth of the fact of learning this method - seeing it in action might make sense for the icicle, which had a very easy core to observe growing. But what about a white ice tree, or a deadly blizzard? Understanding how to influence the core of those might be a little more complicated when it wasn't so literal.

She observed as he practiced the formation of the icicle once more, creating a more solid example of what she was attempting to demonstrate. Imperfect, naturally, but it was a first attempt, and he was just a genin. Expecting it to be as finely honed as her abilities would be unwise and unfair to him.

"That is most definitely better," she praised. "You allowed more natural crystal development. This helped to increase the power of the technique. That's just one good exercise to do if you want to become more in-tune with your Hyoton."

Naturally, there were others.

"Here is another bit of practice that you can engage in." She raised a hand and began to draw moisture from the air, creating a snow flurry. It wasn't a formal technique or anything, just a natural application of her bloodline power.

"Create a small snowstorm. Then start concentrating on compressing it," she said. She began to draw it in. The snowstorm became smaller, but also progressively harsher.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY