[Mint]

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Yoshimi yawned, his long jacket shielding him from the small dribbles of rain that plagued Takigakure. A game, really. It seemed at first that it was going to be a pleasant day, but the tables had turned, and the man wasn’t pleased with the outcome.

He was subbing for one of the Academy Instructors today, and it just so happened that he had a special day to take over. He was to assess the capabilities of a particular Academy Student, and determine whether or not they were fit for the life of a Shinobi.

Had he done this before? Hell no.

Was he qualified? Over.

Maybe that was the issue he had with it, but Yoshimi wasn’t one to bark at orders he didn’t like, so he’d do the job and would do it right. If anything, he was a harsher critic than that stale joke of an Academy Instructor.

Kita Yoshimi. Male. 26. Special Jounin with a particularly well-known mastery of Kenjutsu and Fuuinjutsu.

Also, a narcissist of the highest degree.

He arrived early. As he did. He stared at his watch with a tap of his foot, watching the door patiently for the student to arrive. He wouldn’t wait for long, though. If they were even a minute too late for his preferences, he simply leave, and that would be that.

Failed.

@perpetual

[Deleted]

"sHITFUCKWA-" the gibberish of cultured insults as Hotarubi was nearly late. This was not good! He had been at a solid run for the past five minutes, closing down to the time of the academy exam. The rain was not a good sign, either - as he hopped and jumped over puddle or between people through them. The door slammed open. "GOMEANAISAI-" it would thud as the border hit the end of the door, with Hotarubi already bent over in apology. "Yamakira Hotarubi! For! The! Exams!" he practically yelled with his body still half way parallel to the floor. He was already grimy and out of breath from having to lunge his way through the village to get to the Academy for the chosen exam. Usually, he was quite obnoxious, loud, arrogant, but right now? Hotarubi would kiss as much ass as he needed to get a headband in his hands. He was used to having to defer to other people on account on being an inferior Yamakira to other Yamakira. Hopefully not for long. He had endlessly trained for this moment, would refuse to back down and had all of the necessary skill in order to graduate, clearly. This was why he was here, but he needed to prove that he knew it to whoever it was running the exam.

[Mint]

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[attr="class","mnt"]Yoshimi had stared impatiently at his watch for much longer than he cared to admit. With every second that passed, he was closer and closer to simply walking out the door. He could chalk it up to the Academy Instructor that the student was simply a no-show. That way, he wouldn’t even need to worry about it down the road. The kid could just try again next year.

His eyes furrowed, and a sigh left his lips. "Welp, time’s up, kiddo. Can’t say I didn’t stick around and give you a chance,” he would mumble to himself. With a light clap on the ground under the thick of his shined boot, he would walk towards the door.

With a slam, it would open before him, a muddied face meeting his own.

Yoshimi scratched at the side of his nose as if to somehow let the boy know he had --- "You have a little…” He couldn’t compose himself.

He would wait very little before stepping through, but the boy’s deepened bow would have his heart shutter. "Don’t do that. That’s not very becoming of a shinobi, er…potential shinobi.” He would add his remark, crossing his hands over his chest.

"Hotarubi, is it? Weird name.”

His face would light up as if Yoshimi connected the dots. "Oh! Right! The Yamakira twin.” His face would screw as if to imply: ew.

He would shrug lightly. "You’re late, but I suppose I could give you the time of day.” Time was money, after all.

Yoshimi peeked around the corner. "Shame. I would have liked the set.” He spoke to no one in particular but would return into the room and take a seat on top of the desk at the center of the room. He would smile lightly, his arms still gross atop his chest.

"Well, let’s see. I haven’t done one of these before, so I guess we can just start with the basics. Before I start, though, I want to know something.”

Yoshimi would shift his position, letting his chin rest on the palm of his hand, his elbow digging into his thigh as he’d lean forward a bit. "What is your life worth, you think?”

His voice was oddly cheerful, lifting as the question presented itself. "Is it worth the band of this great village? If you had to kill for it…would you?”

He would shrug yet again if Hotarubi even dared to start answering. "You’re right. Too personal. I don’t care.” He would wave his hand shooing the thought away. "Why don’t we just start with a good ole fashioned clone?”

@perpetual

[Deleted]

He was forgiven! But barely. Hotarubi could feel it, that they were so close to the door. But, allowed in - Yoshimi's impression and definition of a Shinobi was something they could get behind. "Arigato gozaimasu, sensei." and he stepped through with all of his items and apparel on person. He would care little for Yoshimi's opinion, wherein it didn't relate to his own academy exam and his face remained impassive, careful to not piss off the person that was testing him. He also could not care for Nageku's own exam, focusing on his own performance on this day. Yoshimi asked whether or not Hotarubi was willing to kill, his reason for wanting to be a Shinobi. He would have, yes. But before he could err to that statement, he was stopped, and he stopped himself from nodding. On the other hand, perhaps it was best he didn't say that... Yoshimi didn't appear to care anyway. His mouth shut, rather than opening to say a word. They would get to that question later, he supposed, and he would hopefully have a better answer than 'yes.' Yoshimi would have little idea of how difficult it was for a Yamakira to perform ninjutsu in human form, much less anything that wasn't Doton ninjutsu. But still, it was a necessary task of ninjutsu that needed to be completed. Hotarubi would turn to flesh and blood, moving to the centre of the room and central to Yoshimi's vision, and would perform the seals. Each individual and deliberate, strong fingers - clasped together with intention. His eyebrows clenched together with fixation on the task. And there it was. Four clones - chakra bringing it into existence. SPOILER: Click to show NAME: Bunshin no Jutsu [Clone Technique] RANK: E CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General] ELEMENT: None HANDSEALS: 3 DESCRIPTION: After performing the necessary hand seals, the user can create a handful of intangible clones to confuse the enemy. They do not contain solid mass, have no shadows and do not interact with the surrounding environment, making them somewhat easy to distinguish from the real person.

[Bloo]

The boy might have been almost late, but he at least followed directions well. It even looked like he had the guts to answer the question that Yoshimi had put forward. He didn't, though, as the jounin had interrupted him quickly. This whole thing was dangerously close to becoming dramatic at the moment.

They were back on track quickly, though, and the boy was doing his clone technique. It was strange that he had to morph into a different form before he did, and Yoshimi didn't try to hide the disgusted face he made as it happened. Four clones, though, which was nothing to scoff at.

"Right, right. Almost wish I'd started you with something else instead." Yoshimi seemed to have a knack for thinking out loud, but as he spoke he'd be picking up pieces of chalk by the board. "This feels a little slow. Feel like we should make up time since you were so close to tardiness. So here's the deal. I want to see the transformation jutsu and the substitution jutsu. Maybe I guess see if you work well under pressure, too. Listen, a good shinobi is efficient, y'know."

The jounin would flick the piece of chalk into the forehead of one of the clones, the chalk splattering the clone and bouncing back to the mans hand. "You've got 3 more clones, so you've got plenty of time, right? When this hits you, I expect to see the substitution jutsu."

There would be a silght pause, as if to let the kid digest the information for a few moments. Then Yoshimi would start lining the chalk up again towards another clone. "Aren't you a little old to be an Academy Student? What, did you start late or something? Gah, I just can't do this whole thing without a little small talk."

Maybe teaching didn't have to be so boring, Yoshimi thought briefly as he launched the chalk at another clone. He'd give the student about 3 full minutes to do the transformation technique and find something to substitute with, by then the remaining clones would be destroyed and the chalk would fly towards the boys forehead.

@perpetual

[Deleted]

The four clones were of decent proportion, one was a little on the ... soft looking side, lines not entirely sharp as he was himself - but they were fair replications. That wasn't it for Hotarubi just yet though, intended to try and ace the exam, had built up his own nerves for the event and he wasn't quite yet ready, given the need to be in a human form. In human form, techniques outside the doton nature were... difficult. That included the academy techniques. He needed to do both at the same time?! How on earth?! His mind began racing as Yoshimi had hit on something; a flash of panic on Hotarubi's face as he looked around without moving from his position, wondering how on earth he would even perform the transformation technique. Hotarubi worried. The room was bolted down, he thought - benches were being used, too big. The door- attached to the wall. Hotarubi's bag - too small, too difficult to use a kawarimi on. The minute would tick down and another clone would zap out of existence. Hotarubi thought about Yoshimi's exact words - and something clicked. "Ah- ah. Ah." Hotarubi realised. A little bit of being too over eager on the subject. He performed a few seals, and the smog of smoke would clear, revealing a close replica of an academy teacher. It wasn't perfect, and Yoshimi would know that if he also knew of Huhara-sensei, given small things about their appearance was off, from the wrong colored eyes and slightly off-tone skin - but the clothing was pretty accurate, and if the examiner knew Huhara intricately, would have missed out all of the finer points like their skin. But, that wasn't the end - Hotarubi held the same seal, still trying to figure out what could be used, turning in a quick loop. "I'uh--ah, I started late. Used to work for 'Noodles Five' in the Fake Village." The sentence came out slowly on account of still looking around. Hotarubi eventually settled on the chair in the back of the room, the teacher's chair - the only viable option, really, of his size. Dismissing the technique and performing some more seals, Hotarubi was clearly ready to take it - and when the chalk was finally flung at him, he performed it. ] Crunch time.

[Bloo]

The boy was panicking, it was clear as day. More than the Jounin even predicted. Maybe these exams were a bigger deal than he thought? He didn't remember being this nervous for his own exam, but he rarely worried about anything. Maybe it wasn't fair to compare the boy to himself. Wasn't going to stop him from continuing to apply pressure though.

Another piece of chalk hit a clone as the boy assessed his situation. There were a few options for substitution around, and the transformation was open ended as it could be. A slight scowl appeared on Yoshimi's face as he prepped another attack. There was still two clones left. "Gotta think on the fly, squirt. Won't be easier in a real situation."

As the jounin destroyed the second to last clone, the transformation went off. Unfortunately, Yoshimi had no idea he was looking at so he couldn't really critique the appearance over minute details. "I guess it's passable. You look more than a little tense though. Somethings off, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Sheesh. I should have introduced myself to your sensei before all this."

Then, as if he was done being distracted, he snapped back to attention. As the boy dismissed the transformation, another chalk piece hit the last clone. "Almost forgot we were doin' something here. Heh. Noodles Five, you say? That means you brought me lunch at least, yeah?"

Before the boy could answer, the chalk was sent soaring towards his head. Only for the body to be replaced by the chair. A perfect substitution. That earned a clap from the jounin. Just one though.

"Yoshi! That's amazing. Well, not really amazing, but... within expectations, I guess. I'll give you a second to catch your breath. You're a little pale. Nervous or something?"

Yoshimi looked at the boy curiously, raising a brow. "There's no noodles, is there?"

@perpetual

[Deleted]

He had a lot of thoughts and not a lot passing through his mouth on account of stress, the man being in a position to keep him in the academy for longer than he wanted. Hotarubi would not offer any closing remarks or funny witty responses to Yoshimi, even though he wanted to say he needed to take a shit (he did not) but he was thankful allegedly they hadn't met his main teacher, Huhara. Then before he could answer, the chalk was incoming - and he was able to complete the technique instead of answering. The execution was good! "I likely cooked them?" He offered some thread of conversation to keep it going. Still, the man was his examiner and he could rest knowing that a lot of his primary work was done, though there likely had to be "No noodles." Hotarubi stepped back from the man, giving them some space, placing the chair back down in its original position by the time he was done with it. "What's next, Sensei?" He wanted to keep it moving. Would it be a combat exam? A written one? He had learned enough to make it... he hoped. He wasn't perfect but as long as it was good enough to become a Genin, then he could show everybody else up.

[Bloo]

The boy was quick to decline the offer for a short rest, which was understandable since he hadn't even brought any noodles. It was disappointing, but not the end of the world. Yoshimi yawned shortly, then rolled his shoulders as he made his way towards the open window on the other side of the room. If the boy wanted the test to end, they could move to the last phase.

"C'mon, kiddo. You seem to have a handle on the jutsu and whatnot. Let's see something more, uh, practical." The jounin jumped from the window, and right outside was set up a simple target practice course. He'd wait for the kid to follow, and the targets didn't seem too hard to hit. He'd hold out six kunai to the student, knowing he probably had some wooden ones. "Jutsu is a fantastic way to get an edge in the world, but if you don't know the fundamentals then you won't be able to capitalize. Get it?"

He gestured towards the field. There were 3 targets in plain sight, easy shots for sure.

"I need you to hit at least 5 of the six targets out here. Then you'll be good as noodles, boy. I really wish you'd brought some noodles, you know."

The hard part of the test was that there was only obviously three targets to throw at. The other three were hidden. One in a tree behind a few leaves. Hard to see, but visible. Another behind a bush. Not visible clearly at all from their position. The last was further out. An impressive shot for an Academy Student to hit from this distance, but definitely not impossible.

"Whenever you're ready."

@perpetual

[Deleted]

Practical. ... Sure. Hotarubi followed Yoshimi as they lept out the window. Hotarubi was a lot heavier, so there was a little imprint of his hand in the wooden frame as he passed through it. He had been told off for it once - but this was an exam and he'd been beckoned. Besides, he hoped Yoshimi wouldn't notice. "I agree." Was that too much? Brown nosing. Psh. That was beneath him. Hotarubi scanned the nearby area and confirmed what was going to happen next... unless the man wanted to do a spar? The - how many targets? His visual confirmation was three. Was this a trick? Hotarubi didn't want to be the fool, taking the Kunai. The task was simple: hit five of the six targets. Did he want to be a smartass and go look for them so he could stab them with a Kunai? Were there only three or were there six? Or five? He briefly looked around, as his hands meddled with one another so he ended up having three in one hand and three in the other, between the knuckles. "I can write you a blank check if you promote me." His monotone voice made it difficult to distinguish that in fact he was actually joking, but he walked past Yoshimi as he looked out in front of him - then turned around to look up at the building to see if there were targets he'd missed out on. Ok, none up there either. They were well hidden. Any in the windows? Also no. Hotarubi wouldn't progress forward just yet - just to show that he could throw Kunai. And he did, aiming for their centre mass: his arm whipped up, down, up. Typical throwing patterns to get torque from his shoulders, elbow and wrist for maximum speed. Thunk, thunk, thunk. Two stuck, the third did too- but splintered from the wood and fell out, presumably where other Shinobi had done this exam too... If Yoshimi didn't stop him, Hotarubi would then go out further into the field - to find, observe, then see the other targets. "Ah." And would throw them, much closer than before, making them easy shots - two more. But he couldn't find the final one, he kept looking around. He threw the final one in the second to last target, without having found the sixth.

[Bloo]

The boy was understandably confused by the test, considering how well hidden the targets were. He looked in some interesting spots, behind them. Above the building behind them. Around the parks and in the sky. The boy was taking his time at least. Meant he took the test seriously. Then he threw off the instructor greatly, walking forward. Yoshimi raised a brow as the boy brazenly walked forward. That was against the rules, wasn't it?

Had he mentioned rules like that?

Shoot, he didn't, did he? He watched with some measure of awe as the boy showed off his throwing ability. He hit the three easy ones with skill, even if the last didn't stick to the battered target. So he did have skill. Then he approached the other two and hit them as well.

"...huh. Y'know, I had a whole speech prepared for what each target you go for means. The far one means you're arrogant, but if you hit it you can back it up. The partially hidden one shows how observant you are. The one-" he threw a kunai into the bush, a loud thwang of impact resonating off of the target, "over there, shows that you are lucky. You didn't even need to get all five, I just wanted to see what type of ninja you'd be. I wonder what walking up to them means?"

He pondered the thought for a moment. Then shook it away as if he couldn't be bothered to process the anomaly. The kid was brave, or stupid. Either could become a great ninja in this world.

"That was all I had for you. You showed an understanding of basic jutsu, even under pressure. You showed an understanding of basic skills, even if you used creative interpretation. It's my believe that you're ready to start your journey as a ninja for real. You have my blessing, but I feel inclined to tell you... what you've been doing in the academy is far different than the field. Use that head of yours to find the right solutions to the problems you run into. And please don't get offed on your first mission. I'd feel bad."

The man would cross his arms, still a little flabbergasted at the fact he didn't list rules for the challenge.

"You'll get your headband when you go to the ceremony. You still owe me noodles, you know."

@perpetual

[Deleted]

He waited patiently, not quite understanding of where he was taking it and being held in suspense, so much so that he crossed his own arms. His arms were heavy, his knees weak... His earthen heart was pumping with the Yamakira equivalent of adrenaline running through his core. He couldn't give a crap about what other people thought of him. "It means that I took my time and ended their wooden lives." That was what being a Shinobi was like: dominating the opponent and making them a fool. He took chances - he took what he wanted. That was the Yamakira way. He was viewing it from a negative lens but as he listened - none of those were bad things right? Though he hadn't said it directly, when he heard the assent - the approval... His heart burned so warmly at Yoshimi's half assed passing. "I won't let you down. Take me up on the noodles as much as you like." Hotarubi was serious when he'd said it. "If that's all... I'll be going. Arigato." Hotarubi bowed. It was when he was out of sight, but not out of hearing that Yoshimi would hear some almighty whooping of noise and gratitude. [finish]