Spoiler:

Shifting his neck Julian looked down at a letter, outside a bird called out and the light from the sun poured into his window. The parchment was fresh and had but one crease down it’s middle folded by the ninja yesterday when he received it. That paper held within the orders for his latest mission, he was to work with a partner on this mission. Of course that brought back memories from the only other mission he had taken with a partner. However, the paranoia that welled up was quickly squashed as he spoke to himself in his head.

‘It’s not the same, it’s not the same. I am safe now; it’s not just me…not just me…’ Julian thought this to himself as he opened his eyes and placed in two contacts hiding the normally grey eyes with something a bit more colorful and not as revealing as his own when they were activated. Julian passed off that he had heterochromia and nobody in the village knew that he was a Genko, let alone in a clan at all. Paranoia still played at the boy after all, and while it was slight some things were just habit.

Having gotten ready for the day he donned the last part of his outfit, a long black overcoat that fell all the way to his knees. It was made of thick cotton and had four brass buttons that went down the left breast of the coat, there were no coat tails and instead it shrouded the young genin like a cloak would, the collar was up and high, covering the bottom part of his jaw from side view. On his legs he wore a pair of black dress slacks, and on his feet were a pair of boots made of a mesh material and steel toes covered in rubber. His headband rested on his neck, instead of it’s normal place. This was due to the fact that for his mission he would be training academy students in the art of combat and martial arts. Of course Julian did not specialize in taijutsu but the higher ups thought he could do the mission and Julian was not one to refuse.

After leaving his house he walked along the crowded streets taking in the various noises caused by man, machine and animal. Every so often a smell would creep it’s way into his brain, distracting him from his path with thoughts of hunger but those distractions were brief at best. By the time he reached the training grounds the sun was already a quarter of the way up it’s climb in the sky, if the ninja had to guess at the time it would be around ten and that was the time he was due to meet his partner for the mission. Arriving at the training grounds Julian noticed a person was already there, that gave him time to talk before the younger academy students arrived.

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Boris sat alone just outside the village. He had already registered to do a mission by now. He needed the income and some reputation after all. Still the mission they had reluctantly given him had been crumpled and now rested under an empty beer bottle next to him. Another bottle in his hand. It wasn't much but he had needed something to drink. His mask was resting tied around his neck on his chest. The tip of the glass bottle clicked across his fangs as he swung his head back for another drink. Finishing the second bottle. The mission weighing heavily on his mind. They wanted him to train kids to fight. Train kids to enter into war and become a shinobi. He hated ninja still. They had failed him and his village. And then ripped his revenge from him. Funny how they had been able to defend themselves when the threat was on the front door step. But not so much when it was a foreign threat outside their borders. Some sick politician had just set back and let it happen. An army of shinobi all around and his children, around the same age as the kids he would be training today. He spat to the side and grabbed the mission noticed. Crumpled as it was he was still able to discern the location of the mission easily. So he slipped his mask back on. The bone mask that hid all of his face but his black eyes.

As he moved he straightened the old bear fur he was wearing. The bear who had lived on his farm. His son's companion. The burn marks his hand ran over like scarred leather. He frowned at the memory. He would of drank more but he was going to be working with kids. Two beers wasn't going to do shit to him. As he trudged down the path to the training grounds he left the beer bottles empty by the grass he had been sitting in. The sun was climbing into the sky when his companion joined him walking along the path next to him and licking it's chops. It looked at him and sniffed before grunting in disapproval and trudging along in silence. While Boris was a massive man towering over even tall men with muscles all over defining him as something slow but strong. His companion was even larger. A kodiak bear that lumbered easily at Boris's pace. Bigger then Boris the bear was on all fours and almost as tall as a man. Certainly taller then these kids. Still they entered side by side into the training grounds. Boris began to flex his fist listening to the bones popping and watching his muscles strain. He would have to be careful to maintain control. He could kill one of these kids on accident. That was probably why they had partnered him up with some local kid. To keep him from doing any such thing. He frowned still as he looked at his claws. His fighting style was spear punching. He would punch his claws into some one like a spear head. No for this he would have to try being flat palmed. His head lifted as he heard some one approaching. A dark clad person. Likely his partner. He leaned back against his bear and waited for his partner to speak first. It was kind of polite after all. As polite as he cared to be to some Shinobi trash. He shook that last thought away. Not all Shinobi had been one five years ago. He couldn't blame the youth for the failure of the nations.

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This man, this man was not the average person Julian could tell from his outward appearance as he got closer. No, it was not the giant bear that he leaned against, nor was it his massive stature, nor was it the mask of bone or the sounds he made as he flexed. To Julian, for how he was able to tell, well, it was simply the eyes. Julian agreed with the age old saying that the eyes were the windows to the soul after all and this soul was dark. The eyes were ones filled with hate, and Julian could see the man’s first instinct was hate as he looked at him even though the emotion was stifled in a split second. Still this simply meant that Julian would need to make a gentle approach.
“Hello, do you really think the claws are appropriate for fighting children?” Julian asked his words flowing from his mouth smoothly in a pleasing tone, his voice was slightly musical as he was trying to be jovial and make a slight joke. However how they would be interpreted was still to be seen. Good though he was at reading others, most of Julian’s skill came after he got to know a person a bit and he did not know this giant of a man at all. Julian would pause a bit for the response before walking forward and extending his left hand wide open for the man to grasp. “My name is Julian, I am a new ninja who had the privilege of garnering access Konoha’s good graces” again his voice was smooth and very calming, there was not even a hint of intimidation in his voice or body language. The genin had learned long ago to never show fear, and certainly not show it to someone that you would actually fear and thus he was extremely composed even in front of the man who was over a foot taller than him and his gigantic bear behind him. “Does your companion have a name?” Julain would ask a hint of genuine curiosity creeping into his melodic, soothing voice.

In a couple of minutes after Julian arrived the children would pour in and a very weary man would look at the trio boy, man and bear and simply laugh and walk away leaving the three to deal with the various hellions he had unleashed upon them. No doubt the overworked man was going off somewhere to relieve his stress, either by drinking, opium, or some much more PG to cut the edge off.

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Boris rolled his neck as the other approached. The first thing that struck him is the small guy looked him in the eyes. That had his black gaze staring at the little dark fellow before him. Most didn't let him catch them looking at him. As if they had nothing but fear in their hearts. Boris rested a hand on Ivanov as if to tell him to sit back and observe. He doubted there was anyone here who could handle him. Much less the massive bear. Still Boris rose to his full height. The closer the other got the bigger Boris seemed. Still his first words were not what Boris expected. No introduction or request for a name. A some what judgmental statement. Boris frowned behind his mask and let out a low growl. Not of anger just irritation. His claws happened to be a part of him. An attachment. He was no declawed house cat. Still he nodded to the little man. He had a lot to say. And even then he never asked about Boris himself. Introduced himself and asked of his companion. Not that it mattered. He was likely just a pawn of a corrupt government sent to be a witness if Boris maimed or killed any of the kids. He didn't doubt that the guy would sit back and watch if he ripped off some ones head. He didn't intend to of course but he had no faith in Shinobi or the ones dealing out orders. Still his black eyes would sway to the student's arriving just reeked of disrespect. He would have to try and hold his temper.

Still as he spoke his accent was thick. An accent from the frost country... the northern most parts. Or what used to be the frost country anyway. The thick words rolled off his tongue like a low rumble. And slowly too as if he wanted to be understood clearly."These claws are something I was born with. I can not just put them away or take them off. But I will be careful. After all I don't need the claws to kill anyone." He began to walk and talk. His foot steps were heavy. Entirely unlike a trained ninja. He wasn't really one anyways. He was what others called a breaker. He was part of any squad to be seen and to destroy. Still he spoke as he walked. The Bear staying behind. "I am Boris and he is Ivanov. He is here to watch. He is entertained by fighting. As for your youth. I was intending to go half speed and open fists. Do you suggest otherwise?"

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“Suggestions for a man your size? Go a quarter strength too” Julian said his tone covering up the tiniest burst of a chuckle, yes this man was alright in his book. “It is very nice to meet you Boris, now…let us give these kids a spanking” a small smirk began to grow on Julian’s pale face his sadism crawling back out from his past experiences. For as refined as the young man was, something about combat brought him back to the times when he was a simple assassin, granted he did not plan on killing these children but he would not be like Boris and go easy on them. Most of this was due to the fact that Boris was no doubt much stronger than him, though if he had to guess he was just a bit quicker than the man thanks to his uncanny speed and reaction time so much unlike those of his rank. Of course he could be woefully wrong, and that was why he was thankful that he was not fighting the man himself. Walking alongside Boris, Julian could feel the ground protest as he walked even through his boots; looking up at the man he flashed a quick toothy smile before looking at the young students who began to form a semi-circle around them.

It was about at that time that Julian noticed that the children in front of him were carrying all manner of crude weapons. This to him was odd because he was told this was going to be a hand to hand fight, not one with ninja tools, not that the children had those. Rusted pipes, broken branches shaped into clubs, rocks, all manner of makeshift weaponry hung in the hands of the students who all rushed forward at the same time. One rock hurled in from Julian’s left side and his first instinct was to duck it, but he was not about to let Boris take the blow for him so instead he reached up with his left arm and plucked the thing out of the sky, jarring his ring finger in the process. Shifting the rock to his right hand he pivoted quickly and transferred that energy into his arm that moved akin to a whip and launched the rock at thrice the speed it came in hitting the attacker square in the gut as he came in, dropping the young boy who was subsequently trampled by the horde of children.

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Boris looked to the side at the comments. A quarter strength and half speed. Not a terrible idea. Still the mention of spanking the kids just brought a scoff from him. Spanking? No there was no spanking in battle. Nor would he be playful with today's lesson. He walked forward and tilted his head as the kids surrounded them. So these punks thought to take over the training. Boris smiled behind his mask in a kind of smirk. The youth of this nation sure was sure of themselves. He was more then twice any of their sizes. And yet they seemed to want to try something. That and they were hiding something. Each of them looked over confident and all of them had angled themselves so Boris couldn't see one hand. It was a good start. Concealed items or weapons and surrounding the enemy in numbers. Still they lacked something. Power an experience. The instructor had left them to it. Boris simply crossed his arms and waited as he let his black eyes observe many of them. Fighters and trouble makers. Bruised faces and hardened gazes showed enough to know that. He almost pitied them. After all they were falling behind in combat and likely the source of bruises happened to be from the more advanced students. But they arrived to train. Not to be understood.

Weapons were drawn and he observed it with a measure of disgust. Sticks, rocks and a single rusty pipe. None of it even as threatening as a single Kunai. The kids just came as prepared as they could but it would be to no avail against some one like Boris. He heard A strange chortle of laughter at the sight from Ivanov across the way. So the bear thought it funny. Probably looked like a bunch of midgets about to attack a giant. Still they had drawn a weapon against him and he did not move. Instead he waited for what was to come. But the attack was disorganized and rushed. All of them rushed forward at once. His team mate reacted quickly. With impressive reflexes. Catching a thrown rock and with a spin sending it into the stomach of the original attacker. Impressively knocking the attacker down. Still Boris did not move as rocks sailed through the air and sticks swung. It felt like being slapped by children across his body. Sticks broke and rocks bounced off him. The rusted pipe came down and Boris finally moved. A rapid hand movement reached out and with a resounding slap snatched the pipe from the kid and threw it across the training grounds to come to a sliding stop a ways away. His other hand shot out and gripped the kid by the front of the shirt in the same moment. With a single swing Boris threw the kid he was holding into the group knocking a bunch of them down. This was enough to cause them to halt a moment. At which time he spoke.

"I appreciate the surrounding tactic of a larger enemy. However. You revealed your weapons to early. Keep your weapons and movements as concealed as possible. Strike with the unknown at the final moment. Now for another lesson. You see that I don't seem to be injured by your onslaught yes? So we play what I call stab tag. Some one keeps the attention from in front. Or in your case a few of you. Make it so that if they turn to deal with whats behind them they leave themselves open to attack. And then who ever is behind does a hit and run tactic. Lastly I appear to be immune to the attack. So try and take out the smaller guy first and then wear me down. then take me down. Now Go."

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As Boris simply accepted the attacks Julian tried a different approach, he was not quite that durable and frankly the blows would probably sting if they landed. Pain was not something that the man got off to so he tried to avoid having it happen when it was reasonable to avoid it. As such when a child came up and launched an upward swing towards the bottom of his jaw he stepped back and waited a split second for the stick to reach above where his head would be before the ninja ducked down and rushed back forward like a tide rolling back onto the shore. He led with his left side and planted his left foot before pivoting again and bringing his right elbow into the kid’s solar plexus. As this happened two more children rushed in from his sides but he quickly jumped over the one and made some space between himself and Boris. Julian landed near where Boris had thrown the pipe and crouched into a ready position as Boris began to speak.

It seemed like Boris did plan on teaching them some rather good tactics, culling the fodder as Julian thought of it was a very good strategy, to take out the weaker supports before going for the main threat while it did expose you to an unheeded giant it also made sure that giant did not gain more strength or the weaker ones racked up damage with their attacks. Of course Julian did not approve of the tactic being used now since it meant that he would be the focus of each and every child that paid attention to what the large man had said. Over three quarters did while the remaining five hung back and eyed Boris himself; of course Julian was and yet was not surprised they followed the man’s advice. On the one hand they were all obviously the kind who do not fall in line with authority well, but on the other it was simple and easy to understand the benefits of such a technique.

As the fifteen kids began to close in on Julian the one he fell earlier had gotten back up and was now approaching behind him, however due to the injury the boy was dragging his feet and gave Julian proper warning. Unfortunately for Julian the distraction was good enough and as the ninja spun around to deal with the one, the rest split up into groups and tried a darting attack strategy. When one group would dart forward to attack Julian, the group opposite would as well and thus it kept up. Every time Julian managed to focus he would find the attack coming from a different side, not that he did not already drop three of the children to the ground before receiving his first lump from a particularly heavy branch. Still the true problem was that one of the children had recovered the pipe and it had broken when Boris flung it away, making a makeshift giant shank with a rusted blade. That was not something Julian wanted piercing his body, medical visits were not the most fun thing after all.

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Boris smiled behind his mask and let out a slow breath. He prepared himself for the onslaught from separate directions. He had given them some good advise but he wasn't done. A lesson of choosing battles was about to be had. The Five positioned themselves well enough. But he already knew the pattern of attack. They seemed to wait for the inhale before the ones behind him charged. At that moment Boris's fist clenched so hard his knuckles popped and he moved. Something wasn't right. Something as big as him should be slow by all standards. At least no faster then the academy students. But that was not the case. He was faster then them. Eyes widened as he moved faster then was reasonable. It seemed to dawn on them the fault of their plans. He was stronger, More durable and had a longer reach with more experience. And to top it all off he was faster then any of them. Between one step and the next all five already moved to retreat and regroup. But that one step. That second was too much. He was on the ranks attacking his back. Black eyes looked through the mask at the first of five. Those black eyes stared down at the gaping mouthed kid and a scream started before it was cut off. A back hand sent the kid spinning. They had challenged him. A kuma. And now they would feel the mistake of their ways. Before the first knocked out kid hit the ground Boris turned. Spinning to grab the other two. They screamed as well before they were slammed into each other. With that all three of the rear attack squad was down. He dropped the poor kids to sleep it off on the arena ground as he looked for the other two.

Those two had abandoned their weapons and made a break for the rest of the group. Panic in their eyes. This wasn't training. This was fear. But that as part of the lesson. Fear could keep you alive. Still they heard his growl before they saw him. His foot falls slammed so hard behind them moving at a full sprint they could hear it. The screams for help that echoed from them drew the attention of the rest of the group. Just in time to see Boris come in from the right of the two to elbow one in the lower side. Spit flew from the mouth of the one he had hit before he shot off to the side to hit the ground and bounce and then slide to a rolling stop. Lights out. With his free hand Boris grabbed the last one by the back of his coat and xpun. The whip of it making the kids teeth click before he threw the kid into the group of others. Now he stood before them. Hair falling around the bone mask with black eyes staring at the scared faces of the kids. Mist came out of the bottom of his mask like a fog of hot air in the cold outside. That was enough as they looked at how he had decimated them. The remaining kids just ran. Leaving the others to sleep it off. Boris waited till they were gone to unclench his fists and stand straight. before cracking his neck and looking to the other with him.

"Well that worked out well. Was nice working with you comrade."

And with that he walked over to ivanov and patted the bear. The bear huffed as if to say great job beating up some kids before they left together.

Exit thread.

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Frowning Julian pointed at the pipe and flicked his finger upwards towards the sky, as he did that the pipe was yanked out of the child’s hands by his jutsu and thrown into the air. After that Julian detached his jutsu from the pipe and pointed at another child with a flick of his finger he sent the boy flying across the yard. Turning back to the crowd he flashed a smile and watched as the children backed up a bit. It was nice to bring an intimidation angle to training and frankly he did not want to get hit again. Still there was more work to be done and when the first Academy Student finished shitting their pants and moved a step forward the body of the student Julian had thrown was hurled back into the boy causing both to go flying off to the side. About half way into the fling Julian detached from the boy with his jutsu and transferred his chakra to his other hand and pointed at a student behind him and flicked forward causing the child to join in with the others in a heap that angled off from both bodies.

Julian spread his arms wide and was about to deliver a line that was no doubt extremely cheesy but that was when he noticed his partner. Boris had thrown the last of the children who went after him into the group that was harassing Julian up to a few seconds ago and if Julian had to guess Boris was not in a mood to tuck them in for tea time. It was like some primordial beast had just climbed up before them and the children ran from the intimidating man in the mask. ‘Sure am glad he’s on my side’ Julian thought to himself as a smirk spread across his lips and he moved his head back and forth in order to pop the vertebra in his neck back in place in synchronization with the big man.

“We shall have to do it again” Julian said giving a toothy grin and a wave before going and checking the pulse on each of the younger ninja. While he was not sure they learned too much about combat perhaps they had at least beat a bit of respect into the children. Having a taste of something other than an Academy spar was good for them after all.

[Exit]

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