Mission Debrief:

Well, this was definitely a step up from babysitting the troublemakers of the Academy. However, Hikarou couldn't comprehend why he was always teaching. Now he had to teach the army about the ways of ninja, but would they even understand? Plus, he was only a Genin, and eighteen years old at that, 'I guess it's  time to dust off the Academy years.'. As he strolled toward his destination, he reminisced on old lessons, trying to formulate a plan. In order to give the samurai a complete idea of shinobi, he would need to combine lectures with examples, and examples with drills. He could teach them about weapons, about fighting styles, even about jutsu. But the question was how to relate the seemingly unrelated. The laws of ninja were not the same as those of the army. Both were militant groups, created for the benefit of their shared land and Feudal Lord, but they did not act in the same manners. So, Hikarou was at a disadvantage right out of the gates.

Another question bugging Hikarou was whether the samurai would recognize him as an authority. It is true that the Military wanted to learn, but surely they hadn't expected someone so young. The Genin did not question his own knowledge and abilities, but if he was not respected, he wouldn't be able to properly teach. Hikarou had never felt this nervous or inadequate. However, he was given the task, and he would carry it out to the best of his abilities, no question.

After much thought, a decent plan had been concocted. And just in time too, for Hikarou had reached his destination.

Total Word Count: 277

As Hikarou opened the front door of the training center, an officer stepped up. The man was chiseled to perfection, and towered above the already intimidated Genin. He spoke in a deep growl, with words hardly discernible to the regular ear, then whisked Hikarou away in a flash. The two pairs of feet sped through the halls of the facility, barely scraping the linoleum floors. As they rushed around, the man above all men continued to speak with his inhuman frequency, throwing around words like "late", "underling", and "incapable". With this, a burden came to rest on Hikarou's shoulders. Rarely did he ever let the words of others affect him, but when they teamed up with insecurities, it was hard not too. He had made up his mind, this mission would be dismal, and he would just grit his teeth and bare it.

Finally they reached the Master Instructor of the samurai, who was fundamentally different than the other man. It was a pleasant surprise for Hikarou when the instructor smiled and reached out to shake his hand. They exchanged greetings, through which the Genin was praised. "Not just anyone would be selected to teach the military, so you must be something," he said with a welcoming grin.

"Thank you very much, I am deeply honored," Hikarou responded with a bow. Many shinobi had taken the mission to teach the army recruits, and this man most likely said this to everyone, but the warmness of the statement was much appreciated. Then he leaned in and whispered, covertly pointing at his escort, "He clearly doesn't agree." The instructor let out a hardy chuckle in response, "He isn't the most inviting person. Tends to be very skeptical, and rather unfriendly. However, he is one of our most talented samurai in the Fire Nation. I will break him of his crappy personality one day!" And with that the burden lifted from Hikarou's shoulders. It was just bad luck that he met the crabby one first. If he could handle the worst, he could handle anything.

The short-tempered guide did not seem to enjoy the conversation that took place. However, he did not dare to speak against a superior officer, and simply gave a disagreeing huff. The Master Instructor attempting to console his skulking subordinate, but to no avail. And so he turned to the door in front of them and opened it, motioning Hikarou through. It was time for the hard part to begin.

Total Word Count: 693

Roughly a hundred sets of eyes stared at Hikarou as he walked onto the training ground. A few inattentive samurai stood in the pack, but most seemed eager to learn. Hikarou addressed the crowd, "Hello, samurai of the Fire. My name is Hikarou Chi, and I am a shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Today I would like to teach you guys about the ninja way of fighting. Now, I know that you may be wondering how this would benefit you, but, contrary to popular belief, we shinobi are not much different than you. The most separating factor would be jutsu, but that brings us to the topics I have chosen for today: Taijutsu and Bukijutsu."

He instructed them in the three manners of Taijutsu: Striking, Grappling, and Hybrid. He also taught them the connection between these body techniques, and the energy pulsing through their bodies, "Though none of you possess an affinity for Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, that I know of, you all have the ability to learn Taijutsu. Now this is achieved by using your physical and mental energies, not chakra. Simply punching, kicking, and grappling is physical energy. However, in order to achieve this advanced art, one must learn to bring in mental energy. This is done through focus and concentration." So with that, he split the recruits into pairs to meditate and spar. He watched them try, and watched them fail. A few seemed to understand, but most of the recruits were struggling. 'I don't think they understand the difference of power between the two. Maybe if I show them...'

So Hikarou got the attention of the samurai, and put on a demonstration, "I see it is not going so well at this point. Maybe if I show you the difference between the two attacks, you will get a better grasp. First, a simple kick using physical energy." The Genin reared up and landed a sidekick on a nearby stump. The result was a small notch, and a large pain in his shin. "Now, I will focus and access my mental energy as well, combining it with physical energy and attacking with a combined effort." This time, the kick was blurry in the eyes of the samurai, and left a split in the wood. The recruits let out oo's and ah's for the impressive display, but Hikarou quickly set them straight, "This is nothing to admire. I am not proficient in the slightest with Taijutsu. This is just a basic demonstration to show you the benefits of what I speak of. Combining your mental and physical energies raises the speed and power of your attacks. If you practice this, you will become a much more formidable threat than any other army. Now let's continue."

With renewed vigor, the recruits resumed the attempts. This time, there was a much higher success rate. Hikarou made the rounds, checking in and giving pointers where he could. When enough of the students had started developing good results, he decided to move on.

"For our second lesson, we will be covering Bukijutsu." After a few seconds every one settled down and listened to Hikarou intently. It appeared his fears of disrespect were merely dillusion. Especially after the samurai had experienced the effects of his teachings. But he wasn't done just yet, "Bukijutsu is the use of weapons. Now, all of you should know many different types of weapons available, but I will quickly cover some that you are most likely not familiar with." From here, the Genin explained some conventional ninja weapons, such as the kunai, the senbon, and the shuriken (regular and fuuma). It came complete with demonstrations of the kunai and the senbon, at the expense of the previously used stump. After this, he explained all the sub-specializations of weaponry (Kenjutsu, Swordsmanship, Bojutsu, Sojutsu, Onojutsu, and Kyujutsu), along with their weapons. "Now most of you will fall under Kenjutsu, the weapons of the East, or Kyujutsu, the long ranged weapons. Normally, a ninja would infuse his or her weapons with chakra to increase the power. However, you all have another way to increase your Bukijutsu abilities with the previous lesson. So half of you will pair up and attempt this, while the other half shall try out the ninja weapons."

The second round of training went on for a solid hour. The recruits advanced far beyond Hikarou's expectations. Some of them even showed signs of chakra control. If everything continued at this rate, then the samurai would be unstoppable in no time. However, the day grew ever darker, and the time had come for him to head home. Hikarou got the attention of the recruits and gave a final statement, "Thank you all so much for allowing me to be here today. I hope the knowledge I shared can be of use to at least one of you in some way, shape, or form. I know we only covered two topics, but Taijutsu and Bukijutsu will be your greatest allies. They will set you apart from the rest of the nations, and put you at the top of the samurai game. Work diligently, and I hope to see you all again soon."

After receiving a round of applause, and appreciation from the Master Instructor, Hikarou Chi departed the complex to head home. The long walk with the setting sun would be just what he needed after such an extroverted day.


Total Word Count: 1602
Mission: 1602/1000
STR Training (E-rank > E-1): 602/75
STR Training (E-1 > E-2): 527/150
END Training (E-rank > E-1): 377/75
END Training (E-1 > E-2): 302/150