The day was unusually sunny for Kirigakure, rays of light reflecting off the puddles from a recent downpour. In the courtyard of the Kirigakure ninja academy, a class of about 20 young students stood, eyes in a squint at the unusual brightness of the sun. Damp cobbles produced light clacking as the students shuffled in place, voices echoing at the emptiness of the courtyard as they whisper and gossip among themselves. The dim fence that surrounded the courtyard was unmoving, the lack of wind completely unusual. In the middle of this courtyard, a single willow tree stood, firm and unwavering, its shadow stretching far across the area. And in the lone tree, a lone ninja stood. Her hair long and messy, with highlights scattered about and two blocks of colour in her front fringe, it’s surprising that she hadn’t stood out sooner. Her clothing was, unlike the usual, a normal genin uniform, with her forehead protector covering her right shoulder. Atop her head, she had a basic piece of cloth, wearing it as if it was a hat. This was to cover her horns, as she didn’t want to scare the students. Suddenly, she dropped from the tree, landing in front of the students while announcing her presence with a loud, out of the blue, “Hi!” The students simply looked at her, confused, before she spoke again. “I’m Alwen, and I’ve come to help you learn for today!”

A small child, probably one of the youngest in the class, raises their hand before speaking. “What are you going to teach us miss weird lady?” With a grin at the question, Alwen began stepping backwards, focusing chakra into the palms of their feet. She began to walk up the side of the tree, almost in a moonwalk, before gesturing to her feet with her hands. “Today, I, your fabulous teacher, will be teaching you the supernatural walking technique!” A few of the students let out an audible “ooo” at the strange lady walking up the tree. With a grin, she hops off the tree and back to the ground, giving the class a thumbs up. “Any questions before we begin?” her voice was firm, taking her role as teacher semi-seriously. A different child to the first one raises her hand, asking in a shaky voice. “Um… What do we have to do this technique for?” the little kid asked, Alwen thinking for a moment for an appropriate response. Shrugging, they decided the best way was to explain in relation to being a ninja. “You all want to become ninja, correct? Well, a ninja’s greatest strength is always adaptability. For example, say you are following someone as a mission, right? And they get on a boat! Well, what better way to get on the boat and pursue than to cling to the outside, where they can’t see you? However! If you just normally cling to the outside of the boat, you’ll grow tired, and uneasy. And that is where this technique comes in.” This unnecessarily long response was met with a few unsure whispers, a lot of the students not really convinced that it was a good plan. With a sigh, she looked to the puddles, deciding to give another demonstration. She knelt down, putting chakra into the water, before forming a whip like shape and holding it in her hand. With a grin, she did a little pirouette, using the whip like a ribbon, before stating. “Another use for the supernatural walking technique, is that it teaches you basic chakra control. If you can use the supernatural walking technique, you will be better at manipulating chakra, and in turn, doing techniques such as this.” That last bit was a lie, of course, as this was a jutsu she was taught by her clan, however the concept was still there. Clearly the class thought so as well, as they had fallen quiet, waiting for further instruction.

With a grin, she used her clans hydrokinesis technique, hand outstretched to move multiple puddles to the base of the tree, a single large orb of water there. From there, she stood next to the tree, gesturing to it, the orb still levitating in place. From there, she stated her plan. “First, get in a line. The one at the front of the line, please step forward and focus on your feet! Imagine your chakra like a flowing river. Picture it, and imagine it welling at the bottom of your feet. From there, try to walk up the tree. Don’t worry about falling. If you fall, my water here will catch you and make impact not hurt, except maybe your pride. So, without further ado, let’s begin!” she exclaims, a brash, rather impatient kid deciding to go first. As expected of an impatient 8 year old, he didn’t waste any time foolishly moulding chakra and… Ran up… And fell down… And with a splash, landed in the collective water. He wasn’t hurt, however his clothes were wet, and a few snickers and giggles from his peers caused the young child to blush. However, then the next kid went, deciding to rush it as well, and ending with the same result. The next one as well. The fourth did better, moulding chakra and making it further than any of the previous ones, however losing concentration and falling. This pattern repeated for a while, most kids being impatient, and a few making it further and further due to persistence and practise. With a grin, Alwen watched, until the second last student stood up to the plate, pointing a finger at themselves. This student had her hair tied back, a grin on her face, and a cocky attitude all around. Rather audaciously, she declared “I will do this first try!” and at that, stepped directly in front of the tree. She focused chakra into her feet, stepping up to the tree. She made it further than the other classmates, seeming to have perfect concentration, and making it incredibly far, further than Alwen could have predicted. Although, just like everyone else, she was only 8, and as such her thrill of being a winner was short lived. As soon as she began falling, Alwen sent the orb to catch her, gently letting her down on the ground. The other students simply applauded, impressed with how far their fellow student had made it. One last student, the small, shy girl from before. The student looked around, nervous at the others watching. She muttered under her breath about wishing she didn’t have to do this, before walking up to the tree. The girl took the longest to get ready, seemingly not ready to begin for a while. Several of the class began booing her, mocking her for taking too long, and it seemed like these comments were about to make her cry. Alwen silenced the class by holding a finger to her lips and saying a simple “Shh!” The little girl began her climb. It was slow, but steady, and all the mocking of the other class members were gone when they realised that, not only was she going further than the others, but she was still going, with no signs of slowing.

She made it to the top of the tree, and all Alwen could do was applaud. After a briefs moment of hesitation, the rest of the class followed suit, and the little girl looked down at them all with a smile. Unfortunately, her chakra was strained doing that much, and it wavered. It was just a moment, but the moment caused her to fall screaming. Alwen jumped, catching the girl in her arms before crashing into the fence, back first. The cloth she used to hide her horns got snagged on the fence, staying behind as she and the student fell to the ground. She let the kid down, before standing up and dusting herself off, the orb of water dropping on the spot. She was confused as to why the class stared at her, before realising the cloth she’d been using had come off. With a sigh, Alwen leant up, plucking the cloth from the fence, before putting it into their weapon satchel. She sent the kid back to join her class, however was surprised to hear a “thank you” from the girl as she went. With a grin, Alwen gave the class a thumbs up, announcing “You all did well! Keep practising and you will make it far!” and at that, she jumped back into the tree. The students looked up to see if they could see her, but she was gone, likely on her way home. That was a lesson they would be unlikely to forget any time soon.

1453/ 600 WC complete

[EXIT THREAD]

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