Kumogakure, yet another Village hidden somewhere in the world had revealed itself to the ignorance of the Jugo. The world was vast, rife with shinobi of all ages and powers going about their business, and for over twenty years she had not even met one of them. How she was able to live so secluded in the Land of Demons was slowly getting beyond her comprehension. Where she had once believed herself to be one of the most powerful albeit wild powers in her little village, she had now become one of the weaker once - a genin, as these shinobi called it. Her powers remained intriguing, but were nothing compared to some of the 'jutsu' she had heard about. Not to mention that, remembering her meeting with Lamya, there were a few odd ones out there - clones, water sickles, healing snakes.

After her meeting with Lamya and plunging into the baths after the intense dance with the snake sage's clones, her mistress had vanished to be about her own personal business, leaving Laïs on her own in this strange Village again. The weather was mediocre at best, dark clouds looming in the skies, much to Laïs displeasure. The crow sage, despite having rather eerie powers and intentions, preferred a bright day where she could listen to some music, do some freestyle dancing and have a cocktail at her leisure instead. It seemed Kumogakure would not be granting her this just yet.

Strolling casually through the streets now, eyeing the shops here and there to see what local goods they'd be providing, her mind wandered off to the young boy she had met in a mission. What was his name again? Tenjin? Yes, Tenjin. Of all the people she had met so far, he was probably the oddest case of a shinobi she could think about. Barely a teenager, but the way he had handled that mission made it clear he had surpassed her own abilities by far. What was more was that he had offered to give her a crash course about the shinobi world if she would be present during the Chuunin Exams. Well, she was here now. It was just a matter of tracking his chakra signature within the never ending stream of people flowing through the streets. Tourists, most of all, eager to watch the fight between young shinobi aiming to grow in power.

---

401

Tenjin was in Raphaels Kozai estate when he decided to go out for a walk in Kumogakure no sato before starting a training session. He was bored after doing missions for most of yesterday. He had decided to go out and take a quick break. He put on his black gi, and black kunf fu boots after taking off to downtown Kumogakure. He would walk out, even passing the Raikages chambers, making his way for the busy streets of Kumogakure. Tenjin was just one of many individuals roaming the street, to the point where no one could see him do to how much he blended in with the crowd. The sun was shining without any problems, but with many clouds out, it was hard to tell. The wind was perfectly calm meaning that the clouds were dancing overhead, which Tenjin liked as he toured the area with his hands on his head and looking up at the sky. Tenjin walked around and saw a large building and he decided to stop in front of it. The sun reflected on the building which had cast a shadow over Tenjins face, the shadow stopping after his nose making it hard to see Tenjin's face for most.

He continued to wander around Kumogakure, he currently was heading no where really, he was just exploring around. He made his way to the shops, he looked in as he passed by, most of the shops sold weapons. Long to mid ranged weapons, Melee weapons; basically, all sorts of weapons. Other shops sold food. Fruits, vegetables, meats, and all kinds of other foods. Other shops have sold medicines, pills and liquid form alike. He ignored the people who had attempted to sell Tenjin something as he slowly passed the shops, looking for something that he would like, not finding anything though. He would just continue around the village, wandering around looking at the people in the streets heading for the shops or maybe their jobs. Tenjin then noticed a very familiar face. Long black hair, amethyst eyes gaining a claret hue when light shines into them, it appear to be Lais. Tenjin was not one to yell at anyone so he decided to get within distance. While walking up to her, and getting within speaking distance Tenjin began to greet this newfound acquaintance.

“Hey Lais, glad you made it.” Tenjin would wait for a response before continuing, “I suppose you remember my offer?” This was of course in reference to the crash course of the shinobi world that Tenjin was actually eager to teach Lais. If Lais was willing, and remembered, Tenjin would simply reply with a “Great, follow me.” As he would escort her to a building that appeared to be vacant, but whos rooms were utilized by the village as open rooms for conferences due to the Chunin exams. Tenjin would find a nice clean room with a large round table and comfortable chairs, it also didnt hurt that the room had a black board on the wall as well. “I like this room, it appears to be perfect for our circumstance. (Tenjin would prepare himself and even grab a chalk that was on the table) I know this is awkward considering my age, but I advice you to please not think about it. I gave graduated from Diamond Heights University and am a quite capable teacher. Not tell me, what exactly do you want to know about?” Tenjin knows that Lais doesnt possess much knowledge of the shinobi world, but maybe if she expressed what little she did know, Tenjin would be able to go off that, much like a spring board.

WC 609

At a certain moment, the crow sage sensed a familiar signature stepping into her sage senses from behind. She couldn't quite place who it was, but knowing that it had to be someone she was acquainted with, she turned around and found herself looking at the young shinobi named Tenjin. He greeted her, and so she greeted him in return rather formally, upon which he inquired if she remembered his offer. She had to think for a bit, remembering well he had been the one who suggested her to visit Kumogakure as the Chuunin Exams took place, and eventually confirmed his question.

"Yes, I do. Shinobi basics, right?"

Hitting spot on, he nodded and requested her to follow him, leading her to a building harbouring several conference rooms. Picking one out with a black board, Tenjin stated his liking to the room and asked her what she wanted to know. A kid teaching a young woman, it was an amusing sight to behold. Despite his young age, he stated that he had graduated from a university Laïs had never heard about and he seemed to be a teacher in addition to the shinobi prowess she was familiar with - for as far she could consider herself familiar with his abilities. The question as to what she wanted to know, however, was a harder question than Tenjin seemed to be aware about. After all, how could she express what she wanted to know, if she had no clue what the shinobi world consisted of?

"I don't know. What about... everything? I'm talking about those specialisations and elements you mentioned before. The shinobi ranks, perhaps, the whole deal with the missions and their ranks. Maybe even what the whole deal is about shinob and Sages, or why some shinobi seem to hold a feeble chakra signature whereas others could probably kill you with theirs?"

She assumed there was far more than this to know still, but it was hard for her to name them when she could not grasp the very idea of a shinobi itself. Fighting, sneaking, those were things she could do as well without needing to be called a shinobi, so what was the whole deal with shinobi exactly? Or sages for that matter, even though she had already experienced first-hand what the potential power and terror was that a Sage could achieve. Involuntarily, her senses reached out to the Snake Sage that roamed in Kumogakure, the one who had 'taught' her about the budding power she could achieve.

---

424
Total: 825

It appears as if Tenjin has his work caught out for him as a teacher. Lais appears to know less than the average academy student, since they at least got wind of the shinobi experience from their parents. Tenjin decided to start with a lecture on ranks, then elements, and then further elaborate on specializations. Tenjin decided to focus on villages after, if Lais decided she wanted to know about the history of the shinobi world as well. Tenjin took a deep breath after listening to Lais thoughts on what exactly she wanted to learn before saying, “Well Lais, it appears like the best way to start is by discussing shinobi ranks since you will certainly come across shinobi braggadocios boasting about their position within their village. So lets begin...” Tenjin then turned and began to write the different shinobi rank on the board. Academy Student - Genin - Chunin - Sp. Jounin - Jounin. Tenjin then wrote in the bottom, but in a different section, Missing Ninjas, ANBU, and Kage.

“It is critical as part of the shinobi system to make a distinct separation of power from a ninja's rank. The Legendary Naruto Uzumaki, a.k.a the savior of todays shinobi world was able to achieve a lot as a Genin, so there is such a thing as power at a low rank, although in todays shinobi world this is somewhat unheard of as your power will be noticed by someone and thus your rank will be given to match such capabilities. So rank is important as it can dictate quite a lot within the structure and hierarchy of the 5 Great Nations and their Hidden Villages. As a note, ranks do matter a great deal to the ninja of the villages and outside them. Not only is it a rough estimate of your power and recognition of your ninja's abilities and effort, but it also grants certain other bonuses, for example lower rank shinobi are usualy forbidden from receiving knowledge best kept with higher authorities. Also, in the villages, standard missions are distributed out determined by your ninja rank. In addition, being promoted sometimes offers bonuses like a village flak jacket to chuunin and the ability to join the ANBU Black Operations unit at Special Jounin or other specialized division at Jounin, or so that it the system in Iwagakure. Further more, the Kage of a village and the head of the ANBU are known to only be chosen from a pool of eligible Jounin ninja, as it has been the case in Iwagakure. Even if your genin is the strongest in the village, a genin is not suited to be the village's leader due to the suspected lack of understanding as to how the shinobi world truthfully operates.

There are several varying ranks in the shinobi world, the first being that of the Academy Student. This is a person learning to become a ninja learner. Young students enroll in the Ninja Academy of their village, a school for teaching the ninja arts and skills on top of their basic education, and upon graduation will be awarded the rank of Genin. To graduate from the Academy a ninja must train, learning each of their specializations, and finding minor proficiency in their innate element. In addition they must learn each of the academy jutsu to graduate, since only the base academy jutsus are needed to graduate. These techniques are the Transformation Technique, Doppelganger Technique, Substitution Technique, Genjutsu Dissipation, Supernatural Walking Practice, Generic Sealing Technique, Item Reinforcing Technique, and finally the Chakra Strings Technique. Academy student are not able to take any missions until they've graduated for obvious reasons.

The next notable rank is a Genin and this is the rank of ninja learners. Often times they are paired up with other genin and assigned to a Special Jounin or Jounin sensei where possible and sent on missions as they learn the ninja world and develop their skills. Once a genin is deemed worthy they may be promoted to the role of chuunin through a two different methods. The most notable method of promotion is the Chuunin Exams, like the one Kumogakure is hosting right now. This is an event held every so often to test the strength of the different villages genin and allow them to compete against each other. At the event, those worthy of being promoted to the rank of Chuunin will do so. The second is to have your village authorities direct permission to do so, but this usually entails some amount of merit ie. enough missions completed and a certain physical competency to justify the upgrade and prove that the young shinobi can hold his own versus more competent shinobis. This method is left usually to Kage of the village to decide.

A Chuunin is a full-fledged ninja in any of the ninja villages and is cleared to lead ninja teams on missions and are able to take on a greater role and responsibility within the villages organization. This rank doesn't have the bells and whistles of the earlier ranks and Chuunin are usually given village Flak Jackets to prove their competency. A Chuunin is promoted entirely through the authorities of the village when they have earned the right to rank up and display the proper commitment and physical prowess to advance. A Chuunin can be promoted directly to Special Jounin, which is a limited use Jounin who excels in a few areas of the ninja arts highly. These are highly trained and skillful ninja without the broad capacity of the normal Jounin class, and as such, are held back slightly until their skills and experience balance out a bit more fully. Special Jounin are promoted exclusively to Jounin rank by authoratative discretion once they have reached the requested physical capabilities and commitments. The final true rank of the hierarchy below that of Kage is the Jounin, a true high skilled ninja who operates at the highest level of discretion and with incredible skill. They are trusted highly by their village to complete dangerous and often deadly missions and tasks with scrutiny.

Tenjin then turned to Lais and said, “As a special note, there is such a thing as a wandering shinobi who pledges no allegiance to any village. This begs the question, how do wanderers and criminals fit into this system? For Wanderers and Mercenaries who have no direct major or minor ninja village to tie their allegiance to, they will be ranked based on their deeds, for example, criminals that assasinate a Kage could be labeled S-rank missing ninjas. It is true that it is hard for mercenaries to take missions within the villages but a village may hire their services selectively, meaning a Wanderer needs permission for all missions taken in a ninja village, and the mission given will be based upon their previous performances and physical abilities.

Criminals are a big part of the ninja world, those who disobey orders, commit horrible atrocities, abandon their village and commit myriad of crimes in between will be labeled as Missing Ninja. More precisely, these ninja have no home anymore as they are sought after by their original village as well as most likely others. The rank of a missing nin is decided arbitrarily by the nature and volume of their various known crimes and determined by the Kage(s) and Leader(s) of each village. Once someone is known to be a criminal they are placed in what is known as the Bingo Book of each village who knows of their crime. Because it is dependent upon each village, if word of their crime does nott travel then perhaps other villages and lands will not know of their missing ninja label. This means a criminal can be an S-Class Rogue Ninja in one village but not wanted at all in another village. It in some ways encourages villages to share pertinent information between each other in order to keep the Bingo Book collective up to date, but this is not required in the grand scheme of things. As part of being in the Bingo Book, what comes often is a bounty placed upon the head of the rogue ninja for their capture and return to the village or execution depending on what the home village requests or demands. (Tenjin then began to make a list of criminal ranks and the acts that will constitute such rank under the concept of missing ninjas) Now, listed below are the variety of different levels that a missing ninjas can fall into and how they attained such a rank as well as how they are supposed to be handled.

D-Class criminals: Small timers, shop lifters, general public jerks. These criminals are small time and often in mostly crimes that are victimless or more a nuisance than anything. The only option is their capture/arrest.

C-Class criminals: This level is your more malicious criminals, they include theft of a greater amount, assault and battery of an innocent citizen, and things of this nature. The only option is their capture/arrest.

B-Class criminals: These are your arduent and continuous criminals, multiple lower infractions can bring a person to this level but most often it takes egregious crimes such as arson and attempted murder to be placed here. Options include capture/arrest or executions.

A-Class criminals: These criminals are lost souls who have committed atrocious acts for a variety of reasons. Murder being the most common but other horrifying acts such as human experimentation and espionage/treason often fall under this rank. Options include capture/arrest or executions.

S-Class criminals: These criminals are the worst of the worst, committing terrible acts even beyond the scope of A-Class criminals. Mass murder and serial killing, attacking villages, manipulating world events, etc... can have a ninja placed here. Options include capture/arrest or executions.

To secure peace, the villages have decided on a way to combat subterfuge and infiltration by others espcially missing ninjas by establishing the ANBU. ANBU is short for the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, literally meaning Special Assassination and Tactical Squad. ANBU are elite ninja that are hand picked by a village’s Kage or other village authorities to complete top secret and often incredibly dangerous missions. They report only to the Kage of their respective village, and hide their identities from all others. While on the job, ANBU wear masks and use code names, leaving only their Kage informed of who is and who isn’t a member of the village’s black ops unit.

ANBU are sent on missions of the utmost importance. This includes but is not limited to protecting the village from exceptional threats, conducting high-risk missions into enemy territory, and dealing with extremely strong ninja. They are also responsible for carrying out assassinations, tracking, surveillance, and missions requiring specially trained ninja. Some ANBU serve as interrogators that probe the minds of enemy ninja to learn information valuable to the village. Regardless of the specialty, the ninja selected for this position are often the best of the best, but are under no obligation to remain member of the ANBU Black Ops for the entirety of their ninja career.

Last, but certainly not least, The Kage, meaning shadow, are the leaders of their own villages and usually the most powerful and wise ninja of the village. Now, this is not always the case and sometimes there may be other more powerful ninja within a village that can be stronger than their Kage for a variety of reasons. The only requirement to become a Kage, outside being someone who fits the mold of leadership, is that a person must be of Jounin level from their village first and be appointed by the council of their village when an opening arises. It is important to note that a Kage carries their title for life, meaning that once they accept the position there are few things to usurp them of it and they carry the title and notoriety of Kage until their deaths. Even then, 'retirement' won't save a Kage from their complete duties as they are still expected to be a symbol of the village.

There is an important distinction to note though, only the leaders of the great ninja villages are allowed for their leader to bear the actual title of Kage with Konoha having their Hokage (Leaf Shadow), Kirigakure having the Mizukage (Water Shadow), Sunagakure having the Kazekage (Wind Shadow), Iwagakure having the Tsuchikage (Earth Shadow), and Kumogakure having the Raikage (Lightning Shadow).

The responsibilities of the Kage in a sense are almost insurmountable, being expected to tend to the events of the village as a figure head, sign off on various mounds of paperwork with the Kage's signature, assign missions throughout the village, tend to the general ninja of the village, provide for the village's defense, as well as many more responsibilities. Doing these activities are mostly at the discretion of the Kage to complete these duties as they see fit and for the most part are assumed to be taken care of something that is more important if not. Nevertheless, if a Kage knows of a threat to their village (large or small threat) then they are often the first, middle, and last lines of defense depending on the severity of the threat. Furthermore, they are also responsible for having a sort of control over their Administration by answering to a variety of requests from their village and non-village ninjas, including but not limited to: Rank up Requests, Travel Requests, etc. Overall, the responsibility of the Kage is to follow through on maintaining their village and constituents. Questions?” With that said, Tenjin was finished with his first lecture and ready to begin his second, unless Lais had any questions.

WC 2,288

TWC 2,897

The name 'Naruto' seemed rather familiar as she vaguely recalled having heard that name being mentioned in history class. A saviour of sorts, he had supernatural abilities that allowed him to surpass the human limits. Laïs had rolled with her eyes at that, not believing that adults were teaching them fairy tales as a lesson in history. The teacher had not quite named the abilities or the specialisations at that time. In fact, Naruto had mostly been a name drop, yet everyone had been elated about it and hailed him as a hero. Laïs had no idea who he was or what the fuzz was, neither did she care about an unfamiliar name which would never show up in the Land of Demons again either. To hear his name being uttered again now was most curious. The saviour of today's shinobi? Huh.

One by one, Tenjin proceeded to name the different ranks and positions available in the shinobi hierarchy. She was already familiar with the students and the genin due to their previous missions, and the kage had been an unavoidable presence as the title was uttered on a regular base. Chuunin, special jounin and jounin seemed to fill up the big void between the genin and the kage. Laïs nodded in understanding, finally seeing the full structure of the hierarchy. She was considered a 'genin' in their eyes and as such was only given the dumbest of missions. A funny thing, when she thought that back in her own village she had easily been one of the strongest. Driven by the Jugo blood, Laïs had mostly bullied the weaker kids, rebelled against authority and did whatever she wanted as even adults had quite some trouble to hold her down. To think now that she was back to being a small fry did not sit well with her. Fortunately, she already ensured her ticket to greatness as Lamya's future apprentice.

The academy student sounded like a lame rank in her eyes. She'd be forced to sit in school, studying. Not something she had ever liked, nor ever will. However, the basic skills that came with it, such as the explanation on specialisations and element was something she was missing now. Even the names of all these techniques, of which some she had heard before being mentioned by Tenjin during the missions, was something she had no knowledge of. The tricks she knew generally had no name, and the few she had used in the spar with Lamya's clones had not really impressed her teacher either. It was possible they were alike, of course, or it was so that Lamya already knew Laïs to be the equivalent of a genin and simply was not worried with her techniques.

Eventually, the chuunin and the Chuunin Exams became the talk of the day. She had picked up rumours about these Exams before, eventually had picked up what it was and had moved over to Kumogakure to see what they were about. She had seen kids fight in the arena, each of them wearing a headband with some symbol on it. Where she could not name the symbols of the others, Iwagakure's head bands were familiar to her, and she had come to recognise those of Kumogakure as well. As such she had linked the other symbols to being a representation of the other great Villages, though their names eluded her. Neither had she spotted any of the Land of Demons, making her wonder if they even had such a thing as shinobi to begin with. That said, chuunin didn't sound too bad a rank. It wasn't a rank for kids and unlike the jounin, didn't sound like a rank where here life would be in danger. She liked that idea.

Eventually, Tenjin referred to wandering and missing ninja, the category she seemed to fit in as those did not hold an allegiance to any Village. Herself, having left the Land of Demons, fit in with the first group even though her loyalty had been given to Lamya. As far as she was concerned, Lamya didn't show any sign of allegiance to a Village either, leaving only the question if the Snake Sage could be a missing-nin considering the vast amount of power she held. Her question was somewhat answered when Tenjin mentioned a missing-nin, being written in the Bingo Book, could remain incognito in another Village if information had not been shared. She smiled wryly at that thought. She was not exactly a law abiding citizen herself, her opportunistic nature simply picking up whatever she liked. She was more of a bully that bluntly shoved any opposition out of the way as she continued her path. A rebellious spirit simply wishing to remain unburdened by others feeling a need to tell her how she had to behave. From Tenjin's list of crimes, Laïs guessed that the D rank missing-nin would fit her without fault, inching towards the C rank mostly due to her bouts of frenzy as a Jugo. When she lost control of herself, it generally didn't end with just a punch to the face or a stomp in the groin...

The conversation shifted towards the ANBU, a class on its own that seemed to fall outside the typical hierarchy. The way Tenjin described them, it was clear that these hand-picked shinobi could not fall under the lower rank shinobi, a fact he had already mentioned before. The missions they picked up were of the most difficult and subtle sort, the full name of their title already stating the need for tactical insight and undying devotion. A curious thing in the eyes of the crow sage as not only loyalty to another was an unfamiliar concept, but having to work in a team with others of which their identity and presence would be unfamiliar until the time they met seemed... inefficient at best. That said, if every Village had a division like the ANBU of their own, it must mean she simply was missing much needed information on their exact workings to get it right. Information even Tenjin might be missing, considering the secrecy of the ANBU.

In the end, it all came down to the 'kage' of each Village. As Tenjin explained those, not only did he reveal what being a kage exactly was about, but he also revealed the names of the great Villages that had eluded Laïs all this time. With their names, she finally understood how vast the world was outside the Land of Demons, and with it how rich it would be on opportunities to seek out her own power. How far would she be able to go? Would she reach the power of a kage? If she put faith in Lamya's words, she would even be able to surpass that power. Where the kage would be shackled by duties, she would remain free of any burdens.

After what seemed like an eternity, the lecture on the shinobi ranks finally came to an end. Tenjin asked her if she had any questions so far, but much like the times in school, Laïs was already having a hard time to remain interested. Having to ask questions would only prolong the suffering of this make-shift class. Instead, she shook her head and dug up a bottle of soda from pockets. Before taking a sip herself, she offered the bottle to Tenjin. If he'd accept, she'd wait until he was finished before drinking herself. If not, she'd take a sip herself.

"These ranks and positions seem well-thought off and all, but just as much a burden to uphold. Strong on the inside, but prone to corruption from within.", she said in a matter-of-factly way. Even if there were squads within squads and ranks within ranks that worked hard to prevent such corruption from occurring, she didn't believe it could remain free without taint forever. Privileges, favourites, friendship, emotions, trust. Power always ended up corrupting things as frail and fickle as that. Unless the organisations were filled with mindless and heartless puppets, there was no way it could stay unaffected forever. "I guess it's a risk to take, isn't it? Either way, what up next? Specialisations? Elements? Something else still?"

---

1403
Total: 2228

Tenjin noticed as Lais attempted to give him a drink that did not appear to be water, so Tenjin politely denied the offer saying, “No thank you.” After Lais took another sip from her drink, she began to speak on the fickle nature of the structure of the shinobi system. Tenjin then began to speak on his ideas on the system as they pertain to his understanding. “In order to avoid any misunderstanding, I should like to explain the idea briefly, as I understand it. Human nature in the past, has shown that responsibility rested with the highest officials, who were responsible for carrying out the anonymous wishes of the majorities, and it was they, the majority, who exercised the authority. With the leadership principle that the shinobi ranking system follows, we sought to reverse the direction, that is, the authority existed at the top and passed downwards, while the responsibility began at the bottom and passed upwards. Making corruption possible, yes, but less probable. I consider the leadership principle necessary in the shinobi system, because the system which previously existed, one that we can call democratic, where the people have the power, had brought the lands of Damyo’s to the verge of ruin. For this reason the villages have collectively abandoned this system and the men belonging to it. This system had brought ruin by mismanagement and according to my own opinion, only an organization made up of a strong, clearly defined leadership hierarchy could restore order again. But, let it be understood, not against the will of the people, but only when the people, having in the course of time, and by means of a series of elections, grown stronger and stronger, had expressed their wish to entrust their destiny to the Kages leadership.” Tenjin paused as to let that idea solk in, as he believes strongly in the order of life to try and manage the chaos of nature.

“But that is just my opinion, it has nothing to do with what I am meant to teach you today. We all have our own opinions after all. With that said, we will start with specialties and then finish up with elements. I’m sure that is the best way to get you to understand the techniques used in the shinobi world.” Tenjin turned to erase all of the words that he had written on the black board, and after, he began to list another series of words.

Ninjutsu - Taijutsu - Bukijutsu - Medical Ninjutsu - Genjutsu - Fuuinjutsu - Puppetry - Senjutsu

“Through out this wide world, thousands upon thousands of shinobi begin and continue their training every single day. While they might all unthinkingly train within the same world, few shinobi train in the same manner. While these minor differences would be impossible to list, the shinobi world has attempted to implement a system to reflect this mass of possible variations.

As such we have implemented a specialization system. With this system it is believed that you can learn about a shinobi who is focused on a specific field or well rounded. Each specialization comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. As such you should seriously consider training the sort of fighting style that most fits your character and personality.

On the board, you will find the specialization choices you may train. Focusing on the choices, you have ten specialization to train and learn to combat against. Many of these choices also have the additional sub-choices of perks they grant, like taijutsu and the different styles of combat that goes with like boxing and mixed martial arts as well as Bukijutsu and the different fighting styles that come with different weapons. I will not be able to get to this point since it will prolong my lecture, but I suspect you will learn about the differnt sub specialties throughout your shinobi career.”

Tenjin then pointed at Ninjutsu and began his lecture, “Ninjutsu, the most common, the most diverse and the most plentiful of specialized techniques utilized by shinobi forces, Ninjutsu through the use of a shinobi's chakra is capable of producing effects that are capable of truly affecting the world. These can range from blasts of fire to creating perfect clones of oneself. They also include elements consisting of katon (fire), suiton (water), doton (earth), fuuton (wind) or raiton (lightning), which we will get to later. Additionally, this also includes all elements that are composed by fusing two or more of these elements such a Mokuton (wood), Hyoton (Ice), etc.”

Tenjin then pointed to Taijutsu, “Taijutsu techniques involve any physical movements that do not incorporate weapons. This is often considered to be the second largest category of techniques that are developed by shinobi. It is because of taijutsu's trait of being simple to learn the basics of, that nearly every shinobi is taught the basics of punching, kicking and so forth while only those of true determination are capable of learning the more detailed and destructive techniques.”

Pointing at Bukijutsu, Tenjin will again continue his lecture. “Bukijutsu techniques are very similar to taijutsu, the sole exception being that Bukijutsu focuses on the use of weapons rather than one's own body. This is another extremely common family of techniques, with the usage of kenjutsu which is a sub-group of Bukijutsu in general. Any sort of weapon which acts as the main factor in damage such as swords, spears, trench knives and so on will all fall under Bukijutsu.”

Tenjin then proceeded to underline medical ninjutsu to highlight the importance of the fighting style before speaking, “This sub-category of ninjutsu encompasses any technique that focuses on repairing, damaging or manipulating the target's body through a extensive understanding of the human anatomy. While medical techniques were quite rare before and during the initial founding of the shinobi villages, as wars have raged on over the last century medical shinobi have become more and more important, but are still uncommon overall due to the amount of training and chakra control required.”

Tenjin then pointed at Genjutsu, “Genjutsu or illusion techniques aim to manipulate the target's five senses in order to trick the target into believing something is or has happened, which has not. This can range from a psychological attacks to merely tricking the opponent so that they wander in circles. Because of the level of chakra control required to perform the techniques and the understanding of the human mind required, genjutsu is one of the lesser practiced shinobi arts. It can be on of the most powerful however. Genjutsu being the illusion arts, works off the users chakra like Ninjutsu. As noted before, genjutsu is used to gain control over ones senses, the stronger the jutsu the more control, and the more effects you can do.  All Genjutsu has a set power, Genjutsu effects everyone, and must be broken through the following methods. Breaking Genjutsu is fairly simple, it can be done in a few different ways but the two most common is... The Genjutsu Release. The second method is team work, by having a third party make physical contact with you, their chakra is "added" to yours in terms of breaking the Genjutsu. Other non common methods have been said to be capable of breaking Genjutsu, such as the fully mastered Jinchuriki, and Kekkei Genkai such as the Sharingan, the aforementioned is simply the two most common. Some Genjutsu may have added requirements to break, thus you may have the regular methods of breaking the Genjutsu but it will not be able to be broken, hence why its power is feared if utilized correctly.”

Nearly completed, Tenjin points at Fuuinjutsu and begins explaining the concept. “While seemingly not as popular as some other schools of shinobi abilities, many shinobi rely on fuuinjutsu without even realizing it. Fuuinjutsu relies on chakra infused seals and can be utilized with scrolls, explosive notes and so forth which all rely on fuuinjutsu to operate and while shinobi specializing in fuuinjutsu might be an uncommon occurrence, they are often very powerful in their own right as they can assist in creating a summoning or attaining a summoning contract. Summon contracts, are established to summon beasts that you are able to call forth from other dimension to be considered space time ninjutsu. There are other applications to this specialization of course, but one must be proficient in the art to be able to better articulate its process.”

Now we have puppetry being targetted, “While puppetry is commonly associated with Sunagakure no Sato and the village is in fact its birthplace, the technique has since spread, albeit on a small scale, to other villages. The art of puppetry takes a great deal of training and chakra control with chakra strings to use and as such must be trained extensively as a proficient specialization in order to utilize any puppetry techniques.”

Last but certainly not least, Tenjin pointed at Senjutsu. “Out of all the types of shinobi techniques, Senjutsu or Sage Techniques are the rarest. Practiced only by the sages within villages and their apprentices, the techniques teach and utilize the power of natural energy alongside one's own chakra supply to create devastatingly powerful techniques. Unlike other specialization options, one can only learn senjutsu as a specialization once becoming more knowledgeable with ones natural capabilities. Because of this, those who learn senjutsu are typically skilled in other types of fighting styles as well. Since sage techniques are essentially just regular techniques used in conjunction with natural chakra, this means that you'll be able to utilize sage techniques if they would otherwise fall under your other specializations, but as I understand it, you can only use them in a type of sage mode.”


Tenjin then began erasing the board and said, “Sorry for just going ahead like this but to fully understand the capabilities of the specialization, you must also know that elements can be used in conjunction with them in order to make them more powerful.” Tenjin then drew a diagram to show the relationships of the elements in regards to the arrows that show what the Element is strongest against which, and also the implication that the former can be used in conjunction with the latter to strengthen a technique, for example, lightning beats water but lightning can be strengthen in conjunction with water. Tenjin then wrote on top of the diagram, ‘The Five Elements’ and underneath he listed them all.

The Five Elements:

Fire Release - Water Release - Earth Release - Lightning Release - Wind Release

After listing the elements, he will begin his lecture once again, “Elemental jutsus are divided into five basic elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind. These are used in the form of Nature Change in which the shinobi alters the flow of their chakra to suit their birth element. Later on, the shinobi may be able to learn more elements, but those would be weaker elements compared to their natural affinity. Some shinobi can combine two or three of their elements to create unique elements such as Wood Style as mentioned before. In order to create powerful jutsus, a ninja must combine both Nature Change and Shape Change techniques.

To begin, let us start with fire release. The Fire Release, or fire style, is an area of elemental Nature Transformation that is mostly an offensive type of technique that primarily allow the user to create fire by increasing the temperature of their chakra. There are some exceptions to this though in which the shinobi forms mediums in order create explosions.

Commonly affiliated with the Tiger hand seal, Fire Release techniques cause burning and explosive damage. Fire Release Ninjutsu is common among Konohagakure ninja, with the Uchiha Clan being once known to be especially proficient with its use. Fire Release is strong against wind; because wind naturally feeds fire but weak against water due to its ability to extinguish the flames. Although a sufficiently strong jutsu, such as a combination or a fusion Fire Release technique augmented by wind can be strong enough to evaporate its natural weakness of water. Fire jutsu can also be used to produce both Lava Release with earth and Boil Release with water as in the case of the latter.

The Water Release or Water Style, is an area of elemental Nature Transformation whos techniques allow the user to manipulate pre-existing water, or create their own, by turning their chakra into water. Though it takes a lot more ability to create the water rather than manipulate what is already available. Possibly the most versatile of the five basic chakra natures, Water Release techniques can not only change shape but form as well. The affinity for Water Release is common to shinobi of Kirigakure. The water appears to do its damage from the sudden force that it exerts, which would cause massive internal damage to a human. Water Release will naturally extinguish fire, though as noted, a sufficiently powerful fire technique can cause evaporation, but will naturally be overcome by earth. When Water Release techniques are combined with wind Release techniques, the concussive and overall destructive power is vastly increased. Also Water Release is efficient in combination with Lightning Release, increasing the flow of electricity into the target, because of the increased conductivity which causes more damage at a faster rate. Water-natured chakra is also a component of four different kekkei genkai namely Boil Release, Ice Release, Wood Release, and possibly Storm Release.

The Earth Release or Earth Style, is an area of Nature Transformation whos techniques allow the user to manipulate the surrounding earth for offensive and defensive purposes; be it dirt, mud, or rock. Earth Release techniques have the ability to change the hardness and composition of the earth from being as hard as metal to as soft as clay, or allow the user to travel through ground and rock in various ways which can be essential for both transportation and offense. Pre-existing earth is not necessary though, since the user can create it with their own chakra. Earth Release affinities are the most common among the ninja of Iwagakure, and is commonly affiliated with the Snake seal. Earth Release is naturally strong against water but likewise, Earth Release is also naturally weak against lightning. Earth Release is also a component in the advanced chakra natures, Lava Release, Wood Release as well as Crystal Release and Dust Release.

The lightning release or Lightning Style, is an area of elemental nature transformation whos techniques allow the user to generate lightning by increasing the high frequency vibrations of their chakra, allowing for piercing damage and fast movement. The electricity paralyzes the target so that they are unable to move and leave them vulnerable to a finishing strike. While uncommon, lightning can be infused into bladed weapons in a way similar to wind release through chakra flow for increased sharpness through vibrations, with the added effect of inducing numbness. Common to the ninjas of this here Kumogakure, a lightning jutsu is naturally strong against an earth and water jutsu, and weak against wind. Lightning also has a unique relation with water since it will conduct it. This means that it can be used to increase the damage of a water release or equally a lightning release technique.Though this also means that if ones opponent still has a physical connection with the water, either a pre-existing source or one created with their own chakra, then they can be paralyzed via their own jutsu. In addition, possibly along with water, Lightning is presumably one of the components for the storm release nature.

The Wind Release or Wind Style is an area of elemental Nature Transformation that is mostly utilzied for offensive-type techniques that allow the user to manipulate wind by shaping their chakra to be as sharp and as thin as possible, very much like the blades of a pair of scissors. The affinity appears to be common among ninja of Sunagakure, and Wind Release techniques are suited to combine brute force and precision to deal cutting and slashing damage. As noted with lightning, users can even channel wind-natured chakra into blades to increase their range and cutting power. Wind Release manipulation, is a specialization that I myself must train due to my dust release studies and it will be achieved by learning how to split a leaf in two with chakra and then learning to halt the flow of water. Wind Release is naturally strong against Lightning Release techniques, and likewise naturally weak against Fire Release techniques. In the case of a combination, it augments the strength of a Fire Release technique as well as increases the concussive power of a Water Release technique. Wind-natured chakra, when combined with water-natured chakra, produces the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.”

With that said, Tenjin was able to put down the chalk and dust his hands, implying that he was done with his current course. A study that would usually last a few years in the academy was taught to Lais in just a few hours, so Tenjin was hoping that she was able to remember what was taught but equally be able to fill in between the lines in regards to what information was omitted from the grand lesson. Tenjin faced Lais once again and began to conclude his lecture, “This is what I believe to be the necessary requirements to learn and become an efficient shinobi in the system. If you have any questions please feel free to ask, as I am at your disposal for now at least.”

Tenjin would smile light heartedly after saying this, and awaiting any question that was asked by Lais. The truth is, Tenjin really enjoyed the lecture, but he wasn’t going to admit that, but he doubted he needed to as she would probably suspect that due to his enthusiasm within the teachings. That being said, Tenjin was getting hungry and seeing that the exams were over, he thought that he should walk around the downtown district in Kumogakure before stoppoing somewhere to eat. But this will of course come after Lais confirmation that she has in fact learned what was taught. Now it is up to her to learn what specialties she would like, and create her own nindo or ninja way in regards to navigating around the shinobi world that was just described. As for Tenjins ninja way, he will focus on trying to gain more knowlegde and gain more power so that he can one day be a force to be reckoned with as he defends his village of Iwagakure. If there was no more questions, Tenjin would pardon himself from his post and excuse himself so that he can go out to eat in the downtown area of Kumogakure before finally going back home to Iwagakure.

[EXIT]

WC: 3,119

TWC: 6,016

Training:

The second part of the crash course started with specialisations. Taking a sip from her drink, she listened to the different fields that had systematically been placed within the shinobi world to maintain an overview of the possible skills. There seemed to be eight of them, the last one being a field she already knew about from Lamya, yet Tenjin mentioned there were supposed to be ten fields. Most curious. Not lingering on the detail as she assumed it to be a slip of the tongue, she listened to the first category that was being presented - ninjutsu.

Though ninjutsu formed the base of almost everything, strongly expressed by the 'elements' she had heard about, it sounded like your typical fairy tale fantasy. Fireballs, clones and probably anything else she could imagine. It was almost too unreal to be true, were it not that she had seen and fought Lamya's clones and their conjured water sickles. Whereas she could not imagine herself ever having created anything that fell into this category, she could actually consider Lamya's specialisation, or one of them at least, being Ninjutsu.

As the second specialisation was dropped, Laïs instantly could relate to that one. Punching, kicking, dancing. Yes, she had picked up capoeira herself but mostly mixed it in with break dancing and general acrobatics. A bastardised version of a popular dance fight that fit her needs far better than the what capoeira could give her. It promoted mobility, evasion and good kicks. While she felt it lacking on punches, she was already thinking about implementing a new fighting style for herself that involved the use of her infectious touch. Though far from completing it yet, it was a good thing to know how the shinobi would perceive her now.

Bukijutsu fell much in line with taijutsu, but focused on weapons rather than the body. Laïs could appreciate a good knife or the needles she had been using as a temporary substitute for the quills she used to write with, but the thought of being a bukijutsu specialist was quickly shoved off the table as Tenjin went into more detail. Th specialisation did not seem to entail small arms, but rather bigger weapons such as swords and spears. Weapons that needed actual training and were not as easily handled as your day-to-day potato knife.

When he reached medical jutsu, Laïs seemed genuinely intrigued by the idea that this specialisation allowed healing and damaging of body tissue. Did this mean her infections would be categorise under medical ninjutsu? Possible, even though hers were mostly self-taught by observing her father's works. He was an occultist and scientist, always working to make different infections with different effects. Some had given their victims a enhancement of sorts, only to take away something else or end up making the aftermath worse than the temporary benefit. Even though she didn't hold the patience to cultivate such infections, to bring suffering in another way than just lording over or bullying the weak was something that tugged at her heartstrings. During the years she had developed a supernatural ability to infect others with gangrene, believing for a long time it was just a byproduct of exposure to her father's experiments, but hearing how chakra could actually recreate similar effects, Laïs was now doubting that thought in favour of having a natural talent for chakra control much like Lamya had considered her a rarity when it came to senjutsu. The only question then remained... How was it possible she could mold her own chakra if she had never received any training in it?

The answer would have to wait as genjutsu was mentioned. Where so far all of the chakra manifestations were external, or at least very physical in approach, genjutsu overthrew that whole idea as Tenjin explained her that it was mostly a specialisation of mental and psychological manipulation. Licking her lips slowly, the very idea of being able to terrorise someone not only on a physical level but also on a mental level was... fascinating, to say the least. However, the trouble she had was that the Jugo blood was fond of a direct approach, going so far as to throw Laïs in a state of frenzy just to beat up whatever it could reach out to, begging the question if she would actually be able to make use of such a subtle specialisation to begin with.

Fuinjutsu, on the other hand, did not interest her as much, though the mention of Summons was something that caught her attention. As a child of two people who had been talking her entire life about the summoning of demons, the sealing of infernal deals and signing of contracts in blood, she couldn't help but feel a shiver crawl down her spine when Tenjin mentioned Fuinjutsu walked such a path. If that truly was the case, then the Ars Goetia her father had cherished for so long could be a journal thick with Summoning Seals. She had never seen her parents perform any such summons, but Laïs knew there was a lot her parents did not do in public or in front of her. She would never had thought such revelations could change her perception of her own world so much...

While Tenjin explained to her what puppetry was about, Laïs was mostly preoccupied with her own thoughts on how this world was seemingly so different yet so alike to what she had known in the Land of Demons. That such a dull explanation as that of specialisations would reveal so much, almost made her feel she had been living in a cave for so long - a metaphor that was not too far off the truth, if the reminded herself of the shack they lived in and her father's underground little 'cellar'. The looming darkness, ever present in the Land of Demons, did not help with the imagery of her stepping into the light of knowledge. Only to see it be devoured by the giant white snake she had encountered.

Pushing her thoughts back, Tenjin had arrived at Senjutsu, a specialisation she was oddly far more familiar with than her teacher for a change. And this was proven once more when she came to hear that 'sage techniques' could not be used without a Sage form. Tilting her head at that claim, Laïs had found this contradictory to her own experiences, as she had always been sensing chakra signatures around her without having to transform in such a Sage mode. Likewise, Lamya had told her she was a natural with nature energy, a girl so pure it made even the greatest Sage of Konoha envious of her talent. But since Tenjin mentioned Sages were already a rarity on their own, she did not contradict his claims, preferring to keep her unique talent of being able to use senjutsu without a Sage mode for herself.

Seeing as there was another break in the lessons, Laïs stretched somewhat after taking another sip of her drink. As he drew the diagram and wrote down the names of the five elements, Laïs took a moment to look outside the room, allowing her mind to find some rest with the already laden explanations as she could not say how much more had yet to come. It already bored her heavily, but perhaps for the first time the woman was willingly putting some effort in keeping her mind with the whole ordeal. The shinobi world, though alien, drew her in. She wanted to know what it was, so she could make the best of it when she worked her way up towards power. Towards the state of being 'beyond humane', like Lamya had shown her.

---

When Tenjin finished his writing and the tapping of chalk against the board has ceased, Laïs stepped back inside the room to check the circle of five elements he had drawn, upon which the third session of the course began with Tenjin explaining that these were the five basic elements from which others could be created by certain individuals. Unaware of her own elements, she listened to what he had to say about it and hoped to, once again, be able to determine her own place in the shinobi world with it.

First up was fire, an element that invoked the image of vulgar destruction and lack of finesse. As expected, Tenjin declared it to be an element of offensive intention which seemed to be strongly present within the shinobi of Konoha. Continuing on the element, even the names of fire's combined elements were nothing to scoff at, boasting once more little more than blatant destruction and terror that left little room for subtle or prolonged approaches. The fire element, much like its natural counter part, seemed to consume everything, hoping even to surpass its own natural weakness - water.

Here again, the Water Release sported all the benefits that came with its natural counterpart. Versatility, flexibility and the strength to adapt wherever whenever and going so far as to fit well with a lot of other elements to enhance its own power or become something completely new. Earth seemed to be its weakness, but Laïs considered the versatility, or rather its dependency on other elements to achieve greatness just as much a weakness of its own. Still, it was said someone could drown in a two inch deep pool if some effort was put into it, so perhaps she shouldn't take the element all too lightly in this strange world.

And speaking of worlds, Earth Release was attributed to ability to shape the world around them. An interesting thought, so found the crow sage, as it could be understood very differently when taken out of its current context. It sported mostly resilience, strong defences and a modicum of attached utility. To think it was related to Iwagakure did not really surprise her, as far as she could abide by the very thought elements were bound by region, and it made her wonder if that meant if Tenjin too had that element within him. In fact, so curious was she, that the crow sage decided to try out a little technique on her teacher that stemmed from her own occult knowledge - aura reading. She had tried out the technique before, seeing the strangest colours dance around the people, yet had so far not quite been able to deduct what they meant. But now, hearing about the elements and how some seemed typical for a certain region, the link as to why she had commonly seen browns and rusted reds within the people of Iwagakure made sense. Invoking her Second Sight, Laïs' perceptive world seemed to bleak for a moment before vibrant colours of brown and blazing red took shape around Tenjin. As if the knowledge of the five elements was what she had needed to understand her own abilities, she could now label them as Fire and Earth Nature.

Allowing the natural energy to dissipate, Tenjin continued his lesson as if nothing happened, speaking now about Lighting Release and how it harnessed similar traits to thunder and lightning. Fast, numbing, and brilliantly powerful in its own way. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be that many advanced elements associated with it, making it seem like it was an element cursed to be a power of its own right. Well, that was not counting the ever-adaptable Water Nature to the party, who seemed to get along well with everyone but Earth.

Lastly there was Wind Release, and the only element that truly appealed to the crow sage, if only to associate it with the wind caressing her feathers during flight or how it blew through her hair with such a libertine attitude. One time a gentle caress, the other time a raging storm, she had hard to believe that Wind Release served mostly as an offensive technique. Could the wind now blow away objects and knock things over? An invisible ally that could redirect attacks, push someone in the right or wrong direction. No, she almost felt offended at the idea that Wind Release would be so straight-forward to most.

Luckily, the lecture came to an end, finishing with Tenjin asking her if she had any questions. She had tons of them, actually, but didn't feel like spending much longer in the make-shift class room. She wanted to be outside, breathe in the fresh air and have some fun roaming the world in search for adventure where, perhaps, she would come to learn about these unknown 'hand seals', the expression of the other specialisations and elements she did not have or even why some elements showed up more frequently in one Village than another.

"No questions. In fact, I think I'll be going out to take some fresh air, grab a bite and watch some of these exams that are happening. Thank you for the explanations though, it certainly clarified quite a lot."

With that said, the two parted ways.

---

[EXIT]

2190
Total: 4418

150/170:

Training: