Konoha's nin had been busy lately in the forest. First there was the excess harvesting that had left the forest's biome vulnerable for imbalance caused by eager genin. For one reason or another, the Administration was in dire need of these herbs as the demand in soldier pills and herbal medicine had peaked to such height Airi had been quite befuddled at it all. It didn't make sense to her that people suddenly had found such interest into something she had been promoting for years, and it certainly hadn't changed when she had started to learn iryojutsu. Had Nanashi impacted Konoha's iryo-nin in such a way? It was possible, as the man had far more sway being an expert healer. Perhaps his methods had opened their eyes for the wonders of herbal knowledge. An amusing thought, but also one that was now threatening the balance of the forest through zealous harvesting. Well... She could teach them, of course, but she feared her words would not be enough to persuade them towards care.

In the beginning, Airi had tried to regrow the herbs through her mokuton channelling, but that seemingly only caused the Administration to harvest even more. So she had left it for what it was, which caused them to just rampage on. By now, her monitoring had revealed that whole areas were running short on the most basic herbal plants, causing the genin to run deeper into the woods and inch towards areas that were far too dangerous to venture forth alone. Even for a well-prepared ninja as her, with a vast amount of knowledge of Konoha's forest, it still caused problems. As such, the kunoichi had decided to spend most of her chakra in nourishing the area around her once more, hoping to spurt the growth of nature so as to keep the swarm of genin of her Village safe. Lightly annoyed, she could only wonder if this was truly supposed to happen to Gaia, however. Was she meant to force growth as this for the benefit of the Village? Probably not, no.

Still, the kunoichi would sit on her knees in an open clearing, surrounded by various trees, hands placed on the ground. Slowly but steadily, she allowed her clan's mokuton chakra to flow into the ground and stretch out. Tendrils of chakra flowing towards trees and the spots where the herbs had previously grown. If she did this carefully, she could probably hold out for quite some time, but there was no saying how much impact it would have. Even if her chakra control had considerably improved thanks to her iryojutsu training, she couldn't be certain how far her influence would reach and how many plants she would be able to regrow. All she knew was that she had to try.

---

475

It had been some time since he had moved out from his home, he told her he was going to find himself again as he made his way deeper into the forest. He was careful of the herbs in general as he knew they had to stick to the marked areas, but lately some genin had been gathering the herbs anywhere in the forest ignoring the need to go to the herb reserve areas. He felt a bit annoyed that everyone started to realize how useful herbs were all of a sudden thanks to them realizing they could save chakra, stamina as well as a lot of time by having more herbs available. It was never noticed before since the stocks were generally just kept near the minimum or at normal levels. While he made his way into the forest he thought something seemed strange as he followed a familiar aura and then a scent that seemed familiar, but was a lot stronger then what he was used to.

Though he wished he was not so bad with medication as he learned that some of the herbs he collected could make you super strong or hyper fast. Though the one herb made you turn stupid strong, where you would be so strong you might move boulders with ease, but at the same time you would also mistake people for boulders though this would be useful when alone on a battle field as enemy shinobi could act as ammunition. He got closer and closer, then he began to scurry like a squirrel and skipping like a kitty cat as he finally saw who it was as he stopped just in front of her blushing as he pulled a stop resisting the urge to pounce her with a hug.

"Hi, Airi..." as he waved, his appearance was a lot different from before, at least with his ears now being those of a little kitty cat as they twitched on top of his head and his tail that swayed around twice before hiding behind him as he felt more embarrassed as he would bow slightly then after she greets back he would ask her, "What you doing?"

(370)

The consistent flow of the yang-rich mokuton chakra was slowly revealing its effect in the nearby area. At various spots, budding leaves and flowers revealed themselves from under the soft earth, slowly perking up their heads towards the first sunrays within their green lives. It was far from enough to replant the area, but even then she could feel the strain on her chakra reserves. It wasn't as strong as it used to be back as a genin, meaning the iryoujutsu training was improving upon her chakra endurance, but it wasn't like she could consider herself a goddess of regrowth just yet. As she continued channelling her chakra, she eyed the limits of her reach and guessed it at about a 15 meter radius all around. A huge improvement from a year ago, that was for certain, but her job wasn't done yet.

She heard footsteps disturb the soft earth lightly behind her, until a familiar voice called out. As timid as ever, the voice belonged to Jamie. Airi would have loved turning around to greet him, but as she was currently concentrated on regrowing herbs all around her, she hesitated to break her focus, instead greeting him from the place where she was crouched.

"Hey Jamie."

She had picked up some news about Jamie not being himself lately, assuming he had been uneasy, perhaps sick even, but would not have been able to think he was undergoing a transformation of sorts. And certainly not one of a cat. Since she didn't around to take a look at him - the hug would come afterwards - she still wasn't aware that a feline shinobi was now standing behind her.

"It seems there's been a farming frenzy with little care of its effect on the biome, so before things get out of balance in Nature, I'm fertilising and regrowing the area to restore the overly harvested plants."

Seeing the buds bloom lightly, revealing their youthful growth, Airi decided to stop the channelling of her mokuton chakra into the ground. With this stage, the plants would be able to hold the biome stable while all together not being fully grown just yet to invite towards another harvest. Even if restored, they would still require time to grow on their own, allowing Nature to give them a proper place within the cycle of life.

So instead, she stood up, dusted off her hands and turned around. She flashed Jamie a smile, and what about to ask him how he was doing considering the news she had heard, but instead found herself looking at two catlike ears for a moment. She blinked, walked up to him to give him a hug and then checked the perking ears again to make sure she hadn't been dreaming.

"Aww, that's so adorable. How did you get these ears to become so vivid?"

She assumed it was some sort of a gadget or just a playful Transformation technique, but couldn't help rubbing the cat ears nonetheless, a gleeful smile on her face.

---

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513
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It was not as obvious at first, but it seemed like Airi was in some form of deep meditation as she did not reply the way she usually did, though that was a good thing considering how much it could have hurt his ears with how sensitive they had become more recently. He asked her as politely as he could about what she was doing as she then proceeded to answer in a tone that made her have an air of wisdom.

The beautiful Airi, still as angelic as ever as she had an awe about her that made people take note of her for not only her good looks, but for her beautiful mind that rivaled it with ease. Her modesty in the heart of their previous training, while it may have seemed like her efforts were in vein. Her method of controlling the Monkey King Eizo's movements at the time was beyond what he was capable of in the same situation. Her flowing green hair that seemed to blend in with the leaves and go with the river as the wind blows. The aura that she had from merely doing what she was doing, making even the simplest of movements seem like brilliance he wondered if he could ever compete with her as his only hope to catch up was to do well on the upcoming chuunin exams.

She began to speak about a farming frenzy as he was not sure what she meant at first, until she mentioned the effects on a biome as that was something he had learned in the herb gathering mission. They were required to gather from the reserves, but people seemed to not care how they got the herbs and caused trouble to the natural ecosystem. He felt a bit enraged at how people took nature for granted, but at the same time he knew that in some cases it was a way of living and a way in which to survive in this harsh world.

He listened to her bringing balance to nature as he began to think of her as the Avatar of the Fire Nation. Though he was still wondering why they were a country, a village and a nation or group of people as his mind had not quite understood why there had to be so many different words for the faction you belonged to and the place you call home. While Airi brought about balance as an avatar, he brought about imbalance since he was the one who promoted the use of herbs more often in the hospitals from his numerous times in hospital forcing them to make use of said herbs, to him gathering a large portion from the marked areas carefully.

He watched as the buds around them seemed to start blooming as he found that she never failed to amaze him even more as deep down inside he wanted to tell her that she was absolutely amazing and fantastictastic, as he began wondering if that was even a word as his mind corrected him deep down saying that she was genuinely fantastic, but that she needed an extra tastic to describe her intense fantasism as he kept making up new words inside his head to describe the gift to the world known as Airi.

He was so stuck in awe that when she stood up he felt like he should kneel down before the Goddess, but at the same time he felt she was so dazzling that he should run away until a part of him realized that he was seeing a bit too much. He had not noticed how much his own senses had changed at the time as she dusted off her hands she gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat, though it was not what he thought as he felt like he could collapse from the intensity of seeing her again after the incident and that one stormy night.

He could not even react as he blushed and then felt a sharp pain as she touched his ears it was like he was stabbed with electricity in both his ears as he just closed his eyes in a timid form of embarrassment rather then to let out that he was in a bit of pain. She told him they were really adorable and asked how they had become so vivid as he was straining himself a bit. He kept it in as much as he could as his tail moved to the side swaying from each side to the other side. He may be in a pain but he was still a shinobi as he once again remembered rule number twenty five, that a shinobi must never show their tears. However he was a bundle of emotions right now as he used every bit of strength he had not to cry out right then and there.

"Ai..." as he flinched a bit he kept in his yelp of pain and spoke up a bit nervously. "Airi, I have to tell you something!" as he knocked her hands away gently like a stubborn little boy removing the teasing of his family members, as his ears twitched before going downwards as he was breathing hard. He stood there before looking up to her slowly with his large eyes that actually looked a bit watery like he might cry at any moment. "If you have some time to listen" as he looked down towards the side his body was overflowing with emotions and his eyes could not hide his deep intense feelings which could not be explained with actions. He had to tell her about what happened and how things were now. If she gave him a chance he would ask her if she heard about the storm several nights ago that ravaged the one waterfall, a lake and a large portion of trees. He did not know it back then, but he was not the only one caught in that storm as some other injuries had occurred as well which had also spiked up the requirement for herbs and medical attention, even if only slightly. Also some part of the rain also damaged the training grounds as well as people were rushing to do a few more of those missions again as he would wait for Airi to give him a chance to say what he needed to say.

(1080)
[1450]

Airi was somewhat surprised to hear the yelp of pain from Jamie when she had rubbed the cat ears. Was he really keeping up an act? While she dropped the petting, she smiled at his comedy play. His face had a serious expression, however, as if he was really enduring some pain she couldn't place. He told her he had something to say, pushed her hands away and twitched his ears. Airi blinked. She wasn't sure if she blinked at his serious expression or at the fact she just saw the ears twitch in perfect synchronisation with his mood, but tilted her head. His eyes were teary, and as such her tone changed from her playful happy-go-lucky mood into an empathic worried one.

"Sorry Jamie, I didn't realise you had some worries. What's on your mind?"

He asked her about the storm that had crossed Konohagakure a few days ago and she nodded. She remembered it well, as she had been looking out the window of her treehouse that night. The raging wind somewhat invoked a sinister side of her as she imagined how Nature raged about the disgrace of Men, attempting to thwart the construction of new buildings, taken from Gaia without so much as a thanks for her care. The thunder and lighting had sounded like a symphony, invigorating her as she could feel the energy course through the air. She had only disliked the heavy rain, as it prevented her from running outside and enjoy the spectacle the storm would bring. If anything, she didn't wanted to end up sick because of some personal folly.

But the damage afterwards had been huge. The area where they had trained as a squad was in ruins, trees had fallen down on houses and people alike, everything within the Village was a mess and the wounded were many. She had been torn between pride for a well-deserved vengeance from Gaia, and the empathy as a budding medical nin when she saw how many were wounded by it. Were these the people that actually deserved Her wrath? Probably not. She knew a few of these people. Good people that had always been grateful for nature's bounty. Airi wasn't sure why Jamie brought it up though.

"I was there. As an iryo-nin, I had to help out and heal the lightly wounded. Why? Is everything alright with you?"

She was quite concerned about his well-being, her eyes already scanning him to see if there was anything akin to a wound that would require medical attention. His neko-disguise didn't really fit with his serious tone either, which only added more to her confusion. Jamie was a Konoha-nin, so he knew how everyone would be called to the rescue.  So why was he so riled up about things?

---

479
Total: 1467

Airi seemed to apologize as she asked him what was on his mind, if he could give an honest answer he would simply say everything since he was really conflicted, but at the very same time very resolute in his path to the truth as he twitched his ears again at the slightest of sounds still trying to adapt as he looked down again nervously.

She listened to him mention the storm that had passed by not too long ago, she must have known about it as he began to speak softly.

"I was in the storm, I know it was stupid of me but I tried to follow the storm and then tried to run from it" She gave a reply as well stating that she was there as a medical shinobi, she had to help with healing the lightly wounded as she asked him if everything was alright with him as he looked up to her again his eyes were wavering, then quivering as he answered.

"Airi, I had to move away" as he just broke down as tears flowed from his eyes as he just launched a surprise hug attack on Airi as he began to speak out in a tone that was not too familiar. However it was clear that something major happened as his tail swayed from side to side as he started to explain.

"Airi, I grew these stupid ears and this tail!" as he was breaking down a bit more. As she may or may not have known he also mentioned a few more details even though it hurt him a bit he had to let it all go somewhere.

"My family are the Inazuka, but how can a cat stay with a bunch of dogs. Why is it a cat's tail, why is it a cat's ears. Why couldn't I stay mom's boy, even though she said I could stay I can't. I don't know what to do anymore Airi, I don't know where I belong and I already know I am welcome here, but I just don't understand Airi. I am not even Jamie anymore, my real name is Akito Miku. How am I suppose to make sense of any of this, who could all of this happen. I know I never knew what my clan was, but why did I have to change into such a weird kid. Why couldn't I be normal like everyone else, why can't I just be my mom's little boy, be Shippo's little brother, why must I be more then that!!"

He stopped for a moment as his tears flowed like crazy as he looked up to her as his ears were twitching naturally to the slight shift in the wind he then leaned forward again and just lay his forehead against her stomach.

"Airi..." as he sniffed a bit he was really upset, but at the same time he was trying to get back to the calm way he used to be.

(510)
[1960]

Jamie answered in a folly, an incoherent revelation of things that seemed to weigh heavy on his heart. She had a hard time following what he meant, and frowned in concentration in an attempt to understand what he had meant. Running towards, then away from the storm. That part made somewhat sense as she assumed he had meant to help out people in his own way, only to realise it was beyond his capacities. But the rest was... confusing. Nonetheless, she remained silent so he could tell all that troubled him. At the end of his tale, even Jamie seemed so confused and lost he could only utter her name. It pained her to him like this, and thus she embraced him tightly until he calmed down.

"Listen Jamie. Uhm, Miku.", she started as she let go of him. "Neither your name nor your looks decide who your friends and family are. You can have any name you want, you'll always be my friend Jamie to me, and I'm sure that even as a cat the Inuzuka clan will consider you their son. It can be a little confusing, and it could become a bit difficult, but it's nothing that can't be straightened."

Sensitive or not, she flicked her finger against the tip of his cat ear with a sparkle of mischief in her eyes.

"Besides, I think you look adorable as a cat. I makes you no different or weirder than me growing trees and plants, or the Inuzuka looking like feral dogs. This is your own special power. All you need are two new red fang markings of the Inuzuka over your cheeks, because I think the storm blew those away. You are a true Konoha-nin like everyone else in our Village. Right?"

She hoped her words had comforted some. She remembered when she had found him so sad and alone, and it broke her heart to see him like this again when he had finally found friends and family. Airi couldn't believe the Inuzuka, being Konoha-nin, would simply abandon him for being a cat, and assumed that when this 'cat form' of his revealed itself, his panic had simply taken over any form of reasoning.

"The only thing that matters is your heart, Jamie. The new Miku-cat still considers us friends and family, doesn't he?"

---

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Total: 1864

As he was crying the embrace from Airi made it feel like he was not crying as much as he felt comfort from her embrace as she told him to listen stumbling on the confusion on his jamiku of a name change. She then let go of him as he did his best to hold back his tears at that moment, she told him that neither his looks or his name decided who his friends or family are, and that he could have what ever name he wanted and that he would always be her friend Jamie. She told him even though he was a cat he could still be considered the son of his mom Ashi, even if the whole entire clan did not accept him now, she did not deny it being possible. She spoke with so much hope that he wondered if she was always this dazzling, she was more than just a big sister, she was like his guardian angel of the tree vine.

When she flicked his ear it twitched around as he shivered for a bit before trying to smile, but all he could do was blush a bit which after some time she must have realized was his best way at smiling, though it sometimes could be confused with him being shy, timid and embarrassed as his way of getting out his emotions was still as unusual as usual. She then told him he looked adorable as a kitty cat as his embarrassment was now obvious as his blush became a really deep pink as he just looked down, she could not see his expression clearly as he could have been smiling at the compliment, or just keeping his plain blush face as usual.

She made his transformation sound a lot more normal as she said it was no different then her growing trees or plants, or the Inuzuka looking like a bunch of wild feral dogs. She told him his power was his own special power and that he could always get his fangs again as he thought about the markings as well. She told him he was a true Konoha Shinobi as he looked up to her his mouth had that plain look again as he now had a look of wonder and admiration as she might have felt that look which told Airi she was amazing, even if she did not think of herself as that.

It was not in a sense that the Inuzuka clan were heartless, but the clan did have a thing about strength and wolf dog like partners. While some would accept him, others would not. He just exaggerated it a bit, but for the most part being this different would set him back at the very least until he could do something to make the recognize him for his skills, his personality and his achievements.

The way she said Miku-cat was so embarrassing that he looked down as he hugged her tight again as a soft giggle was heard, the first one ever done by him since being here as he blushed. "Thank you Airi" as he hugged her even tighter now as his tail was swaying from side to side, she may have also noticed that his grip was a bit stronger then it used to be as well as he had been training to become stronger for the exams and for his family and friends as well. His tears twitched invitingly, but most of all he wanted her to just ruffle the top of his head again as he was snuggling a bit.

(604)
[2564]

Hearing Jamie giggle, Airi knew most of his worries must have come to pass, so eventually she let go of him. Resting a hand on her hip, she took a look at the 'cat' before her, wondering how he underwent that change now that she knew it wasn't just some dress-up or Henge no jutsu. He hadn't really mentioned it, so she somewhat guessed he had no idea either. Still... 'stupid ears and tail', his words remained stuck in her head.

"You know, felines are rather dangerous, no matter if they are as big as a tiger or as tiny as a housecat. I could tell you a few things about them, if you want. Perhaps it could inspire you to find some strengths in your new form."

She knew quite a few, actually. The proud lion, the powerful tiger, sprinting cheetah, stealthy panther, the surviving lynx and the cunning cat.Thinking about it, no matter which one you took, felines covered a wide array of different powers not all too different from a trained shinobi. Adding to that their great sense of balance and sharp perceptive senses, and Jamie could easily become a shinobi to be reckoned with if he knew how to make use of their natural talents. Even if he only had the tails and ears of the felines, the rest would simply be a matter of training.

---

234
Total: 2098

He felt like he lost something close to him when Airi let go as he had a startled look on his face for a moment, maybe she would notice or it would slip passed her as he recovered his expression rather quickly. He had a habit of brooding at times even when he was happy as well, which made it hard for strangers to understand him. He watched her as she put her hand on her hip, he focused his eyes on her hip and then her hand as he thought to himself that at least their hands were still the same. It might not have made sense, but it was one thing that kept him from thinking he was a little monster. He still felt human, but at the same time he felt so different that he could not understand any of it at all.

She began to speak to him as she said felines are rather dangerous as he looked down as his eyes were beginning to look like they were glistening a bit. It did not matter if he was large like a tiger or tiny like a mouse cat as he misheard her, she said she would say a few things about them that would inspire him to new strengths as she seemed to not really feel he was dangerous. His eyes were wavering as her words held a lot of weight as she was probably used to it or easily able to deal with the pressure of being his role model. However she also created a herb gathering machine with her words as she may have noted he was not over zealous though as much as people complained about some genin over grazing, he generally brought back what was needed and never more then that.

He then looked up to her expectantly as he instinctively held his hands clasped to his chest like a nervous girl in a fight for her life. He wanted her to say many things, he wanted to hear something from her, but he had no idea what it was. He was patiently waiting to listen to what she had to said as his heart was on the verge of breaking all over again as his ears twitched as a butterfly flew near to it, before flying off into the forest.

(390)
[2954]

Seeing the expectation in his eyes, Airi grinned. Even if Jamie always looked so meek, his desire to learn more and blossom into something beautiful was heart warming even if he could be a bit zealous in his approach. His quiet passion was an asset in her eyes, and just for that alone she considered just as much a Konoha-nin as anyone else. What he did, he did with fervour. Reserved fervour, but still fervour. A quiet flame burning brightly.

She had to teach him now though. Something she hadn't really thought through, since she just realised showing off a tiger or a lion was most likely not such a great idea as a lesson. For those, she'd really have to explain where its powers came from. That said, she could start small and work up the power bit by bit, so she used doton to create a small cat, giving it an ounce of life in a similar fashion as Mud Wolves were made. Her talent of chakra control as an iryojutsu, along with her own love for Gaia's marvels gave the cat an almost life-like detail.

"This one should be familiar. It's a simple house cat, as you can see. It looks adorable, doesn't it? However, even small cats as these are quite good at hunting down a bird or a mouse simply because they have this special padding under their feet that makes them unhearable. Plus, cats usually end on their feet thanks to their superior agility."

She picked up the doton cat's front legs, showing the padding it had. Softly, she pressed upon it, and its nails briefly protruded, forced out by the pressure.

"By retracting their nails, they hide their natural weapons. So what you could learn, maybe, is to grow a talent for quiet moving, remaining undetected and hiding or revealing claws and small weapons as you see fit. Of course, we learn to fight with senbon and kunai already, but perhaps you could become even better at it."

She then shaped the mud cat into a mud lynx. It was about the size of a small dog, the typical tufts of hair on the side of its face betraying its species. Perceptive and resilient though still not the greatest of cats, it sat down neatly and eyes the world in quiet contemplation.

"This is a lynx. They usually live closer to high altitude forests and rockier areas. They aren't the greatest of cats, but they are tough as far as cats can be such. Their survival instinct and resilience to weather is what makes it so special. It's also a great climber and an excellent swimmer on top of its hunting ability. A real ranger of the wilds."

Once again, she changed the mud lynx and made a cheetah of it. It's lean, almost anorexic figure made it look frail and weak, but it's appearance belied the fact it was one of the fastest ground animals in the world.

"This is the cheetah, easily one of the fastest animals you'll ever meet. It has the speed of an S rank shinobi all by itself, and excellent precision to take down its prey with a good leap and a strong bite. So I'm sure that your feline powers could make you one of the fastest shinobi around Konoha if you figure out how to use its powers efficiently."

There were still other felines she had to show, but before she went on, she wanted to gauge his reactions. Airi was curious to see if Jamie had already caught on to the possibilities of cats. While she had no clue what his new feline transformation offered him, perhaps she would be able to inspire him to seek out more than its image as even a cat could become a reputable adversary to those who underestimated them.

---

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Total: 2753

155/190:

The glowing aura of expectation that seemed to be oozing out of the eyes of Miku as it seemed she caught a case of the fever as Airi began to grin. He watched in amazement at Airi's skill as well as learning that she had more then just vine jutsu to say the least. She must have been using doton as he watched her make a small cat as he was more curious in the technique, as he did not really worry too much that she was comparing him to a little kitten, though cat's varied in size so much he could not tell how big a cat really was.

The cat had life like features as he wondered if he would ever reach that level of nature manipulation, as he began to wonder if it was nature manipulation or form control as his mind began to hurt. He felt he would have to look that up in the library again as he had started to spend more time there, mainly to figure out what had happened to him.

She explained that this one was a simple house cat as he looked at it she said it was adorable as he tilted his head to the side. He actually felt they were adorable, not realizing he might also be adorable in his own unique way. She mentioned that small cats were still good at hunting down birds and mice which was not only because of the special padding under their feet, but also the unique agility they had as he began to remember he was more agile now. He also realized he did not need shoes anymore, though that seemed weird in its own way as he wondered where the padding actually was since cat's had visible padding while he did not. He watched Airi play with the cat and then reveal the claws as he began to feel a bit sad he had no claws, even though he had swords and several weapons to make up for that.

She spoke about retracting their nails to hide their natural weapons, as he realized he sheathed his blade and hid his small weapons in his new scarf as he started to feel like he evolved into a house cat. She mentioned becoming better with kunai and senbon, as he had gotten better with his shuriken jutsu having one custom shuriken glaive as well as a kunai linked to a chain along with combat wire as he felt he should connect it with some level of weighted weapon.

After the explanation Airi changed the cat made of mud into a lynx of mud as he looked at the strange tufts of hair on its sides, like the bangs of hair on the side of Miku's head, he began to wonder if getting her to call him Miku would be difficult since he was still her adorable Jamie, if he could be called that in the first place. She mentioned how they liked high altitudes which made him a bit confused as he just took that for meaning really high areas and the rocky to foresty and vice versa meant they could survive in different places is what he took from it. She mentioned how tough they are, with their survival instinct and resilience to weather along with great climbing and swimming skills, he began to wonder if he had either of those since he had been dealing with all those recently as well.

Just when he thought it was over she changed the lynx into a cat that looked really strange, though it had some similarities to him as well. The frail figure and some areas hinting at weakness which in a sense also described him as well, she mentioned it was one of the fastest animals he could ever meet and knowing he was fast made him feel like he could relate. She spoke of its leaping ability and a strong bite as he wondered if he should start biting Airi, though he shook his inner thoughts away as he was getting distracted by some of the silliest things as he continued to listen.

"cat's seem a lot cooler now Airi, and..." as he looked down to the side blushing he could not help it as he had to tell her now.
"I did not notice before, but Airi smells strange..." as his nose sniffed instinctively. "sorry, I said something stupid" as he looked down feeling like he may have said something horrible to Airi.

(759)
[3713]

It was a good thing to see Jamie a little more impressed by his own, new nature. Cats might look petable and sweet, but there were some real powers out there among the felines that were not to be trifled with. Even if Jamie didn't quite look like a tiger, it didn't mean he couldn't become one or adapt its prowess. Looks were just that, looks.

His second comment made her blink for a moment as she wasn't sure how to receive that one. What did he mean with she smelled strange? Airi raised an eyebrow questioningly. She was not so taken aback about the fact he could smell her - it was far from the first time she heard that she had a distinctive scent about her - but Jamie was probably the first one to call it 'strange'. Scratching her hair in confusion, as he apologised for his odd comment, she sighed softly and left it at that. Jamie was... Jamie. He had always seemed a bit of an odd boy, so he probably didn't mean anything bad with it.

"I do have a distinctive scent about me, don't I?", she replied with a faint smile. "You have the nose of a cat, so I'm not surprised you'd notice it."

Jamie might not realise it, but that sharp nose of his made him anything equal to the Inuzuka of Konoha. He looked less feral, but he had their spirit and their nose. She hoped he'd come to realise that in time as well.

"So... Should I continue talking about felines, or do you have enough inspiration to see the greatness of cats now? You can become any sort of cat you wish to be."

---

293
Total: 3046

She mentioned having a distinctive scent, and while he did not notice it before, right now it stood out and it even gave this impression of having her chakra mixed in it, since he could smell and see chakra. If it was not so feint he might have been blinded by it as he was so focused on looking at Airi he never really noticed this too much either.

"I want to be a cat that Airi likes" as he said that in a casual way as his ears drooped down a bit as he looked to the ground. She already liked him, but hearing her say it was something he could not resist wanting to hear. He really liked her a lot, she was like the older sister he never had as he also wondered where things would take him as he looked to the side hoping for her reply to be positive.

He was rather honest about his feelings and he was not a big fan of being indirect since it confused him as well, so his straight forward nature was a clear feature that defined who he was. He began to feel his heart strings tugged little by little, as he was running away from all his feelings while smashing his face straight into the wall of ignorance as he was doing his best to understand things as best he could.

His heart was beating slowly, but it was also beating nervously as his emotions seemed more intense now that he had awoken to become a cat and a boy at the same time. Though he was still more boy then cat if that even made sense anymore.

(284)
[3997]

Aaaw. Jamie's answer would have made every girl's heart melt the way he mentioned it as he stood there. It was no different with Airi's. She giggled, and pressed a kiss on his head.

"You already are a cat that I like, Jamie."

Yes, Jamie made her proud to be his friend. He was an adorable boy on one side, but also harboured the potential of a shinobi on another side. A petable cat before her, and maybe an eager tiger on the battlefield in the future. She had seen his shy and reserved side from the first day he met, and that still hadn't changed, but she had seen his determination in the brief spar with King Eizo as well. She guessed all that it came down to now for Miku was to find his own spot in society. Grow up from a boy into a man, and claim his place in the world. Airi wondered where that path would lead him... And on an almost random whim, she remembered a question she had once been asked by a total stranger.

"Hey, Jamie. If you were a god, what would you do?"

The question had caught her off-guard when she had first heard of it, but it had ever since rolling in and out of her mind as she rose to become a prominent shinobi herself. A happy-go-lucky shinobi, but still a shinobi. The people she had met after that question had only bolstered her determination to become an avatar of Gaia. A huntress who wanted to protect the natural environment against Man's greed, the first line of defence against those who would invade Konohagakure by thinking the forest would serve them well. No, the forest hid Konoha, and as such it would only serve Konoha well.

---

306
Total: 3352

Miku Jamie as his mind was now in confusion in the heat of the moment as he blushed intensely mostly from the fact that he let his guard down, and secondly because it was a surprise. He was also frozen at that moment, though he was just trying to let his feelings catch up to him as she told him that she already liked him. He was not sure what to do at that moment

As if to break the ice and shatter the cold reality of this confusing dilemma Airi asked him if he was a god, what would he do as he thought about that for a moment as he was now completely lost at that moment as he said.

"wha...?"

As he began to try and fight the confusion as he shook his head as his ears flickered and his tail swayed from side to side, he took a deep breathe and answered her while still blushing.

"I would give my powers to Airi, since you know better and I trust you"

In that moment he launched a sneak attack and gave Airi a hug that was tight, but not too tight as he swayed his tail some more and flickered his ears as he felt glad he could finally hide his blushing face. He liked Airi a lot, but compared to his simple crush with Hizomi, or the special love he had for his family, she was an existence that was important to him. He just did not fully understand what it was, all that he knew for certain was that he liked Airi and could not imagine a world without her in it. That was when he remembered what he wanted to ask, but then hesitated as he decided to just enjoy the hug as his time with Airi was really fun and relaxing.

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[4306]

"I would give my powers to Airi, since you know better and I trust you"

He then gave her a tight hug, leaving the girl somewhat perplexed at the sudden affection. Jamie was generally too reserved for things like this, but she didn't dislike the change she saw now. Wrapping her arms around him as well, her mind thought about the words he had spoken. Such blind devotion... It was as endearing as it was foolish, knowing how her reply had been so different when she had been given that answer. She would have ended civilisation, so that Gaia once more could reclaim which had been stolen from her, restore that what had been destroyed for the progress of humanity and humble Man once more as a reminder that all they had become today was because of the resources Nature provided. No, her decisions as a divine would not be so kind.

"You're too kind, Jamie."

Breaking apart from the hug, she smiled at Jamie and then looked around. There was still a lot of work to be done to restore the zealous harvesting that had happened recently. Now that Jamie looked all revved up again, she decided she had to continue her solemn duty as Gaia's guardian before having to report to the Administration about the monitoring she had done and sharing her insight on the situation.

"I have to pick up my duties again now. Feel free to hang around, if you so wish. I'm mostly restoring over harvested areas, but I could use some help with monitoring, if you like."

She would wait for Jamie's decision if he would stay or not, nod in reply and then move on to the next patch where she once again would allow her mokuton chakra to nourish the area around her. Airi would continue to do so until she was at the limit of her chakra, or until the sun was starting to set in.

---

[EXIT]

330
Total: 3682

He felt happy to be told he was too kind, though he thought he was simply being honest with what he believed in as he stood firm to his beliefs. After smiling at him she seemed to be looking around for something as he simply watched her while sitting taking care not to interrupt her careful technique and brilliant display of diligent and focused work. She was doing her duty as he watched her not sure how long he had been there as he looked around to see if anyone would interfere. The beauty of growth and the way she was able to expand on her use of her element which was rather unique.

He began to realize at this point there was far more to her then simply a sound mind, she had sound skills as well as he felt he would have to work even harder when the time came. He touched on his ears wandering if he could ever get used to anyone touching them as he sighed and then decided that he had more training in store for his future. She seemed to be wearing herself out as he wanted to help her, but she had a look of determination that she had to fulfill her duty no matter the cost as he held his fist to his chest he understood that she had something he lacked, but in the future he would learn just how much it was he would be lacking as he followed her until he felt she was safely in the main land of the village before returning to spend the night in a nearby inn as he wondered how things would be when he returned from his next adventure.

(288)
[4594]

EXIT THREAD

2000 First Yangukiti Training
+2594 Senjutsu D-C Training