"I'm not asking you to trust me, considering what we just fought about I don't think it would be humanly possible for you to trust me right now. Neither am I asking you to like me, I don't know you enough for that and I can only think that the feeling is mutual. What I am offering, however, is a chance to become stronger, to become more than you currently are. Let's face it, your genjutsu is powerful, but it's also very rare. Few people in this village have the slightest bit of mastery of the arts, and I think I might be the only person you've ever come across that has it perfected this far. If you train under me, I'm sure you'll be able to go much further than if you were just there on your own. remember where being self-important and individualistic left you? On the floor, struggling to breathe through your paralysis. It's not a good position to never have someone to cover your back, especially when people like me have techniques like this. Ya understand?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, before clarifying something

---

This place was one of the most spiritual places within the whole of Konoha, if the people within it were to believe that it was indeed as spiritual as the legends made out. there had been stories, seemingly since the place was first made that would tell of strange events that had come out of this area. Naka River, it was supposedly one of the few places left in the world that could still reach the spiritual world when not in the season of the Yokai festival. There had been a few rumours about Kappa swimming in the river, though as far as Oshi was able to tell, that was all they were; Rumors, urban legends, things children told each other around the camp-fire to see how brave their friends were. However, the fact remained that a large amount of people didn't like being within this area, maybe it was because it fell on Uchiha land, or maybe it was because of those stupid urban legends. Either way, something was a little bit disconcerting to the average person.

Oshiki was, to be brutally honest, anything but average. He was a soldier for the village, but that was where the similarities between him and the normal member of the village ended. Having become the most powerful Uchiha within the whole of Konoha, since Naota left and since the old sannin appeared to have disappeared without a trace, he had inherited the leadership of the Konoha Uchiha. That granted him several privileges; Firstly, this land was his property, and technically he could do whatever he liked with it. Secondly, he was able to command lower ranked Uchiha members to follow his orders, although considering he was a jounin he could do that to most other people anyway. Then, there was the third thing it granted him; Though people didn't like to give it, many people were required to give him respect, since he was now the leader of one of the five Konoha major families. He didn't like the fact that their respect came from merely his position, but he certainly wasn't going to complain since it was a step up from having stones thrown at him. Maybe this was what Mitsuhide felt like, but if it was, he would have to deal with it a lot better than his master.

As mentioned, Konoha had a large amount of families within it, but there were five noble families within the village. The first noble family was that of the Uzumaki, though not originally from Konoha, they were the ones that had become linked with great leadership and the leaders were almost always either the kage or a high-ranked general. Testament to that was the fact that the last two kages had been Uzumaki, and were seemingly unrelated to each other despite their bond of family, so it wasn't like they trained together or something that would have given him a lead over the Senju. After the yondaime and the rokudaime, what had once been a minor clan that had come from nowhere was now one of the most powerful and influential clans... though they appeared not to teach their children manor, civility or common sense, judging by the way that Mitsu and Takeshi had been parading around like their heads were up their asses, complaining about how people loved them for their clan. At least people had always loved them, that was more than Oshi could say.

The senju was the second family, and they tended to be great leaders, though their age of kageship was mostly over. Nowadays, they tended to lead organizations, such as Sousetsu's control over most aspects of village life as one of the three legendary sannin. They were one of the most respected, and it wasn't for nothing that they were called the sages of Konoha, even when they weren't practitioners of senjutsu. They were seen as some of the wisest in the entire village, thought of as people who would always know which way the political wind was blowing, and would usually manage to steer Konoha along with that wind from the shadows, even though they were no longer in leadership positions. If he wasn't the next hokage, Oshi thought, he really hoped that Sou would be, he deserved it after the way he managed to hold himself in battle as well as in society as a whole.

The third major family was the Sarutobi, though they weren't quite as major as they once were. In fact, they were almost all exterminated after someone had attacked their compound. After what Mitsuhide had said, he found it suspicious that the moment that the clan leader "died" in Sunagakure, the Sarutobi compound was fire-bombed and burned to the ground. Unlike Mitsu, however, Oshi still found it hard to believe that Mitsuo was still alive, let alone that he could bring himself to betray his family and friends like this. If it was him, then not only did he abandon his best friends but he also threw his family under a carriage, and watched as they had to cope with what was going on. He wondered if Soron's parents were okay after the destruction of the compound, he would have to ask his student their current condition, though that was going to be an awkward conversation if his fears were realized. He didn't want to ruin a potental relationship with his student.

The fourth family was the Hyuga, though they had never really had members in high places. Because of their strength in battle and their abilities as generals, they were frequently seen as the fighting hand of Konoha, and they were given the respect that came with it. However, after Captain Neji went down in history from a branch clan, many people lost respect for Hyuga, seeing them as a clan that abused and mutilated their own people just to keep their foolish pride active. Even the Uchiha didn't do that to each other, and it was required in their family abilities that they eventually kill a major member of their family in an attempt to get their eyes. As far as he knew, the only active Uchiha with a mangekyou sharingan was Naota, and he had disappeared off the face of the earth, so there was little to no chance of that happening any time soon. Besides, Nao was far too respectable to go after his, so he wasn't really scared of him.

The final clan who made up the leadership of Konoha was the Uchiha clan. They were respected the least of the five major families, despite being one of the two original founding families of Konoha. They had never really been loved the way that the other clans were, but since Sasuke and Itachi had run rampant through the Fourth Shinobi War, people had lost even more respect for them, which Tatsumaru and Hao did not help in any way shape or form. But, now he was the leader, and he swore that he would restore their respectability in any way that he could manage it. His clan were going to have to unite under him, since they had become splintered, and if they failed to keep in line then they were going to be attacked by eye hunters. That wasn't even a threat, that was just the way that people acted in this modern-day absurdly violent world.

It was these thoughts and many more that he dwelt upon as he sat, crossed legged, on the banks of the River Naka. Normally he wasn't so free to as have time simply to just sit down and watch the sky go by, but right now he was waiting for someone. He was waiting for his student... well, no, that wasn't quite true. Kidzukai was his student, Soron was his student, Reag was the boy that he was mentoring. Their last meeting hadn't exactly ended well, with him knocking the boy out and taking him to the local hospital to make sure there would be no long term effects of oxygen starvation. Do it for too long and it risked giving the person who was suffering from it serious brain damage, the kind that could turn a genius into a drooling and dribbling lunatic within the space of an hour. It was really not desired, but thankfully Reag had come out absolutely clear and he had woken up in one of the clinic's beds, with a note to meet Oshi at this time and place. It had been three days since then, he wondered how he'd react.

Special Information:

Reag stood before a mirror in his apartment, conflicted. The wire user's eyes flicked to a note on his bedside table as his brow knitted. Several days ago, the young Genin woke up in the hospital, after a particularly brutal and one sided fight between him and a Jonin. In hindsight, Reag noted that his opponent matched the description of Lord Uchiha. That had given him a shock, as he realized that by all accounts, he should be dead. The leader of the Sharingan clan was well within his rights to end his life for the insults he had throw his way, yet Reag still lived. More than just lived, he had a new mentor. Truly, it was interesting times for the Konoha wire user.

Yet, on the other hand, he wasn’t one hundred percent sold on accepting the apprenticeship of the Uchiha leader. It had nothing to do with the standard reasons most of the villagers avoided what they called the 'Red Eyed Devils'. His dislike of the Uchiha stemmed from the same reason he disliked the Hyuuga; their blasted eyes. The fact that he could never surpass a member of the clan in genjutsu due to a simple quirk of genetics infuriated him. Frowning, he glanced back at the paper on the bedside table. It was an invitation to meet the person who knocked him out, presumably for further training. Rubbing his temples, the Konoha wire user let his pride go, and finally came to a conclusion.

Moving towards his closet, the young shinobi began to gather his combat gear. Recently, he had all the items on his person reinforced, to better protect his persons. Slowly, he began to don his uniform; Dark blue t-shirt, dark blue jacket, dark blue jeans, and black combat boots. Everywhere, a black inlay of a chain pattern could be seen. Continuing the process, he tied his headband around his left arm, affix his gray mask to his face, and slipped a pen into the back of his hair. Finally, he flipped the hood up to cover his hair and wrapped a very thin chain around his left hand. He looked into the mirror in his bedroom and nodded. The young Genin prided himself on his professional appearance.

Moving towards another section of his closet, Reag began to equip himself with his standard weapons. Rolling up his right pant leg, the Konoha trickster attached his hidden blade to his leg. It was one of his desperation attacks, one he was sure most enemies wouldn't expect. He had yet to use it in actual combat, but if it proved ineffective, he could always change the location of the hidden weapon. Next, Reag put on his black gloves, and loaded the spools up with one ninety feet of ninja wire. Feeding the wires to the tips of his fingers, the Genin smiled. He was almost fully equipped, though he still needed to save more money for some kind of melee weapon.

The wire user thought back to his team meeting the day before, and how he had wandered into a very impressive shinobi armory. He practically drooled as he remembered how the walls where lined floor to ceiling with sharp and pointy objects. There was most definitely a weapon for him in that shop, somewhere. Reag knew he just had to find it, and find someone to train him in it's use. Perhaps his new mentor might know a thing or two about weapon use, though it wasn't very likely. When he had run into the Uchiha in the forest, there was no sign of any sort of pointy object on him. It was very possible that the young ninja would just have to teach himself how to fight with whatever weapon he selected.

After finishing his preparations, Reag exited his house, and made his way through the village he had sworn to protect. The civilian population gave him a wide birth, much to the wire user's confusion. It wasn’t until he overheard some of the whispers that he realized why. They where mistaking him for an ANBU member, be it a very short one. Cursing to himself, he quickly pulled his mask off his face, and placed it in his jacket pocket, next to the novel he was currently reading. Impersonating an ANBU official was a crime, and the young Genin did not want his shinobi record tainted by a black mark. He picked up his pace, heading towards the gate nearest to the Uchiha clan property.

After he signed himself out, Reag reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out his mask. Quickly, he re affixed it to his face, and calmed himself for his encounter with the head of the Uchiha clan. The meeting could very well be a major turning point in his shinobi carrier, and he would be damned if he messed it up. He looked around the area he was in, trying to spot the river that his instructions told him to follow. The piece of paper he had left in his apartment said that they would be meeting at the Naka River, supposedly the most spiritual place in the Fire Country. Putting his hands together, he made a quick prayer to Kami, asking that he not meet any Yokai. He still had nightmares about the Yuki-onna who had chased him back at the festival. His thoughts where interupted as he spotted the river.

Following it up stream, he eventually found a clearing. Standing in the center was a figure who looked very familiar. With a start, he realized it was the Uchiha who had put him in the hospital. Reag noted that something was off about his new mentor, but he crushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. Perhaps if he had encountered leader of the Sharingan clan during the day, he would have noticed the changes to the mans face. Never the less, Reag approached, and spoke with the utmost respect. He had been very provocative during their last meeting, and he did not want to end up in the hospital again. “Uchiha-sama, I am answering your summons...”



Word Count: 1025 (1025/9000 Genjutsu S->SS)

He didn't have to wait long for his student to turn up it seemed; He had to admit, this generation of student was much better at turning up on time to meetings with their superiors than almost any of his classmates had been. He had always tried to be on time, but having to look after two children and a widowed woman was hardly the easiest way to get things finished on schedule. He was still glancing at the river when he heard Reag call out to him, not even bothering to turn around as he spoke. The way the boy spoke, it was like he hadn't noticed anything had changed. That was slightly mean of him, he had changed so much in so few days, was it really that unnoticeable? Well... then again, the entire time that they had been fighting, he had either been wearing a cloak or simply being invisible. The fact that he could remember what he looked like from around a two minute conversation was honestly quite impressive, he had to admire the boy's skills at remembering faces.

Turning around and giving him a genuine smile, he watched the boy with interest for a few seconds. This boy, someone who he didn't even know the name of, was here despite everything that had happened between the pair of them. He had ripped this boy a new ass, and it was honestly rather clear that the boy was aware of that. His body language just screamed that he was attempting to keep calm and respectful. Must be because he was forced to come to terms with the difference between the two of them, and just how easily he had beaten the boy before. He hadn't even been using his full strength back then, and now that he was here, what did the boy think was going to happen? In fact, what did he think would have happened to him if he hadn't turned up? was that the only reason that he turned up at all, because he was scared of the consequences if he didn't? He might have been a very intelligent man, someone who could manipulate others, but he wasn't a psychic. Only time would tell.

Still, it seemed like he was going to have to try and be a little bit controversial, see if he could draw this quiet, unassuming child out of his shell. the last time they'd met, he'd had no shell at all, which had resulted in him being rude, cocky, aggressive and arrogant. However, now he seemed like a sycophant, even bothering to give him the full title. He liked the fact that he was being called Lord Oshiki, it fit well, but he did not like the tone that he was speaking with quite so much

"So you're not a vegetable then? good, I would have hated to waste your potential in such a pathetic way, you really have a long way to go before you've reached your zenith, you know." The way he spoked seem cold and authoritarian, really appearing to master his position rather than being the cold, drunk, irritated bastard he had been the last time they had met.  However, within seconds of him finishing, his face faltered into an almost characteristic wicked grin, like he had somehow pulled a prank on the boy simply by saying a few words.

"I might be a lord now, kid, but you're not the type to simply bow and scrape your head. I sent you to the hospital because you were annoying and rude, not because you refused to kiss my ass. There IS a happy medium, you know." he said, before standing up and brushing himself down. His coat was surprisingly stain-free for someone who had just been sitting on a riverbank.

Wearing something a lot more fitting for a lord than a common soldier, Oshi's wardrobe had changed when his position had, it seemed. A pair of leather riding boots were the only thing that stayed the same among the two outfits, but instead of what he'd worn beforehand, now he had smooth black trousers that seemed almost like something a martial artist would wear was tucked into them. His  shirt was just a white bandage-like ribbon that went up to his solar plexus, worn under a long black robe. Finally, to top it off, he was wearing a white sleeveless jacket with a starched collar that went around his neck. No longer going for the look of the headband around his throat, having been told by his new advisers that it gave off a negative and aggressive appearance of himself. Instead, his headband had been re-purposed, now serving almost like a glove on his right fist, the ribbon wrapped around and around the hand until it seemed like it was actually wearing a glove rather than a ribbon. The plate itself was over the back of his hand, showing off his loyalty to the village, literally, on his sleeve.

Turning to look at the boy, he gave the boy a smile that looked almost like something an older brother might give his sibling, rather than something a teacher would give his student.

"Now, I told you before I'd mentor you in fighting with your genjutsu. I made you the promise that I would help you come to your strongest point with me, something that your master would be unable to do. Mitsuhide might be able to give you your training in swordsmanship, but he couldn't know less about genjutsu if he got amnesia. Sorry to say, he's rather inept in that area." he said matter-of-factly, as if "insulting" the kage was something that he didn't really care about, and the sheer use of the name Mitsuhide instead of "the kage" both showed a level of acknowledgement that made it look like they were closer to friends than merely master and servant.

It wasn't quite true that they were friends, but it was definitely true they were more than just master and servant. He was the man's right hand man, he was the one  who had been given THOSE instructions, though Reag had no idea about that. that was something between him and mitsu, and that was not something that he was allowed to mention to people.

"So, first thing's first, I'm going to put you in a situation where you'll be unable to use your wire techniques against me." he said, matter of factly. The tone of voice that he said it in was not one of arrogance, nor one that implied he was simply being cocky, but one that was... matter of fact. The last time they had met, the boy had managed to get him with one of his wires, even if he'd managed to dodge everything but that one wire. Even then he'd gotten rid of it almost instantly, and that was a fact that the boy had to know, unless he was seriously drunk on his own power. Still, after being knocked unconscious and disabled that easily, he was sure that would give the boy a bit more perspective of the difference between their levels of power. He tried not to be a braggart, he didn't see there being any point in claiming to be able to do things that he couldn't do, that would just cause people to want to fight him and if he was unable to do those things he would eventually bring about an enemy that would be impossible to beat. Someone who was so far above his level, that he looked like a child in comparison.

"I'm going to use a technique that you've never seen before, something that I'm still trying to perfect. I won't bore you with the details, but the heat from it will be so intense your wires would melt on mere contact with my technique. If you think I'm kidding, you can try it out and waste however much money you spent on your wires, or you can rely solely on genjutsu. Remember this; Genjutsu was once considered a side-weapon for a ninja, something someone could use without having to entirely rely on. However, people who only go that deep into it will never have mastery in the way you and I can. So, are you going to train yourself beyond the simple level of a footsoldier with genjutsu, or are you going to ascend to a higher level?

If you only want to be a novice in the art, then I can't teach you any more. Your master would be better suited to giving you weapons training, but if you want to get stronger, if you want to become above their level, then do as I say and train this evening without your wires. You can put them to the side over there by that tree," he said, beckoning with his ring finger to a tree that stood at the side, ashen and seemingly barely clinging onto life with the beginning of winter that all trees in the area were having to deal with.

Special Information:

Reag watched as the Uchiha lord turned to face him, smiling. To be honest, the smile was more than a little creepy, specially considering how his mentor had acted several days ago. The wire user waited as his mentor sized him up, probably trying to figure out exactly what he was thinking about the encounter. Truth be told, the Genin was shaking in his boots, despite the warm expression on the Jounin's face. That being said, his fear was slowly diminishing, as it didn’t seem like his mentor wished to kill him for the insults he had thrown the night before. It wasnt gone quite yet, but, given some more time, it would likely leave him. When that happened, chances are Reag's mask of a perfect shinobi would drop, and the face below would come out.

But all that would be in the future. For now, Reag was withdrawn, living behind his mask in the presense of the Uchiha. Finally, his mentor spoke: "So you're not a vegetable then? good, I would have hated to waste your potential in such a pathetic way, you really have a long way to go before you've reached your zenith, you know." He was referring to the binding technique the Uchiha had performed on the wire user several days prior, where he cut off his lungs ability to function. The Genin's fist tightened at the memory of the incident. While a loss to a Jounin wasn't unexpected, it still was a total failure on his part. It was the first time he had truly understood the gap between himself and the elites.

Then, suddenly, the Uchiha's demeanor changed. While before he was cold and commanding, now his attitude seemed almost playful. Reag's eye twitched behind his mask. He knew that look, having played his own share of 'pranks' in the pre-academy days. It wasn’t the look of a classic prankster, it was the look of someone who enjoyed playing mind games with others. The Konoha wire user came to the conclusion that he had no clues about the personality of the man in front of him. His red eyed mentor was nearly impossible to read properly. It was aggravating, not knowing if your potential mentor hated your guts or thought you did a pretty good job for a Genin. Still, there was nothing he could do on this front for now, so the young Genin continued to listen to his mentor speak.

"I might be a lord now, kid, but you're not the type to simply bow and scrape your head. I sent you to the hospital because you were annoying and rude, not because you refused to kiss my ass. There IS a happy medium, you know." Reag nodded, and replied “Of course, Uchiha-san.” He was half tempted to drop his mask completely and call his mentor Uchiha-sama with a mocking emphasis, but thought better of it. Reag watched as his mentor picked himself up from the ground, and dusted himself off. The first thing he noted was that the cloths his mentor was wearing looked expensive as hell. Briefly, he wondered how the hell he had managed to keep the damn thing looking spotless, as the environment around him did not lend itself to keeping fancy outfits clean.

His mentor continued to give him a calming smile. No longer did the young Genin feel that there was a chance his mentor might do some spontaneous act of violence against him. The Konoha wire user finally relaxed, the last of his fear leaving him. He was ready to learn from his new mentor. As these thoughts flickered through the Genin's head, the Uchiha spoke: "Now, I told you before I'd mentor you in fighting with your genjutsu. I made you the promise that I would help you come to your strongest point with me, something that your master would be unable to do. Mitsuhide might be able to give you your training in swordsmanship, but he couldn't know less about genjutsu if he got amnesia. Sorry to say, he's rather inept in that area."

Reag nodded along as his mentor spoke. It was true, despite being Hokage, his team sensie had shown no indication that he could help him with his illusions. He also noted the familiar tone the Jounin spoke of the Hokage in. Perhaps they knew each other fairly well? The Uchiha continued to speak. "So, first thing's first, I'm going to put you in a situation where you'll be unable to use your wire techniques against me. I'm going to use a technique that you've never seen before, something that I'm still trying to perfect. I won't bore you with the details, but the heat from it will be so intense your wires would melt on mere contact with my technique. If you think I'm kidding, you can try it out and waste however much money you spent on your wires, or you can rely solely on genjutsu. Remember this; Genjutsu was once considered a side-weapon for a ninja, something someone could use without having to entirely rely on. However, people who only go that deep into it will never have mastery in the way you and I can. So, are you going to train yourself beyond the simple level of a footsoldier with genjutsu, or are you going to ascend to a higher level?

If you only want to be a novice in the art, then I can't teach you any more. Your master would be better suited to giving you weapons training, but if you want to get stronger, if you want to become above their level, then do as I say and train this evening without your wires. You can put them to the side over there by that tree,"

Reag cursed. The wires where almost the only offensive tricks he had. Walking over to the tree, he removed his gloves, placing them gently in the shade. Following that, he rolled up his pant leg, and unhooked a thick leather band. Pulling it off, he reattached it to his right wrist. With a flick, a blade shot out. Quickly turning it with his fingers, he held the dagger in a defensive reverse grip. Finally, he turned to face his mentor. With a small bow, he spoke: "Perhaps a proper introduction is in order? My name is Taira Hikamaru, but please call me Reag. I like the night, the moon, the stars, cognitive dissonance, money, and scaring my team mates. I dislike the sun, daylight, loud noises, and other such aggravating things. I hope to be able to found my own clan here in Konoha.” Twisting his arm, he played with the blade in his hands, spinning it back and forth like a butterfly knife. “I assume that you will introduce yourself to me properly in future, Uchiha-sensei. But before that, I have to ask. How exactly are you going to improve my ability to cause damage with my illusions?”


He paused, thinking. Most likely, his mentor would force a confrontation of some sort, to force him to fight without his primary weapon. The Genin's stance shifted, taking on defensive properties, while still seeming to be casual. “Also, Uchiha-sensei, will you teach me some new illusions? I noticed you had several offensive ones you used against me, and I know I am sorely lacking in offensive techniques.” He finished his sentence with a bow, and waited for an answer.


Word Count: 1217 (2242/7200 Genjutsu S->SS, -20% from Gifted)

The boy's body language was still that of a frightened child, and who could blame the kid; Oshiki was considered by some to be a brilliant man, yet there were still some major flaws that he had to overcome or else they were going to haunt him forever. One of those flaws, it seemed, was his tendency to overdo things. It was good that he never did things halfway, since that would require him to put the village that he worked for and the missions that he performed in danger, but it also meant that he wasn't the kind of person to know exactly where to stop. Other people might have stopped before their victim actually fell unconscious when just trying to prove a point. Now that they were going to have to deal with each other more and more in their day-to-day lives, he wondered just how long it would be until the kid made a point about that, and how long it would be until he got all self-important and tried to pick another fight. How would it end if he had to increase the punishment level from unconsciousness? He tried not to think about that, still keeping on his happy face as he observed the boy in front of him.

As he watched the boy move to put away his wires, cursing all the while, he wondered silently about how this boy was going to handle anything. From the way it sounded, it was like the kid had never had to do something like that before in his life. Like he had no idea that genjutsu could be used for offensive means as well as defensive. If that was indeed the case, then thank god he had taken over as his mentor, if he hadn't the kid might have fallen away into mediocracy as he got older. That was the thing about certain ninjas; There were some ninjas who started off with major potential, people who people expected to become brilliant and infallible as they got older and older, and then by the time they were a fully grown adult, their potential had fallen to a tenth of what it could have originally been. The Zenith was no longer reachable, and had thus fallen and fallen until it was something that the soldier could actually reach, which was now no longer considered prodigious or amazing, but merely mediocre.

The boy had a surprisingly large array of weapons. He had thought that the kid only had wire, since that was all that he had used the last time they had thought, but as he undid that buckler thing from around the wrist, he could see that it was, indeed, a weapon. A small knife shot out of it as he took it off, apparently spring-loaded so that it could be released in a single instant. Now he was simply playing with it like it was some kind of butter knife, something that couldn't cut the kid if he ended up screwing up with it. He tried not to be someone who worried a lot, but it did seem rather stupid that it could slit his wrist and cause him to bleed out if he missed even a single rotation properly, and the kid was acting like it was nothing... he shrugged it off, but kept a little note in his mind not to seem too surprised if the kid did end up seriously hurting himself. He certainly wouldn't put it past the kid, it was something that he would end up doing eventually.

"Perhaps a proper introduction is in order? My name is Taira Hikamaru, but please call me Reag. I like the night, the moon, the stars, cognitive dissonance, money, and scaring my team mates. I dislike the sun, daylight, loud noises, and other such aggravating things. I hope to be able to found my own clan here in Konoha.” The boy said suddenly, bringing the entire introduction out of nowhere. it wasn't even a normal introduction, the kid was suddenly just talking about things he liked, and they weren't even really normal things. He just seemed to have brought all that crap out of nowhere like he was some sort of robot who didn't understand human interaction. that was not that unbelievable, considering that a lot of genjutsu users ended up being extremely unsociable since, once you could understand other people's psyche, it was hard to want to get to know them. It was what caused a lot of people to think that Genjutsu users were forced to go insane by their art.It wasn't their art that eventually drove them insane, it was understanding people.

That was something nobody should have to deal with, understanding other people. Understanding yourself totally was enough of a pain for some people, something that would make some people want to change themselves entirely, and yet understanding someone else... that was a million times worse. It was like those people who had the psychic ability to hear other people's thoughts, the few of them who didn't instantly go insane became very evil and manipulative, finding it hard to see other people as truly worth protecting, saving or even working alongside. Humanity, it seemed, was doomed to be disgusting.

"Well, that was highly robotic," Oshi said, his voice twinkling a little bit with mischief as he said it, but then he clarified what the boy wanted to hear. He wasn't going to give him every last little piece of information about him, but he was at least going to end up giving him his basic introduction, something he owed the boy since he had finally given his actual name. "As I'm sure you know, my name is Oshiki Uchiha, I am the current lord of Uchiha within Konoha, and the current second strongest member of my clan in the entire world. I'm second only to the ex-lord of Uchiha within Konoha, Naota, my beloved cousin. I'm a jounin for the village, and work privately under the kage doing little odd jobs for him when he needs things done for him." that was the implication that he had a strange working relationship with his lord, and that was as close as he was actually allowed to go into that line of thought. He might have been interested in letting someone else know about what was going on, but unfortunately for him, he was banned from doing anything like that.

"If you want to know what I like, then you're going to have to find out for yourself, I'm not giving you my life story on a silver platter, that would take too long. As for founding a clan, that's going to be hard without something to make you special. What is there in your entire body that makes you different from the rest of the world. You know about me, it's why you dislike me, my red eyes are able to see things that your mind couldn't understand, I'm immune to almost all your tricks, and I can give you some of the weirdest trips you have ever been on. But, what do you have? I'm not trying to be dismissive here, but clans need something to become famous for, something that will bring potential partners to your family. Remember this; not all clans marry for love, some arrange marriages with other clans that will bring them higher power. As long as you don't have anything, you're going to remain on the bottom of the heap." he said, trying to make it sound a little less violent and disturbing than it was, but that was pretty much the long and the short of it.

Now, as he asked about how he was going to put extra damage to the boy's techniques, he answered simply.
"Your genjutsu are uncomplicated and way too simple. Remember how I beat you last time? By biting my thumb, by getting hit by your attack, and by tying a bandage around an open wound. All of those were simple pains that you might have in the heat of battle, things that are unrelated to your techniques. However, if you code them correctly, if you concentrate on them properly, you can give them a chakra requirement. A certain amount of chakra required to impact the body so that they might break out of it, allowing you to use lower ranked techniques to wear them down whilst they're still confused about what exactly's going on. Plus, stop just using visual cues. I could give you a little bit of information about my Sharingan here, but you don't actually want to hear it. It's a bit too... graphic for someone of your age. I'm surprised you even know how to swear like that, you're still a child." It wasn't said in a patronizing way, although reag might take it like that, but it was a simple fact. He was still a boy, he wasn't even 16 yet, let alone a full adult.

Special Information:

As he finished his introduction, Reag twirled his wrist blade around on his pivot, enjoying the relaxing feeling that comes from fiddling idly with spring loaded devices. It was more than a playful past time, messing around with sharp objects was a time honored shinobi tradition. Being in constant contact with very dangerous metal blades was, by far, the best way to increase ones aptitude with the various ninja tools they had access too. The young wire user himself had been playing around with this particular beauty for the past six months, back when he was still in the Academy. While he had almost sliced off a few fingers back then, now using the hidden blade was second nature to him.

It was for these reasons Reag found the look of concern that momentarily flashed across his mentors face to be highly amusing. What did the older Uchiha take him for, A civilian? Sure, he knew he was young and inexperienced, but he was still a trained graduate of the system. He, along with his entire graduating class, had spent hours throwing shuriken and kunai into targets, along with practicing basic ninjutsu. Spinning a dagger around his fingers was child’s play, literally in this case. Reag displayed his annoyance in the only way he knew how. He affixed Oshiki with a look that said one thing. 'Really?' The Konoha wire user knew his mentor looked down on him, but seriously?

It was at this point his mentor smirked. It would seem something about his introduction had amused his sensei. "Well, that was highly robotic," Reag had to struggle not to roll his eyes. He thought the fact that he was anti social was a bit of a give away, what with the whole 'love the night, hate the day' thing. Oshiki had seen right through him in that regard. The Konoha Genin disliked 'people'. Not specific persons, but 'people' as a whole anthropic concept. On the other hand, the Genin hadnt exactly hidden his dislike behind his mask, like he did with a lot of his other emotions.

His Sensei continued to speak, talking about his relationship with his clan, the Hokage, and the village. It would seem that he had picked up an extremely powerful and well connected mentor. He smiled to himself at the possibilities flooded his head. This could be a big stepping stone towards a carrier as a hunter-nin, something he was always interested in. Due to the particulars of his fighting style, the wire user tended to focus on less than lethal capture techniques. That’s not to say he was a pacifist; the Genin tended to be very blood thirsty. It was the whole idea of killing he wasn’t found of.

At first Reag was annoyed when Oshiki attempted to crush his dream of starting his own clan. It seemed like his mentor was trying to put him down, and destroy any hope the Genin had that he was unique. However, something clicked in the wire user's mind, and he looked underneath the underneath. His sensei was trying to motivate him into action. If he had to be the very best to reach his goal, then by Kami, he would become one of the greatest shinobi ever to grace Konoha. The lack of bloodline technique would hinder him, but Reag was sure that if he simply invented enough original techniques, he could form a clan with them.

His mentor continued to lecture the young wire user, and said Genin continued to listen attentively. Oshiki touched of many topics, including a brutal deconstruction of his illusions that left him feeling very depressed. He had spent a lot of time in the Academy creating those illusions, yet his sensei had torn them a new one. He never really considered how easy it was to break out of most of them. Sure, they would give him a near one hundred percent success rate on his opening volley. However, if that failed, he had a distinct lack of backup plans. Perhaps it would be wise to invest in a dedicated melee weapon or two.

When his mentor mentioned his cursing, Reag's eye twitched. “Uchiha-sensei, my language is part of who I am. My father swore like a drunken sailor, and his father before him. It is simply tradition.” At that, almost out of spite, he let lose a few choice obscenities. With this he chuckled, and continued. “But never mind that. Uchiha-sensei, I am sure I can found my own clan in his village. As far as I know, I am the only wire user in the elemental nations. I have read many history books, and through out them, no shinobi mentioned has used them like I do. In addition to this, I plan on augmenting my unique ability with some powerful illusions. If you would help me, I would very much appreciate learning to make my Genjutsu far more offensive. I recognize that my current focus is too supplementary.” Reag paused for a second, thinking. After listening to his mentor's lecture, he had the urge to show off his latest technique.

“In fact, I wish to show you that I have already began to take your offensive illusion style to heart. I had been working on this technique for several weeks beforehand, but only after experiencing your more potent attacks was I able to complete it.” Not even waiting for his mentor to make a sound, Reag began his casting ritual. First Step: Gather your Chakra. Reag filled his body with wind chakra. Second Step: mold your chakra. Reag performed a quick series of seals. Final Step: Release your Chakra. A slight breeze picked up around the wire user. If Oshi stood still, which he hoped he did, the technique would ensnare him. With that, Reag's Tajuu Jisatsu no Sokubaku (Multiple Suicidal Bindings).


The Genin only planned on holding the technique for a few seconds, just long enough to get the effects of the jutsu across. Having already released it, and being paralyzed to boot, Reag reflected on his actions. He immediately regretted this decision.

Word Count: 1020 (3262/7200 Genjutsu S->SS, -20% from Gifted)
Jutsu Used:

Spoiler:

Chakra: 135/150

The boy was beginning to talk about how it was his father who had taught him to swear like that, and claimed that he swore like a sailor. Considering the closest thing they had to a sailor in their village was a fisherman and the closest thing they had to the ocean was a river, he wondered how Reag had learned that expression. He had learned it from his travels to sea ports, but how did the boy himself get it? It would be like someone who had never seen chocolate knowing about the expression "As useful as a chocolate kettle", or someone who lived in the desert knowing about the phrase "better than a slap with a wet fish". Still, as the boy cursed him out, Oshi stood there with a peaceful expression on his face, before crouching slightly so they were looking face to face, so close their eyes were almost touching. He didn't look threatening, but he looked like he might whisper some sort of dark threat... what came out of his mouth was, somehow, much much worse.

"Your mother is a..." the next minute was full of so many foul swearwords and curses that would make even his predecessor Danzo blush with the fire of a thousand suns. In fact, in a sentence that seemed to take an entire minute without taking a breath, he somehow managed to say only five polite words. They were, in turn, "Process", "Logistics", "Banana", "Intimacy" and "insertion". It was, perhaps, lucky that they weren't around other people, since anyone else hearing him use those choice words on a person of this boy's age might see him as doing something that most people would find disgusting. He wanted to see how the boy would react to someone who was criticizing his foul language coming out with this vestibule of filth and debauchery, to a child ten years younger than himself. Hopefully, it made the point that the boy should not underestimate the filth that could come out of the man's mouth, even if he was a lord now.

“But never mind that. Uchiha-sensei, I am sure I can found my own clan in his village. As far as I know, I am the only wire user in the elemental nations. I have read many history books, and through out them, no shinobi mentioned has used them like I do." He had to admit that the boy had a point. It was what had originally allowed him to get the jump on him, and that was the beauty of Onojutsu. Sometimes, just by confusing the opponent with the apparent sheer uselessness of the weapon, you could make them underestimate the threat, and thus they would be caught off-guard when it turned out to be a serious threat. It wasn't quite enough to bring fame and fortune... but it was a start. Everywhere had to start somewhere, he guessed, not everyone could be a descendant of the sage of the six paths like the Uchiha clan were.

"Well then, you'd better start developing infamous techniques to make your clan go down in history. I can see it now; The Reag clan, known for lynching people! ANBU's hidden hangmen!" Moving his hand through the air as if he was painting a picture with his own mind, he seemed like he was actually interested in what this boy could do. Something that he had been taught a long time ago came into his head; With the right tools, the right determination and the right luck, any man can do miraculous things. He was sure that Hikamaru could do those things if he truly worked at them... though now that he thought about it, saying that someone worked at making a clan really sounded like a roundabout way of calling them a slut. That was not what he had meant at all by his comments.

“In fact, I wish to show you that I have already began to take your offensive illusion style to heart. I had been working on this technique for several weeks beforehand, but only after experiencing your more potent attacks was I able to complete it.” Oh? He had taken on his style to heart? Well, that was going to work brilliantly, he knew for a fact that this was going to be, at the very least, interesting. It felt like he was required to stand there and let himself get hit by it, and he was sure that whatever the boy had in store for him, it wouldn't be lethal. Firstly because the boy seriously seemed concerned by the rules and regulations of the village, and secondly because he knew this boy wanted him alive. That way he could become stronger and stronger, there was something in the boy's body language that made it obvious that he wanted to get stronger, and it was clear that the best way to do that was to have a strong mentor as well as an active teacher.

What he did not expect to be hit by... was a paralysis technique. He tried to move his body, but he couldn't. Well... this was... different. What the Uchiha clan made up for in its ability to see through illusions, it lacked in its ability to deal with genjutsu as a whole. They could see through genjutsu, and see invisible things, and see the chakra in a person's body, but paralysis affected them the same as everyone else. They couldn't break through genjutsus just because they wanted to, they could see through them but when in situations like this where there was no illusion to break, there was nothing they could do. What he could do, however, was manipulate the situation they were put in. Since Reag hadn't moved either since he had become caught in this, he had to assume that they were both paralyzed at the same time. His eyes moved around to find the boys, not requiring any sort of muscle movement to move his eyes, and thus caught the boy's gaze. He was about to cast the same genjutsu as last time, the pain causing jutsu, but then Oshi overbalanced and began to fall. In an instant self defence response, his foot moved forwards to steady himself. So... his foot could move again. That was new.

For a moment he just stared at Reag, not entirely sure what he was supposed to say, before finally deciding on what he was going to say.
"So... what you are telling me, in the long and the short of it, is that you have made a technique.. that forces you to stay still, to paralyze an opponent. An opponent who will most likely be a higher level than you... an opponent who might very well have more back up than you do, or have a way to cause pain to those who stay near him. What if they had amaterasu?" he asked, clearly concerned for his student's well being. However, after that initial worry died down, he moved his hand forward and petted his trainee's head.

"Remember this; My style works for me because it bounces around who I am. if someone becomes paralyzed for even a single post, I can literally blast a hole in their face. That technique might work for you if you were able to get out your wire first, but what if they had a defence like mine? this is my advice; If you have to risk your own life to take out an opponent, there's almost always a better way." This was strange words to come out of an Uchiha's mouth, since to be a member of their clan meant to be risking their very life.

That was the thing about his position as the lord of Uchiha; The uchiha clan was a clan that got stronger through the loss and death of others, and to become the most evolved form of an Uchiha the user had to be able to kill his own family and mutilate their dead corpse, then face that every day for the rest of their lives as they look in the mirror and see the eyes that are no longer just theirs alone. This was the level of Uchiha that Oshi was expected to develop into, this was the kind of ninja they wanted him to be - The kind that uses other people's pain and suffering for his own gain. He made criminals suffer and hurt, but he refused to shed a single drop of innocent blood. Every single body that he had made in his life time had been someone who would have been too dangerous to keep alive, he was not an insane man, nor was he a monster like some people tried to paint him. He was simply someone who wanted to be able to come out of the world with a clean slate and a white soul. If he had to stop his own evolution to get to that point... then so be it.

Special Information:

It was strange, and a little bit sad. The first time that the boy had managed to show any real human emotion other than being pissed off, on either meeting, was this sheer feeling of being disappointed, or extreme sorrow. He didn't like the look of it in him, but he knew for a fact that this was going to come and go within a moment. The boy was never one to show off his emotions on his face like most others, it was a strange thing to meet someone who was so quiet and reserved for once. This kind of look was one who was a trained killer, or an ANBU agent.

This was not supposed to be the way that a little boy was supposed to look, children were supposed to be able to have a good few years of youthful freedom before they were forced to deal with the dark reality of the world. At least, that was what he had wished for his siblings, and since he was going to be Reag's guardian from now on, he also wished that for him. That he would have been able to enjoy a normal childhood without having to go into warzones and without having to risk his life on a nigh-daily basis. But that was the way that life worked, and he was going to have to deal with it. After all, Itachi was only 16 when he had performed the first Uchiha massacre.

“I appreciate your concern, Uchiha-sensei. I understand the weakness of the technique, but it is not designed for one on one encounters. This Jutsu will allow me to buy time for my squad mates to take down any threat I am able to isolated. If they are unable to, I can break the technique at any time, or simply attack them with my wires.” He paused for a second, then relaxed his posture while taking on a more light hearted tone of voice. “Besides, at my current skill level, if I fought someone who could use Amaterasu, I would be dead, no matter what I did. I am simply a Genin after all, and this is a Genin's skill. Perhaps, once my chakra reserves permit me too, Ill make a superior version without the obvoius drawbacks.”

So the boy was only going to use it in a situation where he had back up? That was still risky, he wasn't a fan of the fact that he was so willing to base all of his hopes on the assumption that he would have a partner to fight with. He was the boy's mentor, but he knew that he wouldn't always be able to fight alongside the young boy. In fact, if they ever actually had cause to fight side by side in a proper battle, it would either be a truly dire situation that affected Konoha.. or it would be because Mitsuhide was shirking his duties as a teacher.

He honestly did not like the man even the slightest bit, but he had the feeling that the man wouldn't just abandon his students for his own selfish gain, especially since there was little that could actually be gained from going it alone, apart from potentially being able to keep his movements a secret. There was something not quite right about that line of thought, even as an ANBU Mitsu was hardly someone who was going to throw the rest of the village into jeapordy to try and get things done his way. It was that reason that he had curtailed his anger against the man, even if they were never exactly going to be friends.

"Remember this as well; Friendship and allegiance is all well and good, but a ninja has to be able to go it alone. No matter how strong a team is, a team is only as strong as its constituent members. Essentially, to rely on teamwork to take someone down, you have to be strong and make the team stronger by having you. Don't rely entirely on being with other people... that's the way that people begin to become weak by themselves,and you can't always guarantee that other people will be around you when things start to go bad. Independent strength is better, because not only does it support you on your own,  but it boosts the efficiency of the team. Memorize that."

“Perhaps you would be more impressed by an offensive illusion, Uchiha-sensei? I spent a long time combing through scrolls in the library to find this one. It would appear that the only two known practitioners of the illusionary style died several hundred years ago, during the invasion of Suna.” That was when the boy laughed. He wasn't trying to be mean by saying that chuckling was worrying, there was just something malevolent behind it. The boy wasn't as malevolent as some people he had met, but there was an inner darkness about the boy that he felt would only grow with age. With that in mind, him chuckling like that was extremely concerning. Not because of what he could do right now, but because of what it might mean when the boy finally grew up.

“I guess that makes me the only user in centuries. Behold the first level of Shingetsu no Odori (Dance of the New Moon).” He had honestly never heard of that jutsu before, but as the boy began to move through his techniques as he always did, it became clear what it was. Now, for all the boy's strengths, he had only ever seen him use genjutsu or weaponry based skill. That meant that these clones weren't ninjutsu based, because if he was able to do that level of ninjutsu he would have done something else before now. So, as the clones began to form around him, he knew they were just illusion, still... there was something highly disconcerting about the way that the clones were acting; They were purposely not attacking him. Was this some way of showing that this was only part of his power?

Concentrating his own chakra through his body, he could feel his muscles develop even further. That was the type of soldier he was, he thought as he felt his body change, his muscles tautening, he was a trickster and a brawler, this was his natural habitat. Not bothering to form his chakra into the armour that would destroy the boy's weapon, knowing that it had to cost the boy a large amount of money, he instead moved it to his muscles. As the chakra pushed him further than normal, he felt himself growing yet more powerful, concentrating on top of the already impressive speed and strength that his body was capable of.

Now, considering the boy was a genin, the strongest technique his chakra would be able to use would be in the classification"C rank". So, to be safe, he was going to need to hit himself with a classification C rank technique to break out of this one. He didn't want to waste a kai when he might actually need it later on. So, slamming his own hand into his chest, he could feel a surge of pain that ripped through the illusion, revealing his student in his position. Thankfully, this technique was designed for fist-based combat, so by using his palm it had been less effective than normal, only leaving a bruise rather than fracturing his rib. That would have been more trouble than it was worth.

Now his hand moved out and aimed for his pupil's wrist, before crouching and using his strength and the boy's weight as a counterbalance, yanking him over his shoulder and sending him flying, at least if it worked it would. This was a wrestling style technique that he rarely used, but it was one that he was no less skilled with. It required being able to land it before they had a chance to counter-attack, especially since the boy was using a strange sort of weapon. This wasn't just the wire that he had been using last time, this was something a lot more substantial.

"So you think you're good enough to hold back against me, is that it Reag? I'm holding back because I'm your superior officer, I have techniques that could kill you in an instant and if I were to use them against you I would be wasting great potential. Remember this, in our spars there are only two things that are actually banned. The first thing that is banned is techniques that can actually kill one of us,  we don't want to become missing-nin because of what happened when I tried to make you stronger. The second thing that's banned is anything that would leave a permanent mark. You've seen people all around the village with scars, but I'm not going to give you any scars from my tutelage... apart from mental, of course, but that's hardly negotiable." he said, cracking a strange and mischievous smile.

Special Information:

Although unknown to Oshi, the boy was thinking about the differences between his two masters. His teacher and his mentor, they were as different as apples and oranges. They were also two people that had once fought for the same position, they had both wanted to become the hokage and would have done anything to have that dream come true. Oshi had lost, and would have to wait until Mitsuhide met with the Icarus-like fall from grace that would inevitably fall that man. His personality, it had become clear that the man was a sadist, and that line of hatred and desire for others pain would only result in hatred and fear. 

It was bizarre that the one who had been abused and hated wanted little more than love and to have other people love each other, whilst the one who was a pampered little poodle wanted to see other people suffer and writhe in their agony. They were the yin and yang of each other's personality, and it was appropriate therefore that Oshi was his right hand man. He might dislike the man on a personal level, but he hadn't screwed up so far, and he would pledge himself to the Uzumaki until the day that he did make his unforgivable sin. Though, how things would go from there, it was hard to say. Whatever happened, however, he would not let the innocents of his village get hurt, and even if he had to bow his head and surrender to the man, he wouldn't cause anything close to a civil war. He would not be the next Danzo.

The boy's meeting with the ground gave a little shiver of pleasure down Oshi's spine. Not because he enjoyed the boy's pain, not because he wanted to see him taken down yet a further peg, but because there should not be a ninja alive who didn't feel good when an attack landed. It might have been against a far weaker ninja, but the attack landing would always leave a feeling of satisfaction. It was just the way the world worked, and for someone to call him a sadist for something like that when compared to his master's way of running the village... that was silly, very silly indeed. It was further silly when Reag began to react poorly to what had happened. He was, after all, just a fourteen year old. He would still be immature, which Oshi was grateful for. If the boy wasn't at least slightly immature, then his childhood would be ruined. 

"What in Kami's name is wrong with you, Uchiha-teme. I mean, seriously? You think that me not attacking off the bat is holding back? Do you really think I would be idiotic enough to do that after last time? All I wanted to do was show off some techniques I had spent considerable time learning, and you assume I'm trying to kill you? You still haven’t started the training session. What in all that is holy is wrong with you?“ Standing there for a moment or two, the boy could have been forgiven for thinking that Oshi's brain had just stopped working, before he finally let out something strange from his throat. It was... a laugh. He had looked mischievous, he had smiled wickedly, but from either of their meetings this was the first time that he had laughed. It seemed rich like fine cheese, and it had a strangely ancient nature to it, like someone far beyond Oshi's actual age.

"You know, it's truly beautiful Reag. You play at being ANBU with your silly little mask and your apparent lack of feeling, and underneath it all you're just a child. A wonderfully talented child, but a child nonetheless." Moving with the same blurring speed that the boy had a front row seat to last time, he was suddenly standing in front of the kid, ruffling a hand through his hair almost like an older brother or something. There was something about his face as he did this that made it seem like he had done this before. Of course, it might be to do with his relationship with his actual students, but some people had described him as having a very fatherly feel about him.

"I shouldn't really have to say this, but it's not a crime to be a child. You only just graduated, you have years left to grow up and to be a fully grown adult. The only reason I was grown up and boring by your age was that I had an entire family to support. you don't have that pressure hanging over your head, you have a wonderful life that you can lead before having to get serious and become an actual ANBU member. Until then, don't bother trying to hide your emotions from me, okay? The role of a mentor isn't just a teacher. It's a guardian, someone who will help you grow as a man instead of just as a ninja. Remember that, you're not a machine, you're a person. Just like I'm not my fist, I am myself."

“I apologize for my actions and words, Uchiha-sensei. It would appear we must have had some kind of misunderstanding about what was going on during these last few moments. I was under the impression that you had granted me some time to show off several skills I had been practicing before we continued onto the training proper.” The boy was back to his old unemotional state again, causing Oshi to actually sigh disappointedly. There was no point in ruining your own personality. He was working for the ANBU corps and  even he still had more open emotions than his student. The only reason he didn't point that out was that he was physically banned from telling other people that he's a member of ANBU.

"I'm going to give you a bit of sage advice, from... what do people call me nowadays? The prince of dreams? The King of Nights? Anyway, whatever. I'm going to give you a piece of advice from the head of the Uchiha clan. Do you know what makes you you? You, Reag, are a combination of all your experiences, all your thoughts, all your wants, needs, desires, and every part of you is forged from your history, your birth and your family.

That's why people say that the ones you lose never truly leave you, because having met them will sway your personality, even if only slightly. So to hide your personality under a mask and pretending not to have emotions like you're some kind of stone or something? That's more offensive than almost anything else you could do or say. This is going to sound cliche, but the most important thing you can do is to be yourself. You have things you can bring to the world, and pretending to be some poe-faced walking sword is not going to let you bring them.

Though, that being said, please tell me what the point is of you giving me little demonstrations if I'm not able to interact with it? It's like a child not being able to put his hand up during class, or like shooting an arrow at a dummy and assuming people will be impressed by you hitting a non-moving target. Any time that either one of us wants to show off their techniques, if you want me to not interact with it, please tell me just to watch. Otherwise, I'm going to show you your flaws with it. Just like this." he said, puling up the chakra through his body as he summoned something that would help prove his point.  

As they had been looking at each other whilst they were talking anyway, Oshi channelled that vision into his genjutsu, trapping the boy inside it without him even having to be aware. It seemed like nothing had happened for a second, before a fog began to seep over the area, trapping both of them inside it. With that little trick came out five clones from the fog, joining around them like a giant circle. It was a strange sight, until the one that was directly behind Oshi came forwards. It was, like all clones ever, wearing the exact same clothes, exact same height, but to differentiate enough for this learning experience, it took off it's coat and let it fall to the floor in a heap. This was more than a lot of clones could do, since their clothing was often a part of their physical body.

"Now, see this clone? I want you to attack it with as much strength as you possibly can. If you can manage to disrupt the clone, I'll tell you the secret of manipulating that little ring of pain jutsu you just tried to trap me in...." he said, before deciding to point something out

"Oh, and don't think that just because it seems like nobody else has used a style that you're the only practitioner of it. Think about it, we're in world with five kage in a single continent, with seven continents, and almost 90% of the population of every country within every continent has the ability to control their chakra. Eventually, no matter where you run, you will find at least one person who is basically like you, even if not exactly the same." The words were cryptic, if he could work out what they actually meant they would likely be considered sage, but since it was so cryptic the likelihood of him actually guessing what the hell he was talking about was next to zero.

Special Information:

"Now, see this clone? I want you to attack it with as much strength as you possibly can. If you can manage to disrupt the clone, I'll tell you the secret of manipulating that little ring of pain jutsu you just tried to trap me in.” Oshiki paused at this point, then continued. "Oh, and don't think that just because it seems like nobody else has used a style that you're the only practitioner of it. Think about it, we're in world with five kage in a single continent, with seven continents, and almost 90% of the population of every country within every continent has the ability to control their chakra. Eventually, no matter where you run, you will find at least one person who is basically like you, even if not exactly the same."

He had thought this was a good speech, but by the way that Reag sucked air in through his teeth, it became clear that the boy wasn't a fan of being told to face reality. The boy, as much as he would like it to be true, was not a special little snowflake, and was held down by society the same way as everyone else was. Even Oshi had to face the fact that he wasn't special, apart from the fact that he was a clan leader. That brought him up and away from the average person, but he actually considered it a strength that he was so normal. If he was normal, then he would be able to do his job properly, and people tended to rebel less against people they were able to empathize with.

As the boy was getting ready to attack, he decided to move back slightly. From what he'd seen last time, the boy wasn't the kind of person who cared too much if they were hurting other people to get what he wanted, and he felt sorry for anyone who ended up being caught in the crossfire. The boy was a nice kid, he would never deny that, but he wouldn't want to be near him if he was forced to choose between collateral damage and getting what he wanted. Just from what he'd seen, which was admittedly little, he got the feeling that that would be an actual conundrum for Reag, which was the sign of a cold-hearted person. The only reason Oshi would be willing to do something like that would be if what he wanted was actually more valuable than the collateral damage. If he had to risk two people's lives to definitely save five people, he would be willing to do that, but if it was just a small goal like food or to recover a weapon? That wasn't worth it, not for all the weapons in the universe. Besides, he couldn't actually use weapons like the boy could, so that question was kind of...stupid.

Honestly, he wasn't really paying attention to what the boy was doing, he was just waiting for him to actually attack. If he had been paying attention, he might have seen him pick up some dirt or do something like that, but honestly he was just trying to be patient and see what technique he would use rather than paying too much attention about whether or not the boy was filling his own pockets with dirt. However, when he finally got around to actually attacking, he... threw a pen away. What did writing implements ever do to this kid, Oshi thought with a trace of sarcastic humor. Was this some way of doing Kawarimi no jutsu, or was he just trying to get rid of things that he didn't want within his pockets? If it was the latter, surely there was a better time for that, if it was the former.. what a waste of his abilities. It would only be sensible here since he knew for a fact that Oshi wasn't going to kill him, but if they were up against an actual enemy, wasting a technique that could save your life was something that would be stupid. Never give up a lifeline just for the sake of a technique.

Eventually, what happened was that a strange beetle was... holding a knife in a hand? Beetles had hands now? it was a strange situation, but eventually Oshi just stood in front of his student, his eye cocked showing his clear confusion about what was actually going on. The beetle was clearly Reag, since it required a ninja to be able to make a form like that, but why someone would do that... he had no idea. I mean, he had taken the shape of something, and yet had clearly not bothered to think this through. Eventually, when he stabbed upwards, it landed straight between the clones fourth and fifth rib... and then the knife, as well as the knife holding it just slipped through. Whilst that would normally have been a lesson, the real Oshi was just resting his head in his hand. The sheer body language that he was giving off made it clear that this was a failed mission, and not only because he had managed to land an attack.

"I was trying to teach you that clones don't always have to be totally solid, that you can use clones that almost always don't have a physical form, only becoming physical when it actually matters... but you just couldn't let that happen could you? Now, I'm going to ask you a question, and I want the actual answer instead of some sarcastic joke... Why did you think any of what you just did was a good idea? Am I missing the large amount of bottles you've hidden around here? Maybe a bong? Because you clearly were not sober when you thought that strategy out." He said, his voice no longer keeping the jokey tone, his voice muffled by the arm that belonged to the hand he was currently resting his hand in. Looking back up, his eyes had a single question displayed in them, radiating off of his vision like a neon sign "What... the fuck?"

"I don't mean to be rude... but did you just make a beetle with hands? I've been friends with summoners, Hell, I've dated people who were obsessed with beetle-based seijutsu. I've even had a few one night stands with members from the Aburame clan. I know a good deal about beetles from my exposure to them, but you don't need my amount of knowledge to know one simple documented truth... BEETLES DO NOT HAVE HANDS. NOR DO THEY WIELD KNIVES."

Honestly, he thought, what did they teach kids in the academy nowadays? People had told him that Reag came close to failing his exam this year, and only passed into geninship by the skin of his teeth, but still... who in their right mind uses a techniques designed to make people impossible to detect, making them look like something completely unrelated to their actual form... and then made it THAT conspicuous. It was like trying to light yourself on fire so you didn't wake someone up. It was not done, and the people who did that stuff were clearly insane, or they were high. That was always an alternative.

Finally straightening up from his annoyance and confusion, he adjusted his coat and walked forwards, picking up the boy's knife.
"You see this?" he asked, though from the tone of his voice it was a rhetorical question. "Your next lesson is to use it to fight someone in fully equipped battle armor. Exhibit A." He said, passing the knife back and moving back out of the circle as if going up on stage. He dropped his coat as his body began to emit some strange... well, something strange. It was, essentially, pure non-elemental chakra. The majority of chakra that was used for techniques at high levels were elemental, since they tended to have some greater power than non-elemental, so it was very rare for people to see what it looked like in its most basic form. Honestly, the color of the chakra seemed to change from person to person. on some people, it was blue, on others, it was red. For him, however? It was black. Not only that, but it was oozing out of his body like toothpaste being squeezed out of a tube, or like sausage meat coming out of a mincer. It had a strange, unnatural speed to it, smooth and yet jerky at the same time.

Finally, as the oozing mass came further and further out of his body, it slowly began to harden (slowly being relative. In actuality, it took around two seconds). When it did harden, however, it took a strong shape, it had a large amount of protruding edges, each of them almost insectoid, and as the mask came down over his face, it completed the image of it being like a giant walking bug, except missing the antennae. What came next was even stranger, as it suddenly shone with a bright light, the same shade of red as forge metal, and with the steam flying off around him, it was clear that this was unbelievably hot.

"This armor is so hot it's able to melt steel down to a molten state, it's able to destroy wood and weaponry, at least any that haven't been made by master forgers. So, what are you going to do with that cute little letter opener, Reag? How would you use a weapon in a situation like this? Oh, and I didn't think I'd ever have to say this but "Beetles don't work". " he said, his voice thick with sarcasm. not in a cruel way, yet conveying the message that, as long as he lived, he was never going to be allowed to forget that he thought beetles had hands.

Special Information:

Reag fell to the floor, completely humiliated. That was quite painful. The clone he had attacked was not solid, like he suspected, but rather completely illusionary. This lead to him overbalancing on his dagger thrust, and thus spilling onto the ground. To make matters worse, his improptu invisibility experiment had failed, and now his mentor was face palming. In all, while the plan itself might have been pretty brilliant, the execution had failed horribly. He had never really paid much attention on the finer points of the Jutsus he learned in the academy, prefering to find out about the quirks in real time. Now this method of learning had come back to bite him in the ass. Then the lecture started.

"I was trying to teach you that clones don't always have to be totally solid, that you can use clones that almost always don't have a physical form, only becoming physical when it actually matters... but you just couldn't let that happen could you? Now, I'm going to ask you a question, and I want the actual answer instead of some sarcastic joke... Why did you think any of what you just did was a good idea? Am I missing the large amount of bottles you've hidden around here? Maybe a bong? Because you clearly were not sober when you thought that strategy out."

That was harsh, especially considering that Reag had met his mentor when said Jounin was wasted off his ass. The young Genin wanted to explain exactly what he was thinking, and why it apparently didnt work, but his sensei was having none of it. As soon as he moved to open his mouth, the Jounin's eyes cowed him down. All the wire user wanted to do was explain that he had seen a team mate use a similar strategy successfully, and he wished to see if he could incorporate it into his fighting style. His hidden beetle attack plan had rendered his squad fellow completely invisible, and in a perfect position to release a counter attack. Reag did not anticipate that henging with a weapon drawn would make the illusion ineffective, especially considering that the outcome for his version made no SENSE.

Still, his teacher continued to talk, not letting the Genin a word in edge wise. "I don't mean to be rude... but did you just make a beetle with hands? I've been friends with summoners, Hell, I've dated people who were obsessed with beetle-based seijutsu. I've even had a few one night stands with members from the Aburame clan. I know a good deal about beetles from my exposure to them, but you don't need my amount of knowledge to know one simple documented truth... BEETLES DO NOT HAVE HANDS. NOR DO THEY WIELD KNIVES."

It took all of his collective willpower to shout 'No shit, Obviouskage' and try to slap his mentor silly. For some messed up reason, his sensei was under the impression that a dagger wielding beetle was the desired result of his attack, rather than an unfortunate byproduct of unusual jutsu interaction. For a brief moment, he reflected on how much he hated some of the weird ways ninja magic worked. While, for the most part, it followed predictable rules and effects, every now and again, something bizarre would crop up. For example, steel clothing could be henged without worry, yet a steel blade would fail. However, if said blade was directly attached to the clothing, it would work fine. Ninja Magic, how does it work.

Reag was snapped out of his internal rant by his mentor handing him back his knife. It would appear that the fall had caused it to break off from its steel extension. The young Genin would have to re attach it at a later date. It was at this point that the young shinobi wanted to correct his mentor's false beliefs of his attempted attack, but said mentor's body posture was brokering no argument. With the mental equivalent of a 'table flip', Reag returned to what ever his sensei wanted now. He hoped that they would be able to forget this entire incident, as he had learned not to try and push the ninja magic rules to a breaking point.

His mentor began to speak. "Your next lesson is to use it to fight someone in fully equipped battle armor. Exhibit A." Reag let out a string of curses that would curdle milk. Now he had to fight his mentor's chakra enhanced armor? The Konoha Genin concluded that his sensei was a sadist, who enjoyed causing young shinobis grief. What was next? The Uchiha would toss him off a cliff to try and have him learn how to perform a boss summon? Have him attempt to fight a creature made out of pure magma? Sick him on an SS ranked missing nin? Sighing, he watched as the Jounin dropped his coat and walked into the center of the clone ring. Show off.

Then the chakra started oozing out of the red eyed shinobi's skin. Something about it felt down right wrong to the Genin, who had only been exposed to the standard blue chakra. This, on the other hand, was black energy. Immediately, he felt that it was wrong and unnatural, like looking at a break in reality. After forming its bizarre shape, the chakra armor began to shine red, similar to molten metal. He thought back to his earlier thoughts, feeling completely vindicated in his assumption his sensei was a sadist. This was not the kind of thing you would use in a fight with a Genin, especially after telling him to attack from melee.

Reag twirled his dagger around his fingers, fighting the urge to massage his temples. This entire encounter with the Uchiha clan leader was giving him a migraine of epic proportions. Then his mentor spoke, giving him the instructions and warnings he needed. "This armor is so hot it's able to melt steel down to a molten state, it's able to destroy wood and weaponry, at least any that haven't been made by master forgers. So, what are you going to do with that cute little letter opener, Reag? How would you use a weapon in a situation like this? Oh, and I didn't think I'd ever have to say this but 'Beetles don't work'. " Well, at least the answer to this riddle was much simpler than the last.

Reag sighed. It would hurt his pride to do this, but it was the correct answer to his mentor's question. “Nothing. There is nothing I can do right now. The only answer to this riddle would be to flee. As I have wasted my primary escape technique, there is nothing I can do to harm or escape from you.” Reag dropped his weapon, mentally cursing. Put simply, he was trapped. “So, my choices would boil down to these. If my opponent is similarly ranked to me, I would have to avoid him for as long as possible, hoping to force them to expend all their chakra, and allow me a clean escape. If my opponent is akin to your current skill level, I would have to surrender immediately, and pray for humane treatment as a captive. With any luck, I could be ransomed back to Konoha, where I could spend the rest of my life in shame.”

As his speech continued, he voice grew more and more bored, as if explain this was a waste of time. It was obvious, after all. “I assume the technique your using is either A ranked or S ranked. If your expecting me to actually fight it, you would be insane. Your probably not. Therefore, you wish for me to surrender or flee. Well, congratulations. You using a very high ranking technique to teach a Genin a lesson he already knew.” Reag wasn’t being very nice, but he was still sore over the whole beetle fiasco.

It was at this point that a messenger bird landed on his shoulder, throwing the young Genin for a loop. Reag looked at the small swallow, then back to Oshiki, confused. He reached out and untied the scroll from the leg of the small bird, before shooing it away. Breaking the Hokage's seal, he quickly scanned the document, taking in all the important details and orders. He frowned and cursed. It was a mission assignment, and a high ranked one at that. The next morning, he was expected to be up bright and early for a B ranked mission to Suna.

Considering the letter for a moment, Reag finally spoke. “I apologize, Uchiha-sensei. I have been assigned a B ranked mission by the Hokage. Me, and my team, are to head to Suna for a diplomatic event tomorrow. I'm afraid I do not have time to continue this 'training' session now, as I must prepare for my time in the desert. I hope my mistake with the henge wont cause you to abandon me as a pupil.” With that, he bowed, removed his mask, and took off for Konoha proper as fast as he could. He had a lot of preparations to make before he headed out to Suna.

It took him a few minutes, but eventually, he returned to the village. Being late afternoon, he did not have much time to purchase the supplies he required. The first place he went to was a small weapon store he had frequented earlier. Looking along the walls, he spotted the curved sword that had caught his fancy earlier. After getting the clerk to ring the sword up, he took a break, heading to a small ramen stall to fill his growing hunger. While we waiting for his order to arrive, the Genin thought back to the events of the day, along with his failure to use the henge currently. It was a truly embarrassing moment, one he hoped to forget as soon as possible. Knowing his sensei, Reag doubted that he would ever be able to live it down. Hearing a clack of ceramic on wood, the Genin turned to his food, and ate.


Word Count: 1692 (7200/7200 Genjutsu S->SS)

“Nothing. There is nothing I can do right now. The only answer to this riddle would be to flee. As I have wasted my primary escape technique, there is nothing I can do to harm or escape from you.” Those words coming out of Reag's mouth were a lot more defeatist than anything that Oshi would have imagined coming out of the boy's mouth. He had a serious ego problem, and yet he would give up so easily? That was something that he hadn't really expected, although it was definitely understandable. In the comparison between their two levels, Oshi dominated the poor kid like he was just another mindless drone from the village. The boy was skilled, but when two skilled people came face-to-face, it would always be the one with the most power who would come out the victor. Though, if he was in a situation like this, he knew exactly what he would have done if he was Reag's rank and skill level.

See, the fact of the matter was, the ninja world wasn't the kind of beautiful world where one could just surrender and then not get hurt. If they were going to be killed if they didn't surrender, then they'd just die with their swords down if they did surrender. No matter what people said, there was a very small amount of people left in this world that were kind enough to take prisoners, especially when said prisoners had already tried to kill them once. He knew that he wasn't the kind of person that would do that, but it was kind of his job not to. The only time he would actively take prisoners instead of completely wiping out the enemy was when it was either massively tactically advantageous (though why arresting a basic Konoha genin would be advantageous he had no idea), or because he was ordered to do it (just like the way that he was having to bring home several of the more dangerous missing nins who had attacked or abandoned the village. Probably to give to Mitsuhide as a new pincushion, the man was a damned sadist)

“So, my choices would boil down to these. If my opponent is similarly ranked to me, I would have to avoid him for as long as possible, hoping to force them to expend all their chakra, and allow me a clean escape. If my opponent is akin to your current skill level, I would have to surrender immediately, and pray for humane treatment as a captive. With any luck, I could be ransomed back to Konoha, where I could spend the rest of my life in shame. I assume the technique your using is either A ranked or S ranked. If your expecting me to actually fight it, you would be insane. Your probably not. Therefore, you wish for me to surrender or flee. Well, congratulations. You using a very high ranking technique to teach a Genin a lesson he already knew.”

The boy was going back to his hostile and angry way of doing things again, so he decided that he would have to break in at this point and give him his answer. Yet, there was also something about the way that he had acted that was inherently disappointing. He disliked conflict with people that were still in the good side of Konoha, but for the boy to have this damned angry at the world streak and this apparent self obsession that would inevitably get him hurt... he wondered, just for a moment, whether keeping him as an active ninja would be the safe thing. How many missing nins would have been avoided if people were able to revoke someone's ninja rights?

"Wrong! If this was a test, you would have failed!" The way that he spoke, it seemed like he was looking down on the boy's sudden desire to surrender. "You, Reag, are not a brawler of this village. You are not a man tied down to physicality like my student Kidzukai, nor are you one with speed but no brains like Ukiyo. What you are, plainly and simply, is a trickster. Physical impediments should mean nothing to men like you and me. Do you know why?" he asked, his voice no longer seeming despairing but now... there was a gloriousness in it. It was the voice worn by people who were sure of their resolve, it was the way that a true leader could speak with. Coming out of someone who, until so recently, had been so desperately despairing of his student's abilities... well, it was something that was strange beyond any doubt, and only seemed to prove that what he was talking about was extremely close to his heart, an issue that he cared about.

"Because, you are a genjutsu user! You may not be a master of it, but something you should always know - There are two forms of genjutsu. The first is physical, which requires direct touch. Examples of this tend to be paralysis jutsu or simply extreme pain jutsu. They are the ones that tend to be included in a larger technique, making them all the more painful and effective." He said, although if Reag truly knew the power that laid within his own techniques he should know about this already.

"The other is sensation based. Does a man in battle armor have less senses than the other men on the battlefield? Remember this, boy, that every man has his weakness. No matter how strong the castle, there is always a tunnel, that no matter how fast the opponent, they always have to slow down, and no matter how well defended, there is always a way in."

As he finished his speech, something came for the boy.. he honestly wasn't entirely sure what it was, until the boy spoke about how he had been given an order to go to Suna... well, he thought with a look of acceptance, the boy was a student of the Kage's after all. It was only natural that he would end up being brought out on important diplomatic missions like this, although with something like that, he couldn't help but wonder, just for a moment, about the sanity of it.

This boy was crude, rude, hostile to a fault and extremely impetuous. To send someone like him out on a diplomatic mission, that was surely only going to make the relationships between Suna and Konoha even worse, right? Who in their right mind would ever want to get into a situation like that on purpose? it was like ordering a dog that you knew bit people to look after a child, it was just asking for you to come back and find something unpleasant in the manger, rabies being the least of their worries.

As the boy talked about how he didn't want Oshi to abandon him as a pupil, there was something there that he hadn't noticed before. In the boy's almost constant hostility, he'd not actually noticed that the boy was finding value in their meetings. The boy had shown that he had taken some of what he had said last time on with him, but now that he was saying it like this, it became clear that the boy was actually asking for them to stay together for a little while longer.

After the boy's reaction to what he had done, he had almost expected the boy to spurn him in his childish, adolescent self-importance. However,the fact that even through being mocked like that he was still able to understand the use of being trained under someone above his rank.... there was something about that which made Oshi smile, and manage to retain the feeling of hope about this boy's future that he had originally found himself with when they met upon the field of battle less than a week beforehand.

"I offered you the position as my student because you still have a fair amount to learn before you're able to fight as a fully fledged warrior of the village. If I didn't expect you to make mistakes at this level of your training, I'd have offered you to work as my assistant, not as my student. Now go out to Suna, and try not to start a war. We don't need any more conflict on our doorstep."

With that, the boy was gone, and he was left to wonder about exactly what he should do next. there was something to be said for just going home and having a bath, he thought as the armor began to crack around him, falling to pieces that rapidly rolled down the hell, before floating off through the river. He guessed that all he could do now would be to wait, and to find out what his first official mission would be for the village in his new position. It wasn't only Reag that was able to be given missions like this.

Special Information: