Welcome to Gaia! ::

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"That's good." Segare spoke, stepping up next to Luo as the new girl finished introducing herself. "My sensei refused me both food and sleep for a week when I was taught this lesson. He said it helps with focus and determination. Of course that could be because I wasn't a very good student and he thought it would make me take the lesson seriously." Segare chuckled, though as he said it he let his eyes trail across the room, giving a few of the more troublesome of the students present a pointed look. He may not want to do this lesson again, but letting them think he'd starve them until they learned was still an effective tactic.

"I'm Segare." He continued, focused on the new girl once more. "I'm the teacher for today's lesson, so please call me Sensei during class times. All new villagers are required to attend classes until they can be evaluated. It's a shame you had to come so soon after arriving, but don't worry too much if you can't keep up. This is our current top class, so we can shift you down a grade if necessary. Why don't you find a seat for now, get to know some of the others? Class won't be starting for a few more minutes." Segare said, waving towards the seats, and some of the students present. About half the class had filed in and started taking seats or chatting amongst themselves, but there were still plenty more to come. Timmy especially was notably absent, which never bade well, because when he was late to a class he usually pulled something... Unusual.

Turning away with a final nod to Alise, Segare returned to his desk, spinning around and hopping atop it, sitting cross legged on the desk and merely watching the class arrive and mingle, as he usually did before lessons. Some of the students would approach him to talk or ask a question, others would merely go about their business. But they all knew that when he finally got back down again, or simply started talking to the room at large, that it was time to start the lesson, and most had learned that that was the time to stop chatting and pay attention.

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❖ Chakra: [72/72]

I'm going to be leaving town tomorrow, and won't be back and able to be active again until Saturday, so everyone just take this time to let your characters mingle. Get to know the other characters, but keep in mind that in most cases you've known the others for a year or so. Try not to lock yourself into contact with Segare or Shikaku though, cause I won't be able to reply until I'm back, and I don't want to tie things up. Assuming everyone has finally gotten into the room, class will begin when I return.

Also, all students, keep in mind that if you were present for or before the time skip, you can claim two E rank or one D rank Weapon Basic jutsu! If you're not sure what that is, ask Luo or Hikaro.

After some serious thought for all of two seconds, Michiko decided to squeeze into the spot right between Kensei and Shikaku, just barely large enough for Michiko to plop in a cushion and sit on it. "Ken-san!" she greeted the Uchiha after she sat down, completely oblivious to the cramped conditions and potential discomfort she was giving both Kensei and Shikaku by placing herself right between them.

Enthusiastically, like everything else she did, Michiko shot both her hands up in reply to Segare's left hand. Although, such enthusiasm was probably not the most comfortable thing for the people she was squished between as Michiko didn't bother to make sure her hands wouldn't hit anything on their way up.

Luo Ushio
๑Ushio Clanxxxx
XXX⊗Weapon Masterxxxx



๑๑๑๑ As the girl began to speak, Luo's mind began to drift unwillingly as he already began to grow tired of being inside the classroom full of children. He heard everything the girl was saying, despite the few slip-ups she'd had along the way, however it was really all basic information the guards up front more than likely had anyway. Still, he usually had that information before actually meeting a new villager.

Too aloof to call attention back to the girl as she posed questions, Segare stepped in next to him before too much time awkwardly passed between her questions and any answers. As he attempted to turn his full attention on the girl and conversation, he grew somewhat frustrated inwardly. It was sometimes still difficult to control his thoughts or his brain for that matter, especially if he wasn't being stimulated in some way. He still had a bit of a high from the spar with Segare earlier, and going from that to a classroom was making it difficult for Luo's mind to simply slow down. Well, he supposed it was a good thing they would be meditating.

As the girl answered, Luo didn't do much save for stare into her face for a moment, searching for any sign of determination in her features. She was confident, he gave her that. It was enough for Luo, he just hoped come time for her to attend his classes her words still rang true. "Hmph," he finally said as he nodded towards her once and turned and walked towards the front of the class as everyone else seemed to sit at last and Segare clapped to get everyone's attention. Luo always wondered what they did to get the kids to settle down, having heard in the beginning it was a struggle for Segare until apparently a class with Rin. For Luo however, all it took was him "accidentally" continuing his clone training late into the beginning of their classes. It usually was never a good idea to upset a person who didn't seem to have any qualms with killing exact copies of themselves.

As Segare began, Luo could tell the kids reacted well to his enthusiasm ans general positive nature. He tried as much as he could it seemed to make subjects that are tedious in nature somewhat exciting. Arms folded standing on the opposite side of the room from Segare's desk, Luo grinned slightly as Segare mentioned jutsu. It was just like him to goad the children into meditation by prefacing it with the promise of ninjutsu. Luo stifled a laugh as he slowly removed his right hand from its folded position, holding it adjacent to his face. He certainly wasn't lying, he'd definitely love to learn some interesting and cool ninjutsu. He just also knew it wasn't going to happen in that classroom today.


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Segare's grin never faltered as he watched the class quickly erupt in a sea of waving hands. Almost everyone in the room had a hand up, including, to his amusement, Luo himself. A select few even had two hands waving in the air. But it wasn't the ones with their hands up that interested him. It was the ones with their hands down. A short list, but most notably, Shikaku and Alise. Alise likely didn't want to make a show of herself so soon after her arrival, or perhaps had passed out from starvation. They'd have to make an exception later and have someone feed her. Shikaku though... He wasn't sure about that kid. From what he'd seen up to now, the kid was bright, if quiet, but lacked almost any physical talent. It was too early to say how he'd do with ninjutsu, but if he couldn't handle that, it was down to genjutsu to keep him in the running to become a genin. A shame too, he knew both Luo and Rin were interested in the kid. Luo because he couldn't figure out how he'd hidden from them so easily, and Rin... Well, who knew why Rin did anything.

Freeing himself from his thoughts, Segare smiled more widely at the class when no more hands went up, taking a mental snapshot of the "Before" before he'd shatter their hopeful illusions. "Wrong!" He suddenly yelled, slapping his raised hand down on the front of his desk. "With the obvious exception of Luo Sensei here, none of you that raised your hands are ready to learn any cool ninjutsu!" He added, giving them a few seconds to let that sink in fully, before smiling again. "But today, we're going to fix that." he grinned widely, waving at Luo to come back to the front of the room as he stepped to the side of the desk.

"Luo Sensei is here today, to help me teach you his favorite technique, the secret to his power, good looks and charm, and the basis of all ninjutsu, and a fair bit of taijutsu as well. Today you will be learning, Meditation." By the time Segare was done talking his grin was painfully wide and he had to force himself not to start laughing. Already he could see the kid's faces turning from joy, to disappointment, to hope at the idea of being as powerful as Luo, and back to horror at the thought of meditation being the way to do it. Ah, it was good to be a teacher some days. After savoring the moment and looks for a moment longer, Segare turned to Luo. "Luo Sensei, would you explain the technique for us?" To be fair he could have done that part himself, but he wasn't kidding when he said meditation wasn't his best skill. He knew about as much as they needed the kids to know, and not much more. Luo, having been raised on the art, would be able to explain it far better than him, and that was why he'd asked him to join them.

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❖ Chakra: [72/72]

Alright guys, from now on, I'm going to post continuing the lesson every day or two, whether anyone has posted or not. Anyone who hasn't posted during the lesson, preferably practicing whatever has been taught, will be considered to have received all the training necessary to learn the technique, but not have learned it. It will then be up to them to practice and learn the technique on their own time. If they still haven't learned it before the next lesson they attend, they won't be allowed to practice the next jutsu. Additionally, mastery of a certain portion of the techniques taught in these classes will be mandatory for graduation and various other perks during the academy. By this method, I plan to get through the academy smoothly, and at a good pace. Whether you keep up is up to you, but remember, not keeping up will only hold you back from graduating.

Also note that there's no "Insta-learning" in one post. Take your time with it, because the lessons aren't going to be three posts each or something silly. We'll be doing a more in depth lesson system than previously in the guild, to allow for more character development. And if we feel you've learned something too unrealistically fast, we will make something go wrong with it. Fair warning.

Timmy burst into the room as if he had just been chased by a giant racoon, and slammed the door before frantically looking for a place to sit. He doubted that he had been seen, but felt it would be much safer if he were sitting with the rest of the classroom. He had intended to show up on time for class after all, but then he got an idea which needed to happen, and then he made it happen and then he ran to the classtoom. After jumping onto a cushion towards the very front of the room he assumed a very casual sitting position and pretended he had been in the classroom all along. Luo had already begun teaching, "Hold Tora..." Timmy sat cross legged and formed the seal. It looked like they were practicing handseals again, or so he thought, but in time Luos explanation made it clear what was really going on.
After listening to the instructions Timmy closed his eyes, and attempted to focus on a flame. After less than a second however Timmy raised his hand, not even waiting for Luo to call on him. (It seemed that most teachers didnt notice when timmy rose his hand. Perhaps it was something to do with him being part ghost?) "This rooms too bright, all i can see are the back of my eyelids!"

((for convenience im just pretending Luo ignored timmy's entrance on purpose, perhaps for a scolding later. Sorry ive been gone, kinda busy))

Sure enough, as soon as it was obvious no more hands were going up, Segare dropped the other shoe, causing all the hands to retreat to their owners in moments. But then the man continued, explaining that they would actually learn to control chakra today, presumably, anyways. The method was described as meditation, something Shikaku had never given much thought, but judging by first Segare and then Luo Sensei's words, meditation was the key to controlling chakra. Thus the groans from several students around the room made little sense to the boy. In his opinion, if something as seemingly simple as meditation could really improve his control over his chakra, it was worth using. Especially if it was how they were being taught to access it in the first place.

Thus, when Luo sat and began instructing them, Shikaku reluctantly but immediately mimicked the man's pose, as closely as he could, tucking his feet around his knees and forming the indicated hand seal. Unlike most of the kids, he hadn't sat in a normal cross legged position in the first place, and was a bit uncomfortable with the change. He normally sat with his legs loose, or even under him so he could move at a moments notice. From this position he'd first need to unwrap himself before he could move. But, if it helped him pass this lesson, it was worth the risk. Especially when he knew full well the risk was all in his head anyways. When he was younger he'd gotten caught stealing, right under a shopkeeper's nose, and the city guard had forced the orphanage to make him see a psychologist. After a few sessions, the man had diagnosed him with some mixture of kleptomania and paranoia. An odd mix to be sure, and each probably only made the other worse. Not that knowing about it had helped him solve the problems, just let him know a bit more clearly when he was probably acting on one or the other, such as now, feeling threatened by not being able to flee a classroom quickly enough.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Shikaku closed his eyes, trying to focus as Luo had said, on imagining a flame and making it change shape according to his breathing. The flame was easy, he'd seen plenty of flames, but controlling it's shape and removing it from just a memory was more difficult. Just as he started to have some progress though, Timmy started yelling. Shaking his head, Shikaku took a deep breath and refocused, isolating a single curling flame in his mind and filling the rest of his mental vision with a deep black. Soon enough he had the flame moving as directed, but it didn't feel like he was getting anywhere. A loud thump distracted him once more, and he opened his eyes to see the new girl lying on the floor, before getting back up and talking to herself. Sighing, Shikaku rubbed his temples before closing his eyes again and reforming his hand seal, hunching up on himself to try and block out the rest of the room. They were too distracting, and not listening in on them all was going against every instinct he had. It was... Aggravating.



✦ Chakra: [17/17]
✦ Kunai: [2]
✦ Ninja Wire: [20ft]
✦ Razor Wire: [2ft]
✦ Stiletto: [1]

Michiko "Awwww"ed in disappointment with the rest of the class, but she returned to giving her full attention quicker than most. In fact, she even moved from sitting cross-legged to sitting on her knees in order to see the teacher's full body. She remained on her knees until the instructions were finished, and the moment Luo told the entire class to just do meditation, Michiko was more than happy to give it her all.

The energetic blonde dropped from her knees back into a cross-legged position. Although, she didn't settle in the seating position she originally had until trying (and failing) at sitting in Luo's lotus position. Once settled, Michiko closed her eyes and formed the Tora handseal as instructed and did her best to put her entire being, every single drop of effort she could muster, into picturing a small flame in her abdomen when breathing in. As Luo told the class, Michiko held her breath for three seconds, or what she could best approximate was three seconds, and then exhaled. As she exhaled, Michiko imagined the fire spreading throughout her body, filling with vibrant shades of red and orange. On her second inhale and exhale, Michiko added in sound and feel, imagining the crackling of a fire in the woods and the heat of a warm flame in addition to the warm image of fire she had started with. Sure, like Shikaku right next to her, Michiko could hear the thumping of Alise and the shouting of Timmy, but she somehow managed to tune them out. The usually excitable girl even managed to lock Segare out. Don't try to ask her how, Michiko just did.

It seemed that, as usual, Michiko would quickly learn the day's lesson and be able to move on to whatever else she wanted, but then it took too long to learn. The fire Michiko had been vividly imagining became far less interesting than the weird mushroom she had seen the other day and her thoughts shifted accordingly to the mushroom. The trance the girl had been settling into broke. Her hair started to feel quite itchy, and Michiko just had to blow it out of her face. Then, her head felt itchy, so of course the girl had to scratch her hair. Not to mention, prompted Michiko to just outright open her eyes and look around quietly at all the other students as she rolled her shoulders, which were starting to feel a little stiff from staying still for however long Michiko had managed to successfully participate in the exercise.