Repayment: Miso Soup To-Go [Sage Mode and Chakra Training][Private]

"You seemed a bit hot, the sun is burning during this season I hear~ Hibiya replied with a sing-song tone trailing his voice. Her tone hid something dark in it, seems like she was going to turn this into a brawl! This was going to be fun, this was a contest that the both of them had even ground on, and he was going to make sure that she felt what he did when he got drenched a handful of times when his intention of avoiding getting wet had been slaughtered. And it didn't even require him walking on the surface of the water, meaning he was open to splash her with chakra blades without worry!

Her attempt to whip water at him with her hair fell ended up doing little to him, considering he was drenched. It was an unfair immunity, but oh man did failure feel so good for him. Cupping his heads over his mouth to amplify his voice, he'd taunt her as loudly as he could. "Is that all you got?" The Ayano taunted carelessly. It seems his call to her worked, as she was going on a full on charge towards him without much a care. Taking advantage of her momentum due to him being able to read it easily, he swiftly scooped another huge wave of water before lifting again, looking for her to charge right into the water to soak her even more, this time from the front so that it matched the back part of her that got wet previously.

Yori seemed to be enjoying herself, laughing even as she charged right through the second water attack. Now they were both wet, which seemed to be his intention. Either way, she gleefully continued on, aiming to tackle him. "Riiight, the sun is why I seem hot to you," she teased. The girl drew in close, her eyes meeting his just as she pounced, arms spread and aiming to hit him right in the middle.

A swim did sound nice, which is pretty much what would happen if he didn't dodge. A playful tackle like hers would send them both into the water without her even trying to stop herself. What was the point? Neither of them could get any wetter, so it was just rough housing at this point. An activity she'd never experienced before without the threat of failing to bullies. Perhaps she was too trusting of this Ayano boy. Yori just automatically assumed there weren't any consequences for failure.

Success? Sort of, but she was pursuing him despite being wet! In fact, she took the damn splash to get to him, and he didn't expect her to purposely take it! As for her intention, it was nothing he was able to predict at the point. All he knew was that he was unable to dodge now as she directly hit him from the center and knocked both of their bodies into the water, Hibiya being the first of the two to land in the water, but he held on tight to her to make sure she didn't try to get away from taking a dive. If she was going to take a risky move, he was going to make sure she fell into the water alongside him!

And so they both plunged into the river once again, this routine being a classic for Hibiya at this point. Once the both of them were in the water, he let go of her so that he was free to swim back up to surface whenever he felt like it. His eyes opened under the freshwater as he would proceed to look around to see if Yori were there with him, but he would eventually head back up to the surface once again. He successfully did so while letting out an excited "Woo!" from his lips, feeling the adrenaline pumping through him even more. "That was awesome!" The Ayano would announce. If Yori were to surface by this point, he would look to her with a sly smile. "Ayyyy, welcome to the club!" That is, if she even did surface.

She indeed surfaced, spitting water out of her mouth like a fountain. "The club is nice," the jounin sighed, her hair receding into a cute short style so it was lighter while wet. She swam around him for a moment, then leaned back and floated. The Nishizaka trademark cerulean eyes mirrored the sky she gazed into, not that the color was any different.

"Hibiya," she started, seeming distant even as she spoke. "Do you every wonder why we're wired to grow stronger?" Yori asked, still staring at the sky. There didn't seem to be any feeling attached to the question, negative or positive. "Why it's so normal to be a shinobi that fights other shinobi, why it's normal to train day in and out to get stronger to face stronger people?"

A sudden change of attitude on her end, her gaze seemed lost in the clouds, making him tilt his head to the side. Was there something to see? Attempting to follow her gaze, he would lock his aqua-colored eyes with the sky above their heads, only to notice that nothing in paticular was there. More than likely, she was lost in some thought. This assumption was soon proven as she then asked him a couple questions, a bit more in philosophy and maybe a bit of psychology in long term. "This is a sudden mood change for you. What has you asking this all of a sudden?" The Ayano asked, genuinely curious as to why this is even a conversation at the moment. Weren't they having some fun just now?

"Well if I had to give an answer..." Hibiya looked down into the water for a moment, but this was just him trying to think of an answer since he never really thought those questions through before. But after a few seconds, he thought he found an answer. "We do it to fight those who fight against our beliefs and the things we cherish. Whether they be our lives, others we cherish, things we care about, or just things we believe in. Sometimes words are just not enough to drill a point of view into your opponent." It was sort of like a debate, but forceful. Make one submit or else they die, it was a simple yet complicated game at the same time. But Yori bringing it up was more puzzling beyond that.

"Heh, sorry," she smiled, righting herself in the water and shaking the water from her short hair. "I told you I'm used to doing this alone. I'm used to getting all metacognitive, especially when you consider how small you must be to the sky." She offered a smile, feeling bad about ruining the fun. "I just usually don't have anyone to ask, so I ask myself. It passes the time...I always came to the conclusion that if everyone realized it is a never ending cycle of violence and simultaneously quit, we'd have peace. But that's silly," Yori concluded, shrugging. Spinning in the water, she playfully splashed Hibiya, trying to undo her weirdness.

"Water does weird stuff to me...maybe I should have been a mermaid..." she joked, slipping under the surface for a moment only to pop back up right in front of Hibiya, as if maybe trying to surprise him, or prove she was really a mermaid. Socially awkward as she now realized she could be, Yori sincerely hoped her present company could overlook some of her more eccentric moments. "I always wished water was my natural element. It feels familiar." The nature girl shrugged her shoulders again, swimming backward away from him and closer to the edge of land.

It was nice of her to be genuine with him at least, usually he wasn't so open with others. Despite being a jounin, she was a human at the end of the day like he was, one with emotions and concerns like the rest. Perhaps she was physically strong, but his observations told him that she seemed rather insecure of herself. A shame considering her expressive personality, perhaps Yori could have made a name with the genin if she were to be a teacher. As for her philosophy, she was right that it perhaps would stop all of the violence. But human nature would never be satisfied, and the ability to industialize and prosper would only be halted.

The poor thing tried to use her playfulness as a defense mechanism, but he just shook the water she splashed towards him and went along with it. After all, he was all for philosophy. "I like to see it as a great thing." The Ayano replied, referring to the cycle of violence she was talking about previously. "Competition will always encourage us to do our best, so we will always keep improving. So relax, it's not a problem to me in the slightest!" With that, he returned the splash by slamming his palm towards the side towards her.

"Well why can't it be? I'm sure you just need to teach your chakra to manipulate the water." Hibiya explaining, looking around his body to notice that there was a huge body of it that the both of them were swimming through. "Look, I can do it too! Water Style: Hydro Pump!"And of course he would push the water with both hands to splash her again. It wasn't real water manipulation, as a samurai was unable to use a single element. Admittedly, he'd love to be able to do such flashy things with elements, but that wasn't the way his body was wired.

Yori chuckled at his fake water style, like she always did when he did silly things. Two could play that game. The water enthusiast leaned back, kicking her feet to send a large amount of water flying at him. "Mermaid Style: Surf," she exclaimed, then went back to bobbing peacefully, still wishing mermaids were real and that she could be one. "Oh, I could learn it. I might soon. But that won't change my natural element, the one my body was attuned to since the beginning," explained the young woman now idly changing the color of her hair to something more appropriate to merfolk; blues and greens. Combined with its glittering and weightless state from storing up natural chakra earlier, she indeed started to appear as a mythical creature, though disappointingly not one with fish flesh and fins for legs.

"Nature gave me the near opposite of water. Lava Release," she revealed, seeming completely neutral on the topic. "The element of creation and destruction..." Yori pulled herself back up on the surface of the water. Walking a few feet away, she made a hand sign and a glowing red blob formed in her hand. After showing it to him, she crouched and dunked it in the water. After some steam and bubbling, she pulled her hand back up to show him. "I can make rocks," The Nishizaka couldn't help but sound a little silly, since they both knew full well it had more uses than that. This just seemed the most harmless demonstration.

Oh no! She too knew water jutsu, and here he thought he knew he so. Taking the last few splashes with a bit of laughter, he ducked under the water afterwards to refresh once more before then continuing to speak about how water wasn't her natural element. "Well I can't have an element. My family is a bit... Different for some reason. I can't do any jutsu that my classmates can do, but I can do different versions of it." Hibiya explained to her, swimming back to the edge of the river before getting his feet back up on the shore. It took a while to notice, but her hair color changed as well, going from the usual black it was to green and blue.

When she plucked the rock out from the water, she showed it to him to tell him that she was capable of making rock. "That is amazing though, being able to use lava." The Ayano replied with a calm smile. "I think that as long as you are able to do something, it shouldn't matter how you started. Even if there is a small chance of it happening, you need to take it with absolutely certainty. Either that, or end up with nothing at all." It was as much as he knew anyways, not that he had any space to say anything. The most he can manipulate is the chakra within his body to launch it in it's most basic form. Other than that, it was really just a lot of blade work on his end.

"Mmm," she muttered in agreement to his wise words, dropping the rock and making her way back to the basket holding the dessert. He was right, if she was taking his words in the correct context. If she could do it, she needed to embrace it and do it the best she could. Honestly, she'd already done that. Even if her element wasn't the one she'd personally have preferred, given her ideals and priorities as a responsible ninja, she also honestly believed that nature didn't make mistakes, so her being attuned to Lava Release was what was intended. It was an internal conflict at times, but that hadn't stopped her from developing and learning jutsu that utilize the element to its fullest extent.

Mermaid locks twisted themselves, wringing the water out before she sat down on the quilt. There wasn't much she could do for her soaked clothes other than stripping them off, and she didn't imagine Hibiya would appreciate that level of discomfort again. She smiled to herself over that thought, resigning to getting the quit wet. "The Ayano clan are a different sort of ninja, hm? I wonder what nature has in store for you," she mused, pulling out a sweet smelling loaf and cutting pieces for the both of them. "Everything has a balance. If you can't do something everyone can do, then you can do something no one else can. You seem plenty strong. How was academy for you?"

The Ayano clan is apparently known as "Samurai" according to the instructors and the teachers. Meaning they had to teach me different things and make whole lesson plans just for me." He reflected, looking downwards and kicking a rock as he remembered the many times he had to explain to his new teachers that he was a samurai. Being so rare felt so weird for him, so he wanted to keep that on the down low. This wasn't an option for him however if he wanted to climb up the chain of power in the village. But... Why did he just tell Yori about it? The blonde turned towards the girl as she cut the loaf, something about the aura she emitted was surprisingly calming. Perhaps he spent enough time to tell such sensitive details.

"Yeah. But there are little to no records in the village as to what a samurai does." The Ayano explained to her as he sat next to his sit he laid beside a tree so that he could pull it over his head and place it over his chest. At last, he wasn't half-naked. "It's another reason why I'd like to know my family and their past. If I can gain a bit of knowledge and use it for my own gains, then how can I possibly pass up the chance?" Hibiya's lips were neutral rather than smiling, though he didn't know this himself. It seemed to take a bit of a toll on him.

Her sky-like irises tilted up from her dessert, this time it being her turn to analyze the change in his aura. Munching on her healthy sweet, her brain danced around the details he'd revealed. "Samurai, hm? That's badass," commented the girl, offering him an impressed smile. "I don't blame you for wanting more information. I'm sure there is some out there. If not some wise sage questing to preserve every speck of detail about human life and its evolutions, then at least a sweet old cat lady that knew the generation before because they lived down the street and vandalized her trash cans as naughty pre-teens. Go romance some grandmas with your good looks," Yori wrinkled her nose, trying to encourage him in her own odd way. "Information is never truly wiped away. Hidden in mystery, maybe, but mysteries long to be solved."

They were opposites in regards to their families, weren't they? He knew nothing and it probably felt like a piece of his soul was hidden away from him. Understanding how your own body works and what its purpose is...that's usually the bases for growth. Without that, he must feel lost. On the flip side, she knew everything, sometimes too much. There was a pressure to fit a standard that her clan had already decided was the best, since everything was so well documented. There were milestones to reach and plateaus to break through. It was all laid out, like a map.

But, even in their opposites, there was something they were similar in. "I had trouble in the Nishizaka clan preschool. It was sort of like normal academy, except we started earlier so we would already be trained to use our hair as extension of ourselves by the time we joined up with the other village kids. My clan likes to make sure we're given every extra help so there will be more responsible ninja in the field, even though most don't make it," she explained quietly, having a little bit of reservations about what she was about to tell him. However, he had put himself out there, and she liked things to be balanced. "I had to have a special curriculum, too, because... I was born hairless."

Her words of comfort were interesting at the least, but he could tell that she was trying to make some light of the situation. So he tried his best to go along with it.
"I don't know about that last part, good looks or trying to seduce grandmas both seem wrong on many levels." Hibiya replied, a small smile forming out of amusement. His head tilted a bit downwards, eyes narrowing as his mind was more in thoughts about the academy and the difficulty of having to repeat the same stupid phrase over and over again. "I'm... Actually a Samurai" followed by some kids turning to him and the teachers looking utterly confused. In a village of ninja, he was the outcast. "I get your point though, and I've tried the libraries. But it would be easier to find the books if I even knew where to start."

Her explanation of struggling in preschool was interesting however, saying that they were all supposed to be practicing techniques with their hair. His eyes focused back up onto her as she explained, trying to keep his focus on the story while the lingering thoughts of his childhood were biting at him. "That does seem like something unusual in your clan." Hibiya replied casually, smiling a little bit with his eyes now half-closed. It was rather calm this time, rather than so warm like he might have given her once or twice. "And you're here right now with beautiful hair like your clan mates. So what should I take from you? Since you know my experience a little."

"I guess the takeaway is... even though it's a struggle and disadvantage at first...and it's sad, hurts, and makes scars...and the confusion and doubt threatens to crush you... when it's time, it all comes together and you end up stronger and better because you gave your all and made it work your way, even not knowing what would happen or how," she said slowly, trying to communicate clearly. "Because my clan tends to rely too much on the hair advantage, they took making sure the body and spirit were also assets for granted. Since all I had were my body and spirit, those were the only things I could improve in, so I could not only hold my own, but also surpass my rivals. When I finally grew hair right before academy, the hard work I put in just to overcome my disadvantage shot me far ahead of not only my own clan mates, but my other classmates as well. I'm the first jounin from the Nishizaka in ages," Yori stating in a quiet tone, really hoping she'd been able to help him. Her eyes searched his face.

"You are making your own way, learning to be strong as a samurai the hardest way possible; in the dark. You aren't giving up, and you're growing. When you get your answers about those who came before you, it'll be like the light finally flipped on, and you'll be able to see farther and clearer than they could. Applying old knowledge to new is an advantage. The strongest flowers bloom in the most adverse conditions." She'd now spoken long enough and deep enough to become a little self conscious. She felt strongly about this subject, plus wanted Hibiya to understand that it sucks now, but it won't always. Her hair slowly shifted back to onyx. "If I've been too presumptuous, forgive me."

The blonde took in her words the best he could through the essay she had given him. At the end of it all, an apology in case she might be assuming too much, in which he shook his head lightly and kept his smile on his lips. "Not in the slightest." Hibiya replied to her, working his way backwards as he let the words process through his mind. "I could always use another perspective, especially from one who's gone through the same thing and made it. I just hope it'll end up on the same path as you." Though there were doubts about that. For one thing, they were both the same age, and the Ayano was just beginning that path while the Nishizaka already cleared it. Life is easier on a child than a teenager who is nearly about to be deemed an adult. but he was going to try to hold up his head until he found his own way of doing things. Even if this isn't like Yori's story, he'll try his best to make something similar to that.

"As for the flower..." Hibiya addressed as he would reach in his wet jean pockets to pluck out the white magnolia from their encounter. It was dry as opposed to the rest of him. Perhaps this was the metaphor he needed to believe her. "It's been through a lot while blind, like you said that I am going to go through, right? If this is anything to go off of... Then perhaps I should go through the night to fulfill my goal, whatever that may be." A lovely inspirational chat, he felt like there was a lot that the both of them had in common.

"Well, that was certainly riveting. Thanks for that, I liked that chat." He explained, this time his tone warming again.

The girl before him silently let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Social interaction was a little more complicated long term than she'd imagined. At least he was a good sport about it, even going as far as saying he enjoyed it. "No problem. I liked it, too." she smiled easily, scooting back off the quilt and returning to her senjutsu training. She was determined to reach the strongest sage mode possible, and even with their fun breaks she found it was easier to focus longer than when she was alone.

"I really didn't think you'd keep that magnolia," she snickered, happy to see it was in great condition even after being doused and smashed in a pant pocket. "Maybe it'll be a good luck charm. Oh! Maybe you should have it pressed...or encased in amber. Amber would probably work better if you want to keep it in your pocket. Maybe I'll do that to mine. I know a guy," the nymph sage chattered away, though remaining perfectly still. She didn't anchor her hair this time, just simple sat with her hands pressed, looking like a statue except her lips were moving and her hair was damn near ethereal.

(7/10)

"I have no idea about either ideas. But I'm pretty sure that if it were to break, it would have bit the dust back when I owned you in the river." Hibiya replied with a sheepish smile, bringing the tone to that of one with a bit more light on it than their previous one. Admittedly, it was likely her who dunked him in the water and not the other way around, considering she charged at him and slammed the both of them under the water in the first place. " Maybe it's even more durable than I am. I'm completely tired from that horseplay we just did there." He admitted, the water beads from the water dripping from the tips of his soaked blonde hair.

It has been a great time with Yori, and they've definitely learned about some ties to each other. An hour ago, he knew her as that one girl that he saw naked under a waterfall. Now he forgot that that was even the case, treating her as if she were just another person he met from the academy. "Well, we need to hang out like this more often. Maybe without the whole training part involved, because I seemed to delay the meditation you were in previously." He explained, placing his hands against the sides of his knees as his legs were still crossed. At this point, he realized that while his chakra strengthened a bit, hers was still undergoing training.

"Owned me, he says," she huffed, giving her eyes a light hearted roll as if she couldn't fathom a genin being able to. "You wish." All in jest, of course, because now that she knew he was a samurai, she was as perfectly in the dark as him as to what to expect. Even the word felt a little foreign on her lips, though she knew the most basic meaning of it.

Her brows raised a bit in surprise at his next words. For the first time in his presence her chill was disturbed. Not in a dramatic way, but just enough that he might catch a split second hint that his suggestion had not only surprised her, but that she seemed almost hopeful, yet a little stressed about being hopeful and ultimately finding disappointment. Just a split second of actual vulnerability. It was enough to keep her silent for a moment, her hands pressed even more firmly together so her focus would remain steady. Once she was sure the flow was secure, the short girl relaxed.

"Actually, I've been more productive today than usual. My mind wanders sometimes out here in the silence, by myself. I can be my own distraction. You've helped me," Yori told him. "But, I agree...we should hang out and have some fun. Any ideas?"

(8/10)

Hmmmm. His right index finger rested lightly against his chin and his blue eyes looked up as if they were lost in thought. The poor girl probably didn't hang out with other people too often since the things she liked to do consisted of running and walking through the forest. Time to change that, he was going to drag her into something fun, something extreme, something that could potentially give them the thrill of getting in trouble with adrenaline pumping through them to make it even more exciting! But... What? Hibiya wasn't so much a troublemaker, so this felt foreign to him to think about that.

"Ooooo! I have an idea!" The blonde announced as he placed his right fist sideways inside his open left palm, a small little lightbulb forming above his head fr the brief moment. "We're going to fly sky high, soaring through the air ona glider and looking at the world from above, far higher than the birds that think we humans are below them! Doesn't that sound thrilling?" It was an idea that Hibiya himself never tried. But considering his constant use of chakra blades to involve airboarding around the village at painfully high heights, it was likely he was going to handle the gliding just fine. They might even find some new area to land inside of once they finished their little trip in the air, meaning discovery.

It was hard to set still while something so interesting was being discussed, but she managed to remain still and in pose. "Oh.. That does sound thrilling!" Yori exclaimed, starting to grin. She tried to imagine such a thing, but really couldn't. Her feet were always planted on the ground, or at least no higher than a tree is from the earth. Soaring up above the birds? Talk about a different perspective. Just the idea was fun to think about, so doing it would probably be mind blowing.

"Where would we go to do that?" she asked next, already eager to make plans. When and where were important things here. It'd been a while since she'd looked forward to something. Being invited out by someone that seemed to want to be friends just added to the experience. They weren't spending time together because it was mandatory, but because both of them wanted to. Just to enjoy life for a moment. To make memories to laugh about when old and wrinkled. As if thinking on such things was somehow empowering, Yori could almost swear she felt nature chakra oozing from her very pores. Just a little more, and she was sure she'd achieve what she set out to accomplish today.

(9/10)

"Hmmm, how about near the waterfall we met. Not exactly there, but the waterfall must come from somewhere. We just need to get to an elevated surface around there." The Ayano explained. It would seem he forgot the time where he nearly got killed being around that area, but it wasn't exactly inside of the forest. So because he wasn't inside, there was no way they would try to murder the one that they now think decided to sleep with Yori... Right? At this point, Hibiya just thought of that part to be another part of the fun, just trying to avoid the clan members of the Nishizaki like they had the plague, with the exception of perhaps the only sane one being right next to him.

"What do you think? Sounds like a date?" He asked, using date literally as in the day rather than the usual informal definition. Perhaps another part of his gambling attitude, or maybe he didn't quite understand the wording behind it. "Tomorrow we meet up in the morning. I'll bring a glider that one of my siblings have and we'll use that. Sounds good?"

As had happened just a couple times before, her usual innocence was replaced by an evil gleam in her eyes. Even if it wasn't quite the same exact location they had met, the whole area was on high alert since her lie about her scandalous rendezvous. Yori was generally a model Nishizaka citizen, but he had challenged her in a way. Maybe he had stirred up just a bit of rambunctiousness. It couldn't be all gone, after all. She was still a teenager, prone to questionable decisions. This was a rare chance to be her age and let loose a little without someone paying with their life. A little trouble wouldn't hurt, right? As long as they didn't hurt nature, it'd be glorious.

"Sounds great," Yori eagerly accepted, her mind already imagining what tomorrow could hold. As she sat there, meditating hands firmly pressed together, the girl couldn't help but notice she was happy. A true happiness. A hopeful happiness. It was only natural to crave relationships of all sorts with others, but it was something she'd struggled with. Even now, a battle waged within her, warning her not to build tomorrow's activity up too much or she'd inevitably be disappointed. How, she didn't know. Even if they jumped off a ledge and crashed, just someone going out of their way to include her had already made it a success. "Thank you, Hibiya."

Finally drawing her sage training to an end, she parted her hands and began to pack up the picnic.

(10/10 Finished.)