Helios J Mears

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Burai Kasei

---

As he regarded the scene before him, Burai couldn't help but reflect that things had certainly taken a turn for the worst, and quickly at that. How his team had gone from friendly banter and chiding to utterly fracturing in the space of minutes quite frankly baffled him, especially given its suddenness. Of course, the inciting incident here was obvious. Suto-sensei's bluff was interesting, certainly, and the challenge she posed got him bristling and eager to test himself, but it was, at the end of the day, just that: a bluff. After all, teams in Konoha were always made up of three Genin and a Jounin; Had the woman wanted a single apprentice, surely she would've asked for one like T&I often did with his Second Branch cousins. 'Right?'

He quickly shook away any doubts he had. Worrying about such things was patently unnecessary; Right now the important thing was getting the situation back under control before it spiralled any further. Uncle Jou had warned Burai that his teacher might test them, and it seemed as though he'd been right. Burai only wished his teammates could see it. He sighed, mentally rolling his eyes. Tiresome and worrying as Shiori-san and Ken-san were being, this was just another challenge, and Burai Kasei did not back down from a challenge. A frown set itself onto his lips, and he thumbed his headband up onto his forehead, exposing his dead eyes, shrunken, black and in full view of the world. Muted as the sensation always was, Burai couldn't help but feel relieved at the light, cold breeze that fell across them. He cast a piercing glance at his Sensei, making sure to meet her eyes, then strode, firmly, towards Ken and Shiori.

What a sorry mess this was.

"That is enough." His voice was quiet but firm, and laced with the same edge that he'd laid bare to the Hyuuga girl a week prior. With a flash of hand seals, a thick, purple aura enveloped the boy, writhing like thick syrup, and with a flourish of his right arm, a Disintegrating Spear formed around his hand and scythed through the webbing leashing Kenshiro to Shiori. He regarded her coldly. "I'm a patient person, Shiori-san, but that patience only runs so deep. Kenshiro-san is his own ninja, and you would do well to remember that!" He turned, next, to Kenshiro. "Much as I understand your frustration with our Sensei's actions, I'm afraid to say she's played you like a fiddle." He scoffed. "Frankly, I had thought you more insightful, Hyuuga that you are. Tell me, have you ever seen a Genin team with fewer than three students?" He moved to address them both, turning to face Suto-Sensei. "We're a team, no matter how much some of us may dislike it. Moreover, I am proud to consider you both my friends, I do not wish to see something so trivial pull us apart so soon; Regardless, it should be obvious to individuals so canny as yourselves that this is a test." A smile, small and wry, pulled across his lips.

"A clever bluff, Sensei, testing our team's cohesion so! I must confess, it very nearly worked." A dark flush crossed his cheeks, then. If he was wrong about this, he doubted he would ever live it down. "That said, I believe I will take you up on this challenge! An opportunity to test my growth is... most desirable." He fell into a loose stance, meeting her eyes again. "Of course, I'd be honoured if my teammates would help me, as a Jounin is a formidable foe to say the least." He quickly glanced at the others, smirking, before moving his focus back to Suto-sensei, a familiar, excited tension pulsing through him as he anticipated the task ahead of them.

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Takayuki Mekakushi

---

Taka remained largely silent as his Genin introduced themselves, content to observe the first sparks of a team ignite before him as he steeled himself for what would come next. Even so, he couldn't help but flinch as Rashiku's past came to light; it was all in the boy's files, of course, but he knew better than most that knowing something and hearing it first-hand were very different things. His heart went out to the boy, truly it did. For a moment, a flash of guilt ran up his spine, but it was quickly silenced. These kids had come here today expecting to be tested, and he had every intention of giving one to them.

He smiled broadly, taking care for it not to reach his eyes, and stood up, stretching his back lazily as he regarded his students.

"Wonderful! Thank you all for being so forthcoming. A good team must communicate in order to succeed..." He trailed off, fixing the Uzumaki girl with a cold stare. "Uzumaki-chan."

Taka's hands blurred through seals, a crackling aura of lightning enveloping his form, and, in a flash, he'd hauled the girl out of her seat and pressed her to himself with an iron grip, a kunai gripped in his off-hand. "Tell me, Ami, just when were you planning on sharing the beast in your stomach with the class?" A vicious snarl crept onto his face as he regarded the others, who'd jumped to attention with a start. "In case the two of you didn't know, this creature has a tailed beast sealed inside it, just waiting to get out."

He turned to Rashiku next, fixing him with a steely glare. "That was a wonderfully convincing sob-story you gave us there, Rashiku! I almost believed it!" A mirthless laugh spilled across the room, and his arm flashed slightly upwards, aiming the kunai at the vase on the table. "The Hokage tells me you're loyal; I want you to prove it." He shook the girl in his arms, (taking care not to actually hurt her), and grinned. "This thing isn't leaving here alive. I won't risk another rampage in my village, so you're going to kill her. Run her through, and I'll teach you and the other brat everything I know. Disobey my orders and I'll blow us all to kingdom come; that vase on the table is full to the brim with primed explosive notes. One false move and I'll lob this kunai straight into it."

His expression flattened into one of cold indifference. The stage was set.

"Prove your loyalty, or we all die. Your choice, Mist Boy." He let the room fester for a moment, before firing a figid glare at Akira. "If I so much as see you breathe, you'll lose your head, capische?"

Trains

Is... Is this based on Toqger? Because if it is, I want in.

Actually, consider me interested regardless XD

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Burai Kasei

---

While Burai had enjoyed poking fun at his sensei, he had to admit that the real challenge came from his inability to see the water itself; In the absence of a proper chakra signature, its presence was drowned out by the metal and left him completely blind to it. As the others got ready to move out, he took a moment to ponder his options. If he wasn't in such a crowded area, he'd have considered finding a pole to balance on his shoulders and just taking it slow, but given the circumstances that wasn't much of an option. That avenue closed, he settled for a moment, and focused, allowing his perception to expand. He focused in on the buckets - the tiny insects that flitted over their surface, the imprints of Suto-sensei's hands just barely lingering on the metal. Then, he pinged his chakra, his sight suddenly doubling. The wave brushed gently over his surroundings, and he made sure to tag his teammates, (just in case he needed to find them later), before returning his attention to the water. Again, no real luck, other than a faint glow across the surface.

That did, however, give him an idea. He cast his mind back over the past week, recalling his somewhat amateurish efforts at naturing his chakra for the Water Bullet technique; Specifically, he remembered how, for the first time in years, he'd seen water. It was a flimsy idea, and could easily fall flat, but Burai was anything but a quitter. He flashed his hands into a dog seal, calling on his energy, and touched his a hand to each body of water, willing it to convert to water chakra just as he had been doing for the past week.

For a moment, his face fell at the lack of results, and the flow stuttered, but before he could give up there was a flash of wet as his chakra seeped into the buckets like dye and Stuck fast. A grin spread, uncontained, across his face, and he punched the air once before smiling sheepishly and picking up the buckets, his practised form keeping them as dead steady as possible. With his problem solved, he set off to catch up with the others.

---

For all he was proud of his steadiness of hand and well-honed form, Burai couldn't help but feel a little Jealous of Kenshiro as they arrived at the training ground. By all accounts, Burai'd done a better job - He'd seen the kid's throw from a mile off, and simply hung back while The others were sidelined. The Hyuuga's casual display of Water Manipulation just... Upset him a little. He supposed he couldn't complain though, he'd only started properly training his element in the past week! He smiled at the buckets, as full as they had been at the fountain.

'Yes, that's something to be proud of for sure!'

He drew his mind back to the present, giving his head a quick shake, and zeroed in on the others, just catching Shiori's schmoozing. He couldn't help but quirk his lips at the girl's attitude, her chakra as layered with smarm and cunning as it was. If he weren't blindfolded, he'd wink at her; She was playing the Hyuuga like a fiddle.

"He's certainly the superior out of the two of you Shiori, that's for sure!" Burai smirked good-naturedly at his team. "I could see that kid's slip-up a from a mile away, and I'm blind." He cast a dry look at Kenshiro, then. "That was a good catch though, Ken-san. Perhaps we could train together later? I have been a little stuck on the Water Bullet technique for a while." His smirk softened into a narrow smile, and he crossed his arms, ready to receive the team's next orders from Suto-sensei.

Unbeknownst to the group, a wayward fly alighted on one of the Kasei's buckets for a drink, and vanished into the water with a hiss, a slight waft of smoke rising into the air...

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

HJM's Tester

╔══════════════════════╗

✖ ‖ N a m e

Hayato Inoue

✖ ‖ A g e / B i r t h d a y

42 / September 21st

✖ ‖ G e n d e r

Male

✖ ‖ B o d y T y p e

Tall and narrow, cutting a long, imposing silhouette

✖ ‖ V i l l a g e

Amegakure / Village Hidden in the Rain

✖ ‖ C l a n

No clan affiliation

✖ ‖ F a m i l y

Father: Akihiko Inoe (deceased)
Mother: Misa Inoue (deceased)
Siblings:N/A
Others:N/A

✖ ‖ R a n k

Amekage

✖ ‖ T i t l e s / N i c k n a m e s

The Wind's Mask, Rain's Thunderhead, God of Needles

✖ ‖ P e r s o n a l i t y

Hayato is a hard man, tempered by years of combat and strife. His life has been a long and difficult one, and has instilled in him a frank cynicism and pragmatic spirit that makes him well-suited to command. Each decision he makes is carefully weighed, balancing personal obligation and morality with cold realism. Consequently, he isn't afraid to risk it all if the ends are significant enough. Similarly, he comes across to those round him as aloof and cold, although certainly humble, tending to deflect or outright ignore lines of conversation or thought that he deems insignificant.

That said, he is not without empathy. His ascension to the role of Amekage was driven, in large part, by his desire to aid the village he'd spent a lifetime serving, and he feels the suffering of those important to him at an acute level. While never openly warm, he is kind, and capable of moments of gentleness, working in the knowledge that a good leader must win hearts as well as minds. He values fairness, and has made an effort to keep every citizen of the Hidden Rain under a warm roof.

Overall, he could be called a goal-oriented man; his plans and manipulations are complex and multifaceted, secure as he is in the knowledge that anything less than a holistic approach to any interaction is bound for failure. This does, however, leave him rather isolated. Hayato is both a lonely man, and one who dislikes closeness. His inner circle is as notoriously close-knit as it is small. To gain his respect is rather simple. To befirend him is another thing altogether.

✖ ‖ L i k e s

✖ - Rain
✖ - Cold Weather
✖ - His people
✖ - High places
✖ - Boating

✖ ‖ D i s l i k e s

✖ - Threats to those under his protection.
✖ - Arrogant people
✖ - Hot, dry climates.
✖ - Spicy food
✖ - Open aggression and warmongering

✖ ‖ N i n d o

"As long as my aim is true and my defenses firm, my charges will not fall"

✖ ‖ B i o g r a p h y

Hayato Inoue is a man shaped by war. Born into a ninja family, he always believed that he was destined for

✖ ‖ N a t u r e s

Wind, Water, Competent Lightning

✖ ‖ T a l e n t s

Insert any natural or trained talents or skills that aren't summed up within specific techniques. Such as swordsmanship, enhanced hearing, or an impressive affinity for cooking.

✖ ‖ J u t s u

Wind Jutsu

Great Breakthrough: A massive, shaped front of air is expelled from the user's mouth, carrying incredible force. At Hayato's level, a sufficiently charged blast has been known to blow back or injure whole squads.

Stream Edge: Blades of sharpened, rolling air bank off a flattened hand, moving at speed, and slicing on impact. Visible and audible by distortions in the air and their distinctive piercing thrum.

Typhoon Tailwind: A stream of disturbed air follows the user like an afterimage, causing delayed damage as they move. Can be adjusted for both blunt and cutting impacts.

Wind Needle: A focused air current, shaped into the form of a senbon, is launched at an opponent at near supersonic speeds. Requires a certain level of control. Can be overcharged with additional time cost to explode, dealing far more lacerating damage.

Wall of Needles: A barrage of Wind Needles is formed and launched in a single sheet, covering a wide area.

Wind Javelin: A large projectile, fashioned from Wind Chakra, is thrown at a target like a spear, ripping and tearing upon penetration.

Death Hand: A mass of tightly swirling air blades is formed around the user's open hand, shaped to the user's purpose and driven towards a target at close range. On contact, it shreds through metal in seconds, and flesh in moments, and has been known to reduce a man's head to a fine mist in moments. If not sufficiently controlled, the technique's containing shell breaks down, causing catastrophic failure as the contained currents tear into their immediate surroundings. If a controlled failure occurs, the resulting blast of air can extent outwards in a cone for up to fifteen feet before dissipating.

Vaccuum Sphere: A sphere, roughly 50cm in diameter is emptied of air and manipulated around the battlefield, allowing for suffocation, depressurisation, pressure waves and distractionary techniques. Visible as an area of warped space, and takes a little time to set up.

Water Jutsu

Water Clone: Illusory copies of the user fashioned from Chakra and water capable of mimicry, Jutsu and somewhat limited freedom of thought. The water rushes its attacker when dispelled in an attempt to drown.

Master of Rains: A fifteen-foot sphere of control emanates from the user, exerting his will over any water within that zone and shaping it accordingly. So well trained is Hayato's control that he can compel raindrops to pierce the skin. The technique, while vastly powerful, is energy-intensive, and requires a certain amount of focus.

Water's Edge: Ribbons of water, compressed to a razor sharp edge, are manipulated towards and around opponents. Can be used to slash, bind or otherwise incapacitate. Particulates from the surrounding terrain can be incorporated to act as a pressure saw.

Water Needle: A technique comparable to a more malleable, cancellable wind needle.

Lightning Jutsu

Wall of Volts: A panel of dense electricity is erected at arm's length to block attacks and push forward.

Raging Bolt: A lethal amount of lightning chakra is charged in the user's off-hand, then projected at the target

Human Stun Gun: A small electrical charge builds at the fingertip, incapacitating on contact.

Combination Jutsu

Ame's Will: By combining all three natures, and with a few minutes of set up, Hayato can summon a localised thunderstorm, providing both ideal conditions for his techniques and impressive cover. Takes more time and chakra the further separated the environment's atmospheric conditions from those of Rain Country.

Water Echo: By adding Water into his Tailwind, a more solid 'echo' of Hayato is formed, mimicking his actions after the fact and increasing battlefield pressure significantly.

Volt Lattice: Lightning is conducted across Hayato's sphere of Water, sending shocks and currents wildly through it and terrorising those trapped inside.

Lethal Injection: A large, highly visible needle of wind and water chakra is formed. If alowed to make contact with a sufficiently large blood vessel, it will inject a bubble of air into the bloodstream, causing an embolism leading to immediate cardiac arrest. Very difficult to land, and easy to see coming as it's something of a staple technique, but potentially devastating.

✖ ‖ W e a p o n s A n d T o o l s

Twin Fans of Ame: A pair of near-identical Chakra Fans crafted from the leaves and branches of Ame's forests by Hayato's mentor. Naturally aligned with Water and wind, they allow for finer control and more efficient expenditure of Chakra at the cost of hand movement.

✖ ‖ F i g h t i n g S t y l e

Hayato works to enforce complete control over the battlefield, launching precise, calculated attacks at ideal moments and generally acting as the chessmaster for his forces.

✖ ‖ T h e m e S o n g

Link to your themesong. (Optional)

✖ ‖ P l a y e d B y

Insert your username.

HJM's OTHER Test Thread

Name/Identity:
Rokumaru the Crusher

Personality/Disposition:
Generally gruff, bad-tempered and fuelled by a cold bloodlust. More of a high-powered bandit than a Ninja in terms of outlook.

History/Motivation:
Disowned by the Hidden Stone after deserting and stealing a prototype chakra-channelling weapon. Follows groups of stronger ninja in order to satisfy his urge to kill and generally grow stronger.

Power Rank:
C+: High Chuunin

Abilities and Style:
Uses a mixture of basic Earth Ninjutsu and a style involving manipulation and transformation of rock as projectiles. Effectively a mid-level earthbender who throws pointy stones about, making walls and spikes, trapping people in stone and hitting things very hard with a bokken.

Noteable Gear:
An experimental Chakra weapon in the form of a long Bokken. Designed to channel Earth chakra in order to inflict massive impacts, emit directed earthquakes and kick up rocks when swung at the ground.

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Takayuki Mekakushi

---

Taka's grin could've split his face. These kids were just something else!

Akira had arrived first, with little fanfare, and he had to admit that the boy had shot up in his estimations a fair bit. Despite having fallen for the man's (textbook) trap, the boy held himself with a certain poise, and the conditioning he put his young body through was evident. He'd tried not to fuss over the kid too badly, simply helping him through the rest of the rig, doing his best to put the genin at ease. He led Akira to his sofa, and had been ready to introduce himself properly when he heard the distinctive sound of a sword being drawn. 'That's the Mist boy, then'

The next minute or so had so amused him that he was presently struggling not to burst out laughing. Karata-kun had fallen right into his little trick with the pressure plates, apparent by the rather satisfying thunks of wood against metal. His face when her reached the doorway was priceless! Still, Taka had to admit that the boy's tenacity was impressive. He'd pushed through a fairly competent trapping setup without actually getting hit, and while he was clearly leaning too heavily on his bloodline there was more than enough to work with.

Of course, as though that weren't enough, he was once again interrupted by Uzumaki-chan diving under his coffee table with a glorious yelp. The manoeuvre itself had been remarkable; the outcome not so much.

"Excellent dodge, Uzumaki-chan!" He did his best not to patronise, but these kids were just so cute! His infectious grin still pasted over his face, Taka stood to attention, addressing his students.

"So glad you could all make it! I'm Takayuki Mekakushi, Jounin rank, (although I'm sure you already know that), and from today onward you three will form Team 2! I look forward to working with you all!" He turned, gesturing at Ami and Rashiku. "Now, I gather you two are acquainted, but Akira-kun here is something of an unknown quantity. This is Akira Senju, and he'll be replacing Kiyoshi Hyuuga as the third member of our unit." His smile softened a little. "Akira-kun, these are Ami Uzumaki and Rashiku Karata, your teammates. I hope we can all get along."

With the basic introductions settled, he plopped into the sofa, gesturing for the others to find a seat around the table.

"Now, since we'll be working together for a good long while, I think we should take today to familiarise ourselves with each other. An effective team is one that knows itself!" His expression hardened a little as a more serious air fell over him. "I expect full honesty from each of you. We will all take turns to introduce ourselves. I'm thinking our names, ages, hometowns, likes, dislikes, one good memory each, and one traumatic memory to balance it out. Understand?" He settled back into his seat, relaxing somewhat.

"I'll go first, so you know what I mean! My name is Takayuki. I'm 26 years old, and I was born and raised here in the Leaf! I enjoy long runs and cold weather and I hate it when I lose my temper." He paused, and a cloud seemed to pass over him.

"Also slugs."

He shuddered, visibly.

"Anyway! Last month I had the most delightful fling with a rather lovely Sound ninja who called himself Ran, and when I was fourteen I saw both my teammates' heads blown off by a rogue Stone Nin whom I proceeded to gut; an act which saw me promoted to Chuunin." Despite the cold air that seemed to have fallen over him, his smile didn't waver, and he regarded his students with kind eyes and a gentle air, waiting to see who would speak up first.

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

Burai Kasei

---

Burai regarded his new sensei with interest, as he took to his stretches with gusto. Such exercises weren't unfamiliar to him, of course. Taijutsu was his family's speciality, and his long and thorough training process left no room for pulled muscles and improper warmups. Suto-sensei was an intriguing prospect to say the least. He had known since first seeing her in the street that she was a powerful Ninja; The flow of her chakra was too quick, too tempestuous for her to be anything else, and it shone with a barely restrained potential, as though ready to explode at the first given moment. He liked her, he supposed, although he hadn't expected such a source of irreverent energy to be the teacher of such an... unconventional group as his. He smiled.

He looked forward to messing with her.

Equally, he looked to his teammates with a comfortable air of amusement. Kenshiro had been quieter than usual today, and Burai couldn't help but frown at the mixture of doubt and suspicion that emanated from him when he regarded Shiori. The girl, meanwhile, was radiating a... confusing aura. Her chakra's flow was an odd mix of contempt, humour and... fondness? In equal measure, regardless. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, and that alone got him fired up; he prided himself on the insight his bloodline granted.

He'd barely restrained a laugh when Ken seemed to strip, imagining the town's reaction to a naked, stretching Hyuuga. 'Is that supposed to be impressive, Ken-san?' The boy was taking this seriously; unnecessarily so in Burai's opinion, but such was life. His answer to their sensei's question, however, was oddly fitting. By contrast, Shiori's reply had been laced so thickly with irony and misdirection that he really had laughed. He regarded her, as he'd found himself doing often, with fascination. The Spiga girl was a bundle of contradictions and intent so convoluted that it almost hurt! He couldn't wait to properly befriend her.

Oh, the fun they'd have together...

Finally, almost a minute after Shiori had given her answer, he piped up, looking to his sensei with a soft smile (although his focus couldn't help but keep drifting back to the girl's impressive... form) as he followed her movements. "A pleasure to meet you, sensei!" He paused for a moment, a strange energy suffusing his spirit. "To be a proud Shinobi of Konoha! To serve it and its people to my last! This has been my goal from the moment of my birth!" His fist clenched, his smile broadening. "I will do my parents proud, and complete our branch's fighting style. I will train until I cannot be touched. I will become a shinobi that will make all my clan proud! Until I draw my last breath, that is my goal!" For the first time, he showed a true, broad smile to those outside his clan, his face lighting up. "I will be a proud shinobi, even if it takes me all my years. Every day, every breath, is a new challenge, sensei," he proclaimed, fixing his eyes on Kuree, "And I truly cannot wait!"

A moment passed, and he found, to his surprise, that he'd stopped stretching and thrust a fist into the air. With a nervous laugh, he rubbed the back of his head and returned to his stretches, mildly embarrassed for his somewhat brazen display.

"And for future reference, sensei, I cannot see images, so perhaps an identifying seal would work next time?" There! Persona re-established!

He was glad Uncle Jou hadn't seen that.

The man would piss himself laughing.

Naruto: Fire From Ember (open/accepting)

@Odin We've all done it, don't worry. If all goes well, I look forward to writing with you!