ABOUT US

[Taitaiyou Chido]

October 5th
Taitaiyou Clan Training Facility
The 'Facility' was the operative name for the large structure that members of the Taitaiyou Clan could go once they were permitted to use Kesshoton. Little more than a large warehouse that the Taitaiyou clan had purchased years ago, the inner walls were made out of magnetic ore- crafted by the Shitigane Clan- as are a good many columns and other barriers and items within. While it looked like a normal training area, the abundance of magnets are what make Kesshoton training safe sue to the properties of the magnetic fields to move the plasma away from the surfaces so that no damage would be done.

The Shitigane had expertly crafted 'vents' into the ceiling and corners of the warehouse where the magnets channel the plasma outside where it could dissipate before causing damage to anything. Not only did this allow the powerfully destructive Plasma Techniques to be practiced in safety, but it also provided them with challenges that the infamous Magnetism Release of the Kazekage's provided.

There was a small section near the entrance where the younger members of the Taitaiyou Clan could sit and watch the older members train. The area was marked off by several tall and thin magnetic bars that formed a safety cage where no plasma could penetrate. The magnetic fields there actually directed the plasma back out into the rest of the training area as a 'punishment' to whoever tried to fight the defenseless observers. This turned into more of a game and training method in and of itself; attack the cage then evade your own attacks.

Standing in the center of the training facility now was Taitaiyou Chido and Taitaiyou Ren. Ren was a very big man, nearly a foot taller than Chido, and almost twice her shoulder width. His bright white hair worked its way around the edges of his head but left the top a nice and shining bald. He kept his goatee trimmed short and looked a good twenty years younger than the seventy-eight he actually was. Whenever Chido saw him she felt insufferably lazy. All the man did was train and exercise because he was no longer considered fit to go on missions due to his age.

Despite his 'forced retirement', Ren was the most powerful member of the Taitaiyou Clan by leaps and bounds. A true master of Kesshoton he seemed to master ancient clan techniques or make up his own on a monthly basis. He was also the only Plasma user to ever over power a magnetic field with his techniques through brute force alone. It made Chido proud to call him her uncle...it also made Ren the only family member Chido could confidently say she was proud of.

They had met up for a quick spar before Chido's team was due to show up and, once they grew tired of the false fighting, they took seats and just started talking. They caught up on recent events, reminisced about old times, had a brief chat about the spring drama which led directly into bashing the politicians of their clan.

They both hated the laws that were enforced blindly and they hated the people that were in charge of the Taitaiyou Clan. It had taken Chido weeks to get 'approval' to bring her team to this training facility and even at that she was supposed to keep them in 'the cage' so that they wouldn't get hurt. She knew that Kuzuri wouldn't stand that, but when she told Ren this her uncle insisted that he be the demonstrator so that her team could learn as much as possible about their sensei's kekkei genkai and he also said that they'd be out there on the floor with them.

"Damn the politicians" he said with a smile when Chido had told him what the terms of the agreement had been. Chido laughed and started to go back onto her insistence that he run for election in winter. He was strong and wise, the perfect leader to start turning things around for their clan. He countered with Chido being more ideal since she was younger, more energetic and more popular.

She left Ren's company for a bit and headed outside so she could flag down her team if they started to show up. The warehouse was among many and it didn't have anything on the outside to indicate that it would be a training facility for the Taitaiyou clan. The leaders of the village had been (and continued to be) insanely paranoid about keeping secrets buried under paperwork and red tape. Another thing she and her uncle thought was beyond stupid; why keep their techniques secret from their own village? The Taitaiyou elders always complained about being underutilized but they never gave the village a reason to use the clan.

Once outside she leaned against the wall under an awning to keep herself out of the rain. The chilly air encouraged her to wrap her cowl around her shoulders to keep herself warm. She looked one way down the street and then the other way, occasionally shifting her weight and changing which shoulder she leaned on. She honestly hoped that all of her team would show up for this. It wasn't just that she wanted them to get to know her a little better, but she also wanted to get them inspired to do the same for their own clans.

Technically the three of them didn't have to come today. She told them all it was optional but it'd be a great way- and probably the only time ever- for them to see some real Kesshoton skills and meet some of her family. Chido wondered if Kotai would come since he was the hardest of her students to read. Nariko she was afraid wouldn't come due to her memories of the girl, but she was optimistic since lately the genin girl had seemed to warm up to Chido since returning from Takigakure. Kuzuri she assumed would show simply because that was how he was.

A moment later she heard Ren walk outside as well and he came up beside her, juggling three metal bars. The foot long tools were familiar to Chido as some of the magnets from inside the training floor.

"Gonna give these to your kiddies" Ren said as he juggled them under the tarp that was keeping them dry. "That way when I start throwin' plasma at'em they won't get burned to a crisp."

"Uh-huh..." Chido said, thinking about one of them in particular, "You're going to have to be very clear to them how dangerous Kesshoton is. They have a tendency to...ah...."

"Bah, I know all about that Nasu boy" Ren said, waving a hand dismissively, "If he ignores me then that's on his shoulders. One more scar won't kill him. And that Gensai girl is smart enough to put her personal well being above her pride I'm sure."

Chido blinked twice before she was able to ask "How do you know so much-"

"I'm bored" Ren said with a shrug, a smile, and a cackle.

[Nasu Kuzuri]

The rains in Amegakure today were pretty heavy. Due to the fact that winter was rapidly approaching, the winds and rain in Amegakure were picking up. They got their first taste of it back in early September when the skies really opened up and poured down onto the village. It was rumored that the only reason that the downpour did not completely flood the village was because of God Pein spending that entire week redirecting most of the rain and dispersing it into the giant lake that they resided on. For the village of rain, in the country of storms to be sunk by rain when their God commanded such would have been a great irony, but was very unlikely. Kuzuri wasn't one to believe that rumor though. Sure he now knew that Pein was capable of a great many things, but Amegakure was built on powerful metal cylinders that dug into the bedrock in the water. These were all over the village and held them securely in place. While flooding might have been a real risk, sinking was not.

He didn't know if it was the Shitigane or someone else that made the original foundations of Amegakure, but he held respect for whomever it was that did. No matter what ravaged the country and the village itself over the years, the foundation never wavered, not even once. He had seen one of those giant metal cylinders when his father taught him to swim. It was something to behold, and with so many of them under the village it looked like an underwater metal forest. Having not been down there since he was a child he didn't know if anything had changed, not that he really explored it much. Most of his time was spent above ground anyway.

This was the farthest thing from Kuzuri's mind though. Many things had happened in the past month, the least of which wasn't that the final member of Team Chido, Nariko, had returned. She went from being MIA, to being alive and well. There were many conversations between the team, all having a lot to catch up on with each other. Even that wasn't at the forefront of his mind though. It was the state of the shinobi world.

Though information was scarce, it seemed like the powerful organization known as Akatsuki was making a really big move. Kuzuri didn't know much about that, in fact he didn't know anything until recently. It was when there were explosions at the border of Arashi, and worse, near Ichiru town that caused a lot of commotion when he started to hear the term Akatsuki hurled about left and right. Those conversations that his fellow clan members had been having finally got around to him. It seemed like some member of Akatsuki was really terrorizing Hi no Kuni, and some said even Kaze no Kuni as well; a lot feared that maybe they were moving to Arashi next. Out of the loop, Kuzuri asked his father and mother everything that he could about the organization. They told him a lot of what they knew.

They were all S-rank criminals that were Kage level in strength. He understood that Kage level meant equal in strength to the leaders of the five great shinobi villages. It was a lot to take in, especially since Akatsuki had been very active for five years, even during the Samurai War. He had a lot of catching up to do and figured that going to Chido's training would also give him an opportunity to ask her about the organization as well.

His interest in it was mostly curiosity. In truth he really hated politics, but these guys seemed to do more of their talking with action than actual political bullshit. That they also didn't conform to any allegiance rules meant that they were something that Kuzuri couldn't let fly over his head.

Moving through the rain with his long sleeved black shirt and purple pants on, he held his umbrella up high. He had been walking around the warehouse area for about half an hour and still hadn't found his sensei. One would think that there would be a giant symbol or sign of some kind to indicate where it was, but no.

"This is fuckin' stupid" Kuzuri said as he continued to move around. At this point he resorted to checking each and every one of the warehouses for any signs of familiar faces.

Finally he noticed a warehouse that was open and, low and behold, his sensei was standing near the entrance. Looking around as he walked Kuzuri wondered if Nariko and Kotai would show up as well.

[Gensai Nariko]

The rain had started to pick up while Nariko was just finishing her breakfast. She had woken up early enough that her uncle hadn’t had to leave for his day of work. She looked towards the window for a moment as the sheets of rain pattered away before moving her gaze back to Tsuchinamazu. He was pouring over some reports that he had opted to put off until the last moment. Nariko smiled slightly at the sight and the general sense of normalcy it held. Things had slowly gone back to normal in her life. She was back in Amegakure, back in her home, back to doing chores and training. It was almost as if everything terrible that had happened in Takigakure wasn’t real. Nariko knew better though. The samurai war had happened. It had taken Kuzuri’s life and her memories. While things were one by one returning to the way that they should be it in no way meant that what had occurred was to be forgotten.

“I think I will go to the training that Chido-sensei organized,” she commented to her uncle as she began the task of clearing the table. He looked up at her from his work and smiled knowingly.

“I thought it was stupid.”

“It is,” she replied without turning around. She brought the dishes into the kitchen and laid them in the sink. Her mother was upstairs getting properly dressed and Nariko knew that as long as she left before her mother came back down she wouldn’t get stuck having to wash them. “But I’d rather do something stupid than just sit in the house all day and clean.”

“Wise words from a smart girl,” Tsuchinamazu laughed. He watched as Nariko returned from the kitchen and walked towards the door. She grabbed her rain jacket off the hook and put it on swiftly. “Nariko,” her uncle called just as she was about to leave the house. She leaned around the corner and looked at him with her eyebrows raised in impatience. “Have a nice day.” Nariko’s features softened and she nodded at her uncle.

The Taitaiyou compound was impressive, though Nariko was certain that it was only as such to her because she wasn’t from a family such as Kuzuri, Kotai, and Chido were. Her home was merely a home and her family members were scattered throughout the village. They didn’t all live and train on top of one another. They didn’t all possess the same talents and abilities. She walked around in the rain looking for any sign of her teammates or her sensei. Especially with the pouring rain everything sort of looked the same to Nariko. Finally she spotted the purple that always signaled Kuzuri’s presence and made her way towards it. The closer that she got she was able to see Chido as well.

“Morning,” she said once she was close enough to be heard over the weather.

[Shitigane Kotai]

The driving rains of Amegakure were striking hard against the metal frames that made up the highly secure compound that housed the majority of the Shitigane clan. Ame’s weapon-smiths preferred their solitude, well aware that their style of rigid discipline and unwavering loyalty was not for everyone. Those among the clan that were not able to abide by the clan’s rules were expelled, never to return. However, every once in a while, an exception was made. Shitigane Kotai was such exception. Hot-headed and impulsive (by Shitigane standards), Kotai had been allowed to stay mainly because of the incredible way that he was able to pick up Kinton techniques. Not wanting to get rid of such potential, the clan had him join a Genin team, where they hoped he would be able rein in his more impulsive traits.

But the clan elders didn’t expect that he would form a bond with his teammates, desiring to remain with them even when the elders declared he was eligible to be re-accepted into their ranks. They accepted his decision, albeit unhappily. His mother understood his reasoning, being able to relate to his need for contact. But after Kotai voiced his desire to attend the training at the Tataiyou compound, his mother was considerably less enthused.

“No.”



His mother snorted with an air of dark amusement as she brushed a lock of hair from her face. Shitigane Mei was a stern woman, at 38 years of age. Her face was hard, with high cheekbones and piercing emerald eyes. Her wild red hair was tinged with gray, and there was a small arrow shaped scar burned into her cheek. Her features belied former beauty that had been washed away by years of infighting and stress. “You were unprepared because you were untrained. Knowledge of the Taitaiyou is unnecessary.”

Mother and son were sitting on the floor of their small home, sharing a hot meal. Despite the apparent cold words, there was love there. Mei had been through a lot to protect her son, not the least of which involved condemning his father to death. As much as the Shitigane valued discipline, Mei loved her son even more, discipline be damned.

Kotai shoved a dumpling into his mouth, pouting slightly after he swallowed it. [color=purple]“Mother, I wish to join my teammates. They are my friends, and it is important to them that I be there. Besides, I am curious about their techniques. Chido-sensei used them to melt right through my Kinton.”

Mei smiled slightly as she played with the remaining dumplings on her plate. “Did she now? Perhaps it was just that you were not yet skilled enough with your manipulation?”

“No!” exclaimed the young red-head. “I’ve been able to manipulate the hardness of the metal for years now, and you’re trying to change the subject. I want to go, and I would very much like your permission.” With an audible sigh, the older woman relented, dismissing Kotai with a wave. “Very well, Kotai. Even if I refused, you would just go anyway.”

Kotai smiled and dropped his plate, jumping up to gather his things for the trek over to the Taitaiyou compound. Mei just shook her head. She knew he’d go anyway, even without her permission, because it’s exactly what she would have done when she was his age.

A little while later Kotai was trudging through the rain, a hooded jacket shielding him from the liquid onslaught. He approached the Taitaiyou compound cautiously, relaxing only when he saw Kuzuri and Nariko standing outside as well. He waved and made his way over to them. “Sorry I’m late,” he said sheepishly.

[Taitaiyou Chido]

Chido continued to give her uncle Ren a skeptical look after he stated that he knew all about her team of Genin students simply because he was 'bored' since the implications could get him in trouble not only within the clan but in the village overall. He was a shinobi though, and a highly experienced one. Forced retirement didn't mean his skills had diminished, and spending all of his time in the village with nothing to do would probably make him one of the most effective intra-Amegakure spies possible since he had probably figured out every nook and cranny of the village by now.

"I spy with my cataract-filled eyes," Ren said as he stopped juggling, pointing down the road, "Something grumpy and purple." Chido turned to look where he was pointing and spotted Kuzuri walking down the road and looking rather lost. She lifted her hand to wave and was about to call him when she saw Nariko emerge from a nearer sidestreet and spot her first.

"Morning Nariko-chan," Chido said, smiling as her kunoichi student joined her and her uncle under the tarp. "This is my-"

"I'm able to introduce myself thank-you-very-much," Ren said with cackle, "Don't be fooled by your sensei or by my wrinkles, youngin'," he said to Nariko, "I'm plenty capable of telling someone my name and age and...oh whats it called...the thing that they pay ya by....starts with an 'r'...rhymes with 'stank'..."

"You're rambling" Chido said as she waved for Kuzuri to see them by the entrance to the correct warehouse. She didn't want him to miss them and take a turn and vanish again.

"And ramble I shall," Ren said with a laugh. "I'm the old one here, none of y'all have as little time left as I do. So if I wanna ramble and waste your time, then by Pein you had better listen and pretend to care" he gave Nariko a little nudge with his elbow as he laughed, as though she were in on the joke, "And I don't think I ought to introduce myself until all of your genin are here. Ain't nothin' stupider than repeating an introduction three times in five minutes. 'Hi I'm Ren,' 'Hi I'm Ren,' 'Hi, I'm Ren,' see how stupid that sou- oh, they're all here." Ren blinked as he realized that all three of Chido's Genin, Kotai having just arrived and appologized for being late and Chido telling him that he wasn't late at all, "'Ello all y'all kidos, I'm Taitaiyou Ren, your sensei's uncle."

Ren gave them all a formal bow- so rigidly formal that it was clearly a mockery of formality- and then said "Firstly, just call me Ren. I hate all of that -sama -domo crap when we're talking amongst friends. Next, y'all are about to be let in on a big Taitaiyou secret, and if ya didn't know by now us Taitaiyou are big on keepin' our secrets, so I'd appreciate it a whole hell of a lot if you would tell everyone you know and even a few random strangers if ya want all about what you see and hear today. Secondly- or thirdly if you're keeping count" he looked at Kuzuri and said "You, boy, were not keeping count" before chuckling and saying "Just kidding. Or am I? Now where was I? Oh yeah, thirdly, don't drop these because they're highly explosive."

He tossed each of them one of the tube magnets, the metal objects being almost a foot long and just narrow enough for the genin to wrap their hands around. They were rather heavy, but not to the point of being cumbersome. "Just kidding," he said while in the middle of tossing them to Chido's students, "They're not explosive. Or are they? But still, don't drop them. Out here I don't care, but inside they'll get stuck to the floor and be hard as hell to lift back up. Also they'll make one hell of a loud noise and that'll bother the other Taitaiyou. On second thought, try to drop them at least once. Or throw them at the wall. It'd be a great wakeup call for the old codgers 'meditating' today." He cackled a bit then asked "Any questions? Good!" he turned around and kicked open the door to the warehouse, "Lets get to practicing!" he said as he sprinted into the building.

Chido just stood behind her team while her uncle spoke, her face in her palm the entire time while she shook her head. Her uncle was quite eccentric but that was one of the reasons she wanted him to be the first Taitaiyou her team met after her.

"Sorry about him," she said to her team as she followed them into the training facility, "But he's the best Kesshouton user in the world."