Hidden in Weeds

Kounin Posts : 2298 Join date : 2009-08-10 Age : 31

Nara Aori

As he made his way down the side of the garden bed, grumbling and sweating in the sun, Aori looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, and gave a small nod in greeting, then went back to weeding. Tossing the latest offender of garden purity into a slowly growing pile, he glanced over at his companion. "You really should stop showing up, its not like its you parent's family's garden." It was way too fucking huge, that's what it was. The Nara clan garden stretched on for what felt like miles, but was really only about two village blocks. Though that wasn't much better. The only good thing that could be said was that he was never expected to weed the entire thing in one day. Just every weekend.

Mood: Grumpy
Condition: Sweating

Stamina: 2 • Speed: 3 • Strength: 1 • Intelligence: 1 • Chakra Control: 3

Kage Posts : 2777 Join date : 2009-09-23 Age : 36

Hiroki Senju

"We've been over this before, my family's garden is bigger." The partner responded in a bleak tone getting down on his knees in the dirt and began pulling the weeds and throwing them into his own pile. He obviously wasn't above putting his hands in the dirt, or letting the sweat form on his brow while he worked quietly along side his partner.

They'd been in the same academy class. Though there they hardly interacted, it wasn't until one of Hiroki's first foray's away from his families supervision that Aori hid him from Seji-kun. In return Hiroki helped Aori in his families garden. It seemed like every weekend however that Hiroki would slip away and then show up to help Aori. Even after Hiroki left his family, he still showed up not having to run the day before from Seji-kun.

Not to mention the fact that though his family had a huge garden he was not allowed to work in it, but Hiroki loved to make things grow.

Rank:
Genin
Stamina:
2
Speed:
1
Strength:
3
Intelligence:
1
C. Control:
3

Kounin Posts : 2298 Join date : 2009-08-10 Age : 31

Nara Aori

"Still, you could probably get someone to pay you to work their garden. No point in wasting time here, I can managed." In like three times as long. Well, they had the same discussion pretty much every week, and Hiroki kept coming back anyway. Aori hadn't really had any reason for hiding him that first day, but when a sketchy looking guy was asking around for your classmate who you'd let duck inside and didn't look like he wanted to be found, you couldn't just sell em out, right? Besides, the guy hadn't even offered him a decent bribe! Jokes aside, that'd been the start of their pseudo friendship. They didn't really hang out much at all outside of the weekend chores, but Hiroki was good company, and they got along fine. They'd tried sparing a while back, but it was too easy to catch someone with roots or shadows, so that ended fairly quickly.

Mood: Grumpy
Condition: Sweating

Stamina: 2 • Speed: 3 • Strength: 1 • Intelligence: 1 • Chakra Control: 3

Kage Posts : 2777 Join date : 2009-09-23 Age : 36

Hiroki Senju

"Yes that's true. But I don't need the money." Hiroki responded to his friend. To Hiroki Aori was a friend, they did things together, Ninety-nine percent of it was gardening on the weekends, but it was still something. He'd caught a drink together at the soda-shop with Aori. It was a rare occasion but still it'd happened on coincidence. And of course this was some kind of replay as though every weekend this seemed to all play out the same way.

Dumping a few of the smaller weeds onto his quickly growing pile Hiroki glanced to Aori. He respected the Nara for the quality of work he did, even in something he didn't like doing, gardening for instance. If he showed the same quality, then Hiroki knew he'd be a great shinobi. The last time they'd decided to Spar turned into an embarrassing draw, with Hiroki getting grabbed by Aori's shadow binding and Aori getting grabbed by Hiroki's Root Entanglement holding him in place. The match was over in a moment. Both vowed never to speak of it.

"What exactly does your family grow in this garden. I recognize the usual suspectes, Cucumbers, tomatoes, but what are these?" He asked pointing to several sprouts. Maybe herbs but Hiroki couldn't identify them.

Rank:
Genin
Stamina:
2
Speed:
1
Strength:
3
Intelligence:
1
C. Control:
3

Kounin Posts : 2298 Join date : 2009-08-10 Age : 31

Nara Aori

"Even so...." Aori trailed off, they both new the argument was pointless, so this was the point they ended almost every time. He took a minute to respond to Hiroki's next question, finishing pulling up the small patch of weeds he was bent over, then tossed them into his pile and glanced around the area. "Well, I'm not too sure on everything, but these are a bunch of cooking herbs, and that section over there," he waved his hand towards one of the patches that was separate and good deal away from any other plants, "is the poisonous plant section. Like you said this area is mainly potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, that sort of thing, we have fresh corn starts in that section, and I think they're trying to grow squashes in that entire section on the far left." There was still a huge section of garden left, but a lot of it was flowers and more decorative stuff, and the rest he wasn't really sure what they were. Probably garlic and onions and that sort of thing.

Mood: Grumpy
Condition: Sweating

Stamina: 2 • Speed: 3 • Strength: 1 • Intelligence: 1 • Chakra Control: 3

Kage Posts : 2777 Join date : 2009-09-23 Age : 36

Hiroki Senju

"It must really cut down on your families bills." Hiroki just assumed that all of the food, medicine and poison was for the Shinobi in the family, not for some business or something. He of course was simply enjoying spending time with someone he thought was a friend.

He had a garden too. It was a planter on the windowsill in his apartment in the Genin barracks. It had Lavender, to make his room smell good, a few herbs and a some chilli plants.

"Did you get onto a team yet?" He asked wondering if Aori had been one of the selected. Hiroki had graduated early from the academy, partly from his families influence and partly because he was the best student of his class. Though because of his split from his family, he was blacklisted for team selection.

Rank:
Genin
Stamina:
2
Speed:
1
Strength:
3
Intelligence:
1
C. Control:
3

Kounin Posts : 2298 Join date : 2009-08-10 Age : 31

Nara Aori

"They do pretty well off it, thats true." Most of the produce used in cooking, though the clan was quite large so it didn't make too much of a dent in the their purchases, but the more medicinal plants were used by the various clan ninja. They sold a bit of leftovers of the more common stuff to other ninja as well, though that was mainly on a 'neighbor looking for a cup of poison and 3 eggs' variety, not an actual business.

"Yeah, I've been assigned to team 4, we haven't met yet though, I think the teacher is a hunter-nin? Seems kind of an odd choice for a teacher, but maybe all jounin have to have a team at some point." He paused to finish pulling out a particularly ingrained weed. "Have you?"

Mood: Normal
Condition: Sweating

Stamina: 2 • Speed: 3 • Strength: 1 • Intelligence: 1 • Chakra Control: 3

Kage Posts : 2777 Join date : 2009-09-23 Age : 36

Hiroki Senju

Hiroki was proud of his friend. He was glad that he was so quickly assigned to a team. "Congratulations."

"Unfortunately. I did some digging on the subject. And My family has been having me removed from the list of genin candidates. For the past few years." He'd have been on a team for sure if he'd been on the lists. His skills weren't great enough to cause a commotion, though he'd graduated early at the top of his class.

Rank:
Genin
Stamina:
2
Speed:
1
Strength:
3
Intelligence:
1
C. Control:
3

Kounin Posts : 2298 Join date : 2009-08-10 Age : 31

Nara Aori

Aori frowned again as he started pulling up some fresh weeds, but he wasn't really focused on them at this point. "That's pretty shit..." He knew that Hiroki's family had been trying to stop him from getting on a team, but actually taking him straight off the list seemed... worse somehow. "Have you tried appealing to someone more directly involved? They can't have everyone doing what they want."

He paused, noticing too late that he'd just pulled up several carrots while not paying attention, and after swearing under his breath, and started to replant them again. "Maybe get a temporary spot on another team? They can't be watching everything."

Mood: Annoyed
Condition: Sweating

Stamina: 2 • Speed: 3 • Strength: 1 • Intelligence: 1 • Chakra Control: 3

Kage Posts : 2777 Join date : 2009-09-23 Age : 36

Hiroki Senju

"The Hokage is too busy to listen to a Genin on the Remedial List. And those who are set up to assign and appeal decisions regarding the Remedial list are in the pocket of the Senju clan." Hiroki explained, he'd explained it many times before. "However I'm doing so solo and side work, in hopes of being recognized as outstanding if only in the field of determination. Maybe catch the eye of a teacher that's recently lost a student." Hiroki's picking was easy enough, he'd far surpassed Aori by now, each grab yielded nothing but weed, though there had been times he'd placed his hand on other plants, their texture reminded him not to pick them.

"I've got my eyes on a few in particular. Jounin that my family would never touch, for fear of giving them credibility, or defacing themselves by working with such people." Hiroki made it sound like he had a plan but in reality he was making it up as he went.

Rank:
Genin
Stamina:
2
Speed:
1
Strength:
3
Intelligence:
1
C. Control:
3

Kounin Posts : 2298 Join date : 2009-08-10 Age : 31

Nara Aori

"You don't actually need a team to enter the Chuunin Exams do you? I'm pretty sure they have a pool of people singletons they stick together for team tasks, considering it isn't that rare for a genin to die, or quit or whatever." He paused for a moment to consider that somewhat unpleasant thought, what with his new position on a team, then shrugged, he wouldn't die.

"Maybe you can just do solo training until the next exam and then take it?" He finished replanting the non-weeds he'd pulled, and moved on to the next batch of plants, just taking a second to wipe his forehead with the back of his hand.

Mood: Annoyed
Condition: Sweating

Stamina: 2 • Speed: 3 • Strength: 1 • Intelligence: 1 • Chakra Control: 3

Kage Posts : 2777 Join date : 2009-09-23 Age : 36

Hiroki Senju

"You can only go so far training alone." Hiroki knew from experience. More advanced training techniques were known by Jounin and seldom discovered by accident. "And entry to the Chunin exams requires sponsorship by no less than a Jounin. Even then. I'd be solo against teams of three in the exams, which puts my survival chances at nearly non-existent." Hiroki argued, his hands stopped moving as his eyes darted around for more sprouts of seedy origin, not finding any he quickly scooted to the next section.

"Though I'm working on a plan now. I can't say anything because ears are everywhere. If I could you'd be the first I'd tell." Hiroki got back into it, pulling out weeds as he came to them, tossing the back perfectly into each pile he made.

Rank:
Genin
Stamina:
2
Speed:
1
Strength:
3
Intelligence:
1
C. Control:
3

Kounin Posts : 2298 Join date : 2009-08-10 Age : 31

Nara Aori	Aori shrugged a little as he went back to digging. He was pretty sure they wouldn't make a solo genin do the exam on their own, but needing a jounin still stood, and Hiroki knew more about the exams than he did. At Hiroki's last words, Aori turned back towards him again to give him a brief thumbs up. "Good luck then!"
Mood: Tediuuuuum Condition: Sweating	Stamina: 2 • Speed: 3 • Strength: 1 • Intelligence: 1 • Chakra Control: 3