So This is the Power of the Grand Konoha Training Facility?

Nyguyen Uchiha has scheduled his meeting with Dairo at the Grand Konoha Training Facility. The construction had been loud and rather obnoxious so when he learned that it was finally finished, he decided he needed to see its oh so grand splendor for himself. Boy did it not disappoint. The entire complex was an structural impossibility with buildings that categorically violated the laws of industrial mechanics. Nyguyen wasn't sure how the Engineers had achieved such a feat but he guessed that whoever was responsible had earned their pay and then some. Nyguyen had selected one of the more premier training spots on the facility.

He sat in the Lotus Position on a small pool of water. It was at the very top of one of the facility's many buildings. The pool was surrounded by an oasis-type environment. Apparently, there were dozens of hidden cameras tracking all of their movies and provided analysis in real-time. This would allow shinobi to measure their progress with objectivity. There'd be no room for error on these training grounds. Every piece of data was filtered, interpreted, and used to create stronger ninja. He'd be sure to thank Akari for this wondrous improvement.

Nyguyen was wearing a simple turtleneck sweater and military combat slacks. He had his eyes closed as he meditate. He was using the Water Walking Technique to stay afloat, his skill with the jutsu being so practiced and re-hearsed it was basically second nature. He hoped his student would arrive on time, the last thing he needed was a late pupil.

Ashitaka was, incidentally, right on time. Within the minute, in fact. Which was incredible, given that he wasn't built for incredible feats of stamina (yet) and was consequently a bit winded by the trek down from his apartment, halfway across town, and all the way up to where his shiny new sensei was waiting for him. He never really did like the Uchihas for reasons he couldn't begin to guess at, since as far as he could tell, they didn't treat him any worse than anyone else outside of the Inuzuka. And at least they weren't creepily interested in him like the Senju. But he wasn't going to let any prejudices get in the way of his first shot at being taken seriously as a shinobi.

He didn't want to interrupt his sensei's meditation with something as trivial as his arrival. So instead, he did as all polite children do and stood there quietly staring at the adult while he waited to be addressed. Well that wasn't quite right. Ashitaka didn't just stare mindlessly, zoning out as he waited for a verbal or visual prompt. Instead, he watched his sensei's chakra as it flowed into and out of the water, holding him on its surface. For the strangest reason, he thought... he could do something like that. With some training and effort, of course. The important thing was that it wasn't hopelessly out of reach like breathing fire or shooting lightning from his hands.

So as quietly as he could, Ashitaka tried to match the man's chakra flow patterns to the best of his ability as he set one foot onto the pond's surface. The sight of his shoe turning black gave him a fraction of a second's warning before his foot plunged into the pond faster than he was sure he could run. He gave a surprised yelp as his leg sank into the earth beneath the shallow pool up to his knee, the whole action making a splash higher above the surface than Nyguyen's head would have been had he been standing on it.

Nyguyen felt Ashitaka's presence as the boy drew near. He was loud. A true ninja must learn to disguise one's approach and though Ashitaka would have no reason for doing such a thing, if he had wanted to impress Nyguyen that would have been a good way to do it. Nyguyen's eyes snapped open at his student's arrival and he met the boy's stare with callous indifference. Nyguyen was about to chastize the young man for sticking his foot in the water without his say so, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, the boy's leg plunged into the water creating a bit of a splash. His brow twitched in annoyance as he stood up from his position and crossed his arms.

"Don't they teach you kids anything in the Academy anymore? Please don't tell me you're unfamiliar with the Water Walking Technique" he grumbled.

Nyguyen didn't like to be all that serious but if Ashitaka really didn't know such a basic E-Rank technique then they'd have their work cut out for them. It was possible that he knew it but was just too nervous to apply it correctly. Either way, he'd need some work if they were to become the greatest squad in Konoha's history.

If he wasn't already in the process of doing so, Ashitaka would probably have wished that he'd died in that moment, considering what a colossal fool he was making of himself. As it was, he immediately withdrew his entire leg from the soft earth under the pool, the mud on it quickly drying and falling back into the water to refill the hole he made. This allowed him to stand upright and stop drowning, and subsequently quickly bow as his sensei chastised him. As an intellectually-minded boy, nothing burned quite like being accused of being stupid or ignorant, especially when it was the direct result of his actions.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry! I recently learned Earth Flow and I guess I subconsciously used that instead. I'll do it right this time!"

Ashitaka closed his eyes and forced his panicked breathing to slow as he focused inward. He'd learned from his limited experience that Earth Release tended to leap to his chakra more naturally, especially when he was observing others' chakra. On the other hand, Water was more reluctant and demanded introspection. He pictured his chakra flowing through its lines in his body like tiny rivers, before gathering it onto his skin and sliding all of the water he was soaked with down to his hands. It collected into a small orb about 7 centimeters across and 1 away from his palms before falling, as the mud on his leg did, to return to the pool.

Then he concentrated on the image of his chakra spreading out from his soles so that it would preserve the water's surface tension. This time, he was able to approach his sensei without difficulty, and he bowed again.

"Thank you for your patience. I promise that mistakes like that are not a habit of mine."

Ashitaka immediately apologized for his foolhardy behavior and bowed. Nyguyen stroked his manly beard, wishing it was somewhat longer, but due to his genetics he was largely incapable of growing a full on mane. It was a subject of significant insecurity for him. As a mental health exercise he had begun to think of it as a full out beard even though it wasn't. He then barked out a command:

"It better not be! As a member of Team 10 you are not permitted to make mistakes....I mean you are but do your best to minimize them. What I want to know now is if you have the qualities to be a leader. Why do you think you should be leader of Team 10! And don't give me any....'But Nyg-Sensei...I don't want to be a leader!' that answer is instantly incorrect!"

Even as Nyguyen was speaking, he was training. The man was performing a critical exercise in chakra control and application. Filtering out the chakra into the water along the soles of his feet at a standing rate so that he could remain afloat. He was doing the same at other points of his body so as to dry himself off from the earlier splash. This was extremely tough and required rock solid focus. Fortunately, Nyguyen was an experienced Jounin and doing so while maintaining casual conversation was just another intense workout for him.

Ashitaka was surprised by his sensei's ability to ask a question in the tone of a command. Granted, in the grand scheme of all the things that a shinobi could do, it seemed like such a small thing, but it was his first time encountering it, which made it seem phenomenal. Just like the tuft of hair growing from his chin that he kept stroking as he thought. He had never seen one of those before, either.

"Nyguyen sensei, I think that it'd be more accurate to say that as I am, I have no business being a leader. It would not be good for anyone's morale or self-esteem to have to take orders from a little kid like me, unless they happened to be littler kids. I have talent enough to be a Genin already, but if I try pushing things too far, I'm going to make a lot of people angry."

Ashitaka started to sink again as he stopped focusing on himself and his attention started to center on Nyguyen and the concerns of other villagers. The sensation of his socks getting soaked alerted him to this fact and he quickly returned to the introspective focus he needed to keep his chakra in good standing with the water.

Ashitaka's inability to obey his command was rather infuriating. He had explicitly commanded the genin not to give him a pansy excuse about not wanting to be a leader. Apparently this mission proved too burdensome for the child and he immediately failed it. Nyguyen's expression grew more stern and disapproving as Ashitaka continued speaking. He gave an impressive 'Harumph!' and retorted:

"What was the last sentence I said? If you cannot follow basic instructions, you are going to get yourself killed as a shinobi. Age isn't always the determining factor when deciding who is suitable for leadership. In the long and splendid history of the Fire Country, there have been squad leaders your age and younger. From this point forward, I don't want to hear any more defeatist talk. If there is no reason for you to be a leader now then when we will work on that together."

Nyguyen saw that the boy was sinking again and as serious as he came off, he was worried for the kid. He was clearly afraid of responsibility. It affected him to the point where he could barely sustain the Water Walking Technique. He had thus opted to end his chastisement on a rather positive note. They'd work on his shortcomings together and as a team they'd build a level of confidence inside of him. The next time Nyguyen asked him why he should be leader, he would be able to give a cogent response.

Ashitaka cocked his head to one side as his sensei began berating him for failing to follow directions, despite his clearly having done so. Well, he couldn't be wrong because he was in charge, so now he had to figure out how the older ninja was right.

"Sensei, your last sentence was "And don't give me any....'But Nyg-Sensei...I don't want to be a leader!' that answer is instantly incorrect!" So I didn't say 'But Nyg-Sensei...I don't want to be a leader'. Someday, I'd like to be a Jounin Commander, or even Hokage. I think, however, that it would be in everyone's best interest if I got some life experience first. I guess I can start with something small like leading this squad."

He took a deep breath and fully centered himself, and the water at his feet created a single ripple that smoothed out all of the others generated by his chakra up until this point, until he was surrounded by a small ring of absolute stillness. Ashitaka did this with his eyes open and focused on Nyguyen. As the Genin's perspective of the Jounin slid from "an authority to be obeyed" to "an obstacle to overcome", it became much easier for him to maintain his self-confidence. Authorities must be submitted to, even at the cost of oneself. But one measured one's own value by the caliber of the difficulties they had to face, and Nyguyen was certainly going to be difficult.

"I may be young, Sensei," Ashitaka spoke again, his voice as cool and even as the water they were standing on. "But I know that there are things that I must learn and do before I deserve the respect that I want. Beyond that, there are things that I want to learn and do before I embrace the burdens of leadership.

Ashitaka explained why he felt his response was correct. Nyguyen listened patiently as his student plead his case. He countered that it wasn't so much that Ashitaka didn't want to be a leader just that he didn't think he was ready for it. The Uchiha stared him down as he spoke. In that moment, Ashitaka's assessment of his sensei was correct. Nyguyen would indeed be an obstacle for him to overcome, but in doing so, he would become stronger and perhaps even thankful for the experience. Nyguyen replied:

"Never lead with your weaknesses and insecurities! I asked you why you SHOULD be leader of Team 10, not why you SHOULDN'T be leader of Team 10. Always start with your desires and then from there communicate a plan to seeing those desires realized. The first words out of your mouth should have been your dream to become Hokage or Jounin Commander of Konoha....being a squad leader is a necessary step to those ambitions. You should want to be leader of Team 10 so that you can gain the necessary experience to one day lead this village! While you may not have the experience for squad leader yet, most shinobi are not ready for the burden of leadership before it is placed upon them. Many don't have the knowledge but they rise to the challenge anyways. Slowly but surely you will get there Young Ashitaka"

Nyguyen Uchiha cast a long glance in the direction of his home. Dinner would be ready soon. Pork chops, yum. He turned back to his student and said:

"My secretary will give you the details on our first squad meeting. So far, I like what I see. You are rough around the edges but I will mold you into a capable shinobi and leader. We will be in touch!"

Nyguyen then zipped away and using Body Flicker, running down the side of the building and out of the Grand Konoha Training Facility. Nyguyen reflected on how best to train this child. He was green. Greener than most genin. Greener than even Nyguyen realized for the boy had not even seen facial hair before. It would take hard work to get him up to speed. Fortunately for him, Nyguyen Uchiha would not rest (nor allow Ashitaka to) until the young man had reached his goals.

[Exit]

Ashitaka blinked as Nyguyen suddenly disappeared shortly after giving his lecture. He was expecting some more extensive training, such as on jutsu or something, but it seemed that what his sensei wanted most from him were proactivity and confidence. Well then, that was exactly what he was going to get. After spending another hour or so straining to use his chakra to mold the water, and continuing to battle the latent fear of it he had to his fantastic inability to swim, the Genin proceeded to make his way down the building and start heading home for his own dinner of shark fin miso soup. He didn't know why, but there was just something he liked about the notion of eating the meat of predators.

As he headed home, his mind drifted from his sensei's strange behavior to the sword he'd been crafting. It would be finished soon. He was going to have to rise to the declaration of greatness it was sure to make of him. Which was ironic, because it was really only meant to be a deterrent to keep away foes who got too close for him to snipe at. Contrary to what he'd told his sensei in an effort to please him, Ashitaka didn't want to be a leader at all. Leaders were targets, as was illustrated by how the throne of Hokage had changed butts at least five times since he'd been taken in by the village.

No, Konoha needed something more than just another powerful figure to direct the actions of the masses with their strength and ambition. It needed a kind of authority that couldn't just casually be stolen on an annual basis like a flower being picked. If he was going to not just become Hokage, and stay Hokage for the benefit of all the shinobi and civilians that lived in the village, what he needed was a way to convince any potential competition that they were better served with him in power than themselves. Doing that, of course, would require extensive research into the subject everyone most loved to hate: politics.



[Exit.]