by Mission Name: Target Practice
Mission Type: Education
Mission Rank: D
Mission Goal: Teach the Academy Students how to hit a target.
Description: The Academy is looking to hire someone to instruct a fresh group of students how to throw Shuriken and Kunai to hit a target. The regular instructor is out on a mission and won't be back until tomorrow.
Payment: 10,000 Ryo
Requirements: Genin+
"Why do we have to listen to you?" one of the kids in the class he'd taken charge of demanded, his voice rising sharply above the general noise that all of them were making. "You're just a kid like us. What can you know that we don't?"
"Oh, you don't have to listen to me at all!" Ashitaka replied with a bright smile. "You can do whatever you want. You're free to play around all day every day your whole life until an enemy shinobi kills you and the undertaker has to carve 'Here lies so-and-so. Didn't learn nothin' from nobody!' on your tomb."
Dead silence.
"I'm glad you guys see things my way!" he continued as he began to pace the range. "Don't you think it's hard enough for us kids to get respect from the grown-ups without giving each other grief? They all think that we are noisy, dumb, and can't do anything right. Basically the opposite of everything ninja are supposed to be. We need to stop giving them reason to think that."
He drew a handful of kunai from their holsters.
"Two steps in that direction are 'Shut up' and 'Pay attention', especially to your senseis -which right now includes me. Especially me, because I know exactly what it feels like to be small, weak, and slow. And I can still pass the test you all have coming up blind-folded."
He had their full attention now, so he transferred two of the kunai from his right hand to his left hand and held the last one up by its tip between his thumb and two fingers so they could all see.
"First things first: grip! For a kunai, you need to hold it just hard enough to be able to control how it moves in your hand. This is going to take some practice, so I'm' going to have all of you start by writing your names in the dirt with the blades until you can do it without hurting yourselves. "
As it happened, nothing thrilled a bunch of kids like an opportunity to play in the dirt. They all hunkered down to practice as he taught. Ashitaka joined them to show that he wasn't just talking down to them, and also to improve his own abilities. It wasn't long before a handful of them had accidentally cut themselves and not long after that before a couple more dropped everything to go bandage them up. In spite of that, even the hurt ones continued trying and all of them succeeded within the hour.
"All right! Good job everyone! Now for part two: Aim!" he commanded as he picked a target, pointed at it with his left hand, then threw the kunai with his right using a snapping overhand form. It hit a perfect bullseye at 30 meters. He was greeted with awe and applause. "A shot like that, at a moving target, is going to be the minimum expected of any ninja with any hope of being taken seriously, let alone surviving. For both archery and pitching, you will need to use the hand you're not holding the weapon with to direct your shot. You're going to want to make a straight line from your shoulder, down your arm, and toward your target. Don't forget that kunai drop as they travel, so the farther away your target is, the more you'll want to raise your aim to hit it!"
It took a bit longer this time, but after a couple hours, most of the students were at least able to hit the targets, and some even hit bulls-eyes too. All of them at least got the blades travelling in the right direction.
"And break! Well done so far, gang! Grab yourselves some lunch while I explain part three." The class was tired, but there was no shortage of pride all around. And little surprise too, since all of them had shown marked improvement in their abilities, even those utterly lacking in talent. "Now, Air may not seem that big a deal, since it's invisible and mostly you can't even feel it. But it's actually the most important part of using any ranged weapon. Shuriken, kunai, and arrows are all shaped by how they're supposed to fly through the air. A light breeze that you barely notice can make you miss an otherwise perfect shot. Not only that, but how you breathe determines your focus and the tension in your body, which has a serious effect on your ability to do anything. So, during your post-lunch nap that I'm 'totally not letting you have because this is super serious and we need to be serious you guys', you should all focus on controlling your breathing. Three seconds in, two seconds out."
[Exit.]
