Intrusive Thoughts
Ichika's lips form into a thin line, the edges of her mouth ceaselessly fidgeting as she fights the urge to grin from ear to ear. This would be a challenge on most days. Her resting expression already trended towards some level of smile and it wasn't particularly tough for her to find a reason for it to grow. However, today was special because she was finally getting one-on-one time with her shyest teammate. Well, it was more just a joint training session that she was able to convince Masu to agree to. While Kamiko had been giving the both of them some instruction on improving their genjutsu, Ichika came up with the excuse that it would be good to practice resisting them together. It at least made a little sense to her.
It wasn't exactly the sort of girl time she wanted, but they had to start somewhere and Ichika was still plenty excited. If this went well, it would be easier to rope her teammate into less training-focused activities in the future. So, it was important that she didn't prompt one of the disappearing acts she'd grown all too used to because she smiled a little too much. She found it a little odd that Masu was more disturbed by the sight of her smiling than the nasty rumors surrounding the clan, but it was preferable to the latter.
As she arrives at the training ground, Ichika's head swivels in search of her teammate. A few dummies and targets are scattered about as well as some markings on the ground that show how well-used the area is, but there's no sign of her partner. Ichika briefly wonders if Masu might have changed her mind, but as she wanders into the center of the grounds, she notices a croaking sound and finally glances at some traces of chakra that stand out. Something appears to be hidden amongst the foliage at the edge of the lake that lies at the center of the grounds. Ichika's lips part to call out and confirm her suspicions before tightly sealing just as quickly. She didn't want to spook her, after all.
Masukuda crouches near the water, nearly motionless aside from the subtle rise and fall of her chest and the occasional blink. She a fair bit earlier than the time her teammate had suggested. The reason being the frog in the palm of her hands. Even if she'd agreed to it, the thought of spending her afternoon alone with such a scary girl was stressful and this was one of the few activities that could comfort her. Ichika's aggression had so far failed to lead to any action towards her, but she could lash out at any moment. She'd seen her nearly strangle Kita after he agreed to join her for lunch...she was definitely dangerous. If their sensei hadn't pushed her into agreeing, then there was little chance that Masukuda would be taking the risk now.
Her ears twitch at the sound of grass being trampled, causing the frog's stomach and eyes to bulge and as she lightly squeezes it. Peeking over her shoulder, she sees Ichika looking around while slowly making her way closer. Tucked beneath her arm appears to be a rolled up blanket while she holds a large wooden box. It was difficult for Masukuda to imagine what could be inside or what either of the items could have to do with their practice. Even more confusing was the strange face Ichika was making. She wasn't baring her teeth like usual but everything is sucked in and in a way that doesn't look comfortable. A the blonde girl starts get closer to her position, Masukuda deliberates on whether this was some sort of a trap or if she'd somehow been put under a genjutsu already. After deciding that Ichika wasn't subtle enough for that, she lets the frog hop off and reveals herself.
As the source of the croaking hops past her, Ichika's eyes follow it. When she looks back, Masu has materialized in front of her as if from thin air. She enthusiastically waves to the younger girl, though her tight expression remains and makes her excitement come off more as frustration.
"For a second I was worried that you wouldn't show up. I mean, I'm sure you'd have a good reason if you didn't and it wouldn't be a big deal or anything. I'm just super happy you did."
"What is that?"
Ichika follows Masu's gaze to the things she brought along. In place of her mouth widening, her eyes do as she begins to explain.
"Oh! I thought it would be nice to have a picnic. You don't have to eat, but I promise it totally good. Better than rations at least."
Masu remains silent as Ichika rolls out the blanket and slides two compartments full of rice, noodles, fish, and a myriad of vegetables sprinkled throughout from out of the container she was carrying. The last container is filled with brightly colored rice cakes that Ichika makes sure to show off as she arranges everything and takes a seat. She hums in satisfaction and takes in a mouthful, trying to prove her claim regarding the quality.
"Did you make this?"
"Yep. Well, I had a little help from Kita, but I still made it. You should really try some. Especially the mochi."
Masukuda continues to watch for some time before taking a seat across from Ichika and picking at the offered meal. The blonde's pace slows down to match Masu's. In part as an attempt to not make her feel rushed, but also to more closely observe her reaction. Of course, that's no easy feat with Masu wrapped up like a mummy. Ichika isn't sure that she'll eat at all until the bandages around her mouth loosen enough for to start wolfing down food once she judges that it's safe.
"So, how is it? I wasn't really sure what you liked, so I tired to go for something a lot of different flavors. Next time I'll make whatever you want! Er, I can try at least. I can make everything Ma and Granny can pretty well, though."
"...It's okay."
"That's great! I can make more whenever you want. As long I have the ingredients and somewhere to prepare them, I mean. If you really like it, I could start carrying everything I need to cook around."
"That's unnecessary."
"That's a relief. Even if everything was stuffed inside a scroll, it'd be a little awkward to get everything ready in the middle of a mission..."
"It would be."
No matter how much Ichika tries, nothing manages to coax more than a few words out of her companion. That doesn't stop her from trying to strike up a less one-sided conversation, but it never stops feeling more like she's talking to herself. She hadn't expected that they'd be braiding each other's hair by the end of the day, but she certainly hoped that they would be at least somewhat closer. It was clear now that her plans to befriend Masu would require some adjustment. Masukuda, who was completely oblivious to Ichika's efforts, devotes the majority of her attention to eating. Although the food seemed safe she couldn't be sure how long she would have to consume it. The blonde would surely lose her patience if he took too long and Masukuda had to be careful not to otherwise upset her by answering her questions wrong.
"I'm finished."
"Ah? Already? Then, I guess it's time to get serious. Not super serious, though. We're just practicing, so there's no reason to get too worked up. I don't think we'll have to worry about this-"
The whites of Ichika's eyes suddenly become tinted red as her iris turns completely black and her pupil is replaced with a horizontal slit. She gestures to her activated dojutsu though quickly clenches her eyes closed.
"Kind of genjutsu. But better safe than sorry, right? Besides, if you can protect yourself from this, then it should be no sweat to deal with anyone else in the exam. I might not exactly be as strong as Lady Kamiko, but there's a reason us Chinoike used to be a big deal!"
"I agree."
Ichika considers asking which part of what she said Masukuda agrees with, but she just shakes her head while letting out a contented sigh. The short responses were charming in a way, even if they weren't making things easier.
"Okay. Well, we both already know what genjutsu is. Like I said before, guarding your mind is important because there's lots of important stuff inside. So, I think we should practice building up mental barriers. We'll start with you resisting me okay? I won't tell you when, but I'll try to get into your head. Put all your focus into putting up a barrier."
"Okay."
She exhales and opens her eyes. The two of them stare at each other for a while. As Masukuda prepared herself for Ichika's attack on her mind, Ichika prepares herself actually to make said attack. Instigating a genjutsu was as easy as sending some chakra out from her eyes, but what came after that bothered her. Delving into someone's mind and manipulating them already seemed a little gross. Not so much that she wouldn't do it — she wasn't like that puppet-fearing jerk — but it did seem a little mean. Especially doing that to her teammate. Though, she didn't have to do anything unpleasant...
As time passes, Masukuda begins to wonder if she's already failed, but the lack of punishment puts the idea to rest. Given the nature of the exercise, there wasn't much that she could do besides wait. It might have been made worse by the need to maintain her focus in anticipation of an Ichika making a move. She was already more than familiar with staying on edge for extended periods of time, though.
Croak
A frog makes its way into the edge of her vision, its small body distending as its throat fills with air to let out more calls. Masukuda does her best to ignore the croaks While Ichika not-so-stealthily sneaks glances in the frog's direction. It continues to approach and makes its way to the middle of the pair before stopping. Ichika makes a rather poor attempt at coaxing the frog closer to her with a piece of candy since she wasn't in the habit of carrying bugs in her pockets. It ignores her and instead leaps straight into Masukuda's lap. It seems to stare at her for a moment and Masukuda glances back as it continues to croak.
"Guess he likes you, huh?"
"I don't know."
"Well, do you like him? Er, you probably don't know that little guy, so I guess I should ask do you like frogs?"
"I...think so."
Ichika's fidgeting becomes more prominent and she uses the piece of candy to keep her mouth busy. Masukuda isn't sure what to make of the reaction aside from the vague feeling that it probably wasn't anything good. However, the increasingly loud croaking coming from the frog in her lap makes giving it much thought a challenge. In fact, its presence was beginning to make it difficult for her to concentrate. She picks up the fog and sets it down at her side, hoping it'll scurry off after being disturbed. When the sense of weight returns to her lap shortly after she starts to consider a more permanent means of dealing with it.
Before she can do anything, the frog rapidly splits into two, four, eight, and so on until Masukuda finds herself being buried under dozens of the amphibians. She struggles to push her way out and attempts to draw her sword to retaliate before she's completely enveloped, but no matter how much she slashes away at the horde, they continue to split off until she quickly finds herself falling forward and pinned under the weight of her attackers. Soon enough she'd be completely buried if she didn't figure something out soon. With her sword trapped beneath the pile, she brings her hands together to prepare for a jutsu and goes down a mental list of her options.
Getting rid of the frogs had proven more difficult than simply cutting them into ribbons and producing jutsu strong enough to do so was beyond her abilities. Fortunately, all she had to do was deal with their source — this was a genjutsu exercise and the disapproving frown on Ichika's face told her all she needed to know. Failing to resist it had surely already earned her strikes and she wouldn't allow another. Her hands rush to form the correct string of seals for Star's Reverie.
"Guh!"
A bright flash of light suddenly bursts forth. Although Masukuda feels no less crushed, the sound of Ichika flinching signals her success. Without skipping a beat, she starts forming another set of hand seals. With the blonde's focus disrupted, reversing her illusion would hopefully be easier. A new weight seems to settle in her mind and Masukuda worries that her attempt has failed, only for it and the weight keeping her pinned to fade away. She instinctively takes a deep breath and a sense of relief fills her, though with apprehension. It had felt a little too easy.
Ichika wheezes slightly as she's knocked back and trapped under a pile of frogs, but easily releases herself once her vision returns. She rubs her eyes to deal with the lingering pain of Masu's jutsu as well as to wipe away the tears that had welled up throughout the ordeal. She hadn't expected...that. Nothing like that. She was that everyone had some unpleasant memories, but Masu was younger than her and had so many. Feelings of frustration and shame that had settled in were making her feel sick to her stomach.
But she didn't have time to process that at the moment. Masu stands a few feet away with her sword in hand, eyeing Ichika suspiciously as she tries to discern whether what she's seeing is real or another illusion. Sensing her doubt, Ichika makes a show of her eyes returning to their normal form.
"W-Wow. You did great! Uh, this is real by the way."
"Good."
"So...how do you feel? Was that too much? We can stop and take a break or practice something else if you want."
"I'm fine. We should continue. I'll do better."
Her expression falters for a moment as the pit in her stomach grows, but she shakes her head and stands up. She looks at Masu hesitantly, feeling the need to do something — anything. Ichika comes closer to Masu and, without thinking, goes to wrap her arms around her. However, when she makes contact, Ichika finds herself a very real and slimy feeling frog while Masu stands further away. She puts it down and awkwardly scratches her head while silently scrambling for words.
"Sorry. I should've asked. I just— I want you to know I'm on your side. You can ask for anything or just talk if you need to."
"Okay. I'll remember that."
"That's great. Anyway, I guess we should switch things up. It's not like an enemy would just be waiting around in a real situation, right?"
"It is unlikely. They would attack."
"Right. So we should fight a little this time. Don't go easy on me, okay?"
"I won't."
Ichika nods and distances herself before drawing a kunai. However, even as they both form the Seal of Confrontation and Masu wastes no time in making good on her promise, Ichika struggles to stay focused on their spar. She already felt that she'd done something she shouldn't, and now she'd need to do it again. It made her uncomfortable, to say the least. Still, if it would help her friend, then anything was worth doing even if it felt a little wrong.