ooc: before i begin, firstly thanks to whoever is reading this! ^^ secondly, in order to get some of the jokes or comments in the thread, you need to be familiar with the history of bishamonten. bishamonten is a japanese deity who is one of the "seven lucky gods", as well as being the protector of warriors and a vindicator of evil. therefore, bishamon can be seen as a god of war (like mars/ares is to roman/greek mythology). this history behind the name is why jun's summon, the monkey, was named bishamon since he has such a responsibility. (:

training approval link.

ic:

The sunrise was scintillating, hinting that today would be a promising and fortunate day for the genin. Antithesis to his mother's pleading, he left right as sunrise came, not one to waste time. She begged for him to at least consider staying for another hour, enjoying a toasted bowl of rice and a warm cup of green tea. However, Junichi dismissed the idea and promised he'd be back whenever he was done finding a creature to make a contract with. She understood, recalling how she spent a week making a contract with her hawk and relented, bidding him goodbye and to have a good journey. And thus, this is how Junichi arrived where he currently stood. Backpack strapped to his back filled with supplies and a change of clothes for a few days. Clutched in his hand was a book titled The Art of Summoning, something he decided to purchase in order to mentally prepare himself for the task that he was going to do. Creatures were never found in a hidden village but they could be find on the outskirts of the village and all throughout the country. Different creatures were located in different areas, it seemed, but Junichi had his eyes set for one creature - a monkey.

The monkeys in Hi no Kuni were revered for being assistants to the ninja monks at their temple, being as wise as their masters were. He grew up seeing a few in his household as many of his family members took the path of monk hood and while they may not have contracted a monkey to be their summon, they did seek advice and training from them. He was interested in not only something that was wise and intelligent, but strong enough to help him in combat. He'd be a perjurer should he admit that he wasn't nervous - he was as nervous as he could be. Not only was he unsure if said creature would allow him to make a pact, but there was also the fear that they would sense the Rokubi's chakra inside of him and refuse to be associated with him. Junichi knew very little about the Rokubi, something that he resented. That being said, he didn't know if many creatures were still alive who knew anything about bijuu or had ever met the Rokubi before; but he didn't want to take the chance of that happening either. Letting a soft sigh escape his thinly pressed lips, he realized he had wasted far too much time standing, and walked forward.

His navigation skills convalescent, Junichi was at ease walking through the thick forest, not bothering with being a map or a compass. Using his keen sense and overall common sense, he was able to maneuver himself through the land. The forest was relatively tall and while he walked on the ground floor, he was pleased with how cool it was. The thick brush of leaves provided ample shade for him on the forest floor, forcing him to have to peer intently into the distance as his vision was slightly obscured by the thick night shade. He trotted lightly, not wanting to disturb the fauna or wildlife that called the forest their home. "This silence is suffocating.." mused the youth, adjusting his glasses and glancing about, blue orbs scanning the area intensely with a pin-point accuracy. Only the sound of birds fluttering could be heard in the distance which was a relief. He was about to take another movement forward when he saw something in his peripheral vision -

"Shit!" he cursed inwardly, jumping a few meters to his left, skidding slightly on the cold forest ground. Falling to the right of him was a large apple, which had splattered rather grotesquely. He frowned at the sight of it before listening intently, attempting to gather just where it came from. However, his thinking process was rudely interrupted, for the cackling of a creature echoed through the destitute copse. Swooping down in front of him was a small monkey, dressed in a karate-esque gi with an aquamarine scarf tied loosely around his neck.

"Bahahaha! You almost got hit too! You must be lucky to miss Bishamon's Lucky Strike!" exclaimed the monkey, his long tail quivering behind him. Returning back to his casual position, he blinked a few times, and then spoke. "Is that what your name is? Bishamon?" he asked curiously, slipping a hand casually into his pocket. The monkey nodded rapidly, performing an awe-inducing backflip. "Bishamonten according to my okaa-san, but everyone just calls me Bishamon or Bisha. And you are? I've never seen such a tiny Genin, hehehe." said Bishamon, sticking his pink tongue out at Junichi childishly before cackling again.

"Suzuki Junichi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bishamon-san." he said, amiably bowing his head towards the monkey. He was raised in a pacifist monk household; it was of utmost respect to treat other living beings with the utmost respect, especially monkeys who had served many shinobi before him and were committed to protecting their homeland of the forest and in retrospect, Hi no Kuni and Konohagakure no Sato. Bishamon seemed to be pleased by that as he grinned, rubbing his tan fur on the back of his neck.

"You should have attacked me back, you know. That apple could have knocked you out cold if it had hit. I made sure to use chakra to make it go faster!" exclaimed the monkey, lowering his deep brown eyes.

"I guess... but I prefer to dodge before attacking. Besides, I was raised to treat every living being with respect and rarely will I attack someone, even if they did hit me first." replied Junichi with a casual shrug. That seemed to anger Bishamon, who spat rather heinously on the ground before them.

"Baka! You're a fool, you dumb Genin brat!" he roared, causing Jun to flinch at how loud his voice was.

ooc: 100th post !!

ic:

He quickly raised an eyebrow at being called a brat. Bishamon was probably the exact same age as him in human years, as he was a very small and childish monkey. He frowned but didn't comment on it, knowing the monkey would continue on his tangent. "Shinobi are never supposed to back down from a fight! You're supposed to protect yourself, not let people get away with things! What kind of shinobi are you anyway, bakaichi?! That's probably a fake hitai-ate! Baka, baka, baka!" screamed Bishamonten and Junichi rolled his eyes, shaking his head solemnly and rubbing the back of his neck. This was a total pain in the butt - out of all the monkeys he'd meet in a forest, he'd meet the one that was hyperactive and obnoxious. The monkey glared at him, curling its fingers into a fist, his face twisted into a menacing form that barred his teeth.

"If you say so." said Junichi coolly, not falling prey to his comments or arguments. His rationality and frigid response seemed to frustrate the monkey more so and at this point, Junichi worried that the monkey would actually dare to strike him. But it seemed that once the two locked eye contact, Bishamon relented and huffed, folding his arms across his chest. He had been defeated, but the argument would persist... he knew it. Changing the topic, Bishamon spoke. "What are you doing here anyway, baka?" Rolling his eyes at the insult once more, he finally recalled as to why he was here in the first place; a summon. Being distracted by Bishamon, he had forgotten all about his task of getting a summoning contract with a monkey in the first place.

"Mm, oh yeah. I wanted a summoning contract, a monkey preferably." said Junichi, beginning to walk again. Bishamon seemed amazed by that, following behind him as he walked, walking on two feet but swinging his tail behind him. For once, the monkey was silent, seemingly midst in thought. Finally, he jumped in front of the youth, causing Junichi to come to an abrupt halt, careful not to tip over as he stopped suddenly.

Bishamon clasped his hands together loudly and bowed his head forward. "Please make a contract with me, Junichi-kun!!" he exclaimed loudly, pleading loudly. The Genin frowned at how obnoxiously loud the monkey was and said nothing, unsure of as what to do. Why did Bishamon seemingly have a change of heart? At first, he criticized him for being weak and not a true Genin, but now he wanted to be his.. summon? It didn't make much sense to him. He was silent as he attempted to analyze the situation, unsure of what path to choose. Either he could make a contract with Bishamon and have a partner, but would he be reliable? He was loud and obnoxious - nothing like him. Still, he managed to aim the apple pretty closely towards him and without enough training, his potential would be high..

"Why?" was all Junichi could muster out. He had a surfeit of other questions to ask, but he wasn't sure how to word them either. So for now, the one word question would suffice. Bishamon answered rather quickly, his tone returning to normal as he spoke. "I'm the last one in my family who hasn't found a master... so I have to make my family proud by making a contract. Besides, with me around, I'll make sure no one walks over you! I'll teach you how to be tough and everything. I'm not guaranteeing that I'll always listen to you, but if you earn my trust, I'll be with you for eternity." said Bishamon, nodding his head. He was honest, at least, which was something Jun could appreciate. Not to mention, Junichi could relate to the fact that Bishamon wanted to make his family proud and show what he was capable of. It reminded him too of his goal he had prior to a week ago, to show everyone how talented he was and to please his grandfather and the rest of his family.

It seemed Junichi was taking too loud for his answer, because Bishamon began talking again. "My name is Bishamonten for a reason, yanno. Vindicator of Evil and God of all Warriors. I'll be able to live up to that name too, promise!" he exclaimed with a sheer amount of bravado and confidence, bouncing up and down on his tail. A pregnant pause ensued before Junichi finally gave his answer. "Sure, alright then." he said, offering a small smile and extended his hand out to Bishamon, who shook it happily. Opening his backpack and taking out a sumi-e ink and brush set along with a scroll, he ushered Bishamon out the area so that he could begin the necessary requirements to fulfill a contract. The scroll was filled with an array of complex kanji and words, signaling where each participant should sign their name in both ink and blood. The two of them signed in ink (rather, Bishamon dipped his tail in the ink bottle and signed with his tail) in the designated area. Biting his thumb rather roughly, he winced as a small speck of blood began to bubble out of the cut. Both the shinobi and the summon placed their fingerprint in the area in blood and with a plume of smoke, the scroll disappeared - the summoning contract had been completed.

Bishamon grinned from ear to ear and without warning, tugged Junichi by his hand towards a tree. He was going to first teach him how to hang upside down from branches and swing on tree limbs like a monkey, it seemed. What exactly had Junichi got himself into?

[exit]