Author's Notes: Sex is also talked about in this chapter.

11.

All POV

"I will be teaching you how to bind an enemy first and foremost," said Anko in the training field. "But that's not the important thing."

"It isn't?" said Hinata in confusion.

"No. Any ninja worth their salt can break out of any knot and any bind. That is what I will be teaching you.

"I will also be teaching you lessons in how to sketch routes, landmarks, and faces, in case you need to give evidence or directions to a comrade."

So they practiced their drawing skills - Ino already had a leg up, and got to boss the others around to her heart's content - and they practiced tying up each other and breaking out of those binds. Anko expected nothing less than perfection from both the drawings and the binds, so meeting up to her standards was hard.

But they were used to this, and slowly, they succeeded.

"So," said Anko, "now we get to the big one. How to sexually seduce a guy.

"Okay, I'm going to take you through this step by step - from foreplay all the way to what happens in the bedroom. It's a slow process. Sexually seducing a man can take all night. It starts with looking good, dressing in a beautiful kimono with makeup and your hair done well and your neck painted, etc. But it doesn't end there - looking good is only one part of the scheme.

"We start with games.

"Games are important," she said, when the girls looked confused. "Games are an excellent starter, a nice background to conversation, and a way to be playful and have fun. How you play the game depends on the character of the guy you're seducing. You should always find that kind of thing out beforehand. Sort of like how you research his culture? Well, you also research his personality.

"For example, say you want to seduce a guy who sees women as weak and needs his ego stroked. I know your gut instinct is probably to beat that asshole into next Tuesday, but that's not going to get you what you need from him. So the best strategy there is to pretend to be bad at the game and lose, asking him for advice and tips and making it look like you need to rely on him.

"But other guys can be really turned on by an intelligent girl. They like a challenge. They like someone who can stand up to them. That's why I say how you play the games depends on what kind of man you're seducing. But the end game is always to act playful, mischievous, and fun-loving.

"So I'm going to teach you games, both traditional and flirtatious. I'm going to show you how to act during the games first, and then you mirror that back to me when it's your turn. Get it?"

And so she took them through lessons in how to play various games, including chess, cards, shogi, and go. She took them through word games and games of truth or dare. To get good at them was the first step. Then to make them flirtatious was the next step. To lace truth or dare with innuendo or sexual truths (made-up or real) was one way, to turn the game into a "strip" game was another way.

And then there was how they played the games themselves. Whether they were good or bad, how they laughed and had fun and did the coy, shy mischief game. Anko didn't recommend teasing - "It could deflate their ego. It's not safe."

But she did teach them in the process about how to carry on a conversation and how to flirt. "A true seductress can carry on a conversation with even the most taciturn man," Anko said. "By asking him questions about himself, and by making statements that lead into questions. The whole point is to keep the exchange going. Then to hint at your own sexuality or compliment the man on his subtly is the next step. It's a fine art."

This art, they acquired through practice.

Hinata struggled most with expressing her sensuality and carrying on conversation. "If it helps, take that smooth, dignified elegance and make it work for you," said Anko. "You don't have to be very overt. Just hint at things, give slight, shy smiles, be soft spoken and sweet. Pay lots of compliments. Take your sweet shyness and make it work for you, and do not lose that native elegance."

Ino, on the other hand, was great with being extroverted, bubbly, playful, and seductive. She took to it like a duck to water. It was like she had found her home. She was great at bringing people out of their shells and getting around any armor and just having fun.

Sakura was excellent at games - naturally intellectual, she immediately excelled at games and puzzles. Her problem was that she was often too serious. Anko was at a loss with this at first, but finally she said, "You don't have to be all big smiles and high voices. You could be one of the small, hidden smiles and the low, sensual voice. The hidden playfulness. Remember how I said men love mystery? Be mysterious and sensual, mesmerizing."

Sakura also struggled somewhat with this at first, mainly because she lacked the kind of overt self confidence Ino had. But when she took Anko-sensei's previous advice and pretended she was a beautiful, sensuous, mysterious lady, naturally, she became one. And through this, she learned to lighten up a little and have a bit of fun.

These personas even began to bleed into their other arts, like dancing and tea ceremony.

"It helps," said Anko, "that these acts are not entirely a lie. They're not untrue to your regular personalities. Rather, in Zen style, they are a persona created by your real personality. So you are being yourself, even when you're not. You are being something you create, and that is a part of you. You are not necessarily losing yourself in any act, you are just changing your real self slightly to suit the current times."

"Our next lesson," said Anko, "is in how to drink without getting drunk. Alcohol is the ultimate social lubricant, the great secret in making male ninja do stupid things like have sex and blurt out secrets to hot women they don't know. You can keep filling their glass and distract them with games and conversation and have them drinking all night and get them drunk. But how do you drink all night without getting drunk, and thus keep your head?

"Here are some tips:

"Drink the milder drinks - don't just take shot after shot of the harder stuff. It's hard to get drunk on a night of beer or wine, for example, if you only have, say, one glass per hour. But shots are small yet have the power of a whole beer or glass of wine, and if you just keep taking them, you're going to get completely shit-faced. Also, avoid mixed drinks - there could be like five beers or glasses of wine in one mixed drink. You just don't fucking know.

"Also, eat and drink glasses of water while you're drinking alcohol. Don't make it very obvious. Don't eat a goddamn five-course meal in front of the guy. Make it subtle, a sip of water here and there, another handful of snacks from the bowl.

"Also, draw your glass of alcohol out for as long as possible. Sip at it as slowly as it is humanly possible to sip. If you don't have to keep him in the room for very long, you could even just pretend to drink - you might not even have to drink at all. But do definitely keep refilling his drink.

"Avoid pairing sugary drinks with your alcohol, or sugar in general with your alcohol. A spike in blood sugar levels combined with alcohol is not a good thing if you want to stay sober.

"Drink a cup of orange juice right before going to bed, which will help you avoid a hangover the next morning.

"I'm also going to add in this lesson, since it doesn't go anywhere in particular. Say you need to wear kimono, but you also need to slit a guy's throat while he's asleep. Where do you hide your weapons?

"Either in the pocket sleeve of your kimono, under the obi of your kimono, or in your hair bun is probably the best bet. Any way you do it, you'll have the weapon with you at all times. Make sure it's small and unobtrusive and looks decorative in nature.

"And then after his throat is slit, make a stealthy getaway. You will learn more about stealth later on in our lessons together - I'm not just going to just leave you hanging in that department."

"Next I'm going to teach you about massage. You're going to practice by giving massages to each other. If you're being massaged: let the masseuse know when anything is not pleasurable. If you're the masseuse: follow my damn instructions. Ya got that?"

"Yes, Anko-sensei!"

"Okay, so I'm going to focus on shoulder, back, and neck massage. This is one of the most relaxing types of massages, and it's also great because you can ask the guy to take his shirt off which means he's already half-naked and some of your work is done for you. Woohoo.

"Some tips for a good massage:

"Learn how much pressure to apply. In general, you should be firm enough that you feel and see the muscle move, yet not firm enough for it to be uncomfortable or painful. Learning this is going to take some trial and error.

"Don't go fast and irritate the man's skin (and yours). Focus on slow, even strokes.

"Never press on bones or joints. You'd think this would be a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised.

"There are special tools you can use to add emphasis to your massage. I've laid a few of them out here for you. Basically, you take these tools and you use them to roll over the muscles in the person's shoulders and back. Buy some of your own eventually if you'd like.

"There are also warm oils you can use to rub onto the person's back, neck, and shoulders. When possible, you should always use some of the person's favorite scents.

"Put a lot of focus on the shoulders. We carry so much tension in our shoulders - especially as ninja, which is a stressful job. The more stressful the ninja's job is, the more you focus on the shoulders. You shoulder massage by grabbing both shoulders from behind and using the thumbs to push down, slowly and gently, on the muscles. Make sure they move underneath your fingers.

"For the back, put your hands on their hips. Those two thick, stiff columns your thumbs land on are the muscles responsible for keeping you upright. They're made to be tight or else you'd fall over, but rubbing them can relax a painful lower back.

"Now this is when the fun part happens. Next you straddle him. If you really want to go all-sex, you can be naked or in nothing but a towel while you do this. While straddling him, position one hand on his lower back muscle, with fingers pointing away from his spine. Place your other hand on top of the first hand. Use your body weight to push down slowly, pressing the heels of your hands into the muscle like you're pushing it away from his spine. Try one hand on either side of the spine; rock back and forth. If he has trouble lying on his stomach, place a pillow under his hips to ease the pressure.

"And then comes the neck. While he's on his stomach or sitting up, gently place your palm on the back of his neck, creating light pressure with your thumb on one side and four fingers on the other. Slowly pull your hand toward the back of the neck while squeezing your thumb and fingers together around those neck muscles. (Avoid pressure toward the front of the neck so you don't choke him.)

"Now, you're going to watch me and do what I do. The best way to learn massage is by watching and doing. And we will take turns giving each other massages.

"Nudity not included. Sorry if you're into that."

Anko grinned as the girls blushed and glared.

"And now we get to the strip tease," said Anko. "First, it should all be atmospheric - lights dimmed, for example, candles, soft sheets. If you have time to decorate the room you'll be having sex in, do it before the night of. That way the ambience can be right from the massage and all the way through into the sex.

"As you strip, make it slow, playful, and painful. String it out. Make him want you. That's really one of the best pieces of advice I can give.

"Now, as to the rest: you're going to practice this. Yes I am serious. I'm not going to tell you to practice sex, but I am going to tell you to practice stripping. And there will be absolutely no immaturity while you're doing this, and your teammates are going to tell you honestly and politely how well they think you did. Are we clear?"

There was a surprised silence.

"Very good. Among the skills you are going to learn: the strut, the gliding of your fingers (not your palms) across your skin, the occasional well-timed eye contact, the arched back, and the actual techniques involved in taking off your clothes in a slow and seductive way.

"So. Let's begin."

"I don't know how she did it, but she made that sound really threatening," Ino muttered to a surprised and uncertain Sakura and Hinata.

"The first tip I am going to tell you when it comes to sex is to just ask him. Ask him how he likes it, what he likes, what he fantasizes about. One thing I cannot over-emphasize is be open to kink. Don't feel like you have to be embarrassed about something, though being a little shy can really play up the whole seductive factor. If he likes it, he likes it. It's that simple. At least pretend you like it, too. If he wants it rough, yank his hair and bruise him. If he wants it gentle, be slow and sweet.

"Obviously, this only applies to infiltration missions. In your personal life, never do anything you're not comfortable with.

"The biggest piece of advice I can give you besides that is to be interactive. Don't just lay there. Play with little parts of him, stroke, kiss, and fondle different parts of him - hickies can be good. Be interactive, is the general tone to my next advice.

"And I'm going to teach you about certain techniques, including how to give a blow job and a hand job - well. Anyone can do one, but the thing is to do one well.

"I will also be giving you a book full of various positions you can try.

"The thing about this part of lessons is that there's only so much I can teach you by having you read or by talking. Some of this will only come through experience, and I can't force you into that, nor do I want to.

"So aside from the big lessons, pieces of advice, and techniques, I'm not sure if I have much to offer you in this section."

"There are a few essential things you need to know about killing out in the field, and that's the point of this last lesson.

"So let's talk about murder.

"Eventually, out in the field, you will have to kill someone. It's going to happen. Ninja kill people.

"The one iron rule I want you to remember is: Did you have to do it? If it was a part of your mission, if they were doing bad things, if they were trying to hurt people important to you, then yes you absolutely had to do it.

"And it's an awful thing, but that's the truth. If you had to do it, if you were ordered to do something or trying to protect someone important to you, you do not need to feel guilty or suicidal because of what you did. But if you do feel that way, seek help immediately, even if it's just from a friend.

"Also remember that feeling bad about killing someone proves you're not some robotic, emotionless monster. Feelings of remorse are not always a bad thing. That's what Konoha teaches. We have a philosophy called The Will of Fire. This means we protect our village and everyone within our village, and we should only kill someone with that end goal. All human life is precious. Don't kill unless you have to, but if you have to, know that remorse makes you human and that sometimes killing someone is necessary.

"Another thing to remember when it comes to killing: the remorse shouldn't set in immediately. The horrible feelings and memories are usually delayed till after the adrenaline has died down. Then they kick up. So be prepared for that. You're going to feel a high of adrenaline, and then crash and feel like shit about yourself. It happens.

"One last thing I feel I need to talk about: there is a psychological toll that playacting can take. Unfortunately, playacting is an essential part of being a ninja and especially a kunoichi. You must mask your emotion out in the field, and mask your true reactions when infiltrating. And this will be very difficult.

"The best piece of advice I can offer you is: wait until you're in a private place, and then find some way to vent or admit your true feelings. Even if it just means you're talking or crying to yourself. And after hard missions, take lots of relaxing me time. Journal about your feelings, do something that makes you feel good, relax and take a breather. That kind of thing. Do not just pitch yourself immediately back into training. This also applies when you have lost someone - relax and have some down time first.

"Use the relaxation techniques you have come up with, and let them help you keep sane."

There was a solemn tone to the room by the end. Anko hoped she was heading off anything too horrible coming up in the future.

"You will only be sent out on infiltration missions as older shinobi, 16 at the youngest," said Anko. "But you are now prepared." And here, she gave a small smile. "Well done."

It was the first big compliment she had ever paid them.