Starring:
Date: Feburary 10th, 2010
Summary:
Yuzuna meets one of the smarter members of the Uchiha clan.
"Getting Into Shape"
Training Area #26 - Chuunin Training
The shadows steadily grow as the day fades into night, the subtle noises of the forest quietly fading as well, leaving in their place other murmurs of life. Crickets calling quietly out to one another, hunters like foxes quickly scurrying as they search for food, or the panting of quick breathing barely whispering on the night air. Yuzuna flexes her fingers around the kunais she holds in her hand, muscles tense as she holds her stance, narrowing her pale lavender eyes accented with the sharp contrast of bulging veins along her temples. She hardens her focus as the set of five separate bulls eyes arranged at different heights on separate trees, her chest rising and falling with deep breathing. Setting her jaw, she throws a kunai to her left, slamming the blade into the trunk of a tree where a numerous others are clustered together. The tree rattles hard, branches quivering as green leaves are shaken free and fall through the air, drifting downwards. Holding up the kunais in her hand, Yuzuna throws them each in turn, each piercing through a leaf before slamming into the center of each bulls eye.
Having finally come back home from his mission from Suna, Hinotori decided to relax by walking through the village. With night finally have come, it made things a lot easier to think things out. Not having any major destination, he just wanders. Hearing the sound of the crickets as they communicate and play their night songs, Hinotori smiles more to himself then to anything else. Making a few turns here and there, he finds himself at the training grounds for Chuunin. Looking up finally, he hears the thunk of something piercing the trunk of a tree or bullseyes. Making his way further into the training grounds he notices a figure who finishes her throws. With the light left to illuminate the area, he moves closer to see what she was doing more closely, "Nice." he says to the woman as he stands behind a post in the ground where spectators could watch.
Yuzuna sees the person approaching before they do step into the clearing from the surrounding trees, her pale lavender eyes narrowing slightly with attention, evaluating her throws for a brief moment or so. With a slow exhaled breath, she pulls herself from her stance, flexing her fingers slightly and rolling her shoulder before she barely turns her head. Her long, dark hair drifts lightly with the wind at she glances to Hinotori with a sideways glance, the veins bulging intensely for a moment longer before they fade away into smooth, pale skin. The young Hyuuga woman watches him quietly for a passive moment before she turns, walking to the tree that was at her left to pull her weapons from the bark of the tree.
Watching the Hyuuga woman as she regards him, he doesn't move nor react to her turning away from him and retrieving her kunai. Feeling the wind blow through the area, he closes his eyes letting the cool air waft over him. Hinotori stretches out a bit, he then goes back to leaning against the post. "Nice night." he states loud enough for her to hear him. Feeling a bit of sand along his sleeves, he sighs and dusts himself off with as sand falls off him. Once comfortable, he leans back against the post. "What's your name?" he asks. "I'm Uchiha Hinotori." he introduces himself. Feeling it was a civil thing to do.
The blades slips out of the indent of the trees as she slips them into the pouch at her side one by one, her pale eyes narrowing slightly in thought as she glances up at the other sets of kunai that are embedded into the targets. Silent, Yuzuna lifts her right hand, molding chakra at her fingertips before flicking a hand. The chakra spins itself thinly, lashing out towards the first kunai to wrap around the handle and yanked out with the length of the distance. Pulling it back towards her, the blade lands in the soft earth at her feet at a slight angle, already using the chakra string to retrieve the others. "Hyuuga Yuzuna, heir of the main branch and sole successor of Hyuuga Hikaru." she murmurs, though her words are purposeful without a hint of boastful pride. Flicking the last blade towards her, she catches it in her hand and briefly glances over her shoulder, lifting a dark brow as she glances over him a bit more thoroughly.
Quirking a brow as Yuzuna uses her chakra to retrieve her weapons, 'Interesting.' he thinks to himself as he watches her. "A pleasure to meet one of the main branch Hyuugas." he states to her. "Your skills with chakra are impressive." he smiles to her. Still leaning against the post he was on, he rubs the back of his neck. "I see you enjoy training with no one really around." he states. "So how long have you been out here tonight?" he asks.
Yuzuna releases a slow breath as she closes her pale eyes, rolling her neck as she slips the kunai into the pouch at her side. "A few hours." she murmurs as she turns to face him a bit further, closing the distance between them as she approaches. "My stay at the hospital has been inconvenient, but unavoidable. Warming up is needed before my usual training schedule is set into place once more." The young Hyuuga woman closes the distance, coming unusually close as her pale lavender eyes watch his, her fingertips brushing under his chin to lift it just slightly, watching his dark eyes as she calmly evaluates him. "Hm. You seem a bit more observant than usual…" Yuzuna murmurs softer to herself.
Observing Yuzuna as she comes closer to him, it seems to him that she wasn't worried about him being a threat to him or anything. Though as she put her hand to his chin to lift his head a little he gazes deeper into her pale lavender eyes, "I have to say you do have some pretty eyes." he smiles to her. "As for being observant, it's one of the few things I take pride in." he tells her. He does move to stand fully up but not moving far enough to have her hand leave his chin. Standing there he knew that Hyuuga had the ability to incapacitate an enemy with a Juuken strike. He didn't let that escape him as he watches her, "What happened to you for you to be in the hospital?" he asks a bit of concern etching in his voice. He reaches forward, slowly to move a few locks of hair from her face if permitted.
"No different than any other of my clan." Yuzuna answers easily, though she quirks a dark brow briefly as she pulls her fingers from beneath his chin a moment later, "It means that you use your brain instead of rushing needlessly into situations, from what I have seen from other Uchihas." She was about to pull away when his hand reaches up, brushing a few ebony locks from the side of her pale cheek. The Hyuuga woman blinks, her stoic expression taking something of surprise to them for a brief moment. At his question, she lifts a brow. "Hm. I suppose I should not be surprised." Yuzuna murmurs. "Uchiha Satoru lead me in a information retrieval mission, though he felt it was necessary to create a distraction that included the slaying of Kirigakure soldiers while I attempted to gather intel. The result could have gone better, as we gained the attention of one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and he pursued us during our escape. Though others attempted to intersect us, we were no match so we were captured and held as prisoners.
A blush escapes him, but harder to see due to the night. "Well I try to make sure I to think things through before acting." he states. Watching her as she lowers her hand and looking startled as he moves the ebony locks from her face. "Even though your eyes are like the others, there is a slight difference in yours." he smiles to her. "As for other members of my clan, it seems that some try to prove themselves and show others they can't be pushed around." Sighing a bit, Hinotori has seen that way to much recently. When he was told by her of her mission he winces slightly, "Well the fact that you all made it back is a blessing in of itself." he says to her. "How long were you in the hospital?" he asks.
She seems to have dismissed the compliment for the moment as Yuzuna steps back and turns smoothly, reaching to her side to slip her slender hand into her weapon pouch, "Clans behave differently from one another, though it is a shame that they are held to certain stereotypes that is otherwise untrue for other clan members. Still. Its an aspect that is encouraging to see." With a kunai looped through a finger, she flips it a few times as she focuses on one of the bullseyes again, pale eyes blinking slowly in thought. "Pride and power are not negative traits, though knowing when to demonstrate them is another." Throwing the blade, it hits the mark several yards away. "A few days…" Yuzuna murmurs slower. "Though the mission was a failure and the team and myself were captured as a result. In any other instance… I know it could have been worse. Killed while my eyes are to be taken for their secrets."
After throwing a second kunai, her expression seems to darken just slightly, though Yuzuna seems to hold her stoic expression as she focuses her gaze, "Our survival I am grateful for, though the outcome has created more strain and distrust between Kirigakure and Kohohagakure, as well as injuries to the team. Personally… I have brought disgrace to my clan, having failed a mission and captured in the process." She releases a slow breath, pondering the kunai in her hand for a moment before slipping it back into her pouch once more. "That I am grateful for, though I loath the thought…"
Hearing her words, Hinotori's eyes narrow just slightly. He walks over and in front of her, noticing that her kunai is back in her pouch and secure. "Yes tensions between our two villages are strained right now. But the fact that you failed a mission isn't something that you should focus on. Every time we are out on a mission, we all want things to go our way, we want to make sure that we complete it to the utmost of our abilities." he pauses for a moment, looking into her pale lavender eyes, "You have not dishonored your clan for that failure, you have to see that Yuzuna-san. I know it sucks to have a mission go wrong, I have failed a few missions I was on, but we have to learn from our failures and apply what we've learned so that our future missions will turn out for the better." Stepping closer to the Hyuuga Heiress, "There will be other missions, other times to apply all that you have learned from this." he says trying to reassure her.
Yuzuna narrows her pale lavender eyes briefly at him, though she sets her expression, "Hyuuga hold themselves to higher standards than most. To allow myself to be so foolishly captured like that, in itself, is shameful. Especially when the Byakugan is at risk." Her attention focuses on him as he takes a step closer to her in his attempt to reassurance, her pale gaze narrowing slightly at him. Pressing her full lips together, she turns her head slightly, "Yes, I keep being told this…" Yuzuna murmurs lightly before shaking her dark head at herself. With a slow exhale, she lifts a hand, brushing her slender fingers through her ebony locks to idly tuck some strands behind her ear.
Standing where he was, he was able to watch her movements carefully, "The Uchiha also hold themselves to higher standards." he says matter of factly to her. Closing his eyes for a moment as she continued, Hinotori would shake his head, "If your dojutsu is at risk be better." he states. "We all have to worry about all of our secrets getting out every time we leave this village on a mission Yuzuna-san." he states. "We have to rely on ourselves as well as those members in our team. So what your a Hyuuga, so what I'm an Uchiha. We are still human who have to learn the hard way in order to become better." he states. Sighing as she repeats the last part, "Well then listen and stop sulking." With this, he meets her eyes, "Right now, I don't have much more to offer you but friendship at this moment. But believe me when I tell you, I've felt like you feel like right now. I had a mission a while back where everything we setup for backfired, almost cost me my life and the life of a few others with me." he goes quiet for a long moment.
Looking up he sighs, "I thought I was dead, I would have too if a small patrol hadn't come when they did. My life that day was spared, I tried running through my head of what we did wrong, what I did wrong. Pretty much just stressing out, but after a while there wasn't nothing I couldn've done right to fix that situation. I was told to take it as a learning experience, and I did." he frowns a bit. "I just don't want you beating yourself up like you are Yuzuna-san." he tells her.
The corner of her lips tugs faintly. "Thus getting into shape and training is a must. I can not ignore what has happened, nor am I content to just leave it how it is without consequence." Yuzuna quirks a brow at him, "I do not think that I am 'stressing' as much as you think I am, though that does not mean that I have not taken it to heart." Turning towards the nearest post, she debates for a short moment before placing her foot flat against the side, using her chakra to keep from slipping from it as she walks upwards along its side to the top a few feet up. Lowering herself to sit on its flat surface, her feet dangle over the side while she sits perfectly straight and ladylike, hands in her lap as she looks upwards to the night sky. "What customs do the Uchiha have compared to the Hyuuga I wonder. Is there that much a difference to cause a rivalry, or is it simply jealousy."
Hearing those words from him does calm him slightly, watching her as she moves to sit on top of the post he was just at causes a chuckle to escape him. "Rivalry, jealousy, I don't know." he tells her. "Custom wise the Uchiha take great pride in the power that we hold as a clan and we push to retain that power that we hold so that we can lend it to Konoha in it's need." he states. "What customs do the Hyuuga have compared to the Uchiha?" he asks.
Yuzuna releases a slow breath, but doesn't turn to glance to him as Hinotori takes a seat on the log a few feet from hers. "Lets see. Hyuuga are very strong and honorable clan, reputation and image being important to us. Not only do we train diligently to become top shinobi, we also take extreme measures in order to protect the Byakugan. Seals are placed on the branch members while we are also set into arranged marriages as well." She lifts a brow in thought. "Hm. The rivalry part may come from the debate on which Kekkei Genkai is superior."
Smirking a little, "That's the same thing I hear from other members of the Uchiha." he smiles. "Yes there have been bad blood but we are all allied now under the same village. But your right about one thing, the debate on which Kekkei Genkai is superior is something that will always be asked and always debated on. To me I don't care, each have their advantages in and out of combat, along with their disadvantages." he states. "But outside of that, all I really care about is protecting those that are close to me, so if I have to train until my body is finely tuned to what I want, then I will." Looking up at the night sky, he sighs a little, "I would like to meet up with you again some time Yuzuna-san. Maybe tomorrow, we meet up and train together?" he asks as he stands up.
Yuzuna arches a brow as she turns her head slightly, giving the boy a sideways glance for a passively curious moment or so in quiet debate. "I suppose so. So long as your health is sufficient. Your skin tone had an unusual color to it earlier." she answers easily. "What time tomorrow would be convenient?" the Hyuuga girl asks, her pale eyes blinking slowly as she idly watches him rise to his feet.
Quirking a brow, he smiles as she had caught him blushing earlier when she touched his chin. "Well tomorrow after lunch say around 2pm?" he suggest. "I really need to get goin though, but it was a pleasure to meet you." he smiles. "See you tomorrow." he tells her as he hops down from his post. Upon landing he looks back at her and winks to her. he then leaves.
Passively lowering her chin in a nod, Yuzuna agrees to the set time wordlessly, seeming not to have a problem with it. She only gives him a slight nod in with his departure, watching him as the Uchiha lands on the soft grass. When he winks at her, she blinks her pale lavender eyes at him briefly, surprise showing in them for a moment longer before her thin brows form a light frown in confusion.
