Starring:
Date: December 31, 2011
Summary:
Naru is back, Taiki finds her on the training grounds. After a spar Taiki finally explains things to Naru, and he gains another ally.
"Inuzuka Pride Chronicles: Inuzuka Pride, Uchiha Determination"
Training Ground #26 to start, then Hokage Mountain
Naru's arrival to the vilage had become quite swift from her trip from Kirigakure, and with the chuunin exams coming very soon rather than relaxing as she might have done she was back to training hard, of course this time with a new regiment developed by her new Sensei. While attempting to keep up with her chakra levels while at the same time chucking a series of kunai at a dummy from afar, it was allowing her to help concentration better, her way of being able to project the perfect genjutsu…. The Katana she was borrowing was slung along her side, and unlike before Naru was wearing her traditional Uchiha clothing rather than her travelers attire…. It was about mid day, sun still looming in the air.
Taiki, having not been in the loop about Naru's travels, didn't know she left, much less that she returned. But he had not seen her around lately, despite all that has been going on, both the good and the bad. He was perhaps one of the only Genins he knew not taking the Chuunin Exam. Instead he decided to just continue practicing, to become stronger and to protect his family, his team, and his friends. It wasn't as great a motivation as Naru's, but it was at least something.
Today Taiki decided he was going to work on his ninjutsu. He had a certain something in mind, but he needed a little more feel for lightning to pull it off. With that in mind he and Shinobu intended to set up to practice against one of the dummies. Of course he paused as he saw Naru there, then grinned, though it was a little apprehensive. So instead of setting up himself, he watched her while trying to figure out what she was doing. In the meantime another ninken walked out from the trees and sat down near the treeline. It looked like a ninken version of a Huskey compared to Taiki's ninken Malamute. But it was far older, and thus bigger than Shinobu. For the moment it simply watched Taiki and every once in a while siffed at the air.
Keeping a hand firm infront of her for cultivating chakra while the other continued to work on her accuracy and dexterity, her training began to slow down for the moment though, her eyes looking around curiously to see a massive huskey like ninken in the distance. " I didn't know I attracted dogs…" She whisperes quietly to herself, casually looking around some more until finally her eyes rested on Taiki, perhaps that was his dog instead but she could of sworn she seen his ninken somewhere… It didnt seem to bother her much, after all dogs rested around too right? Nevertheless Naru didnt look much different, her hair was longer than before but for the most part she was the same girl, offering him a wave she smiled, ceasing up on her training just a bit.
Taiki smiled and waved back, then deciding to take the wave as an invitation to move closer. Shinobu follows right alongside of him, but seemed like he wanted to greet the Uchiha present. In fact, Shinobu looked as genuinely happy to see Naru as Taiki did. The other ninken seemed to not know Naru, but instead was focusing on Shinobu and his partner, aside from the the occasional sniffing of the air. "It's okay," he calls back to the dog staying back. "Naru'san is a good friend of mine. Besides, Shinobu would be able to tell an imposter very quickly." The dog look mollified, then looked and started to sniff around a bit.
"Hey there Naru'san, long time no see," he said with an even wider smile than before. There seems to be a similar look of relief in Taiki's eyes though. The look of relief appeared to have a couple of different levels behind it. "So how have you been? Did you enjoy your vacation?"
"It was more interesting than fun, but I certainly wouldn't mind doing it again sometime… I came back to put myself in shape for the chuunin exams…" Naru stated, she rubbed the back of her head shyly at first, she hasn't even worked on the turn in exam yet. A smile came acrossed her lips and even wider as Shinobu came closer, she knelt down to give him a gentle pet though she didnt seem to need to get down very low. " Wow… your so massive now aren't you Shino-kun?" She teased with a grin, peering back up at Taiki. " How about you? It seems like I missed a bit haven't I… Do you have two Ninken now? She questioned refering to the one watching over him, " I was hoping to finish a bit of training today…"
Taiki's smile falters a little as he begins to answer Naru's question. "Yeah… you missed a bit. In more ways than one I'm very glad you're back," Taiki says with a slight blush. But still he keeps going, working hard to keep the smile on his face. "Shinobu's got about another foot at the shoulder to grow before he's done, and he'll fill out even more. Malamute ninken tend to be on the massive side."
He then looks back to the other ninken and says, "That's pop's second ninken, Sora. He's… on guard duty." Okay, so there was a world of meaning behind that, but while Taiki didn't seem like he was holding anything back, it did seem like he was distinctly nervous about something. Instead after a few seconds he moves on. "What else were you planning on doing for training? Is there something I can help with?"
Naru noticed his smile falter a bit, causing her to shift her stance and rise to a stand crossing her arms along one another. " I missed a lot then, but I rather us talk about it in a non training way, maybe over tea or something," She offered with a smile, it didnt seem like a good situation for them to talk about it at the moment, and with his talk about what he could do to help her it seemed like he didnt want to be stuck on the topic…
"If you want… we can just test what we know against one another, I've learned a little bit while I was gone…" She spoke with a smile touching along the hilt of her katana. " If you want to that is…"
Taiki was silent for a moment then decided to make up his mind. "How about we spar first, then go somewhere to have some tea and talk. Maybe I can get something and we can go up to the Hokage Mountain to talk there?" Taiki seems to think for a moment before nodding. "Yes, that place should be out of the way and quiet enough." It seems like those to attributes are important to him, at least for the talk. He then smiles and moves away from the dummies to a space big enough for their spar. "In the meantime, I'd love to spar with you." It does seem to make him happy, at least now the smile reaches his eyes…
RP: Naru joins the roleplay.
COMBAT: It is now Naru's turn.
RP: Taiki joins the roleplay.
COMBAT: Naru focuses 3000 stamina to turn it into usable chakra!
"Sounds like we have a nice plan to me," Naru replies back with an even wider smile, she slowly takes a step back and with that same focused hand utlized even more chakra than before, summoning up her energy as she faced him with a grin. " Ready when you are…" She finally speaks up, slowly pulling the katana out of its sheath and holding it firmly with one hand. " Don't hold back…"
COMBAT: Naru finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Taiki's turn.
COMBAT: [2750:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
Taiki's grin becomes a little feral as he does a couple of things that would seem odd. "Incoming!" he yells as he pulls a scroll from his pouch, focuses some chakra into it, then throws it up in the air. The storage seals on the scroll seem to have an ejection element as metal rods fly out of the scroll, all impacting into the ground, or trees, like darts. Curiously enough no one is even remotely in danger from the rods, but they form a ring around Naru and Taiki. He then lowers himself down to the ground, becoming even more feral as Shinobu joins him. Finally he forms a half-ram hand seal with one hand while pulling out a Kunai with the other hand.
COMBAT: Taiki focuses 3000 stamina to turn it into usable chakra!
COMBAT: [2750:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Naru's turn.
COMBAT: Naru finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Taiki's turn.
COMBAT: [2750:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
RP: Taiki transforms into SHINOBU.
COMBAT: [2750:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Naru's turn.
Those pumpkin eyes of Naru quickly looked around, her eyes scanning the area curiously as the metal rods exploded outwards and impacted around the area around them, it seemed like that Taiki had made a sparring ring between them, which in itself caused her to smirk slightly, perhaps these things would help some some sort of jutsu? Nevertheless with Naru focused on Taiki and shinobu she kept her Katana drawn and decided to give out the first attack.
" Alright Ta-kun… Here I come!" She taunted taking a single step forward with average speed, upon getting close to him she judged her attack, an accurate horiztonal slash to his arm, while attempting to link up with him using genjutsu..
COMBAT: Naru attacks Taiki with PRECISION-SHARP…21
COMBAT: Naru attacks Taiki with GENJUTSU-LINK…37
COMBAT: Naru finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Taiki's turn.
COMBAT: [2750:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Naru attacks you with PRECISION-SHARP and rolls a 21. Action?
COMBAT: Taiki defends against PRECISION-SHARP(21) attack from Naru with a DODGE…16
COMBAT: Taiki loses the roll and sustains 123 damage.
COMBAT: Naru attacks you with GENJUTSU-LINK and rolls a 37. Action?
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki defends against GENJUTSU-LINK(37) attack from Naru with a GENJUTSU-PERCEPTION…25
COMBAT: Taiki loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
COMBAT: There are no more attacks for you to defend against.
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
Taiki decides a little warm up is in order, so instead of going with his standard replacement techniques, he simply tries to dodge out of the way. Unfortunately he forgot two things: who he's sparring with, and the fact that taijutsu is not his strong point. But Shinobu manages to take the brunt of the attack for him, though even then the ninken isn't that damaged. It appears they've grown tougher. Still with Shinobu blocking the first strike, Taiki ducks under his ninken to strike with the kunei, once, then twice. At the same time Shinobu twists around and performs his own attack, aiming for the closest part to them. For now, they are using straight taijutsu, but seem to be working together as a well rehearsed team.
Eremi heads into Training Area #26 - Training Entrance.
Eremi has left.
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki attacks Naru with SHARP…17
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki attacks Naru with SHARP…13
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki attacks Naru with SHARP…17
COMBAT: Taiki finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Naru's turn.
COMBAT: Naru defends against SHARP(17) attack from Taiki with a CLONE-TECHNIQUE…26
COMBAT: Naru wins the roll.
COMBAT: Naru defends against SHARP(13) attack from Taiki with a REPLACEMENT-TECHNIQUE…32
COMBAT: Naru wins the roll.
COMBAT: Naru defends against SHARP(17) attack from Taiki with a REPLACEMENT-TECHNIQUE…25
COMBAT: Naru wins the roll.
GAME: Save complete.
Straight taijutsu wasn't going to work well with Naru, she seemed to be getting quite acustomed to it. Each attack was met with either her clone exploding into a puff of smoke and series of near by logs being impaled by his kunai, this however left an opening, with Naru appearing high above them both, " Katon! Bakuhatsu no Jutsu!" She shouts out, sending a cratering ball of fire to slam down upon the both of them while sealing the deal with her katana attempting to slice him from one corner of his shoulder to his hip, controlled to cause not too much damage…
COMBAT: Naru attacks Taiki with EXPLOSION…23
COMBAT: Naru attacks Taiki with PRECISION-SHARP…15
COMBAT: Naru finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Taiki's turn.
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Naru attacks you with EXPLOSION and rolls a 23. Action?
COMBAT: Taiki defends against EXPLOSION(23) attack from Naru with a REPLACEMENT-TECHNIQUE…34
COMBAT: Taiki wins the roll.
COMBAT: Naru attacks you with PRECISION-SHARP and rolls a 15. Action?
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki defends against PRECISION-SHARP(15) attack from Naru with a REPLACEMENT-TECHNIQUE…31
COMBAT: Taiki wins the roll.
COMBAT: There are no more attacks for you to defend against.
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
Yes, straight taijutsu was just going to get Taiki hurt in this case. So when both Shinobu and Taiki appear to be hit by the fire and then by the katana, it should be of no surprise that they disappear in a puff of smoke, only to be replaced by a log. But now that she's momentarily confused, the dynamic duo use a silent set of signals to prepare for their next technique, a more advanced Taijutsu. Shinobu comes up from behind to bite down on Naru's sword wrist, turning her slightly if successful. This enables Taiki to come in with a fist of his own, followed by a another attack with the kunai.
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki attacks Naru with FANG-AND-FIST-COMBO…23
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki attacks Naru with SHARP…17
COMBAT: Taiki finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Naru's turn.
COMBAT: Naru defends against FANG-AND-FIST-COMBO(23) attack from Taiki with a CLONE-TECHNIQUE…29
COMBAT: Naru wins the roll.
COMBAT: Naru defends against SHARP(17) attack from Taiki with a DODGE…20
COMBAT: Naru wins the roll.
Naru kept herself out of harms way rather easily, first her body exploding into a clone while dodging his kunai attack by a near inch, she narrowed her eyes down upon him, attempting to champion him a bit more. " You'll have to do better than that, Ta-kun, " Naru taunted boldly while finally allowing her genjutsu to take place, he could feel the power of her chakra begin to taake along his lungs, depriving him of much needed stamina while she attempted to send another barrage of fire in his direction. " Fire release! Fire Bullet Barrage!
COMBAT: Naru attacks Taiki with ASPHYXIATION…33
COMBAT: Naru attacks Taiki with ASPHYXIATION…26
COMBAT: Naru attacks Taiki with FIRE-BULLET-BARRAGE…32
COMBAT: Naru finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Taiki's turn.
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Naru attacks you with ASPHYXIATION and rolls a 33. Action?
COMBAT: Taiki defends against ASPHYXIATION(33) attack from Naru with a WILL-BREAK…21
COMBAT: Taiki loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
COMBAT: Naru drains stamina from Taiki
COMBAT: Naru attacks you with ASPHYXIATION and rolls a 26. Action?
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki defends against ASPHYXIATION(26) attack from Naru with a TENSE…7
COMBAT: Taiki loses the roll and sustains 0 damage.
COMBAT: Naru drains stamina from Taiki
COMBAT: Naru attacks you with FIRE-BULLET-BARRAGE and rolls a 32. Action?
COMBAT: [2627:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki defends against FIRE-BULLET-BARRAGE(32) attack from Naru with a TENSE…9
COMBAT: Taiki loses the roll and sustains 382 damage.
COMBAT: There are no more attacks for you to defend against.
COMBAT: [2245:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
Taiki starts choking. He remembers when she did this before, and tries to break it with his will, but it doesn't break. 'Genjutsu… I'll need to do something about that…' he thinks to himself. Okay, time to bring out bigger guns. Even as the flames wash over him and Shinobu, the dog jumps onto Taiki. He looks tired, but he's not out of this by a long shot. "Juuijin Bunshin!" he calls out after making a couple of hand signs. A large puff of smoke envelopes them, and when it clears there are two Taikis! They look so alike, and much more feral than before, it becomes impossible to tell which is Shinobu, and which is Taiki. From here they spring into action, each forming hand-signs, electrically charging the very air. "Raiton: Kaminariko" echoes throughout the air, though which one is saying it is anyone's guess. This is followed by two arcs of lightning headed right for Naru. By the time she can blink, a twister is headed straight for her, courtesy of Taiki2.
RP: Taiki reverts to his normal state.
RP: Taiki transforms into BEAST-HUMAN-CLONE.
COMBAT: [2245:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Your chakra changes by -50 due to your transformation.
COMBAT: [2245:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki attacks Naru with TSUGA…28
COMBAT: Your chakra changes by -50 due to your transformation.
COMBAT: [2245:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki attacks Naru with LIGHTNING-ARC…29
COMBAT: Your chakra changes by -50 due to your transformation.
COMBAT: [2245:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Taiki attacks Naru with LIGHTNING-ARC…32
COMBAT: Taiki finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Naru's turn.
COMBAT: Naru defends against TSUGA(28) attack from Taiki with a CLONE-TECHNIQUE…25
COMBAT: Naru loses the roll and sustains 280 damage.
COMBAT: Naru defends against LIGHTNING-ARC(29) attack from Taiki with a CLONE-TECHNIQUE…35
COMBAT: Naru wins the roll.
COMBAT: Naru defends against LIGHTNING-ARC(32) attack from Taiki with a CLONE-TECHNIQUE…38
COMBAT: Naru wins the roll.
It was unexpected, and Naru had only fought Taiki in this form only once, which made it difficult for her to keep up with him, still if he was going to bring out the big guns perhaps it was time for Naru to do the same. She was completely devasted by the first attack, her clothing ripping up and streaks of blood coming from her body. Hearing his next jutsu was a surprise though, she could feel it in the air, more potent and complete than when she had first encountered it… It was impossible to dodge so setting it up so she wouldn't have to worked perfectly. each zapping lighting slammed into a clone turning it into dust while Naru was revealed from the smoke, her sharingan gleaming in her eyes, she would move quickly, quicker than anything he would see, she would appear to move.. If he wasn't fast enough he could feel two strikes against both Shinobu and himself across the chest…. " I see you mastered that technique, Ta-kun… Much stronger than I remember…"
RP: Naru transforms into SHARINGAN-I.
COMBAT: Naru attacks Taiki with KIRITATERU-MUGENDAI…45
COMBAT: Naru attacks Taiki with KIRITATERU-MUGENDAI…31
COMBAT: Naru finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Taiki's turn.
COMBAT: [2245:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Naru attacks you with KIRITATERU-MUGENDAI and rolls a 45. Action?
COMBAT: Your chakra changes by -50 due to your transformation.
COMBAT: Taiki defends against KIRITATERU-MUGENDAI(45) attack from Naru with a LIGHTNING-REPLACEMENT…35
COMBAT: Taiki loses the roll and sustains 264 damage.
COMBAT: Naru attacks you with KIRITATERU-MUGENDAI and rolls a 31. Action?
COMBAT: [1981:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
COMBAT: Your chakra changes by -50 due to your transformation.
COMBAT: Taiki defends against KIRITATERU-MUGENDAI(31) attack from Naru with a LIGHTNING-REPLACEMENT…38
COMBAT: Taiki wins the roll.
COMBAT: There are no more attacks for you to defend against.
COMBAT: [1981:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
And now the purpose behind those rods were revealed. If Naru thought she was going to take him down with genjutsu easily… well, his next words would prove why that simply was not the case: "Raiton: Kawarmi." Her slashes were hard to track, and hard to watch, so the first one managed to get through, with a rod dropping to the ground even behind Naru, emitting a large flash of light that she was not facing. But the second attack doesn't hit either Taiki. Instead it hits metal with a loud "CLANG" followed by a great flash of light right in her face, and an electrical discharge into her arm. It's not enough to cause damage per se… but it would make her arm tingly. Taiki charges electricity into his hand, but does not release it, appearing right beside her. "That last one hurt, Naru'chan," he whispers in her ear. "I should have skipped the kunai work at the beginning, probably. At least then I would not have had such a poor showing. It appears I still have a lot to learn."
His hand is near her side, the electricity tickling the shocked arm. He then pulls back and releases the lightning harmlessly to ground. "That is one reason why I'm not participating in the Chuunin exams. But I hope you are…" he finishes aloud as the other Taiki poofs back into a wounded Shinobu. He's not fighting anymore. He at least knows when to stop.
RP: Taiki reverts to his normal state.
COMBAT: Taiki finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Naru's turn.
Naru smirked as he seemed to effortlessly dodge her attacks, though the first she managed to lay her first mark. Seeing that the metal rods seemed to cling in the way she frowned slightly, and even more so at the buzzing of electricity that struck back to her, his touch after was at least enough to calm her down. " There is more to the chuunin exams than just winning, I think you are truly capable if you went ahead and tried… True enough I'm training my heart out right now to make sure I pass ths exam…" She speaks up with a smile, bowing her head slightly. " I appreciate this fight though, it seems like there is more I need to work on as well.." She states, slowly her sharingan turning back to her pumpkin hue'd eyes. " You've learned so much… I'm definitely proud of you!"
COMBAT: It is now Taiki's turn.
COMBAT: [1981:Health] [Stance:NEUTRAL]
RP: Naru leaves the roleplay.
RP: Naru reverts to her normal state.
Taiki sighs as he pulls out another storage scroll and pulls out some first aid stuff. Even as he starts to wrap up his wounds he looks up at her and says, "Right now my most powerful attacks are Tsuga and Lightning Arc, both D rank Jutsu. I don't have any C Rank Jutsu to my name other than the Juujin Bunshin. That, combined with those months spent confined to my can's compound being unable to learn anything has given me a lack of experience needed to lead others. That's part of what being a Chuunin is all about, and the part I fail at the most," Taiki says with a shrug.
"That and… things are entirely too volatile right now for me to be reliable enough to make a good Chuunin. I'm simply not ready, and the way things are going…" His smile slips, showing a bit more of the Taiki inside, "Something has to give before I can be ready. Otherwise I'd do more harm than help."
RP: Taiki leaves the roleplay.
"Don't let anything hinder your progression, Taiki-san…" Naru spoke softly as she croseed her arms and watched him as he began to dress his wounds. " Let me help you with that…" If he allowed she would begin to start the wrappings along his flesh, pulling it tight so it wouldn't come loose any time soon. " Don't let anyone get in the way… At least that is my nindou… I will do as I need to accomplish my goals, while most people will help you there will be those who will stand in your way… Come to mee if you ever need anything at all Ta-kun… The Uchiha village isn't that far away," she speaks with a gentle smile, gently patting along his back. " if something has got to give we might need to force it…"
Taiki lets Naru help with the dressings, but he can't help but to blush at her touch. "Oh…" he breaths out before saying the next part. "I wish it were that easy, Naru'chan…" He looks up and lets her work on the dressings for the moment, his face becoming contemplative even as Shinobu whines at him. His brown eyes look down to his partner for a moment before saying, "I know boy, it's just not easy…"
As Naru finishes the bandage he seems to decide something before looking at her and saying, "Naru'chan… we need to talk. There's something going on and well… because of our… relationship… you need to know a few things. And I'd rather you hear them directly from me than from Ryo'san. Things are getting to the point there may be… collateral danger, and you need to know before it blind-sides you. We need to get up to the Hokage Mountain, it's the best place for this."
After the fight was over, and a brief discussion period, the two decided to go to the mountain. Taiki wasn't saying much, partly playing the mysterious genin and partly looking over his shoulder. About half way to the mountain the reason for that became clear, as another ninken joined the parade, both trying to get within hearing distance of Taiki and trying to stay away from Taiki's father's dog. Taiki stops by a decent take-out place to pick up a couple of bentos and some tea, as well as a something for the two dogs. Once done, he walks with her to the mountain, trying to keep the conversation light, though Shinobu is watching the new dog.
Finally they reach the mountain and start to make their way up the trail. About half way up the new dog stops, watches them continue to climb, then turns and runs back down the mountain. Once Shinobu notifies Taiki of that, the Inuzuka breaths a sigh of relief as he glances at Naru. "Sorry about that… Some people are entirely too nosey… that's part of the problem."
Naru herself was more irritated now more than Taiki probably realized, her cheeks were burning red with a light fit as they finally stopped along the the top of the mountain, however, she looks at him sternly, crosses her arms along her chest and tapped her foot on the ground. "Taiki-san, what the hell is going on here?" Naru swiftly began to interrogate, she was curious to know what was going on, and if he was sneaking around, curious to know why she didnt know sooner. " This is konoha, we shouldn't have to sneak from ourselves…" She states rather bluntly, still hoping to get an answer, maybe her slight irritation would get it out sooner without beating around the bush.
Taiki looks at Naru for a moment, then sighs. "Most people in Konoha don't have death threats against them and their families, Naru'chan. But then again, I'm not most people, in case you haven't noticed," he adds as he sets the bags down and pulls out another storage scroll to unfurl it. "I get that you're irritated with all the cloak and dagger stuff, but what you don't realize is that my entire life so far has been spent trying to do two things: Be who I am, and protect those that I care for. Now please calm down and let's talk about this like two Konoha Shinobi, okay?"
"I'm not a little girl Ta-kun…" Naru spoke softly, taking a seat down along the ground, she looked off over the village of konoha while spreading her legs out a bit, Naru was a rather hot headed girl but she still showed some compassion, patting the seat next to her while her eyes remained out over the village. " So who is placing death threats? Why haven't you spoken to the Uchiha Police?" She questioned him curiously crossing her arms along one another. " You let me know who, my dad knows a few people in high places…."
Taiki sits down after taking setting places for the dogs a little ways away. His father's ninken isn't sitting so far, and seems more relaxed than he was before. Finally he takes his seat near Naru as he looks out over the city. "I know you're not a little girl, but you should consider some of the people I've been protecting are my own parents. As far as why the Uchiha Police haven't been notified? Lack of evidence and the people involved, who have a lot of power."
"Let me start at the beginning Naru'chan, and perhaps you'll understand a bit more. First, a few notes about the Inuzuka Clan structure not many know. The Inuzuka clan is made up of several clans. The important ones for this story are the Founders, the Alphas, and the Betas, though the first two hold a lot more relevance than the Betas. You see, I'm a member of the Founders clan. We're called that because we were the first of the clans, and also we were the first clan of the Inuzuka to join Konoha. We're also intelligence experts. We're the most skilled in ninjutsu, though until me no Inuzuka has used ninjutsu as extensively as I have. To put it simply, we're the power behind the Alphas. we take all the intel from the other clans and break it down for the Alphas. In fact, that's where the trouble begins. You see, while some Founder Clan people become Alphas, that's really the only path permitted to the members of my clan. The rest of the clans are loose at best and individual members can switch back and forth between any of the clans without problem, but the Founders cannot. Once born a Founder, always a Founder. But… that's not me."
<Konohagakure> Mushi has disconnected.
"What is the problem with being a founder? Having such a position seems like it can be benefitial at some points," Naru somewhat protested, or more so attempting to figure out what the true issue was. " You are quite proud of your clan right? I'm really not seeing the conflict just yet," She states, crossing her legs along one another, perhaps she didnt completely grasp the situation…
"There's nothing wrong with being a Founder. It's a very prestigious part of the clan," Taiki said with a sigh. "The problem is they limit themselves and are deeply involved in politics, something I really have no patience for. You see, I've always been the odd one. When I was growing up, and even today, I cared little for deciphering codes, preparing reports, and sifting through mountains of useless data. I had two loves: ninken and ninjutsu. Thus I spent most of my time hanging around the Beta Clan. The elders frowned upon it, but left me alone thinking it was a phase. And while they could have taken the ninjutsu part fine, there are limits within the clan that we are supposed to obey. But the problem is that ninjutsu is only to be support to taijutsu, not a person's best style. But I was born with an aptitude toward ninjutsu that surpassed the limits set by the clan. So even when I was young, I was different. And different is frowned upon.
"Then someone tried to steal one of our pregnant ninken, and I tried to stop them. The injuries I took from that feat postponed my entrance into the academy by a year. But then some of the elders lost patience with the lack of "progress" I was making to become a "true Inuzuka" and decided to… "encourage" me a bit… physically. That's also when the frowning became… active disdain." The way he says the last few words, and the way he looks away from Naru as he says them, speaks mountains. It was more than disdain, it was out and out emotional abuse.
"I was… 6? at the time," he says with a hollow sound to his voice. "And I was told by my "instructors" that if I told anyone, especially my parents, they would kill my parents, and probably me too. There hasn't been too many physical corrections… just four more, with the last being about two weeks before you went on vacation."
"I see…" Naru finally spoke, as she listened intently to the story she was starting to understand it a little bit more, wrapping an arm around him while the other held her head up as she thought quietly to herself, mostly figuring out a way to solve the problem at this point. " They aren't going to get through your head with pain… Maybe it was easy to believe they might kill your parents before but I don't think they will do it now… First of all its illegal… Even when it comes to the hyuuga its special circumstances, what they are doing is wrong but you won't be able to change their mind alone.. You need people to support you… have to talked to anyone else? Within your clan? what about your parents?" She asked him curiously, peering a little closer at him. " Those guys idiots… I can't believe they attempted to get to you in that way…Thats abuse…."
Taiki hangs his head for a moment, profoundly ashamed. "Yeah… it's abuse… about seven years of it Naru'chan. And I never told anyone… until recently. Then I was out of excuses when I showed up to the training grounds where Hitoshi'san was, pretty much trashed. I even got Hyuga Yuzuna'san's attention with my injuries, but I was ordered not to seek medical help. Well, that's when Hitoshi got me away from the training grounds, we ran into Atsuro'sensei, and they wouldn't take any of the evasions. So I told them. Then my parents found out when Atsuro'sensei took me back to the clan compound. Right now we're trying to find out what's really going on… But they're not standing still either…"
"Why are you ashamed of it? Its nothing that you could of helped for the most part, Ta-kun… Other than going to the kage and hopefully getting some affairs worked out, the best thing I can tell you to do without getting any issues is proving how much worth you have, You need to prepare yourself even more, don't practice and train for them, but more so to protect the ones you love… So you can beat them… Your friends will be at your side along the way too, there is no way I would let them harm you, and if I ever catch them Im most definitely going to fight them, I don't care how strong they are… I'll createa civil war in Konoha if i have to…" Naru spoke seriously, releasing her grip along his back. " Maybe next time I travel, you should come with me…"
"It's an irrational shame, Naru'chan. A part of me says, "If only I did something different. If only I was stronger. If only I didn't give in…" But we're talking a portion of the Inuzuka Elder Council. These guys are not pushovers, even if they are old fogeys. And they have their own families' help." Taiki looks up at Naru and says, "As I said, they're not sitting back and doing nothing. Once my parents put a stop to me going to them when they summoned me, they started to send messengers to fetch me. That's how Setonezu Eremi'san found out about all this. One of them showed up while we were talking. Then… they switched tracks again. Their latest track involves…" Taiki sighs as he brings his head up to look into Naru's eyes.
"Their current strategy is they're trying to push for an arranged engagement between me and one of the elder's granddaughters, a sadistic bitch about two years older than me." He looks into her eyes for a moment and said, "I threatened to leave the clan if they do manage, most likely by coercion or some other form of control, to get my parents to agree. They sure as hell won't agree on their own. Ryo'san was there for that little incident. That's when I found out that they know… they know where my interests are." There's something significant about that last part…
"an arranged marriage…?" Naru questioned with the arch of her eyebrow. Crossing her arms along one another she really didnt know what to think about the moment, she blushed slightly as she looked off in the other direction. " What are you looking at?" Naru questioned him simply before reclining back to ease herself from the sudden pressure. " I didn't think they would go as far as an arranged marriage, but it takes two to get married, even if your parents turn against you, they can't force you to do anything…" She states crossing her arms while tilting her head in his direction. " Are they planning to harm those who are close to you now…?"
"Nothing!" he responds to the question before looking away. He was close… but… He shakes his head, still hoping Ryo can keep his mouth shut as he continues. "I don't know… if they're desperate enough, maybe? I do know Sakura said something about the Uchiha not wanting to know me, or something like that. That got Ryo'san to insult her heavily. He saw what they're willing to do, and how far they're willing to take things. As far as they are concerned, you… they may see you as an obstacle. That's one reason I needed to warn you now. The other… I wanted to tell you earlier what was going on, but I… I didn't know how."
Naru was silently confused by her sidden outburst but soon enough lets it rescede, she smiles slightly and begins to sit up, approaching him from behind as she leaned forward resting her palms along his shoulders. " Your just tense," Naru states softly, almost attempting to calm him down a bit. " If they want to do something let them come, I won't let anyone stop me or my friends from being able to achieve what they wish," Naru states once more, finally removing her hands from him. "The future may seem bleak but I believe reality is in your favor, all you need is a trump card… the card that will sever the chains that bind you…"
Taiki takes a deep breath and looks out toward Konoha. "We're looking for the truth, but in the meantime I'm continuously working on getting stronger. I'm pushing myself hard toward my goals. I need more… I need to be stronger. My family, my friends, those closest to me above all… they are threatened by this. Atsuro'sensei is looking into something, what I don't know. He's working with my parents. But the best thing I can do… about the only thing I can do… is become stronger. I'll… I'll become stronger. I'll defend those precious to me… And if I have my way about it, if they come after you, I'll be right there beside you. I can't let them win. I can't let them rule me any longer. I must… I must stop this." Taiki is semi-rambling at the moment, but his resolve is steadily getting stronger, minute by minute.
"And I will be there to help you… Every step of the way," Naru concluded with a soft smile, keeping her vision over the village, she ahd learned quite abit about the clan, more than she ever had realized before, it seemed tha things were much more complex than she realized, nevertheless with a light sight she bows her head to him in respects. " I'm glad I finally got a chance to see you Taiki-san…. i'm sure you will be able to get through this,"
