Starring:
Ryouji, Sado, Michiko, Kenishida, Hiei
Date: May 20, 2014
Summary:
Hiei calls the genin together to give out gifts and train them for the upcoming battles against the pirates and the Hitokage. He is pleasantly surprised at how skilled they've all become.
"Kumo Genin: A Jounin's pride"
Kumo Ninja Academy - Kumogakure
It's that time again. Hiei had asked Sado and Ryouji to join him at the academy training grounds. He waits patiently with his hands clasped behind his back. His sword harness is hanging on a peg where the rest of the weapons are, and there is a large case sitting off to the side where the weapons are. They are marked with two names. Sado and Ryouji. The expression on Hiei's face is neutral and unreadable while he waits.
Sado comes into the area pumped up, smacking a fist into the other open palm. As soon as he heard it was training time he knew Ryouji would be there and he was looking for some vengeance. Unable to cope with just how close the last spar was, he had been working his butt off lately, and was ready to show some of the fruits of his labor. Spotting Hiei, he walks over to his sensei, giving him a bow before noticing the names and the case. "What's all this?" he asks curiously.
Michiko has decided that she should probably get training too. She, of course, has a book in front of her face as she walks into the training area. Really, what on earth is she reading all the time? Once she's there, she closes her book and notices people she knows! Michiko gives them all a polite bow or wave (depending on who it is) as she walks up to them. "Hello, Hiei-san. Hi, Sado-kun. Ryouji-kun. Training, I see?" She eyes the case that's off to the side with mild curiosity before her attention turns fully to the group of people.
Hiei looks at Sado, "It's called Genin Appreciation. You genin assembled here represent the best and brightest that Kumo has to offer. In other villages, the genin are considered inferior shinobi…but here we value your strength, your tenacity, and your intelligence. We don't care what your rank is. The best experience is real world experience. I have something for you all, but I want to wait until Ryouji gets here before I pass them out."
"Oh, that sounds nice. Almost like … not training at all." Sado says, looking to the case again before Michiko says hello. "Hi Michiko-chan, I'm not sure if we are training or not yet." he says to her, eyeing the case again as she does. When he hears about Ryouji he huffs, "Figures he wouldn't show up after hearing I was coming." Sado says as he looks around the area, preparing to spot Ryouji the moment he shows up.
Another summons from Hiei and like last time it appears that he wants to see him in action again, picking up his Odachi he headed out into Kumo. In a dead sprint he moved passed the villagers doing their normal life to life things before he came to a sudden stop infront of the training center. "Well now…it appears that I made it here faster then last time. Rolling his shoulders he would enter into the area scanning it he came across the group he assumed he was suppose to be with. Waving his hands he smiled and spoke "sup guy…Kenishida is here…what's the gameplan today Hiei-sama? Oh before it slips my mind congrats on the rank up btw." Bowing to him he straighten up to get a better look of the group.
Michiko's head tilts slightly. "Genin Appreciation…?" she echoes, sounding even more curious now. "I hope Ryouji-kun gets here soon, then…" She smiles to Kenishida when he comes into the area. "Hello, Kenishida-san. How are you today?" She casually puts the book in a pouch that she has and just stretches for now.
Ryouji is late, which is odd for him. He's usually not, but for once in his life, he overslept or got busy with something. He runs down the path, arms and legs pumping as he brushes by several genin walking the other way. "Excuse me!" he shouts, out of ear shot by the time he says it and zooms into the grounds skidding to a halt. He's probably really late, but not much he can do about that now.
Hiei looks up at the sky and sighs. "Well, he's pretty slow for a Reizei. I can give him his gift later." He withdraws a small box and hands it to Michiko. "I did a job a few weeks back in Suna. My payment was chakra metal. I used it to forge gifts for you guys to show my appreciation for your service to the village." If Michiko opens her box, she'll find a new set of kunai. The metal is all sparkly and new.
Next he hands Sado a box. "And for you, my student. I was impressed when I heard about how you outsmarted Team Eco. You deserve this. You've quickly become a rising star within the Yotsuki Clan. As Clan Head I will be keeping my eye on your progress." Inside his box is a pair of gloves with metal backs, very similar to the ones that Hiei wears himself. "They'll help you when you channel your lightning element into your fists. I made them myself."
Next, he takes a longer box over to Kenishida. Inside is a sword made in the same style as the one he uses. "I forged this sword out of the same metal that my previous swords are made out of. They come from a special ore that I found underneath the mountains of Kumo. This sword will never need to be sharpened, and it will never break. Be loyal to it, and it will serve you well."
As Ryouji finally arrives, he retrieves the last box. He takes a sword out of it that is housed in a sheath with a blue lightning bolt etched on the side of it. "Ryouji..you have fought by my side in situations that would be beyond a genin's skill level. You put yourself in harm's way when you saved the people at the beach during the Hitokage attack. You watched my back in our fight against the evil of Shinegakure. You were one of my first, and I am so proud of the shinobi that you've become." Hiei backs away from the Genin. "There are things coming up that we must be ready for. The Pirate threat and the Hitokage running rampant must be dealt with. That's what this training is all about. I want you to pair off. Ryouji and Sado. Kenishida and Michiko." He claps his hands. "Let's try not to send each other to the hospital, but fight with honor."
"Slow." Sado says as he points to Ryouji, a smirk on his face as he got here first before anyone. To Ken he waves, not knowing the genin by name but still remaining polite. Now that everyone was assembled, it was time to see what was in the box! As Michiko gets the first case, Sado's eyes widen. They were actually gifts! Sado was at a loss, only able to think of what he could have in store for him. Once he receives his gloves he immediately puts them on, a perfect fit. "Amazing." he says, focusing for a moment as the soft sizzle of electricity emits from him.
Michiko takes the box and opens it, probably slower than anyone else would bother. Ryouji finally appears, distracting her from her gift momentarily. "I'm glad you could make it on time, Ryouji-kun," she greets, definitely teasing him for his tardiness. Then her attention goes to opening this gift of hers, and she grins at seeing the Kunai. "Thanks a lot, Hiei-san. These are going to be useful, I'm sure." She considers the weapons and leaves them in the box for now, as her pouch is a bit full with the book.
Looking over at the bookworm he spoke and laughed "sup Michiko how you been? Catching up on some reading?" Kenishida would gaze over the back before poking it with his sword on his back…"hmph…" Opening the box a new Odachi is waiting for him…removing the one from his back he would reach and pick up the blade. Spinning around his wrist and flicking the blade a few times he sheathed it and placed it onto his back…"hmm thank you Hiei-sama…this isn't going to explode is it?" Laughing he would hold the old blade with his left hand. Scratching the back of his head he smiled and spoke "so you called us here to give us gifts…that's very nice of you…thanks again I love it." SMiling as he slowly drew his new blade from its resting placed, "got lost in the sauce Ryouji?"
Ryouji is just shamed that he was the last one arriving to the party, and late to boot. He takes the sword and saya with the lightning bolt on the side. He says, "I do not deserve such a gift, but thank you, sensei. I will use it proudly next to my other swords." For now though, he takes the sword and sets it aside and next to it a bag he's carrying. He stands back up and walks back over, giving a bow to those who would watch. "I apologize that was late. I was doing a few tasks for some village elders and got cought up with it." He sighs and nods, having dismissed his being late at this point, he smiles at Sado, "Now, what is this about beating me the next time we sparred Sado-kun?"
Hiei backs off of the training mat so that the genin can take center stage. He crosses his arms over his chest to watch them..to see how they've progressed. "You may begin when you're ready. Ryouji and Sado…and Michiko and Kenishida. Do your best." He then leaps up so that he's standing on top of one of the buildings, a bird's eye view so he can watch everything.
Again with the fist smacked into the open palm of his other hand, Sado was feeling a rush of good emotions and the ease with which chakra metal helped him. Hiei's words about the hospital were missed due to the eagerness Sado was feeling to throw down in the rematch of the century. "You might be late tomorrow too after I'm done!" he says to Ryouji, doing something he never did in their first spar, focusing chakra reserves with the help of the new gloves. A crackle of lightning goes from his gloved fists to his bicep, followed by one arcing from somewhere else every few minutes, Sado's hair waving lightly in a non existent breeze. "No holds barred, we both know how we warm up!"
Michiko steps over to a sparring ring that doesn't have Sado in it. "Of course, Kenishida-san. Catching up and then some, actually," she replies with an easy smile, focusing her chakra while she speaks. She also lightly calls over to the eager Sado, "Take it easy, Sado-kun. We don't want anyone injured too badly, now!" Casually, she tightens the knot that holds her forehead protector around her neck.
Kenishida would place the old blade onto the ground before slowly removing the new one from its sheath. Pointing it at Michiko smiled "I'm going to start if you don't mind." Gripping the blade tightly he whipped the new sword around before dashing forward and striking with a graceful and swift slash, Kenishida would make sure that he wasn't using the sharp side as he did this he then flipped the blade around and attack once more with another strike of pure art.
Ryouji makes a hand sign as he begins to focus his own chakra. He gives a warm smile at Michiko, "Don't worry, Sado-kun is tougher than you think. He can take it." He turns his gaze at Sado and smiles, "Hey, good job Sado-kun. I didn't think you had it in you. I'm impressed, guess I'll have to test you then." He rushes forward while throwing out a kunai. As the kunai passes his target, Ryouji comes out with a roundhouse punch and quick snap kick followed by a spin kick.
Sado was in the zone this time, not liking the sliver of a margin he lost by last time. To Michiko he smiles, "I got this." he says with a thumbs up, "You better watch your own back for now." he says as he sees Keni prepping. Turning back to Ryouji, Sado crouches expectantly, watching his rival for any movement, electricity still occasionally crackling over his body as it tightens and enhances his muscles. Ryouji starts with a kunai, which Sado moves out of the way of as he advances towards Ryouji, closing the distance. The roundhouse punch and kick combo that was a wall last time are broken as he weaves away from the attacks, spinning with an outstretched fist to try to strike Ryouji with the back of it before he lashes out with his left hand to the gut and finishes with an attempt at his feet with his own.
"I'm always ready, Sado-kun!" Michiko retorts. "And I don't mind, Kenishida-kun," she adds, his new sword striking a training dummy instead of the female genin. The Kunai in her hand is flung at her opponent to buy some time so she can perform a few handseals, launching two firebolts at Kenishida in rapid succession.
A smile went clear across his face as the kunai came screaming towards him the young Samurai would simply block it using his large weapon as a shield, whipping around he would try and using pure power to dodge the fireballs but get caught twice, good thing the armour was on or he might've taken a lot more damage. Shifting his weight around he would strike with the hilt of the blade at Michiko then shifting about he struck once more in a spinning manner trying to catch her on her side with the blunt side of the sword. "Those fireballs hurt…a lot."
Hiei watches from his perch on top of the building. His hands are clasped behind his back as he watches the genin fight. There is a smile on his face. He felt a great swell of pride watching them hone their craft. He could remember when they could hardly walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. Look at them now. They look like real shinobi down there. "Keep it up guys. Push it harder."
One of Ryouji's basic swords from his backs snaps into his hand and he swings it around in dizzying arcs blocking most of the attacks. He uses the flat of his sword so Sado isn't cut up from the blocking. As each connect, Ryouji's form blurs and crackles with electricity, matching his opponent's speed with his own. Each hit rings out on the Reizei's blade before the the sweep puts him down since it was so low and he was up high. He falls and feels the small smack on his leg but quickly plants his empty hand down and goes inverted, legs hanging in a 'V' in the air. Even in this position, he attacks, slashing three times at Sado's own legs with the simple straight sword in his hand. He pushes hard with his hand on the ground and flips in mid air to land on his feet. He bobs there for a second and wipes his nose, boxer style, "Fancy dancin there Sado-kun, can't do more?"
Sado comes out of Ryouji's combination strike with a small cut, much better than he would've performed in the last fight. Things were going well and Sado continued to feel amped. "We could be here all day at this rate. Let's go faster." he says as he thumbs the small drop of blood from his cut, a grin on his face. Hiei's words only spur him on to step up his game, coming at Ryouji with two low jabs to get him crunched over blocking before he would end with a powerful Lariat attack.
Hiei continues watching from his perch. Ryouji and Sado seem to be pretty evenly matched. Kenishida is having some difficulty with Michiko it seems. Hiei calls out some words of encouragement. "You're doing well, Kenishida. Michiko is a ranged fighter. You need to figure out how to deal with her." He then turns to watch Sado and Ryouji. A smile comes to his lips. Reizei vs Yotsuki. It was awesome to watch.
Michiko starts to pay less attention to Ryouji and Sado's battle, Kenishida being a bit higher priority since he's attacking her. There is more sword slashing near her, so she stamps the ground with her foot to bring up some walls of earth, effecting blocking the attacks aimed at her. Then she jumps away to send another firebolt at her sparring partner. "Would you like me to take it easy on you, then, Kenishida-san?" she asks politely, throwing some Kunai at him so she can take a breath or two.
Once again the fireball couldn't be dodged, as he rolled across the battlefield on fire before he stabbed the blade into the ground spun around grabbed the kunai out of the air and tossed it back towards her. Shifting his weight around once more he would try and do it again before the second kunai found it way between the plates. Pulling it back he tossed it onto the ground before he gripped his blade and focused it towards her…"Alright…I have to focus…" taking a couple of calming breaths he would speak softly towards her "allow me to show you something that have been passed down to me…" Dashing forward using nothing but pure strength he would slash before shifting his form around to show something that is more of the lines of offense, he moved swiftly and with grace for the second strike.
Ryouji steps back once for the first hit, clearing it nicely, but the second hits him in the gut and he coughs feeling the wind pushed out his lungs. He grits his teeth and flexes his muscles as the lariat connects his his out reached hand. It holds for a split second as he tenses his legs, but his defense crumble to the power of the kumogakure ninja's signature move. He goes flying away and is laid out on the ground for a second. He's motionless for a second and then…chuckles. He lifts his head and isn't that hurt at all. He wipes the blood from his lips and says, "That hurt this time, Sado-kun. Not bad." He leaps up to his feet and shakes an arm. "Well now, shall we get started?" He shifts his stance to one he hasn't used in this fight and disappears in a flash. Above! He looks down from a wall up on high and launches himself at Sado as he says, "Flash…." and disappears, reappearing behind Sado, "…strike…", then disappearing again, only to reappear directly above Sado finally and launching himself downward, "…combo!" He crashes at him, sword out and ready to deliver the final blow.
"LARIAT" he shouts as Ryouji tries to counter the beast of Kumogakure, hitting home this time. If anything, this is something Sado can take away from the fight. Ryouji's combination flash strike hits hard against Sado. The young Genin is frustrated as Ryouji's slashes speed up, two of them striking home hard. His frustration makes him more single-minded, charging forward, fueled with chakra enhancing his muscles as he strikes out at Ryouji, "SADO…" he shouts as he sends his right fist to the face to cause a reaction from Ryouji in order to open the lower half of his body, the second move a kick to his legs, all the while building up for the grand LARIAT to finish. "LARIAT."
Having her attacks succeed is certainly a breath of fresh air. It's nice to see that her hard work isn't for nothing! (Yes, she does do something other than read.) Michiko sees her first Kunai is flung right back at her, so she slips behind that earth barrier she made earlier. The good news: it blocks the Kunai. The bad news, it crumbles and she ends up getting hit pretty hard by his sword attack. "Oof…" she grunts, feeling the injuries. She dashes off to the best of her ability, using a quick firebolt to provide some nice distance between her and Kenishida. Then she decides to test out her latest Jutsu: Flame Bullet!
Shifting back on his backfoot he would be panting as the fireballs slamed against him before he rolled acrossed the ground, removing the head gear he shrugged his shoulders and spoke. "You win this time Michiko however next time you're going to be mine." Smiling as he stood there flicking the balde and sheathing it. "Well I should be heading out and get these burns looked at…I need to have a better defense for range fighters…"
Hiei claps his hands once. "Victor, Michiko. Kenishida, you did very well. Go see the medi-nin to get patched up." He looks at the kunoichi. "Michiko, I can tell you've been working hard under Nariko. Very good job. Take a break while we find out who is the best. The Reizei or the Yotsuki.." He smirks crossing his arms over his chest again.
Ryouji is faster than last time Sado and he met. But even flashy parries won't win against that dang lariat. With a blur of his sword, he blocks the fist and foot with speedy reizei movements. He gasps and brings the sword up, holding it with one hand on the handle, and another hand on the blade holding the flat edge on his palm. But once again, he bows to the lariat and gets clotheslined and laid out and bounced to the edge of the ring. Ryouji uses the momtimum to flip over into a three point stance. He launches himself back at Sado drawing the handle of his white sword to strike at him before drawing it fully out in a flash strike. He spins around cutting at Sado once more, finishing his movement.
"Just think, last time you were dogging on the Lariat, karma has come!" Sado calls out as he skirts around the attacks by Ryouji, narrowly dodging each of the attacks he puts out before coming back with a similar combination of attacks that let his Lariat hit before. "SADO LARIAT!" he calls out as he goes through the combination he is beginning to like using against Ryouji, even if the Reizei was fast enough to move away from the majority of his attacks. It was clear to Sado that his next training sessions were going to be focusing on another jutsu or two, now that he is toe to toe with his rival.
Michiko performs a quick heal on herself, which basically means wrapping whatever cuts she received with some cloth she always carries with her. "I will have to find a new bag of tricks to defeat you with, then, Kenishida-san!" She replies cheerfully. "That was a good match, though. Have a nice evening, please." She smiles to Hiei and offers a nod. "Thank you very much, Hiei-san." Then she settles down in her spot, only too happy to relax. She watches the fight between Ryouji and Sado with great interest.
Sado falls to the ground, fist in the air, breathing heavily. The electric charges that were coursing through his body during the fight stop as Sado looks at his fist in the air, more specifically at the glove he was given, a smile on his face. The rivalry was tied now in his mind, but tying isn't good enough for Sado. With many matches in the foreseeable future, he had much to look forward to. And suddenly, as all the training he had done in the last week since Ryouji's first spar with him finally caught up with his body, he was overcome by a wave of exhaustion and curls up, lightly snoring as he naps right on the ground of the Training Area.
Ryouji glares at Sado, how dare he improve against a Reizei! He brings a fist up to counter against the chakra powered attack and well, that was a bad idea. Ryouji screams out as his fist explodes in pain. It sizzles and smokes as the chakra burns him all the way up the arm in blue flames. He brings his hands together for a hand sign, but the other chakra attack smashes him in the face sending him sprawling. He rights himself, bringing his sword out again and this time…this time the rapid parry holds. He roars from the pain and it motivates him enough to hold the block, but it causes him to be pushed back. Pushed back or not, he holds and he sucks in a deep breath. "Well, you did good Sado." he finally says, "I think I'll call it though, pushing ourselves too far…" he shakes his head, "…not a good thing we both look terrable."
Hiei drops down from the building and claps his hands once. "That's enough. I had no idea you guys were so powerful." He walks over and ruffles Michiko. "I may be asking you to teach me some fire justu, Michiko-sensei." He winks at her, though his tone indicates that he might be serious. Moving towards Sado and Ryouji, he lays a hand on both of their heads. "Team Thunderstrike is in need of a second in command. In one week's time, Ryouji and Sado will battle for the position. Train well, boys. And if you need some training from me, you know where I live. Good spar guys. Hit the showers."
"Good fight, you two. Ryouji-kun, you need to work harder next time so you can beat Sado-kun." Michiko stands up, her wounds not bleeding anymore, though they are definitely still there. "I think I should go and heal up myself. It was nice to see your abilities again, Ryouji-kun." She would offer the same words to Sado, except he's passed out in the training center. Hiei then ruffles her hair, which she doesn't bother fixing due to some surprise. "Ah, if you would like to do so, then I would be happy to help. Just make sure it's alright with Nariko-sensei so we can work out a schedule of sorts." She offers a slight bow to the older Yotsuki. "I'll see you later, Hiei-san." Michiko then leaves the area after collecting her things.
Ryouji is actually shocked by this, seeing Sado passed out and he's still standing. Ryouji points to Sado sleeping on the ground, mouth agape and silent, then points to himself while looking at Hiei. Finally he says, "Are you serious, Hiei-sensei? Sado-kun is passed out on the ground and I'm still standing…" and then he himself hits the ground as well. His blur II hits its limit and he crumples right next to sado in a painful twitching slumber.
