Starring:
Kazuki, Hoiishime, Setsiro, Maia
Date: July 30, 2010
Summary:
KAZUKI AND HOIISHIME CHALLENGE SETSIRO ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP AND MAIA SHOWS UP WHILE PASSING THROUGH ON PATROL DUTY!
"SURVIVAL MODE TRAINING"
MOUNTAIN PEAK
Gray skies covered the mountains of Kumo, the wind blowing slightly, Kazuki stands on the mountain peak with jacket hanging open, looking out over the bridges with a certain kind of intent on his expression.
And what was Hoiishime doing? Well, with a certain smile on his face, he had been journeying back to village, a large bundling of herbs, and seeds being upon his shoulder, as he would press his way down on of the higher paths toward the outside boundaries. He would make his way down the roads just near where the village had been, wondering indeed whether or not he would encounter any along this road. It had been a while since he had really encountered any person other than the swordstress from the lake. The days had seemed long, and with his own assignments from back at the hospital needing to be done, the ninja monk, had been left the lake, in order to finish his job.
Perhaps the journey would bring him to familiar faces this day, as he would soon see Kazuki, staring off into what had been a hanging and boundless sky. He would look to the boy, and then stand beside him, dropping the bundle that he had lugging around all day, and when he would inhale deep the breath that had been so fresh in these mountains, he would then smile and say, "Perfect place for tinkin, ain't it. Though with dat look in ya eye, it be seemin anotha idea be a foot." He would look to Kazuki in curiousity. After all, it wasn't like he was around the Yamayuki enough to be able to know just what he had been thinking on a normal basis.
Setsiro landed heavily from a long drop from a much higher peak, her legs nearly creaking as she tensed them to compensate for the weight of her fall. She looked up, the perch she'd been on many times higher than her diminutive 5'2 height. She grimaced, slightly, at the amount of noise she had when reaching the ground, but at that height and speed, even she could only do so much.
She turned, and noticed the two genin a few hundred yards away. She had come up there for meditation. The cold made it easier to turn her mind from her body and remove all extraneous thoughts, and so to think on the problems of her future. Then she began walking towards the two, gliding smoothly across crumbling rock and uneven surface, moving deceptively swift in her absent mindedness.
Kazuki turns towards Hoiishime upon his arrival "Hey, Hoiishime-san." He says in a relaxed tone. "Thinking, huh?" Turning back to the view, he points out over the Land of Lightning. "Yeah, also I came out here to do some training." A nod and he leans back with a chuckle. Training a bit more now that people were pushing him, only with a bit of peer pressure and threats perhaps. Now that Setsiro was here he looked up to greet her with a bow. "Yo." There was a few Kumo ninjas here, perhaps things could get exciting, he lets out a chuckle "This could be fun!" Looking up to the top of the cliff where she jumped from, she had the skills to help with training out here in the mountains.
"Hmmm.. be soundin what I be doin da past few days. Perhaps if ya had somethin stronga to train against, den mayb-…" Hoiishime would be cut off, by a feeling. Then Kazuki would have noticed what he hadn't completely noticed himself. Setsiro. He would look to thw woman, and smile saying, "Oh? Ya be way out here, eh, Setsiro-sempai? I tink ya just granted a wish by Kazuki-san." He would walk toward the woman, and say, "He was just mentionin some ting about trainin. I tink since we be already talkin about it, dat perhaps, me and you, and Kazu-san, could probably do alittle."
As he would talk, Setsiro would probably see the eagerness in his eyes, the boy begining to slowly get into a ready stance, partially mixed for combat, not really predicatable when it came to what it had been mostly used for. "I tink ya might be alittle strong for me and Kazuki both, but maybe again, we might be both together, a challenge for ya." Hoiishime, in the meantime, would have summon alittle chakra, knowing well that something would happen from this.
Setsiro came to a stop some twenty, maybe thirty feet away, listening. As she saw Hoiishime take a ready stance, she lost her absent mindedness and gave a wan smile. She spoke then, saying, "Well… It seems like there is little choice. I would be happy to oblige you two."
She lossened her sheathes in her belt and bowed to the two, saying, "Greetings, Kazuki-san, Hoiishime-san. I… suppose I will be your training instructor for today. It would help me keep my mind off of a few things." A grin flashed at Kazuki, "And yes… I can't help but think it'll be a little fun, as well."
She seemed just as eager to get started as Hoiishime, though there was no one fact that said so. "Come at me, at your leisure."
"Hai!" Barks Kaz in a light tone. A smirk. The mountains were a treacherous place for a battle, and he didn't exactly know Setsiro's abilities. He and Hoiishime could be a strong team, and this was the fun kind of training in his opinion. Jumping back with a hand seal he skids to the edge and looks up at Hoii and Setsiro with eyes transformed into the Nejigan, black and white pupils in the form of a spiral. The kekkei genkai gave him an enhanced vision and perception, allowing him to perceive the sound waves of the things around him better able to move with balance, an ability that lets him to adapt to the setting, in this case the mountain environment and make the most use out of it.
With Kazuki's enthusiasm seeming to feed his own, as well as the appearance of Nejigan into the fray, Hoiishime would laugh, as if he had already won something. He would look to the woman they now faced, and smile, as he would drop back on to one leg, and inhale a deep breath. As he would inhale, muscles would buldge upon his body, his linky and short physiques seeming to show of something much more decieving. He would then exhaled, slowly and gradually, his body seeming to slowly sway as he stood, loosening, and relaxing, as he would mimic the grace of a tree blowing in a gentle breeze.
As he would look to Setsiro, Hoiishime, would be the first to move, rushing in low, not even seeming to run, but, making his way toward the Reizei, in a forward slide. He would then hop, his bodies forward momentum, causing to still move toward the woman, even airborn, as he would outstretch his right arm, and seek to clothesline her.
"Enthusiastic," murmured Setsiro at the sight of the two preparing themselves. She sent a particular glance at Hoiishime and his oddly appealing manner of balance. "Very good," said the Reizei as he flew at her. "I like this."
She twisted to a bit, pushing at the boy's arm so that it bent at the elbow. It was with a quick spin and a shove that Hoiishime moved past her, the clotheslining arm twisted up behind his back where it would have stayed had she held on. She looked expectantly at Kazuki.
As Hoiishime would feel himself being grappled, it would be an odd surprise indeed. It had been a standard armbar, one that was often part of nonviolent restriction that any officer of Kumogakure would be taught, even at student level. But the effectiveness of this one. He truly would feel the strength of the girl with just one twist. But their was where the surprise would end. After all, Hoiishime was a grappler, and with most situations like this, all was needed was either alittle flexiblity, or alittle power. Setsiro would feel her feet leave the ground, as Hoiishime would bring his right off back, and with his free arm, he would grab her right leg, and yank upward, aiming to push all his weight back, on both his restricted arm, and herself. The weight of the two falling back, would probably be enough to inflict the needed, infliction Hoiishime had been going for.
Setsiro let out a small sound of surprise as she felt her arm suddenly tense and her leg get taken out from under her. She grimaced and pushed off with the other, purposefully putting both she and Hoiishime airborn. A speedy twist and a mild contortion slipped her from the groundless grappler's grip and she put her hand on the ground, lashing out with a foot to send the boy sailing away from her. It wouldn't do any damage, and from what she saw, he was good enough with his body that he could twist himself in a landing.
And so, she arched her back and put her legs on the ground. The smile she gave him held respect and approval both. "Again."
It was funny the way things seemed to go Hoiishime way, even though his counter, hadn't been successful. The fact that even now she would have reacted in surprise, let Hoiishime know, that the Shime Style, was still just as effective at freeing someone, as evven powering out of such a restriction. He would feel himself flow upward, the leg strength the woman possessed being enough to keep she and her from falling faster, but would it be enough to keep her from hitting ground zero? With himself being thrown away, and Setsiro body contortions being helped as she would resist, Hoiishime, would find himself flying at high speeds, only to stabilize himself with a somersault, landing in a hard crouch, and then restancing with a smile.
"Eeeeee.. I see ya be liking dat one.", would be said by the monk, as he would then nod at the order, and with that, he would sail in, spear handed pokes being put into the woman's thighs, and upper knee, grounding her, before he would soon lunge a shoulder into the woman's stomach. From their, Setsiro, would feel herself leaving the ground, again, as the lift would turn into a firemans carry, then an over the shoulder toss, attempting once again, to slam her onto the back.
Setsiro's smile broadened at the grapplers remark. "Indeed, I did."
And then, he was speeding her direction. Her legs moved in swift sweeps, sliding backwards and spraying pebbles and loose stone away from her firm movements. But, despite her obvious agility, she was taken anyways by the shoulder lunge, tensing her stomach to avoid losing her wind against thte strong boy's maneuver. She had to wait very little time before she she wound her hands under Hoiishime's arms when he attempted to dislodge her. Instead, as she moved over, she tensed her stomach and arm muscles again and curled in on herself, using momentum as the source of leverage so that when she pulled, Hoiishime flew over her. She kept the spin going, turning her fall into a front flip and slamming the monk's shoulder into the ground, though it was nothing that would cripple. A decent bruise, maybe.
"You movements speak too loudly; You need a lighter touch. Again."
This woman's movements. Hoiishime, had been learning quite alot from them. True, he had been using quite a bit of brawn as he would move to toss, and slam, and bring the woman into the ground beneath, but in the end, she had been right. He had been lacking, the finesse that the style he had been a user of, demanded, in order to make perfect. His face would be one of total surprise as the woman he know sparred seeming to actually take on every bit of the fight he had, pushing into her hard as she can. But then again, his attempts to trip her up, had been hardly enough to get her to free long enough to make her a target. But the monk mednin, would have no idea how much he needed those attempts to succeed, unto he would find himself, being tossed over the woman, and then then spun, and then, slammed shoulder first into the ground.
But what she though had been merely a minor bruise for Hoiishime, would be actually given away, as something more. A squishy pop, would come from the impact, as Hoiishime would grunt, his body freezing from pain for a moment. His legs, would be whipped around, bringing him up to his feet, as his arm would hand loosely, seeming to have no feeling in it. But the monks face would say something else. He would stand, and if anyone had notice his shoulder had been contorted, popped out of place, he would stop them with, "It be fine!! Stay back.", before he would stand to his full height with a smile. With that the monk would make a deep exhale, as gold lines, would stream up from the tops of his hands, and up his arms. The same would make its way from up the tops of his feet, and up his legs, then up his belly, and chest, and back and neck, both front back. before long, a solid gold line would have been glowing, up his face, and chin, and forehead, and when his eyes had been opened, they would glow bright gold with chakra!
Then something even funnier would happen. His arm and shoulder would began to glow brightly, with healing chakra. Before long, all on its own, the shoulder's bruising would heal first, disappearing to nothing, before then, the shoulder would seem to move itself, popping once again, and squishing with contortion, to move back into its socket. Hoiishime would roll it and smile, as he would say, "I be sure to be more silent next time, mon.", this of course saying with a voice, godlike, and seemingly holy, booming from his mouth, and filling the peaks with something betraying great power.
Kazuki snickers, it was an entertaining spar to watch, he let Hoiishime exert energy and spar with Setsiro while he watched. He knew that Hoii was a strong ninja with taijutsu and ninjutsu skills, but never ceased to be surprised by the monk when he activated the golden jutsu. When Hoii spoke Kaz could tell the power was strong as it sent sound vibrations across the area, bouncing off the mountains, over the landscape.
Using the sight of Nejigan he watched Setsiro's moves as his perception of sound gave him a better sense of analysis. He could tell she was skilled with taijutsu, yet he was a ranged fighter, and he wondered what she might have in store for him. Expression turning from a smirk to concentration.
Finding an opening he makes a hand seal: Tiger, and a crackling of small sound explosions burst near Setsiro, sending vibrations to hit her with deafening noise. Leaping and cartwheeling to land on a wooden bridge post.
Pausing for a moment, and smiling, as Setsiro would cover her obvious surprise with her return comment. He would smile, but then the smile would soon disappear into one of bewilderment at the blast od waves and sound that would pass him, on the way to Setsiro. Even in his holy state, Hoiishime would seem to jawdrop, then sweatdrop, for in his moment, he had totally forgotten that Kazuki, had been waiting around. He would sigh, and scratch the back of his neck. As he would then say, "Aye.. I suppose it be ya turn right now then. I tink I'm go just watch a moment. I mean, after all, I do be havin the spotlight for a while." He would then smile, and sit back for a moment, just to watch things unfoil. Afterall, he never knew that a team spar, would end up turning into alternating one on one's… but hey.. thats why lifes funny.
Setsiro's body suddenly loosened as the explosions of sound tipping her off to Kazuki's first move. She took her eyes from the glowing genin just long enough to catch each blurred spot, the speed it was going, and the exact direction. She strafed from left to right, feet seeming to skim the ground as she avoided each blast, waiting for Hoiishime to take advantage of having a sudden partner. But, it appeared he had decided that it was time to step down, and let Kazuki have his turn.
And so, she nodded to him, and turned her full attention to the sound manipulating boy. Her hands flashed through hand seals and she flicked her wrist in the Yamayuki's vague direction. Lightning struck, not even getting close to him. Instead, it tore across the mountain wall sitting above the bridge he was perched on, sending stone pelting down at Kazuki.
When the lightning bolt struck Kaz thought it was coming for him, but he was quick on his toes to evade the rock as the clone standing on the bridge post poofs. The real Kaz is seen running on the hand rope about 40 yards down the 120 yard bridge. Turning to pause and hand sealing while the other hand reaches in coat pocket for a kunai. A sound blast speeds towards Setsiro as he secretly throws the knife shortly after. It was a deadly drop under the bridge, but Kaz didn't seem concerned. The young Yamayuki couldn't use the kinobori tree walking technique but he was confident in is balance, and was learning a lot training with the Nejigan.
Phew! Now that she's not being randomly attacked, Maia can actually enter the scene. She was on patrol as usual, her eyes dilated in the shape of a three armed spiral as she was looking around. The disruption in the air noted that there was something going on, especially from the sound-blasts of her clanmate. Wincing a little and ready for trouble, she started heading towards the action, focusing her vision to see through the various trees in the way until she saw the pair squaring off. She rushed and scrunched her nose forming a seal to ready her chakra and took a deep breath as she pursed her lips and headed on over…
Setsiro slipped around the sound blast as thoughit had been a single person in a crowd, moving just to the side, turning sideways to avoid jostling. As she spun back towards Kazuki, her sheathed weapon flashed up and swept the kunai up away from her. "Good. But that kunai can be countered by swift reflexes. Try to learn your enemy — You've watched me move enough during Hoiishime-san's turn. Try and anticipate the movement I'm going to make and throw for a blindspot."
It was then that she saw Maia at the genin's back and looked at her. "Again."
Kaz grins and says "Hai!" This was training, though it still didn't seem to follow orders. He wasn't sure how to go for a blind spot on Setsiro because of her advanced skill level and reflexes. Setsiro might not have known Kazuki's style, he used sound explosions in tricky ways but preferred the method of 'shock and awe'. His hand slips into a jacket pocket and he launches a kunai with an exploding tag at Setsiro. Raising a hand seal the tag explodes and he manipulates the sound of the blast to increase the range. He thought that even if she could dodge the explosion she might not be able to get out of range of the sound vibrations quick enough.
Maia approached and raised her brows as she watched the sound once more. It was an interesting technique and she just crossed her arms over her chest as she pursed her lips and continued to watch. "Having fun, Kazuki?" she asks curiously.
The sheathed weapon served as a baton once more as the Reizei batted it neatly from the path. She had noticed the tag as it flew through the air twoards her, and so, even as she swept her sheathe at it, she was spinning, turning the move into a pivot so that she could take a small hop away, avoiding the blast.
Her eyes widened, marginally, as realization struck, and the sound, amplified past anything the regular blast should have made slammed into her. Her arms brought in front of her body did, of course, nothing to mitigate its effect. She suddenly found that her balance was threatened, and so, she held herself preternaturally still, closing eyes that refused to focus regardless. "Pleasure at his ingenuity seeped into her voice, as well as a sense of congratulation, "Very good, Kazuki-kun. Brilliant method of cloaking your intent. I hope that you realize all the ways that this will aid you." Before. she had been moving just enough to avoid damage, with no room left over. Now, whenever he used an explosive tag, at least, she would have to make her evasion clear and drastic, to avoid having this done to her again.
"Now attack; take advtange of my situation." The ringing in her ears was already falling silent, and she opened her eyes, her vision becoming less blurry. "If you are not busy, perhaps you would like to join us?" She was obviously speaking to Maia.
Kazuki seems surprised to see Maia as he was in the midst of a spar. He was kind of caught trying to explode another Kumo ninja and he laughs off her remark, and with a shrug he was, in fact having fun.
He watches Setsiro's reaction to his attack and he realizes that his intention to catch her with the sound blast from the exploding tag, and his eyes widen. '…Realize how this will aid me.' A nod after he gives it a moment of thought making a point to commit it to memory.
Taking a quick look back at Maia, he decides to proceed with his attack, reaching into his pouch to launch a hand full of senbon at Setsiro.
Should she join? She was looking and raises her brows furrowing her brows while crossing her arms over her chest as she looks towards the two. "Perhaps I might join the both of you. Perhaps the both of you against me for a few rounds?" she muses as she continues to watch, idly running her fingers through her hair.
Setsiro tensed the whole of her body, watching the senbon come towards her, knowing she would not be able to avoid it in her state, fast though it was wearing off. "I would rather if you joined KAzuki. It is interesting, the tactics that can be made with sound." The senbon began to thud into her, though some of them simply bounced off her prepared muscle and none pierced very deeply. "I'm looking for something of a workout. I would appreciate if the odds were stacked against me rather than for."
A simple sweep of her arms, and the few senbon that had hit hard enough to stay in her slipped out and fell to the ground. She ran through several hands seals and looked at Kazuki. "Find me."
Lightning shot from her fingers once more, shooting all around the area, throwing dust and grit into the air, charging it with energy. A cloud lifted high and covered her and Kazuki both. This high up the mountain, it would not long last the wind, but for as long as it did…
Kaz pulled a successful jutsu but when Setsiro got up, he knew that he would have to be ready for anything, and it was not unexpected when lightning came from the sky, though it came down strong and there was a lot of it, a good distraction. When he looked back at Setsiro she was gone. Scrunching his nose "Maia-san." He takes a quick breather "I'll find her, but I think she wants to fight you." he says pointing.
Kneeling and putting his hands together for a seal, Kazuki concentrates, looking and listening for Setsiro, but he couldn't find her "She is good.." He mentions to Maia.
Her brows raise a little as she lets out a soft chuckle escape from her lips and grins the entire time while she looks towards Kazuki. "It's not hard to find her at all. She's that way.." Maia replies after the little bit of echolocation and takes a deep breath as she pulls out two sheets of paper with two seals already formed of them, grinning the entire time.
"And there you go!" she says, throwing towards the chuunin.
Setsiro frowned a bit as she was pointed out. 'A mistake,' she thought to herself. 'You have spent far too long with luxury, Setsiro.' She sent a glance to Kazuki, who was in view, and slid away from the thrown seals, avoiding both with easy, swift steps. In return, she swung her sheathe at Maia, a kunai flying from it to attempt to strike the Yamayuki in the collarbone. She gave Kazuki another look before she ducked behind a boulder, and made a second attempt at eluding discovery.
Kazuki watches the exchange between Maia and Setsiro, the tags evaded, and thought Maia needed to think quick but catches Setsiro's eye before she darts out of view. Still crouching in place he listened for her, but it was taking too much time. His brow tenses he was already sweating, in fact he looked like he could pass out any moment. He felt like it too, letting out a tired moan he lays down yawning and stretches.
The kunai was thrown and it hit the young kunoichi square in the shoulder as she winces a little. She was slow, but she wasn't taking it seriously. Still, fighting wasn't actually her main expertise and she grinned as she pointed in Setsiro's direction once more. "You are aware that I'm one of the premiere sensor nin of Kumogakure, if not /THE/ sensor nin of our village. There's no place you can hide from me."
"I know. That may be part of why this excercise is not for you," said Setsiro frankly, the outline of a grin on her face. She had just exited a fold on the wall by the bridge Kazuki was at and she kicked a small pebble in his direction. "A little hard to fight while lying down and yawning, isn't it, Kazuki? I believe you may have misinterpreted my look," was said dryly.
Kazuki looks at Maia's wound 'Ouch, right in the shoulder' he sits up looking at them with eyes in a normal state "I'm sorry, Setsiro-san." He used a lot of chakra for his attacks and his kekkei genkai, and was actually feeling fatigued. "Maia is an expert…But she can also take a hit" He chuckles childishly at her expense.
"Well, Kazuki knows that fighting isn't my forte." she says with a hearty laugh. She doesn't take things seriously after all unless it's someone from an opposing village or if her life is on the line, and she smiles casually towards the pair. She's a laid back kunoichi afterall.
"And you'll get better, Kazuki. Eventually, you'll develop eyes like mine." she says pointing to her own. "Then solids will no longer be a barrier considering that sound travels through them." she explains matter of factly.
"Ah," said Setsiro with a nod, the small woman pushing her hair from her face. "My apologies. I hadn't put much thought to how tired you may have been; especially after making your way this high up in the first place." She looked to Maia as she spoke before looking down to Kazuki. "Tell me, please. Once you aquire the skill for a more powerful version of your Dojutsu, is it possible for you use a lesser version?"
She turned to look to Maia, then, and inclined her head in a greeting she had not given before. "Would you like to continue, Maya-kun?"
"I do not believe you can. People normally spend years just trying to master the dojutsu, trying to unlock its secrets." Maia explains matter of factly as she takes a deep breath and yawns, stretching her arms into the air. "Perhaps another time, I am on patrol duty so I'm wandering the borders before I go and report to the Raikage." Considering her status, she's pretty much the right hand woman at this point.
Setsiro nods, her body tensing up as she lost her readiness for battle. "I see. Then I will be taking my leave, now." Nothing left for her, here, now. She would have to return home and get a real workout from her father, if she didn't get a challenge on the way home, which, oddly enough, happens a lot. Hopefully, she could make it home before her thoughts turned brooding.
"Are you going to stay here, Kazuki-kun? I have to find my training, now, and I will be heading into Kumogakure."
Kaz nodded at Maia she was already a jounin and of course she was busy. He got a lot of good training in but was wiped out. "Good luck, Maia-chan!" He says with a wave. "Phew!" wiping the sweat off his head with a long breath out. "I guess I can walk back to the village with you, going to bed sounds good." Getting up and beginning on his way "How can you use so much chakra, Setsiro-san?" He asks curiously. It was important for him to learn, being a ninjutsuist with aspirations to use strong jutsu.
A faintly grateful smile found a place on Setsiro's smile at the last question as they walked down the mountain, allowing her mindset to change to a teacher's. "If you notice, I actually used very little chakra. I don't hesitate to utilize ninjutsu, but I am still Reizei, and the sword is where much of my strength lies…" She paused.
"That said… There are numerous things that can be done to help. One thing that is important is to always think. Utilize your creativity. Seek an alternate method of achieving your actions that minimalize the amount of effort it will take to do so."
She simply continued talking, thoughts coming out as she took a small leap, avoiding an hidden suture of weak stone. "Recall how I used a weak Raiton ninjutsu to throw a thick cloud of dust and dirt into the air. I knew it was not powerful, but what it was was fast, with the ability to move air, and a latent energy. It would have taken much more chakra to utilize a Fuuton jutsu that would have the strength to move that much air as quickly as I had wanted. That increase chakra efficiency, but not quite what you're asking."
"Increasing your chakra provisions is another matter. Chakra is a muscle, just like the mass of your arm or back. Your body adapts. If you find yourself constantly using chakra, it will adapt so that you have a bigger pool to draw from, same as if you exhaust your arms, you will eventually build muscle. And it helps to avoid neglecting the physical as well as the ethereal. Pure and copious chakra is the goal, and it must have a suitable container to hold it."
Kaz listens to Setsiro and nods "I noticed your use of the sword, and it was the first time I ever fought against a Rezei, I learned a lot." A squinting smile towards Setsiro, he had a lot of work to do but he was determined to beat her in a battle one day. But he remembered what she said to him about building chakra, it lead back to one thing "Training." The word escapes his lips and he lets out a disturbed moan. Resting his head in his hands he continues down the mountain, his desires on the tip of his mind; dumplings, bed.
