Weight Lifting of the Champions

Today was another day closer to becoming a Jounin. The exams were soon so he knew he had to train. The young Shinobi teenager wandered off into a small grassy field next to a waterfall pouring into a lake. The scenery was beautiful. His green eyes looked upward while his short black hair blew in the wind. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky on this warm and sunny summer day. Brandon had decided it was time to begin weight training. Soran had given him these weights whenever the two split up about three years ago. This would be the first time Brandon had attempted this in several months. The teen placed the four, five hundred pound weights on the ground in front of him and sat down. Each one resembling black sweatbands for the wrists and ankles. All together this would teach the user how to manage carrying a ton around.

Brandon looked down at the weights and sighed as he placed each ones on his wrists and ankles. He lifted the legs of the sweatpants and placed it on his ankles then slid the other two on his wrists. These usually went over the shoulders, but Brandon didn’t bring his melody arms with him to train. His previous encounter with a Shinobi in Kitai city had caused the teen to become paralyzed and stomped on due to his lack of speed. The teenage Shinobi knew he had to become faster. Luckily, that was what these weights were intended for. Brandon was wearing a black T-Shirt and his sweat pants. As always, Brandon made sure to also wear the same type of black sneakers with stone-made soles placed at the bottom for his Seismic Sense ability to work properly. He finished off his attire by placing Soran's dark black blindfold over his forehead like a headband. He knew his Master was most likely dead, but this way he would always have his master by his side.

The teen immediately began to work out and train his body by punching the stone wall next to the waterfall with his bare fists. The teen also did not bring his guitar with him. He knew he would be distracted easily if he had the opportunity to slack off and play music. That was one of his flaws. He loved music so much that it always seemed to distract him when he tells himself he wants to constantly train.

Besides, Brandon had already determined that he was not going to bring his melody arms or his shredding solo guitar to the Jounin exams. The teen wanted to hone his abilities to the maximum without the crutch of his special items. He knew he couldn’t always rely on those kind of things. If he needed the help of a weapon to win a tournament, he felt as though he wouldn’t deserve the rank of Jounin like his friend Gin had been able to achieve. Brandon kept punching the stones harder and faster without feeling any pain. He had grown up practicing punching iron wood trees, so this wouldn’t harm his fists too badly. He then washed his fists off in the waterfall.

Suddenly his seismic sense detected somebody approaching. The teen suddenly became alert and turned to face the general direction this newcomer was approaching from. It appeared to be tiny footsteps approaching. Like that of a child coming from the distance into this beautiful training ground Brandon was now in.

Taeyeon looked down at her ninja shoes as she walked, toes flexing in and out as her tiny feet were still getting used to the weighted soles.  Training with weights on was anything but new to the little girl.  Perhaps it was one of the reasons she progressed so fast despite her age.  Not many ninja were as strong as she had become, let alone while still so very young.  Most people her age were still practicing basic techniques at the academy.  Learning rudimentary skills and how to punch and kick at training dummies without hurting themselves.  But not Taeyeon.  While other eleven year olds were busy practicing how to walk on water or climb trees with their feet, here she was, a full ton strapped to each limb, ready to train and to hone her already masterful taijutsu.  She was a prodigy if there ever was one, and her insatiable hunger for self-improvement was far from being satisfied.

Raising her gaze, she looked around as she walked through the grassy plain.  The area was certainly pretty enough.  The clear sunny skies cast a wonderful mood around the plains, bringing a suitably cheerful smile to the young girl’s face.  While the desert life certainly did little to bother her, it was refreshing to be surrounded by so much color every now and then.  There were few flowers to be had in the land of Suna.  But this place was different.  It felt so vibrant and alive.  The kunoichi’s pace would quicken as she lightly leapt off of one foot, then the other, skipping through the grassy knoll, as innocent as a child could be.

As she approached the hill that overlooked a nearby lake, a steady booming would reach her ears.  Though her eyes wouldn’t be able to tell just yet, it was a sound she had grown very familiar with.  It was a sound she herself often caused, during her few short but dedicated years of training.  There was no mistaking it.  Someone was punching a wall nearby.  It would seem she wasn’t the only one that had thought this to be a perfect venue to train.  The child smiled at the idea.  Oh, goody!  A playmate!  She continued to skip along towards the apex of the hill, and towards the source of all the noise.

“All around the city streets~!”  The girl’s voice rang sweet as a lute as she sang, arms swinging casually through the air, the thousand pound weights hidden along her loose magenta sleeves.   “The kage chased the baaaandit~!”  The gentle breeze tossed her raven ponytail to and fro, legs skipping along with the melody.   “The kage threw an exploding tag~!”  Violet eyes noticed a teenaged boy standing by a waterfall.  Undoubtedly the maker of the earlier disturbance.  Taeyeon smiled.   “Pop! Goes the baaaandit~!”  She skipped down the hill towards his direction.

As she came within a few meters of the stranger, her skipping would come to a halt.  Tilting her head to the side, she gave him a cheerfully inquisitive look.  “Hiya!  Whatcha doing?”  Her gaze then moved to the wall behind him.  It was subtle, but her trained eyes could spot the indentations along the side of the solid stone where his fists had made contact.  She smiled.  The older boy had some strength to him.  True enough that she could have annihilated that same wall with relative ease, but she was an anomaly.  Rare was her incredible strength, and to even come across someone that came remotely close was far past uncommon.  Only a trained taijutsu practitioner had the will to use such a material as a training dummy for their fists.  At least training with this boy wouldn’t be a waste of time.

Her childish stare would return to the green-eyed boy.  “So, you a ninja or something?”  She would ask, though she already knew the answer.  It was the answer to the following question that she was truly interested in.  “If so, wanna spar?  I’m stronger than I look!”  She flexed one arm as if to prove the point, though her tiny body gave little if any hint to her physical prowess.  Even if the boy were to believe she were a shinobi, she looked no more intimidating than a genin, if even that much.  The smile would never leave the child’s face.  She wasn’t about to reveal her true power, but even holding back, with the weights attached to her limbs, even the most basic of training was bound to benefit her.  Just the simple act of skipping over a hill was enough to let her body know that these weights were working their magic.

Her innocent eyes simply looked up at the boy with a naïve purity about them, as she awaited his response to her challenge.

His seismic sense became more vivid as the small figure approached. Oncewhat seemed to be a child approached from behind a hill, Brandon would be able to make out what was coming his way. A small purple eyed girl with dark black hair came frolicking from over the hill while singing a surprisingly adorable jingle that children used to sing all the time when he was a child. However, he hadn't heard it in such a long time he had almost forgotten the words. But who was this girl? Why was she out here all alone? Was she a Shinobi or simply a lost little girl?

The girl stopped skipping and tilted her head at the teenage Chuunin. Upon further examination she had long sleeves and Taijutsu wraps around her forearms and knuckles. Soundbyte tilted his head along with the girl while she appeared to be examining him as well. “Hiya!  Whatcha doing?”  Her gaze then moved to the wall behind him. Brandon merely smiled at the young girl. “Training for the big day, the Jounin exams are next week and I have to be ready if I hope to compete with the other Chuunin of Kitai.” He responded in a friendly tone.

“So, you a ninja or something?”  She then asked. Brandon nodded his head as a response, “Mmhm!” Brandon began to let out before the seemingly hyperactive girl cut him off to speak “If so, wanna spar?  I’m stronger than I look!”  She interrupted as she flexed one arm as if to prove the point, though her tiny body gave little if any hint to her physical prowess. Brandon raised an eyebrow. She certainly had the look of a fighter. But she seemed awfully young to be at his level. But if it was one thing Brandon was always taught, it was never to underestimate somebody by their appearance. Hell, Soran posed as a helpless blind man when he in fact had his Byakugan with thim at all times, not to mention his seismic sense. There was something more to this girl, he could feel it.

She looked pretty enthusiastic about challenging the young sound user. But this was a perfect chance to get some exercise with the weights he was using. Even if his training partner was a little girl. “Well, aren’t you the cutest little Genin?” Brandon smiled in an almost taunting fashion. He decided to humor the girl by pretending he was talking to a helpless child while at the same time, keeping a close eye on her. There was no telling what she was capable of. But either way, she seemed to show him no harmful intent.

“Alright, I’ll train with you.” Brandon stated while putting up a defensive combat stance, “But I hope you don’t mind, I would rather not use any ninja tools or Ninjutsu during this spar between the two of us. Sorry if that’s a problem, I would rather we just use our hands and feet in just a battle between Taijutsu. Ya’know, something to keep things simple.” Brandon explained. He planned to go easy on this young girl, but he knew better than to let it go too far where the girl would obtain the upper hand in combat. The young teen kept his guard up while standing in a combat stance where his fists were up and his legs were spread.

Brandon then converted one fist to a hand and motioned for the girl to attack with his fingers as if to say "Bring it". "C'mon, let's see what you got!" Brandon stated excitedly while turning that hand back into a fist and preparing for anything the girl may use to attack him.

The violet-eyed child smiled up at the boy as he accepted her challenge.  He would enter into a defensive stance.  Makes sense.  Only a ninja proficient in the art of taijutsu would be subjugating his fists to such severe training.  Which is why Taeyeon wasn’t surprised by his stipulations regarding the use of external devices, tools and ninjutsu.  Not that it mattered.  She never used them, herself.  Wannabe samurai often bragged about how a sword was but an extension of one’s body.  Justification for cowardice, straight out of the cowards’ mouths, the girl had always thought.  A true fighter needed nothing but their own flesh and bone.  A battle between warriors was an art form, and they the artists.  It was a thing of beauty.  Personal and intimate.  It perverted the very spirit of competition if one needed to rely on the aide of an inanimate object to win.  Besides, while it took an abundance of dedication and hard work, Taeyeon had already forged her fists and feet to be far deadlier than any blade.  Something the older boy before her eyes may find out, one day.

But today, it was merely training.  To him, her lethal hands were little more than the balled up fists of a child.  Her masterfully trained feet capable of nothing but the awkward shuffling of an unlearned pupil.  He wouldn’t see the artist before him.  No, to him, she was just a kid.  A feisty little genin looking to prove herself a big girl.  Taeyeon certainly looked the part, her innocent smile and disarming gaze enough to fool the sharpest of men.  “Teehee, okay!” she would say, no stranger to this charade.  In truth, she did find no small amount of entertainment, playing this game of pretend.  While her talent was undeniable, she truly was a child at heart, and no trace of guilty conscience would be found within her young mind.  There was no harm in playing make-believe, and that was all that this was.  It was her game.  May as well have fun with it.

And so, when his two fingers beckoned her with a challenge, the girl giggled in response.  She entered into an aggressive stance.  Too aggressive, her true self would have realized.  It projected one’s intent far too much, and offered little in practical defense.  Nothing to be used in seriousness by any half-way capable fighter.  But for a genin rookie, it may well have been enough.  “Ready or not, here I come!”  The first flurry of punches she would send were fast for someone her age.  Perhaps they may even be mistaken as relatively skillful.  But they packed little power, and even less precision.  While they were each aimed in the general direction of the boy’s torso, the kunoichi purposefully avoided any of the more vulnerable sections of the body.  Pressure points.  Susceptible joints.  Critical muscle groupings.  Taeyeon was familiar with them all, but her ‘opponent’ needn’t know the true measure of her expertise.  A genin throws punches haphazardly, and so she did.  She wouldn’t be surprised if he blocked or dodged every one, and in fact, would probably have been disappointed if he didn’t.

After the quick barrage of fists, the girl pulled back before jumping forward with an upwards stroke of her left foot.  She would give the impression that she was aiming directly for the man’s chest, but her aim was off, instead heading for the outside of his shoulder.  Another easy enough attack to avoid by anyone worth their salt.  Once finished, she backed up once more, pulling her right hand back as if in preparation for a killer attack.  Her eyebrows would furrow, her teeth clenched in mock fury, her eyes narrowed as she pretended to be gathering a huge concentration of chakra in her fist.  “Falconnnn….”  She threw her arm forward, aiming her fist towards the boy.  “PUUUUUUUUNCHHHHHH!!!!!”  Had she been using her actual strength, the blow would have been enough to blast the poor boy backwards with alarming velocity, the force sending him through the solid stone wall of the waterfall’s base.  Awesome destructive power, more than was necessary to kill a full grown man.

As it stands, this punch had almost no strength behind its impressive appearance.  Should it connect, it wouldn’t do more than impact the boy’s leg with a soft ‘thud’, not even enough to form the tiniest of bruises.  Taeyeon would stand there for a moment, her body frozen in motion, her fist pressed completely harmlessly against the lad’s thigh in an awkward pause.  The epitome of an anti-climactic freeze frame.

Alternatively, if he dodged it, Taeyeon’s eyes would widen as the momentum carried her body forward.  Tiny arms would wave at her sides, one leg lifted behind her, waving in the air to no avail, before the girl would fall flat on her face.

Pick your poison carefully, boy.

Jutsu Used:

The girl entered into an aggressive stance once Brandon tempted her to attack him. Something seemed off about her stance. It seemed like an overreaction to a simple taunt. It seemed as if she was acting, a little too hard. Something was off about this girl. If she truly was a Genin in the process of learning Taijutsu; her sensei wouldn't taught her not to become so tense in combat. Especially if she was about to face an opponent she knew nothing about. This was a dangerous game she was playing. Luckily, Brandon meant her no harm.

“Ready or not, here I come!”  The young girl called out as she unleashed a rapid first flurry of punches. Brandon reacted by mimicking her movements and blocking each punch the girl threw at him with punches of his own. Their fists collided in a rapid, fluid successive motion. These punches were surprisingly swift and definitely weren't the product of a helpless Genin like this girl was pretending to be. But these punches packed little power, and even less precision. However, Brandon mimicked the young girl's movements perfectly like a mirror as he followed her motions. Little did Brandon know, he was only able to perform this feat due to the girl holding back on her true speed. After the quick barrage of fists, the girl pulled back before jumping forward with an upwards stroke of her left foot.

Brandon weaved back and avoided the girl's left foot while he side stepped. Once the Kanzaki teen avoided the girl's foot, she backed up once more, pulling her right hand back as if in preparation for a killer attack. Brandon got back in his defensive stance and prepared for what this young girl might try next. The girl's eyes narrowed as she clenched her teeth and appeared to be gathering a huge concentration of chakra in her fist.  “Falconnnn….”  She threw her arm forward, aiming her fist towards the teenage Shinobi. “PUUUUUUUUNCHHHHHH!!!!!” she exclaimed as she struck Brandon's leg with a soft ‘thud’ that appeared to have no power behind it whatsoever.

The girl stood there for a moment, her body frozen in motion, her fist pressed completely harmlessly against the teenage Shinobi’s thigh in an awkward pause. Brandon looked down at the girl with his eyebrow raised while she paused. The girl was frozen in place and very close to Brandon. "What was that? An Exhibition?" The teenage Shinobi stated as he then performed a quick movement of the wrist towards the girl's face without warning and at an extremely rapid rate. If this were to hit, it would produce the force needed to fracture bones. The wrist was held with the knuckles facing out on a horizontal axis, the arm extended and a strike was about to be produced with the bottom two knuckles. Brandon stopped barely an inch away from the girl's forehead before it could even make contact. "You need emotional content!" The teen stated upon stopping his fist in front of the girl's face.

"Now try again!" Brandon demanded as he took a few steps back and put his guard back up. This tone was not stern or fierce, but serious for a martial artist. This girl was holding back for some reason, and Brandon was unsure why. Even a Genin's strikes would be harder than that. He simply stood in place and awaited another attempt at an attack from the girl. Brandon knew not to underestimate her, so he would not take his eyes off of her. He would simply wait and see what would happen next.

Taeyeon blinked up at the older boy, who would stand completely unaffected by the awesomeness of her maneuver.  It was no surprise, since the girl hadn’t bothered to put any power behind the blow.  But still, she would feign utter shock at the ineffectiveness of the ‘Falcon Punch’, continuing on with her charade.  Clearly not impressed, the boy would throw a sudden fist toward Taeyeon’s forehead.  A fist that, had she the intention to do so, would’ve been countered easily enough.  But her violet eyes would not betray as much, as they were widened in artificial astonishment as she studied his form in secret.  The way he twisted his wrist, the angle at which his knuckles were held.  It was an advanced attack, undoubtedly.  It had speed, and its technique empowered it with a great amount of force despite its lack of wind-up.  Indeed, it had its merits.  But fast as it may have been, the boy was still very green.  He knew not what true speed looked like, nor true power.  Not yet.

Nevertheless, the child jolted her head back in false concern, her ‘reflex’ indistinguishable from genuine surprise.  The boy would pull his fist back before challenging her once more.  Taeyeon gave a feeeble nod.  “H-hai!” she would say, her voice slightly shaky.  Heheheh… nice touch! she would think to herself, taking pride in her acting ability.  She would enter into her stance once more, taking in one breath at a time in mock focus.  All the while analyzing the teenager with as much furtiveness as she could muster.  “Alright!  See how you like this one!”

The girl pushed off the ground in a jump, pulling her left leg around horizontally with a leaping kick aimed toward the side of the boy’s head.  Again, she used just enough speed to pass herself off as a fast genin, and just enough strength to knock him off balance should the blow connect.  After landing, she would aim a quick low kick to his right shin, followed by a kick with the same leg toward the side of his abdomen.  Pulling her leg back, she would then transition into a back spinning thrust, aiming her right foot square for his chest.  Despite the fact that she put very little effort in ensuring that these kicks were of any reasonable threat to the boy, it served as a fair enough work-out, the half-ton weight on each foot doing their part in providing a fair enough exercise as she continued to perform these unlikely kicks.

The combination was nothing too fancy, nor out of the realm for a competent enough genin to be able to do.  Still unlikely to be any threat to the teenager, whom at this point Taeyeon estimated as a passable Chuunin.  His movements were fluid, and he was holding his own well enough.  Were he just as good at utilizing ninjutsu as he was with his punches, it may be enough versatility to carry him through the exams he was apparently training for.  As she continued her faux assault, she wondered just how well he would fair against her in a serious fight.  With her recent association with the group known as the Red Dawn, Taeyeon was accustomed to ninja with talents exceeding the norm.  She herself being one such case.  This boy she was playing with… how would he fair against the likes of Koto or Keibetsu?  Blaine was most certainly out of the question.  Or how about the masked medical ninja, The Doctor?  A Chuunin himself, according to Blaine, yet one that had been able to kill a Jounin without much trouble.  That was the funny thing about titles and rank…  One could never be too sure just who was a diamond, and who was just another speck of dust.

After a few more attempted kicks, the child pulled back and knelt low, once again pretending to gather her strength.  She peered up at the boy with a serious façade, teeth clenched and brow furrowed just as convincingly as last time.  As an added touch, she would channel just the slightest bit of chakra throughout her body.  Not enough to do much of anything but appear impressive, her lightning affinity coming to the surface as it began to crackle around her.  The dirt beneath her feet would pick up and swirl just ever so slightly, as if an aura of invisible energy surrounded her.  Then, she would suddenly spring upwards, thrusting up and aiming her fist toward the underside of the boy’s jaw.  Her body would spin through the air, lightning based chakra emitting harmlessly but magnificently around her arm as she shouted.  “SHOOOOORYUUUUKENNNNNN!!!!!”

Unlike the ‘Falcon Punch’, this attack did have some force behind it.  But its strength was not near as impressive as its appearance would suggest, bearing no more power than a regular uppercut thrown by a fledgling genin would typically have.  Still, should it connect, he’d feel it, at least.

The quick fist aimed at the girl’s forehead caused her violet eyes to widen in astonishment. After his statement, the girl didn't waste any time on following up on Brandon's demand to perform emotional content. She then gave a feeble nod.  “H-hai!” she would then say as her voice became slightly shaky. Her act was good, it almost had Brandon fooled. But she didn’t seem to show the slightest bit of injury from him punching her bare fists. This was a test to see if she was really as unskilled as she was acting. Needless to say, she failed. Clearly, she was either holding back or hiding a well-kept secret. Only time would truly tell.

Before Brandon could analyze this anomaly any further, the girl pushed off the ground with a jump, pulling her left leg around horizontally with a leaping kick aimed toward the side of the teenage Shinobi’s head.  Again, she used just enough speed to pass herself off as a fast Genin, which appeared to possess just enough strength to knock Brandon off balance should the blow connect. Brandon simply weaved the kick by leaning back ever so slightly in order to effortlessly avoid the kick before the young girl’s foot made contact with his face. She was starting to attack with more precision.

The girl’s kick missed and she landed on the ground. After landing, she then aimed a quick low kick to his right shin, which Brandon avoided by simply quickly retracting his right leg and stepping back. She then followed up this attack by performing a kick with the same leg toward the side of his abdomen. Brandon rapidly side-stepped his body in a revolving, fluid pivot motion and avoided the kick as it barely missed his torso by a few inches. Pulling her leg back after missing the kick to Brandon’s abdomen, the girl then transitioned her attack into a back spinning thrust, aiming her right foot square for his chest. Using the momentum from the earlier side-step motion, Brandon demonstrated his technique that revolved around circle walking, which involved “smooth coiling and uncoiling actions”. Brandon spun his body around and got behind the girl. He had successfully avoided every single one of the girl’s kicks.

Brandon had switched up how he was handling this girl in combat. Before, Brandon was testing the girl’s skills by countering her attacks with a head-on approach. Now he was simply avoiding her attacks and analyzing how she fought using the Baguazhang method of combat. This method of fighting was the opposite of taking a head-on approach as it was simply a method of not meeting resistance, but flowing with it. This girl was definitely quick on her feet, but at the moment, Brandon was faster. After a few more attempted kicks, which Brandon easily avoided using the same method; the child pulled back and knelt low, once again acting as if she was gathering her chakra to enhance her strength.

Brandon stared at the girl and kept a close eye on her. Her last attack that she did this with seemed to have no power whatsoever. He was tempted to allow this one to strike him too in order to see if his advice had paid off. But then something unexpected began to happen that caused the teen’s eyes to widen. It appeared that the girl had become frustrated from being unable to land a single blow on the teenage Shinobi. It also seemed that the young girl possessed a lightning affinity that began to come to the surface as it began to crackle around her. The aura of the lightning was clearly visible as she focused more and more. The dirt beneath her feet would pick up and swirl just ever so slightly, as if an aura of invisible energy surrounded her. This couldn’t be good. No way in hell would Brandon allow whatever this girl was preparing to strike him with a direct hit. He had no idea how much force could be behind it.

Then, she would suddenly spring upwards, thrusting up and aiming her fist toward the underside of the teen’s jaw.  Her body would spin through the air, lightning based chakra emitting harmlessly but magnificently around her arm as she shouted.  “SHOOOOORYUUUUKENNNNNN!!!!!”

Brandon reacted instantaneously the very instant the girl went for the strike. The girl would probably think her attack was about to make direct contact. But a mere nanosecond before her fist made contact with his jaw, Brandon had already been standing directly behind her. Her fist would appear to phase directly through his head. The teen had moved so swiftly that an image of him was left behind. The very instant the girl’s fist went through the after image’s head, Brandon would already be performing a side-kick while the girl was in mid-air aimed for the center of her back.

If the kick landed, she would be sent flying towards the waterfall. If she somehow avoided it, Brandon would then jump back a safe distance to avoid any type of counter attack. Either way, he planned to make a remark on her actions once she was in a position to listen to what he had to say. “I said emotional content. Not anger!” He stated in a reaction to the surprise she had caused. He kept up his guard in case the girl tried to perform an attack while he was speaking. Performing the after image technique while wearing the weights astonished Brandon, he had no idea he could move that quickly while being weighed down. He was curious how swift he would be once his training with this girl was finished. He decided to keep up his defense and see how this girl would react to what he had just performed before acting out any desire he had to go on the offensive.

Jutsu used:

SC & Style used: