Forest Encounter [Runann]

Veteran

The day was early, and so it reflected the actions of the world. In its entirety, it seemed fleeting and temporary - the stirring actions of all the life in the area. The deer who fed and drank cautiously, awaiting the sound of an approaching predator. The smaller vermin who rummaged throughout the ground landscape in pursuit of either plant or one another. One would also hear the cries of those whom could take flight, and rain down unspeakable sorrows onto the unsuspecting mice that ran across the surface of the forest lush.

Through this powerful lush sunlight would illuminate down into a series of clearings, casting away all shadows from their centers. Only the far edges would encroach a translucent darkness onto the revealing light, and then be pushed back. The efforts were all in vain for these mere plants, but the shadow of a man traveled wherever the sun might shine. As it was, a new cry was heard amongst all the noise. It was a laugh one could say was somewhat childish. A brief outburst of joy that could only lead to the thought of something being quite funny out in this landscape.

Keibetsu's jovial call was something someone might only hear when he was alone, expressing the hidden personality within himself. The part of his personality that went away from his external shell, the one that was more fun, and if the term was applicable, stupid. The shell he wished to shed, so that he could be more comfortable around other people. This was something that had briefly troubled him during the last meeting of his organization, giving him no doubt an unsettling sensation on both his stomach and his conscious.

While it might have been quickly relieved then by the forward actions of the meeting, it was now where he had more time to think about it. One could have asked what was truly funny, but the answer would be that nothing was funny. He was simply practicing his laugh. Yes, that's right. He needed to practice his laugh. Why not sound more entertaining when telling a good joke if you can laugh at it in such a way that it entices all of your listeners to join in? Even the dullest of humor could be lightened just enough to quench the thirst for pleasure.

As such, it might be easy for one with peculiar ears to pick up on these continued bursts, and quite easily find Keibetsu wandering through the forests of the World. It would be worthy of questioning, why someone was out this far without a true purpose. A sense of adventure, perhaps? A botanist seeking fresh samples, or aiming to catalog the newest species? Or perhaps you were just looking for a rather cliche-ly dressed man laughing at thin air. Whatever the purpose, the latter probably wasn't it.

However, Keibetsu's world wasn't focused on such questions. "Hahahaha! Oh, no, it needs something else... Gahahaha!" Keibetsu decided to stop at the center of one of the many clearings around the forest. Daylight shone upon his rather dull black and grey clothing, illuminating the many flaws of his external character. His hand rose to his chin as he rubbed it in contemplation. "Aha! Gwahahahaha!" Suddenly, bushes rustled in the distance. It seemed that a startled fox took off in the other direction, obviously displeased with what seemed to be ferocious grunting exploding in its ears.

Keibetsu shrugged at the disturbance in the peace, and placed his hands on his hips for a moment. "Well, whatever that was didn't seem to like it." He sighed openly, feeling secure in the idea that nobody was around. However, he wasn't quite paying attention, either. It was possible that a visitor could appear, if you could say this place was worth being visited, or that it was owned by Keibetsu at all. "I'll have to keep working on it. I think this can smooth over well in the future when I decide to confuse random people in the streets. But that means I need a new outfit, too... Something more colorful, despite my distaste with the rainbow."

The monologue continued on briefly before ending. Keibetsu let out another practice laugh before adjusting himself to be a bit more attentive, and prepared to continue on his way. With his final laugh, he had leaned his body back slightly and inhaled deeply, it being much more pleasing to his own ears. It seemed that posture was all he needed to make the right sound. Now, the question was when to use that posture. But these were questions to be answered on another occasion, as he still had much walking to do.

Member

Kazumi had headed out of the city and into one of the many forests that surrounded Kitai. She had gone out with Rina in order to get some training time in. They needed to start trying to perfect their new Fire Fang technique. They had only tried it a handful of times and she had ended up with a singed and very unhappy little dog. She had finally gotten Rina to forgive her and they were ready to try again. Kazumi knew what she had done wrong and had figured out how to correct the mistake. Now the just needed a nice, open space to practice.

As Kazumi was walking past ancient oaks and through prickly shrubberies, her dog resting on her shoulder, she picked up a sound coming from directly ahead of them. She stopped so fast that Rina almost toppled right off of her shoulder. "Sorry sweetie." Kazumi whispered as she picked up the shaken dog and set her down. She could now distinguish the sound to be laughter of some sort, but she could only hear one voice. Was this person laughing to themself? Weird. She decided to creep ahead and figure out what was going on.

As she crept through the bushes towards the noise, she could pick up what the person was doing. It seemed like a man, and he was attempting to adjust the way he laughed. Why would he need to come to the forest to do this? She then reached the bushes near the edge of a clearing and the man had come into sight. He was wearing dark clothes and was simply walking around the clearing, laughing. Kazumi didn't know what was so funny, but she did get an idea while watching him. She looked down at her canine companion and nodded. Rina understood what she meant. Kazumi walked through the bushes while the man had his back to them.

"Beautiful day, don't you agree?" Kazumi would say this as she sat down on the opposite side of the clearing from the man. Rina would jump in to her lap and lay down while Kazumi stroked her. She kept her eyes on the man and waited for his reaction to her sudden appearance. She needed to be ready for anything. So she simply waited.

Veteran

"I'll have to keep working on it. I think this can smooth over well in the future when I decide to confuse random people in the streets. But that means I need a new outfit, too... Something more colorful, despite my distaste with the- Huh?" Keibetsu's external thought process had been suddenly interrupted as another disturbance made itself known to him. The rustling of bushes told him quite clearly that this wasn't an animal disturbance, as most wildlife would be running away. Plus, this part of the forest didn't seem to have any dangerous animals...

Keibetsu suddenly drew himself back into a defensive position, raising a hand to prepare hand seals. It's an attacker... A bandit? No, it's a... The figure emerged into the clearing. "Girl?" Keibetsu dropped his stance almost immediately as the teen made her way into the clearing. She didn't get very close to him, but she did decide to make her presence known. Sitting at the far edge of the clearing, with Keibetsu still remaining in the middle, she made a comment about how nice the day was. How much of that did she hear...? Oh.. but.. No! I can't let myself get awkward around others. I must change, and move away from that hesitant attitude. There is no need to be a strategist in this social context.

With his mental debate ending, Keibetsu found himself looking at the girl with a rather dumbstruck expression. He probably looked like some kid who had just got caught performing some petty crime and didn't know how to defend the situation. "Ah..." The noise he uttered was something you'd hear from someone who had a loss for words, but Keibetsu's intellect began to kick in and more words formed. Standing straight and raising a hand to scratch at the back of his blonde head, he responded. "It is a beautiful day, isn't it? Perfect day to practice a laugh, if you ask me. Sorry for disturbing your walk in the woods if you had to listen to that." Keibetsu attempted a playful chuckle, following up with a comment about his heinous act of disturbing the animals. "I know the animals weren't too pleased with it. But you never know when you'll find someone else wandering about."

His hand lowered from his head and fell back to his side. Keibetsu didn't mind a sunny day, but all of the heat was pounding right down on his head, and he hadn't planned on getting stuck in this position. "I think I'll come join you in the shade, if you don't mind." Keibetsu began to take a few steps towards the girl, but designated his destination to be somewhere near her rather than directly at her. It was awkward enough to approach someone in this situation, but it'd be worse to look like he was going to attack.

As Keibetsu continued to approach, he caught eye of the dog that was sitting in her lap. His eyes seemed to have failed him at first as he didn't quite see it until looking somewhere besides her eyes. Upon getting closer, it also seemed that she had higher chakra reserves than a civilian, as any shinobi could feel from being in proximity. Was this girl a genin? If she was, it was brave to venture this far out into the wilderness. After getting about halfway to his sitting spot, Keibetsu continued on with another question, seeking to have no uncomfortable silences.

"It's rare that I encounter other ninja in these forests. If my assumptions are right, you must be quite adventurous to head this far past the village without a team. What brings you out here?" Suggesting he had not already been interrupted on his way near the girl, and she hadn't intentionally moved away herself, Keibetsu would reach his destination near her and lean against a tree. The shadow of the forest swallowed his body and embraced him, making a shield against the debilitating heat of the sunlight. Here, he felt somewhat more secure.

While he interacted with her, his eyes never seemed to break their contact with hers, except for the occasional glance at the position of the dog. He did not want to be caught off guard, and there his awkwardness would remain. The shell was cracked by surprise, and now he only needed to chip away at it until it completely fell apart.

Member

It seemed like the man she had surprised had expected some sort of attacker. Obviously not a girl and her dog out for a stroll. If she had tried to attack him, she had no doubt he could've defended himself, but she had gotten the drop on him for sure. She also probably wouldn't have walked through the bushes, but instead dropped on him from the trees. She wasn't the kind of person to just randomly attack someone she had just met, not without good reason anyway. She would be all for stopping a crime she just happened upon, but not a young man just laughing to himself.

He then responded to her comment about the weather, obviously just to lighten up the mood. He then said something about practicing a laugh. So that's why he was doing it, but who practices a laugh. Only someone trying to change themselves would ever try to practice something that came naturally to them. That was certainly a strange thing for someone to do, but not unheard of. This man was interesting, and Kazumi wanted to find out more about him. So when he said he would join her in the shade and began to walk to a spot just to her left, she simply stayed where she, Rina in her lap, the pair of them watching the man as he took steps to come to rest against a giant oak tree. He had made eye contact with her the entire trip, either sizing her up for an attack, or trying to show the opposite.

After he had made it to his destination, he wondered aloud about what Kazumi was doing out in the forest all alone. A fair question, if one didn't look close enough, she would seem like a naive young girl out for a stroll for her dog, but those who did look long enough would notice the tool pouch strapped to her hip and the razor-sharp fangs that took the place of four of her teeth. The truth was, she was less than helpless. Much less. "I actually was looking for a place I could train with my dog here. We have a new technique we need to practice. It has a history of being a little destructive, so we decided to go a little out of the way. That why we're out here."

She had deemed the man as not too much of a threat, so she thought it would be alright to let him know her true intentions. "I understand why you are out here, well, understand may be an overstatement, but I digress. I would appreciate learning your name however." Normally she would found this out first, but the man had brought up so many topics, she hadn't had a chance to squeeze the question in. Now that she had control of the conversation, she intended to find out the answer. "I'm Kazumi Inuzuka. It's a pleasure." She would smile at him after saying this, revealing her fangs at the same moment. The next thing out of his mouth would shape her idea of his character. She hoped she would like it.

Veteran

The silence didn't last long as the girl was quick to speak up in response. It seemed she wasn't hostile to Keibetsu's presence, but she was wary of his approach. He had noticed the returned eye contact, something he could say he appreciated. However, he still hadn't finished analyzing this innocent situation, as both of them probably had the thought itching in the back of their minds that one of them could be a threat. Two people that meant no harm secretly wondering about what harm could be wrought upon them from the other. Isn't that a coincidence?

But Keibetsu's thoughts were trailing from the true subject at hand as his focus returned to her speech. She mentioned that she was looking for a place to train with her dog. While a common man would assume she meant to teach it some harmless tricks, Keibetsu immediately assumed that this dog was in fact a ninken, and this was confirmed as she went on to mention the destructive aspects of their abilities. She was also considerate enough not to cause unnecessary damage to public property? That was a positive trait that Keibetsu hadn't imagined among the teens he had encountered in his past. So many people were too disrespectful.

However, he would not let his mind wander as it usually did. His eyes moved down to the dog as he had off thoughts about what it could do, despite being rather small. But judging the book by its cover is dangerous. What if you picked up the book, and it was full of exploding tags? Heh... I guess you could say it'd be a... BLAST! A sudden grin spread across Keibetsu's face, conveniently timed with when she corrected herself about understanding his intentions for being out here, as he resisted the urge to snicker at his silly thought. He quickly tried to sink the urge deep inside himself, so that it wouldn't seem like he started laughing at her.

With his composure controlled to an extent, he heard her name and saw her smile. There were canines, a feature of dogs, and this detail reminded Keibetsu of the older clans of the world. Ninken and canine characteristics? Inuzuka was definitely right, she would have belonged to that clan had it still been together. There were a lot of people who would have belonged to clans had they still existed, but that was another subject entirely. Realizing his attempts to stay on topic were failing, Keibetsu hurried up his reply and offered his name in return. He concluded she wasn't a threat.

"Training, you say? Oh, let me answer your question first. My name is Keibetsu Suishin." Keibetsu debated for a moment whether or not he would strike a pose and throw a sudden title onto his name, but he decided that would be way too much. Besides, who does that kind of thing anymore? ... Probably Keibetsu, at some point in the future. But there he went again, his mind wandering off to stretches of the conscious unknown. He took a step away from the tree, looking out upon the clearing for a moment before choosing his next words. "Destructive techniques are one of my specialties. I'd like to help you out with your training, if you'd be willing to show me that special technique of yours."

Keibetsu turned back to face her, awaiting a reply to his offer. He kept thinking in his mind that he could have made it sound much better, but the words just hadn't came to him at the time. He opened his hands so his palms would face up and made a shrugging gesture, throwing on the words. "I mean, why not? We're both out here to train something. I've got a retarded laugh," he smiled slightly at the thought, hoping the jab at himself to be somewhat humorous for her as well, "And you've got a powerful, hidden jutsu. Which one would win, I wonder?" He allowed his last sentence to trail off, in a playfully teasing way, as to entice her to go on with the idea.

One of his hands had risen to his chin as though the contemplation was quite serious, but the amusement in it would be obvious if taken the right way. Hopefully she would accept the challenge he posed. All the while this conversation was going on, it seemed that he had completely forgotten about the awkwardness which plagued him only moments before. He probably wouldn't realize it until later, but it seemed that all he needed to do was get things going, and it would be easier to talk. That's how you make friends, isn't it?

Member

So, Keibetsu Suishin. An interesting name. Not one she recognized. He seemed to be a very interesting man as well. She had noticed him attempt to hide a grin as she was telling her story. He had found something funny, but hadn't wished to share it. Perhaps it was something about Kazumi he found humorous, perhaps something else. She had no way of knowing and decided to let it slide. This time anyway. Next time she might not be so hospitable, it depended on how he handled himself further.

Keibetsu then offered to assist Kazumi in her training. Now this was rare indeed. He had said that destructive techniques were one of his specialties. If that was indeed the case, he was in for quite a treat if he were to train with her. He proceeded to compare his practiced, and somewhat ridiculous, laugh to the hidden power of her Fire Fang technique. 'Ohhh, he shouldn't have done that.' Kazumi thought to herself. "You wish to help me train? Very well." She would say to him while she stood up and brushed the dirt off of her lap that Rina had tracked onto her. "I don't know how much you know of the Inuzuka bloodline, but we are renowned for being quite powerful. If you were unaware of that before, rest assured you well be a believer before this day is through."

It was times like this the Kazumi lived for. She could tell this flamboyant ninja was in fact quite powerful. She would not be able to best him in an actual fight, not as a genin. No, the times she relished were the times she was able to reveal her power to those above her. To show the world that, even as a genin, she was not one to be trifled with.

As she locked eyes with the man standing only a short distance away from her, she felt Rina tense. She was ready for a fight. Kazumi looked at her pet and said, "Hush now sweetie. We're not going to fight Keibetsu. He's simply going to help us." She would then raise her eyes from her companion to her stand-in mentor. "Well, what was it that you had in mind?" She smiled again. It was the smile she wore in the middle of bloodshed. When Kazumi was in the middle of a fight, she couldn't help but become exited. She didn't like to kill, but she wasn't afraid of it. It was just another test, and whatever this Keibetsu had in store, rest assured, it would be one of her greatest challenges yet.

Veteran

Keibetsu would get just the response he was looking for, as it seemed his words had provoked her just enough to take the challenge. A success. "You wish to help me train? Very well." The young girl rose from her relaxed sitting position, running her hands across her body to remove the dirt particles which had settled from the presence of her pet. The patting sound was brief and frequent, but soon fell completely silent with the rise of new words to the conversation. She continued to explain her abilities, something helpful to Keibetsu as his attention was given fully to her.

"I don't know how much you know of the Inuzuka bloodline, but we are renowned for being quite powerful. If you were unaware of that before, rest assured you well be a believer before this day is through." Keibetsu grinned at the thought. He was certainly going to be impressed with a technique she needed to come this far out to perfect, and it seemed she had confidence in her other abilities, as well. Being an Inuzuka, he was hoping to see quite a bit of coordination from her and her ninken, as that was the entire idea behind the clan. Something that evolved into a power that remained even today was something worth seeing.

With a brief comment to her pet and some preparations for the coming conflict, she asked what Keibetsu had in mind. His hand returned to cup his chin, his other palm meeting his elbow as though it needed to be held up in the air. An exaggerated 'hmmmm' could be heard from Keibetsu as he contemplated the many possibilities of their training. Whatever his thoughts, he didn't keep her waiting for very long. In fact, he gave one more tease, just to keep her in the mood to fight him. "I like your confidence, Kazumi. I might not know much about your clan, but I do already believe that the power of the Inuzuka must be more than a pretty girl. You're going to show me that my laugh is nothing compared to it!" He had paused for a moment at the comment, giving emphasis to her abilities before even seeing them. Her confidence had given him a confidence of his own. A belief that she had potential, much potential that he would see here soon. "And don't think you'll get the easy treatment. No, this will be a battle of duos! You're going to face something special today. I'll make sure this is a training session you'll never forget."

Since his reply to her would seem awfully misleading about a pair of duos, seeing that there was only one Keibetsu, he turned towards the clearing once more. She would be able to see him bring his hands up and begin to form hand seals individually with each hand, going through a very brief set of seals before both hands ended. He then exhaled a split stream of a rocky substance from his mouth, two figures forming in front of him. It would appear he was using two techniques at the same time, but he was really using one in simultaneous succession.

Within a few moments, this substance had built into two life-size replicas of Keibetsu. They were made entirely of sturdy stone, and within a few seconds of being inanimate, color sank onto their appearances and they were brought to life. The two clones then turned to face her and her pet, obviously just as excited as she might be for the coming battle. "I want to see how you fight two-on-two, Kazumi. Once you've completed this little warm-up session, I'll take you head on. Then is when I want you to show me the full extent of your power. I promise, it'll be fun."

Keibetsu offered a reassuring smile as the two clones took their steps into the clearing, and the real Keibetsu leaned back against the tree in preparation to fully observe the combat. He needed to think of a way to fulfill his promise to her. It would take a bit of effort to create the best training experience ever, but he knew he could do it once he figured out her abilities in full. The destructive power of the Inuzuka! It must be more than a pretty face.

One of the clones took a defensive position while the other took an offensive one. Keibetsu was an average taijutsu fighter, which is why he was going to let his rock clones take all the heavy hits while he prepared the proper ninjutsu setup to exercise her. This would be quite the show. If she hadn't been responding to the real Keibetsu at all, one of the clones would initiate the battle. "Don't back down now, Kazumi! Hit us with your best shot! You can't lose to a couple of fools who can't even use ninjutsu." The other clone grinned and began to laugh just as Keibetsu had practiced earlier, giving her a desirable couple of targets to begin with. Entertainment at its finest.

(I'm kinda tired while writing this post, so it might seem awkward. xD Regardless, it's time to put a hurting on those clones. I'll make up for it next post.)

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Member

"I like your confidence, Kazumi. I might not know much about your clan, but I do already believe that the power of the Inuzuka must be more than a pretty girl. You're going to show me that my laugh is nothing compared to it!" Keibetsu was cheeky. That was a great word to describe him. He would never cross the line, but would rather stride right along the edge of it. Kazumi was going to enjoy this fight immensely. She was going to show him the power of the Inuzuka. He would never take a fight with one of them easily again.

"And don't think you'll get the easy treatment. No, this will be a battle of duos! You're going to face something special today. I'll make sure this is a training session you'll never forget." A battle of duos? Something special? There was more to this man than met the eye. That was a given. He proceeded to form hand seals for a jutsu. With Kazumi watching closely, he began to spew rocks from his what looked like rocks and mud from his mouth. 'An earth user huh? Shouldn't be too much of a problem.' Kazumi thought. She then noticed that the rocks were taking the shape of humans within the clearing. As she turned her attention away from the shinobi, she could see the objects take on the featured on Keibetsu himself. Clones.

"Clones huh? Not going to fight me yourself?" She said as she stuck her tongue out at her new acquaintance. "You definitely won't want once you see what happens to these two." She could tell he meant to fight her with the rock clones, as they took up fighting stances. It seemed that one was going on the offense while the other would stay back and defend. "I want to see how you fight two-on-two, Kazumi. Once you've completed this little warm-up session, I'll take you head on. Then is when I want you to show me the full extent of your power. I promise, it'll be fun."

So that was his plan. He did want to fight Kazumi himself, but only after he had had time to analyze her fighting style. Very well, she'd give him a fight to remember then. "Alright Rina, are you ready?" She would receive a small bark that indicated that her companion was ready for the fight ahead of the pair. Kazumi would then put her hands together in the Tiger hand seal. "Beast Mimicry-Man Beast Clone!" As she announced this, a puff of smoke would erupt around Rina. As the wind dissipated the smoke, a perfect copy of Kazumi stood beside the original. "You wanted a battle of duos, right? How about a battle of clones?" She would then smile and drop to the ground on her hands. Rina would do the same, growling and snarling at the rocky figures before them.

"Let's go Rina." Kazumi would say as she charged at the offense-oriented clone, her pet mimicking her movements, except instead going after the defensive clone. Kazumi hoped that going for an attack on this clone would throw it off and make it easier to defeat. As she closed the distance between her and her opponent quickly she would throw a feint punch at the clone's chest, while instead using her speed to run behind it instead, attacking it's head with a rotating kick. She would most likely land the attack, due to her large advantage in speed. Rina would take a different approach, instead building up a large amount of speed before leaping into the air in order to come crashing down on top of the rock clone with both of her feet. These clones wouldn't be much of a match for the taijutsu beasts.

Spoiler:

Veteran

Throughout their brief dialogue, the girl would make comments back to Keibetsu, which furthered his amusement with the whole ordeal. And that's not meant in an arrogant way, as by this point, Keibetsu was thoroughly enjoying himself with this new acquaintance of his. The girl had a spirit in her that he hadn't seen in many people, and that was something encouraging for his own changes. It seemed she turned her attention to the clones completely once the air had finally settled over the clearing. A question to her ninken was spoken, and all the fighting began with a dash.

Whilst the girl and her partner charged full force at his clones, Keibetsu couldn't help but notice the transformation. It was something intriguing for him as he looked upon it with brief wonder. A regular transformation technique would not account for physical characteristics in full. It would only create the image of a filled space, while remaining completely hollow within the visage. The dog would end up headbutting his clone if it wasn't an abnormal form of the technique, something she showed to be of her bloodline.

The Inuzuka were certainly a very interesting clan to have such a technique. It seemed like a prompt for Keibetsu to study more of the old world clans, and expand his knowledge on the worlds that might be waiting for him out there. But these bouts of questioning were fleeting things indeed, as Keibetsu was very quickly drawn back into the present events. Her clone had performed a valiant leap up into the sky, and prepared itself for a diving kick into his second clone. The other seemed to be in a position where she would slide within a moments notice, and attempt a blow to the chest.

From the clone's perspective, this would be much different. The first clone watched as she began to drop to the ground, leaning back as her fist came towards its chest. Following up with the momentum, it then reached back and landed on its hands, performing a full flip back to its feet and sliding back a few additional inches. The second clone took advantage of the opportunity given to it, and slid to the side whilst redirecting itself towards the Kazumi which had charged the first clone. They performed a switch-up, as the first clone then charged at the still-falling transformation. Considering the clone didn't redirect itself, Keibetsu's clone would tackle it head-on with the added weight of the solid rock body.

The second clone would charge Kazumi herself simultaneously, aiming to quickly pin her to the ground as her high kick would miss. It yelled to her, "Gotcha now!", jumping at her in order to speed its efforts in closing the distance. If she were to move out of the way, it would probably land and slide forward on the ground before finding a way back to its feet. The impact wouldn't destroy the clone, but it would slow it down. That was a given. But it would also mean her companion might be held back, and so Kazumi needed to choose: save her ninken, or take the opportunity to strike?

Whatever she did, Keibetsu would be watching from the sidelines with eagerness. He had come to a crouch, resting his elbows on his knees with his hands held together. The fingers of each were entwined, putting him in a position that made him appear to be in thought as he watched every detail. Who was who had already escaped his analyzing as he considered where the battle might be going. So, she can also fight on all fours like her ninken. This is indeed an interesting battle tactic, as it also seems to give her a boost in speed. Whatever else, I'm still unaware. However, I'll have to keep an eye out for the next step of this process... She is proud of her heritage. I want to know why.

With his thoughts in place on the matter, Keibetsu sought her future actions. He could feel a little adrenaline begin to flow just from watching the scene begin. It was something exciting, indeed. Kazumi Inuzuka... The thought vanished into a passing breeze, seeming to be swallowed up by the other events of the time. Her name must have meant something... but what?

Active Techniques:

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Member

'Dammit.' Kazumi initial plan hadn't worked how she had wanted it to. The clone she was attacking had dodged backwards instead of attempting to block her feint like she had planned for it to. The back flip it had performed completely negated her kick, being feet away from where the attack would have landed. She turned her attention to Rina and the other clone. This allowed her to see the rock being she had attacked charge towards the impact zone of Rina's diving attack, while Rina's target was charging at Kazumi herself.

'They switched. Interesting.' Kazumi had to think fast. She could tell Rina couldn't change where or how she was going to land, so the clone attacking her was sure to land. The clone charging at Kazumi herself wasn't a problem at all. It was slower than her, easily dodge-able, but she didn't have much time to think of her next move. She then had a thought. Just as Keibetsu was using Rina's momentum against her, Kazumi could use his movements against him as well. It was made out of rocks after all.

"Bring it!" She yelled at the charging clone. As it got closer to her, she quickly attempted a front-flip over the top of it. 'I'm coming sweetie.' Kazumi thought. She had to clear the top of the clone, or the rest of the plan wouldn't fall into place. If she did make the jump cleanly, she had to charge full speed at the back of the Rina-targeted clone. She had it all worked out in her mind. She was just fast enough to close the distance in time, before Rina landed.

Kazumi would charge up just behind the clone and dive at it just before it reached the impact point, but she wasn't aiming for the bulk of it. She needed to aim for it's legs. It had no way of knowing the attack was coming, assuming that the other clone had taken care of the little girl, so it wouldn't make any move to avoid it. If Kazumi caught it's legs in her claws, it would cause the top heavy clone to topple forward and fall directly underneath Rina's crushing decent, hopefully destroying or severely crippling the rock abomination.

Veteran

The girl's ability to be quick on her feet had indeed forsaken her attempts at striking, but she had a second quality which remedied this: she also seemed to be quick in her thoughts, as she was able to take direct action despite the new and confusing situation. The turn of events was still very entertaining for Keibetsu as he watched from the sidelines. The clones wouldn't be able to handle a taijutsu beating for long against someone who could operate much faster than them, despite their seemingly large amounts of durability. So she found a solution. But what is it?

His question did not sit long without an answer as the battle of duos continued to unfold. She charged his clone at what he assumed to be full speed, and as she neared it, jumped. A leap of considerable proportions that would have her rocketing right over the top of it, and then landing on the other side. The clone, obviously taken a little bit by surprise from the sudden jump, stumbled and nearly tripped over itself in a clumsy fit. However, that could just be considered the nature of the bulky clones. Considering she had interrupted what would have otherwise been a flying tackle, this one was still on its feet, and recovering.

But the other clone was nearing its mark, and her sprint continued in order to stop it. You're fast, Kazumi, but you won't make it. Judging that his clone had already been on its way to the target before she jumped over the incoming clone, it had closed the distance fairly quickly. Not to mention, the speed involved was not too hindered from the rocks. Keibetsu was still a man of high rank, and so his abilities would not diminish easily in the clones. Acknowledging that it had Kazumi coming straight for him, the clone heading for Rina decided to stop and turn around. However, that didn't end well, as Rina's feet came plowing right into the side of its head.

So that one miscalculated the distance... I wonder how, seeing as the eyes were functioning fine. Then again, it's been awhile since I've had to worry about a team. The clone which she had somersaulted over was now on its way to catch up to Kazumi and Rina. It took note of the clone which had just been decapitated, the body crumbling apart and all the bits falling to the side with the force. The parts of the clone would most likely begin to cover Rina's body, making her a mess of dirt and stone. One down, one to go... The clone drew two shuriken and a kunai from its pouch, as the tools had also been adequately copied.

It passed the kunai to its free hand and held it offensively, the blade pointing backwards from the thumb to be used for stabbing or slashing. The other hand drew back and threw the shuriken at the pair, not aiming to kill, but simply to keep them moving. Seeing as these shuriken would simply be extremely sharpened and colored stones, fit to match the killing potential of the rest of the equipment, they would be no harder to deflect. "You've got one, but can you take down both!?" The clone shouted, aimed to create some aura of intimidation that probably wouldn't have an effect.

Once the clone actually reached the duo, it would aim to swipe the kunai at one of them in order to make them dodge, and then continue to swipe at the other, going back and forth quickly. Now, it had no choice but to go for an all-out offense Would one of them be victim to the strikes? Only their reaction would give the answer.

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Rina's feet connected squarely with the side of the distracted clones head, decapitating it cleanly and causing it to fall into a mass of dirt and rocks. As Rina ground to a halt next to Kazumi, she had become covered in the remnants of her slain enemy. Kazumi congratulated her on a good kill and then the pair turned to face the one remaining clone. He had drawn a kunai in one hand and a pair of shuriken in his other. He was drawing back in order to throw the shuriken at Kazumi and Rina, so they prepared to dodge it.

"We only have to focus on the one now, so this shouldn't be a problem. You ready Rina?" Kazumi asked her mimic. She was rewarded by a growl and a baring of her own fangs. She could tell that her pet was ready for whatever Kazumi had in her mind. They had trained together for so long that they had learned how to read eachother's movements and to anticipate the others moves before they make them, leading to a deadly and silent combination of speed and ferocity.

The clone launched the projectiles towards the middle of the pair, not more so aimed at one or the other. It was more of an attempt to split the two of them up, and they played right in to it, but not for long. As the razor disks neared the two, the ran to opposite sides of them and then converged back together as they passed. They were going for a head-on assault on the clone. Now that it was two against one, the clone would be hard pressed to survive very long against their onslaught.

The clone began running towards them as well, the kunai poised at the ready for an attack. As they met, he slashed towards Rina, forcing her to dodge to the side, and then switching targets to Kazumi. He repeatedly slashed at her, not leaving an opening for counter-attack. Kazumi just had to continue to retreat backwards while dodging the slashes. After Rina had dodged the initial attack, she had made her way behind the clone.

As he was focused on Kazumi, Rina made her way quickly behind the clone. Kazumi saw her and nodded to her pet. They had practiced this attack before. Kazumi drew a kunai from her tool pouch while continuing to avoid the enemy's blade. As Rina took her position low to the ground behind the clone, Kazumi started the technique.

The first step was to block an attack with the kunai she was holding in her hand. If she managed to do that, Kazumi would move quickly to the right of the clone while Rina moved to the left of it's back. This is where the combination skills of their Inuzuka heritage came into play. Using the opening that would have formed from the clone having his attack blocked, Kazumi would throw a powerful kick towards it's head from it's right side with her left leg. At the same time Rina would perform the mirror opposite to the move performed by her master. She would instead use her left leg to swing a low kick to the clones knees from it's left side.

This attack was meant to cover all angles of escape. Dodging either attack would leave you open to the force of the other's kick. If either of the attacks hit, the pair would attempt to follow up with double axe kicks to the clone's head and chest. These attacks were meant to finish off what would be left of the clone's body, thoroughly ending it's life.

Veteran

Swipe. Swipe. Swipe. The hand of the clone was swept back and forth as it frantically rushed for a blow. It knew that it was all over now as it was outnumbered. Not only was it at the disadvantage, it was up against a Taijutsu user, someone who specialized in it. Keibetsu could tell from simple observations that he would probably be overwhelmed if he didn't consider things properly when fighting the powerful tag team. Surely, having two of yourself was something that turned the tables on many opponents. In Kazumi's case, she had something much more effective than Keibetsu's simple rock clones. She had a lifelong companion that would defend her to the death, and provide her with extra abilities that most men did not have.

The sound of a sharp edge slicing through the air was suddenly absent from the clearing. Instead, it was replaced by a loud clang; the sound of a block. The clone's attack had been deflected, and it murmured to itself as the following events unfolded in full. "Fuck." In an attempt to save itself it made a move to slash just one more time, but it was instead met by the force of two powerful melee strikes. Sent right off of its feet and falling towards the ground, the clone slowly closed its eyes. The soon to come defeat caused the real Keibetsu to stop and ponder something.

Do the clones also feel death? This thought is unrelated to the situation at hand, but... Regardless of the knowledge that one can safely die without ceasing to exist would not prevent me from worrying about the unknown. The part of consciousness given to me that defines me as another being... Does it, too, become concerned? The smashing of strikes on stone brought Keibetsu outside of his philosophical ramble. The clone's life had been completely ended as it broke apart into chunks of dirt and smaller stones. It was almost like it was receding into the ground, a spawn that was slowly vanishing with the materials that it came from. It was actually just a lump of dirt now, but that didn't stop the thought process from continuing.

Seeing as it was time for him to provide another training event, Keibetsu stood up and clapped briefly to congratulate the girl on defeating his clones. He took a few steps into the clearing and began to speak before a natural silence could fall upon it. "That was an exciting display of skill, Kazumi. I am impressed with your abilities as a Taijutsu fighter, but when it comes to fighting more than fists, you must have some secret maneuver to save you." Keibetsu gave her a brief smile as he began to perform hand seals. A clone suddenly appeared at his side, looking much like a shadow clone, but the technique needing different seals. In truth, it was a clone technique he had created himself.

He used it for the sole purpose of backup ninjutsu. However, in this situation, it would be doing a lot of running instead. "I'm sure this is an idiom you've already heard, but always expect there to be more than meets the eye." Keibetsu jumped up and somersaulted to the center of the clearing, landing and sliding as a trail of dust arose from the ground where his feet touched. The distance was great enough to justify the jump, and his next technique would prove that further. Using only a single hand for hand seals, Keibetsu slammed his other hand on the ground and sent his chakra all around.

Normally, he wouldn't announce his techniques, but he did it for Kazumi to add some effect to the display. "Moving Earth Core!" With himself as the epicenter, an earthen husk began to rise just half a meter around him. It was only about three feet high, allowing him to see out from his position, but also protecting him from anything that got too close in the small range. The wall itself was about a foot thick, looking rather weak at first. But then the real show began, and Keibetsu grinned as the earth in a ten meter square, the maximum range, began to tremble.

Suddenly, except for a two meter distance that opened like a doorway, allowing Kazumi to still see Keibetsu at the center, all of the earth shot up. It rose up to a height of ten meters, creating massive walls that went even above some of the trees, a menacing cage of odd proportions. The walls were about a meter thick, and created a medium sized courtyard within their area, causing it to appear much like an arena. From the very tops of the newly formed structures, small bits of rock and dirt would fall back down to the ground, giving it a look that was somewhat unreal.

Shaping the world to his liking was Keibetsu's signature technique, and it wouldn't end here. Within the courtyard, spaced about half a meter apart, two meter high pillars would rise up all around in a dot pattern. They would limit movement within the space, and create obstacles for Kazumi to overcome as she maneuvered throughout it. What exactly she planned on doing was outside of Keibetsu's mind, but this would be her ultimate test. The clone ran over to the entrance of the courtyard and then turned to Kazumi, beginning to explain the nature of these events, and what her objective would be.

"Now, Kazumi... The goal is to kill this clone." The clone pointed to itself as it spoke, showing that she wasn't supposed to hurt the actual Keibetsu inside the courtyard, controlling everything. "You can operate well in an open space, but here I will test your power and control. You may use whatever means necessary to kill me. But... Don't think I'm just going to run." Once the information had settled in, Keibetsu waited for a visual cue to see that she was ready to begin the test. Once she was, the clone had a kunai suddenly appear in its hand, as it also replicated the kunai seal he had on his palm. Kazumi would probably take notice to this, seeing as Keibetsu magically drew a kunai out of thin air.

"Get ready..." A seal was suddenly placed on the kunai, unbeknownst to Kazumi. He extended his hand, the kunai dangling from his fingertips. "Set..." It let the kunai go, and it began to fall to the ground, a helpless tool. As it struck the surface where the clone was standing, the seal would immediately go off, as would the clone announce the start of the trial. "GO!!" The entrance erupted into a cloud of dust, a smokescreen that Kazumi could not see through until she entered the courtyard. The clone itself immediately began moving as it jumped back onto one of the pillars. Standing upon it, it waited for her to enter before moving again.

Once she were to chase it, the clone would leap off into the mess of pillars and begin to run around erratically, making it an even more difficult target to capture. This is what I have to offer you, Kazumi... Show me that you can do this, and you'll have earned my respect. Perhaps, then, I'll share it with you. Something important to me... Keibetsu's thoughts trailed off once again as he began to focus on the area around him, listening and feeling for strong movement from Kazumi, so that he may know where to raise or lower the ground next. How would she deal with this challenge? Was her teamwork enough?

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Kazumi and Rina's combo attack worked exactly as planned on the clone. After knocking it to the ground with their kicks, they smashed it to pieces as it lay defeated on the ground. As the shards of rock and dirt scattered across the clearing, Kazumi raised her eyes to her clone. There was nothing more ferocious than an Inuzuka and her dog, and Kazumi and Rina were a prime example of this. A fine-tuned, well-oiled fighting team. If they just kept their wits about them, they could defeat any adversary, even one as powerful as Keibetsu obviously was.

Kazumi switched her gaze from her companion to Keibetsu himself, still leaning against the tree, a thoughtful look spread across his face. As he seemed to come back to his senses after seeing his clone destroyed, he complimented Kazumi on her impressive display of her skills and challenged her further. Then, she noticed that another clone had taken it's place next to him. 'Why was he there?' She thought. With a worn-out, but well-deserved, idiom he leaped from his position on the out side of the clearing into the direct center, decently far from Kazumi and Rina. After landing, he performed some hand seals with one hand and slammed the other onto the ground.

"Moving Earth Core!" He shouted. Kazumi had heard about this jutsu before. One of her friends from the academy liked to use it a lot when they sparred. It was always a different fight because they would change the terrain with it every time it was used. They would create different platforms for them to fight on. Some would move as the shinobi moved, others would have obstacles on them as extra cover for the fighters. This time was no different.

As Keibetsu's technique began to take effect, Kazumi could feel the earth under her begin to rumble and tremble. Her pet and her back flipped away from the spot they were standing as a wall erected around Keibetsu to cover his lower body and torso. Another wall sprouted from the ground to encompass most of the clearing in it's cold grasp. This wall was much taller, stretching past the tops of trees in some places, and ramming straight through the branches in others. 'An arena?' Kazumi thought to herself, 'This should be good.'

As Kazumi stared through the entryway created through the walls by Keibetsu, she saw the clone from earlier rush into the gateway to stand between the two opponents. He began to explain the rules of the next test. "Now, Kazumi," He said, "The goal is to kill this clone." It pointed to itself. It was obvious it was the clone. Kazumi had noticed that it didn't cast a shadow, as most clones don't.

Keibetsu was challenging her to a chase, instead of a regular fight. He was trying to get her to use more of her ninjutsu, just to see how she performed in that respect as opposed to her taijutsu. Suddenly, the clone materialized a kunai out of thin air to appear in it's hand. How strange. This man was indeed powerful. This would be a challenge indeed. "Get ready..." It spoke, holding the kunai out in front of him. Kazumi and Rina dropped back to the ground, ready to pounce to the entrance. "Set..." The kunai dropped from it's hand and began it's decent to the ground. Kazumi tensed her muscles for the attack.

"GO!!" The kunai hit the ground and erupted in a cloud of smoke that blocked all sight through the entrance. 'Dammit Keibetsu. You're too clever for your own good.' Kazumi would think as Rina and her charged at the smokescreen. It wouldn't save the clone for long. As the pair broke through the obstacle, they were met with an alarming sight. Unbeknownst to them, the land inside the wall had been reshaped completely. There were pillars everywhere, of varying sizes. Kazumi noticed the clone perched on top of one that was to her right. She gave a quick bark to Rina and dashed off after it. Rina took the command and broke off into a sprint in the opposite direction in an attempt to head the clone off as it tried to escape.

As Kazumi made her way towards the clone, leaping up the wall and across the pillars that stood between her and her target, the clone began to run. It kept good pace with Kazumi, but she was just slightly faster, always slowly closing the gap between the two. She knew her was bound to run straight into her barreling companion soon. She had no doubt that they could catch him with the pincer maneuver they had employed. They had this in the bag.

She saw her clone round the corner, but she was on a lower level of the pillars. This wasn't good. She wouldn't be able to make the capture at that height. Rina noticed the height difference at the same time, but it was too late. She attempted to leap straight into the air to catch the clone with a tackle, but the clone had already passed harmlessly above her, and she instead caught Kazumi herself with the brunt of the attack. The pair crumpled to the ground as the clone stopped running and turned towards them with a laugh.

As they hit the ground and untangled themselves from each other, Rina looked down at the ground in shame. Kazumi just looked at her pet and rubbed her head good-naturedly. They had both made a mistake, and now they were going to fix it. Kazumi looked up at the clone high above them, mocking their failure with a laugh. A laugh quite similar to the one Kazumi had heard as she was simply walking through the woods, looking for somewhere to train their new....That was it! The new technique that was how they were going to catch the clone. "Rina, you know what we have to do." Rina would raise her eyes to meet her keeper's and gave an acknowledging bark.

Kazumi stood up alongside her pet and pointed at their target. "You're going down now." The pair bared their fangs in a mischievous smile as the both ascended to the top of the pillars. They made no advance to the clone however, causing him not to flee. It was now or never for the two of them, as Kazumi prepared her chakra inside herself. She began to form two sets of hand signs, one after the other. When she had finished, she began to inhale deeply. 'Here we go!' She thought.

As she neared the apex of her inhale, feeling the flames forming from the chakra in her stomach, she leaped to the pillar next to Kazumi and the pair of them leaped into the air on intersecting trajectories. Once together, they began to spin their bodies at a viscous speed, becoming a single grey drill of destruction and speeding towards the stunned clone. But this was not the end of their secret technique. As the pair tore through pillars on their way to the clone, Kazumi let go of her breath and began to spew flames forth from her mouth ahead of the two of them, coating their already dangerous drill in a deadly cloak of fire.

"Kazumi Style: Fire Fang Jutsu!" Kazumi announced as the companions sped towards the now fleeing clone. 'No!' Kazumi had a sudden realization, 'I forgot to track the clone before launching the attack. Dammit!' The shinobi couldn't see well enough through the spinning flames to accurately chase the clone. They were finished...wait a second..is that...rice balls? Keibetsu's clone must have copied Keibetsu himself all the way down to the food that he carried with him. Using the smell from this, Kazumi could track the clone through the arena and take him down with little trouble.

Thank god Keibetsu had a big appetite.

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The air seemed to shift as the new competition was about to begin. Kazumi became tense with the dropping of the kunai, and it was obvious she was fully prepared to take on this challenge. Could she catch the clone? More than that, was she going to successfully eliminate it? Would she be able to hold on long enough to extinguish the light that it could see? Only now would Keibetsu find out as the clone bellowed for her to start. She took off into the cloud of rising smoke, something that would linger at the entrance for the duration of the test before settling. Seeing as wind could no longer reach it now, it wouldn't wisp away so quickly.

It conformed to her shape as she and her partner entered the arena clearing, only to be surprised by the mass of obstacles which lie directly in her path. However, she would not be mentally stunned for long, as her movements quickly continued. The clone jumped away to the next pillar as they split up. The plan here was obvious now that Keibetsu had seen a little of their fighting style. If she was attempting the same surrounding tactic as before, it wasn't going to save her this time. This battlefield belonged to Keibetsu now, as he had continuous control over it with his moving earth core. At any moment, territory she saw as familiar could quickly be swept away and replaced.

But he wasn't going to ruin her chances yet. So far, she maneuvered well after the clone. The leaps and bounds of going from walls, to pillars, to the ground, and back up again must have been tiring after a while. Despite that fact, this girl, Kazumi, seemed to be full of energy still. From within his small defense, Keibetsu could feel the rumblings of their high speed movement on the ground. His chakra was still connected to the world around him, and he could feel its coldness as a result. The ground would warm from his body temperature, but the rest was still a heartless stone. A heartless stone that was waiting for its opportunity to strike out. To protrude at a convenient moment, as it was about to do now.

Keibetsu's clone jumped high from one of the many earthen poles, and as it passed over a leaping Kazumi, it grabbed onto a newly extended piece of stone. From the side of a tall pillar, Keibetsu had malformed it for a spike to come outwards in such a manner the clone could grasp it. From that movement it was able to swing over to another pillar for a safe landing and turn back to the in-pursuit duo with a laugh. They had ended up catching themselves, something that was far off from the goal. At least they got the catching part right, but in the end, it was the thing being caught that mattered.

"You won't catch me like that." The clone threw a tease at them, only to provoke more out of Kazumi. It seemed she had finally decided to show off a greater power of her bloodline. This is what Keibetsu had been waiting to see from her. The destructive power of the Inuzuka that would give him much insight into the abilities of the clan, and just how much Kazumi could potentially improve in her future. Both the clone and the real Keibetsu watched closely as she performed hand seals and prepared her next onslaught of moves. Go on, Kazumi... What is it? Show me your technique! The answer came quickly - and violently.

The pillar she had climbed to and announced her confidence upon would also be the pillar she descended from with her impossible combination attack. At first, it was only a blurred drill. A grey mass tearing across the distance between her and Keibetsu's clone, which immediately moved to jump back. Yet, while moving back, it was still gawking at the incoming force. But that wasn't the end of it all as she began to exhale flames; bright, red and orange flames. It went from a drill to a wall of destruction in a matter of seconds. A beautiful one, at that.

So this is the power that she wanted to train, huh? It's more impressive than I was expecting... She definitely has potential. The clone began a furious retreat around the area, attempting to avoid damage simply by ducking through the pillars. However, the grand chase would make short work of these barriers. Kazumi seemed to be plowing right through the thin protrusions of earth as if they were big toothpicks. Snap, crumble, and crack. That's all that could be really heard around the area.

Regardless of the challenge, Keibetsu was determined to win the contest. Being a player himself, he continued on to create obstacles for Kazumi. Wherever she went, more pillars would rise up in her path. Although many of them rose to stop her attack, she seemed to in time to face the clone and merely graze them all. The walls of earth would appear all over the place, being scraped continuously and some outright destroyed. Needing to create an advantage for itself, the clone jumped up onto one of the pillars and then double-jumped higher into the air while performing hand seals.

Inhaling and exhaling, a sudden flurry of fireballs erupted from the clone's mouth. About eight of them swirled down in a frenzy towards Kazumi, the flames being controlled by Keibetsu's clone. A couple of the fireballs would whiz past the whirling doom that was Kazumi's searing attack, but others would make contact with her. Much to the clone's disappointment, it seemed that the fire was simply being absorbed into the attack, or deflected. The heat grew closer and closer to the clone as it fell back down to the pillar. It was threatening defeat.

From below, Keibetsu decided a final attempt. If the clone was going to die, he was at least going to stop Kazumi in her tracks. A sudden wall about two feet thick erupted extremely quickly upwards, and reached behind the clone about the same time that impact would have occurred. At this point, their battlefield was in ruins, and the fireballs had left small craters below. This'll be the final blow... Simultaneously, the clone would smile at the fate rising towards it. The sun rises violently towards the sky. You've done well, Kazumi. I am proud.

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As Kazumi and Rina unleashed their secret technique, they knew they had the challenge beaten. The clone was still attempting to run away from the drill of death speeding towards it, but the pair was just too fast for him. There was no way for him to escape the flaming drill heading straight for him. Keibetsu was even trying to raise platforms and pillars to get in the way of Kazumi, but the jutsu just tore right through them. There was nothing he could do but just await his defeat.

As Kazumi tracked the scent of the clone across the arena, she came to realize that Rina and her had perfected their new technique. They had managed to pull it off without burning themselves or ruining it completely. Kazumi found herself smiling and marveling at how closely a human and their pet could work in synergy. It was really a blessing that she had as great of a friend and partner as she had in Rina. It never ceased to amaze her.

It was then that she noticed the clone was directly in front of her, and it had stopped running. 'So Keibetsu, have you given up? Or is this some sort of elaborate scheme?' She thought. She kept her course and tore directly towards the clone. Right before she made impact with it, she saw a thick wall of stone quickly materialize directly behind the clone, but it was too late for Kazumi to change direction. 'Clever Keibetsu. You couldn't escape, so you'll just stop me. Bravo."

The flaming drill of tooth and fang made contact with the clone's torso and bore a hole through it to connect with the rock wall behind it. Despite being halted in her progress, Kazumi continued to spin in a vain attempt to also bore through the wall. She wanted to prove to Keibetsu that she could take anything he could dish out, and even as the clone dissipated around her, she continued her assault. After a good thirty seconds, the flames disappeared from her, and the pair slowed their spinning until finally coming to rest on two pillars directly in front of the wall.

Panting with exertion, Kazumi observed her work. They had managed to make a considerable dent in the wall, but it was just too strong for them to get through completely. 'Very well Keibetsu. You win this round.' She thought. 'But next time, you're mine.' She turned to face the man himself, still entrapped within his prison of rock he had made for himself, eager to see his reaction to her newest technique and her previously unknown power.

"So," she started, still panting from the work she had just put out, "that was my newest technique, the Fire Fang." She extended her hands as if she was modeling a new product in an advertisement. "What did you think? There is more to me than meets the eye, huh?" Kazumi smirked directly towards the powerful ninja in the center of the arena as Rina finally returned to her true form in a puff of smoke, giving a small bark to accompany her master's statement. "Sorry sweetie," she said to her dog as she picked her up and placed her on her head. "I meant, more to US than meets the eye."

The two fought as one, and would die as one.

Veteran

Here it comes... The clone braced itself for the imminent impact of the Fire Fang. The technique, from mere observation, was something extremely brutal to watch. The way it ripped through everything that Keibetsu had placed in its path was a notable feat, considering that stone pillars were one tough thing to get through. To this girl known as Kazumi and her partner Rina, however, they were mere twigs to be snapped at a moments notice. Indeed, these two are a destructive force. The mental comment came from below, as right now the clone had other things on its mind. Particularly, the flames that burned its body, and the drill that aimed to pierce right through its chest.

Letting out a cry that was inaudible through all the emanating sound it quickly perished in a cloud of forlorn smoke. Wafting away with the bits of dirt and dust that now broke apart from the wall of stone that Keibetsu had erected in an attempt to slow Kazumi down. It seemed that she continued to pound it, but her flames were extinguishing, and the loss of velocity was apparent. The spines went from many to none within a minute, and the two fell back onto risen pillars in rest. Well, they had me going there for a moment. I thought they were going to rip through that, too. Luckily, it was enough. In fact, it was very impressive. Ah, she's moving... What does she have to say?

Words flowed that reminded Keibetsu of the title of the devastating technique. It was certainly fitting as they took the shape of a drilling fang, and she spewed flames, respectively. She questioned Keibetsu's thoughts about the technique and repeated the idiom that he had started with, a witty comment that made Keibetsu smile as he looked up at her from his little earthen barrier. Her companion wanted to be a part of the idea, too, seeing as it would have half the credit for the stunning event. Kazumi quickly corrected herself after placing the ninken on her head and giving her attention once more to Keibetsu. Pondering his reply, Keibetsu bought himself a little bit of time to piece together the words.

Calling up to her, he spoke "What do I think? Well, let's get you on the ground first!" Finishing off his Moving Earth Core, Keibetsu lowered everything he had risen back into the ground. Kazumi's descent would be moderately paced and safe for her to simply come to a sitting position on the ground if she wasn't standing up by the time it reached the surface. As all the evidence of their encounter quickly sunk below and the world returned to that of a normal forest clearing, Keibetsu disconnected himself from the earth. Hands raising, he brushed some bits of dirt and stone off of his clothes and walked over to Kazumi with a smile.

"I am very impressed with your technique, Kazumi. I haven't seen anything that powerful in quite a while. The raw destructive force combined with the searing flames... Well, I feel sorry for anyone you face in the future, hah!" She would surely be a formidable opponent in the future. Once the chakra restrictions of being a Genin-level shinobi had been surpassed, a combination like that would be even more deadly. Who would want to face that multiple times in succession? You'd end up having nowhere to run if you weren't a witty bastard or a master of a particular element. Regardless of the future possibilities, it was time to focus on praising her now, in the present.

"I think you're going to be a very powerful ninja one day, Kazumi. You and your ninken make a considerable combination. With that being said, I'd like to know what your Nindo is, if you feel comfortable sharing it. Someone like you has potential... I can only wonder where you might put it?" Keibetsu would listen eagerly for the words that followed his question, eager to hear her answer.

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She did it. They did it. After months of trying to perfect their Fire Fang technique, Kazumi and Rina had finally performed it correctly when it counted. It was a huge improvement from the last failed attempt, where, after losing control of her flames, Kazumi almost started a forest fire just outside of Kitai. This time everything was just as it should be, and the results were quite destructive. It also made Kazumi notice a few weaknesses that she could work on improving. She had noticed that, rotating at the speed they were, navigation was difficult and tracking was near impossible. If it hadn't been for the food Keibetsu had been carrying, she wouldn't have been able to catch the clone. They would need to work a little more work before it was a perfected technique.

When the pair had landed back on the pillars after ceasing their vain efforts to pierce Keibetsu's wall, Kazumi felt another draw-back of the technique. Her limbs felt slightly heavier than they usually did, and she was breathing fairly hard. A quick glance at Rina confirmed her suspicions. Comparing her own state of being to that of her pet's showed a distinct difference, in the case that Kazumi was panting while Rina looked as well as she did before the technique was used. Kazumi was running kind of low on chakra from the two jutsu, and it was affecting her physically. This wasn't an issue at the moment, for Keibetsu would never attempt to hurt them, but in the middle of a life or death situation, this technique could sign their death warrant. Any enemy that wasn't crushed by the technique itself could easily take advantage of Kazumi's weakened state. As it was, it wouldn't affect her performance too much, but if she used any other jutsu, she knew it would reduce her chances of survival exponentially.

Those were worries for another day. She had succeeded in Keib's tests, and it was time to receive her praise. After hurling a question concerning his feelings about her performance down to where her opponent was still rooted to the ground Kazumi would sit down and call Rina over to her, who in turn would leap from her pillar over to Kazumi and come to rest on her head as Kazumi reached up and stroked the fur that covered her back. As she watched the man for a reply, she heard him yell up to her. "What do I think? Well, let's get you on the ground first!" She then felt the pillar underneath her begin to rumble as it slowly receded into the ground from whence it came. The ride was slow enough to keep either of it's passengers from getting nervous as they descended. The earth came to an easy stop as they reached the ground, not disrupting their sitting position as it vanished from sight. Keibetsu then released himself from his rock-solid (pun intended) binds and, wiping so dust from his clothes, began walking towards the kunoichi. Kazumi stood up from the dirt to meet him.

"I am very impressed with your technique, Kazumi. I haven't seen anything that powerful in quite a while." He would say to her. She could tell he was being honest. This close, she could hear his hearbeat. It was faint, but she could hear it if she focused. It was unwaveringly steady, and quite soothing to listen to. Kazumi only half listened to what he said next. "The raw destructive force combined with the searing flames... Well, I feel sorry for anyone you face in the future, hah!" Kazumi hadn't even thought about that. She didn't mind a little bloodshed, especially when her enemy deserved it, but she still didn't enjoy the image of her Fire Fang, tearing through an actual person's skin instead of a clone, that thinking about it provided in her head. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle it, but she did know deep down that if push came to shove, and her friends or her team were in danger, she would do anything she could to keep them from getting hurt, and that included tearing apart anyone who threatened them, whether it be with a Fire Fang or with her own clawed hands.

"I think you're going to be a very powerful ninja one day, Kazumi. You and your ninken make a considerable combination." Rina yapped in appreciation at this comment and Kazumi reached up and brought her pup down from atop her head to her chest to pet her while Keibetsu continued to talk. "With that being said, I'd like to know what your Nindo is, if you feel comfortable sharing it. Someone like you has potential... I can only wonder where you might put it?" This question caught Kazumi by surprise. She didn't exactly have a prepared answer for people when they questioned her ninja way. She knew that some people had really strict nindos, like her friend back in the academy who had lost his parents. He had made a promise to his father before he died that he would become the greatest swordsman in the world, so his nindo was to never go back on your word, no matter what happened. Kazumi didn't exactly have a nindo like that. She had never really thought about it.

"I've never really thought about it before." Kazumi tried to think of something that she lived by. Maybe she had a nindo, but never really realized it before. Then it hit her, she'd been living her nindo her entire life. It's just the way she was. "I believe that life is for living. You shouldn't let anyone stand in the way of what you want, and you should never stop striving to complete your goals." That was the way Kazumi had been living her life. Because of this, she was viewed as a sort of rebel, never one to listen to authority, never one to let rules stand in her way. She would always accomplish that which she set her mind to, and wouldn't stop for anything. That was her nindo, her ninja way.

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After a few moments of waiting, Keibetsu received his answer from Kazumi. Hopefully the question wasn't too forward, but it was something that you might be asked in your lifetime, and some usually had one prepared. However, Keibetsu wasn't the type to think about his nindo as some sort of religious code. It was wisdom that he appreciated, and he would reflect on it when the time was right. Considering reflecting on things, Keibetsu stopped thinking about this and gave his full attention back to Kazumi. "I've never really thought about it before."

Ah, so perhaps she doesn't have one? But it seems she's not done. It seemed that she just needed to stop and think about it for a moment so that she could realize what it was. Her following words revealed it to Keibetsu, "I believe that life is for living. You shouldn't let anyone stand in the way of what you want, and you should never stop striving to complete your goals." Keibetsu smiled in response to her words, seemingly pleased with what she had said. It reminded him quite a bit of his own sensei. While she hadn't repeated his values word for word, ti seemed that she also thought similarly to how he did. Following the things that Keibetsu grew upon, and learned to appreciate.

After a few moments of silence, Keibetsu finally began to speak once more, his first words being a compliment to Kazumi's nindo. It was indeed something different from the usual, generic sayings. Kazumi was, however, different from generic people, too. She had the potential to be different, and she wasn't afraid to act upon it. "That's a fine nindo, I like it. In fact, it's quite similar to the things my sensei use to teach me when I was younger. That we're all allowed our own choices, and that we don't have to follow the wishes of anyone else if we don't want to. That's part of being human, after all. Having the ability to make your own choices."

A brief pause occurred as Keibetsu made the decision to himself that he would also share his nindo with her, appreciating the one she had. He hoped to build upon that with his own example, and possibly inspire her in the same way he had been inspired. His situation as a little bit more traumatic, but it stuck nonetheless. "Since you shared your nindo with me, I'll share mine with you. It's more so a bit of wisdom that's very similar to your way of thinking than a real nindo, but I like to think of it as one anyway. Ah..." Keibetsu decided to take a seat near Kazumi, seeing as the two would be resting now for a little while. At least, until Keibetsu needed to take his leave, and she would return back to her home.

"It's a bit of a story though, I hope you don't mind me rambling." Regardless of that, he would have to deliberate a bit of the story anyway in order for it to have the meaning he was looking for. Hopefully she wouldn't mind listening, seeing as the two had grown this close already through a very brief meeting. Placing his hands together in his lap, Keibetsu gathered the story in his mind and began to speak it. "I received my nindo back at a ramen shop a few years ago, when I was eating with my Sensei after a mission. Some men were plotting to kill the queen, and we ended up trapping them before they could reach the palace.

At that age, I didn't quite understand why they wanted to do that. The instructors do such a good job pounding it in your head that your leader is everything that you forget you can make your own choices. Thinking of that, I'm glad you turned out differently. At the ramen shop, I had questioned him about it, and he gave me a peculiar explanation.

He folded a piece of paper into a boat, and dropped it in my broth. Since the broth was extra thick, the paper couldn't handle it. He tapped the surface with a chopstick, and the little ripples sunk the ship. Now," Keibetsu had a very brief laugh at this thought, "You're probably wondering why any of that is even relevant. He told me something with that, and his words were 'The world is your ocean, and the waves are your hands. Those men didn't have big enough waves to accomplish their goals. The rest of the ocean swallowed them up, and so they are where they are now. It's up to you to decide whether or not your boat floats or sinks in the ocean.'

It's always been an interesting thing to compare life to the ocean. At any moment, it can be perfectly still. But, in order for you to get anywhere, you have to push. To make waves bigger than all the others, lest you sink. Down, into the depths of failure. This is why I like your nindo, Kazumi. Because the world is your ocean, and the waves are your hands. You're not afraid to push for what you believe in, and overpower all the others." As Keibetsu's story finished, his gaze turned towards the sky for moment. Some clouds were beginning to form overhead, but they didn't appear to be threatening any rain yet. They would be able to sit for a bit longer if they so chose. "We think exactly alike, in that sense."

After a moment, it became quite apparent that Keibetsu's story had possibly shifted the mood entirely, and so he wanted to remedy that. A smile returned to his face and he brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head. "Sorry that took so long, heh. Hopefully it wasn't a boring story." With his thoughts in place, Keibetsu let his hands fall behind him, and he leaned back on his palms. His legs were in a half lotus posture, which looks much like the common criss-cross, but one foot is on top instead of both feet being under. Unsure of what to expect, Keibetsu awaited her thoughts on his own nindo.

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As Kazumi told Keibetsu about her nindo, or lack there of, she watched his face for his reaction. She had surprised herself at what she had said, for she never thought she had a nindo, but she had always been living in accordance with what she had said. She had always had a nindo, even if she didn't know it. Now that she had found one, it wouldn't change the way she acted. She was never one to be driven by an outside will, and she wouldn't start now. She lived for herself, her pet, and her family. She would do anything that would benefit them, no matter who tried to stop her, and they'd have a hard time stopping her too.

As Kazumi was thinking about what she had just said, she could see that Keibetsu was doing the same. He had grown silent after she had finished talking and looked as though he was busy contemplating his response. After a few moments of silence he opened his mouth and began to speak. "That's a fine nindo, I like it. In fact, it's quite similar to the things my sensei use to teach me when I was younger. That we're all allowed our own choices, and that we don't have to follow the wishes of anyone else if we don't want to. That's part of being human, after all. Having the ability to make your own choices." This was exactly what Kazumi meant. It seemed that other people could explain her own nindo better than she could.

He grew silent once more, once againg thinking to himself about a topic that Kazumi had no way of deciphering from his face. He looked as though he was lost in his past. Their conversation must have driven up some old memories that he was just now recalling. "Since you shared your nindo with me, I'll share mine with you. It's more so a bit of wisdom that's very similar to your way of thinking than a real nindo, but I like to think of it as one anyway. Ah..." In saying this, the man came over to take a seat next to her. Clearly, she was in for quite the story. As he settled down into his spot in the shade, he placed his hands in his lap and began the retelling of his story.

Kazumi watched with wide eyes as her new friend retold the story of his own nindo. He had just foiled a plot to assassinate the queen, and was relaxing with his sensei in a ramen shop, when he asked his mentor why someone would want to kill the queen. He said that his sensei folded a piece of paper into a boat and dropped it into his broth. He then tapped the top of it with a chopstick and the resulting ripples sunk the boat into the bowl, presumably ruining the rest of Keibetsu's dinner. With this, he said "The world is your ocean, and the waves are your hands. Those men didn't have big enough waves to accomplish their goals. The rest of the ocean swallowed them up, and so they are where they are now. It's up to you to decide whether or not your boat floats or sinks in the ocean."

This was the end of his story, but Keibetsu was not done talking. "It's always been an interesting thing to compare life to the ocean. At any moment, it can be perfectly still. But, in order for you to get anywhere, you have to push. To make waves bigger than all the others, lest you sink. Down, into the depths of failure. This is why I like your nindo, Kazumi. Because the world is your ocean, and the waves are your hands. You're not afraid to push for what you believe in, and overpower all the others." He looked up towards the sky. She did the same and noticed clouds starting to conglomerate over their heads. They didn't look like much but Kazumi could smell the rain on the air. She was sure Keibetsu didn't know about it, so she'd have to warn him too. "We think exactly alike, in that sense."

He was right. Both of their so-called nindos fit together almost perfectly. They both relied on no one but themselves to get their goals accomplished. They both made their own waves, and they wouldn't allow anyone to prevent them from making it to their destination. It seemed that Keibetsu was finally done with his tale, and in the silence that followed, it seemed he was afraid that his story had changed the mood of the whole clearing, and apologized with a smile.

"Oh! Don't worry Keibetsu." Kazumi matched the smile with one of her own. "I actually really enjoyed your story. I think I even learned something from it." She laughed at him and was accompanied by a small bark from Rina. With this, the girl and her dog stood up and brushed off the dirt they had accumulated on the their clothes. "I'll have to go think about what all of that meant, but it'll have to be another time." She said to him as she checked all of her equipment. "I can smell the rain on the wind, so we'd both better get to our homes soon. I hope we'll see you again soon though. I had fun today." She smiled at him after she was sure she wasn't missing any of her equipment. She had a feeling that they'd meet again before too long though.

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It seemed that Keibetsu's suspicions about the story being a bit of a dull one were relieved as Kazumi began to reply. Kazumi smiled herself in response to his story and told him not to worry, expressing enjoyment and even value from the brief tale of his past. If she had learned something from the story, that was indeed an accomplishment on Keibetsu's part. He was glad to be able to help her with more than just training a technique out in the forest. A brief laugh and the accompaniment of Rina led to the duo standing up, which Keibetsu followed suit.

The words led into phrases of leaving, showing that it was time for the two to part. Keibetsu could agree with this, seeing as her sense of smell was far better than his, she most likely knew the rain like no other. As she finished, Keibetsu wouldn't hesitate with his reply and agreement about the nature of the situation. He, personally, very much enjoyed a walk in the rain. However, he wasn't going to stop his new acquaintance just to enjoy that. "I'm glad to have helped you today, I also had fun in the training. The clouds will be menacing soon, so we should get a head start on the path home." Keibetsu made a move to turn back to the forest from whence he came, but another thought popped into his mind and he stopped.

"I think we'll meet again someday, Kazumi. Just remember to keep on pushing." He turned his head back partially, a smile obvious on his face even if she couldn't see all of it. The smile was kind enough, and on the inside, it was a sign that Keibetsu knew he also had plenty of things to think about. A hand seal formed from one of Keibetsu's hands, and he said his final words before vanishing into the very air his voice once boomed through. "See you around." With that, his visage became no more. Kazumi could probably still smell his scent rather strongly, considering that wouldn't waft away for some time.

In the distance, Keibetsu appeared once more and began his trek towards a far off destination. If anyone had been in the area, he was gone from them now. That was a nice break from the usual isolation... I think I changed today. That girl helped it, whether she knew it or not. Keibetsu had gone through a significant change, as the cold man he used to be had quickly fallen apart and rebuilt itself into someone more friendly. It would take practice to hone those people skills, but he was on the way to that goal. A goal for the future.

-EXIT-

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Kazumi watched her newly made friend follow her to a standing position and agree with her that bad weather was quickly approaching. She had been caught out training in a storm enough times in her life that she knew the smell of a storm when it was closing in. She also tried to train in storms sometimes to practice her ability of singling out known scents from the scent of the target she was chasing. It was a lot more difficult than she had thought before she had started, but she'd gotten it down after a few times of chasing Rina through the woods. It helped with her normal smelling as well, honing it in when it came to smelling just one scent, or picking up different scents around her. She saw Keibetsu begin to walk away, but he stopped after a few steps.

"I think we'll meet again someday, Kazumi. Just remember to keep on pushing." Keibetsu said as he turned his head so the Kazumi could only see one side of it, but the position didn't hide the smile that had spread across his face. She would do that. She wouldn't stop until she was more powerful than him, than anybody. She had a long way to go from genin, but she was young and had plenty of time to train and get better. "See you around." He said as he made a handsign with one hand and dissipated from her sight, but his smell lingered for a while longer. He smelled nice. Maybe it was that riceball she had smelled earlier.

"Come on Rina, we need to get home too." She knelt down and stroked her fur. "Mom and Dad always get mad when you get wet, but nobody likes wet dog." Rina acknowledged the comedic insult with a nip on Kazumi little finger. She withdrew her hand with a chuckle. "Okay rascal, let's go. I smell food!"

-EXIT-

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