[Yusuke Sarutobi]

The sun streamed down into the small meadow of the Sarutobi compound. It was intended to be a place of reflection, offering soft grass stretching between the solid concrete walls of the compound. A small stream ended in a reflection pool, a red wooden bridge covering the span of water as it flowed into the pool. A simple tree rested a few paces away, and in its shadow a form moved.



Yusuke held his staff firmly in his grip, the length of metal spinning and flowing from form to form. A strike, a turn, grip changing into a thrust. He moved as if in a rehearsed dance. Each step measured, each strike cutting through the air with an audible whipping of air. On and on he went through thrust, parry, and swings. Sweat formed on his brow and with a small yell of effort he flipped backward and landed on the cool surface of the reflection pool. His staff came to rest at his side.



Gazo, on of the Sarutobi elders, had suggested Yusuke visit the compound more. While the young blonde was more than happy to spend his time out in the woods or in his tavern, his elder had thought that making his presence more known around the complex would help with his image for becoming clan head. The election race against Oran, his father, was going surprisingly well. Yusuke had a far gentler touch than his old man. He intended the Sarutobi to be a clan that would nurture the wellbeing of the village, not just defend it. He was resonating well with some of the younger clan members, and the main pushback he was receiving was from some of the older, more traditional Sarutobi.



So here he was. He had completed a planning meeting earlier in the day, and rather than simply leaving had come to the meadow to train. He had seen a few people pass by, curious faces peeking in before giving small nods of approval and moving on. Maybe Gazo did know what he was talking about. Either way his small training session was becoming rather tedious, and Yusuke was planning on heading back to the tavern, safer waters in his mind, soon.

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Y'know, it wasn't often that Daitan ever argued with his parents, it was even rarer that they would ever raise their voice to him. But there was something about politics that made the young man's parents go crazy. He never understood politics, but he knew that within the village, the older people always wanted to see things done selfishly. When his parents explained the slight inner turmoil among their people, they told him that they supported Oran. Daitan being the curious child that he was, asked who was opposing him as possible leader, and when they told him, his eyes instantly lit up.

"Yusuke?! Ma, Pa, he's soooo cool!"

His sister would chuckle, but his parents weren't trying to hear it. His father specifically yelled at him about being a weak minded child that needed to see the bigger picture; that the rest of Konohagakure did not care about the Sarutobi's. Daitan explained that he definitely didn't agree, he told them about all the cool friends he had made, and his father told him that they weren't really his friends and that when they get older, they're going to be looking out for number one, just like they should be doing.

Something about this hit a sour spot in Daitan's chest. He hadn't felt this feeling since he was a kid, but it was genuine sadness. The young man looked around the room, and realized that everyone was looking at him, his mother had a blank expression, his father was obviously angry. His older sister seemed to be the only one with any remorse on her face. Before he knew it, Daitan found himself running out of the front door and his steps wouldn't stop until he got to the red bridge.

Something caught him off guard; the boy felt something in his stomach that told him to turn his head. Almost immediately, he would see a familiar face. The boy wiped his tears away and sniffled one good time before yelling out in excitement. 

"Y-Yusuke San! I heard you're trying to become the clan head!"

The tears were barely visible, but anyone with eyes could see that he had been upset. With a smile on his face, the boy would jump off the bridge, landing about ten feet away from the older member of his clan. Now that they were face to face, he instantly noticed that he was an entire foot shorter than Yusuke, and he leaned back a bit to see his face, a peaceful grin on his face. 

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Yusuke Sarutobi | --

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[Yusuke Sarutobi]

Yusuke heard his name called out and turned to see a young red haired boy standing on the bridge above the reflecting pool. As the boy leapt down to meet him Yusuke felt the gears in his brain spinning, trying to put a name to the familiar face. The boy looked up at him after landing a little ways away and the name clicked into place.

"Daitan. Good to see you. Suppose words spread I'm going up against the old man for the top spot." he said with a laugh.

Daitan was a generally good kid. Highly energetic and positive. From the few times Yusuke and seen the boy he was reminded of the childish wonder he himself once had.or maybe still did, depending in who you asked. As he looked at the boy smiling he noted his slightly puffy eyes, and a tension in the usually carefree face. Yusuke spun his staff, twisting it to collapse it back down as he placed it on his back and walked over to the boy.

"What's the matter man? Its a beautiful day, can't be letting yourself get all upset in the sunshine. Yusuke grinned.

He offered the boy his hand for a high five as he smiled down at him.

"Whatcha say you help me with a bit of training to brighten your day?" he asked.

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Being recognized by someone that he thought was super cool was probably the coolest thing that had happened to Daitan at this time in his life. The boy had a toothy grin on his face when Yusuke laughed. With both hands behind his head, the boy closed his eyes before saying, "Yeah, you know news spreads pretty quickly around here! I'm excited for you..!"

His smile quickly faded as he was approached by the older clan member, he watched him put that cool staff away and the boy just followed him with his eyes as he got closer. Then he brought up the tears that were on the boy's face and he quickly wiped at them again, chuckling at his statement about the quality of the day. Honestly, he wasn't used to confrontation, especially within his own household, and he didn't know how to deal with his emotions, so crying just seemed like the easiest escape from his limited issues. Before he knew it, there was a hand up, and the boy knew what was being asked of him. 

He'd let out one more sniffle before hopping up a bit in order to high five Yusuke. When the boy landed back smoothly on the ground, he would look up at the older man once again, and when he asked if Daitan wanted to train with him, boy oh boy that definitely made his day. The young man almost screamed in excitement from just the idea of training with him, let alone being able to actually do it. But, he kept his cool, only making it evident in his facial expression. His eyes lit up like fireworks, and he nodded his head like a mad man. 

"Yes sir! W-what kind of training are we doing today?"

He got into a stance like a boxer almost, punching at the air a few times before switching to something that resembled that of a more practical martial arts stance. "I specialize in taijutsu! I actually just graduated the academy.... I got assigned to a team and we don't really have a leader yet but I can't wait to impress everyone with whatever you show me!"

The boy talked a lot but he couldn't help it, he was just a kid after all. 

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  Yusuke Sarutobi | --

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[Yusuke Sarutobi]

Daitan seemed to cheer up as Yusuke spoke. The older Sarutobi felt the warm glow of happiness emminating from the boy as he sniffed one last time, putting whatever sorrows of the day had held him down behind him. He gave Yusuke a high five and as the blonde listened to Daitan's response he saw the boy light up after being offered some training time.

He watched as Daitain took a fighting stance, Yusuke looking at his form as the boy spoke with the enthusiasm and excitement expected of a young shinobi. Yusuke raised his right arm, cupping his chin thoughtfully as he considered the young man's words.

Taijutsu huh?" he said slowly.

He reviewed his own arsenal of techniques, thinking of what he knew that would beat benefit the young man. The answer came quickly and Yusuke grinned.

Your stance looks like its something a boxer would use. Fair to say you prefer punching? Have you ever heard of Torido?" he would asked the younger boy.

"Its a leg and kicking based taijutsu style. So it leaves you free to use your hands or form seals for jutsu. How about I teach you the Heron technique?" he said smiling.

Yusuke pulled his left leg up, and extended it out into the open air, his limb twisting slightly at the knee as he wrapped his leg around an imaginary attack.

"It's a simple technique, when an opponent moves to strike you, you twist out of the way and use a leg,"Yusuke explained, patting the leg that was in the air, To wrap around their limb or weapon. It leaves then stuck and gives you a solid opening to land a follow up attack."

Yusuke brought his leg back down, looking down at Daitan.

"Try it with me, real slow. Familiarize yourself with the movement and flow of your body. Once we get that I can let you practice on me." Yusuke explained.

He began the motion of the technique again, very slowly, each movement of his leg being done precisely and with measured grace. He would take Daitan through this three times before asking him to speed up.

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SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu
NAME: Sagi // 鷺 [Heron]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: -none
DESCRIPTION:

The first and most basic of the Bird maneuvers, the user dodges an incoming attack before hooking their leg around the assailant's weapon, whether that be fist, leg or sword, opening them up to a follow-up attack and preventing the opponent from countering or moving away.

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While Yusuke thought about his moves, Daitan began showing off his. Almost looking like a cartoon character as he bounced across the grass, almost appearing to move at light speed as he punched and kicked at the air in excitement. Each "pretend" blow he let loose would come off very clean looking, some even bouncing off an imaginary face. If it was one thing this boy had, it was imagination. He had never been in an actual fight but he had seen a few and knew how the human body responded to combat. 

As he threw out one more punch, he stopped right as it "connected". "Punching is cool... I guess I could learn more kicks?" The boy then lifted his leg and aimed two kicks at his imaginary opponent, one to the guy and then another to the face. "Burrito? Never heard of it.... But I'm hungry now." He said this with a look of confusion on his face. Then Yusuke went into detail about the style and Daitan's eyes lit up again. A fighting style that left his hands free so that he could still do his hand seals? That sounded like a cheat code! 

He watched as Yusuke began to show him the proper way to use the technique, and Daitan usually seemed like a mindless child, but when it came to learning combat, he was focused. The boy's eyes almost dilated as he paid very close attention to what was being shown to him. As he watched, he began to visualize the imaginary opponent from earlier. This time, it wasn't just a shadowy figure, this time it was a more vivid image of someone that was very familiar to him; his father. He saw his father, wooden katana in hand, preparing to run after the boy. In his mind, everything slowed down, even the attack seemed as if it was happening in slow motion. The closer his father got, he began to lift his leg up. Before he knew it, he was wrapping his leg around an imaginary weapon, stopping the imaginary attacker in his tracks. 

Then a few more times, the boy would try to wrap his leg around the imaginary weapon again, and again. The more he visualized it, the more it felt like it was actually happening around him. When it was requested that the boy sped up, he would do so, since he knew his way around a kick and punch, the boy would begin to pick up on the technique pretty smoothly. Though of course, there would be nothing better than practicing it against a physical assailant. 

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 Yusuke Sarutobi| Notes Here

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[Yusuke Sarutobi]

Yusuke watched Daitan bounce about, shadow boxing imaginary foes as the younger Sarutobi spoke. Boundless energy, it was a symptom of adolescence, and one he always found himself appreciating. Once something he prided himself in, though the last six months he seemed to more times than not find himself exhausted between balancing shinobi, clan, and tavern duties. When Daitan mispronounced Torido the chuunin would let out a hearty laugh.

To-Ri-Do he said, pronouncing the word slowly after his explanation.

Yusuke watched Daitan as he demonstrated the move for the boy. He saw the change in the younger Sarutobi instantly, the boundless energy he had seeming to laser focus in on Yusuke’s movements. AS Daitan began to practice the movement Yusuke felt his brow raise. Impressive. The subtle shifting of the hips required, the bending of the knee. Daitan had absorbed some of the more subtle motions of the technique like a sponge sopping up water. The young boy continued to move as instructed, speeding up as he went and Yusuke grinned after a few tries.

”Perfect, you are getting the basics really fast man.” He encouraged.

He slid into a fighting stance, watching the boy and extended his right hand, gesturing for the boy to come towards him.

”The Heron technique is a move performed in three parts. You have the general idea, but I’d like for you to see the execution before you tried it yourself. Charge me, try to strike, and be ready to watch as I counter with it.” Yusuke instructed.

Showing a move and walking through it were easy, He needed to express how the jutsu should be used. To know what to do was of little use if you didn’t know when and where to do it. That was a skill best taught through time and experience.
”Whenever you are ready.” He said, his eyes locked on Daitan

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The boy kept practicing the move on his own, throwing his leg out grab the imaginary arm and he didn't follow up with a move yet, he only had a rough idea of what he wanted to follow the attack up with. He was considering either slamming an Erubo into the opponent's chest, or shutting them down with the Kanashibari no Jutsu. Either way, this new move he was adding to his arsenal would definitely give him the chance to open up his move set to new possibilities that would mean the end of anyone who crossed him. Not that the boy wanted to hurt anyone, he just knew how dangerous he could be if he focused. 

The older Sarutobi would then explain that Daitan had picked up the basics, but he wanted him to get a better understanding of how the move actually worked. This was perfect! Daitan knew the best way to practice a move was to do it with a real target! 

He watched as Yusuke prepared himself for the boy to attack, and Daitan would nod his head, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to approach his new target. The boy knew this was just practice, but he had to make an impression, at least show that he had some strength behind what he was throwing out, y'know? 

Before he knew it, Daitan was charging towards Yusuke, he figured the older shinobi would be expecting a bit of a weaker attack, but he would grin as he approached, faking an uppercut with his right fist, his other hand reaching into his tool holster, grabbing his kunai and extending it towards him, almost as if he was trying to stab him. 

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Yusuke Sarutobi | Notes Here

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[Yusuke Sarutobi]

Yusuke waited as Daitan prepared to attack. The heron technique required dodging the oppemts strike to use properly, and emphasising the need was best shown by example. He took a breath, eyes watching the boy as he began his charge.

A quick kid, his constant energy and exercise being useful for the sprint to reach Yusuke. As an uppercut would fly towards the older Sarutobi, Yusuke would take a simple step back. Moving out of the range of the initial strike he saw the gleam of metal reflected in the afternoon sun as the kunai was thrust at him.

Perfect.

He sidestepped the boys strike, moving to his right so as to square up with the red haired boy as he twisted out of the way of the blade. His left leg sprang up, his upper thigh wrapping around the wrist holding the kunai as his knee bent and locked his leg around the arm.

His arm shot out instantly, a powerful punch that would stop just shy of the boy's face. The wind from the strike would be felt as Yusuke held his stance, gripping the boy's weapon arm with his leg.

" The first stage of the heron technique is to anticipate. You have to be able to avoid the enemies strike. It requires fluidity and adaptation to whatever is being thrown at you. The second stage is the grab, using the keg to trap the foe's striking limit. And finally the third stage is the counterattack. Any shinobi worth their salt isn't going to be thrown off for more than a second by the grab of the leg, and that means if you don't follow through with a strike immediately you have left yourself open." he explained.

He gestured at his own stance.

See how I have the leverage, but since I'm extending this leg to grip, you have the balance. You also jabe a free arm that can be ised against me. Never hold this technique longer than you have to. It is always grab, then counterstrike, and release." he explained.

He released the technique and smiled at Daitian.

"Now its your turn. Take a couple steps back, and watch my movements,anticipate where the strike will come from" he instructed.

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SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu
NAME: Sagi // 鷺 [Heron]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: -none
DESCRIPTION:

The first and most basic of the Bird maneuvers, the user dodges an incoming attack before hooking their leg around the assailant's weapon, whether that be fist, leg or sword, opening them up to a follow-up attack and preventing the opponent from countering or moving away.

TAG: name
NOTES: Here
Speech Text