[Kojima Daisuke]

DO NOT MISTAKE MY KINDNESS FOR WEAKNESS

Finally, finally, the time had come. Ever since his promotion to chunin, Daisuke had been working with Kaede to create a bond with the wolves of Kumogakure and learn to become a sage and follow in the man’s footsteps. The past three years, however, it seemed all he had done was prepare himself for this very moment.

Taking natural chakra into the body was an incredibly difficult task, and even impossible for some, as it required both a mental and physical fortitude to harness the energy. The connection with nature as well was something that not many seemed fully capable of, and even those who potentially could might have never known they were able to do so. Daisuke, however, had been one of the lucky ones. Kaede saw something in the young shinobi that could potentially lead to him becoming the stuff of legend, and he had agreed to train him as a sage, but there had been much work to be done before Daisuke to attempt to bring natural chakra into his body and begin the process of learning to balance that energy with his own.

The energy itself, while incredibly powerful, was also quite volatile, and too much chakra without the proper balance could lead to one’s body turning to stone. This was, in part, why it was so important for Daisuke to prepare his body to become a vessel for natural chakra before learning to wield it. Well, it finally seemed as though the would-be sage was ready to make the attempt.

The sun had only just begun to rise over the horizon as Daisuke made himself ready to begin the day of training. Both he and Kota had been working towards this, strengthening their bond with one another over the past three years, and the duo couldn’t be more excited to finally begin the journey.

A deep breath entered his lungs as Daisuke looked to his palms, already sweating with a nervousness that rivaled his excitement. The large black wolf beside him soon shifted, turning his head to the east. "Daisuke,” the wolf called, nodding his head toward the direction of the sun. A grin came over Daisuke’s face, that all too familiar smirk he grew when things got serious.

"Looks like Kaede is finally here.”

^{FOR THE BEAST IN ME IS BUT SLEEPING}

---

^{Himemura Kaede | C Rank Training: 1/9}

Temp By: A

[Himemura Kaede]

[Word Count]: XXX.
OOC Note(s):

Kojima Daisuke

---

While Kaede's recent actions in the village have been less impressive with the sage being generally spending most of his time hardly doing anything with his time. It was less likely you would see Kaede training as he used to and are likely to find him hanging out in a bar or club with a drink in the mans hand. The bottle nowadays had seemed to be a good excuse for him the slack off and somewhat neglect his duties as the village sage. While he wasn't against training or performing his duty as a sage the problem with Kaede was finding the proper motivation going forward, while things had improved recently for the man he was still somewhat lazy, but he hoped this training with Daisuke would help with that going forward. Kaede had a duty to his apprentices that he would help them learn to become sages.

Kaede had awoke on a new day, but it was super early as the sun had only just begun to rise. Normally Kaede would probably be sleeping his drunken haze off, but he had made sure the night before not to drink as much as normal as he had made the promise to Daisuke to at least be a sober as possible for this full days training. Kaede liked to train as much as possible outside of the village, but there were a few particular spots he knew about that he liked to train in. Daisuke would be waiting at one of these spots outside of the village but not a super far distance away either so Kaede would arrive in hardly no time at all as he came walking over the pass to meet up with Daisuke and Kota his wolf.

" Good to see that you both have gotten here before me, just shows I'm not a punctual as I used to be." Kaede said with a grin on his face looking at both Daisuke and Kota. At this time he made his way to Kota to give the spot between his ears and head a nice rub with his free hand. " Have you been taking good care of young Daisuke here." He said towards the wolf Kota, obviously Daisuke wasn't that 'young' by any means but considering the experience levels, it was more a figure of speech that's all. " Would you like a little spar as a warm up before or prefer to just get right to it Daisuke? Its totally up to you but I think a spar could do use good to warm up the blood a little before hand." Kaede had made the suggestion to warm up a little before hand, it didn't need to be anything super intense, just to get the blood pumping before hand.

---

[IC COMBAT INFORMATION]

[Skills/Traits In-Usage]:

[Items Worn[Passively]]:

[/url] | 01 | [Tsuki Hōseki]
▣ | 01 | [Wolf Mask]
▣ | 01 | [Cloak of Wolves][/ul][Sennin Mōdō[Rotation]]:0

[Techniques Executed]:

[/blockquote][/div][/div][/div]

[Kojima Daisuke]

DO NOT MISTAKE MY KINDNESS FOR WEAKNESS

Daisuke would take in a deep breath through his nostrils, turning his chin upward slightly at Kaede’s request for a spar. While of course, the Chunin was never one to turn down a challenge, fighting someone like Kaede, even in something as simple as a warm up spar felt a bit more intimidating than he’d have liked to admit.

His brow tightened as his eyes seemed to glint, igniting with fire. There was a beast inside him that snarled at the idea, causing his blood to rise as the smirk on his face grew to a toothy grin.

"I don’t think a spar could hurt. Just you and me though. No wolves. And no jutsu. Like you said, just to get the blood flowing, right?”

The corner of his mouth hooked upward as Daisuke undid the toggles of his black and gray gi, tossing it to the side. Every muscle in his being began to flex, pulsing with adrenaline as he entered a fighting stance. His body turned at a forty-five degree and, palms open, his right arm back, hand at the ready by his hip, while his left extended into a relaxed but eager pose, with one foot extended before him, knee’s bent, most of his weight bouncing on his back foot.

Another deep breath came and went as his heart beat faster behind his chest, despite his attempt to remain calm. He’d allow his mind to empty, slipping into a void like state of pure concentration for the task at hand. One more deep breath as his eyes flickered shut and back open, the beast within ready to hunt. His fingers flexed as his eyes locked with his sensei, and as soon as the man would give the signal, Daisuke would spring into action.

^{FOR THE BEAST IN ME IS BUT SLEEPING}

---

^{Himemura Kaede | C Rank Training: 3/9}

Temp By: A

[Himemura Kaede]

[Word Count]: XXX.
OOC Note(s):

Kojima Daisuke

---

The idea of a general spar between student a teacher was never a bad way or starting the day other than having a good drink of whiskey to get his body warm, but that is not the reason today for now it was a spar between the past and the future. Kaede would simply not his head at his student before replying.

" Yeah this will be a simple spar no jutsu and no wolves. Once we have warmed up enough ill call a halt to things. Guessing you are ready..."

Kaede said as he reached for a Kunai on his person before angling his body and throwing it right at Daisuke, while he expected Daisuke to dodge no problem with his attack it would make him think about what would come next, plus Daisuke said nothing about weapons. He expected his student to be ready for anything that is why he threw a weapon at him, even if he didn't dodge it Kaede only threw it towards a area of his body that would leave any major lasting damage on Daisuke except Kaede been disappointed with his student. With the Kunai throw, Kaede would immediately push his whole body forwards as he attempted to follow up the kunai throw with a simple kick to his students chest.

---

[IC COMBAT INFORMATION]

[Skills/Traits In-Usage]:

[Items Worn[Passively]]:

[/url] | 01 | [Tsuki Hōseki]
▣ | 01 | [Wolf Mask]
▣ | 01 | [Cloak of Wolves][/ul][Items used]:

[Sennin Mōdō[Rotation]]:0

[Techniques Executed]:

[/blockquote][/div][/div][/div]

[Kojima Daisuke]

DO NOT MISTAKE MY KINDNESS FOR WEAKNESS

Just as Kaede had finished confirming the terms of their little spar, it seemed things were already on. With a flash of speed, Kaede had sent a kunai straight for Daisuke. His mind was calm, settled into the void, allowing him to dodge the kunai with relative ease. That, however, was not all that was coming his way. The glint of the metal blade flung past him as his body twisted, and with incredible speed it seemed Daisuke’s sensei was already on top of him.

The young sage couldn’t help but smile seeing Kaede in such a light. It was rare to see the legendary wolf sage giving his all, but despite this only being a spar, despite the rule against using ninjutsu, seeing only a fraction of what Kaede could do was still something to behold.

His hands instinctively crossed over his chest, catching the flying kick aimed towards his center mass. It was clear the man had both speed and power, even doing his best to block the blow, still sending him sliding back at least a foot from the impact. He braced against the impact, letting out a grunt against its force. His smirk stretched, revealing a wolfish grin.

"Good trick.” Daisuke said before he would soon return with his own flurry of blows.

No kunai or shuriken to try and distract his coming onslaught, Daisuke would instead leap into the air, sending a string of three blows, all aimed towards Kaede’s chin. First, a knee from his left leg, followed by a powerful kick from his right. As his left leg then his the ground, Daisuke would turn his body, aiming his final strike for the same spot Kaede had tried to land against him, a powerful right kick straight for the solar plexus.

^{FOR THE BEAST IN ME IS BUT SLEEPING}

---

^{Himemura Kaede | C Rank Training: 5/9}

Temp By: A

[Himemura Kaede]

[Word Count]: XXX.
OOC Note(s):

None

---

Watching the Kunai flying right past his student's face as he dodged the object thrown at him had all been a distraction that Kaede had provided and for Daisuke to respond to in kind as the well placed flying kick to the young man's body had been blocked by Daisuke, but with the power behind the strikes it drove him back slightly from his starting position. Obviously Kaede had been holding back some power and speed as the difference in level's between them had been great, but to respect his student he did push things a little bit in order to make it interesting, he couldn't totally go easy on his student.

Next would come an attack from Daisuke as he attempted first to hit Kaede with a flying knee from his left leg one that Kaede simply moved his head out of the way to dodge the knee, then as his student would aim a powerful kick from his right leg, Kaede would simply raise his arm up to the side of his head to guard against the strike blocking that one as well, but due to his position as his student would land and then follow it up with a third kick from his left leg this time due to Kaede's positioning, would have to adapt a low guard in order to catch Daisuke coming in to attack him literally catching his foot as it aimed to kick his Kaede's chest. With the young man's foot caught in Kaede's hands he would simply try to sweep a leg from under Daisuke only being on one foot to try and sweep him off his feet so he would land on the ground and would release his foot the moment a strike would sent him flying to the ground. After letting go instead of following up with and attack Kaede pulled away and grinned at Daisuke.

"Not bad for starters."

---

[IC COMBAT INFORMATION]

[Skills/Traits In-Usage]:

[Items Worn[Passively]]:

[/url] | 01 | [Tsuki Hōseki]
▣ | 01 | [Wolf Mask]
▣ | 01 | [Cloak of Wolves][/ul][Items used]:

[Sennin Mōdō[Rotation]]:0

[Techniques Executed]:

[/blockquote][/div][/div][/div]

[Kojima Daisuke]

DO NOT MISTAKE MY KINDNESS FOR WEAKNESS

Honestly, Daisuke should have seen it coming. With small precise movements, Kaede dodged his first kick, blocked his second, and upon landing on the ground and following with his final blow, the elder sage grabbed his foot and swept beneath Daisuke with his leg, knocking the apprentice flat on his ass.

Rather than following up with an attack of his own, the boy’s sensei created distance between the two and goaded the chunin to try again.

"Mother fuck…” Daisuke cursed under his breath.

Without a moment of pause after hitting the ground, Daisuke pressed his knees backwards and tucked, using the momentum to roll on his shoulders and push himself off the ground with his hands, jumping and flipping into the air before he’d land back on his feet in a fighting stance. With a deep breath, Daisuke would curl his toes into the earth, and kick right back off at his sensei without another thought on his previous attempt’s failure.

This time, Daisuke would try to use speed rather than overwhelm Kaede with ferocity. He knew in the back of his mind that the sage was both far faster and stronger than Daisuke himself, but that was no reason to back down. It was not in his nature to withdraw himself from a competition and not leave everything he had on the field in situations like these, even if it was just a spar. No, Daisuke was going to show Kaede everything he could.

Doing his best to close the distance, the Chunin would knock back his right fist before thrusting the arm forward. However, before the arm would reach its full extension, Daisuke would pull back into a feint. Instead of following through with the right hook, Daisuke would use his speed and momentum to rotate, instead, extending his left hand outward, trying to surprise Kaede with a spinning back hand.

^{FOR THE BEAST IN ME IS BUT SLEEPING}

---

^{Himemura Kaede | C Rank Training: 7/9}

Temp By: A

[Himemura Kaede]

[Word Count]: XXX.
OOC Note(s):

Kojima Daisuke

---

It didn't surprise Kaede how similar he and Dasuke was at the same point in there lives as Kaede was very similar to how Daisuke was now in his life. His swearing reminded Kaede of himself as well which was no surprise given the little differences between them. it was no shock to Kaede that Daisuke quickly got back to his feet so quickly given Kaede's previous attack. It then didn't take long then for his apprentice to come at him once again, the speed in his student's movements had certainly increased that much was to be clear and his student showed no signs of giving in it wasn't the type of person that Daisuke was anyway. Coming forward at speed Daisuke would seem to throw a punch with his right hand, as Kaede was about to move his head to the side in order to dodge the attack. It would seem to stop as Kaede had already made the movement to dodge with his head in what seemed like a faint attack from Daisuke. As Kaede had already took steps in order to dodge the attack from Daisuke he had set himself up for the coming attack from his student as he would start to rotate his whole body as Kaede would be caught by a spinning backhand coming from his students left hand, it would land clean and flush on the mans jaw and the side of his face. While it made good impact, it stung a little bit as well, but it wasn't the strongest he had taken. Obviously there was a massive difference in power between him and his student so there was that to consider as well but generally it was a good attack.

Very cleaver...." Said Kaede having being impressive with his students attack. It had caught him slightly off guard.

Though it had hit Kaede it had left his student so close to Kaede that he could strike back almost instantly as he took the hit to the face he would simply grasp Daisuke's arm, pulling him by the arm towards Kaede and aiming to knee his student in his mid drift. There would be nothing pretty about Kaede's attack, but it set out the example to always try to move in and out of range when fighting close.

---

[IC COMBAT INFORMATION]

[Skills/Traits In-Usage]:

[Items Worn[Passively]]:

[/url] | 01 | [Tsuki Hōseki]
▣ | 01 | [Wolf Mask]
▣ | 01 | [Cloak of Wolves][/ul][Items used]:

[Sennin Mōdō[Rotation]]:0

[Techniques Executed]:

[/blockquote][/div][/div][/div]

[Kojima Daisuke]

DO NOT MISTAKE MY KINDNESS FOR WEAKNESS

It was too early to celebrate a connecting strike against Kaede just yet. Just as the follow-through of Daisuke's strike had begun, his body carrying out the rest of the momentum, it seemed Kaede saw his own opportunity for a counter attack. He'd grab Daisuke's arm, pulling the apprentice in close and delivering a powerful blow to the soft tissue of his side, right between his hip and ribcage.

The strike was excellently delivered, nearly knocking the wind out of Daisuke as tried to break himself free of Kaede's attack and once more create a little distance. Once he'd manage to create the distance, Daisuke would try to switch things up a little, in hopes to once again catch Kaede off guard. He was certainly beginning to notice the strength behind Kaede's attacks, feeling the blood beginning to swell around the impacts from his elder. For now, though, it was nothing that would cause him to slow down.

With a quick breath, the young sage would try his best to fend Kaede off with a series of kicks before he'd take to his defenses. Daisuke would switch up his stance slightly, trying to enter a better focus rather than allowing his bull-headedness to leave him open once more. The chunin started with a quick jump, delivering a quick left and right kick toward Kaede's chin, both of which he was sure would be blocked. When he'd land, however, Daisuke would follow up the two kicks with a strike of his right hand aimed toward Kaede's gut, before attempting to once more disengage from exchange and force his master to come to him.

^{FOR THE BEAST IN ME IS BUT SLEEPING}

---

^{Himemura Kaede | C Rank Training: 9/9 - Complete!}

Temp By: A

[Himemura Kaede]

[Word Count]: XXX.
OOC Note(s):

Kojima Daisuke

---

This little spar with his apprentice had been quite eventful so far considering the two of them were not using any jutsu as it had been agreed before hand that the two of them would not use chakra to fight. While Kaede was clearly having the upper hand due to a variety of factors involved this was just a test more than anything and a little bit of a warm-up before they started the real training for the day. Kaede was even holding back as he didn't want to do too much damage to his apprentice as Kaede wasn't that type of teacher that inflicted major damage during training in the hopes they learn to cope with the impacts and pain tolerance coming from such violent methods. Kaede teacher is watching me and you try and follow the type of deal, then he would give guidance if the wrong form or technique is involved. Kaede would watch on as his student would come at the sage again with another attack as his apprentice jumped in the air he would try to aim two kicks at Kaede chin, but Kaede of course saw them coming as he rose his hands to defend himself blocking both of the kicks one after the other. Then as Daisuke landed back on the ground Kaede was a little late to move his hands back down into a ready position which left his apprentice an opening to strike Kaede right in the gut. Kaede had felt the strike as he rested on one knee for a few seconds it had winded Kaede ever so slightly while he didn't moan in pain or anything it had certainly left its mark on the sage, as his apprentice backed off probably waiting for a follow-up from Kaede, he would be waiting for a long time as a follow-up attack would not be coming as it was time to move on.

"Right that's enough, it's time we moved on, we have warmed up enough Daisuke well done." After speaking Kaede composed himself as he got back to his feet. " Right next I think we should work on some senjutsu training." After speaking Kaede moved over to a better position as he sat on the ground with a clear open space around him. " Come and sit beside me Daisuke I know you struggle with this part but we will work on it, the better you get the hang of this the quicker it will come to you. You just need a focus something to think about when you a trying to gather nature energy." When Kaede gathers nature chakra he usually thinks of things he likes, which for Kaede comes easy as he likes a lot of things but, enjoying himself is one and another is the woman of course. Though he has started thinking about his village more during his meditations that he dreams about being the pillar for his village in the dark times to come and they are coming he just doesn't know when and when they do he and his apprentice will be ready. With that in mind, Kaede sat perfectly still with his legs crossed on the ground and with his hands on his lap. The focused on protecting his village as the nature energy would start to flow into the sage as he gather nature energy into himself. " Now Daisuke try to do the same as me. Don't worry about the gathering too much as your necklace will protect you. "

---

[IC COMBAT INFORMATION]

[Skills/Traits In-Usage]:

[Items Worn[Passively]]:

[/url] | 01 | [Tsuki Hōseki]
▣ | 01 | [Wolf Mask]
▣ | 01 | [Cloak of Wolves][/ul][Items used]:

[Sennin Mōdō[Rotation]]:1

[Techniques Executed]:

[/blockquote][/div][/div][/div]

[Kojima Daisuke]

IF YOU ALWAYS WORRY ABOUT CRUSHING ANTS BENEATH YOUR FEET

Daisuke hadn't really noticed how heavy his breathing had gotten until Kaede had called to stop the small spar. He wasn't winded, quite. His breathing was still controlled, but it was deep and a bit quicker than he might have liked to admit. Perhaps it was just the adrenaline of going up against someone like Kaede that made him breath harder than he normally would have thought during a spar. Something he'd have to work on in the future.

The young sage would soon drop his guard, releasing his combative stance as he made his way closer to his sensei and followed him into the small clearing. The man would then sit, suggesting the two practice meditation, forcing a small wince from Daisuke as his eyes tightened. He hated meditation, and both Kaede and Don'yokuna knew it. But, his distaste for the act would of course meant it was also one of his weaker points when it came to mastering the ways of a sage. It was alywas strange to him, how possibly the simplest task of becoming a sage was the hardest for him to practice. All he had to do was sit still.

He would do as he was instructed, however, getting over his thoughts and feelings with relative ease, and just doing as his sensei said. The young sage would get a drink of water before taking he place beside Kaede, crossing his legs and getting himself comfortable. He'd listen intently on what his teacher had to say, his brow raising a bit when Kaede told him how he meditated.

"Huh...” He said quietly before speaking. "I always thought meditation was about clearing your mind. Whenever Don'yokuna would train with me and Kota he's always just say to let our thoughts wander and focus on 'the void' or whatever. Kota could do it just fine, but I just felt like I was always doing it wrong because my mind never turned off. Always shit bouncing around in here.” Daisuke turned to the ground, tapping a finger to his temple before he'd pause and take a deep breath. He'd turn his gaze downward, his fingers navigating to the small crystal pendant wrapped around his neck when Kaede had mentioned it.

"Alright, let's give it a go.”

The chunin would begin by taking deep, slow breaths, calming his mind as best as he could. At first, his mind would try and linger into the void, simply allowing his thoughts to pass him by as he tried to reach out his spirit and pull on the world around him to begin the gathering process. He could feel something of an aura beginning to build around him as he focused, allowing a bond to forge with the nature he was surrounded with and siphon some of its energy. It was a slow process, but he could feel it working, an almost tingling feeling over his body as nature energy began to build inside him. Soon though, his thoughts would change. As Kaede had instructed, he would begin to think of things that he liked, things that made him happy. First, it was thoughts of the ocean. Food, drink. Soon his thoughts would neander to people. His times with woman, but those were quickly overshadowed by much more intimate relationships with people like Kiho, Kizumi, with the icy-haired mystery woman, with Shigure and Kota, even Kaede himself. It was these thoughts that would seem to kick his process into overdrive. His heart filled with passion as he thought of those dear to him, and the tingling at the back of his mind soon shifting into something of a gravitational pull. He was overwhelemed with the feeling, and he soon realized he was absorbing natural energy at a rate he knew he couldn't control and maintain.

Daisuke's body soon irradiated with natural energy, creating a pulse of chakra around his body as he opened his eyes. Despite his best efforts to stop the process and balance the energy inside him, it seemed it was too far beyond his control, and before he could even get a grip on the situation, the crystal pendant around his neck began to hum and glow, siphoning away all aof the natural energy built up within him, leaving Daisuke shocked with a feeling of exhaustion. His muscles throbbed, his body ached, it was like he had just been hit by a train with fatigue.

"Wha-” Daisuke muttered, his arms reaching forward to brace himself as his body buckled. "What the fuck was that?” He asked slowly, turning his attention to Kaede.

^{THEN YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO WALK}

---

^{Himemura Kaede | C Rank Training: Complete!}

Temp By: Akira