[juryoku yusei]

Yusei stood at the edge of the field, punching air. He wore a navy-blue jumpsuit, just tight enough that he could soak up the sun hanging over their heads. His Kusakagure headband was tied around his neck like a bandanna. He stood infront of a training dummy, with feet spread apart.

He started with two handseals. Nothing flashy, he was just practicing cutting unnecessary movements. Just building chakra and letting it subside. He did this drill on repeat, occasionally slipping up and pushing his hands past eachother. Yusei looked at the dummy in front, that wooden thing with three tiers with pegs.

Eventually, he threw a small orb, a translucent oil-slick across the air, bending light around it. The dummy moved slightly slower. Yusei picked it up with one hand, holding it over his head. He whipped it at the ground, and that wooden dummy harmlessly bounced, drifting off. He leapt, kicking it again.

But... There was someone in the corner of his eye. Yusei blinked, turning to face her. His face was as stolid as ever, the only clear expression being half-lidded eyes, signaling sleep problems.

"...Oh. I didn't see you here. Are you waiting for someone else, or..."

Honō Saya , 304

I'm a dead star, frozen to the bone

SPOILER: Click to show

D-Rank Experience Training
1/7

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NAME: Sukunai jūryoku [Less Gravity]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low {Continuous}
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
HANDSEALS: 2, Dog → Hare
DESCRIPTION:

A gravitational field is thrown outward of the user. Each field that is made can surround one object or person. Light weight objects will float while heavily ones, people, will feel lightened. This can increase their speed, but punching power will be affected if it isn’t properly compensated for. The item has to stay within the range of fifty feet of the user or the jutsu will dissipate.

[Honō Saya]

Saya often tried to find places to train away from other people. Not because she was shy (far from it), but rather because, as a Fuinjutsu specialist, learning and mastering her craft required a degree of quiet and concentration that you simply could not find in a crowded setting. So it had become a habit, even when practicing her Bukijutsu, to find a quiet place, away from the noise and bustle of the usual training ground, wherein she could draw and fiddle with her seals in relative peace. Unfortunately, solo training did not exactly translate well to refining one’s skill with a blade, and so after a particularly bad performance during her weekly spars with Kojiro, the Hono girl was left with only one option.

She had to find someone to train with.

At first, the redhead had thought she might ask Sachi or Atagi; they had recently gone on a mission together, and she was rather close with the Kisei, but she dismissed the notion rather quickly. The only way to get better, truly, was to train with someone who was better than you were- and that meant finding a Chuunin (or Jounin) willing to spend some of their rather valuable time working with a Genin. It wouldn’t have been an issue if she’d been on a Team with a competent and caring Sensei, but she wasn’t, and with her recent transfer to working as a Gate Guard she didn’t even have her uncaring, incompetent Sensei to cajole.

So, with a great bit of reluctance, Saya had headed to the public training grounds, watching the people training until she came across someone who looked like he might be at least a little amiable. Roughly her height and weight, the young man had the lithe build of a dancer, with well-developed legs and a solid core that lacked mass but made up for it with sinewy, wiry tenacity; his off-white hair, and half-lidded, sleepless blue-grey eyes only served to make him seem less threatening, though the flak jacket that hung over his shoulders did well to mitigate the idea he was harmless. As did the rapid fire kicks and punches he threw at the training dummy before him.

"Oh!" The Hono girl said as the Chuunin turned to face her almost instantly. A slight blush spread across her cheeks- she hadn’t expected him to notice her so quickly, but now that he had… well. No point being shy now. At least she was in something appropriate for sparring; a red and white gi with the Hono clan name emblazoned on the back, its symbol sewn onto the front on the right side, just below her shoulder, Hitsuiken on her left hip as usual, her mother’s necklace tucked safely underneath her gi.

"N-no, sir. I… I was actually hoping you might be able to help me out?” She asked, her lips parting in a soft, somewhat nervous smile as looked at the Chuunin, trying her best not to make a fool of herself. "I… need a partner to spar with. Gently, since I’m still a Genin."

juryoku yusei

[juryoku yusei]

Yusei blinked. She needed someone to spar with? This kid already had a cool looking sword, and looked atleast vaguely like she could be important. In either case, he stepped away from the training dummy, far enough that it fell flat on the ground with a loud thump.

Yusei was more or less established at this point. He'd done all the drills not just with his sensei, but with Jonin in his family. Taking the bells off someone was a million times harder when they could make the bells float slightly out of reach if you got close. Maybe that contributed to his physique and attitude. He could just... make himself slightly out of reach, if he wanted to.

She blinked when he turned to face her. That was kind of a nailbiter for him. Yusei spaced out for a second, then raised a brow. "...Me? Sure. Feel free to set up, I'll do the same."

He said, planting his feet shoulder-width apart. He stood facing her, hands on his hips. The practical taijutsu applications of this were few and far between, but her sword gave him a vague idea. He'd learned a new jutsu recently, and could use all of his tricks to make her work up a sweat, without anyone getting hurt.

Yusei then brought his hands up in that Dragon seal that showed up all over his hijutsu. He wouldn't do anything with it, but Saya could see that translucent film form over his hands, off-white sunlight being bent around them. Once again, he was taking this chance to practice moving faster from a neutral position to performing a jutsu.

While he wouldn't have them attack her, strictly speaking... Yusei clasped his hands. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In a large plume of white smoke, ten of Yusei slowly popped out. They then approached Saya, only starting to run in a circle around her as of right now. Flashes of blue and white all ran a meter and a half away, within striking distance.

"...I don't think I'll fight you in close-quarters, but I think I know what I'm doing here."

Honō Saya , 575

I'm a dead star, frozen to the bone

SPOILER: Click to show

D-Rank Experience Training
1/7

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NAME: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu [Shadow Clone Technique]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 1
DESCRIPTION:

The Kage Bunshin technique evenly distributes your chakra between one or more clones with form and substance.

The clones created by this technique are able to utilize any jutsu the original ninja knows, has all of their special abilities, as well as their kekkei genkai. Typically a clone's equipment doesn't retain any special abilities and the clone itself is dispersed when hit with a single attack or incapacitated, although the clone can also choose to disperse itself or be dispersed by the user.

When the clone finally disperses, any new knowledge it has gained along with it's remaining chakra are passed back to the original ninja and any additional clones.

SPOILER: Click to show

Enhanced Speed--
Yusei would rather be out of breath than speak a word about his feelings. His habit of sublimating frustration and pain into physical exercise often manifests as running 5 km/~3 miles at night. As a result, his legs are sinewy and dense like that of a construction worker. He's able to close distances between him and his target as well as position himself with speed a cut above others in his class.

[Honō Saya]

When the Chuunin turned to look at her properly, dropping his training dummy to the ground, Saya didn’t flinch, her honey-yellow gaze fixed solely on the young man’s left cheek. It was a tactic she had learned early in her time at the Academy, one that allowed her to appear as if she was maintaining eye contact without actually having to do so- the perfect way to get her head clear while still maintaining a sense of proper social decorum.

"Thank you, uh… sir." The Hono said as the young man replied, her lips parting in a small, somewhat fragile smile at how easy it had been. She still didn’t have the Chuunin’s name though, and so as he summoned a group of Shadow Clones the Hono matched, shifting to an Iaido stance, left hand gripping Hitsuiken’s saya, thumb on the back of the tsuba, ready to flick it forward for a rapid draw. The clones moved around her in a blur of speed, streaks of blue and off-white that were hard for her to follow- but not impossible.

"My name is Saya, by the way." She said, her smile brightening as she watched the ten clones move, counting the timing in her head- and with a expelled breath for added speed and power, Saya drew, stepping into the cut, her blade moving in a flash as she swung it, not at one of the clones, but at where they would be, counting on the thing’s inertia to keep it from being able to avoid the strike. It wasn’t a perfect maneuver- she was still surrounded, of course, with no clue how strong or fast the man really was, but it was something. A start, anyway.

juryoku yusei

Combat Info

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Jutsu Used:
NAME: Iaido [Quickdraw]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION: Iaido is a style of quickdraw. The secret behind the speed of this quick draw comes from two separate movements. The user will begin with their hands close each one on the opposite side of the tsuba [guard]. The two movements needed to take out the sword in an instant faster than one can raise their guard come from the pulling motion onto the sheath as the user takes out the sword as well as flicking the sword out with their thumb increasing the speed of the pull onto the handle.

SA's:
A Bright Burning Light [Enhanced Chakra Reserves]
Born with abnormally large chakra reserves, Saya is capable of utilizing more jutsu than the average person of her rank, and can continue to use them at a much higher rate, allowing her to fight longer than others of her rank can without running out of chakra.

Seals Are Cool, I Swear! [Fuinjutsu Proficiency]
Having spent much of her time as a Genin learning the intricacies of Fuinjutsu, Saya has a better understanding of how seals interact with chakra than most others of her rank, which has allowed her to implant Fuinjutsu onto an object struck by her blade, so long as she has prepared the technique beforehand. This does not allow a character to bypass any restrictions on a Fuinjutsu, and Saya must concentrate on the Fuinjutsu being used through the blade in order apply it, making it impossible to channel a Fuinjutsu through the blade while concentrating on another jutsu (or use another jutsu while a Fuinjutsu is channeled through it).

[juryoku yusei]

Yusei's eyes narrowed. She had the right footstance. Matter of fact... A clone of him was skewered rib to rib, disappearing in a puff of smoke. With that quickdraw, it looked to him like her entire body faced away, to build torque for swinging her sword. Like what he did with kicks on a larger scale. "...It's nice to meet you, Saya."

There was a placid stare facing her, the real Yusei's eyes poking through the circle of clones. While he hadn't meant anything by it... This was how he studied people. This is what it must've felt like to be Shosuke; He got to fight someone a hundred times without a scratch on him, retaining all of that information. "My name is Yusei. I finished my Chunin Exam atleast... three years ago. I'm not that much further ahead than you, really."

He said, standing there with his arms folded. His irises were a blue-grey, as close to grey as eyes could naturally get. This time, one of the clones charged her from the front. He ran up, curling one leg up as if he were to jump. He then pushed off, throwing a kick at her stomach with the other leg. This kick was no more than a shove, a martial artist's equivalent to the jab of a boxer.

The other clones continued their run, but the radius of their circle around her slowly increased. They stood about 3 meters away from her save for the one approaching, with Yusei outside the circle by another one.

"Your form is excellent. I'm gonna pick up the pace from here on out."

Honō Saya , 493

I'm a dead star, frozen to the bone

SPOILER: Click to show

D-Rank Experience Training
3/7

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NAME: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu [Shadow Clone Technique]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 1
DESCRIPTION:

The Kage Bunshin technique evenly distributes your chakra between one or more clones with form and substance.

The clones created by this technique are able to utilize any jutsu the original ninja knows, has all of their special abilities, as well as their kekkei genkai. Typically a clone's equipment doesn't retain any special abilities and the clone itself is dispersed when hit with a single attack or incapacitated, although the clone can also choose to disperse itself or be dispersed by the user.

When the clone finally disperses, any new knowledge it has gained along with it's remaining chakra are passed back to the original ninja and any additional clones.

SPOILER: Click to show

Enhanced Speed--
Yusei would rather be out of breath than speak a word about his feelings. His habit of sublimating frustration and pain into physical exercise often manifests as running 5 km/~3 miles at night. As a result, his legs are sinewy and dense like that of a construction worker. He's able to close distances between him and his target as well as position himself with speed a cut above others in his class.

[Honō Saya]

"Thank you, Yusei-san." Saya said, a slight blush creeping throug her cheeks as she followed through on her cut, not wanting to allow the ring of clones to maintain their encircling tactic. Her legs moved in stride, carrying her to the right, but the ring expanded out to try and keep her in, another clone coming at her, again in the same, straightforward way- so she stopped, twisting herself around to face the oncoming attack, Hitsuiken held at a low angle in her right hand, knees bent and ready.

The kick was quick, almost like a jab with his foot, but the redhead didn’t freak out at the speed of his clone’s attack; instead she simply let her training do its job, arms coming up as she stepped into the blow while simultaneously pivoting to the left, slapping the clone’s kick with the flat of her blade. It wasn’t much, but at the speed the man was moving, even a small amount of force could redirect an attack when applied right- and she had a lot of practice redirecting attacks.

She didn’t let the clone make it, grabbing Hitsuiken’s hilt with her other hand to add power to the counter blow, stepping into the strike and exhaling just before impact, slashing down across the blonde’s upper torso and neck. If it hit, the cut ought to be enough to disperse the clone- and had it been the real man, it would have likely decapitated him, even without a lot of strength behind the blow.

juryoku yusei

Combat Info:

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used:
NAME: Ittoryu: Ryuurei Fusagu [One Sword Style: Flowing Block]
RANK: D
STAMINA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
HANDSEALS: N/a
DESCRIPTION: Less a set technique and more a way of utilizing one’s weapon to the fullest, Ryuurei Fusagu is designed around one core concept- the art of "flowing,” like water, around an attack in order to open up new angles and create opening in an opponent’s defenses that would not naturally be there if you stand against them face to face. To this end, the steps of the technique are rather simple: the user brings their weapon up to deflect an opponent’s blow as normal, but steps around the attack rather than holding their ground (without dropping their block), thus deflecting the incoming blow while forcing their enemy into a momentary overextension, opening them up for a counter-strike. Though quite useful, this technique is limited to use in close quarters, and is utterly useless at range.

SA's:
A Bright Burning Light [Enhanced Chakra Reserves]
Born with abnormally large chakra reserves, Saya is capable of utilizing more jutsu than the average person of her rank, and can continue to use them at a much higher rate, allowing her to fight longer than others of her rank can without running out of chakra.

Seals Are Cool, I Swear! [Fuinjutsu Proficiency]
Having spent much of her time as a Genin learning the intricacies of Fuinjutsu, Saya has a better understanding of how seals interact with chakra than most others of her rank, which has allowed her to implant Fuinjutsu onto an object struck by her blade, so long as she has prepared the technique beforehand. This does not allow a character to bypass any restrictions on a Fuinjutsu, and Saya must concentrate on the Fuinjutsu being used through the blade in order apply it, making it impossible to channel a Fuinjutsu through the blade while concentrating on another jutsu (or use another jutsu while a Fuinjutsu is channeled through it).

[juryoku yusei]

She built torque and swung back. Her sword neatly bisected the clone, causing both halves to turn into smoke. That left five left. This was wild. He wasn't gonna really beat her up here, but sizing her up and seeing what was on the table with Saya continued. "...Interesting."

He glanced aside, lost in thought. Yusei bit his lip. He then looked back to Saya. There was a pause as if he wanted to say something, and he just didn't. The circle slowly widened, their running continued. "..."

Eventually, two clones peeled off at once, both stepping into range from her left and right. One swung with a high-kick aimed for her head, the other with a low kick to sweep her feet out from under her. Yusei was certain she had the agility and quick thinking to wiggle out of this, but wanted to see how.

Honō Saya , 368

I'm a dead star, frozen to the bone

SPOILER: Click to show

D-Rank Experience Training
3/7

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu [Shadow Clone Technique]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 1
DESCRIPTION:

The Kage Bunshin technique evenly distributes your chakra between one or more clones with form and substance.

The clones created by this technique are able to utilize any jutsu the original ninja knows, has all of their special abilities, as well as their kekkei genkai. Typically a clone's equipment doesn't retain any special abilities and the clone itself is dispersed when hit with a single attack or incapacitated, although the clone can also choose to disperse itself or be dispersed by the user.

When the clone finally disperses, any new knowledge it has gained along with it's remaining chakra are passed back to the original ninja and any additional clones.

SPOILER: Click to show

Enhanced Speed--
Yusei would rather be out of breath than speak a word about his feelings. His habit of sublimating frustration and pain into physical exercise often manifests as running 5 km/~3 miles at night. As a result, his legs are sinewy and dense like that of a construction worker. He's able to close distances between him and his target as well as position himself with speed a cut above others in his class.

[Honō Saya]

As Saya reset her stance, taking a slow breath to center herself, Yusei murmured something, his voice lost to the pounding of her own heartbeat. She didn’t have time to ask questions, didn’t have time to think or plan- there was only time to do, to flow from one move to the next, to act and let the pieces fall where they may. Her uncle had taught her this mindset, had hammered it into her since she was young, but actually maintaining it, actually keeping herself centered in the moment and doing rather than reacting? That was hard.

So as the two clones charged at her, the Hono girl couldn’t help but react, her mind racing with a half dozen thoughts that slowed her limbs down; the left one aimed to sweep her legs out from under her while the right spun a high-kick aimed for her head, and in the split second she had to move she ducked down, allowing the high-kick to fly harmlessly overhead, arms bringing Hitsuken around to block the leg sweep… too slow.

The Hono Genin felt her feet go out from under her, pain lancing up her left leg as she fell onto her back, slamming into the grass with a thud, breath flying from her lungs. Panic shot through her head, an animal reaction to going down in a fight, and she did the first thing she could think of, bending her whole body back in order to kick her legs out and use the momentum to get back onto her feet. Somehow she kept hold of her sword, and as she came upright she lashed out in a blind, somewhat slippy series of two diagonal cuts then a horizontal one, left to right then right to left hoping to catch the clones off guard and, maybe, give herself some breathing room.

juryoku yusei