[Shouki Kumori]

The Shouki clan were nigh obsessed with fauna, the mother and womb of harmful substances. Henceforth, their residence was close to a thick patch of woods which had been treated by the members for generations to produce flowers, plants and other entities of upmost importance to the knowledge gathering that the clan’s medical background thirsted for. However, the woods also doubled as a nice view from the balconies of many households inside of the Shouki compound…

Many of which had training grounds edging the side leading to the forests. Solid stone floors, wooden torii gates, and the clan’s symbol painted on purple banners hung up on the walls. There was… a silent tone inside the walls of the Shouki clan’s compound. The continuous fatality rate meant that a Shouki mother or father could rarely rejoice in the company of their own children…

But some could. Some of which were Yashura’s parents – about 12 years ago, she underwent the Ritual that had killed so many… and among the very few, she survived. That was why she was so unbelievably precious to the clan and to him. Just like Shizuka, his grandchildren and his siblings…

A large – and I mean, LARGE – white snowy owl was perched on the balcony leading up to the training grounds where Kumori had lifted his newly-forged ōdachi onto his shoulder before gazing at today’s sparring partner – another upcoming Kenjutsu enthusiast for the crooked Shouki clan, Yashura. As an elder and a mentor of the clan, Kumori had to do his best to ascertain her skills and acknowledge her vigor. A few other Shouki kids – future shinobi with the silver stroke of luck on their shoulders – were curious enough to poke their heads out from the houses to spectate the training, although the scars of their individual experiences undergoing the Ritual had visibly drained the light from their eyes.

"Strike me if you can, Yashura! Make me bleed!”

[Shouki Yashura]

Like a diligent student she was, Yashura arrived to every training drill on time.

The flowery gardens that housed all kinds of poisonous plants and venomous critters made her skin crawl, though the girl never showed it, or told about it to anyone. To the rest of the world, she had to be the perfect Shouki. Especially in front of ... this man.

Kumori was one of the very few in the clan to live to a venerable old age. The symbol of that age. And one of the people to owe Yashura the most. They may have been thinking that she was here doing her duty to the clan. In reality, she was taking from them, right now. Time and effort to improve her own skills, in a nice and controlled environment.

The dainty Shouki stood opposite to the big, burly, white-haired man. She bowed to him as respectful youths should. Her hands hidden within those large, buttefly-like sleeves. She kid herself not - knowing she would not be able to lay a finger on a super-jounin like himself. Still, there were a few things Yashura would like to try. She released her hands, from inside of the sleeves, one clenched in a fist, the other one drawing the sword. Hers was a very thin blade, with a groove along it, and a sharp stub. near the hilt. She pierced her thumb and let her blood trickle along the blade. A habit she was working on doing.

"I will do my best, Kumori-sama. Thank you for being patient with me~" - the girl spoke with a voice of a demure, patient maiden.

Then, she advanced. Running towards her imposing foe, seemingly head-first into danger! But there was a plan. As soon as she got into the range of his blade, she brought her hand in front of her face, and opened it up.

And then a bright flash burst out of it. A flash bomb! Maybe without his sight the old man would be easier to hit.

[Shouki Kumori]

Perfect timing, that was what he could call Yashura. Obsession was another word that suited her well – her obsession with technique, skill and performance even at the rank of Genin was another thing that made her stand out, and that was one hell of a feat for the single-minded Shouki who favored the call to duty as shinobi above all else… except, maybe, for medics.

But her getup, too, was strange… her haori held big sleeves, apparent ways to hide her hands for all sorts of purposes. Good choice, but the pattern was also… fragrant? Rich in artistic flavor? Or maybe she aimed to utilize Jutsus that made good use of her indiscreet apparel – should anyone lay eyes on her in the battlefield, in the open or within shrubbery, maybe they’d fall into a vision-induced Genjutsu based on her garments. Kumori had experienced such phenomena once or twice before.

Alas, as a survivor… and as a Shouki… she pursued him with zero hesitation. He agreed to spar with real blades today as befitted a man who feared little, and once Yashura was within range, he was planning to sling the pommel of his ōdachi across her face for such a direct, linear advance. However, fickle was her plan to release a flash bomb right in front of him upon reach, and Kumori couldn’t help but flash a grin as his eyes closed in at the minor headache from such strong flashes.

Blinded for a minute, anyone who’d fought him would know how futile it was to blind him… for his eyes weren’t his strongest sensory organs. With twitching ears, his face constantly aimed at Yashura’s, or rather… at her footsteps.

[Shouki Yashura]

'Success! Easy.'

Yashura stopped in her tracks, at the border of where she estimated Kumori's blade would reach. He did not even try to defend against her little trick. It was ingenious, sure, but ... surely, a shinobi of such caliber would not fall for a genin's sleight of hand?

'Too easy.'

Instead of going straight for her blinded foe, the cautious butterfly chose to test the old man more. She ran off to the side, while her free hand disappeared inside of her haori's long sleeve again. It was a convenient way for her to store things, without letting one see what she was up to.

Just like the bright colors and the pretty appearance, the sleeves were distractions. Hiding intentions less than pretty, beneath. She swung her arm, and out of her sleeve, three kunai flew towards the big old man. One going left of him, one right, one - dead center, in a fan-like motion.

Each of these kunai had something that someone robbed of their sight would not be able to see, though. That around the handle of each of them was a tightly-wrapped explosive tag.

And when the the three of them were within range...

BOOM!

With a single handseal, Yashura would detonate all three. Her reasonsing was simple. The old man was an accomplished shinobi. Even if she succeeded in hitting him with that, he'd live. Probably. If he dodged it, the loud bang would rob him of his ears, if just for a brief moment. And if it somehow dealt more damage than it should...

'Bonus points.'

And maybe a little bit of revenge for the pain of her own Dokuyoke.

[Shouki Kumori]

Once she ran off to the side, his face followed her position. Cautious girl, huh? The safest bet would be to use projectiles against a blinded foe – especially against one with such sharp ears. And his safest bet would be to leap, but that’d be too obvious, too boring, and not very impressive to the highly demanding princess who was trying to bomb him. However, being blinded didn’t tell him of the contents of the kunai, and pure intuition simply warned him that she’d try to throw something at him- it’d cause less sound than running up to him, and Yashura was more than sharp enough to pull such a move.

So he weaved a handseal right when she began moving, and then the explosions occurred. The kids watching all stumbled back at the sight, causing some of their parents to pull some of them back into their rooms. The looming problem was… Kumori was nowhere to be seen, once the dust settled. All that was left was a faint, dark cloud of a rather painful substance.

"First my sight, then my hearing…” Kumori growled gently, his tall and wide figure casting its shadow over Yashura’s shoulders, "Impressive footwork, Yashura. But a blinded opponent’s first instinct is often to flee. Fear dictates their actions at that point, and the more they fear… the more predictable their actions will be.” His eyes were still closed shut, but it wasn’t as if Yashura couldn’t pressure an opponent – and he was quite a handful to deal with.

But the Jutsu he used to escape the bombs… she possessed it, too. The Poison Release: Body Flicker Technique. "Show me your proficiency with Ninjutsu,” he warned her, testing her competence with one of the clan’s Ninjutsu by swinging a strong, heavy palm strike towards her arm. A grand opportunity to display one of his developed Ninjutsu, taught to her by yours truly.

[Shouki Yashura]

The dust has settled, but the big man wasn't there.

He's behind me, isn't he...

It was something Yashura liked doing. Using explosions and other distortions of senses to mask her own movements. And soon enough, the old man confirmed his presense. Starting to tell a lecture instead of striking her down. Were it a fight for her life, Yashura would have blinked out the moment she heard the first vowel of his voice. Or maybe even earlier, preemptively. But this was practice, and not letting Kumori finish his speech would have been... rude.

Besides, it gave her time to prepare. 

She drew another one of her explodey Kunais, and held it in hand. And when told to show that jutsu that he wanted and expected, she would do so. Letting go of the kunai and blinking away, as it's falling down to the ground. But she did not blink away from Kumori. Or behind him, which was standard. She appeared right above his head! As soon as she did, her hands made another seal for the tag to blow up in front of him.

*Boom!*

Another explosion, right in front of the man. Unlikely to cause much harm, but a yet another distraction. Mixed with her own poison left in her wake. It had a lovely, flowery scent to itself. But the longer one breathed it, the more their throat would be sore, and eyes - teary. If they were not a Shouki of course. 

But would the old man not move, or not move far away enough, he'd have a pair of sandals hitting him in the head! Either through landing or kicking! 

[Shouki Kumori]

And his chop, indeed, didn’t land on the target – instead, he saw a violet fume substitute her position, scattering around and herald the arrival of an explosion… and that was right when he spotted Yashura approaching from above!

Covering his face with his large arm, Kumori considered shielding the surprisingly weak explosion… but that damn Yashura. She mixed poison into the mix, didn’t she? No wonder the impact was negligible – she aimed to throw the old man into a coughing fit with an aroma of petals and toxins. Fast… mhm. And a fast thinker, too. Being able to grab the pace of this match this quickly might be her most impressive feat. Her movements and planning spoke volumes about her combat speed.

As if a juggernaut, Kumori stood his position, back straightened and fists clenched. He met her sandals straight on the face, but she’d notice that he was like a boulder, easily capable of providing her a platform to leap off from. But her Taijutsu could need some more work. I can tell that she compensates with her sealing tags and toxins.

"You’re already so good at making boys cry, dear Yashura,” Kumori spoke in a jest-like saddened voice, but not with any intent to lie. He spoke about her proficiency with bombs and sealing tags, of course, and now he yearned to see her try to stab him. "I wonder how good you are at making them bleed.”

Drawing his blade once more, Kumori would wait for the exact moment when Yashura landed her feet on the ground once again. Once such a moment showed itself via a sound, he’d dart towards her with the intent to clash blades and sharpen her Bukijutsu skills. Obviously, he’d hold back most of his tremendous strength… no point in sending her clear off the horizon during a simple spar. However, it’d likely be a bit outside of her comfort zone to engage directly, but she already proved her worth as a shadow.

Now, prove her worth as a torch.