[Ronin]

Minazuki waited in silence, as she calmly sipped at her tea, while 'observing' Toru's attempts at chakra jamming. For a while, it just seemed as though he was content with creating a field of chakra, something that he would certainly be able to keep up for long, thanks to his large chakra reserves. Although Minazuki had no idea of the bijuu that resided within the Mizukage, it was easy to tell, being a Sensor, that the boy had a much higher pool than the average ninja. Of course, she simply assumed it was a natural gift.

And then she felt it: a distinct ripple in the chakra field, a ripple that momentarily obscured his position within the bubble, though she sensed his location once the ripple passed. Another ripple followed, and then another. Toru seemed to be getting the general hang of it, although he would need to devote more hours into the practice of this skill, before he could use it effectively in battle. In any case, he had the proper idea down pat. Practice would lead to expertise.

"Hmm?" Minazuki said a bit absentmindedly, as the leader of the village's voice cut into her musing. "It depends on how the distraction is done, Mizukage-sama," she replied. "Think of it this way: if I threw a rock at a window, you might know I threw the rock, but at the point of the glass shattering, your concentration on me would be momentarily removed. That's the same idea of a chakra jammer. Chakra jamming does not hide one's chakra. It just makes sensing that chakra, specifically the location of its source, a problem. If the services of a chakra jammer are needed, it's because a sensor is already aware of your presence. Chakra jamming, in my opinion, is damage control. With it, you cannot avoid detection, but you can avoid attention. The sensor will know you're there, but they will not know where you are, giving you the chance to sneak up and take them out. I don't think that would be a problem for you, Mizukage-sama; your footfalls make barely a sound."

Kaguya Toru

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Ronin

Toru understood the premise but of course this general field was a bit of a mystery to him still. He had never tried to be a sensor though he knew a few people who focused in this exclusively. It was a very powerful thing for him to utilize as a leader, setting up teams that could sense what was going on around them. It was a very powerful and good tool. But he did not know how it felt, perhaps it was similar to what he was feeling now sitting here, listening to this girl and in the end attempting to block out her ability to 'find him'.

It was hard to determine whether it was similar or not, but of course he needed a sensor to be able to tell him anything in regards to what he was attempting to do.

He continued to sit there mulling over what she had told him, considering it all carefully before slightly nodding.

"I will try again..." It would take quite a bit longer for him to master this, or even come close to understanding this fully but he was getting the gist of it, it seemed and he would just need to take what he had been told to heart.

So he focused again and allowed the ripples to flow out, even trying to control those ripples to change them up and make his location even less distinguishable.

SPOILER: Click to show

9/13

OWL

[Ronin]

Toru was silent for a bit, before nodding, and stating that he would attempt the jamming again. Minazuki responded with a nod of her own, and then waited for him to proceed. As she waited, the Sensor emptied her cup of the tea in it, and prepared herself another cup, this time using a different brand of tea leaves to brew her next cup. As she did, though, she kept most of her attention on the Mizukage, as he attempted his chakra jamming again.

Toru's chakra flowed outwards again, creating a bubble. As usual, Minazuki could still sense him within the bubble. Until his chakra began creating ripples in the otherwise smooth 'surface' of the bubble. Unlike the last time he had attempted to do this, Minazuki could sense the Mizukage much less than during his previous attempt. But there were still a few things that needed ironing out. The Sensor took a large gulp of the tea in the cup, and then set the empty cup down, before picking her parasol, and poking Toru gently in the gut with it.

"You're really making great progress, Mizukage-sama, but we need to consider something else," Minazuki stated. "Unlike me, most Sensors still have complete use of their eyes, and will likely be able to see you, even if they can't sense you. Which is why the combination of sensor jamming with a technique like Kirigakure no jutsu is quite useful." The idea being that using the Hiding in Mist technique would make a Sensor unable to track with their eyes what they could not track with their chakra sensory abilities.

"As soon as they discover they cannot find you, the first thing most people do is to attempt to attack where you previously were. So it wouldn't do to stay in the same place, while you attempt to jam your opponent's chakra senses. Even though you are interfering better with my ability to sense you, I still can assume where you are, because you haven't moved. That, in a combat situation, is dangerous for you. So, even though you haven't fully made chakra jamming natural, we're going to up the difficulty. Try to avoid me while you jam. Can you do this, Mizukage-sama?"

Kaguya Toru

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Ronin

Toru opened one eye listened to the young woman. He had definitely considered the strength of Kirigakure no Jutsu when combined with being able to totally distort and jam out individuals. There were a few other questions he had floating around in his mind, but he doubted that they could be easily answered. The difficulty was raised very suddenly and he wondered how she meant, so he moved slightly bringing a knee down to the soft grass to begin standing up.

He was not yet certain if she meant in a more literal simulation or if she meant them sitting there and her trying to poke at his head or something like this. But for now he would up the ante and begin to rise to his feet so that they could do this a little more realistically than simply sitting down and him using his heightened reflexes.

Though, of course jamming while using other techniques and abilities might prove to be more difficult than he initially thought. If he was told to sit back down he would, but for now he was just moving out from the wall and towards more of the center of the grassy field so that they could properly begin - with him focusing on his chakra jam.

SPOILER: Click to show

10/13

OWL

[Ronin]

As Toru began to slowly move, Minazuki did not try to stop him. Even though it was getting more and more difficult to sense him as the Mizukage got more comfortable with his attempts, the Tokubetsu Jounin could still tell where he was. "I think you are making good progress, Mizukage-sama," she stated, remaining in her seated position. "But your movements are filled with uncertainty." She could, after all, read a lot more from a person than what seemed evident to those with eyes.

"If your hesitation stems from your not being used to the exercise, it is normal. It is like an older person trying to learn to swim, after their bodies have been trained all their lives to move by walking. It will take some getting used to. If your hesitation is due to a lack of clarity, please don't hesitate to ask me questions. I shall try to answer them as best as I can. But I'm not making any promises; it's not like I'm some wizened old biddy who spent all her life doing the wisest things."

As Toru moved away from the wall, Minazuki rose languidly to her feet, stretched, and stooped to pick her parasol. "I have an idea, let's play a game! You keep doing what you're doing, and I'll try to find you within your bubble. If you don't move, finding you will be easier, so you should try to move about in order to not get caught. But please don't make any sudden movements. As I rely mostly on my chakra sense, I'll be quite blind when you do your jamming right. Sudden sensations when I'm deprived of sensory input can be... anxiety inducing."

Kaguya Toru

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Ronin

The leader listened and nodded, though it would be impossible to tell if the young woman knew that he had nodded or not it did not really matter. Perhaps she could sense that he was agreeable to her terms and would begin to move around. A game of hide and seek but in plain sight, it was certainly not something he had ever done. Then again, he did not really remember the last time he had played hide and go seek. Certainly not since he was a very young boy - and by some merits individuals would still call him a young boy... But Toru saw himself in stages of shinobihood, not in stages of age.

He stood still for a little while longer and then started to move, but very slowly. His step was silent, so he did not have to fear her hearing him moving around. But he was concerned about being spotted through sensory, and it was more difficult to move and focus on the jamming. Of course that would not stop him from still trying and still working on it. Slowly, step by step he moved with intention of hopefully confusing today's mentor and her senses.. But any large dip in his chakra would certainly reveal him.

SPOILER: Click to show

11/13

OWL

[Ronin]

With Toru keeping up the jamming field, Minazuki could not tell whether he was in tune with her lessons; he had remained silent. But maybe he had moved his head... but she could not say for certain. At this point, Minazuki could only barely tell his position, and even that seemed to be getting harder. Many people had often commended Minazuki on her ability to navigate the world, despite having been rid of her eyesight, but it was in times like this that she thought she would be more comfortable with functioning eyes. Still, this was not a battlefield; if Toru managed to go undetected, the result would not be her death.

Still, it was difficult to put down the mild panic she felt upon having the efficacy of her trump card being dramatically whittled down. With Toru being able to move silently, it almost felt as though he was not there at all, except for the few times she thought his chakra became more irregular and she could barely make him out. It seemed he had started to move, so she could tell by this, that he was doing as she asked. Moving in the direction she thought she had last sensed him moving towards, Minazuki reached out with her parasol, and almost missed him, the shaft of her parasol just touching him at the end of her gentle swing.

"Aha!" the Sensor said in delight, although Toru would probably detect that there was more relief than exultation in her voice. "You're catching on quite quickly though, Mizukage-sama. I don't know if this helps, but I find that synchronizing my breathing with chakra-manipulating activity sort of helps to make my manipulation more regular. I can still sense you, albeit barely, because of a few irregularities in your chakra ripples. But as I said, you're making incredible progress. Shall we try once more?"

Kaguya Toru

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Ronin

Toru felt the need to instinctively dodge the incoming parasol but that was not part of the exercise, so he remained there allowing it to brush up along his arm briefly as the young woman announced that he had done. He looked down for a moment and then back towards her. Mostly to address and listen to her as she spoke to him.

What she suggested made sense, of course all of these things would have to come into synchronization at some point but he was still learning, getting a good grasp on this ability. He would in time, training did not mean he had to get it in that one training. One, two, three trainings... A fourth or a fifth. And one hundred times to master - if one could ever truly master anything and Toru was of the opinion that mastery was fickle and an individual could spend their entire life dedicating themselves to an art mastering that art.

He stretched his limbs briefly before nodding.

"Yes, again." After all if his current instructor felt he needed to try again, he would be more than willing. So once again he would grow silent and begin to move, taking in her words as he moved trying to breathe this silent but certain way that she had suggested to him to work on the even-ness of his chakra blanket.

SPOILER: Click to show

12/13

OWL

[Ronin]

Minazuki felt the leader of the Village Hidden in Mist stretch his limbs, then nod and agree with her suggestion to try the chakra jamming again. Then he went silent, and the chakra blanket was spread out again, engulfing the Sensor in it. She took a moment to attempt to determine his position, and for a moment, it seemed like she had succeeded, as her expression changed to one of mild elation, but just as abruptly, the expression was gone, replaced by one of confusion.

Surely, she had sensed him there... or had she? Cautiously, the Sensor reached out with her parasol, and Toru would notice that her gentle swing missed him; it was just a few centimeters, but a miss was a miss. She paused, her expression mildly distraught, and reached out again, but it was clear that she was unable to find him. A moment passed, and then she suddenly turned in his direction, having thought she had sensed something, but then she took three steps backwards, the last step removing her from the confines of Toru's chakra field. The stress evident on her eyebrows eased immediately.

"Apologies, Mizukage-sama," she said with a contrite smile, "I may never get completely used to having my senses befuddled by chakra jamming. Still, there is a lot you have to master before you can use this skill effectively in battle. Like learning to release your chakra jamming as second nature, so you can focus on other things while frustrating your opponents. It all boils down to practice. But you're a genius, Mizukage-sama; I have confidence that you will grasp this in a frighteningly short amount of time."

Kaguya Toru

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Ronin

Toru did not move a muscle as the young sensor would wave her parasol around in an attempt to find him. Whatever he was doing, was clearly better than before because she was having a hard time finding him in this area regardless of whether she thought she felt him or not. There was some sense of accomplishment, but it did not inflate Toru's chest. He did not feel boastful or particularly good about it all. In fact, he felt almost bad with how the young woman could not see. It almost felt criminal, cruel, to do this to her.

He let the defense fall around him then as she spoke, revealing his position, exhaling as he did addressing the young woman as she spoke to him.

Toru shook his head slightly and bowed to her slightly in gratitude, though also to deny the compliment of calling him a genius. He was not certain that he was anything resembling such a thing, he was not quite so good at being a shinobi he felt. There was still so much to learn in the world. Being a shinobi was not always about the combat skills one picked up after all.

"I thank you for your guidance today. Let our paths cross in the future." He figured her speech was in relation to the conclusion of their training so he did so.

SPOILER: Click to show

13/13

OWL

[Ronin]

As the Mizukage dropped his chakra jamming field, Minazuki was once again able to immediately locate his exact position with high precision, this being evident in the way she slightly angled her body so that she was facing him more precisely. As expected of one as taciturn as the pale haired Mizukage, he made no reply when she praised his ability to learn, instead shaking his head as if to disagree with her evaluation of him, although he made a slight bow to her. Quite the humble one, it seemed. Still, Minazuki was unwilling to agree that her assessment of the Jinchuuriki was wrong.

She would not push the matter further, though. It wasn't in her nature to push, or argue or complain. Life had dealt her an unfair hand early, and she had learned to simply go with the flow, rather than fight kicking and screaming against things she perceived to be stronger than she was. In the case of the Mizukage, trying to show him that he was downplaying his talents was an unprofitable thing to attempt. Besides, humility was a virtue, one that wasn't very common in a world as meritocratic as that of the shinobi. Minazuki gave a deeper bow in response to Toru's.

"It was my pleasure, Mizukage-sama," she answered. "I look forward to us meeting again. Till then, Mizukage-sama."

Kaguya Toru