[Tokonatsu Kaoru]

Tokonatsu Kaoru

Foot resting against the flat of Shigeo's blade, Kaoru forced chakra out of the extremity, overcharging his own kinobori to provide additional force to the kick beyond his own bruisingly powerful natural strength but not following up with the attack as Shigeo seemed to pause the fight to verbalise his question instead of offering a query in the form of a sword strike.

"Maybe, but I was trying to show you something too," Kaoru responded, having to raise his voice to be heard over the wind, "I have to wonder though, why do you fight? What is it that drives you into combat? Why pick up your sword and keep going even when you know you are outmatched?"

He wasn't trying to dishearten the older genin, but see what direction would work to help the other find further motivation forward. His pose remained relaxed, waiting and open for Shigeo to attack should he desire to keep going and seek out the Tokonatsu's weak points. Completely unbothered by the rain, he waited to see what would happen next, knowing that pushing too hard too fast could ruin the potential for fun that he saw here.

It would be easy to go all out, to stretch his limbs, but then he might break the other genin, and then what would he do? He had an opportunity to have a good fight in the future if he just helped push the other boy into a similar skill bracket, he just had to be patient.

Word Count: 251
Training: 8/8
Combat Information:

SPOILER: Click to show

Relevant SAs:
Strength of the Samurai
Coming from a long samurai lineage, coupled with intense physical training, Kaoru has far greater physical strength than most other people of his rank. Even amongst the Bukijutsu and Taijutsu specialists he stands amongst the top in terms of his raw physical power.

Enhanced Chakra Reserves
Kaoru's body contains a vast well of chakra, able to perform even the most chakra intensive jutsu around without having to worry about running out.

Jutsu Used: N/A

Tags: Saigo Shigeo

[Saigo Shigeo]

As if to punish him for stopping the dance, chakra bolstered the kick that landed against his weapon, prompting an excessive amount of force to surge through it. Thankfully, from his reinforced blocking position, it was easier to compensate by taking one more extra step backward, opting for the path of least resistance. His blade turned once in the air out to his side- a wrist roll that allowed for him to adjust and effectively right his grip, ending in the same intended position. Albeit a bit further back than originally anticipated.

Kaoru had succeeded in grabbing Shigeo's curiosity, too. Limit testing. Trying new things, seeing what worked and what didn't. This was an extremely effective method for training and practice. He learned something vital. Where his own use of Kinobori fell flat, the same tool used in a different way could easily have sent his blade flying across the bridge.

Right idea, poor application.

Noted.

"Outmatched. Beaten. Failure. Those are frames of mind. The moment you accept them, they own you."

He could lose without losing hope. He could fail without being a failure. Anyone could. They just had to commit, remain committed, and push through in order to cast those things to the wayside.

Why did he fight?

"I fight because giving up isn't an option," Shigeo said in a low voice. The thunder and rain swallowed his words, but not his actions.

He brought his left hand under the blade, palm facing upward, fingers curled like claws. A moment later, he stutter-stepped forward again, aiming another stab: this time, aimed for Kaoru's gut.

[266 words]
Training: 9/8
Tokonatsu Kaoru

[Tokonatsu Kaoru]

Tokonatsu Kaoru

His smile had faded previously, but twitched downwards into a frown at the other's answer, his stance losing its edge of readiness as he stared at the other Genin with an unimpressed expression, "that is why you continue to fight, but not why you first picked up the blade. You have to have started to fight for giving up to ever be an option." Someone didn't just start fighting with no reason, and to give a half answer like that... it was irritating in a way that the water running down his spine wasn't.

His eyes hardened as the older boy charged forward in an attempt to stab at him, catching the tip of the other's blade near the guard of his own sword as he stepped to the side and pushed downwards, forcing the weapon away and towards the ground before slashing diagonally upwards in a swipe that would lay a red line across Shigeo's face if it struck, neatly heading for the other's jawline where it would potentially pass through the flesh over the jaw, up across the nose, and skim the eyebrow should the hit land.

He wasn't trying to do more than leave a slight mark to prove his point, his second slash aiming at Shigeo's hand to try and make him drop his weapon.

"So. Why do you fight?" he asked lowly, just loud enough to be heard over the wind.
 

Word Count: 236
Training: 9/8
Combat Information:

SPOILER: Click to show

Relevant SAs:
Strength of the Samurai
Coming from a long samurai lineage, coupled with intense physical training, Kaoru has far greater physical strength than most other people of his rank. Even amongst the Bukijutsu and Taijutsu specialists he stands amongst the top in terms of his raw physical power.

Enhanced Chakra Reserves
Kaoru's body contains a vast well of chakra, able to perform even the most chakra intensive jutsu around without having to worry about running out.

Jutsu Used: N/A

Tags: Saigo Shigeo

[Saigo Shigeo]

His eyes spoke where the rest of his face could not. The question posed was intrusive, mocking. It may not have seemed that way to Kaoru, someone who had lived a solid amount of his life by the sword, but that was the difference between them. No one asked why Kaoru fought, and if they did, he might even have a thoughtful and meaningful answer to give them. It didn't matter why Shigeo fought. He had made it to this point, and surpassed the expectations placed on him by everyone: his peers, his father, perhaps even the entirety of the Village Hidden in Waterfalls. He had carved out a place for himself.

The burden fell to him to maintain the right to remain in that place. It wasn't about proving a point anymore. It had evolved into something far beyond that. To point it into words belittled it. Why had he begun to fight?

Necessity demanded it of him.

Instead of words, he gave his answer in a form that transcended the barrier of language. If Kaoru was the swordsman his confidence proclaimed him to be, he would surely understand. The way that the Tokonatsu boy had responded to his previous thrust was telling. He attempted to shunt, then counterattack from the flank. The choice of a similar, albeit lower thrust was calculated based on that pretext. The resultant defense did not disappoint.

It was a different point of contact, catching the katana near the tsuba. As his weapon slid across the other, Shigeo stepped through his left foot, aiming to land with the appendage between Kaoru's own legs, their blades entangled and their bodies both preventing either of them from cleanly exiting the lock. Kaoru was stronger, certainly, in a direct contest of strength.

Shigeo had created a situation intent on denying him such a scenario.

Why did he fight?

Because he had to. His dream evolved into an obsession. That obsession had robbed him of his family. This?

This was all he had.

As Kaoru made to step back, Shigeo brought his weight around, seeking to catch the boy with an Uchimata, the hand that had been coiled into a claw-shape hooking around in an attempt to trap Kaoru's waist and prevent escape.

[374 words]
Training: 10/8
Tokonatsu Kaoru

[Tokonatsu Kaoru]

Tokonatsu Kaoru

It seemed that Shigeo's reaction was not one he had expected, the other teen stepping forward to close the gap and seeking to grab him for some purpose or another. Kaoru, already somewhat irritated with the response that he had gotten to what in his mind was a simple enough question that had been answered in a relatively confusing manner, responded a little more harshly than he might have before.

Left hand darting to his waist, his wakizashi slid free from its sheath even as Shigoe reached out, the razor sharp blade threatening the other boy's vulnerable wrist without breaking the lock between the two katana. If the older teen intended to continue to grasp at him, he'd find Onikiri's intensely sharp blade leaving a line of blood along his arm.

At the same time, the Tokonatsu boy would seem to disappear, only to reappear five meters away, wakizashi sliding back into place as he stared impassively at Shigeo in a ready position, not sure what to say or how to respond, all he knew was that he was no longer really enjoying this fight as something had soured it, but he couldn't (and didn't want to) end it the way he usually did with such fights. After all, they were allies at the least, and death or permanent maiming wasn't on the table in those circumstances.

"Desperation ne? Come on then, lets see how far that gets you," he murmured mostly to himself, trying to figure out just how to approach this situation. 

Word Count: 254
Training: 10/8
Combat Information:

SPOILER: Click to show

Relevant SAs:
Strength of the Samurai
Coming from a long samurai lineage, coupled with intense physical training, Kaoru has far greater physical strength than most other people of his rank. Even amongst the Bukijutsu and Taijutsu specialists he stands amongst the top in terms of his raw physical power.

Enhanced Chakra Reserves
Kaoru's body contains a vast well of chakra, able to perform even the most chakra intensive jutsu around without having to worry about running out.

Jutsu Used: 
NAME: Subakage-ryū: Shunpo [New Shadow Style: Flash Steps]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low-High
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
HANDSEALS: N/A
REQUIREMENT: Subakage-ryū: Hohō [New Shadow Style: Step Method]
DESCRIPTION:

Within the Step Method's branching techniques, the Flash Steps is the most refined for pure velocity and acceleration in one, linear direction. From the point of origin until the shinobi stops, they are able to move at an incredible pace, practically vanishing from sight. However, this is an incredibly taxing method of movement, and if used to move too far it can stress the body. It cannot reach the speed granted by Body Flicker, but it is not quite as devastating on the user. Traveling beyond fifteen meters with one step will cause great stress to the body. It still has a high chakra cost, but the muscle strain will immobilize the shinobi for one round as their body recovers. It is possible to utilize multiple flash steps back to back, but cost must be paid individually.

1-5m (Low)

6-10m (Medium)

11-15m (High)

Tags: Saigo Shigeo

[Saigo Shigeo]

That didn't work either, huh...

What Kaoru interpreted as desperation was actually just another failed attempt to catch the younger man off guard. All of the traps he laid were soundly counteracted. That was frustrating in its own right, but the only thing that had really struck Shigeo the wrong way was that question. Why did he fight?

It wasn't the other boy's business. And in the case of that same question, posed differently by his father, it was just a bid to get Shigeo to give up on being a Shinobi. That was what really irked him about it. People only ever asked him things like that to get him to doubt himself. As for Kaoru's defense- Shigeo didn't try to press the issue.

When his attempt to throw the boy was met by the second blade, he was satisfied.

At least this guy was taking him seriously. It was a sign to himself that he had prompted a serious response, or at the very least, gotten Kaoru to see his attack as a threat, even if it failed to do as intended. "I can see how the actions prompt reactions," he murmured, "but I can't see the responses and respond to them." Kaoru was always two steps faster, when it came to the things Shigeo thought of. He didn't have the tools to punish it. He didn't have the skill, either.

There had come a point when it felt like he was banging his head against the wall, but there were no more good ideas.

Kaoru had backed off and eased into a ready stance. Shigeo spun his blade and returned it to its sheath. "I can't break through," he said, raising his voice now so that Kaoru could hear him. "And it isn't for lack of trying. I'm simply not at a point where I can do more. I need more practice."

He had answered the question, and the answer he'd given, didn't seem to satisfy Kaoru, who looked much less jovial than he had initially. Shigeo closed his eyes, sighed, and he tried to think of how to say what needed to be said. For his efforts in helping Shigeo train, Kaoru deserved an answer- whether or not he liked the answer, that was for the other youth to determine.

"That question... gets asked a lot," he said. "Mostly by my father. He doesn't like that I'm committed to being a Ninja, and thinks that I should be happy with what I've accomplished and find another way to live. So when he asks me what the point is, or why I keep going..." Shigeo shrugged. "After you've managed to do something, after you've poured everything you could and then more into it... you can't just stop."

He glanced at Kaoru finally, folding his arms.

"What would all of it have been for? To prove that I could do it? Then what? It was just something to accomplish, and I go on living, with my greatest achievement behind me?" It wasn't like he had something to push for. Improvement was its own reward at this point, but the goal...

It was just to keep going. Why he started and why he still fought now were two vastly different questions.

[542 words]
Training: 11/8
Tokonatsu Kaoru

[Tokonatsu Kaoru]

Tokonatsu Kaoru

The redhead snorted slighty as Shigeo sheathed his sword, his own blade sliding into its sheath in an almost dismissive response. "Then practice!" he called back, "take up your blade and swing it until your arms scream in agony and your hands no longer stay closed. Fight! Again and again and again until you can see the flow of battle, no matter how many times you fall or fail!" The world, it seemed, had a sense of dramatic irony as lightning flashed at the end of his words, the rain starting to come thicker once more.

"The only true failure here is giving up, of settling into mediocrity or apathy," they were words he told himself as well, time and time again, when his body felt it was falling apart or his insides burned with the alchemist's brews. "Keep your head, until your instincts are as sharp as your sword. You have skill, you just need to hone it. Screw your father, he wants you to die a pathetic death, one that isn't worth your ability." At this, Kaoru came closer, the wind and rain almost drowning out his footsteps.

"I was trying to find out what made you cut so weakly, when everything else I saw said you should be strong. Looks kinda like self-doubt from where I'm standing now." Kaoru reached up and grabbed one of the bells in his hair, pulling it loose and shoving it into Shigeo's hand, forcing the older teen to close his fingers around it.

"Give that back to me when you think you're ready to fight me without them," he said, green eyes staring at the other seriously, offering the only thing he could think of that might help push Shigeo past this. 

Physical proof that someone believed he could do it.

Maybe it meant nothing, maybe he misread, but if he didn't make an effort then what was the point of all this?

Word Count: 322
Training: 11/8
Combat Information:

SPOILER: Click to show

Relevant SAs:
Strength of the Samurai
Coming from a long samurai lineage, coupled with intense physical training, Kaoru has far greater physical strength than most other people of his rank. Even amongst the Bukijutsu and Taijutsu specialists he stands amongst the top in terms of his raw physical power.

Enhanced Chakra Reserves
Kaoru's body contains a vast well of chakra, able to perform even the most chakra intensive jutsu around without having to worry about running out.

Jutsu Used: 
N/A

Tags: Saigo Shigeo

[Saigo Shigeo]

His father had given him a dream, a hope to see the world; and he had determined that the best, most certain way to achieve that dream was the path of the Shinobi. Shigeo chased that dream with everything he had, and the path was brought with people who told him he couldn't do it. Constantly, incessantly, like a broken record, he was told he had no talent. He had none of what it took to become a Shinobi. Shigeo was told that his dream was impossible.

Spite drove him to prove them that they were wrong. Facilitators from Takigakure ensured he had constant training, constant opportunities for improvement, lessons that drilled into him the fundamentals that he sorely lacked. He devoted even the time meant for family to that training, because he wanted to make his dream come true.

And because it came at a cost his father deemed too steep, his father resented the dream that he had given his son.

In a world where he wanted to thrive, even his own father told him that he should give in. The others sneered and jeered his efforts, saying that they would only ever amount to nothing.

Self-doubt?

Perhaps. No one had ever done anything but doubt him. It was hard to imagine that he did not doubt himself. It was that doubt that told him he wasn't doing enough. It told him that he needed to push harder, to break through the walls that were laid out in front of him. Spite turned into determination. Shigeo believed, wholeheartedly, that anyone could do anything, as long as they worked for it. It was why, even now, he acknowledged his weakness and his shortcomings.

Because with time, they would shrink, and eventually they would wither away entirely.

Kaoru had said something that, until now, no one else had told Shigeo. He watched the other youth with an unreadable expression, even as Kaoru forced a funeral bell into his palm.

He told Shigeo to give it back when he was ready to fight for real. No one had ever cared if Shigeo could fight or not. No one had ever thought what he did mattered. He was the only one, a silent storm, who fought simply for the right to exist.

As lightning cracked overhead, and the tempest raged into something that they really ought to duck out of, he matched Kaoru's gaze with his determination on display.

Someone had acknowledged him. Another Ninja was telling him that he could do something. Kaoru told Shigeo to chase after him, and he genuinely believed that Shigeo could do it. That he was capable.

He gave a quiet nod, unable to lend words to what the gesture meant.

Shigeo would swing his sword, countless times, until his body could not respond to his brain. He would scream until his lungs had nothing in them to give, and his hands would blister and burn from his tight grip on the katana. All of that, and he still would owe a debt of gratitude he was uncertain that he could ever repay.

So, there was only one way to thank the other Genin.

"And when I do," he said, "I'll make sure it's worth your time."

[541 words]
Training: 12/8
Tokonatsu Kaoru

[Tokonatsu Kaoru]

Tokonatsu Kaoru

It seemed he'd found the right angle, the right gap, and his words struck as true as his swords when Shigeo nodded, the sharp grin returning slightly as he saw the way the other Genin rallied and recovered. This fight might not have been particularly fun, but it had been important, he had potentially set someone on the right path to be a decent opponent for him in the sort of battle that he preferred above others.

"Good. I won't wait for you to catch up, I still have a long way to go as well, but I look forward to when we can fight for real," he might have added that they could still train together, that he didn't mind helping the older teen out, but right now he felt that would diminish the impact of their current understanding.

There would be time for that in the future, Taki wasn't so big as to make it hard to find one another if they tried after all. The future was theirs to grab as they wished, but for now… for now it was time for one last little bit of drama.

Forming a single handseal, Kaoru vanished from sight completely with a very damp puff of smoke as he used Shunshin to head his way back home. 

[END THREAD]

Word Count: 217
Training: 12/8
Tags: Saigo Shigeo