[Asahi Inuzuka]

The sound of Jutsu colliding with one another rang out loudly in the forest, as two identical silver-haired girls fought one another. Again and again, the exact same Jutsu would collide with one another, doing nothing to advance the fight other than to drain both sides of their chakra. It had already attracted the attention of a few other ninjas who stopped by to keep in on the situation, ensuring that everything was alright. Seeing as nothing shady was happening, they all quietly left the Inuzuka pair to their training.

About an hour into it, Taiyo turned back into his canine form, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, panting heavily as he stood crouched, faced off against his partner Asahi. Asahi, while exhausted, still wore a smirk on her face as she too stood in a crouched stance, bare feet digging into the dirt underneath her.

"Time to try this again, you ready?"
She asked the canine without waiting for much of an answer. As she launched herself forward, her body would twist, again and again until her body looked like a blurry tornado headed for Taiyo.

Taiyo retaliated, taking on the form of Asahi once more, and mimicking the jutsu in the counter.

BANG, KRASH, BOOM

The two of them collided head-on, and just as quickly were both launched away from one another. Taiyo turning back into his true form once more and landing on the edge of the forest clearing. Asahi however had been thrown back into, and through, a large tree that snapped where she had collided with it, and fell into the clearing with a loud bang, sending dust flying up into the air for all those nearby to see.

Asahi lay with her back against the next tree behind it, her head and eyes spinning from the intensity of the two Garuga clashing.

[Senju Kazuto]

Silence was something he had grown to appreciate. Not because he had lived a life of excess in which he would be overwhelmed by constant influx of sound. It was preferable from the drone that came up from the clan meetings that was for certain, but silence invited to hear the subtle undertones of nature. The quiet shifts that came and went as the birds chirped, branches swayed and breeze came in as if it were a blessing. He stopped and lost himself in the peace that he felt, the scent of damp earth that heralded the coming of rain. The silence however would not last, ruptured by the sound of combat and a chorus of destruction as trees were splintered and dust flew. "Someone must be training." The Senju spoke in a mutter as the trees would finally fall down. He narrowed his eyes as the cloud of dust would fall slowly, spreading over a wide area until the sediment fully descended and he had a clear view of the scene, someone had crashed into the clearing and it seemed to do so rather violently. Hurriedly he would look around, trying to find a sign that whoever had landed was still conscious and unharmed. His eyes narrowed as he kept scanning the area and stopped, finding that there was someone against a tree. Quickly he would move towards the individual who he found it to be a young girl, perhaps four or five years younger than him. His eyes looked to find the training partner but found no one else but him and the girl. Perhaps she was training alone? He thought to himself before he would reach for her, lightly tapping her shoulder and shaking her slightly from the confusion caused by the violent fall. "Are you alright?" He said as he would look at her, his serious features showing a hint of concern.

-tag- Asahi Inuzuka -words- 326 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Asahi Inuzuka]

Her head was spinning something fierce, so badly in fact that she had to close her eyes to just try and get the world around her to stay still. When that didn't work, she even reached up to hold her head in her hand, leaning it back against the tree like pinning herself would help. She faintly made out the sound of someone talking close to her, someone touching her and so she forced herself to open her eyes once more. She had to squint to try and get herself to focus and didn't say anything for a full minute as her senses slowly started to sharpen once more.

"Who... ah man..."
As the world stopped spinning, Asahi let out a heavy sigh as everything started to come back to her. She and Taiyo were almost too in sync to spar so intensely against each other after all. She looked up towards the person who had come to check up on her and offered up an embarrassed smile.

"I'm okay... I just wasn't expecting such an explosive contact..."
She muttered as she slowly pushed herself back up to her feet, stumbling one foot over the other before catching herself. She looked all around her but didn't immediately see Taiyo, and she began to feel worried. Maybe they had been going at it a bit too intensely...

"I'm sorry if I troubled you... but, you didn't happen to see a big, white dog around did you?"
She asked worriedly, taking a sniff at the air before taking a wobbly step forward to go and find her companion.

[Senju Kazuto]

"Ah dog?" He replied to the young woman, observing her as she sniffed the air and gathering that she had to be a member of the Inuzuka clan and the likelihood of finding her would be entirely up to whoever this person was. "To tell you the truth I only heard a boom and saw a cloud of dust, nothing much else." That was putting it mildly but he decided not to elaborate as he watched the Inuzuka continue her search via nose. With a shrug he stepped behind her and weaved a single handed seal, suddenly a pair of doppelgangers emerged from his very flesh, a knee touching upon their landing before the Senju nodded at them. The two clones would extend the search radius, walking through the last nebulous remnants of dusk that had still to settle, revealing more of the damage that had been wrought by the great blast. branches had been ripped by the blast alone, falling like broken bones and scattering at the mercy of chance, scars had been brought on by their fall ripping patches of overgrown grass until the black earth could be discerned. The canopy itself had been effect as where once slits of light pierced the viridian shroud now gashes revealed the sun above at the beginning of the autumn. Light reflected on the grass, making a search that was difficult more so. It was then, when such thought crossed his mind that one of the wood close rose waved at him before disappearing into the long grass, rummaging through the overgrowth, before the clone would emerge with something white nestled against its chest. Walking towards Kazuto and the Inuzuka with a dog held in its arms, unconscious, a bruised but still breathing. "My guess is that the grass cushioned her fall." He said, airing his hypothesis before the clone quietly placed the dog before her master, quietly caressing the snow-white fur of the animal. "I think she should be fine., just give her a minute for the shock to wear off."

-tag- Asahi Inuzuka -words- 351 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Asahi Inuzuka]

"He's my partner, I got to make sure he's okay."
She confirmed as she stopped sniffing at the air suddenly, taking a step to take off but stopping whenever she noted the man was.. multiplying in quite a strange way. She raised an eyebrow as she stopped and turned to face him. It was an interesting way to create clones if now a liiiiittle creepy.

"What kind of cloning jutsu is that..?"
She asked curiously as she watched the two dart out into the forest. With no eyes on Taiyo, she did grow worried that he had been hurt... she hoped that they found him to be alive and well, but couldn't stop worrying. She bit her lower lip anxiously, wanting to dart out after them, but figured her rustling through the woods would just make it harder for them to find him. Her mind didn't stop going crazy until finally, they came back with Taiyo in their arms, setting him down in front of her. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in before she ran over to him, placing her hands gently around his neck and hugging him tightly.

By doing this, her ears could easily pick up the sound of his heartbeat and his breath, which assured her that he was in fact okay, and just out cold from the heavy impact. She smiled gently as she let him go, petting his head softly before standing back up and turning to face the man that had helped her out, and bowed immediately.

"Thank you so much for finding him. My name is Asahi Inuzuka, I'm sorry we caused you trouble."
She said seriously, deciding that they should probably put this jutsu on hold for now until they could really master the technique needed to perform it. It sucked, and she really felt she should be ready to do it but... if it meant putting her partner in danger again, she was more than willing to hold off.

"I'm sorry to ask more of you but... judging by that jutsu, you're a shinobi too? I want to get stronger, quicker, so that I can get through the Chunnin exams... do you think, maybe you could train us? or with us?"
She asked, unsure of what his capabilities actually were, but all the adult shinobi she had met so far were all amazing in their own way.

[Senju Kazuto]

"It was no trouble." Kazuto told the younger woman with a hint of a smile. "It is only right that we seek to help those that need our aid." The Senju added before the clones promptly turned into wooded statues as he released the technique. He was glad that she was reunited with her companion, he never quite understood the special bond that the Inuzuka had with their dogs, he could not see himself having that same bond with Rosutoichi when he summoned the black wolf, but it was something that he wouldn't be opposed to having. As he was making his turn to leave she asked something else of him, stopping him in his track, he blinked for a second and faced her fully. "Yes, I am a shinobi." He replied softly, a soft murmur from the breeze came between them. "But in truth, nothing that is every worthy of reaching for is quick." He said, speaking from his own experience as he had seen comrades die after trying the quick method of getting stronger, of achieving greater heights than what their current selves would be unable to reach. Their hastiness had made them pay the toil with their own lives. As the girl looked at him expectantly of his answer he could only give her a hint of a smile that broke the stoic mask that he wore. "Forgive me, Asahi." Kazuto told the young woman. "My manners are awful, I am Senju Kazuto, at your service." A respectful nod followed before he would set her sight on her. "I can spare the time to train you and your companion." He said, finding hard to tell no to someone that recognized their shortcomings, going out of their way to seek wisdom of other shinobi as they went on trying to protect the village, it was all that it could be asked from shinobi of Konoha that began their steps in this dangerous world. "Perhaps you want to meet tomorrow? I think your friend is in no condition to spar, let alone perform the combination techniques your clan is so renowned for. We can meet at a training ground of your choice or here if you prefer." He suggested.

-tag- Asahi Inuzuka -words- 380 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Asahi Inuzuka]

Nothing worthy of reaching was quick? Heck, she felt like her advancement was stalled since the last Chunnin exams. She felt like she was spinning in circles, chasing her tail.

"I'm not a slacker, I train really hard every day."
She stated with a pout as she instinctively placed her hands on her hips as if a child defying her father. She only let up the pout when he would then apologize and introduce himself. What was even greater, was that he agreed to train her! Just, not right away of course seeing as Taiyo was still out cold. She glanced down to her companion once more, and was thankful she could see his chest rise and fall, otherwise, she would be much more concerned than she was right now. When she glanced back up to Kazuto, her pout turned into a wide smile as she bowed politely once more.

"Thank you soooo much Sensei! I do like training all the way out here, it's a bit more private until the dust starts to fly. I'll make sure to take good care of Taiyo tonight so he can be in top shape for training tomorrow!! Yes yes yes, thank you"
She said happily as she then knelt down beside Taiyo once more. She tried to think of a way to carry the heavy dog, unfortunately nothing useful really came to mind. She instead decided to suck it up and just carry him home. She looped one arm under his neck, and the other under his backs hips, lifting him off the ground with a huff. Once she was standing with him in his arms, it really wasn't so bad, but it looked hilarious since the two looked to be almost the same size.

"Thanks again for everything! I'll see you tomorrow!"
She smiled brightly before making her way back towards the village with the hybrid dog.

[Senju Kazuto]

"I apologize." Kazuto said, raising his hands in a calming gesture. "I didn't mean to suggest you were a slacker..." He explained as a soft chuckle escaped him, nodding his head towards the destruction that the sparring that she and her dog had managed to do. "Just meant to tell you that there really isn't a shortcut to become a stronger shinobi, just hard work and focus. That's all to it." It was perhaps a lame explanation, one that it was very likely she had heard time and time again, but it was a truth that had been clear from the days of the first shinobi until their current days. As her pout became a wide toothy smile, another chuckle escaped the Senju. It was difficult to imagine of the times in which he believed that he wasn't suited to be a teacher. He had stumbled and he had erred like any other person in his position. But being called Sensei, the joy of others at they were mentored by him and guided. He had grown quite fond of it despite himself and in the end it gave some more meaning to be a shinobi than just being a slayer of enemies and an assassin of kings. It gave him a peace that his soul craved for. "No need to thank me. I'll see you here tomorrow morning, sleep well." The Senju replied as he waved her, giving a bemused look at the sight of a girl hoisting a rather large dog on her shoulders without complaint. He followed Asahi and the dog with his sight before he would turn away and head home, wondering if Miho had already arrived after her shift or not. --- The next day, he had woken early and still when the sun barely risen above the mountains and graced the sky he had been already in place, perhaps a little bit earlier than he had intended but at the very least it would give him time to do some warm ups before the Inuzuka arrived.

-tag- Asahi Inuzuka -words- 350 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Asahi Inuzuka]

Lugging Taiyo all the way home was one hell of a task, and to her dismay, the large pup didn't awaken until she was pretty much at her doorstep. She felt the rate of his breath on her cheek change moments before a large tongue came out to slide its way up her face. Asahi sighed but then chuckled as she lowered the pup back to the ground where he finally stood on his own four paws. The pup shook his body from side to side as if shaking invisible water off of himself, yawning widely as he too was now slowly coming to his senses.

"Come on boy, let's get some dinner and get some rest."
She suggested as they walked past the threshold of their house.

"I'm home"
She called out once she opened the door, closing it behind her to put an end to that day's activities as a shinobi

---

The next morning as the sun started to rise, the silver-haired Inuzuka was already on her feet and getting ready to train with Sensei Senju. He wasn't a shinobi she was familiar with, and so she really didn't know what to expect in terms of training... maybe she really should be researching the other ninja in the village, considering the position she wanted to end up in... but then again, surely those shinobi would change time and time again before she got anywhere close to where she wanted to be. Best not to split her attention just yet.

She quickly went over today's plan with Taiyo before stuffing her backpack full of food, throwing it over her shoulder, and walking out of the house with her companion. It wasn't long until the two found themselves in the same clearing they had been the day before.

When they arrived, she didn't immediately see Kazuto, but her nose promptly told her where he was (unless he was hiding his presence).

"Ohayō sensei"
She said with a bit of a sluggish grin on her features. You could tell she was still tired but wasn't dragging her feet as she showed up right on time. Taiyo on the other hand looked full of energy as he let out a boisterous bark to announce his presence there as well.

[Senju Kazuto]

Before Asahi and Taiyo had arrived, the Senju had been hard at work in his warming exercises. Leaving the folded Yukata with the Senju Clan symbol emblazoned on a rock, allowing the cool breeze to felt upon the bare skin of his arms. As ever he would begin with a run, physical preparation would be key, he would make sure that he felt the burn of early exertion through his muscles, following the trail around as perspiration would soon begin to show in rolling beads on his skin and forehead, returning to the beginning, huffing and stopping at the stone where he had left his yukata, turning as he heard the steps of two beings, a biped and a quadruped turning to face and finding the Inuzuka and her dog companion. "Good Morning." Kazuto offered to both with a slight bow, standing upright and towering over both of them. They looked well, rested, almost as if the training session that had brought damage to the surrounding area just a day before. Perhaps some wear and tear but nothing that would give him disquiet from giving her a pointer or two or actual training that would be of benefit to her. "So what would you like me to help you with?" He began. In truth she had been very vague on what she had wanted to train. "I am not familiar much with your clan techniques, I will admit." He told her, preferring to be honest with her rather than make her belief that anything she wanted he could teach to her. He assumed that she would need some taijutsu training or perhaps advice in ninjutsu but in truth she would be the one that would dictate what they would train today. "Unless you want us to just to some spar?"

-tag- Asahi Inuzuka -words- 310 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Asahi Inuzuka]

Asahi smiled and waved to the man before the pair came to a stop once they were close enough. Having been unconscious the day before, Taiyo had no idea who this man really was beyond what Asahi had told him, and so he stuck to his partner like glue, his side touching hers as his yellow eyes stared piercingly at Kazuto. Asahi on the other hand looked completely relaxed, her right hand moving up to her chin as she thought about what kind of training she was hoping to obtain from the Senju. Shigure was already helping her with the chakra control she needed to master her clan techniques so in terms of what she needed to learn... that left combat. She could learn all the jutsu in the world, but it would amount to nothing if she wasn't able to utilize them when it mattered.

"I think sparring would be my best bet. I practice every day with my family, and lately, Shigure-san has been helping me with my chakra control. I just don't get much of an opportunity to use my skills beyond training. Fighting with Taiyo had been a bit helpful, but we're too similar for us to really get anywhere productive"
She concluded with a nod, looking down to the stressed-out pup and placing her hand on his head reassuringly.

[Senju Kazuto]

"Yes." Kazuto would reply to the Inuzuka. "I suppose I could take you both in a spar." In truth that was by far the best option. Shinobi elder than him often said that you could only truly know someone after exchanging blows with them. That their motions would be fast enough, their mind sharp enough, that they could anticipate their movements even before the thought crossed their minds. It was, in his humble opinion, a load of rubbish. A pretty limerick that was used to sell the idea that there could some form of beauty which would not descend into simple violence. There was art in the flourish of a blade or the creation of a technique, there was a meditation to be achieved in the middle of combat, but in the end it all ended in an exchange of fists. "Well then, lets get us started, shall we?" Kazuto replied as he would begin hopping back until there was a considerable gap between the Asahi and her companion and between himself. In truth a part of him felt some excitement for he had never fought against one of her kind before, fight alongside yes, he had seen their abilities first hand and been marveled to their quick and destructive abilities. "I trust that you know the proper sparring protocol." He told her, raising one of his hand to his chest height, extending index and middle finger as he formed the sign of confrontation hoping that she would reciprocate the gesture and thus allowing her to begin her attack. A tense silence was left between the two of them as seconds seemed to stretch into infinity and the Senju keep his nerve about him. Deciding that he could use this chance just to see what was the reach of her abilities. What areas she could use to improve, what was beyond the average of someone of her rank. "Whenever you're ready, little one." He told her.

-tag- Asahi Inuzuka -words- 336 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Asahi Inuzuka]

Taiyo was definitely on edge, his fangs already visible as he stuck to his partner like glue, his eyes not only looking at the stranger before him, but his other senses listening to everything around him, taking in the muffled sound of air as it passed through the trees, the scent of the forestry and that of what he now understood was his opponent.

Asahi smiled brightly, nodding towards Kazuto as he asked her if she was ready. She too took a few hops back to create some distance between her and her fighting partner, stopping only once an acceptable distance was made between them. Whenever Kazuto asked if she knew the proper sparring protocol, her eyes flashed surprise for a moment as a flush brushed past her cheeks for the faintest of moments. Of course, she knew it! She just... hadn't used it much since the academy and had plum forgotten about it until it was brought up.

"Of course!"
She said in an attempt to brush away her forgetfulness, mimicking the Senju's actions before bracing herself into position. Unlike the normal stances of her family which were wider and more aggressive, the one she took on was more nimble. Her right foot was placed behind her left, standing on her toes as she kept her stance small.

The silver-haired girl waited for what felt like ages before she felt Taiyo release a breath slightly heavier than that of his normal breathing. That was the signal for her to take off, and with her modified stance she seemed to take off at an accelerated rate, appearing in front of the massive hybrid dog who had also taken off at the same instance.

Both human and canine ran across the distance placed between the two ninjas, weaving left and right as they approached the Senju. It wasn't until Asahi got close did she suddenly take a backflip backward, overtop of Taiyo as the large canine leaped in to take a bite out of Kazuto's left arm. Meanwhile, as Asahi landed, she sidestepped to the right so that she could leap forward with a back fist to his ribs.

[Senju Kazuto]

The scrap started as soon as Asahi had waved the sign of confrontation, It was abrupt and direct, very much the style that he had seen the Inuzuka employ in the instances that he had seen them fight from afar. Uncomplicated and using her canine companion as the first salvo, but curiously he noted that she would not follow him, rather using the menace of the dog to get his attention and thus ignoring her. His muscles tensed with well worn anticipation, his stance lowered as his knees bent, remaining static as the canine approached whilst her tracked Asahi in the corner of his eyes. At the last second, Kazuto ducked out of the way of Taiyo, leaning forward to use his momentum before he turned his sight slightly towards the Inuzuka, aware of her near presence as he spun upon his own axis and avoided her strike altogether. His hand and feet dragged on the undisturbed soil before finally stopped and began to jump again to gain some distance not out of mockery but simply as part of his strategy. He wanted to see how she would be able to deal with an opponent that kept themselves away from their effective attack range as well he wanted to see what sort of techniques the fledging shinobi had. "You two have confidence." Kazuto would answer, as he raised to his full height, confident but not arrogant. She had good form, he had to give her that, but there was only so much that could be discern from a second of combat, in truth he needed to see more from her and thus he allowed her to make another attack run, that and he had to mindful of the clear differences of skill between himself and her. He didn't want to harm the girl nor he wanted to shatter her confidence.

-tag- Asahi Inuzuka -words- 320 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used:


NAME: Kuikkurōtēshon [Quick Rotation]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:
Utilizing chakra in the feet, ankles and legs specifically. It is a small amount of energy, but used precisely on reflexes and timing. This technique is gauged this way. When timed, the user can twist themselves abruptly out of the way of an attack. Like a speedy side-step, but a rotation of one's body to the side. A spin-move. This is only attacks in an immediate vicinity(three meters) anything else is too big an attack. Usually Taijutsu, but sometimes this technique is effective against close-range ninjutsu.

SA Used:

Crimson Fist


Gifted with a considerable physical presence, the Senju has taken his gifts and combined them with effort, dedication and patience. Thanks to this he has emerged as an Adept of Taijutsu, as such while he cannot claim his abilities don't quite rival those who can claim to be true masters of the art, he can confidently fight other taijutsu users. Making use of the Ascendant Fist style as the foundation of his prowess with taijutsu, he has become able strike his foes with great strength and precision in close quarters with great expertise.

Might of Heroes


Descendant of a great lineage, the blood of great and legendary heroes of the clan courses through the veins of Kazuto as they do with any other Senju. As such he has been bestowed with robust pools of chakra upon his birth. Through intense training and countless missions these pools of chakra have expanded quite considerably, becoming a Furnace of Might within him, allowing him to fight for longer periods of time and casting powerful techniques without much concern to run out of stamina. Although this chakra makes his control suffer, his impressive reserves make up for this deficit in control.

Paragon of War

His mind is as keen and sharp as blade recently sharpened by a whetstone. Through the learning of tactics, records, on field experience and on the fly ingenuity, the Senju is able to plan before, during and after a fierce fray. It is thanks to this that he can discern the correct course of action and what stratagems and actions should he take. He is able to read and keep the Flow of Battle as flexible as possible. His tactics range from the most subtle ambush within dark corridors to even the most brutal and grim battlefield.