[Hatake Shinde]

This Uzumaki Ataru kid was pretty good. Alright at what he was doing so far. Though he seemed to be getting a little bit off-topic. "Keep on forming those handseals. I won’t progress any farther until you can do those seals as fast as you were before.” Sounding rather resolute there, she proceeds to take a deep breath. Taking the liberty to gather her throwing stars together? She takes a deep breath. She was pushing him to his ropes if he was needing to use the clones already. Meanwhile? Shinde had a lot harder she could go. Collecting her throwing stars, she steps back a little bit then.

"Honestly. You’re not ready yet. You’ve got spirit, and that’s great, but remember not to get too overzealous. I’m not your enemy, your arrogance is.” Taking the liberty to say it rather plainly, she gives him a moment to collect his breath. Before long, she opens her cloak, drawing forth a giant shuriken , as she whips it outwards. It unfolds, turning into a four pronged blade of death with a clank. She whips it into motion along her hand, beginning to build rotational speed, before hurling it outwards with her left arm.

It blurs, whirring through the air as it heads straight for a wooden log, striking it, and splitting it in half with a crack, dragging through it halfway, before she pulls backwards, a whirring zipping motion as the giant Shuriken is wrenched back towards her hand slowly. It must have been the most dangerous, but also badass looking piece of equipment he’d ever seen so far in his shinobi training career! Wow! "I don’t think you’d want me to start hurling these at you after all. Would you?” She says with her eyes closed, and a curl upwards of the lips.

[Uzumaki Ataru]

He nods his head in agreement to her words, his red head bobbing up and down in sage silence as their session ends temporarily and Shinde proceeds to collect all her thrown Shuriken. It wasn't that it was too hard before, Ataru was just tired of recreating all the hand seals over and over again. Simply wanting to cast a Jutsu and use it in tandem with his movements throughout the lesson, he got his wish, and with it came a break.

"Hmm…"

The young boy reflects on what she's said. On how growing overzealous can lead to disaster but as she calls him arrogant the boy pouts somewhat and beats back with an explanation that is honest and true.

"Am not, I just want to become stronger. How else does someone do that if they don't challenge themselves?"

Given a break, as she goes about gathering her various Ninja tools, Ataru pulls out a juice box and sits on a low-hanging branch. Stabbing a straw into it, he quickly slurps, proceeding to drain it fully within a few moments. Letting out a refreshed sign, he leaps down onto the ground. A thud comes from the impact point, showing sound form and ability. Putting the trash away to be thrown away later before gazing headlong at the trunk of the tree he just dismounted from, he runs in a dead sprint towards it.

Feet striking against the hardwood of the tree's basin, as he finds purchase in the bark he climbs up a few steps before performing a backflip landing safely on his own two feet minus a slight step or two regaining balance. Letting out a small laugh, clearly satisfied and energetic without a single worry in the world. As Shinde finishes and whips out a giant Shuriken, Ataru can't help but feel amazed.

"Woah…"

Watching as it unfolds with a resounding metallic clank, seeing as Shinde shoulders its weight and sends it careening through the air. Building with rotational speed as it spins faster and faster in a blurring motion, viewing it strike into a standing wooden log shearing it nearly in half and sending a shower of splinters as well as causing the surface of the wood to crack apart. It was clearly on a whole nother level than what Ataru had dealt with until now, but it didn't intimidate the young boy. He understood the danger of it at least conceptually, but wasn't fazed by it, instead amazed by his Sensei's performance.

"Awesome! Why not, wouldn't that be the next step in our training? No, we should probably keep at the regular Shuriken - right? I'm not quite perfect at it yet, and you've been holding back…"

It made sense to the young boy, and he wasn't angry or frustrated he just wanted to try again and do better. Clearly determined and of a singular mind…

[Hatake Shinde]

He seemed pretty excitable, full of energy, vibrant, and seemingly had a lot of stamina to spare. That was something she’d have to fix before the end of today. "Has your mother ever told you that you’re a handful?” She gives a small tilt of her head, wondering how his mother had to deal with that kind of stamina, or if she was the kind of woman who found regular babysitters like her to keep her son distracted. Hrm. Maybe he had that weird deficit attention disorder or something. Whatever it was called. Regardless. As she drew her large Shuriken back to herself, she folded it neatly before placing it back into her cloak.

"...No. I don’t think so. Honestly. I’m pushing it pretty far as is by teaching you this way. I could get into some big trouble if you end up getting hurt. So. You know.” Scratching the back of her head, she only did what she did because she was fairly confident in her ability not to hurt the kid. Still. Before long, she proceeded to tilt, gazing at him with one eye from the corner from her bang. "Are you ready to continue?” Taking out another handful of Shuriken, she seemed pretty content to give him a good workout, and keep him preoccupied. "I know you’re having a good time.”

"But remember. This isn’t a game of playing ninja. This is pretty real training.” That said, she prepared to assault him with yet another assault, but would let him get back into position. "Hajime!” With her legs spread apart, she seems to keep her arms crossed in a very reserved stance, hiding her hand movements as her cerulean eyes scan to see what Ataru had to do.

[Uzumaki Ataru]

"How'd you know?"

The boy spoke with genuine amazement at her deduction, he often had trouble sitting still and possessed boundless levels of energy according to his mother. Always running, leaping, and climbing around to his heart's content he often startled many of the people of Konoha with his antics. And strangely enough, he starts air-punching the trunk of the tree rapidly, before flipping away like an acrobat and doing a series of somersaults. Coming to stand upright a ways off from her as she folds away her giant Shuriken, he patiently waits as she continues talking, proceeding to hear her out fully while he prepares to continue.

"I know, and I appreciate it. Everything I do is so I can be a better Shinobi. Well, almost everything…"

He draws a hand inward, resting it against his other palm and dipping both outward readying to continue forming hand seals in rapid succession once more.

"I'm always ready, let's start again Shinde Sensei."

Rambunctious and carefree to the last, he was having a good time but never forgot the reality behind what they practiced.

"I know, so enough talking. Let's go!"

As she yells for them to begin he quickly forms the various signs. Dragon, Horse, Ox… a myriad of combinations seeking to etch each sign into his memory, so that he may perform it implicitly, without thinking, and even while under fire.

[Hatake Shinde]

"Just call it intuition…” Though when she found herself observing her charge, she did have to smile somewhat with a thumb’s up as he mentioned his appreciation. "Nothing wrong with wanting to further your career, but you might want to ask yourself. Why do you want to get to that point.” Before long, he declared he was ready to continue. "Well. If that’s the case?” He stepped back and found himself working those handseals with nimble and dexterous motions, and once again, she rang out towards him with tosses of Shuriken. Whistling blurs as she lashes out.

They spun and twisted more regularly now, trying to get him used to the experience of dodging. After all, it wasn’t as if these were cardboard or wood. These were the real deal. He’d be able to familiarize himself with the sound of the whirring metal as she began throwing them in a few odder ways. For example, there were now slight lags behind the Shuriken, or perhaps she might whip her hand outward, but not actually toss the throwing stars as to trick him into moving unnecessarily in a tossed feint. Her cerulean eyes staring sharply with a cool expression. If he paid attention to the Shuriken as they moved? They easily thunked into wood and dummies alike. The resounding sound as she tried her best not to harm him.

She was getting harder to predict and deal with now, but hopefully, he was acclimating and adjusting. After this? The challenges would only prove to be even harder. Though it would be good training for both of them! Well. Hopefully. Unless he made a trip up mistake. Then he might end up having to go to the hospital or something along that line.

[Uzumaki Ataru]

He already knew why, and nothing was going to stop the young boy from working his ass off to achieve his goals. But she hammered home that he should hold those reasons closer to himself even as they trained, he enjoyed seeing her smile for a moment before moving directly into their next bout of training. Performing the hand seals in a rapid manner, dexterously working to etch the feel of forming them within his fingers to the point they become muscle memory by performing randomized combinations. As he focuses inwardly he still looks outwards, perceptibly in Shinde’s direction as spirals of shuriken are sent barreling toward him.

Weaving and dodging Ataru deftly sidesteps them, avoiding hails of spiraling ninja tools with twists, turns, and various other evasive maneuvers. Seeking to challenge himself and anticipate their paths of travel, he moves and reacts accordingly making sure to remain wary should their arcs change mid-air or be switched up. Growing more accustomed and experienced, he realizes the purposeful lags and adapts withholding his movement before then darting out of the way. As she feints, he holds his ground perhaps dancing around a bit more to make himself a harder target. Acting so as to test her as well, he didn’t just want to be her charity case instead seeking to contest her own abilities or simply help her hone them.

The level of difficulty was increasing but the young fiery haired boy thrived off of it, he had tapped into the vein and garnered newfound skills yet worked to refine them further even as he got a rhythm down pat. The thunks of shuriken strike with loud thuds or clanks as it skates across the ground, impacting wood from trees or shrilly scattering against the dirt floor. His amber eyes possess a determined edge, a stalwart resilience reflected within those pooling golden irises. It wasn’t arrogance that nestled inside him but a conscious awareness as his pace falls into lockstep with whatever she threw at him. He didn’t say anything like he had before, fully immersed and reactionary trusting that she would see how well he did and evolve her tactics.

[Hatake Shinde]

He sought to challenge himself, and with it, Shinde in turn sped up the rate of which she threw her throwing stars. Not really trying to hit him, as most of her throws were half hearted, or at the very least, were a test of restraint as she fired as close as she could without hurting him. However, it was in those next moments as he seemed to hav a harder time dodging back and forth, inbetween weaving handseals presumably, he'd find that in the next couple moments? Shinde stopped. Allowing for him to take a breath again after the couple minute she tossed at him. She'd go to collect her stars, and with it, she began to make clear her observation. "Your hands are getting sloppy." She said firmly, and assertively. Time for him to stretch his fingers. However, assuming he did? She'd proceed to say something perhaps a bit offensive.

"I'd give you a passing score. At best." Collecting her throwing stars again, she'd proceed to momentarily pat herself on the shoulder, rolling her arms as to prevent them from getting locked up, smoothing her leg back. "I think you're at your limit." She spoke nonchalantly, as if she was rather fervently sure of what she was talking about. This was likely the pinnacle of his abilities. Any further and he was going to end up getting hurt. She was rather sure of that, so much so that she proceeded to look at her Shuriken before firmly sliding them between her fingers. "It's going to be pretty difficult for me to push you farther than this. Without you getting hurt." The breeze blew a wisp of her grey, ashen hair as she stares him down. Wondering if he understood what she meant.

Or how he'd react to such a sudden shift. "You're going to need to show me a bit more. Because so far. I'm confident you're nearing the class ceiling. You're growing, but not enough for me to press you farther than what I have."

[Uzumaki Ataru]

As the speed amps up so too does Ataru's movements accelerate, the whooshing whisp of sharpened ninja stars fly like streaking comets across the training grounds. Soaring past the many points of his body leaving trace gusts of wind as they are flung, the young boy maneuvers whilst repeating the hand signs in a rote methodical manner, coming to the point where it felt like clockwork to perform the various seals clearly and in no certain order whilst staying quick on his feet. While it may have seemed to her that he was blunting, much like how a kunai can chip, or loses its edge after extended use. The young Uzumaki was fully captivated, rooted in a stable tempo of focus that seemed unbreakable.

Until Shinde stopped cold turkey on him, his mouth gaped open for a couple of seconds in disappointment as no more came but he quickly realized it was time for a break and that she would need to regather her instruments. Feeling proud of himself and glad that she had helped him as much as she did, he frowns at her first string of words. Placing both hands behind his head in a carefree manner before looking at her intently wanting to address them with a response in-kind.

"Well, I thought I was doing pretty good. But there's always more room to improve, right? Thanks for the break, I'll put it to good use."

He wouldn't get aggravated, he remembered her words about growing to become too overconfident and how that was the path to arrogance. He could guess on his own what that kinda attitude leads a shinobi into, wiping his brow free of sweat he proceeds to crack his knuckles. Folding them together and casting them outward like a knitted quilt before then popping them one after another. Taking a deep breath, the boy enjoys the reprieve but as says she'd give him a passing score he smiled a tad before it came dashed with her next segment.

"If that's true then I'll surpass my limits and show you what I can do! I don't care how hard it is... I'll do whatever it takes, better to be hurt in training than let any of my team be because I was too lazy or didn't do my best here and now! SO, C'MON THEN!!!"

The red-haired student spoke with as much fiery passion as he looks exuded and clan reputation could prepare one for, smiling in a daring manner looking to rise to his Sensei's challenge as she levies doubt on his shoulders. He wouldn't allow it to weigh him down, shifting his foot into the ground causing the dirt to crease with the effort of his dug-in heel. Once more a flurry of movement comes from his hands, as digits cross together and fold. Palms cement against one another and break apart in a rapid-fire series of seals on par with the incoming barrages that would soon be flying his way.

[Hatake Shinde]

That look of disappointment was somewhat expected. Though, when he spoke about understanding the break, she did throw in her thought. "Don't get me wrong. I can tell you're a hard worker. However, there's only so much you can grow in a single day." She expresses, before watching him take a more relaxed form. She felt it was imperative to make sure he felt accomplished, but not so much so that he'd feel invincible. After all, she wasn't going all out...Was she? That was until the next moments. He came about speaking brashly and confidently that if it was about pain, he didn't care. He'd do whatever it would take to grow farther and faster. It was there that he roared out like a burning flame. In the next moment however? He'd not find there was a flurry of tossed stars. "Well spoken. Then I hope as a man?"

She proceeds to cross her fingers in a cross motion. Before twin dopplegangers form to her left and her right. Each of them looking neutral with cold and focused expressions. Their shadows bending in the light as they reach into their Shuriken holsters. "You maintain that resolved conviction." They each took a step apart from one another, and Shinde stood, giving him a firm gaze. "Since you've given me your permission. I'll be pushing you quite a bit Ataru-San. Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you. I might bring you to near death, and the hospital. But I won't kill you." With that resolved and stated, she'd proceed to close her eyes with a smile that was a bit too sweet. "For you? I have other...plans."

Suddenly, all three of the clones would release handfuls of three Shuriken from each hand, turning into a total of eighteen. Each bending and twisting at various angles, as they soared at him. A blinding flash of throwing stars and whirring noises. Each were aimed seriously now. Some aimed so precisely as to slice the sleeves of his shirt and pants, and another to swerve as to cut just lightly along his cheek. Allowing him barely any gaps as to dodge unless he began employing what she told him. He had an environment to work with, and if he didn't move and use it to his best advantage? He'd be nothing better than a sitting duck. Never mind performing handseals. Now? It was about a matter of his very survival.

[Uzumaki Ataru]

Flexing his hands together as she takes his declaration seriously that as a man and Shinobi, he couldn't just walk away without doing his all even when risking much. His budding respect for the Hatake comes cinched, forming a link between his heart and thoughts in those next moments that would not die easily. United in body and mind his purpose acts to spur him on, having kept it close just like she said. Resting at the edge of his psyche, it is what drives him even while he grounds himself into a state of consummate concentration. A singular thought anchoring his actions into a coalesced focus tempered by a stable emotional response. Responding not only to his feelings but personal convictions, Ataru smiles and performs a small battle cry of sorts before things truly come to a head.

"Oos!"

The booming echo is the last gasp of their civil interaction, as Shinde summons her clones and they materialize Shuriken before stepping apart. What comes next is a blur, as a harrowstorm of sharpened ninja tools loose forth in a twirling cannonade. The Uzumaki performs a twisting pirouette through the air, showcasing his acrobatic ability as he lands. He was not safe, speed and movement could see him through and as soon as he made contact with the ground his moveset changed hands into a series of crisscrossing backflips before flipping forward into a split. Abandoning the hand seals as he utilized his whole body to evade,

Spinning himself around on his palms before launching forward in a roll evolving into a sidestep ducking motion. Using barriers Ataru sought to anticipate her moves and so used dummies and trees as hard cover to soak up her throwing stars as well as bushes and foliage for concealment. His agility came in use and miraculously after the opening salvo, he was unharmed, not that he paid any attention to whether or not that was the case. Combining all five of his senses together and the natural instincts of his body, he goes on to kick a few rocks into the path of flying shuriken. It was survival now, and Ataru had made a promise to her and himself most of all - he wouldn't be found wanting on either account.

[Hatake Shinde]

Abandoning his handseals was probably the wisest decision he could have made. This was what Shinde was looking for. As he leaped high into the air, in a twisting spiral of a body, she let him drop as opposed to hurling Shuriken into the air. Watching as he lands along the ground before her onslaught continues. Throwing star after throwing star, the weapons whirring and blitzing as they strike along the surfaces of logs, trees, or training dummies. Though he'd be needing to move much more and faster to avoid and compensate for the Shuriken which blitzed and struck out incessantly. He'd need some work on this regard. To be able to form seals and fast, even in this situation. After all. If he couldn't he'd never be able to go on the counterattack, and he'd be running out of energy. 

All it took was a single slip up. One. Then it would lead to a wound. The sharpness of pain and the lack of ability to act properly would lead to him being open to further wounds then. "Faster! Faster!" She declares. "You need to move faster than that!" She declares with no small amount of fervor as she litters the area with Shuriken. She could only continue to make it more and more dangerous with the passing of time. However, this is what he wanted didn't he? To be faced with incredible danger, lethality, and a challenge to push him to his limits and beyond? No academy instructor would teach him this way. Hopefully, he'd be able to acclimate. 

[Uzumaki Ataru]

Ataru kept at it tirelessly, from up high to down low and everything else in between. He weathered the initial storm but as they keep coming, he struggles as each time they shoot faster and faster while he remains on the defensive. For the most part, he manages to evade them, as adrenaline pumps through his heart, circulating through his body like fire and the drum beat inside his ears resounds in tandem with the whirling whine of throwing stars cutting a swathe through the air. However, here and there as he misjudges or slows on a turn of his heel he finds small knicks and cuts beginning to form across his body. Her words push him beyond the scope of his current abilities urging him on, screaming loudly in exertion as he is pushed to the brink. Yelling out a singular cry of defiance, serving to motivate him even more than before as it oxygenates his blood and induces a fervor unlike anything else, he would live up to her expectation's, to his mother's, the village's and his own. He wouldn't fail and if he did it would only be after giving absolutely everything....

Limiting his moves as injuries begin mounting and a greater number of shurikens are thrown amidst a ceaseless storm. Ataru twists about, shifting a few paces, and otherwise contorts his body like a dancer might; going to extremes when necessary to elude her blows. Kicking up a cloud of sand as a smokescreen before gathering up her own Shuriken and sending them back in similar arcs. Partly to interrupt the trajectory of her thrown weapons as they sail forth and partly to achieve a reprieve as well as disrupt her and the clones' stream of unhindered activity. The level at stake here, the harshness and brutal reality creates this incredible challenge mixing together like paint brewing into a possible potential that hangs in the balance. Acting as both a springboard and crucible for the young boy to suffer through and endure, to grow stronger from the experience with the possibility of being injured or even dying as a result. Such is what it meant to be a Shinobi, to risk your life for others and the village, to complete your missions at any cost and come home to those you love - or not at all.

He thanked her at the back of his mind, even as he dodged shuriken barreling forth with immense speed and accuracy, striking forth all around in deadly hails of fire. Clunks as they hit the cover of what he strafes behind and lacerate the canvas of his body, continuing to traverse the grounds with mounting agility as well as ramping difficulty. It ends with the Uzumaki finally collapsing from exhaustion, falling onto his knees and breaking off the arms of a training dummy to catch the last few shuriken that fly at him. Exclaiming relief before grunting and lifting his hand to see a throwing star embedded into it, trying to be slick he rips it out and hides it behind his body. The lesson now at an end, with much learned on his part for it unlocked something in him that he would not ever forget.