[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Hōzuki Keneō

Toru broke away from the office for the afternoon, the day was warm and the sun was shining through the wisps of mist that so frequently clung to the village. Mid-day was often the time that had the least amount of mist obscuring the streets, especially in the summertime. Mornings were the worst, making the streets almost gray. It was difficult to wake up in the morning for visitors, but those who were accustomed to this weather got up and started their daily activities with little to no issue. A Kirigakure no Sato native was not fearful of the gray skies, but rather welcomed them.

Still, even the most grizzled native could not help but enjoy the warmth of sun beams. It was not enough to tan, but it was enough to warm a cooled body.

Toru spent most days in the office, hunkered down doing paperwork and approving a million initiatives, being stuck in meetings. So when he had a moment, he would steal them even if that meant Daichi would become frustrated with him for leaving without announcing his departure. But, sometimes it would be nicer to be alone. The Mizukage seldom spent time alone, after all, and a little bit of privacy was never unwanted.

The teenager found himself in a training yard, with a bokken in hand, the sun gently illuminating his movements as he practiced basic kata, barefoot. There was still a dew that clung to the grass, and it was quite refreshing as he slid across the ground out of the way of an imaginary enemy strike.

OWL

[Hōzuki Keneō]

Whenever he wasn't at the compound practicing new skills while refining those few he already had at his disposal, Ken could be found doing more or less the same at the village's training yard. While a lot more open to the public and therefore prying eyes, it was perhaps not the best place for him to go about tinkering with the Hozuki clan's Hijutsu techniques, as he honestly wanted to keep them as hidden as possible. It was, after all, a 'secret technique' that belonged to him and his family. So if he could keep potential rivals from seeing too many of his own techniques, Ken imagined that it would give him some kind of edge if it ever came down to a fight.

And while he had not been an actually functioning Genin for all that long, his mind was already set on the nearest Chuunin exams. It was why he had been training with his grandfather more frequently, why he had decided to step out of the compound more often and get himself acquainted with different shinobi from within the village. The way he saw it, the more he interacted with people in a meaningful way, the more he could find out about and learn new ways to improve. And right now, there were honestly two things he wished to expand upon more than anything else. One being his ninjutsu of the moisturous variety, the other being the use of weaponry techniques revolving around the use of the sword: Kenjutsu.

His grandfather had been a very good teacher up until this point, as all of the basics, he had learned from him. To this day, they kept sparring and going over the basics until his body learned to take it in through sheer muscle memory. By constantly running through the same process and gradually adding onto it, he could truly say that it was starting to bear fruit, though he was nowhere near the level he wanted to be at yet. With all good things in life, one had to expect things to take time, though expecting things to come to you with time and just being outright lazy about it didn't get you the results you would want either. Which was exactly why Ken had come to the training grounds today, and he clearly could not have picked a better day for it.

For as few people as he actually knew, there were some people in the village that everyone knew. And if they didn't, it would be best if they returned to the Academy to go over the standard curriculum again. Because if one could not spot their own Mizukage as a Shinobi of Kirigakure, they honestly never should have passed their exams to begin with. Noticing that they too had brought along a wooden sparring sword, there was something about him that he always felt to be odd. Normally, the older generations frowned upon the young, finding them impetuous and brazen, yet here there was a Mizukage who did not seem to be a whole lot older than he was. To him, this meant that as long as he worked hard enough, even he might be able to make himself into a useful member of the village before long.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Hōzuki Keneō

The Mizukage continued undisturbed even with the arrival of the silent Hozuki. It was not an unusual thing, for many individuals to be here working hard on their special crafts - it was a public training yard after all. For the Mizukage and Daimyo to be here though there were some in his council that would judge the optics of this behavior. Toru was not supposed to be common or to be seen out in public, so readily accessible for anyone to approach. His position in the village and country was well protected and for that very reason it was unlikely that it was a good thing he was here.

But, Toru had never been one to hide. He had always been a leader of and for the people. He worried about these things the most. For this reason he wanted to appear as normal as possible, visible, accessible, unlike what his council wanted him to do. There were times for privacy, but it was important for him to be seen in public, eating, training, being a normal person - not the mythical creature, a legend that the council would have him be. Of course, the council believed this in part because they themselves needed to appear as mysterious and better than others. But it had never been how Toru operated in all now three years of his rule.

It had helped Toru become an invigorating presence among Kirigakure shinobi, helped them fight when they felt like they could no longer do so.

He turned himself slightly, his posture adjusting as he struck the air diagonally before the tip of the bokken fell gently to the dewy grass and the teen turned his attention to the observing Hozuki.

"Did you reserve this space?" If this area of the yard was reserved, Toru would easily leave, as for now he was uncertain as to why he was being observed for an extended period of time.

OWL

[Hōzuki Keneō]

"No, Lord Mizukage. I did not."

In all honesty, Ken didn't really know how to respond in this given situation. On one hand, he had never shared a single word with someone who held a position of power before as he wasn't the type who'd try to surround himself with influential figures. His mindset had always been rather simple. As long as he could keep doing what it was that he enjoyed doing, which could for the most part be tied down to fishing, training and napping, that was all he really needed. His want and need to be of service to the village was not born out of a need to be recognized or even liked, he just wanted to make the sacrifice of his parents worth something. That was all that mattered.

"To be frank, I honestly wasn't aware we could even do such a thing, what with it being a public space and all."

Which brought him to the second portion of not knowing what to say. For as long as he had been an aspiring shinobi, he had never once considered the fact that people might have been able to book a time slot and bar others from entry. Maybe he had been the one that had been an interloper on other people's trainings in the past without ever having really realized it. Truthfully, he didn't really care a whole lot, as he was the kind of person that was used to people either having to speak up about something when they had an issue or took offense. Another way in which his rather simplistic way of thinking kept him moving on along the path of the ninja without much hassle.

"I noticed your Bokken, and I must admit that I haven't really heard about what your precise skillset consists of. Perhaps that is to due with the level of secrecy a shinobi just shroud themselves in, but does this mean that the sword is your weapon of choice?"

It was perhaps a bit of a loathsome question as it forced him to admit that he didn't know as much about the seated Mizukage as some others might. Then again, he was only aware of what he had learned and memorized during his time in the Academy. He knew that plenty of people did entire training regiments with a sword for the sake of sharpening ones hand-eye coordination, training the muscles in their upper arms and shoulders, strengthening their grip and a plethora of other factors. But that was not the sole reason why he asked, as there was also the factor of clans playing into things.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Hōzuki Keneō

"Certainly, just a bit of paperwork with administration." Most did not reserve spaces, it was a hassle. It was easier to attend to one's own compound training spaces, or just share the space. On occasion jounin preferred to reserve spaces for their students or mentees. On rarer occasions, genin or chunin reserved small areas of training yards so that they can practice certain techniques without being particularly bothered. It was not exactly advertised, but most found out at one point or another.

There was a stretch of silence between the two young men, Toru's thumb brushing gently against the well-loved hilt of the bokken, otherwise he was eerily still just looking at the other without so much as a breath of air. He was breathing, but it was not immediately noticeable. Toru was a quiet boy with an unnerving amount of patience in how he moved and functioned.

The bokken was brought to the spotlight and it was only then that Toru spun the sword the practice blade in his palm, a slight spin, the tip still touching against the grass below.

"It is."

Toru was the antithesis of talkative, his words were always selected to be ideally concise. Once upon a time he might have been even more curt, perhaps even rude. But years of lessons in diplomacy made certain that the Mizukage was a polite and inspiring presence.

You talk plenty to me, Toru-chan.

Only because you speak to me.

OWL

[Hōzuki Keneō]

"Hmm... I see."

Just a bit of paperwork. Honestly, if that was all that there was to it, he imagined such a thing could be kicked out of the park really quickly, though he wasn't ever going to make use of it. He was fine with sharing the open space, as well as just being able to see what other people were up to. If he wanted the solitude, he would just stick to the clan compound or see if he could get out of the village and do some training by himself along the outskirts. He also did not want to be seen as that guy who came to a public training space and then put in a notice saying he was the only one allowed to use it for a certain amount of time. That simply wasn't how he rolled, nor was it something he was going to change about himself.

Returning his mind to the matter at hand, the response he got to his question related to the supposed use of swords told him exactly two things. That the Mizukage was someone who did in fact contain kenjutsu in his repertoire, and that he was not much of a talker. What stood out to him about the latter part was the fact that, compared to the Mizukage, Ken could almost be considered a talkative person. The Hozuki had never really been considered to be much of a talker, nor was he one that would waste words or kept conversations going when they were already dead. It was a senseless waste of time, energy and effort after all. It was almost funny to him that he had met someone who seemed to enjoy talking even less than he did.

"Ah, that's good. Would you mind showing me a thing or two?"

Popping the question rather easily as he felt like this guy could honestly be considered a kindred spirit, based on how neither of them were overly talkative and seemed to enjoy the use of swords, it was easy to forget that he was dealing with the Mizukage. What only further added to what little familiarity he felt was the fact that they did not seem to be all that far apart when it came to their age. For now, he would just wait to see how things would go, and whether he was told off or if he got to actually see a display of skill.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Hōzuki Keneō

The Mizukage lingered in silence as the Hozuki asked him to show him a thing or two. There was no immediate answer, not because he did not have an answer but because he was pensive in how his words would present themselves. In the end, there was only one word.

"Come."

The older of the two motioned for Keneo to approach him. Wherever the other boy positioned himself, Toru would position himself a few paces away - facing him head on.

There was nothing better in this kind of training than some basic swordplay. Genin often took for granted the importance of practicing the basics, and Toru liked to remind those that wanted to train with him the importance of their foundation. Of course, he had no idea how Keneo functioned or how he perceived his kenjutsu foundations but Toru was here to show a 'thing or two' specifically in a well practiced form - after all he had no idea where the other was in his skill off the top of his head and undoubtedly he had seen Keneo's paperwork come across his desk, but it was nonetheless difficult to keep track of everyone in the village.

Toru brought his bokken out in front of himself both hands along the hilt neatly before he moved in without a word, striking out quite slowly for himself for a diagonal impact on Keneo's left shoulder.

OWL

[Hōzuki Keneō]

When he had asked to see something, he had been expecting to see a few intricate sword moves, or techniques that used the sword as a foundation to move off of. He had not expected to be drawn into a sparring session with the leader of the Hidden Mist, though he wasn't upset. This was quite frankly the best way for things to have gone as the Hozuki was the kind that learned the fastest by doing things, not from just watching or reading. Learning by doing, that was how he functioned best. Not saying a word beyond that point as he believed that they were already past that, he would hold out his sword in front of him, both hands gripping the handle.

Making sure his footing was proper, not to mention sturdy enough to the point where he could handle blocking a blow without being knocked off of his feet, he was set on doing his very best. Not so much because he wanted to show the Mizukage that he was a capable shinobi, but because he did not want to seem like some upstart weakling that wanted his time in the limelight. He also did not consider this to be some sort of shortcut for him to get where he wanted to be any faster. He would never hide the fact that he wanted to become a member of the Hunter Nin or the Seven Swordsmen, both if he had the aptitude and the time to manage both roles. When the Mizukage told him to come, he stopped thinking about anything else.

At that moment, a lot of thoughts went through his mind at breakneck speeds, even though his regular stoic expression would only show a calm demeanour. The thoughts that passed through him however were not hectic, not chaotic or random, not in the slightest. No, they were all thoughts of how he should best handle the situation at hand. He had been requested to come at him, at least that was what he believed the word 'come' entailed. With his footing settled properly and his grip around the handle covered, he registered the leader of the hidden mist coming at him instead. Though not entirely unexpected, he had gone off of the assumption that he was to make the first move. But he wasn't some deer caught in the lights and stricken with full body shock.

Since the strike wasn't a whole lot faster than what Ken himself could currently muster, he could see where the strike was aimed. Bringing up his hands in an attempt at catching the opposing sword somewhere halfway by using the area just above his own guard, what would come next would be an attempt at letting the sword glide off to the side while trying to aim a strike of his own at waist height after letting the sword slide away.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Hōzuki Keneō

Toru was not intending to bring the heat yet, he wanted to warm the genin up a little bit, get him used to the strikes and angles that Toru would dish out before doing something a little more unconventional. So, his bokken was caught somewhere in the middle of its swing nearby the guard of Ken's own bokken, though Toru's own bokken did not possess a guard it was a fully streamlined piece of wood, meant entirely for practice swings. It had a few chips in the wood itself, here and there, clearly from years of hard work that on only occasion had been repaired.

The Mizukage's sword slid only slightly, because he allowed it to before he turned his wrists slightly to reposition against Ken's attempt to strike at his waist. The bokken blocked proficiently, applying pressure to the swing in a manner that would not only stop the swing's momentum entirely, but also swing through causing for the bokken to be parried and Ken to be thrown off balance if he was not careful.

Whether Ken was off balance or not did not matter, Toru would use the momentum of his block to move through, up and against Ken. The blade side of his bokken - no matter how unsharp - would aim to just under the young man's dominant armpit - which would more than likely hurt a great deal.

OWL

[Hōzuki Keneō]

The move went through, more smoothly than expected, a feat that gave rise to a level of suspicion within the confines of Ken's mind. He was under no assumption that the Mizukage was holding back, as became apparent by just how little the sword slid away. In most cases, people less proficient would have slid off a good deal further while having their footing effectively ruined. He knew this because he had fallen for the same trick a bunch of times when practicing with his grandfather. And while he had learned a thing or two about potentially countering it when used against him again, this was something else entirely, something he himself had not yet attained.

Him not sliding as far off as Ken would have was due to a greater level of control over both the weapon and likely also the body, one that exceeded his own on pretty much every front. So when his waist-high strike came in the follow up of the slide, he fully expected his blade was likely to get swatted away shortly after, thus neutralizing his attack. Pushing against his blade as the attack was put off, he could feel his center of gravity shifting and his footing beginning to fumble. Not good. When a swordsman lost their footing, they were as good as dead in a real fight, which was why he needed to adjust himself straight away. But he did not have a whole lot of time to think as a counterattack had already been put up. As it were, it was either move now or get hit hard.

Instead, he would apply his own momentum gained from him almost losing his footing and getting his weapon pushed back in order to do two things roughly simultaneously. It was a difficult move by which he both tried to take two steps back while also spinning his entire body around in the process. Normally this was something that would have taken up far too much time and left him exposed. But unless the Mizukage was to come in with a hidden speed boost, the momentum he received from having his blow deflected and the shift in stance due to almost losing his footing and going along with it should have allowed for enough speed to be generated for him to finish the spin and bring the blade around in order to knock the impending blow aside.

Beyond that however, he had no follow up plan in motion, having to rely solely on winging it beyond this point.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Hōzuki Keneō

Toru held back, in a normal situation the Mizukage would have been able to speed up, he was fighting at a fraction of his speed, his reflexes muted to how they were usually functioning. But in this case, he wanted to see what Ken had in store with his two steps back and spin around. It was an extremely exposed position for the other young man to put himself in, and having this much vulnerability in a close quarters battle could spell doom if someone else was close enough to hurt him... Not without a proper technique.

The blow being knocked aside was a bit awkward due to the angle that Toru had chosen, his bokken was moving upwards towards the genin's armpit, and with this diagonal deflection the bokken fell in a diagonal but down. Toru stifled the deflection again and closed the space between the two of them as he did. One particularly fast step forward as he brought his bokken from its downward position up, in a diagonal slash. This time he would show much of what he was truly capable of, that he had been holding back. After all, that was what Ken had asked for - to show him what Toru was capable of. That, and this would help train the very important reflexes of the genin who would undoubtedly need to work on such a skill as a kenjutsu specialist.

SPOILER: Click to show

『Kenjutsu Mastery』
Toru had a great deal of knowledge when it comes to weaponry, but his love lies in swords. As an elite jounin, his skill and movement with almost any blade are that of a seasoned master or prodigy. The sword is just an extension of his body and who he is. When a blade is in his hands he strikes his enemies down quickly and doesn't seem to hesitate when he does so. The form of his body is that of someone who has trained in the art for quite some time few can best him with a sword in-hand.

『Storm System Speed』
Toru uses his lithe frame to move around quickly and his training with kenjutsu combined with his desire to be faster has brought to the point that he is at today. In top physical form, he is much faster than most shinobi. As a bukijutsu specialist, few can match his speed though some elite jounin may attempt to do so.

『Devil's Reflex』
Toru has impeccable control over his body and muscles, to the point that he appears as if he might be dancing around his opponents with mockery. Not only quick on his feet, he also seems to have the reflexes to go along with his speed. It takes a similarly lithe and feline-like opponent to land a proper hit on the teenager. His reflexes are par to almost no one else in the world. Toru is a slimy opponent and is difficult to pin down.

OWL

[Hōzuki Keneō]

He had made it in time, more than likely by being plain lucky. Had it happened in an actual fight, he more than likely would have relied on his hydrification technique to render himself virtually immune to bludgeoning, stabbing and cutting, though he did not want to do that. The last time he pulled a trick like that in a sparring session with his grandfather, he commended him for his quick thinking and his means to survive through means of taking action instead of allowing himself to be hit. After which, however, the man proceeded to hit him over the head with a wooden sword and told him that it wasn't customary to rely on ninjutsu when trying to refine one's kenjutsu prowess.

He couldn't rely on it now, that was the long and short of it. And so, he continued to struggle. As the blades deflected one another, it seemed that the Mizukage had ceased holding back at this point, beginning to get into the flow of things by releasing what limitations he had imposed upon himself at the start. This was the point where he would start showing what he was made of, and the point where Ken had to start thinking harder and responding faster, or it would be over in a flash. For just as the attack was deflected, awkward as it might have been, the blade came right back for a diagonal upward strike. Most normal people likely wouldn't have managed to deliver a strike from that angle with such speed and power after having just been deflected. But that in itself proved just how far the two were apart in skill.

With the attack coming up so quickly after the deflecting blow, Ken had no way of preparing an attack to counteract this one, so he had to go with the bare minimum and hope that it would be enough. Using his off-hand and gripping the space near the tip of the sword, he would bring the whole thing down in an attempt at catching the strike somewhere in the middle of his own sword. Because he had no time to put any power behind it, all he had to rely on here was the sturdiness of his wooden sword and the strength of his own two pair of arms, shoulders and upper body. Once the two blades would collide, a sharp pain passed through his hands into his lowers arms, uppers arms, his shoulders and then through his neck, proving just how much finesse was packed in these attacks.

Again, he would have no real way of coming up with a counter attack based on his present stance, fighting to remain his footing and keep from being hit. He was entirely on the defensive, but would remain watchful for any potential opening, no matter how minuscule the chance was of him finding a gap in the metaphorical armor of the Mizukage.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Hōzuki Keneō

As Ken made his attempt to deflect, Toru applied just a little bit more strength to cause Ken's deflection to become a collision of their bokken. The Mizukage's own body did not have the rebound that it once did, his flesh was as tough as some of the toughest substances in the world. So while he would not feel that reverb, the pain might be doubled for Ken as that lack of reverb on his opponents end would cause all of the impact to be put into his own hands and wrists. Like hitting a boulder as quickly as one could.

Toru pressed a little harder then keeping them locked a moment longer before he would pull away, the intention was to release the pressure all at once and cause a fumble on Ken's behalf. If it were successful - in whatever way - Toru would quickly follow-up with a horizontal strike towards the Hozuki's midsection, painful but there was a bit more softness and cushion there on even the most thin individual which meant that the strike if it made contact with Ken - assuming he did not in a moment of desperation turn into liquid - it would leave just a slight welt of a bruise, nothing large, just enough to remember Toru by.

OWL

[Hōzuki Keneō]

To say that this was all a whole lot harder than when he had been practicing with his grandpa was a bit of an understatement. While the old man would not cut corners and went quite hard during their sparring sessions, he would at times hold back or urge Ken to tap out. When fighting against him, the boy always knew when he had lost, but had been getting progressively better at holding him off before eventually having to tap out. The main difference here was that his grandfather was not a Kage level combatant, and that he had never made it above the rank of Chuunin due to the fact that he was content with that. But Keneō could not afford to be fine with being a Genin or a Chuunin, he had a lot more to prove.

So when the wooden sword clashed against his own as predicted and sent a reverberating echo throughout his body, it was almost as if his bones shook in place. It hurt, considerably so, but he did not aim to give up, not when he was actively memorizing everything that he was seeing and taking it to heart for later. In all honesty, he was somewhat amazed by how he could even see most of the strikes, let alone figure out the most capable manner of defense in such a short time. It went to show that all of his training had not been for nothing, and that today's sparring session had already been bearing fruit, even if it was likely going to end up with him getting beaten quite harshly. It was the likely outcome as his limbs were already experiencing signs of fatigue.

Before he even truly realized it, another hit came in, one perhaps stronger than the other. This time, it was a horizontal blow aimed right for his center, one he could tell was going to hurt a lot. If it struck, it seemed likely that this session would be over. While his first thought went towards liquifying, he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind, clearing out all thoughts that did not have anything to do with his weapon. As the previous attack had been a diagonal one, Ken still held his sword in a 'somewhat' favorable position. Lowering his entire stance while holding his sword vertically in front of him with the tip sticking up, he held the forearm of his free hand horizontally against the back of the blade. All he could do at this point was try and act while thinking to himself.

"...Not yet."

As the blade would strike against his own, the force behind the horizontal blow would mostly be centered entirely on the point of impact, which would put considerable strain on the wooden sword and push it to the point of cracking. Immediately after, the reverberation would spread to the wrist of his dominant hand and to the forearm of his off-hand, making it next to impossible for him to continue from that point onward. Stumbling on his feat as the fatigue had well and truly sat in, there was not a whole lot of purpose behind continuing the spar aside from seeing just how much of a beating he could take before he'd resort to liquifying and avoiding future harm, though he was not someone that could be considered a quitter.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Hōzuki Keneō

It was impressive, or at the very least intriguing to Toru how Ken did not give up and did his best even when faced with difficult strikes. The Mizukage was by no means going all out, far from it, it was a push in the direction of showing his prowess but this was not a situation in which he needed to distinguish himself. There was little to prove. Ken on the other hand was proving himself to be quite diligent in his practice and hardy in his resolve to the Mizukage, even at this level of genin. Toru could tell that the Hozuki's resolve alone would get him through the hardest times, especially so in situations where the full gamut of one's powers were allowed to be used.

In truth, it was hard to feel truly exhausted by this kind of spar, but Toru felt empowered in a manner of speaking. He had noticed it in himself recently, a sort of pride that welled up when he was near Kirigakure shinobi, fighting alongside them, or just observing their spars. It had bloomed something new and warm in his chest that had not been there before.

It was strange, but he didn't push it away like he pushed some things away. This feeling invigorated him.

Ken stumbled back, losing his footing after blocking the horizontal strike. In truth, Toru felt as if it might have been easier to take it head-on than to put all that pressure into the length of the bokken. The slight crack could be heard as their wooden swords collided.

Toru did not immediately push, he just pulled away slightly, staring blandly at Ken.

"Is the bokken alright?"

OWL