A Spider at Play

[Willoria]

Noriko's day had begun much like it always had. She rose early, she made breakfast for her and her brother, had an argument with her father, and stormed out of the house for her day of training. Nearing eleven in the morning, she had been going at it for maybe three hours. She wore her usual outfit, a dark green long-sleeve shirt that was very form fitting and her black pin-skirt with its thigh high slit to allow for more mobility. Not to mention her boots and her black thigh-highs. She moved from one maneuver into another, ending on a solid punch on a target that caused a piece to splinter off.

The fairly tired kunoichi plopped down in the grass, sitting with one leg fully on the ground and slightly tucked under her, her other leg outstretched and a hand on her knee as she tried to catch her breath. She could almost feel a pair of eyes on her and couldn't help a chuckle at the thought as she silently wondered if they would spark a conversation, or move on.

[Rain21199]

Zakuro watched the kunoichi dance around her target. He saw her movements and admired how she attacked with force. After a long morning of approving plans, signing leave requests, and authorizing the movement of units across Konoha's forest, Zakuro needed some sort of break from sitting in that ragged chair of his. It offered little support, so it felt almost intoxicating to get up and stretch his body. He had planned on getting in some training when he happened upon this girl. She looked familiar. It was possible he had seen her face in passing now and again, but they never talked as there was no reason to think of her as anything more than just another troop in Konoha's army of shinobi. Today, however, would see a break in that cycle.

The tall blond man approached this women at a slow walk as he saw her collapse into the unkempt grass of the field. Once he was within five feet of her, he crouched down. "Solid form! You really gave that guy a run for his money!" Zakuro let out a chuckle. "The name's Zakuro Gerudo." He reached out his hand, to give a handshake or to help her up if she wanted it. "I know you're taking a break, but I'd love to see a little more of that style you're using!"

[Willoria]

Noriko rolled her eyes and turned to look up at the man who had clearly been watching her, chuckling again as he offered a hand. She took the offered hand to get to her feet, practically bouncing to them, causing another bounce in her form as she did so. Naturally the young Ibakuro smiled at him, tilting her head to the side and shifting her hair a bit. "Bone Breaker and Strong Fist." she said, not removing her hand from his when she had stood but rather keeping it in hers as she looked down at it.

"Your grip doesn't say intrigued novice though, like I would expect from that question. Perhaps it says curious flirt?" she asked, her grin turning into a smirk rather quickly as she looked up at him. "It's nice to see someone outside the clan I don't have to look down at though. Most are shorter than me, and scared of what they don't know." she added. "Ibakuro Noriko."

[Rain21199]

Without letting go of her hand, Zakuro replied with a coy smile. "Let's call it innocent curiosity... For now." He loosened his grip. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Noriko."

Zakuro unzipped his leather jacket and tossed it off to the side. Underneath he was wearing a black, skin tight, long sleeve shirt, which revealed a bit more of the man's physique. "I liked the ferocity of that style. Why don't you give me a strike or two so I can get a better look? Don't worry, I may be a dummy, but I can take a lot more than that one over there." He chuckled as he pointed at the target she had been abusing. Getting a full force punch would be a great way to judge just how strong she was. It would be good to know in order to teach her a thing or two about Taijutsu, if she was willing. He had a wealth of knowledge, and loved to pass it on.

[Willoria]

Noriko chuckled, nodding slowly as she understood his meaning. "Shame." she said simply as she sighed and took a couple steps back as he discarded his jacket and asked her to take a couple strikes at him. It was an odd request, but somehow she knew that even if she hit him full force he could probably handle it. He didn't seem unsure of himself, but also didn't seem to have a swagger that would suggest a confidence that wasn't earned.

Taking a deep breath the chunin advanced on Zakuro, aiming first a swift and low kick to his ankles before following with a hard kick at his thigh, assuming either connected she'd follow up with an attempted strike at the face. Not once did she hold back or slow down, as Noriko had been trained by Yosuke to treat every spar just as she would a real fight. Even not knowing Zakuro's strength for certain, she still did not hold back.

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Strong Fist Style • Leaf Gale]
D-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
A simple sweeping kick aimed low to knock the opponent off balance.

*Fault Line
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
The practitioner throws a palm strike towards an opponents leg utilizing all their momentum and force by swinging their shoulders and hips, targeting the opponent's thigh. Landing this strike causes immense discomfort and a hairline fracture in one of the bones, and if the opponent continues to heavily use and strain the targeted leg, the hairline fracture can degrade into a full severe fracture. The practitioner's Strength must be 5 points higher than the opponent's Endurance to achieve the desired effect of this technique.

*Right in the Sniffer
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
The practitioner positions themselves in a fighting stance and performs a quick jab with their dominant hand striking their opponent's nose in an attempt to break the cartilage. This causes immense pain and hampers their sense of smell as it fills with blood. The practitioner's Strength must be 5 points higher than the opponent's Endurance to achieve the desired effect of this technique.

[Rain21199]

All three of the blows hit Zakuro. Upon seeing the ankle swipe approach, Zakuro shifted his weight to his back foot, and slid his front foot into the blow, but angled his leg so the kick landed on his lower calf instead of his ankle. With the hard hit to his thigh, Zakuro lifted his leg off of the ground, allowing the muscles to contract more, causing the muscle to feel akin to concrete. The third and final blow, Zakuro swatted down slightly so it would hit him in the shoulder instead of his nose. He still wanted to feel the full impact of the blows in order to gauge the women's strength, but mitigate the damage a little.

Zakuro proceeded to take a step in between Noriko's legs, while grabbing her wrist and pulling it behind him. It was an easy technique that threw your opponent off balance and prevented them from gaining their footing. When she inevitably tripped, Zakuro would hold her up by her wrist, and grab her waist from behind her back as well. "Good stuff! You've got a decent bit of power behind that lovely frame of yours. I think with a bit of work, we can make some really big strides. Do you want to learn a thing or two?" A slight smile spread across his lips. Today might be fun after all.

[Willoria]

She wasn't expecting every hit to land, in spite of putting her full force behind every blow. But the fact that he seemed to slightly dodge each one caught Noriko off her guard and she couldn't stop the slight squeak that came from her lips as he tripped her up and caught her. It didn't take her long to realize he was pretty much holding her in a dancer's pose. For all her flirting, the girl was still as naive as they came, causing a blush to cross her cheeks and the bridge of her nose as he held on to her.

But mentally she quickly recovered and in spite of the blush a smirk returned to her lips as she looked at him. "I'm always willing to learn." she remarked, suddenly glad she and her brother had chosen to train separately today. "What's first?"