The Coming Storm [GRADED]

[Tsedas]

Large clouds towered over the horizon, billowing and flowing towards Konoha as the cool breeze swept through the village streets. The once clear and bright day slowly growing gray and chilly as if heralding the impending change of seasons. Wandering through the streets, green eyes drawn skyward, a Genin garbed in attire that was more traditional dress with a kimono was lost in thought. As he walked, his eyes flicked back to the path ahead of him before returning to the sky, mentally running through the motions of the lesson he'd just departed.

Slowing his pace until he came to a halt, his gaze lowered to stare at the handle of Juzumaru at his waist. Raising his left hand, he wrapped it around the mouth of the scabbard and squeezed it firmly, pondering the best way to improve himself. He could contact Aiya and see if she wanted to spar. Yet the thought of self reflection and committing the motions to muscle memory might not go amiss. "Maybe find someplace to practice and get some time in before I get yelled at for practicing inside the house.... again."

Standing tall, Jubei had a plan to get some training in before the weather turned against him. After a moment of looking around, he got his bearings and took off in a hurried jog with a hand holding his sword steady. Making his way through Konoha, he side stepped, spin away from, and dodged his way through the streets around other people. When he reached the training ground he wanted to use, he slowed his pace as he stepped off the sidewalk and onto the grass. The rustling of leaves and shifting of grass filled his ears in that moment before a faint sound caught his attention.

Turning his head, he spotted a figure seated on a bench and approached. "Excuse me, are you finished using this training area...... and are you okay?"

[Willoria]

Minako sat on a bench, completely exhausted, with Rei spread out on the ground at her feet. Her elbows rest on her knees as she leaned forward and one of her karambit was in her right hand as she spun the weapon in her hand. Her breathing was a bit ragged. She'd been training since the pre-dawn hours, still mentally beating herself up over the fiasco that had been the ANBU mission with her Commander, Aizawa Yoru. She still blamed herself, not necessarily for disregarding orders and nearly getting herself killed, but for her inability to help him at all. The only thing she knew was taijutsu, it was the only thing she excelled at, and the thing she'd needed most on that mission was ninjutsu. All morning she had chided herself by pushing her body to its limits and past, in spite of the fact that she was still freshly healed from the incident that had left her almost completely drained of chakra by some fuuinjutsu created ghost.

Shaking her head to try and rid herself of the image she roughly sheathed her weapon. In retrospect, a horribly idea considering her sheath was under her left forearm and in roughly sheathing it she sliced her arm open. A string of expletives left her lips just as she heard someone nearby speak up and she almost jumped out of her skin as she looked up. For the moment she ignored the blood dripping from her forearm, hardly feeling it really as she looked at the boy nearby. "I'm fine." she tried to assure him, her tone more curt than she had intended.

Rei of course, was less polite as the large dog jumped to her feet. Her long black fur seemed to almost swing with the motion and her bright eyes fixed on the boy as she rose to her feet and snarled. Minako made a sound through her teeth at her and the dog suddenly stopped making a sound and glanced at her companion before sitting down with a rough huff, with Minako shaking her head. "Don't mind Rei. She's feeling a little over protective right now." she explained, motioning to the training ground before her. "The space is open." she assured him before making a face and turning her arm to get a better look at the gash she'd left in her own arm. "...at least its not anything vital." she muttered under her breath.

[Tsedas]

The dog had escaped his initial glance towards the woman. As it jumped to its feet and started to snarl, his thumb shifted as his pace slowed. Pressing his thumb against the back of his tsuba, he was ready to bring his right hand up in a flash to draw and cut down the animal if it tried to attack him. However he didn't have to worry about playing out that scenario as the woman made a noise and the beast yielded. Shifting his thumb to the top of his tsuba, he curled it and pulled the fraction of an inch of pushed blade back into place. "Over protective?" he mumbled softly before looking out to the space. It was free, he could train now without issue.... right?

Turning his gaze back to the woman, he saw she'd cut herself somehow before tilting his head as he observed her. "Do you need help with that? I'm not any kind of seasoned expert, but my father is a medical shinobi. Caught me how to wrap a wound." He offered his assistance to the woman before looking to the dog. "Assuming... 'Rei'? Yeah, Rei, is fine with that and doesn't tear my throat out for offering some help."

[Willoria]

Minako sat there in silence, staring at her forearm as she watched the blood run down and drip into the grass. She simply sighed and watched it for a few moments, lifting her head as she heard the Genin speak up again. "Hm?" She opened her mouth to turn him down but noticed out of the corner of her eye as Rei seemed to be giving her a glare out of the corner of her eye and sighed. "Yeah, probably." she admitted, chewing on the inside of her lip for a moment. "I'm not good at anything medical, mostly good at bleeding." she remarked, chuckling to herself with a shake of her head.

She looked over at the kid for a moment. "I'm Inuzuka Minako." she told him before glancing at Rei and motioning to the other side of her, away from Jubei. Rei seemed to grumble but moved away and plopped back down on the ground. "And that's Rei, don't mind her lack of manners, like I said she's just a bit over protective right now. She'll leave you be though."

[Tsedas]

As the dog was moved and he was given permission, Jubei let his hand leave the scabbard of his blade as he dug through his robe. After a moment of shuffling, he pulled out a small bundle and began to approach the woman. "I'm not very good either, but I'm often comparing myself to my father. He's the foremost expert I know of in the field." The youth stated before kneeling next to Minako as she stated her name. He scoffed softly as he remembered Aiya and her dislike of dogs and the Inuzuka. The conversation amused him as he was now meeting someone from the very clan she despised.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Takamori Jubei." He stated before unrolling the small bundle on his knee. Within it was a roll of bandages, a small jar of some kind, and a few bits of cloth. Reaching out with both hands, he gently took her arm and turned it, craning his neck to examine the cut. "It's a minor laceration, I've seen worse in Iaido practice. I should have this patched up in a moment." Jubei stated confidently before his hands released her arm and he began wetting the cloth with the contents of the jar and rubbing it along her skin. He clean up the blood at the wound before wiping away what was running down her arm. Taking the dry cloth, he began to apply some pressure to the cut before his other hand would start wrapping it with the bandage. He focused on his task and diligently went about wrapping the simple wound before tying off the bandage.

"There, that should hold you for now. Medical ointment or a medical shinobi can tend to it if you really want it to heal up quickly." Wrapping up the rest of his bundle, the Genin slipped it away before rising to his feet and looking to Rei. "So... I know nothing of the Inuzuka. Are the ninken pets or partners?" He asked plainly while looking at the animal. Turning his head, he looked around and saw a few targets he could use for his sword practice as needed.

[Willoria]

While the genin was shuffling among his things for something, Minako unhooked the sheath for her karambit and set the weapon aside so he'd have full access to the wound. As he spoke of his father and mentioned his family name something seemed familiar to Minako but she tucked the thought away for follow up later. She couldn't quite place it and as someone who was horrible at keeping up on things, she knew she probably wouldn't remember where she'd heard it before. More than likely it had something to do with a subject her brother had ranted to her about before, especially if it had to do with ninjutsu. Considering the events of the last few days, a sudden memory of her brother was the last thing she wanted on her mind right now.

She didn't even wince or flinch as he worked on her. After all, she'd had far worse in recent weeks. The scar from a wound that had nearly killed her was still recent enough that the wound in her arm was hardly noticeable in comparison. Regardless, she was fairly impressed with how quickly he got the work done and how well he did. When he mentioned following up with a medic the woman simply shrugged in response before strapping her karambit back into place over the bandage and sighing. He asked about Rei and the woman chuckled. "Most people would tell you they're something in the middle of the two." she mentioned, glancing over at the dog as Rei trotted over, seeming to realize the conversation was about her. Rei immediately rest her furry black head on Rei's knee and fixed her bright eyes on the two and Minako ran a hand over her head and scratched behind an year. "For me definitely more of a partner. She's my best friend really." she told him. 'Sometimes my only...' she added in her own head.

She saw the way Jubei's eyes wandered to the targets and chuckled to herself. "What is it you're looking to practice today? Maybe I can help."

[Tsedas]

Looking back to Minako, the pale haired youth watched Rei move over and plant themselves in the idle location for head pats. "Partner and friend, huh? How long have you two been paired up?" He asked, staring at the ninken. He'd wondered what it would have been like if he ever had a pet that was so dependable. Thinking on it made him wonder if he should consider getting his own partner like that. Drifting his gaze back up to Minako's face, he listened to her question before grasping the sheath of his blade and partially lifting it from his sash. "Kenjutsu. I've been training Iaido for a bit and wanna make sure the lesson I learned today really sticks. If I can get some muscle memory down, I'll be happy with the results. Don't suppose you have any iaido advise, or just taijutsu advise in general?"

With that said, Jubei pulled the sheathed blade back down to where it was. "I have the fundamentals of the style down." He said, backing away before turning, putting both Minako and Rei out of his draw path. Pulling the blade up and bending his knees, he slide one of his feet back while adjusting his stance. His right hand came over and hovered over Juzumaru's handle. Pressing the tsuba with his thumb, he waited for a moment until a breeze caught an errant couple of leaves and blew them from the trees. As they descended, the Genin's right hand grasped the handle and pulled it from it's sheath. Slicing through the air with a sharp ringing noise, he carved a path then just as quickly slide the weapon back into it's home. A distinct 'TINK' noise signalling that he firmly pushed the tsuba against the sheath before standing upright again. The leaf he'd cut gliding away in two pieces of almost equal size. "I just need to work on the actual techniques themselves and eventually some actual combat practice with another human being. Striking dummies can't dodge or fight back like a person does."

[Willoria]

Minako chuckled as the boy asked how long the two had been together. "Since we were both pups." she replied, ruffling Rei's fur a moment before leaning back and sighing a bit. "I was ten when she and I met, been inseparable ever since." she added. "We've trained and fought together... nearly died together even." she added as she stood and stretched. As always seemed to be the case when she stretched, her shirt lifted just enough to show off part of the scar on her left side, all that was left of when she had nearly lost her life during the war, of when her twin had lost his.

She watched quietly as Jubei showed off his draw, but only raised an eyebrow at the split leaf, keeping her thoughts to herself on the maneuver. 'Child's play...' She nodded as he admitted his need for combat practice, and she couldn't disagree with him on that one. "You need to get a feel for more than draws. A dummy can't help you learn how to react when someone gets under your guard, or between you and your blade. How to adjust your draw in the moment, or what to really do with yourself when you spill blood... you need real training for that." she remarked, sighing, exhaling her breath through her nose as she looked at him and nodded. "I don't use a sword, but I can teach you some of that with my knives well enough."

[Tsedas]

"I see, sounds like you two have quite the bond."" Jubei started to turn but stopped as the woman rose up and stretched As Minako's words reached him, he pulled the weapon from his sash and held it with both hands. Looking over Juzumaru, he spoke again in response to what she'd said. "I'm a student of Iaido, so learning the art of the draw is the fundamental aspect of the style. I'll definitely need to learn what you said, but I can't rush things. Commitment to muscle memory and feeling that flow through you is important. As is stance, I've seen my teacher perform the same cut in different ways and seen the effect it has on the power behind your swing. It's why I'm at the training ground, gotta get that feel down before it fades away."

When Minako spoke of showing him something using knives as a teaching tool, he visibly shifted his features as he stared off for a moment. His mind contemplated how that would work but decided that ultimately he'd have to see it in action to see how it applied. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to try it out, maybe learn something from your method and all."

[Willoria]

Minako couldn't help a grin as Jubei went on to explain how the entire basis of his learned style was the draw. 'As always, what I say is misunderstood... things were easier when I had Minaru to play the translator for me. What was it he always said? I spoke perfect japanese but not everyone speaks asshole so fluently nor so frequently?' Minako thought to herself, chuckling as she shook her head and looked at the boy for a moment as she tried to think of how Minaru would try to set things right. "I'm not trying to say the draws are unimportant." she said, trying to correct herself as she pursed her lips and thought about what she'd said. She drew her two karambit and held them in her hands for a moment, thinking hard as she tried to figure out how to approach the subject.

"I only mean it doesn't end at the draw, but your follow up I suppose?" She held up a single finger and turned to stalk towards one of the dummies. "Maybe I'm better at the show than the tell." she added. As she got closer to the dummy before her she suddenly flipped forward. But as she would have come down on her feet she moved quickly into a roll onto her side and came up quickly to strike against the dummy's groin where the femoral artery on a person might be with her left hand and the carotid in the neck with her right. Her movements were done at only about half her speed and strength so that Jubei could see the motions best. With the second strike of course she came back up on her feet before turning to look at him. "Knowing your draw is great preparation, but you need to be ready to know where you're going with it too... that's what I mean. A dummy doesn't move. You need a sparring partner to help you with the rest too." she tried to explain.

Jutsu UsedShow

Note: Half of Minako's Speed and Strength are 15 each.

Silat • Rough and Tumble
C-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Utilizing such an acrobatic and agile style does not come without mistakes. Luckily for Minako, she has already made and learned from those mistakes, and thus her ability to properly tuck, roll, dive, slide and flip are all more than adequate for her to utilize the acrobatic strikes and movements of the Silat Style.

Silat • Execute
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Simple but lethal, Minako will lash out with her Kerambit in an attempt to swipe at a major artery, such as the Femoral Artery or the Carotid Artery. Should the strike land successfully and medical attention is not received soon after, exsanguination is almost a certainty.

[Tsedas]

Holding Juzumaru, Jubei listened and his eyes seemed to wander to the side as he wasn't sure if Iaido had proper follow ups to the battojutsu or not. His gaze snapped back to her as she mentioned she might be better at show rather than tell and moved towards the dummy. Watching her flip then roll to the side, moving to strike the target in what would probably have been a nasty place to be cut, his face twisted in thought. Such movements weren't something he'd seen from his teacher or the other more advanced students of the style. Could such acrobatics even be accomplished with Iaido?

"I see what you mean, just wondering about something else now. Battojutsu itself usually goes from draw, strike, resheath so I'm not even sure if there are follow up techniques or not. Plus most iaido I've learned and seen so far is pretty stable in it's stances and I wonder if mobility might be an issue." After that he drifted from talking to Minako to mutter to himself in thought as one hand clutched the sheath of his weapon and the other started to rub at his chin. He was clearly pondering the efficacy of iaido's basic principles and if these would be expanded on with further training in the style or if he would need to find his own way of improving upon what he learned.

[Willoria]

As the boy's voice went from talking to her to a mutter, Minako's head slowly tilted. It wasn't unlike the way a dog's head tilted in idle curiosity though the expression on her face suggested something more akin to annoyance when she did it. She let out a quiet sigh when she realized she'd done it and shook her head as if to set herself right before putting her blades away and turning back towards Jubei. "If your chosen style truly is all about the draw and the mechanics attached to it then it seems to me you need more versatility in order to keep yourself whole in a fight. This gives you two choices." As she spoke and moved closer to him she held up her left hand with only two fingers up, her thumb and index finger. "You can either learn another style which gives you the versatility you seek, or you can come up with your own maneuvers that work within what you know already to add on what you need."

She paused and dropped her hand, looking at Jubei a moment as if studying him, and ignoring a bored huff she heard from Rei not so far away. "The question is, can you divide your focus for either of these things yet? Is your mind and body ready to practice more than just draws, or do you need to keep your focus where it is now?" She paused to allow him to answer before turning away with a simple shrug.

"At this point I think I'm rambling more than teaching... but you get the idea." she said before plopping down to sit on the bench again and looking over at Jubei. "It's you that needs to train, what is it that you truly need to train? Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone?"

[Tsedas]

Drawn from his mutterings and thoughts, he looked back up to the other person before hearing his thoughts spoken by someone else. Her own expressions and explanation made him suddenly click his tongue in understanding as he raised a hand with one finger extended. "Did I also happen to mention it's something I've been training for a bit and that's still me learning the fundamentals? I fear I might have neglected that aspect of this all as I have no 'comfort zone', as you call it, within the style because I'm also monumentally novice in it still. However finding versatility is something I'll pursue later on when I actually understand what I'm presently working with."

Jubei gestured to the practice dummy she murdered moments ago as he spoke. "While I'm sure learning evasive ingress methods like yours would be advantageous, I need to compile and let my body learn to walk before it can run.... in a sense. In other words, I'll keep what you said in mind, but I should really not put too much on my plate. I'm young and I have more than just a sword if I need to fall back on something. The Abara and Kobushi are nice supplements to my skill set and I can activate them as I need to." Jubei nodded at his own words as he spoke of the 'rib and fist' like they were everyday things that people should know about. Then again, he might have also started talking to himself again. Still, if it wasn't for that damn ryo system in place, Jubei might have more iaijutsu by now... Maybe his will give him a loan?

[Willoria]

Minako gave the boy a look of increasing boredom as he spoke. The more he talked, the more she was certain he thought he was analyzing and explaining but the more she really heard excuse after excuse. The woman shook her head much in the way a dog would shake to try and liven up their limbs after nearly falling asleep. She stood and stretched and even yawned as if for effect. "No." she said suddenly. "Your answer is 'No'." she added, making it clear she was answering her own question for him. "You're not ready to step out of your comfort zone which means you're not ready for my help." she added, frowning as she looked at him, looking almost disappointed somehow.

She shook her head and sighed heavily before making a motion to Rei. Her companion got up and shook off her own boredom before trotting over to her. "Find me when you're done with books, over analyzing and excuses and I'll show you how to survive." she told him with a harsh huff before walking away from the grounds, stretching her arms up over her head as she went and yawning. 'This boy is unsure and therefore boring... how does he ever learn anything?' she thought to herself as she walked.

[Tsedas]

Hearing the woman's words, her disappointment made him smile before laughing. "You and your comfort zones! Perhaps you should consider stepping out of your own if you wish to teach. I'm fully capable of learning new things, but I have stated my intentions and personal idea on the matter. 'Keep it simple, commit the motions, and don't overload yourself' are simple principles. Besides, education isn't just you show and I do, it's also got room for discussion. The discussion has been on my current avenue of learning Iaido and expanding it. If you aren't one for discussion matter in education, then perhaps you should actually demonstrate a more hands on approach. The form for instance, method of approach, the purpose of the maneuver itself; what does one need to do these things? How can they be adapted to a sword over your knives?""

Jubei merely spread his arms at this point, shrugging with a tilt of his head with a friendly smile upon his features. "Of course, you should also know your student right? Know their strengths, their weaknesses? A silent partnership or learning method doesn't just sprout up overnight."" Gesturing towards Rei, he used her companion as an example. "Were you and Rei in perfect harmony from the offset? Did it take time to understand one another? I'm merely speaking at length on my principles, ideals, and desires to help fill the gaps you can't know without being a mind reading Yamanaka. Why don't you tell me of your principle? Your style?""

As he asked this he slipped a hand on his sheath and adopted his Iaijutsu stance. With them far enough away, he didn't feel the need to move back as he started practicing his draw. Resheathing his blade, he reset his stance and went again. "Of course, if you'd rather wait, I understand completely."

[Willoria]

Minako paused in her steps, turning to look back at Jubei for a moment, a flicker of anger in her animalist eyes. "You're a Genin talking at me like you think you know everything, humble yourself and think." she told him coldly. "You met me on a bench on a training ground, and now you demand I know more of you while you know nothing of me. Are you always such a hypocrite and a know-it-all?" Minako snorted and shook her head, her mind going over the boy's name in her head briefly. "For the child of someone so knowledgeable, you certainly are lacking in it yourself."

Her frustrations and annoyances were bubbling to the surface, and even Rei could feel it. The dog nuzzled up against her, forcing her muzzle under Minako's hand. Minako idly ran a hand through the dog's fur but still turned for the exit of the training ground. "I would never take you on as my student until you open your mind up to be teachable. I don't have the patience for egos that are only going to get others killed, tone it down or don't seek me out." she called to him before she left.

[Tsedas]

Jubei watched the woman glare at him, her words speaking of his ego and 'know-it-all' attitude. Her words had him silent as he watched her finished up her bloviating before she was gone and he finally chuckled softly. "I think she might realize she was talking about herself more than me after she's halfway home." He mused to himself before walking into the training ground and assuming the stance he'd learned. He smiled the whole time as she said he was a know-it-all yet he had asked her questions before she walked away. Yet her comment about calling him a child made him snort in amusement before he had to focus his breathing. She must have missed the simple fact he was a child. Still, he wouldn't dwell on her words too much. She was certainly very full of herself in his eyes.

With his last breath escaping past his lips, the Takamori boy assumed his stance and drew his blade, a flash of steel as it slipped through the air and then back into it's sheath. The breathing technique he was learning supposedly meant to improve his draw speed and focus.