[Graded]Practicing the art of battle!

User avatar
Mre-face
Posts: 837
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 7:00 pm

[Graded]Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Mre-face » Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:37 pm

It was a regular day for Mondai he was out in the training grounds not far from his home, While he had learned the minutiae of the sword and shield, it was time for him to learn the Longsword. He didn't bother to retrive his greatsword or harpoon as he wasn't gonna use them. He brought his sword and shield in case he wanted to train with the shield. But not right now so he pulled out his sword which folded his sword out into a longsword.

He first wanted to work on the stances of Yūgana swordstyle, First, he began with a simple yet effective stance Vomtag or Highguard. He raised his sword in a slight angle backwards over his head. Swaying it side to side to get a better feel for the stance and angles the sword can come from. He moved around in the guard to get a better feel for it it was awkward at first but eventually, he got more used to it. Now when he was used to standing and moving around he would proceed to do a few practice cuts, while he knew he how to cut but he wasn't as used to the stance and the longsword. First his cuts were careful to get a proper feel before trying it normally where it then was stiff and clunky, going over it again he relaxed his muscles this time giving it more of a fluid slice, he then did that exact same thing over and over again until he eventually grew quick and fluid using skills from one-handed sword slicing style and applying it to the longsword. However he had done more to truly learn the High guard he needed to do more, Fighting isn't only about slicing and standing correctly. The foe also wants to kill you. He assumed his stance and move around being quick on his toes and using the footwork his father had thought him he began with a quick vertical slice forward before jumping back and doing so again, he did it over and over creating a nice rhythm. As he was in rhythm he would then raise his guard as he jumped back that way creating a slicing and blocking rhythm. This rhythm was made to simulate the actual feel of a fight with constantly cutting blocking and countering and blocking, he then switched it up not only slicing vertically forwards but diagonally and different angled blocks. Still keeping this training routine but switching it up gradually working on faints and horizontal cuts even quick diagonal cuts from the stance by fainting a vertical slice before twisting the blades to point downwards and slicing upwards. Then he started to work more and more on follow up cuts weaving in different slices in one fluid motion before going back to blocking and then into his base guard. He then stopped his rhythm as standing in place and doing all this wouldn't help him if he didn't know how to do all of this while moving. So he began once more introducing side-steps and turning steps, using it as a way to learn to find angles inside his stance.  

He had gotten very used to it by now but he needed more to truly learn the stance, he would do the same as before only this time breaking rhythm randomly with either blocking, dodging, or cutting. This constant rhythm breaking was more difficult then anything else as breaking his rhythm would make him do mistakes with blocking dodging or cutting. Even getting mixed up or hesitating to do all of those things at times. He continued for quite some time practicing and practicing until no errors were made. Now while he was close to being done he felt the need to practice more on cuts not only the motion but on actual cutting dummies. A placed all in a row so he could quickly change dummy instead of having to place each one individually after the other. He stood in front of the dummy before assuming his stance, he would then come down with two diagonal slices from each side before finishing the dummy off with a horizontal slice. He moved on the next before doing two diagonal slices from the top and this time from the same side before doing an upwards diagonal slice on the other side. On the third dummy, he would work on faints and upwards diagonal slices fainting a vertical cut before switching to an upwards diagonal slice and then a downwards diagonal cut while stepping out gaining a much better angle.

After cutting the dummies he would place another one close to him, this time he would work on counter attacks. After placing the dummy he would assume his stance, before raising his guard taking a step backwards and the stepping forwards with a slice. After performing the move he would do the same again but instead fainting the diagonal slice only to step out on the outside with a slice leaving little to nothing on the practice dummy left. He would continue his massacre of dummies by training his counter cut again, Doing a slightly different variation of the last one two times over.

Now for the next exercise that would truly test his skill with the stance, Mondai would place different cutting dummies all over. Then he would get into a rhythm doing cuts, block, and counters over and over. Then after getting into a rhythm he would move to all different dummies. He would switch between cutting countering and guarding, He would mix up his onslaught of static targets. Each cut would be delivered with the intent to kill, each block had full strength and weight putt into them each counter would be swift as the wind. His side steps and follow-up cuts would be a blur. After a few hours of training, mondai had now mastered the high guard.

995/600
Jutsu TrainedShow
"Vomtag" High guard
D-rank Taijutsu stance
The High guard is a useful technique for downward slashes but it can do a number of different things. The high guard is where they have the sword pointed upwards in a slight angle backwards over the head. But can be used on either left, over the head, or right side. As of the nature of the stance, the downward cut is almost completely non-telegraphed. But due to the nature of the stance, it is predictable on what attack it will be. most of the time
   
 
Last edited by Mre-face on Mon Nov 19, 2018 4:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The Scorpion

Jinsoku,Enzaragi S-Rank MN: Iwa Setsuzoku
Companion
The Swordsman

Yūgana, Mondai B-Rank : Kiri Seven swordsman
Companion
The Angry

Shaolóng, Gōkariki A-Rank : Konoha

Companion

User avatar
Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Re: Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Golnax » Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:37 pm

It was nice getting to see someone younger than yourself training in an art that you were a master of. It was like taking a walk down memory lane, and these were memories that Aimi was particularly fond of. The jounin stood leaning up against the far wall of the training ground, his arms crossed over his bare chest and his eyes fixed on the dark skinned boy as he went through the motions of figuring out how to use a long sword properly. He remembered back when he was that young and he was getting to be quite adept with a long sword. Of course, he'd started training with them when he was younger than this dummy slayer he was partially hidden from in the mist, and he could tell that this young warrior in training was new to this particular type of sword just by looking. It was the sort of thing that you knew to pick up on after years of practice and mastery.

As the last sword swing came down across a dummy, Aimi decided that it was time to let the younger man know that he was being watch. Uncrossing his arms from over his chest, the Yamai brought his hands together and started to clap loudly. The sounds echoed off of the training ground walls and over the empty, misty air - practically a siren in the moment of dead silence between the dark skinned ninja letting his sword arm rest and the second he started to clap. Pushing off of the wall, Aimi took a few steps forward while continuing to clap, calling out, "Bravo, bravo! Excellent form for a beginner, but you've still got a long way to go."

A demonstration was in order, he decided. The white haired jounin looked around at the various dummies that had been placed in the training grounds, trying to pick which one he wanted to take aim at. By process of elimination he chose the one that was closest to the young man's right, Aimi's left. Rolling his shoulders, he widened his stance and reached down to his left hip where his sword hung attached to his belt. Grabbing onto the sheath, he unbuckled it from his black belt and held it out to his side, so that what he was about to do wouldn't be interfered with by the scroll that was hanging on his lower back. He turned his body slightly to the left so that his right shoulder was pointing forwards, aimed at the dummy he'd singled out, and brought his sword back down next to his hip.

Aimi reached over slowly, deliberately slowly for dramatic effect more than anything, and grabbed onto the hilt of his long sword. In his mind's eye he already knew what he was going to do. It was just a question of making it a reality which was hardly ever an issue for a shinobi of his caliber. With reflexes that would be hard to follow if not outright impossible to see, Aimi would draw the blade from his sheath - but instead of keeping a hold of the weapon, he instead let it fly from his grip! The blade turned projectile would sail across the training grounds pommel first, headed directly towards the training dummy at blinding speeds; Aimi wasn't far behind. A precise, measured moment after letting the sword fly from his grip, the jounin dashed after it, displacing the mist around him with his speed as he rushed forward to stay a literal step behind his flying blade as it sailed towards the doomed dummy.

The pommel of the blade would make contact with the dummy's head and rupture. Just as quickly, Aimi would follow this up projectile attack by thrusting his left arm forward, sheath still in hand, and catch the sword from out of the air by resheathing it! The result was a second, just as powerful strike to the dummy at large, the second impact being powerful enough to cause the entire dummy to outright burst, bits of hay and straw flying up into the air in all directions! The movements had been quick - a flash! A blink and you'd miss it set of moves for even some jounin. For the genin? Outright impossible to see. From his perspective, Aimi would have been stood crouching across the training grounds one second, and then the next? He was stood crouching beside him, left arm extended outwards, the training ground down one dummy.

Standing up straight, the Yamai sniffled at the feat of physicality he'd displayed. It was no big deal to him, after all, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't expect a bit of a surprised expression from the younger ninja at the very least. To this end, he looked over at him and smiled, while bits of straw floated down through the mist and landed in his long white hair. He reached up and plucked a piece of the training dummy out from his bangs and tossed it aside. "See that? That's what you should be striving towards. That's what you can achieve, with enough effort. Keep it up and you'll get there!"

SpoilerShow
[Iaido • Flying Dragon Flash]
C-Ranked Kenjutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: 15 Speed and Taijutsu
The user assumes their draw stance and takes aim at the opponent. As the user draws their blade, they let go of their hilt, letting their sword fly forward from it as though it were an arrow. A split instant after letting their sword fly, the user will rush forward with the scabbard of their sword in hand, rapidly closing the distance between them and their blade. As the pommel makes contact with the opponent, the user will thrust their arm forward, re-sheathing their blade and adding their strength to the strike twice over. The distance the sword can travel is equal to the user's Strength.
400/400

User avatar
Zao
Posts: 4025
Joined: Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:00 pm

Re: Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Zao » Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:37 pm

A black clothed man floated high off in the distance of the two shinobi's training ground, seeming to be gently floating back and forth in the winds that stirred about the lingering mist within the area. Both arms were folded over one another and placed in front of his chest, as though he was in deep thought about some issue. The Reaper finaly heard the sounds  that originated from the training ground where Aimi and Mondai had come together, a pair of golden eyes carefully shifted to the left side and pierced through the long crimson locks to seethe scen unfolding down below only able to catch the tail end of the Yamai's demonstration.

"It would seem that in my absence there are still those with some skill with the sword rising up, my old friend would have been happy to know. Sadly, the Seven have fallen so far from where they were before. In their honor I must help to fix this, perhaps one of these might have the skill or potential required." The words barely audible to even the tall man himself, like the words of a death god as they lingered in the air around him like the faint traces of mist. He reminisced about the time when his friends were still alive and the backbone of the famous swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. A slight smile appeared on the scarred man's thin lips as he wasn't going to intervene just yet...

Without a sound the man began to lean to the left and in response his body that had been suspended about the training grounds began to casually float to the left still holding a similar altitude as before. For he wished to see just whom it was that was sparring, from the distance that he had been out one could only make at the broad strokes and not whom the painter of those perfected brush strokes originated from. As he drew ever so closer at the slow and steady pace the man actually raised an eye brow at the white haired man for it was actually someone that he knew from his past but someone he hadn't seen or spoken to in quite some time.

While it was a pleasant surprise, the old man didn't plan on intervening or exposing himself just yet, simply wanting to see how his young friend had grown in his absence. Plus, there was also the other shinobi here as was someone he didn't recognize but this wasn't a surprising occurrence due to the shinobi's age and his date gap in his time of service. But now that he had returned and things had turned out the way they had he was given no choice but to start diving into the shinobi that now made up the bulk of Kiri's forces. 'Allow me to witness what this younger generation is able to bring anything to the table...'
Last edited by Zao on Mon Nov 19, 2018 5:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
CharactersShow
Active
Tsukino Hisato - Kiri Chuunin - Seven Swordsman Dagger

Saisuko Zao - Suna Bannin - Spirit Weapon Saint

Kyōhō Ken - The White Snake Sage - S Rank Assassin/Bounty Hunter

Aburame Hisato S-rank Mn / Inactive

Old CharactersShow
Inactive/Dead

Arashiyama Ning - Kumo Chuunin - Weilder of the Ghost Spear

Yami Kasai - Mizukage - The Black Reaper - DEAD

Genso - Elemental Crafting Shaman - A Rank Monk - Inactive

Aburame Akiro - Konoha Jounin - ANBU Member - Inactive

Hyōryū -- Suna S-Rank / Dead / Used as Inheritance.

Xi - Iwa Jounin / Inactive

Sato - A Rank, "The Cleaving Swordsman " / Inactive

Akujin - Konoha Genin, Art Ninjutsu Guy / Inactive

Toukai Touma - Kiri Genin / Inactive

Arashiyama, Toushi - Kumo Bannin / Dead

Hitachiai - Iwa Jounin / Inactive

Ji Ning - Iwa Genin / Inactive

Naegi, Chin - A-rank MN / Inactive







User avatar
Izanagi
Posts: 4019
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Izanagi » Sat Nov 03, 2018 12:41 am

As he grew more comfortable with the powers of Vorashu that had been bestowed upon him, Shinjiro had developed a greater appreciation for leaving his home to explore the village and enjoy the environment. The mist, sparse forests, the great lake around Krigakure and even the vast Ocean had all become familiar to him now. The outdoors were a great comfort and a setting he could now blend into seamlessly, able to take on the form of a multitude of animals now with a growing range of diversity and potential uses. On this day, Shinjiro opted for the form of a bat, moving swiftly through the skies with a great degree of silence all while being acutely aware of his surroundings even amongst areas of thick fog. The form of the bat was one of his favorite transformations, ideal for assassination, scouting and evasive movement.

His sense of hearing in this form was greatly enhanced and so too was he adept with the use of echolocation, essential for a bats ability to fly confidently and so when Shinjiro felt the ‘ping’ of a large figure floating through the skies he was immediately put on guard. It was unusual for him to encounter other shinobi in the skies around Kirigakure, few individuals were capable of flight and even among them Kiri shinobi typically tended to spent their time training with sword in hand, somewhere near the water, either that or they crowded the bars and brothels, perhaps even the occasional murder spree in the slums if they were feeling particularly restless. Before the sealing of the Genma Shinjiro was non-confrontational by nature, preferring stealth and the mindset of killing solely for the obligation of the mission. He wasn’t one to stick his nose somewhere it didn’t belong but now he could feel the constant competitive drive influences his decisions and the berating of Vorashu anytime Shinji did anything it deemed cowardly didn’t help much either.

Therefore, it spurred a curiosity in him to discover who this floating man was and just how strong of a shinobi shared the skies with him. The Reapers words, though faint and haunting seeped through the mist and reverberated softly within the sensitive ears of the small vampire bat Shinjiro took the form of. ‘A former member of the Seven?’ he pieced together, now this was a fortuitous turn of events. Growing up Shinji had always envisioned himself as a Head hunter, for his family specialized in assassination though as fate would have it, the swordsmen had recruited him first. Namely on Aisu Kurou, whom had taken Shinji on as his dagger mere weeks ago. Tailing the Reaper of the mist from about 15 meters Shinji was curious how long it would take the man to realize his presence, would he think him a wild creature or perhaps a shinobi’s pet? Either way he would likely be viewed as insignificant enough to not warrant any attention and during that time Shinji could determine what it was that had drawn the man’s attention.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

User avatar
Mre-face
Posts: 837
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Mre-face » Mon Nov 19, 2018 4:17 pm

As Mondai cut down the last dummy with grace, he heard a mysterious man applaud behind him. Mondai turned around and was confused on who this man was, but as he got closer he realized who it was. It was Kaguya Aimi an extremely fearsome shinobi who has a love for flare. Mondai was proud that he got praise from such a skilled shinobi. A change of pace from the usual insult that he gets for being lowborn or maybe the Kaguya didn't know "How long were you watching? Either way, thank you buy I'm no mere beginner.". He watched as Aimi reached for his blade slowly increasing the tension he then completely blazed forward leaving a trail behind him and a mere moment later the dummy exploded into a confetti of hay. Amazed at the display of speed and technique he saw Aimi's power in motion and the stories didn't match the man behind those stories. While Mondai wanted to be the greatest seven swordsmen to ever have lived he was unsure if he should say that to Aimi. But he said anyways as he had a feeling that Aimi was friendly and wouldn't care too much. "You are right! I want to be the greatest seven swordsmen but it will take a long time I just got recruited into the daggers. Can't go about shouting that I am the greatest can I?" He chuckled.

He then set his sight right back to training as he thought about the manuals that harbor the techniques of his ancestors. Next up was "Ochs" Ox guard another up top guard but a more defensive version. He would go over his basic drills again replicating what he did with the last technique. He first started with his footwork, moving on his feet changing directions and closing distances, sliding back and forth. Standing still and exploding backwards and forwards rapidly, imagining himself dodging a blade. Then he began with cuts first starting off with standing correctly, he would then stand still and perform attacks. First, he started with horizontal cuts, he would then transition to downwards cuts the easiest to perform. Then came the diagonal and upwards diagonal cuts the most difficult to perform due to the nature of the guard. He would then perform the same horizontal, vertical and diagonal cuts again only at different angles and heights targeting imaginary heads, torsos, and legs. He would then go over all the cuts once again, however, this time combining it with the footwork to create more of a realistic combat practice. He would then perform blocks and parries. As he then would combine all of the cuts, blocks, and parries. He would then expand his drill again this time every time he would perform a block he would counter and do the same everytime he parried. Creating a rhythm for his drill as any true fight had. But and at the same time, he knew that the rhythm could be changed at any time. And so he stood there cutting and blocking and parrying and countering. He continued on remembering the fundamentals of the sword his father taught him. He also thought about how he used the high guard before and thought about how he used the guard and what techniques that he could use from that guard.

After resting up a bit Mondai got right back up to refine his techniques with the longsword. Again he thought back to the fundamentals he then thought about what he did earlier that training session. As he realized where he was. Mondia would start cutting at air once again, After a few cuts blocks, parries, dodges and counters. Mondai would take a look around the training area and pick up a few more dummies. After practicing on air he felt confident in taking on the most feared enemy known as dummies. Again he got into a stance, after going into Ochs he would perform a few slashes on the dummies focusing on quick small cuts. He continued on the small cuts as learning both were immensely useful. After performing the small cuts on about half the dummies. He would then Switch to stronger more powerful cuts. Getting experience with both types of cuts. Then came the thrusts. These were more difficult to perform considering the angle of the stance. Yet Mondai persisted onward. He couldn't let these highborn prove that they were better than him. Mondai looked at the Kaguya with a smile seeing a direct inspiration at the moment. After training with Ochs for awhile. He had now mastered the ancient ward of his family.

771/600
Jutsu TrainedShow
"Ochs" Ox guard
D-rank Taijutsu stance
Ox guard is mostly used to block higher cuts rather than low ones. Additionally, this guard also allows attacks from many different angles. This stance is assumed by putting the weapon's hilt upwards over the head. creating a strong structure. Then put the blade towards the outside right or left. While having the sword point aimed at the person's head.
Last edited by Mre-face on Sun Nov 25, 2018 12:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
The Scorpion

Jinsoku,Enzaragi S-Rank MN: Iwa Setsuzoku
Companion
The Swordsman

Yūgana, Mondai B-Rank : Kiri Seven swordsman
Companion
The Angry

Shaolóng, Gōkariki A-Rank : Konoha

Companion

User avatar
Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Golnax » Tue Nov 20, 2018 9:38 am

"...Greatest of the Seven Swordsman?" Aimi asked, honestly slightly perplexed by the genin's answer. It was as fine of a goal to shoot towards as any, sure, but to define the greatest out of the Seven was so... abstract. The Kaguya hadn't had too much exposure to the Seven, but from what he understood they were all supposed to be master swordsmen in their own right. To declare one to be the 'greatest' would be to declare that the other six's mastery did not meet the standards of yours, in which case would the others not rush to catch up to you? It seemed like an impossible goal to Aimi, made all the more impossible by the level of skill that the genin displayed.

He watched as the younger shinobi went about energetically practicing his swordsmanship, a stance from the look of things. He was putting so much effort into what he was doing, and while that was admirable, the blue eyed jounin just couldn't see him being the best of the best one day. Not with techniques like this. As he watched, he thought back to his days as a genin. Back then, he didn't really have a goal in mind for his life. He wanted to be strong, to be useful to his clan, to be an effective weapon for the village. So he trained. He had no set goal in mind, no peak to reach. Aimi simply kept getting stronger, and in retrospect he would say that this was what had lead him down the path that he was currently on. Had he had some elaborate goal of being the 'greatest of the Seven' in mind, he wouldn't know if that would have held him back or propelled him forward.

What he did know, though, was that the dark skinned young man was right; he had a very long way to go.

"Enough with the basics," Aimi called out, stepping over towards the young swordsman who had kept his eyes on the Kaguya for nearly the duration of his exercise. The jounin had seen the looks of admiration he'd been receiving, and while they were appreciated they felt unwarranted. "What style is that, hm? Whatever it is, you'r not going to become the 'greatest' of the Seven Swordsman by just flailing your sword arm around. You need technique, boy, technique! The seven are all skilled shinobi who are masters of the blade, right? Do you think they got there by repetition of the basics when you obviously have those down? No! They pushed themselves," he said, reaching out and gently shoving at the genin's chest, "Onwards and upwards! Always challenging themselves, always reaching for something more, something greater." Again a demonstration felt in order.

Half turning on the spot, Aimi looked across the training ground at a group of straw dummies. They were about 15 meters away, three of them in a tight group together, a perfect target. "Watch," Aimi commanded, taking a couple of steps away from the genin and planting his feet firmly on the ground in a wide stance. He breathed in deep through his nose, nostrils flaring and his bare chest rising high as he took in as much air as he possible could. He let the air out slowly through his nose. He rolled his shoulders and relaxed his body. He took a tighter grip on the sheath of his longsword and bent his knees slowly, keeping his eyes fixated on the dummies across the way. "You probably won't be able to see this... the movement, I mean. Your eyes aren't sharp enough for it, but you see those three dummies over there?" he said, his right hand slowly moving across his body and taking a grip on the hilt of his sword.

The Kaguya tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and turned his body, taking a half step backwards with his left leg so that his right foot was pointed forward. Then - in a flash so quick, so precise, so instantaneous that it couldn't have been perceived by anyone there; including Aimi - the jounin would draw his blade and let loose his attack. On the most technical of levels, he was simply cutting the air with devastating results. A simple horizontal slash, yes, but with a speed in execution that was, quite simply, unrivaled. The slash was so quick that the effect took place after the shirtless Kaguya sheathed his blade, which was a literal instant after drawing it from it's sheath. Such was the devastating speed that he'd built up over the past two decades and some change of practice and effort!

The effect of his attack was apparent a split second after the sheathing of his blade. In the air around the dummies there was a visual distortion in the mist as it was at first pulled inwards from all directions in a 2 meter radius, pulling the straw dummies in towards it as well. Then came the outburst as the air ruptured and lashed outwards, a deep, low humming sound reverberating through the foggy air as the vortex was unleashed - a sound that would undoubtedly catch the attention of the two spectators up above. A distinctive VOOMB noise accompanied by the high pitched screech of his blade cutting the air. The mist was pushed away by cutting winds and the dummies were, to put it simply, erased from the training ground. One moment they were all leaning towards a shared event horizon, the next they were feebly trying to escape it as the wind lashed outwards and their fragile bodies simply devoured by the ensuing sphere. What's more, a pair of dual slashes of air reached out and sliced through the air from the top of the sphere downwards, leaving two long, deep gashes in the ground below.

Letting out a snort of air, Aimi took another step backwards and pivoted his body before unleashing yet another Judgement Cut in the courtyard although this one was much closer to the two standing shinobi than the previous one had been. As his sword kissed the base of his sheath, he turned his body again and aimed a third Cut towards the front of the training grounds, where he'd emerged from, trying to stretch out the distance at which he could perform this technique as far as he could. The vortex itself had an ultimate range of 6 meters, though, four for the sphere and an additional two for the slashes that accompanied it, so he had to be careful about where he let these things fly. Never the less, he showed off his mastery of the sword by full on turning towards the genin and drawing his blade in that same impossibly fast speed, cutting the air roughly 8 meters behind him and unleashing a vortex that he would no doubt feel against the back of his neck. Each cut, each change in position, it was all executed in less than three seconds total, his demonstration accompanied by the trio of cacophonous VOOMBs.

Aimi sighed and stood back up straight. He relaxed his arms and turned his head back towards the genin, jutting his thumb casually at what had once been a trio of perfectly good straw men to practice sword techniques on, then at the front of the training ground, then directly over his shoulder. "You saw that, right? That was an Iaido technique. One of my own invention, but still. I call it 'Judgement Cut', and I would have never conceptualized it if I didn't move past the basics. You're, what? 13? 16? Don't you think it's time you were past the basics, too?" he asked, placing his right hand on his hip and waiting for a response. In truth, he needed the rest for a moment. Judgement Cut was a very intense technique, one that actually put strain on his body even still. Executing that level of speed consecutively like he'd done was draining, even for him. Not to mention the precision of it all! It would be no small wonder to anyone who noticed that Aimi's chest was visibly rising and falling as he breathed, a clear sign of fatigue. Of course, on the other hand, had this not been a mere demonstration and had it been an actual encounter with someone who it was truly aimed at, well, Aimi Kaguya felt certain that four Judgement Cuts would be just about enough to take down anyone.

Jutsu TrainedShow
[Iaido • Judgement Cut]
A-Ranked Kenjutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: [Heavenly Body Control], 45 Speed, 40 Taijutsu
The user grabs a hold of the hilt of their blade and their scabbard before taking a step back and unleashing their blade in a horizontal slash across the body. After the user unsheathes with their sword, a spherical distortion in space appears in front of the user 4 meters in diameter. This "vortex" can appear anywhere at a distance equal to the user's Strength in meters. Anyone caught in the sphere is cut by sharp winds as the vortex collapses in on itself. In addition, as the vortex is collapsing, 2 large slashes will strike out at anyone within 2 meters of the sphere. These winds, and the slashes that accompany them, have a Strength equal to 3/4 the user's Strength. The vortex collapsing is accompanied by the sound of a low, imploding hum. So swift is this strike that it cannot be perceived while it's happening, the effect appearing to take place before the user actually moves. The re-sheathing of their blade is akin to a "flash", being impossible to see unless the opponents' Instinct is greater than or equal to the user's Speed.

1417/820

User avatar
Zao
Posts: 4025
Joined: Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Zao » Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:19 pm

The young chuunin's thoughts were a bit off, while Kasai had never been a member of the Seven his to good friends who had already left this world both were and in their memory he wished to rebuild the swordsmen back to their previous status and glory for the Kiri village. As he floated with arms crossed the man's senses as a shinobi and former hunter-nin tingled lightly, though he didn't turn around the man could tell that there as bat nearing him. But a bat at this time of the day? Very strange and he wasn't aware of any of the shinobi within the village who kept or raised bats as shinobi pets. 'How odd...could it be...' Kasai raised up the gloved left hand before him about chest high as the lingering mist around the hand seemed to be dispersed by the wind in a strange manner. This was the man controlling the wind near his own hand bending it to his own will as the left hand would glow faintly with light blue chakra outlining it. It was in this moment that the man turned halfway around allowing for his golden eyes to gaze upon the area that had previously been behind him and with what seemed like a casual step he instantly accelerated to his top movement speed.

This would allow for the Reaper to cross the distance between himself and the odd bat in a mere moments time due to the level of speed which the scarred face old man possessed, the acceleration pushing back the shoulder length strands of crimson hair to better reveal his face now as he did so. Upon arriving the left hand gentle clasped into a loose fist as the bat would feel as though he was enclosed in an orb of wind that was pushing down against him from all sides. Though it wasn't enough to kill the bat yet it was enough to cause discomfort and pain to a normal person. If this was a simple odd bat then the man would simply finish it off but if it was something else....
CharactersShow
Active
Tsukino Hisato - Kiri Chuunin - Seven Swordsman Dagger

Saisuko Zao - Suna Bannin - Spirit Weapon Saint

Kyōhō Ken - The White Snake Sage - S Rank Assassin/Bounty Hunter

Aburame Hisato S-rank Mn / Inactive

Old CharactersShow
Inactive/Dead

Arashiyama Ning - Kumo Chuunin - Weilder of the Ghost Spear

Yami Kasai - Mizukage - The Black Reaper - DEAD

Genso - Elemental Crafting Shaman - A Rank Monk - Inactive

Aburame Akiro - Konoha Jounin - ANBU Member - Inactive

Hyōryū -- Suna S-Rank / Dead / Used as Inheritance.

Xi - Iwa Jounin / Inactive

Sato - A Rank, "The Cleaving Swordsman " / Inactive

Akujin - Konoha Genin, Art Ninjutsu Guy / Inactive

Toukai Touma - Kiri Genin / Inactive

Arashiyama, Toushi - Kumo Bannin / Dead

Hitachiai - Iwa Jounin / Inactive

Ji Ning - Iwa Genin / Inactive

Naegi, Chin - A-rank MN / Inactive







User avatar
Izanagi
Posts: 4019
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Izanagi » Tue Nov 20, 2018 10:32 pm

While he should have been keeping his attention fully on the man whom he was tailing, Shinjiro couldn’t help but be distracted by the sudden sword strikes down below. Though his eyesight was quite poor in this form he could hear Aimi’s words and would have recognized such impressive skill with a blade regardless. The loud noises and sudden pressure as the mist was pushed upwards and away from the training ground was rather disorientating, scattering his echolocation to some degree and not that it would have made any difference but in this moment Kasai had turned to notice him, accelerating at such a speed that Shinjiro had no idea he had moved until he already felt a force around him, containing him. Flexing his wings in vain against the orb of wind he squirmed with all his might, noting the Reaper now hovering a few feet in front of him. Despite his predicament, he even noticed in this range that the man did not have a heartbeat. How peculiar.

His mind began to race now, considering if there was any escape. He did not fear death though nor did he wish it upon him. ‘You wriggle, clinging to life desperately like a worm. Will you plead to your captor to spare your life?’ Vorashu taunted in an antagonistic manner. Despite his efforts to remain in control Shinjiro could sense the Genma’s desire to fight back, to prove its strength and likewise to see Shinjiro do the same. Alas Shinjiro knew when he was outclassed. He should have sensed it the moment he detected the man and stayed clear, but his arrogant pride had got him into this mess. He would have to accept the consequence. “You noticed me faster than anticipated” he stated whimsically. “Kill me if you wish. My incompetence deserves punishment but know first who I am. Shinjiro, born and bled to the Family Karagata, Jinchuriki of Vorashu no Katagenma, the Phantom Beast of Body.” He reiterated fearlessly. He would hate for such a powerful man to receive punishment for killing such a valued tool of Kirigakure, the least he could do was offer him that warning. In this situation there was little he could do. If the orb was as powerful as he anticipated then even transforming into a larger, more powerful creature would only result in him crushing himself to death against an unyielding surface and a smaller form would do naught but delay his death by less than a second.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

User avatar
Mre-face
Posts: 837
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Mre-face » Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:25 am

"Yeah, The greatest of the seven swordsmen of the mist, You know? Read about them as a kid and I want to be the best of them that ever lived. It's also to prove my strength as I was born I untouchable. I want to prove people that looked down on us untouchables that we can be just as strong as them."He wasn't afraid to show that he was an untouchable in origin, but most shinobi don't care that he moved up the casts. And those that do consider him moving up still consider him on the lower end. He listened to Aimi talk about how Shinobi got stronger while he did know more than the basics he also did know how to get stronger, he just didn't know the basics of Yūgana swordplay. They had an extensive dueling style with stances on every plane and on top of that, stances that counter other stances and special cutting techniques that counter stances. No one had the skill like the Yūgana with dueling, unfortunately, this has been in the history books but they have been lost to time just like his family.

"That sword style I'm using is from my ancient family, you probably never heard of them they fell a long time ago. It's called Yūgana warfare since it doesn't only use the sword it also uses sword and shield which I know like the back of my hand. But this ancient sword style for dueling is called Yūgana swordplay, which has stances on every level to counter all stances. Not only that but stances that counter stances and special cuts that counter stances." "And It's the dueling style I only know the basics of I'm already an expert in sword and shield style. So that's why I'm throwing my sword around I'm getting into it."

He watched as Aimi cut down the dummies without even drawing his sword, to no one's surprise this shocked him as he stood there perplexed on how he did that attack. Aimi showed him a true master of his style it was something to behold he would remember this so that he truly remembers how far Shinobi can go.

"I'm 13, and I'm past the basics just need to learn the basic stances for dueling. Cause when I have done that I will start working on the more advanced stuff." By now Mondai had gotten used to practicing the stances. Now it was time for "Langort" or Longpoint a simple yet highly effective and balanced that helps in keeping opponents away. Mondai moved around in the stance in and out. Slashes and bashes, cuts and thrusts. Counters and parries just like how he repeated last time. He put a bit more focus on the thrusts as the stance was perfect for skewering attacks. Not only as a started to attacks but also at the end of thrusts and cuts. He continued for a bit. Keeping swift on both his toes and the rest of his body. Every cut from the stance seemed easier then he did before all he needed was a bit of practice and he was back to working on his stances and attacks. He felt great as that bit of inspiration from Aimi lead him to learn faster and work harder. He kept on learning the small details of the stance from the book and what little his father thought him. He kept on for a little while until he felt comfortable. He then went in to ox ward and did a thrust and transitioned to langort. He knew that he needed to learn how to transition more smoothly between styles. But he was now confident he has learned "langort" by now.

621/600 Words
Jutsu trainedShow
"Langort" Long point
D-rank Taijutsu stance
A stance where the user has their arms extended forward and facing the opponent. Mostly used to keep the opponent away and create distance. But can be used for and at the end of thrusts and cuts.
The Scorpion

Jinsoku,Enzaragi S-Rank MN: Iwa Setsuzoku
Companion
The Swordsman

Yūgana, Mondai B-Rank : Kiri Seven swordsman
Companion
The Angry

Shaolóng, Gōkariki A-Rank : Konoha

Companion

User avatar
Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Golnax » Sat Nov 24, 2018 9:03 am

Aimi listened to the young shinobi go on about his ancient family sword style and it's intricacies, barely hanging onto a word of it aside from one particular note: This young boy was originally from the Untouchable district, just as he was. Granted the circumstances were different, but in a way it made them kindred spirits. The jounin began to listen a little more closely after hearing that, listening about this Yūgana style of swordplay. It sounded as if it was one mostly dedicated to stances and counter play, which had their merits sure but the jounin still had his doubts. After all, what use was there for a dueling style based around counters if you were simply too slow to do anything about what your adversary was doing?

His thoughts were cut short, though, as his ears picked up on sounds from up above. Turning his head away as the Yūgana swordsman went about his practice, the Kaguya turned his head skyward and there noticed for the first time their observers - or rather, he saw one of them at least. A large man, clad in black, floating in the air somehow which in of itself was interesting to the Kaguya. There weren't many within Kirigakure who had the ability to fly as he did, in fact he only knew of one aside from himself, so seeing one now only piqued his curiosity. He wasn't able to make out many of the details of the man through the mist, though, so he decided that he needed to get closer and have a better look at him.

To that end, Aimi looked back over towards the young swordsman and saw that he was still practicing away at his stances. Without a word the Kaguya turned his head towards the ground and began to channel his chakra, focusing it into ossifying and creating new bones out of the calcium within his body. From his back and from underneath his hair came a pair of new limbs, skeletal in nature, that grew out from his skin in a flash, the long, multi-jointed limbs reaching skyward as they came into being. From these limbs came feathers, the bones ossifying further as they sprouted the flight enabling appendages. One by one, dozens of them, all being created on top of each other, sprouting out from one another as sudden frost spreads over water. A thick plumage of feathers one each of his wings grew equally quickly to the limbs they had spawned from. In a pair of flashes, Aimi Kaguya was ready for flight.

It was a technique he'd performed many times before, so many in fact that he'd long since lost count. How often he'd flown over the village when he first learned to make his own wings, right around the age that the stance using swordsman was. How often he'd soared up over everyone else's heads, alone and free to look and see what he pleased, to be away from others, above it all. Now there was someone above him and he wanted to know who it was. Crouching down on one knee on the spot, his wings fanned out wide behind him, Aimi began to channel his chakra again into his legs and his shoulders where his skeletal wings connected to the muscles in his back. Another technique that he'd used in tandem with his wings countless times, it was hardly worth giving it thought anymore. All was muscle memory for him at this point.

With a flap of his wings and a mighty leap upwards, Aimi released all of the chakra in his coiled legs and in his tense shoulders to shoot straight up into the air, instantly leaving the ground behind him in a movement that was so quick that where he had occupied the mist was left open for a moment before the wind of his wings beat the vapor fog in to fill the void he'd left behind. High up into the air he soared, riding off of the inertia of his initial leap and keeping his wings tucked in close to his sides, around his arms. A white bullet firing straight up through the fog to join those who were in the sky. When he felt the time was right, Aimi forced his wings out to either side of him, catching the air above and below and greatly slowing down his acceleration, to the point where he had to beat his wings in order to maintain his airborne stance. Looking down, the Kaguya saw that he'd actually over shot where the large man in black was which wasn't surprising at all. Launching oneself high up into the air at nearly instant speeds wasn't exactly the most accurate way to travel.

Correcting himself, Aimi flapped his wings sporadically and dropped down to where the black clad individual was, fluttering in the air perhaps five meters behind him where he chose to hover. "I wasn't aware I wasn't the only one who liked to randomly drop in on lower class shinobi while they were training," he said, announcing his presence and making himself known. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? We could have made a grand picnic out of the whole affair, many times over!"
Jutsu UsedShow
[Ninpou • Launch]
C-Ranked Nintaijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: C-Ranked Death Bone Pulse • Skeletal Wings
Focusing chakra into the muscles of their legs and around their wings, the user leaps into the air while slamming their wings downward with great force. The combined force of these movements accelerates their body upwards with Speed equal to the user's and allows them to reach the maximum height of their Death Bone Pulse • Skeletal Wings in an instant.
Jutsu TrainedShow
Death Bone Pulse • Skeletal Wings
A-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: 25 Control, B-Ranked Death Bone Pulse • Skeletal Wings
The user will channel to ossify bone in their shoulders, growing a pair of skeletal wings at a Speed of 25. These wings have a Strength of 25. These wings then ossify further as thin, hollow bones are added, mimicking the structure of keratin in the feathers of birds at a speed of 25. These wings allow the user to fly, giving them a maximum speed equal to the user’s Speed while in the air and a maximum height of 30 meters.
820/820

User avatar
Zao
Posts: 4025
Joined: Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Zao » Sat Nov 24, 2018 9:57 am

Oh?” The old man laughed almost light heartedly, almost as though questioning the little one who had started off with he had been noticed faster than he’d been anticipated to be, how arrogant. As the both form of Shinjiro spoke to him he more or less had already guess just whom this strange little bat was despite not having any dealings with the village in in some time. ‘So they’ve found a decent host this time…’ “Does any of that truly have any meaning?” A harsh, whisper like voice that was like the God of death slipped through the scarred lips on Kasai’s face as the pair of golden irises focused solely on the small animal trapped within the air under the command of his kinesis. A jinchuriki, a Karagata, all that really mattered to the dark clothed shinobi was that the was a tool to be used by him and the village. “Perhaps there should be punishment for being caught…” Once more the man’s ghostly voice exited his lips now to the young man whom he held as the fingers of the left hand appeared to squeeze just slightly as the former discomfort would turn to pain unless the shinobi within transformed into something small, which was honestly the true goal of the man. He wanted to see just how well versed the new genma was with Vorashu, that little asshole.

But Kasai wouldn’t be able to get much further than that as the sound of Aimi’s launch was heard, it caused for the man’s golden gaze to shift to the right corner of the shinobi’s vision and for his body to turn in unison with the eyes in order to view the approaching, half clothed man. The man’s old comrade hadn’t changed much it would appear as the man followed the trajectory of the Kaguya who seemed to have used a bit more power than needed and overshot where himself and Shinjiro were currently floating in the air. “This younger generation seems to lack etticate…” With a flip of his hand the man would toss the orb of air towards the new arrival who had managed to correct his flight path winding up about five meters away finally. Though it only appeared to be a casual toss he actually through the ninja via kinesis at around thirty five speed and strength, a casual smirk already formed on his face. “A grand picnic? Haha...you haven’t changed much in the time I was gone, little Aimi-san.” The Reaper remarked with a faint laugh at the words of his comrade now, he was an interesting character to say the least.

Almost shrugging his shoulder and putting his hands lightly out to each side after throwing Shinjiro towards Aimi no he glanced down to the side as the one lone shinobi probably wasn’t able to join them up here. Aimi seemed a bit stronger than when he’d left, perhaps he wasn’t the only one who had managed to change and strengthen themselves over the last couple of years. “I don’t truly have the time any more to train kids, perhaps you know this one?” His words were more casual with the jounin than they had been with the genma host, testing out the influence that Aimi had or didn’t have within the village. After all, it had been some time since the two men had last seen or spoken to one another...today was truly a grand occasion for the old man to meet with one of his old friends who was still alive. Many of the others seemed to not be as fortunate....
CharactersShow
Active
Tsukino Hisato - Kiri Chuunin - Seven Swordsman Dagger

Saisuko Zao - Suna Bannin - Spirit Weapon Saint

Kyōhō Ken - The White Snake Sage - S Rank Assassin/Bounty Hunter

Aburame Hisato S-rank Mn / Inactive

Old CharactersShow
Inactive/Dead

Arashiyama Ning - Kumo Chuunin - Weilder of the Ghost Spear

Yami Kasai - Mizukage - The Black Reaper - DEAD

Genso - Elemental Crafting Shaman - A Rank Monk - Inactive

Aburame Akiro - Konoha Jounin - ANBU Member - Inactive

Hyōryū -- Suna S-Rank / Dead / Used as Inheritance.

Xi - Iwa Jounin / Inactive

Sato - A Rank, "The Cleaving Swordsman " / Inactive

Akujin - Konoha Genin, Art Ninjutsu Guy / Inactive

Toukai Touma - Kiri Genin / Inactive

Arashiyama, Toushi - Kumo Bannin / Dead

Hitachiai - Iwa Jounin / Inactive

Ji Ning - Iwa Genin / Inactive

Naegi, Chin - A-rank MN / Inactive







User avatar
Izanagi
Posts: 4019
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Izanagi » Sat Nov 24, 2018 3:58 pm

Shinji wasn’t sure what to make of the man’s words. He mulled them over for a few moments. “Maybe not to you but one’s reputation, the fear and respect one’s name can carry, loyalty to one’s family and by extension the village they serve. To me it means everything. It’s all that I am” he replied back with a bit of bite in his tone. Through he was cramped and squished inside the sphere of air one would never know it by the fearlessly of his tone. Shinjiro was bold and arrogant and prideful to the core but more than all of that he was loyal. He didn’t care how disadvantaged he was nor did he consider that most would find it humiliating to be in such a position. His only thoughts were of the perceived disrespect to the Karagata family.

As the black clad man spoke of punishment and the orb tightened Shinjiro did not flinch. In fact if he could in this form he would smirk. If the man thought such a level of pain was enough to elicit any kind of reaction he was sorely mistaken. “Oh? Is that all? You haven’t even broken any of my bones yet. If you’re going to kill me just do it. You’re wasting your time if you think pain is a punishment” he teased in a childish fashion. He had broken nearly every bone in his body, been whipped relentlessly for hours, burned, electrocuted, stabbed and prodded and had succumb to nearly every disease, sickness and poison known to Kirigakure all in an effort to make him immune to the effects of torture and interrogation and it had worked. Even his mind had been battered and tested by Genjutsu to some extent. His upbringing was beyond cruel even for a shinobi of Kirigakure and still he held no resentment towards his father or the village. Breaking him in any way would be an impossible task.

It seemed Kasai had realized this as he simply tossed Shinji aside like a piece of trash. ‘Tch’ he thought, the verbal tic an obvious sign of annoyance. As disrespectful as he often was of other’s he still disdained being disregarded in such a way. “Bastard” he muttered to himself as he was flung towards Aimi whom would likely avoid the small, 6-inch diameter sphere of wind without too much difficulty. Whether or not he noticed the small brown and black vampire bat trapped within or the word it spoke was another matter entirely. Eventually Shinji would find that the sphere of wind would be propelled outside the range of Kaisai’s control, dispersing suddenly and freeing the small bat. Immediately Shinji would transform back into himself, descending through the air as he stretched out his limbs, enjoying the fact that he could once again move freely and had his proper appendages once more as well as his precious dual Katana’s. He was still in the first form of his chakra cloak, an aura of green chakra close to his skin and his hair grown to shoulder length and braided. As he descended to about 15 meters he would retract the chakra cloak, reverting his hair to its normal length and styling as the green chakra dispersed. The he would grow a pair of large bat wings in a display of a partial transformation, the type of innate ability he could call upon without being in form.

Soaring downward he would circle and take a wider birth from those in the air above. The smart thing to do would be to simply leave the encounter entirely however he did not wish to leave while there was still a chance to continue his training with Aimi, so too did he wonder what he knew of this powerful soft-spoken shinobi whom seemed to convey the presence of Death itself. For the moment however Shinjiro would leave the pair of Jounin alone, opting to check in on the fellow Chunin whom Aimi had taken an interest in. Moving quickly through the skies, Shinjiro would land next to Mondai less than 30 seconds after he had initially been thrown. He would retain his wings, folding them behind his body and out of sight for the time being as he walked closer to the young man. “So what’s so special about you that’s got Aimi interested in watching your practice?” he wondered blatantly. He watched the sequences for a few moments, finding them quite plain and ordinary. He could see how such a style could be used against a pirate or a civilian but another shinobi? Unlikely. “You know, it’s kind of pointless to fight the air. The only way to really learn anything is against someone who can fight back, how else will you know what actually works?” he questioned, his tone held a hint of rudeness but he was genuine in his statement. “If you want an actual challenge I’ll spar with you. I doubt I’ll even need to use my swords so I probably won’t kill you by accident.” He offered nonchalantly.
Last edited by Izanagi on Sun Dec 09, 2018 7:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

User avatar
Mre-face
Posts: 837
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Mre-face » Sun Nov 25, 2018 9:16 am

As Mondai continued to train his stance, he then felt a heavy surge of power through the ground and turned to see Aimi shoot into the sky, His shock when he saw his massive wings of bone keep him in the air as a massive cloaked man resembling death held a bat within an orb of wind. They were clearly talking about something but he was too far away to hear what they were talking about. And as of right now he had no way to get to them. The bat would be thrown away at incredible speeds. Mondai choose to ignore the happenings seeing as that could be quite shameful for the "bat" And in no less than 30 seconds as a slightly older yet same height but seemed to be a bit skinnier than him. But no less the Shinobi was something to be feared considering what was sealed inside him. Mondai had heard of the 'Body Genma' yet never seen it until now. He also heard about who was 'holding the Genma' It was apparently a highly skilled Chuunin but other then that nothing.

The Genma walked up to him and asked him bluntly so he answered. "I have no idea I'm nothing not yet anyway. Maybe he wanted to pass some knowledge? I have no idea. " Mondai went back into training he was interrupted by the shapeshifter in kind of a rude way but he knew what he meant so he took no offense. "Can't deny that but also it's been in the family for years. Must something too it." he turned to look at the Karagata that so arrogantly challenged him. Which visibly annoyed but there was truth to it and Mondai agnoladgeed that. "You are probably right considering what you have brewing in you. And I have heard that you are quite skilled even for a Chuunin. But if you think I'm backing out of your challenge you are wrong. But i'm going to admit I'm more skilled with a Sword and Shield then just my sword. But that's not going to stop me from kicking your ass! " Mondai arrogantly answered the Genma's nonchalant comment with a smirk. They both had exchange insults just how it was supposed to be. But he still had respect for the ninja.

He bowed out of respect for his opponent. He then went into "Alber" or Fool's guard. A battling or resting position. Mostly used to fool the enemy into attacking in a predictable way, By making the enemy think that their opponent was open. It was an easy stance to go into all he had to do was to relax his arms and have the sword pointing downwards. Something in Mondai knew that Shinjiro wouldn't be fooled. Regardless he would remain in his stance since he wanted the Genma to attack him so that he could counter. If this was a smart move or not would be unknown to Mondai. It all depended on style yet Mondai stuck to his style. A stare down that built tension between the two before they would fight. Mondai had felt before what it was like to fight a more skilled opponent when he fought Chiane with Yuuto. But he had no idea how skilled the Genma was, all he has heard was from stories but other then that nothing. So he had no idea how outmatched he truly was. Which was partly why he was confident in how he would perform against the Genma. One on One, Chuunin vs Chuunin. Shinobi vs Shinobi May the best shinobi win!

601/600 words
Jutsu trainedShow
"Alber" Fool's guard
D-rank Taijutsu stance
Alber is primarily a batting stance, Fooling the opponent to attack in a predictable way. Alber is assumed by lowering the guard and pointing downwards And does not really have defensive body language. If the opponent's instinct is higher then Mondai's they will see the ruse.  
The Scorpion

Jinsoku,Enzaragi S-Rank MN: Iwa Setsuzoku
Companion
The Swordsman

Yūgana, Mondai B-Rank : Kiri Seven swordsman
Companion
The Angry

Shaolóng, Gōkariki A-Rank : Konoha

Companion

User avatar
Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Golnax » Mon Nov 26, 2018 2:49 am

The orb of air was easily dodged by the Kaguya jounin who simply turned his body to the right to avoid it. As it passed by him, his eyes caught a glimpse of the bat that was inside of it but before long, it was out of his vision and his eyes were back on the shinobi in black who now faced him. His mind raced over several questions at once - Why a bat? Who's bat? What's a bat doing here? Why's he got it trapped? - and many more such as these before unanimously declaring them insignificant and brushing them aside to focus on more important things, like the fact that the man before him was apparently familiar with him... but for the life of Aimi, he couldn't remember having ever met this man before!

"You know me?" Aimi asked, turning full on back towards Kasai and staring intently at his face, trying hard to recall it's visage. If he had encountered this shinobi in the past, it had been a very long time - long enough that he'd forgotten the details of such an imposing figure, and the fact that he had forgotten them spoke volumes about how imposing the man must have truly been. Sure, he was over a foot taller than Aimi, and sure, his voice was fairly spooky as was his garb, but Aimi as of yet saw no reason to be intimidated by the man before him - and that's when it clicked. Furrowing his brow and narrowing his eyes, Aimi flew over towards the man in black and got close enough that he could easily see his face through the fog, hovering at a level so that they were eye to eye with each other. "Hmm... did you throw a kunai at me once?" he asked, unsure if this was even the right question to be asked. Ninja tended to have a lot of kunai thrown at them in their lives, after all.

Flapping his wings and putting a bit more space between the two of them, Aimi frowned as he tall shinobi asked his question. "What, the kid down there? No, I just met him today, barged in on his trai-" He stopped, having turned his head and looked down towards the ground. From his vantage point, he could now see that there was another young shinobi below them - one with wings. Wings he recognized. "Oh hey, it's what's his face. Shinji? Shinjiro? Shinja? One of those," Aimi said, waving his hand dismissively. "The other kid with the genma inside of him. I know him, at least a little. We sparred once, I told him to try and kill me. Couldn't do it. He needs a bit more training," he mused, quickly assessing the situation down below. It looked as if the two of them were going to spar, which was fine really. Just so long as things didn't get too heated and they both survived. If need be, he knew that he could dive down and put an abrupt end to things.

"You don't have time to train young shinobi anymore? Tch, some shinobi you must be," Aimi said, turning his gaze upwards from the ground back towards his fellow flying ninja. "If you're not training yourself, you should take the time to push those beneath you to better themselves. That's how you make a stronger ninja out of them and out of you, how you make a stronger village. What use is a new weapon if it's dull, after all? You should come join us, remind yourself what training's like, stranger," Aimi advised before giving the man in black a little salute and folding his wings behind his back, dropping down from out of the misty sky and back to the ground towards the other two.

Landing on the ground not far from the two combatants, the jounin held up his hand. "Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait," he said rapidly. "If you two are gonna spar, you're gonna need a referee!" A simple statement, but true none the less. Reaching down, Aimi pulled his sword out from it's sheath and held it up above his head. Then he began to channel his chakra, sending the katon based chakra into the blade of his weapon and igniting it. Not stopping there, the jounin would pump even more of his chakra into the blade, turning the comparatively calm flames into wild, lashing fires that energetically danced and moved about on his weapon, sending wisps of flame up into the air to dissipate into nothingness.

Lowering the flaming sword down in front of him, pointing it directly between the two combatants, Aimi said, "Alright, now I'm gonna be keeping an eye on you two to make sure things don't get too intense," he said, pointing his gaze directly at Shinji as his spoke. "First one of you who tries to go for anything serious is gonna get burned. And believe me, this WILL burn," he said, swinging the blade upwards vertically then back down and swiping across the air in front of him horizontally. The fires reacted in kind, first jumping off of the blade as he swung it upwards and landing on the ground below where they would spread. The wild fire would similarly leap off of the blade and land on the ground behind him as he brought the sword down, and as it swung it horizontally a line of fire would leap out from the blade, sailing through the air towards the two combatants! Aimi had no doubt that they would be able to dodge the flames, though. Simply ducking underneath them would be enough. After all, he hadn't swung his arm with any intent to cause harm at all. It had been slow and deliberate, a demonstration of his ability to strike at them with fire from a distance. Nothing more. None the less, the doubtlessly avoided flames would fall to the ground and continue to burn, illuminating the mist and giving the two young combatants more light to fight by.

"Got it? Wundabar. Then begin when you're ready!" Aimi said, holding his flaming sword down at his side and letting the two young shinobi have at it!
Jutsu UsedShow
*Katon • Heated Blade
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By channeling katon chakra into a metal weapon or blade, the user will cause it to grow hotter and cover the blade in flames. The imbued weapon will be able to carve through defenses of 5 or less strength with ease.
Jutsu TrainedShow
Katon • Wildfire
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: *Katon • Heated Blade
After the user has set their blade aflame using the Katon • Heated Blade ninjutsu, the user again channels katon chakra; this time in the flames themselves, causing the flames to jump about on the weapon wildly at a Speed of 5, giving the flames 15 Strength. Afterwards, every strike of the user's blade will cause flames to jump and fly from the blade, spreading the fire about and causing environmental damage. The flames can leap out away from the sword equal to a distance of 1/2 the user's Strength and similarly moves at 1/2 the user's Strength.
400/400

User avatar
Zao
Posts: 4025
Joined: Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Zao » Mon Nov 26, 2018 9:43 am

"A kunai, yes I do believe that did happen." The old, scarred faced man couldn't help but let a smirk form upon his face at the mention of the kunai brought the shinobi back several years to the first time he'd met the Kaguya when the pair had been randomly assigned to a mission together. He'd truly looked down on the man at that time and perhaps he'd given the man a rather bad impression of himself as that had been just before he retired and was struggling with alcoholism amongst other things. But it would seem that both of the men had grown in different ways. "You were a special one..." Kasai remarked as the bone winged man spoke about him once sparring with the chuunin and body genma host as he spoke of him not being able to kill him which caused a slight chuckle to escape large man's mouth.

Reaching up with the gloved left hand, the finger tips stroked the bearded face as he thought about the statement, seeming to recall that Aimi was a rather difficult man to kill, didn't he have some form of healing or something. It had truly been far to long to recall the memories properly but he was able to remember something odd about the bone and sword using man who preferred to wear as little clothing as possible. Kasai didn't response aloud to the words of his fellow Kiri ninja, his time was truly to strapped at the moment to train anyone at the moment with all the changes happening with the village and the role that he'd just assumed which had yet to be announced to the entire village. That was coming soon within the next couple of days as the families attempted to reorganize and rebuild what had been destroyed as their upper echelon had taken a heavy blow and many young clansmen were being forced into leadership positions.

In truth the man didn't have the time to even hang around here but seeing the familiar face in Aimi he couldn't help but wish to hang around for at least a bit long, a simple nod was given in return to the brief salute before the man transitioned back to the ground where it would appear the two of the younger generation were exchanging some words. A light sigh seemed to escape the man as he shook his head, "This guy..." Normally he would have just left but instead something in him wanted to see just how strong the man had become now as he folded his arms over one another and used his control over his elemental body to descend down at a rather casual pace while still able to hear the words coming from the jounin's mouth at the two as flames danced upon one of his blades. 'Oh right, he did seem to enjoy using katon and his blades.' For the time being he didn't interrupt and instead allowed for himself to fully descend to the ground with no sound a few meters behind and to the left of the flame sword wielding man.

His golden eyes would observe the arch of flame that had spread out from the casual sword strike, seeming to be used more so to drive home a point than to actually force any type of defensive reaction from the pair who even as chuunin should have the skill and speed to avoid such an obvious horizontal strike of flames. A faint smirk drew up the right corner of the bearded man's lips now as then took a few steps forward until he would find himself standing side-by-side to the long haired man now with a few meters space left between. "Perhaps it is you who needs the sparring partner?" Though he didn't shift his gaze from the two chuunin the man's ghost like voice drifted over to Aimi now, jesting at him lightly as the chuunin were beginning their 'spar'.
CharactersShow
Active
Tsukino Hisato - Kiri Chuunin - Seven Swordsman Dagger

Saisuko Zao - Suna Bannin - Spirit Weapon Saint

Kyōhō Ken - The White Snake Sage - S Rank Assassin/Bounty Hunter

Aburame Hisato S-rank Mn / Inactive

Old CharactersShow
Inactive/Dead

Arashiyama Ning - Kumo Chuunin - Weilder of the Ghost Spear

Yami Kasai - Mizukage - The Black Reaper - DEAD

Genso - Elemental Crafting Shaman - A Rank Monk - Inactive

Aburame Akiro - Konoha Jounin - ANBU Member - Inactive

Hyōryū -- Suna S-Rank / Dead / Used as Inheritance.

Xi - Iwa Jounin / Inactive

Sato - A Rank, "The Cleaving Swordsman " / Inactive

Akujin - Konoha Genin, Art Ninjutsu Guy / Inactive

Toukai Touma - Kiri Genin / Inactive

Arashiyama, Toushi - Kumo Bannin / Dead

Hitachiai - Iwa Jounin / Inactive

Ji Ning - Iwa Genin / Inactive

Naegi, Chin - A-rank MN / Inactive







User avatar
Izanagi
Posts: 4019
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Izanagi » Sun Dec 09, 2018 8:40 pm

Shinji assessed the fellow Chunin before him as he spoke. Perhaps it really was nothing, just the whim of an elite Jounin giving some friendly tips to a lower-class shinobi but nonetheless Shinjiro’s competitive nature had been spurred forth. After the humiliating defeat at the hands of the man he could only assume was a Bannin, Shinjiro felt he needed to blow off some steam and display some of the dominance he was accustomed to. The green-eyed boy nodded in understanding as Mondai spoke of his family’s ancient form of combat. Ancestry and family was something the young Karagata valued greatly and so he respected the young man for his devotion. He too appreciated the bravery of the young man, even if he proved to be weak he had a strong spirit. He decided that he liked this guy, perhaps the spar would be fun after all. “My strength is my own, I don’t need to rely on Vorashu’s power” he stated confidently as the wings upon his back faded into him, seeming to be absorbed back into his body. “Don’t you dare hold back for even a moment, fight me with everything you have as if your life depends on it. That’s the only way I train” he declared, his voice dark and chilling as his aura seemed to shift. His eyes became stern and menacing. He had killed many individuals and sparred with the uppermost shinobi of various nations. Taking him lightly in any regard would be a grave insult that he might just kill someone for.

The assassin of the Karagata didn’t avert his gaze from his opponent even as Aimi landed nearby. The young shinobi was a true killer, a predator in the greatest sense and despite not intending to kill his opponent it would be very easy to mistake his aura for that of lethal malice. He felt the heat of the flames emanating from Aimi’s blade, as the first wave was sent into the air the light cast shadows over the forms of the two soon to be combatants. His instincts urged him to attack at the instant there was a potential distraction but given that Aimi appointed himself as a referee he would respect the man whom he revered nearly as much as his own father or his relative the legendary Karagata Shiv.

As Aimi set the conditions for the fight Shinjiro would acknowledge the man for the first time. “Understood” he stated simply. Truthfully burns no matter how severe were less of a deterrent than the simple act of disobeying Aimi’s instructions though it would put a hamper in his training for the next few weeks if he was injured severely. He doubted his sister would heal him given such a circumstance. Obedience was a crucial aspect of his upbringing and he had been punished many times for even the slightest transgressions against his father or elder siblings, both of which were Jounin. Naturally he slipped under the flames as they passed overhead, moving into a lower stance as he gauged his opponent. He was leaving himself open so that he could counter an obvious attack, a decent strategy of one was skilled and fighting a thug or a brute though Shinjiro was neither. He was an assassin and without a doubt the most skilled Chunin in the village when it came to Taijutsu. If he were serious his opponent would already be dead. As his opponent bowed Shinjiro’s hands would undergo a subtle change, his fingers shifting into sharp and pointed claws.

The moment Aimi said the word ‘begin’ Shinji would dart forward in a burst of speed (25) that he doubted Mondai would even be able to properly see let alone react to though he would be easy for the other two men to track. His right hand would lash out in a finger a four finger jab, stabbing into the shoulder of the arm that held a shield, the strike would be both powerful and precise, aimed to dislocate the shoulder and sever the muscle connecting it, effectively removing his opponents ability to use it. Almost simultaneously his left hand would strike the collarbone of the same side, similarly damaging him. Slipping around his opponent his claws would retract again as he struck with his bare fingertips to his opponent’s ribs with 20 strength, aiming to crack them and make breathing difficult before kicking out his opponent’s legs from behind and leaping backward 3 meters. From there he would shift his body sideways, limiting the exposed area of his body, keeping both his hands roughly centered with his palms open in a defensive stance. He had already displayed a taste of his offensive capabilities, holding back as much as possible while still delivering debilitating attacks and now it was time to take advantage of the rare opportunity to hone his defensive tactics, chanelling the mindset of a tortoise as he created a strong stance where he would be capable of warding off most attacks. A drastic difference from the style his opponent utilized.
Jutsu UsedShow
Claws of Fury
D-Ranked Partial Kaerujutsu
Focusing chakra into his hands Shinjiro is able to extend 3-inch long claws from his fingertips which are able to retract at will. These claws are quite sharp and sturdy, equivalent to that of a kunai.

*[Totem Style • Cobra's Strikes]
D-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
The user folds their hands over where the thumb and fingers make a cone-like point. Their defenses consist of dips and sways to dodge attacks. Their offenses are focused on pin point application of pressure using these points and lightning quick strikes.

*[Totem Style • Cobra's Bite]
C-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: *[Totem Style • Cobra's Strikes]
The user makes a string of rapid attacks aimed at the collarbone, throat, and shoulder. They focus more on speed than power, causing each attack to be slightly weak but still damaging and very draining. If the user has more strength than their opponent the collarbone will be broken, the shoulder severely bruised and difficult to move, and they will have trouble breathing.
Jutsu TrainedShow

825/400

*[Totem Style • Turtle's Shell]
D-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
Prerequisite: [Rigid Structure]
This stance is focused on resilient defenses at the sacrifice of nearly all offensive ability. The user holds their hands open and their body perpendicular to their target. They use their strongest points to absorb incoming damage, protecting their core. Often they will grab or redirect attacks to simulate them sliding off a turtle's shell.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

User avatar
Mre-face
Posts: 837
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Mre-face » Fri Dec 28, 2018 1:49 pm

Mondai did a slight bow of respect to Shinjiro as he choose to abandon the power of his genma. Mondai readied his stance and stood ready to counter before Aimi interrupted as he decied to stand as referee. Mondai dodged his wave of fire and then readied himself again. The second that Aimi said 'begin' Mondai saw how Shinjiro streaked towards him having no time to react. Mondai felt as two powefull strikes broke his shoulder and his collar while at the same time slicing these parts open. He then felt his ribs crack from the next attack and Mondai dropped towards the ground from the pain and the rapid attacks. His longsword rolling out his hand, After recovering from the assult after a short while Mondai reached for his sword then pushed himself back on his feet his shoulder ribs and collar in agony. Mondai could nearly not stand from the devestating attacks. A powerfull Shinobi Shinjiro was indeed. Mondai forced himself to stand straight. Which caused him to drop on his knees. With a bit of determination Mondai stood up straight again. Modani moved in to Alber again purley because of how easy it was to leave the arms resting there. He noticed that Shinjiro got into a defensive stance, Having little of his body exposed, with this knowledge Mondai knew that putting pressure was the best way to win against a defensive opponent. Mondai rushed forwards with a heavy upwards chop which transtioned into a horizontal slice, which then moved into a diagonal slice towards Shinjiro's neck. While all of these would most likely fail, since Shinjiro was much more skilled and a was ready for the attacks. Mondai still kept going with the fight. Since losing is a lot better then giving up.

Mondai's arms collapsed again and he had to focus on not straining his body to much. Mondai would then again, rush in for another round of attacks. Mondai charged against this time using his body a lot more then his arm. Once again he rushed in with a fury has his boyd ached in pain. Mondai threw his weight around this time aiming at Shinjiro's legs stomach and lastly head. Each being a horizontal slice to cause as much pain to Shinjiro as he did to Mondai. Eye for an eye. Aimi would likely think this was a once sided battle which quite frankly it was. But Mondai wasn't one to give up and also he needed to put up a damn fight. No way he was going to go down in one attack or so he hoped. He needed to show Aimi that he was as said no beginner. Mondai once again moved in with a 3 strong attacks. This time two on one side with the last one coming from the other. Mondai came in with two slices from the left and then the last one from the right. Another quick attack for someone who had important bones broken for swinging a sword. This however was Mondai's final attack as he dropped from the pain and the adrenaline could help him no more. With Mondai's final strike he turned towards Shinjiro but could not stand no longer. He dropped once again and his blade fell from his hands. Mondai ached on the floor and he was going to need medical attention. He wasn't going to lie to himself he has gotten his ass kicked as of late. From Chiane at the recruitment and now this. Everyone of them would probably be looking down on Mondai either literally or figuratively or both or neither neither if he was lucky. Eiher way he was down. And a clear winner would decided. That clear winner by TKO was Karagata Shjiniro.

623/600
Jutsus trainedShow
Yūgana fluidity.
C-Rank Maneuver Taijutsu
Prerequisite: Longsword or Sword and shield, 15 Taijutsu, A great wall and you will pay for it all.
After extensive use of his longsword and sword and shield, Mondai has learned to combine multiple cuts in to one fluid combo. This combo ranges from 3-5 hits and deal tons of damage if everything lands. The combo can also be used to confuses foes by doing the same combo multiple times and then switching it up mid-combo. It can also be used to pressure and keep the foes on the defensive by continuously slashing. When he does this with his shield he keeps his shield in front of his hands and angled in a way to keep his sides safe.
Last edited by Mre-face on Sun Dec 30, 2018 3:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
The Scorpion

Jinsoku,Enzaragi S-Rank MN: Iwa Setsuzoku
Companion
The Swordsman

Yūgana, Mondai B-Rank : Kiri Seven swordsman
Companion
The Angry

Shaolóng, Gōkariki A-Rank : Konoha

Companion

User avatar
Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Golnax » Sun Dec 30, 2018 9:10 am

"A sparring partner, huh?" Aimi asked, shifting his eyes to look over at the bearded almost-specter as he landed and spoke. No sooner had the words left his mouth, though, than his eyes were practically forced to turn back to the spar at hand, watching as the overzealous genma host rushed forward and full on assaulted his opponent with very much excessive force! The jounin had enough time to angrily scowl at the scene before him and blow hot air out of his nose with such force that it displaced the mist in front of him before Shinji leaped back and assumed his defensive pose. "Gottverdammt, Shinji!" the Kaguya said, turning and shooting a glare at the overly enthusiastic Karagata. He lifted up his flaming blade and pointed it directly, almost threateningly, the flames leaping off of the tip and up into the air where they died shortly after. "What did I JUST tell you, hm? 'Understood' my ass! That was not me you were fighting!" he scolded, swiping his blade down to the ground and swinging fire in a line behind him.

Most impressive, however, was Mondai who, despite having suffered such a series of devastating blows willed his body back into a standing position. The sound of grunts, pain and the shuffling of struggling feet drew the Kaguya's attention away from the genma host and to the other ninja who he had only just met today. Impressed was perhaps the wrong word on top of putting the feeling that the Kaguya felt lightly. What he felt, seeing that young swordsman picking himself back up and preparing to fight beyond the pain of his wounds, was admiration, and a great pity. It was admirable that he was pushing himself to fight what was obviously a superior opponent despite having no chance of winning at this point. It was admirable that he was able to push himself through the pain to do so. Aimi pitied him all the same, because he knew why he stood back up to fight. The village had no use for dull blades, after all. He needed to prove himself a sharp, usable blade to the two older, more experienced shinobi present. The display oddly enough reminded him of his chunin exam all those years ago, when he had gone beyond what was necessary or required in order to prove his merit to the village. He looked on with a stony face, knowing what was going through the young ninja's head and secretly hating that it was passing through his mind in the first place.

As Mondai rushed forward, so too did Aimi. In a flash he positioned himself between Shinji and Mondai, leaving the cloaked onlooker alone for the time being as he moved to intervene. Before the wounded chunin made his attacks, Aimi turned to shoot a threatening glare at Shinji, holding his left hand up palm first towards the genma host, a clear indication that he should do nothing but stand and watch, a clear threat that if he tried to do anything more he would make good on his promise to burn the host. Aimi turned his head back towards the younger swordsman as he came rushing forward with what strength he had left, lifting up his flaming sword and preparing to keep his word and end this before it began.

As Mondai swung his sword, Aimi moved his to block. His strength was measured and calculated, making sure that every strike that the wounded Mondai made was met with equal force so as to deflect his blade while using as minimal effort as possible. He kept his left hand held up and pointed at Shinji as he did this, his right wrist twisting and turning to meet each swing of the blade as it was made, or else his arm moving in an entirely different direction in order to keep up with and block all of the attacks that were being made - which were quite the impressive number, frankly. Aimi saw where Shinji had placed his blows. He knew what sort of damage he could have caused to Mondai. That he was pushing himself through all of that damage truly was admirable. His will could not be questioned.

Yet, as he had said before, the boy still needed work. Fierce through his assault was, and quite desperate at that, it was short lived. Every strike of his blade was met with a flaming block from the Kaguya, flames jumping off of his sword and landing harmlessly on the ground around him in a dense semi circle of sparks and embers that burned dully on the ground below, forming a practically visible barrier between Mondai, him and Shinji. As the final three slashes came, two from the left and one from the right, Aimi could practically see the light leaving his eyes as he pushed himself past the point of exertion and into the realm of physical limitation. The final strike to the right was met with an exceptionally powerful block from the Kaguya, his sword arm swung wide so as to disarm Mondai with a final burst of flame from his sword that sent the chunin's weapon of choice pinwheeling from out of his hand across the court yard as he first fell to his knees then fell forward. Aimi slowly brought his sword down to his side once more. Though he might have had his eyes pointed down to the ground at the young ninja, he did not look down upon him.

With the spar officially concluded, Aimi balled his left fist and turned his cold blue eyes back to Shinjiro. He channeled katon chakra into his fist, the ball of lethal bones in his hand glowing blue as he rotated his hand around and brought his thumb and middle finger up, the formation of a snap. "I should burn you where you stand. It would be easy, like setting a match to a piece of paper!" he growled, flipping his longsword around in his hand and thrusting the burning blade down into the ground, leaving it to smolder as he pointed down to the passed out chunin at his feet. "There is a time to go all out against an opponent, and a time to show restraint! THIS was one of those times! This was not an enemy you faced but a sparring partner, who bowed respectfully and expected to learn and grow from you - from you - so that he could better serve the village! It might come to you as a surprise, but you'll find that this village is very hard to serve if you are the only shinobi left in it, Shinjiro!"

Aimi flexed his fingers, his thumb and middle finger turning white from the pressure he was placing on them. He was so close to snapping, literally and figuratively, so close to holding true to his promise and end this in fire. Instead he scoffed and swiped his left hand through the air, releasing the chakra in his fist and letting it return to it's normal coloration. The Kaguya turned back to the other flying ninja present. "Our spar will have to wait. Can you get him to the hospital quickly?" he asked, hoping that the answer was yes so that he might stay behind and potentially beat some manners into the genma host, or at the very least teach him a valuable lesson in the merits of showing restraint.

Jutsu TrainedShow
Mugen • Infinite Strike
B-Ranked Kenjutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: 35 Instinct
Despite the name of this technique, Mugen • Infinite Strike is a defensive taijutsu that is meant to block many, many strikes made against the user. To use this technique, the user must stand firmly in place with their sword raised. Then, using as little movement and thus as little energy as possible, the user will block a number of oncoming attacks equal to their Taijutsu in number, matching the blows Strength with the user’s own in rapid succession in order to deflect any oncoming attacks. This technique fails if the user’s Strength is less than that of the Strength of the technique being blocked. Should the user move from the spot on which they stand, the technique ends. This Maneuver can be used to block certain ninjutsu attacks within reason.
400/400

User avatar
Zao
Posts: 4025
Joined: Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Zao » Sun Dec 30, 2018 3:11 pm

“Kids these days…” As the Kaguya sprang into action after the spar had only just began, the arrogant host seeming to not know the meaning of a spar but this was something that the old man couldn’t help but smile about, he almost approved of it. The actions causing a slight smirk to grow on the bearded Reaper’s face now as he would simply observe and didn’t feel bothered to intervene himself. A set of golden eyes watched on quietly at his point, simply observing as the man intervened followed by the short exchange that he had with the other boy who seemed to hold some talent with the sword now.

‘Not too bad, perhaps he could be made a dagger in the future with some work.’ Nodding to himself as the Black Reaper thought to himself that Mondai had some skill and most of all a never quite type of personality to could be used to forge a strong sword in the future. The bout between the two was brief but one with some skill was able to tell that the muscular man was able to perfectly control his body movements and strength exertion to exactly match the force of each incoming blow. By the end the flames from the man’s word seemed to have scattered into a barrier between the two of them and Shinji.

A muffled chuckle quietly slipped through the aged man’s lips as he watched the jounin scolding the young genma host at the moment, seeming to have some form of personal relationship. He was actually interested to see if this fearsome swordsman was truly able to follow through on these words and punish the chuunin. But for the old man the village he grew up in was one were the strong conquered the weak in order to rise to the top. Yet, even the village needed to adept to the changing world, perhaps an old monster like himself needed to do the same.

“Perhaps another time…” As those words slipped through the air in the whisper like tone of voice the old man seemed to take a simple step forward before arriving at the injured Mondai’s side as he stood looking down on the unconscious shinobi. Letting out a sigh the notion of having to take another to the hospital he only glanced back over to the young man. “…we’ll have to catch up later…” With a casual movement of his hand wind twisted around the boy pushing back the mist and the limb body floated up from the ground as a soft blue glow enveloped the man as well. Both of them then flashed away into the sky, flying off towards the hospital in the village.

(Exit)
CharactersShow
Active
Tsukino Hisato - Kiri Chuunin - Seven Swordsman Dagger

Saisuko Zao - Suna Bannin - Spirit Weapon Saint

Kyōhō Ken - The White Snake Sage - S Rank Assassin/Bounty Hunter

Aburame Hisato S-rank Mn / Inactive

Old CharactersShow
Inactive/Dead

Arashiyama Ning - Kumo Chuunin - Weilder of the Ghost Spear

Yami Kasai - Mizukage - The Black Reaper - DEAD

Genso - Elemental Crafting Shaman - A Rank Monk - Inactive

Aburame Akiro - Konoha Jounin - ANBU Member - Inactive

Hyōryū -- Suna S-Rank / Dead / Used as Inheritance.

Xi - Iwa Jounin / Inactive

Sato - A Rank, "The Cleaving Swordsman " / Inactive

Akujin - Konoha Genin, Art Ninjutsu Guy / Inactive

Toukai Touma - Kiri Genin / Inactive

Arashiyama, Toushi - Kumo Bannin / Dead

Hitachiai - Iwa Jounin / Inactive

Ji Ning - Iwa Genin / Inactive

Naegi, Chin - A-rank MN / Inactive







User avatar
Izanagi
Posts: 4019
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Izanagi » Sun Dec 30, 2018 8:59 pm

Shinjiro gave a subtle, predatory smirk as Mondai struggled back to his feet, “Oh? Not bad” he commented, surprised but also impressed that he still had the will to fight. He may have been weak but his determination alone was enough to earn his respect. As the fellow Chunin and Dagger of the Seven swordsmen made his aggressive approach, Shinjiro’s smirk shifted into a full smile. His eyes lit up and it seemed for a moment that he was actually enjoying himself and this opportunity to practice some defensive taijutsu now. The boy had already sustained enough injury, he could see that it would only be a matter of time before he collapsed and he was curious how many strikes he could muster before doing so. ‘Maybe five?’ he pondered to himself.

Though no sooner had his enjoyment began before Aimi rudely intervened, scolding the young Jinchuriki and stealing the spotlight for himself as he tested Mondai’s resolve. Shinjiro was genuinely perplexed by the man’s comments and he felt rather cheated to not be able to meet Mondai’s defiant strikes himself. It felt dishonorable to the young swordsman to not allow him the chance to retaliate and prove his worth. Still, the respect Shinjiro held for Aimi was immense and so he bowed his head and took several steps backward. He was well accustomed to being scolded by his father though for the opposite reasons, he was taught never to show hesitation nor to underestimate an opponent, always striking quickly and debilitating where killing was not an option. Anything less and he would be beaten severely though such a thing was done almost daily as a form of training regardless so after a while the physical pain was less of a deterrent than the feeling of disappointment. In recent years however Shinjiro had risen to become the favored child of his father, an exemplary shinobi that made the Karagata name proud, able to press the pace even against his two surviving siblings, both of whom were Jounin and several years his elder. There were reasons why the boy had not sparred against anyone lower than Jounin rank since back when he was a Genin and it seemed he truly did not know his own strength compared to his peers. In his mind he had held back as much as he could, forgoing his kenjutsu, Kaerujutsu and not even wielding a kunai, electing to fight barehanded against a sword wielder. Perhaps he should have not used his arms at all but that would simply require him to become even more vicious in order to compensate and the result would have been equally swift and decisive.

Still Shinjiro would swallow his pride, “I apologize Aimi-Sama…Sensei” he dared, uttering the word with trepidation. There were few people Shinjiro truly respected or cared for and Aimi was one whom had quickly become a man whom Shinjiro sought the approval of. He was a great inspiration to him, a pioneer in the art of Iaido and someone that he was completely unable to kill, a feat that few Jounin even could be credited for. He would lower his guard, placing his hands in his pockets as Aimi gave the signal to wait. The young assassin would circle casually, paying no mind to the flames as the danced around him and landed at his feet. He cared only to get a better vantage point as his predatory eyes took in every movement, counting the strikes by Mondai and assessing the damage and his will to fight through what he knew first hand to be excruciating pain, for every injury he had inflicted on Mondai he had experienced himself tenfold. He doubted there was more than a few dozen shinobi in the entire village that had suffered as wide a variety of injuries as he had. “Nine” he uttered softly, as Mondai’s sword was flung overhead, clattering against the ground some distance behind him. Shinjiro would bow to his opponent as he collapsed in a pool of his own blood. He had exceeded his expectations of him. ‘Well fought’ he thought to himself, such a sentiment spurring the scorn of Vorashu once more. ‘You praise that pitiful welp? The weak exist only to feed the strong, pay him no mind. Allow his blood to soak the earth and his flesh to become fuel for a stronger beast than he’ the old shaman suggested, his voice haunting and all encompassing.

To this Shinjiro had no time to respond as his attention was instead drawn to Aimi’s imposing aura. There was a stabbing feeling, easily mistaken for a sense of fear as the man addressed him, however it would be more accurate to say that what Shinjiro felt was a sharp, piercing sensation of shame for spurring Aimi’s scorn. The boy looked to the ground for a moment but made no motion to defend himself. “If that is your will” he stated flatly, accepting of any punishment the man wished to inflict. He knew better than to talk back to a superior or argue any kind of justification. All it did was make one appear weak and desperate. He had already been judged and his fate was in Aimi’s hands, as a weapon of Kirigakure he was not so arrogant as to think he had any true say on matters concerning his life. At the suggestion that he had gone all out on his opponent the boy’s head lifted, eyes burning with defiance. He could accept punishment but he would not stand to have his abilities insulted, for that was an insult not only to him but his family that trained him. “With all due respect Aimi-sama, I held back considerably and I imagine Mondai will learn a valuable lesson in discovering the shortcomings of his kenjutsu. The greatest dishonor would be to fool him into thinking he is strong and to have him disgrace Kirigakure in battle” he responded in an even tone. He truly did not intend to be disrespectful in any sense though it seemed Aimi’s ideology was far softer than he would have imagined of someone whom had become one of Kirigakure’s most deadly shinobi. He noted the mannerisms of the more imposing spectator, coming to the conclusion that he shared a mindset more similar to his own. Perhaps Shinjiro would be fortunate enough to encounter the man again, it was a shame he hadn’t got his name though it seemed like Aimi was at least acquainted with him.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

User avatar
Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Golnax » Thu Jan 03, 2019 10:44 am

As the injured Mondai and the mysterious flying shinobi departed, Aimi turned back towards Shinji as he began to speak. He was a bit surprised to see that the young shinobi had adopted a fairly submissive posture, head lowered, only raised when he spoke up in defiance, a few steps having been taken backwards almost as if to be out of Aimi's immediate reach. He reminded the jounin of a whipped dog who had come to learn and expect to be beaten with a switch whenever it barked. His words of choice, however, had a tonal problem. What they actually were and how he said them didn't match. There was obvious pride and defiance in what he said despite the monotone nature of his voice, which had shifted from the quiet, trepidation tone that he'd used when addressing him as 'sensei' and apologizing. Much more offensive than this, though, was the blatant ignorance that was put on display by the genma host.

"You held back? You think Mondai will learn a lesson? You think your actions honorable?" Aimi echoed, his body beginning to glow a faint blue as he channeled chakra throughout his body, his entire being from head to toe shining with a faint light in the mist. Aimi began to walk towards Shinji, slowly, purposefully, his every step measured in time with his words so that he could say all that he had to say in the short time he had to say it. "Do you think me blind and ignorant? I recognize neighboring puncture wounds when I see them, I know the muscle group that you targeted. Were it not for the fact that we are in the village and there are medical ninja relatively close by, Mondai could have lost the use of his arm for the rest of his life! You would have crippled him with your first attack alone, let alone the other two you made!" Aimi said, finishing his sentence by getting directly within the chunin's face, nary an inch of space put between the two of them. Here he stood, looking directly into Shinji's eyes as he continued to lecture him.

"Let me impart on you a bit of wisdom, for the next time you decide to go about deciding who is strong and who is not. That moto that they teach at the academy, that lesson of 'the strong overpowering the weak' is a falsehood, it's a fallacy. The truth is that more often than not, the quick defeat the strong, and more often than that the smart defeat the quick. To say someone is 'strong' or 'weak' is far too simplistic. What truly matters are two things: power and potential power," he said, his body continuing to glow as he built up his chakra, preparing a display of his own power as he continued to speak. "What have you been taught, hm? That the currently weak deserve death, despite the fact that those you perceive as 'weak' could merely be inexperienced or under trained? You're ignoring the forest for the trees! Use your eyes, boy! Mondai had barely grasped how to hold that long sword, let alone how to use it to defend himself against a superior foe like yourself! Are you so untrained that you couldn't see that? Are you!?"

He yelled and his shoulders raised, and despite the two of them being almost the same height Aimi seemed to tower over Shinji as he spoke, the Kaguya enforcing his presence on the genma host with an oppressive, dangerous air. "Let's be logical about this mindset you seem to hold, and reverse the positions. What about you, Shinji? What about me? I am stronger, faster, and smarter than you are. Do you deserve to be snuffed out right here, right now, before you've had a chance to reach your full potential!? Would that be fair and just to you, Hm?" More and more his chakra built up, and as it swelled he began to get to the point of his angry rant. "Mondai was not an enemy, he was a fellow weapon, just like you, just like me. If a weapon is dull and unused, do you discard it? The answer is no, you sharpen it, you hone it, you figure out how to best utilize it. You can't do that if you break the weapon in half and throw it away! Your actions show a serious lack of insight on how this village is meant to function, and you're supposed to be one of it's most powerful weapons! If I saw fit to I could bisect you a dozen ways and there would be nothing you could do to stop me! And why shouldn't I? I'm stronger, faster and smarter than you, remember? You're an inferior weapon, by your own standards. I don't, though, because to do so would be a tremendous waste of your potential power."

"Let me give you a glimpse of the difference between your current power and my own," Aimi said, taking a step back from Shinji and getting out of his face, right as his build up of chakra reached it's apex. In a bursting release, a pulse of chakra that reached out to twenty-five meters in all direction so intense, so sudden and violent that it seemed to distort the very air and the visibility of the chunnin, Shinji would experience just what a massive difference in power the two of them currently had. The entire weight of Aimi's presence, usually masked by careful control of his chakra and physical being, the brunt, blunt force of the sheer amount of chakra he had at his disposal that, for an instant, could be felt, would be crippling to some, devastating to most and to Shinji, doubtless a wake up call to how far he had yet to go. Aimi wouldn't have been surprised if the sensation of pressure caused him to fall to his knees or even crumple over into a heap from the sudden impact of his chakra. When using a less concentrated, weaker version of this technique in the past, others had shown similar reactions after all.

Regardless of how Shinjiro would react, Aimi would fold his arms behind his back and look down at the chunin. The momentary burst of his chakra faded in an instant but it's effects would doubtless be longer lasting. The impression that Shinjiro had of him, however, would likely be permanently changed. Aimi's shadow seemed to loom over the younger genma host and when he spoke again, his tone was much quieter, much more even than it had been before. "What you felt? What you just experienced?" he asked, leaning his head forward, narrowing his eyes, and whispering what came next. "Even then I was holding back."

Jutsu TrainedShow
[Ninjutsu • Pressure]
S-Ranked Ninjutsu
The user performs the hand seals or channels and exudes chakra from their being, pushing it out from themselves to create a field of pressure within a 25 meter radius. Those within this area of effect will suffer a 10 Strength Debuff for 1 post.
1,132/1,480

User avatar
Izanagi
Posts: 4019
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Izanagi » Thu Jan 03, 2019 6:18 pm

Shinjiro’s eyes narrowed as Aimi repeated his words back to him, evidently unconvinced. As the Kaguya began to glow with chakra Shinji felt a feeling of defiance grow within him. He was respectful of rank and chain of command to a notable degree but more than that it was power and the spirit of a warrior that he respected. That is what had drawn him to Aimi in the first place and for that he was willing to show far more patience and subservient behavior than he would show most. But that could only go so far. He knew that he stood no chance in a fight against the man should he attack. There was a time where he might do all that he could no avoid a fight that he could not win however something had changed, now he craved the challenge. His natural response to any sort of intimidation or show of power was to fight, not only to prove his own strength and fight for dominance but to learn even in his defeat.

His heart pounded in his chest and his muscles tensed for a moment as he felt a primal anger welling within him. This inner wrath spurred on by the Genma within him was a constant battle within his mind. Something he actively fought to suppress in favor of his training as an assassin. ‘Calm, dutiful, in control’ he reminded himself, exhaling slowly as his body relaxed and his heart began to slow. Part of him wanted to lash out still, to attempt to force Aimi back out of his personal space, to yell at the man how much of a disgusting hypocrite he was. He could feel that was what Vorashu would encourage, though he couldn’t let the man get under his skin, it would lend to much power for the Genma’s influence to take over. He could feel the spirits wrath as if it was clawing out of his skin and yet he focused hard to suppress it. His father, Karagata Izune would want him to handle the situation calmly and with dignity, showing respect to his superior even if he disagreed with him. In time Shinjiro would become a Jounin and then he could speak his mind, have his own opinion. “You’re right. Such strikes very well could have ruined his arm.” He answered, there was a defiant, almost angry look in his eyes and now a notable bite had seeped into his tone even as he fought to bite his tongue and keep his voice even and respectful.

Hands still in his pockets Shinjiro’s fingers grew claws once more, beginning to dig into his own thighs and causing blood to seep into his black pants and trail down his legs. This was done on a completely subconscious level and in fact he hadn’t even noticed the pain though it was all he could do to help keep his mind calm. Speaking against the village practices now, all he had been taught of climbing to the height of one’s potential, clawing tooth and nail above other to reach that point seemed to be disrespected by this man however as he listened he could make out some sense in the words. It seemed that Aimi had mistaken his meaning for something it was not. Of course Shinji factored in speed, technique and tactics when claiming someone was strong or weak. As an assassin first and foremost he knew intimately well the value of such things. Even genjutsu and ninjutsu users were respected greatly by the young Karagata so long as in the end they were effective and could use their skills to defeat their opponents and serve the village. To be talked down to in such a way over a simple preference in word choice was infuriating. “You’re wrong about me Aimi-Sama. You assume far too much.” He seemed to growl, his mouth tense and eyes unwavering. “You can see as well as I that his potential is limited. He will never reach the same calibre as you or even my current state. Despite that I see his value, he has grit and determination and that is worth my respect. I do not kill others simply for being weak, I kill when ordered to. And I kill when I have been gravely disrespected or if someone is foolish enough to ignore my warnings.” He said at last after enduring the yelling of the Jounin. “What about you Aimi-Sama? You have the gall to lecture me but you’re a damn hypocrite! I heard about the massacre at the Bloodriver a couple months back. How many dozens of fellow weapons did you discard then? Alongside my cousin, Karagata ‘Runar’” his words were spat like venom. His respect for the man was beginning to evaporate as quickly as it had been earned back when he had first watched him spar in the previous years Fur Country Festival.

Aimi’s chakra grew to staggering levels, it shook through Shinji’s body to such an extent that he felt strained to even breathe and his strength seemed to diminish greatly, the presence was so overwhelming that it felt as if it might force him to his knees, however the boy would not allow himself to be submissive in Aimi’s presence, not again, not until he could hear how he could justify such a slaughter while condemning Shinjiro for potentially rendering a single limb unusable. His own chakra surged forth, green and ancient, that of the Kategenma to be precise as it formed around him, his hood pushed back as his hair grew longer and intertwined into braids. An armor, black like obsidian though in truth that derived from a turtle’s shell encased his torso and he felt his own Strength and Stamina increase greatly. He still felt tremendously small compared to Aimi’s presence, the waves of blue chakra crashing against his green aura like that of a Tsunami relentlessly pounding a stubborn boulder standing alone away from the shore and refusing to be moved. Shinjiro was far too angry to be scared, he knew the overwhelming power Aimi possessed and the more he was reminded of the difference the more driven he felt to bridge that gap. “I know damn well how powerful you are. I’m under no illusion that I can beat you, not even close but I do become stronger with every fight. The day WILL come where you see me as your equal and I will get there with or without your help” he declared, finally telling Aimi exactly what he thought of him. He no longer cared that the man outranked him, he wasn’t going to allow himself to be pushed around or talked down to from someone who didn’t even live by the code they preached.
Jutsu UsedShow

Form 1

Armored
C-Ranked Partial Kaerujutsu
This transformation allows Shinjiro to manifest a black turtle-like shell around his torso, protecting his stomach, chest, back and even his shoulders and part of his neck. This shell acts much like a suit of armor although it is physically a part of him, bonding with his skin. He can even retract his limbs and head into the fleshy space inside the shell. The strength of the shell is equal to that of Shinjiro’s Strength+Stamina/2. This partial transformation grants him +6 Strength, + 5 Stamina, -3 Speed, -2 Instinct.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

User avatar
Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Golnax » Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:43 am

The urge to strike Shinjiro across the cheek as he talked back to him was strong, very strong, within Aimi. It wasn't the tone that made his anger prickle and his hands ball into fists but the exact phrase 'his potential is limited'. It showed a very distinct lack of wisdom within the genma host that infuriated him, not because he lacked the wisdom in the first place, no, but because he had once also lacked such wisdom and the knowledge was shameful to him to the point of anger. There'd been a time, not even a decade back, when he was exceeding his peers and being compared to jounin rather than other chunin that he felt that those around him simply did not have the potential that he had and more would never have it. Over time he'd learned better, though, and his experiences with the likes of Nishiki proved that the young, the currently weak, had all of the potential in the world. They needed only proper guidance and time to foster that potential and grow. For Shinjiro to dismiss Mondai after a single encounter as not having the same potential as either of them was simply infuriating, because it was logic that he'd used years ago.

Still he restrained himself from lashing out, and even still as his hypocrisy was pointed out to him the Kaguya was metaphorically met with a wall to overcome. He released his chakra and it was obvious that the young swordsman was rattled by it, as was expected, but as his green chakra leaked out of him and his physical form changed he managed to withstand it and stay on his feet despite being rattled. Aimi, all the while, took a step backwards and the expression on his face changed, softened even. The mention of the name 'Runar' brought him back to that night in the bar, the bar he hadn't returned to since, and all of the blood he'd spilled. At the time, he'd enjoyed it. Given in to his base, ingrained need for violence and displayed to the vagrants at large that he was in fact a shinobi of the village who could and would kill at a moment's notice, should it please him. He was not ashamed of his actions that night, but he was ashamed of being called out for being a hypocrite. He'd honestly forgotten the event in the time since it had happened, but now that he recalled he realized that Shinjiro was right about that much, at least. He hadn't consistently practiced what he preached.

That didn't change the fact, though, that Shinjiro had pulled out the power of his trapped beast in order to stay standing against Aimi's will. This was dangerous, he knew, and he once again began to glow a faint blue as he built up his chakra. "I'm not a perfect man," Aimi said calmly after taking a deep, chest-raising breath and letting it out slowly through his nose, taking the moment to calm down and reign his voice back into check. "I've never claimed to be. I was born and raised in this village, like you, and I was trained to show no mercy at any time. But as I've grown older, as I've grown more powerful, as the gap between me and my peers grows ever wider, I find myself reevaluating the teachings of the village and seeing fallacies in them," he said, answering honesty as Shinjiro had done to him, though his tone was much less high and mighty now. He felt the need to explain himself.

"Your story is incomplete, though. There weren't dozens that I killed that night, if I recall correctly it was only 6 in total. Possibly less. Your cousin, Runar, was not one of them however. Quite the opposite. He nearly killed me," he confessed, not ashamed to admit that he'd been beaten and recalling the pain in his back as a phantom ache as he continued to well up his chakra. "I don't remember what happened exactly or why I started to lash out, but understand this: I am a shinobi of Kirigakure. I am trained to kill, to be violent, and despite trying rigorously to prevent such compulsions, occasionally nights like a few months ago happen. They just do. I can't help it," he said, having no more of a defense than that to explain himself. He almost sounded meek as he explained, purposefully avoiding details and hoping not to go into them. He felt that it was enough to say that he had not killed Runar that night, and that the casualties were below a dozen.

Still he channeled his chakra and as he once more brought it to it's peak, the tempered Kaguya released it in a staggering burst, one that would find Shinji just as if not slightly more affected than the previous blast, at least for a moment. Aimi had observed in the past how the effects of this release in chakra were only temporary and short lived. The almost static feeling in the air ended immediately after his chakra was released. The feeling of physical weakness passed moments after. Even as he'd been building up his chakra, Shinjiro would have had time to recover from the previous wave only to be struck by this aftershock. Regardless of how it affected the young genma host the second time around, though, Aimi would step forward, his footsteps light and air, once against getting within touching distance of the young, challenging chunnin and simply staring at him for a few moments, obvious conflict on his face.

In the end, he reached out and placed the palm of his hand gently against Shinjiro's face, almost caressing his cheek as he looked into his eyes. "I like you, Shinji. You have my respect, and whether you believe it or not I see you as my equal. Not in might, no, not in experience, but in potential. Perhaps you're too young, too inexperienced to understand just yet, but... all people have great potential in them. It's simply a matter of honing and tempering that potential to greatness. Natural talent, such as what you possess, unwavering grit, such as Mondai's. Pure force of will, such as what I possess. It's all the same," he said, taking his hand away from Shinjiro's cheek and taking another step back away from him.

"I recognize your accusation and accept responsibility for it. Yes, I ended those ninja's life - and it was a waste. I was angry, beyond angry, and I made some stupid decisions in the name of that anger. Stupid decisions that I don't want you, or anyone else, to make. I want you to learn from me and my mistakes, to become better than I was at your age sooner. You say that you become stronger with each fight? So do I. Every day, I grow in power and I see no ceiling in sight. The day may come when you no longer need me to teach you, but for now, while you still do - learn from the example I'm trying to set. Don't be wasteful. Don't be what they try to make you be."

Who this mystical 'they' was, Aimi left unsaid. He assumed that it would be self evident that he was talking about the village, the system of ninjas, the houses that owned them, the culture of might makes right and the weak should perish instead of being fostered into something stronger. He dared not speak it aloud, in case someone was listening to him from afar that he wasn't aware of. Instead, he bowed his head, his long locks falling forward in front of his face. "I apologize for yelling. I simply don't want you to fall to the same levels that I have in the past, when you, and I, and Mondai, all have the potential to be so much more."


1480/1480

User avatar
Izanagi
Posts: 4019
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Izanagi » Fri Jan 04, 2019 7:29 pm

As the waves of raw chakra dispersed, Shinjiro exhaled slowly, finding the he could breathe easy, his strength returning quickly. The Karagata stood a little straighter, continuing to look the man straight in the eyes even as he noted Aimi begin to flow chakra through his body once more. Still Shinji would not back down nor escalate the situation. He wanted to hear what the man had to say for himself. He had to know what kind of person he truly was and if he was still a man worth admiring. He noted that like him, Aimi seemed to be a man who was quick to anger, to seek the opportunity to show off one’s power and let off steam. He did not fault him for that, not at all. He only wished not to be chastised for the same tendencies that he saw in Aimi, personality traits that made the man relatable in fact. After all, as much as Shinjiro craved power what he wanted more than anything, though refused to admit to anyone was understanding and friendship. It seemed that anytime he dared to care about someone they were ripped away from him. For someone so young Shinjiro had suffered greatly, experiencing so much death, loss and loneliness.

The candidness of Aimi’s approach now, talking to Shinji rather than down to him was refreshing. The young Karagata would listen intently, taking the words to heart. He thought hard on the perspective of the more experienced man. He had never thought he would hear a Jounin take issue with the policies of Kirigakure. There had been others that had attempted to open his eyes to other ways of life, two individuals of a similar age that he had grown to consider as friends. His cousin Karagata Yuuto, son of the Legendary Bannin Shiv and another, a shinobi of Sunagakure, Zekka. There was a part of him that wanted to follow individuals who could see the word with so much light and optimism, to understand their views or even to glimpse it for a moment. However he wasn’t sure he could ever live such a life. His destiny, his path had been decided since infancy. He had sacrificed so much, dedicated everything to the village. There was no path for him but one that continued to serve loyally and without question. And yet still, there was conflict in his eyes, pain even as he thought on these influences. He thought on the two younger siblings he had bonded strongly with only to have them both die before the age of 12, mere children sacrificed and discarded and expected to be forgotten about as the world moved on and only the strong were allowed to be remembered.

For a moment Shinjiro’s eyes began to water and for that brief instance one might be reminded of the boy that he was, only barely 15 years old and yet he had been killing since he was 10 and seen death for the first time at the age of 9 when his 6 year old half-sister was killed within his own household as a part of the brutal ‘training’ regiment his family all endured throughout their upbringing. After all the trauma he had experienced how could he possibly care about the lives of others? So it was that he couldn’t have cared less how many people Aimi killed in his spare time and no amount of suffering would soften his heart, or so he thought. He understood completely Aimi’s sentiment of fighting against a dual nature for that was his life constantly. Killing gave him purpose. At times it acted as a soothing calm and others it allowed him to feel excitement, to feel free of restraints. The boy nodded, his understanding went beyond words. He could relate to Aimi with his whole being and he was sure the man would be able to see that and feel it for himself.

There was a comfort in knowing there were others that fought to supress their killing urges and that there was no shame in utilizing the skills they had been taught. Only the balance of when to use such talents and when to find other ways of dealing with a situation. In this moment, Shinjiro had in fact forgotten about the chakra Aimi had been building up and so the second imposing wave actually caught him off guard, causing him to take a half step back and bend his knees notably, though not quite dropping the knee to the ground. He gritted his teeth once again, irritated and in awe of the power the man before him possessed. Before he could bring himself back to his full posture however the man had approached closely. As Aimi’s hand touched his face and the words were spoken Shinji felt his heart flutter and a feeling of warmth spread through his chest. Just that simple acknowledgement and affectionate touch stirred something within Shinjiro that he hadn’t been aware existed. It was as if he had lived his entire life in a frozen wasteland and was feeling the sun for the first time.

Slowly standing to his full height once more, the young assassin would speak softly, “Thank you..Aimi-Sama” there was a warmth in the boy’s eyes now, an admiration that had grown far stronger than ever before. The man’s words meant more than he could possibly know. It was still difficult for him to accept, that everyone had potential for greatness. There was a deep anger in him at that notion. For all the children he had seen suffer and sacrificed. Half-siblings every one of them that his father had treated like his own personal army, reproducing with women all across the village, typically one’s of lower station whom could be bought or taken by force and then taking in the children of such consummation when they reached an age of between 3 and 5. If after a few years they hadn’t shown signs of strength and bravery they were discarded, sent back to their mothers often traumatized to die in the streets. Only Shinjiro and two of his older siblings currently remained, the best of well over a dozen candidates. There was a weight in his chest, carrying such a burden all his life. Even by Kirigakure standards his father was extreme. There was a reason they lived secluded from others, training only amongst themselves and with the household slaves whom were talented fighters of their own accord. “You don’t know my life...what I’ve seen and experienced. The weak, those who dare to feel, to show compassion or seek a different life. They always die. One way or another they always die.” He responded, emotion creeping into his voice as his eyes began to water once more and he had to fight back tears. It was so much easier not to care, to simply kill anyone that stood in his way and continue his climb to greatness. Why should he consider anybody else? There would always be others to replace those who fell at a young age, there always was.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

User avatar
Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Golnax » Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:10 pm

Yet again Shinjiro displayed his lack of wisdom with his response, tears welling up in his eyes and the plain as day expression of holding them back easy for the Kaguya to read. He let out a sigh, unable to not feel annoyed at the boy's ignorance, at his own self pity, at him using his self pity as an excuse to not hold back against someone who was clearly weaker than he was and wanting nothing more than a spar to test his own skills. Aimi was not Shinjiro's teacher, not really. He, like many other younger shinobi around him, had simply encountered the Kaguya and he'd decided to teach him a thing or two. Such was Aimi's way that he was a teacher to all and to none. Here, now though, he knew a hard lesson needed to be drilled into the genma hosts' mind - one that he should never forget. To make that a reality, the Kaguya needed to put on a visceral display.

Aimi held up his left arm in front of him, elbow bent and fingers pointed towards the sky, the back of his hand facing Shinji. With only the briefest look of hesitation on his face, he reached out with his right arm and grabbed a hold of his left midway between his wrist and elbow. "How old are you now, Shinjiro? Fifteen? Sixteen?" Aimi inquired, actually unsure of the boy's age because he hadn't bothered to look into it himself, despite all of that information and more being readily available to him or any other jounin at the Kirigakure tower. The long haired Kaguya preferred to learn about people face to face, after all. His right hand began to squeeze his left arm.

"When I was around your age, I was taught a technique that has served me well over these many years. A technique that I am now going to demonstrate for you," he said, his facial muscles twitching and the arteries and veins on his left arm becoming quite prominent from how hard he was throttling his own appendage. He took in a sharp, deep breath, held it, and then let out a loud growl of pain as he took his left arm and snapped it in two, bending the arm from midway up his radius and ulna bones to his left, his arm sticking out at a sickening L shape. The bones did not break skin, though, leaving the broken appendages to simply stick out and display their own horrid grotesqueness. Aimi winced from this, he practically buckled over in pain, his teeth grit and his eyes snapping shut for a moment, tears of pain welling up in his eyes which he let fall to the ground. After he felt that he could stand the pain, knowing it was only going to last a few moments, he straightened back up and threw his hair back from out of his face with a rock of his head, the jounin reaching up and grabbing onto his left wrist before forcing the bones back into place with another muffled yell of agony.

Once his left arm was back into it's original position, he began to channel his chakra and before their very eyes, his arm fixed itself, the bones fusing back together and mending the damage he'd caused while his regenerative ability worked on fixing the torn muscles and ligaments. "Healing one's bones no matter the damage is an invaluable skill we Kaguya possess," he said through grit teeth, giving his fingers a wiggle to demonstrate that his arm was in working order again as the glow of his chakra faded. As he spoke, he continued to curl and uncurl his fingers into a fist to work blood through his arm. Already the pain was beginning to fade. "Infinitely useful in a variety of situations... and excruciatingly painful to learn," he said, turning his eyes back towards Shinjiro. "I was a chunnin, and the Kaguya elder deemed that I learn in the... traditional way. By having my bones broken again and again and again, all so I could learn to heal them. I've broken and healed every bone in my body multiple times at this point, and it was a jutsu hard learned. It is not unique in my repertoire for being this way. Many of my jutsu were a pain to learn - literally."

With his arm mostly back into working order, Aimi folded it back behind his back along with his right arm before continuing to speak. "I don't know what you've seen and experienced, it's true, but I know this much: Every ninja in this village has a similar story. No one is without pain or suffering. It's not an excuse to blatantly abuse your power and snuff out the potential of others under the proviso that 'they never had the potential in the first place', Shinjiro... Never forget that."

Jutsu UsedShow
*Death Bone Pulse • Bone Healing
A-Ranked Ninjutsu
By channeling chakra throughout their own body or that of another the user causes the bones of those affected to ossify, completely fixing even the worst breaks in a short time, by concentrating for an entire post the user is even able to replace lost bones though this comes with the risk of being left incomplete if interrupted before then.

User avatar
Izanagi
Posts: 4019
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Izanagi » Sun Jan 13, 2019 2:42 am

The teenage Karagata looked on with interest as Aimi grabbed his own arm, curious as to what he was going to show him. The moment of emotion had already begun to pass, such was his training to keep such thoughts of sadness, grief and loneliness in check. Still, every now and then he would allow himself to feel even if just for a few seconds, a reminder that some part of him was still just a teenager with a complex array of emotions to process. After all he couldn’t supress every feeling indefinitely. “Fifteen” he answered simply, having just celebrated his birthday a few months prior. As Aimi began to squeeze on his own arm Shinji could speculate what he was about to do. Through his training Shinji had developed a remarkably high pain tolerance and had experienced many broken bones throughout his life though he had never had to inflict such an injury on himself, not directly. He had often put himself in harms way and taken considerably damage in order to achieve a desired result however that was different.

His eyes narrowed and jaw tightened as he watched and heard the sudden snap. In fact he felt a phantom pain in his own arm, remembering the immense pain that came with such a complete break. It was almost more impressive to see Aimi do such a thing to himself given how much it affected him. Evidently the Jounin hadn’t built up quite as much of a resistance to pain as Shinji had however his grit and determination made up for that easily. The young assassin’s deep green eyes widened now in envy as he watched the way the bones mended themselves. To be able to heal himself in such a way would be an incredible asset, unfortunately his body had no such ability. “The skills of your clan are remarkable” he said in awe, watching closely the way the bones shifted under the flesh and merged together once more. He made eye contact with the man once again as he began to absorb what he figured was the lesson Aimi was trying to teach. He had assumed Aimi had worked tremendously hard to achieve his level of power and now he knew he had undergone similar levels of pain in his younger years to build up his mental toughness and help him towards achieving greatness. This however only reaffirmed his belief that those who suffered the most and could persevere through it were the one’s who would excel.

Still, he would continue to hear the man out and consider his words thoroughly. He nodded, considering Aimi’s view. “My training started much earlier than most, resisting torture tactics, poisons and diseases and frequently breaking bones since before I even entered the academy” he explained nonchalantly, not looking for any kind of sympathy or making an excuse simply sharing a bit about his upbringing as Aimi had done. “I think I understand though. I am privileged to have received better training than most, starting at a young age. Others might have the same potential for strength though might take longer to reach it…I will be more careful in the future not to kill or maim needlessly.” He concluded. He might not share the same mindsets as Aimi entirely though he could at least agree to that much.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

User avatar
Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Golnax » Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:09 pm

Aimi's left hand continued to flex behind his back as Shinjiro informed him of his upbringing, at least partially, and it was enough to make a red flag stick up in the Kaguya's mind. Starting training young was not something that was uncommon within the village - most academy students went in before they could properly read or write, learning such skills while at the academy itself, after all. For the boy's training to have started 'earlier than most' would have meant almost immediately from the time he could walk, which while not unheard of was unusual. Even Aimi's training hadn't properly started until he entered the academy. Resisting torture, poison and disease, breaking bones before he was academy age - this didn't sound like sensible training to the jounin. Far from it, it sounded like the suicidal ravings of a psychopath's handbook on how to be a killer; and this was all without specifics! Exactly how long had Shinji been suffering under such a regiment? How many years had gone by since the phrase 'ease up' had been in and out of his ears if it had ever been at all! His intuition was screaming at him that as much pain and suffering as he'd been through in his over two decades of life, Shinjiro had had equal or worse in less time.

And he considered this a privileged upbringing!

"... Yes. Good. Wundabar," he said after a moment's pause, letting the information sink in as the pain in his arm subsided to a dull ache, his regenerative ability very fast acting. "Tell me, who trained you?" he asked, figuring that the answer would be just as against the norm as his early training had been. Aimi's young life had been dominated by two teachers: those at the academy and those in the Kaguya compound. It was imperative to the Kaguya that its' young shinobi learn hose to master their bones, while of course at the academy he had to master the basics in order to graduate (Though, despite his younger self wanting to be, he was never that proficient with genjutsu!) He was curious to see how Shinjiro answered, the gears already turning in his head towards making a decisive action one way or the other depending on what he said.

User avatar
Izanagi
Posts: 4019
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Izanagi » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:15 pm

The young Karagata assassin felt relieved now that Aimi seemed to accept his answer without further reprimanding. It was a difficult thing to branch out into the world and learn how to interact with and regard others. His entire life had revolved around training, seeing everyone around him as a threat and as competition and conditioned to fight without restraint or risk being killed. The Jinchurriki swelled with pride as Aimi inquired into whom he had been trained by. “Growing up I sparred often with our household servants, the five of them are each proficient in Taijutsu though of course haven’t been instructed on the workings of chakra. My eldest sister, Chiasa, oversaw my resistance training, desensitizing me to pain, demonstrating the potential of genjutsu and accustoming my body to nearly every poison and disease known to the village, managing the severity of my illnesses just enough so that I could continue my physical training.” He stated proudly, hesitating only slightly when mentioning his sister. Despite being able to physically overwhelm her now he still felt some residual fear and resentment towards her for the trauma she had instilled in him and the others. “She is also tasked with healing any injuries that are potentially life threatening or prove to be too debilitating.” He added, feeling again resentful at how often he had to be patched up, even he had his limits and could recognize when an injury was impairing him to the point of losing substantial progress.

If only he could heal like Aimi, he would never have to ask her for a favor again. “As I grew older the more advanced Taijutsu training was left up to my eldest brother Riku. Now that I can finally hold my own against the two of them I hope to earn the honour of training directly under my father, Karagata Izune.” He concluded, his eyes gleaming with competitiveness. He was so close to surpassing his brother and now he hungered for the day that he could reach the same level as his father. He had only seen a handful of demonstrations from the older man over the years, but it was obvious that the man though Jounin in rank was of a similar league to the Bannin of the village. The entire training program of course was his by design, giving out lessons of loyalty and devotion to the village and what it meant to be a shinobi to his children from the age they could talk and walk and customizing lesson plans dependant on the potential they showed within the first 5 years of them being under his care and ensuring that they had notable strength of will and aptitude before allowing them to be entered in the academy.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

User avatar
Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Practicing the art of battle!

Post by Golnax » Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:53 am

Household servants. Slaves, most likely given that they weren't trained in the use of chakra. That wasn't so unusual, really, for those who were directly connected to the major houses to have growing up so Aimi paid that no mind. What he heard next, though, only confirmed what had been budding suspicions at best. Shinjiro's sister was his torturer, inflicting upon the young ninja pain, illness and patching him up again just so that he could receive more. His older brother, from the sounds of it, was also a deliverer of pain and injury. If Shinji's actions against Mondai were any indication Aimi could imagine that this Riku character was quite merciless himself. And of course, there was their father who had taught all of them, who encouraged such behavior, who instilled it. To say that there were mixed emotions within the jounin would have been putting it lightly. On the one hand, as a Kirigakure jounin, he could on some level appreciate the product of such teachings that was standing before him. At fifteen, Shinjiro was already a fine, deadly, capable ninja likely due to his... training. Aimi had no siblings himself and grew up without knowing what a true sense of a family was, so really for all he knew, such behavior could have been the norm. But then...

Aimi was a Kaguya, perhaps the smallest clan in all of the village. As their numbers were severely limited, every Kaguya was fostered from a young age a sense of camaraderie among each other, even while trying to outdo each other in every thinkable way, to try and be the best of the clan and the village as a whole. It is known by the time that a Kaguya is a genin that any lost Kaguya life is wasted life, and so to imagine himself in Shinji's shoes as a young boy, being tortured and inflicted with disease time and again, seemed like an unnecessary and cruel risk. Then of course there was his biological parents, who he had only met within the last five years. Though they were not shinobi by any means, they seemed to know nothing but gentleness towards Aimi, and Aimi, not knowing any other sort of parentage aside from the Kaguya elders, believed this to be universal. Now he stood hearing that it wasn't, and he had to wonder: What sort of man was this Izune Karagata?

He decided he wanted to find out, and to make a point. Half turning away from Shinjiro, Aimi plucked up his still flaming sword from the ground and gave it a mighty swipe through the air, the swing hard enough to send dust on the ground flying up into the air as tall as he was and extinguishing the flames. He sheathed the blade and fanned his wings out, looking at Shinjiro and saying simply, "Follow," before leaping into the air and taking flight, leaving the training grounds behind him and flying through the mist at a pace that was intentionally slower than he was capable of so that the genma host could keep up with him. It wouldn't take Shinjiro long to realize the direction they were heading in: The Karagata compound.

[exit]

LOCKED

Return to “Kirigakure no Sato”

×