Private Personal Growth

It was night time and the evening breeze carried with an earthy scent. Hoheto sat at the edge of the forest of death wondering if Manzo would respond to his request though not once had he meet with him. The uchiha felt the need to test his skills against the sennin's in order to find chinks, if any, in his combat style that needed to be addressed, and in doing so improve a great deal.

All the while he waited, he attempted to seize the initiative by planning ahead, though not knowing what his opponent was capable of made that rather difficult. "Regardless of the outcome, this experience promises exciting lessons." He flashed a smile. Meanwhile, a letter had been sent to Manzo by the med chief at the stroke of dawn that same day explaining his request. Though the time and location may seem an odd choice, there were reasons to this madness, in the sense that they could both go all out without the fear of hurting people or damaging the village. From that perspective, the forest seemed the obvious choice.

Letter:

Manzo read the letter and laughed to himself. Barley into the job and someone wanted a shot at the title. This was just one reason why he preferred to work from the shadows. The Hokage had thrust him into the light and gave him no option to his anonymity. As much as he respected the Hokage it was a move that resembled a previous ANBU Sennin too much.

The letter had found him while he was in his new office going over paperwork. Well this does sound much more fun than paperwork he thought to himself. Getting up and putting on what gear he had with him. A fight with a medical chief would not be easy so he could not afford to take this easy. Not to mention this was a Uchia which had the potential of ending very poorly for him. But that didn’t matter.

With those thoughts he walked out.


***

Off to the side of Uchiha a clone grew out of the ground. ”You say you looked my files but I know for a fact that there isn’t much to look at in them.“

Upon seeing the man, Hoheto's face brightened up a bit. A rush of serotonin flooded his core, stretching the corners of his mouth in a tight lipped smile. It was something of a special feeling knowing the sennin had considered his request. He was certain the man had more pressing matters to deal with given his status but for whatever reasons had taken the time to entertain his desire. Perhaps he was too generous a man to honour what many in his position would consider trivial or maybe it was for some other reason. Whatever it was, the uchiha would not bother to ask. The encounter itself promised new experiences for him in his quest for excellence and that was his focus. He could only hope Manzo felt the same.

He gave a bow to the sennin before responding to his comment.
"Indeed. Though that much I can understand given your ties with the Black Ops. The division wouldn't be what it is if such info was readily available to just about anyone." He grinned before continuing. "I see you're very much prepared but before we begin, I humbly request that you hold nothing back as will I. The best lessons are learned through pain wouldn't you agree?"

(Calling B-mod)

Manzo looked at his soon to be opponent. The clone that stood out in the open bowed as well. ”It is always good to get out from behind a desk and stretch your legs. I will be sure not to hold anything back, though I don’t know how prepared I am for such a spar. Fighting someone in the medical branch is always an interesting event.“

The clone started to melt into back into the ground leaving Uchiha alone. As it did it spoke a last question. ”I am curious though. How did you hear about my promotion and so called ties to division?“

So it begins.

[Actions Sent]

Manzo sounded like he could use the exercise. From the look of things, it seemed like it had been a while since he was engaged in a duel and the lack of training for a much extended period had lulled him into forgetting his limits. Even so, Hoheto knew not to judge the man by his words. His experiences from countless battles the uchiha believed could not be easily forgotten. "Indeed." He replied the sennin's clone before it began its descent into the ground. "I am thrilled to know that you see the need to hold nothing back. You honour me by doing so." He paused to pop a few joints so as to relieve himself of the tension in order to get into the mood before continuing. "As for how prepared you are I guess we'll soon see about that. Though I expect nothing soft from the spearhead of the Black Ops." As the clone began melting out, it threw a question, one Hoheto sighed before answering.
"After I learned of Yukio's death. The old man was a mentor and a friend. His demise led me to do some digging. I understand your concern but as chief of the research division such info isn't too hard to come by." Perhaps not what he wanted to hear but it was the truth. Though they had only just met, Hoheto held the man in high regard. He saw him as someone who could fit seamlessly into the void created by Yukio's death with much more to offer.

WC: 255
MFT
[Actions Sent]

As the smoke cleared and Hannya stood next to him he silently put a finger to his lips. It didn’t take but a moment for her to realize what was going on. This was not the first time she had been summoned to fight and not just for her company. Manzo stepped away from her, leaving her in the shadows and Sharingan in his opponent's eyes. Inwardly he sighed. Fighting against the Sharingan was getting old. He felt he had been doing it his entire life.

That didn’t matter though as he stepped from the shadows Hoheto would see that he no longer looked like he normally did. He was covered in swirling blue designs all over his exposed skin. They were tightly woven enough that they seemed to cover his burn scars fairly well.

He was about to attack again but found that he was bound by something. Sightly he cursed Hannya Where is she, she knows the plans as he struggled to escape.

[Actions sent]

He interpreted the man's silence to mean that he understood all he had said without needing to drag on the issue. That was something to be discussed in greater detail at a later time if he wanted as the moment had been designated for something else. Hoheto watched the last of Manzo's descent into nothingness, prompting him to educe the visual prowess of the Sharingan. His featureless eyes swirled into the familiar markings of the renowned doujutsu. Their vermilion glow streaked and pierced through the darkness in search of the ANBU sennin whom had successfully erased traces of his chakra signature. To think that the sennin would resort to such tactic as predicted…. Hoheto smiled at the thought. Manzo was the ANBU sennin afterall—a branch specialized in stealth and assassination. Being direct had never been their mode of combat. Moreover, it showed that he was taking this seriously. "I'm not going to let you have this easy". Assuming a wide legged stance, Hoheto slammed his palms together and interlocked his fingers. He would go into deep concentration drawing from his reserves. A burst of chakra soon enveloped him which radiated in the form of heat waves that besieged the forest. Illusions of wavering images soon pervade the atmosphere as lush vegetation within reach shrivelled from the heat like the breath of Hell was upon them. Feint traces of the sennin's chakra soon emerged like he was executing a technique of his own. The Sharingan streamed in the direction but failed to pick up Manzo as it was gone shortly afterwards. "Impressive" Hoheto grinned in admiration. Though, he wondered for how long Manzo would keep up the act. Fortunately, it didn't take long for Manzo to appear. He looked a different man than before with tattoos in every inch of his frame. Manzo's new form did carry with it an aura of dread that unsettled Hoheto. Leaving the sennin to roam freely would be a fatal mistake that could lead to disaster and that was something Hoheto was not willing to let happen. Trapping the Sennin in a bind, a slight smirk crossed his features. "I suspect you're capable of something terrifying if let loose, hence I'm not willing to let you roam freely. That would be a rather great risk." If experience had thought the uchiha anything it was always to restrict the movement of his opponent as much as possible.

[Sending Actions]

”Something terrible if I were to roam free? Now why would you think something like that? I must admit I was not expecting a bind that quickly“ The fact that Manzo had tried to bind Hoheto was not lost on him but the difference was Hoheto managed to slip past his, so it was just another innocent jutsu as far as anyone would have been concerned.

Hannya looked over to Manzo and smiled. ”See this is what happens when you take a desk job. You stop having fun and you have to admit this is fun.” She started to address Hoheto now that she was no longer hidden she could speak. ”Thank you for dragging Mr BoringCrankyPants over there out to play. He was much more fun when we were on the road, now all I hear is this crap about responsibility. ”

”Well we all can’t be as carefree as you like to be“ The tone he gave was very lighthearted as if this playful banter was something they did on a regular basis.

As he was hit with the combo attack he took a step back with an oof, the air escaping his lungs. ”That was a good attack though I am supprised you are not using more fire jutsu. Not that I am saying you should just it seemed most Uchiha I have fought seemed to be in love with them. I had to learn the hard way how to heal them.“ This last point was made as he indicated his burn scars. ”All I can hope is your medical branch is much better than they were back then.“

All this speaking was done as he fought and dodged. The fighting not seeming to impact the talking and visa versa. The more the fight went on the more he seemed to lighten up and smile. It would be hard to tell if he was taking the fight seriously from his tone but his actions seemed to imply that he was.

[Actions Sent}
[MFT]

Hoheto's statement ended with a substitute pattern in his eyes, displacing the warmth of the Sharingan with something much intense. His new vision narrowed as they stapled onto Manzo for a moment before glaring at the sudden appearance of another setting the sennin free. He had a summon hidden in the shadows. Nice trick. He thought to himself before replying Manzo. "I suspect you're capable of so much punishment. Hence the need to restrict your movements. Apologies if you don't approve of my methods."

Hoheto would attack Manzo some more in an unorthodox uchiha fashion, prompting the man to inquire about his techniques. "There is more to my abilities than the fire element. I prefer to be spontaneous with my attacks that way I am shrouded with an aura of unpredictability that unsettles my opponent like you have shown." Hoheto responds in a polite tone. It was clear the uchiha had nothing but respect for for the man evidenced by his refusal to ride the high horse despite having the upper hand in their bout though that could change in the moments to come.

[Actions sent]

Hannya was still trying to sort out which was the real Hoheto and which was the clones. It really started to piss her off but her demeanor didn't deter Manzo. He was being attacked primarily and moving through the field as such, determined not to stay still and become an easy target.

”I can appreciate not being predictable. But I can’t help but wonder if you are lining me up for a major attack.“ So far most of the attacks against him were disorentainting with few overtly offensive attacks. ”Though I do have to thank you for not relying on fire as a primary jutsu. I am not afraid of it mind you but the first time I fought someone with a Sharringan, it left me with a permanent reminder of it. Of course it might not have been permanent if the medical shinobi hadn't left me passed out, outside the hospital.“ He tone was still jovial but there was a bit of a bit to it as he had the memory. ”Fire is just so destructive and unpredictable. I never understood why people favor it so much.“ As he said that his hands finished a handsign and the water in the air started to pool together creating spikes but as they formed they shifted into wood right before they launched into Hoheto.

”Now THAT is a fun jutsu. I should use it more often. “

Streaks of red streamed back and forth in reaction to Manzo's quick feet. It seemed the sennin had opted for a more active approach rather than play the sitting duck. Hoheto was only slightly less agile than the senju, but he had better night vision and a keener sense of direction, over and above what Manzo's natural sight provided. As soon as the man spoke, the corners of Hoheto's lips turned up. It seemed Manzo had come to acknowledge him as no small fry but he would opt to plunge the sennin into a state of suspense. "heh? I wonder. I guess we'll see won't we?"
He questioned, then spent the next few moments listening to Manzo's response. The sennin's whimsical tone revealed a sour experience from his younger days with the Sharingan—one Hoheto became embroiled in to notice the projectiles headed his way. The vortexes of swirling water crashed into him with the force a rock before he could react and ripped open surrounding tissues as blood splashed out. He cuddled his torn abdomen to lessen the flow of blood as he picked himself up from the dirt. As he got up, he looked around and discovered all his clones were gone much to his amazement. Hannya had been quite busy it seemed. "You are impressive Manzo! My earlier assessment of you was indeed true. You pack quite the punch and fight in a way I have not seen before. However there is still some fight in me."
MFT

The lightning bolt came out of the sky striking Manzo, or at least where Manzo was standing. Using an ANBU technique it appeared to be a bunch of crows, leaving the real Manzo standing a short distance away. The face markings that he had displayed earlier in the fight had changed. They were a similar pattern but had changed to a blue so dark that it might as well be black.

He looked at the scorched earth where he had once been standing. ”That looked like it might have hurt.“ As he said with a smile and a jovial tone. As he said that a huge wooden buddha statue with far too many hands to be natural appeared underneath Manzo, raising him into the air.


”You may like to play with clones but I like to fill the battlefield up with as many things as I can. Though normally I like to ride a wooden dragon into battle. After all who wouldn’t/“ With that said, the statue went into an all out attack, pursuing Hoheto with relentless pursuit.

As the dust settled, and his poor statue had been demolished. Manzo looked at Hoheto and with a serious tone. ”You are not looking so good, and I have to say at this point your attacks are doing nothing but fueling me. I suggest we call this fight. “ The ball of chakra that was over Manzo’s head had steadily been getting larger. Manzo glanced up at it and when he faced Hoheto he might have had a concerned expression on his face. He was starting to judge how much of an attack Hoheto could take at this point. If he held nothing back, like they promised in the beginning of the fight he wasn’t sure his medical ninjutsu would be strong enough.

Maybe he should start sending his ANBU to do a medical rotation to learn more field medical ninjutsu.

[MFT]
[Fight has been ended by decision of Hoheto and myself over discord. Thank you Takeshi for the BMOD]