Everyday struggle [Open]

[Senju Gaki]

"Yaaaaghhh...." a long-drawn-out sound, like a split between a sigh and a scream, echoed through the premises of the Konoha Academy, briefly interrupting the subtle chirping of cicadas that had until then dominated the otherwise untouched silence. It was still fairly early in the morning and only the most diligent students had so far entered the various training grounds of the academy. The most diligent students, and Gaki. The young boy slouched on one of the mansized walls that separated the many exterior training areas of the campus from one another, his legs lazily crossed and one hand burried in the mass of hair that was seemingly cascading all over his head. The dishwater blonde strains hid the top part of his face, leaving only his mouth and nose visible.
He yawned again.
Today he had once again left his home early at night to avoid the derogatory looks his father had begun giving him in the early hours of the day and had made his way to the academy to finish his rest here, where no one disturbed him. Now that the sun had started to breach the first canopies, casting a soft yellow shine on the training grounds surrounding him and slowly warming up the air he slowly started to fall into his usual restlessness. Jaaa... what a bother... Somewhere in the Senju Estate his father was surely chiding his personal teacher for loosing sight of the boy, an occurrence so repetitive that most of the staff didnt really take it all too serious anymore. At least when Gaki's father was not present.
With a swift motion the boy pushed himself of the small wall and landed on the dry ground. Today was the day that he would meet his new classmates after being suspended just a few days before the first get-together. "Just you wait... dont think that you can stop me with just this much..." Stop me from doing what exactly? Getting into a brawl with a few peachfaced Genins again? Lets be honest, you did that just for the show... He exhaled sharply, as if offended by his own thoughts. "Thats totally not true-eh!?" Is it not? What would your brother think of you if he knew that YOU got almost beat up by Yujin? Hes smaller than me and still flung me across the schoolgrounds! Yeah, but to my defense, i was not prepared for him to strike back at all! To my defense... listen to you, trying to lie to yourself...
Gaki's feet had slowly dragged him across the sand, passing the marks of multiple generations of shinobi and brought him just in front of one of the targets that were used for shurikenjutsu. With an enraged howl he took a big swing at the scarred tree, imagining his fathers face in the rough bark. "Arghh!... ouch! Fuck you too!" He spat on one of the targets and dropped into a squat before turning on his heels and surveying the academy grounds behind him.
Being early surely had its benefits, but excitement was surely not one of them. The young genin could feel his blood starting to boil again as he observed the single silhouettes of other students. His fingers found the skintight overall he was wearing below his dark hakama and pulled the fabric up by a bit, enjoying the tight sit and the feeling of clothing that resisted his pull somewhat.
As far as he knew the information on the new class had been spread a few days before already, "a few days" being his usual timeframe for when he didnt know, and some of the other students had potentially gotten to know one another already. Doesnt matter, this time i will start right away. Find the biggest one, beat him in front of everyone and set up your superiority from the very beginning! Hold on, isnt the biggest one our sensei? Sensei... uh.... He frowned and his hands started patting down his pockets for the crumpled piece of paper that had the time and his future teacher written on it.
"Fuck. FUCK!"
All he found were some bits of shoestring Why do i have shoestring in here??, a bent shuriken that he had ment to fix eventually and some pieces of chewing bark he had snatched from the kitchen at home. But not paper.
"I didnt need it anyway!" he proclaimed to noone in particular before rising from his squat and starting to walk forward again. He felt like a bird in a cage, unable to escape this situation. He stopped smack in the middle of the training area.
"AAARGHHHH!"

WC: 759
[Topic Entered]​

 

[Uchiha Kuroko]

Kuroko walked, as did many others in the early hours. But unlike most, the young Uchiha had nowhere specific to be. His routine had been a bit all over the place since graduating from the academy, early mornings had purpose back then, school and socialisation being the main motivator behind getting out of bed. Kuroko had decided that his room was the superior location to be after acing his mid-term assessments, yet for some reason he was kept in his class and only graduated when they were all ready. Ever since then, his mother had insisted that he continue to get up early to stay in a ‘good habit’ which was frankly rather annoying for the boy, but he would be a fool to oppose the instructions of the family matriarch. A pause. Kuroko shook his head, returning his focus to reality.

The only feeling of comfort that the Uchiha had which reminded him of his longing to go back to bed was the warmth that his two hands radiated while tucked snugly into his otherwise empty pockets. Birdsong combined with the light pattering of ambient footsteps might have been peace and serenity for other individuals, but for Kuroko it was just an annoyance that made him wish the day would be over so he could go home without being scolded. A sigh escaped his lips, allowing for the lightest of mists to linger before dispersing as the boy continued to dwell on yet another aspect of reality that he couldn’t control. If his teeth weren’t chattering against each other then they would have been grinding thanks to the annoyance. An annoyance that apparently someone else was enduring.

A curse or two… or three… rang out from the academy grounds, each word radiating with frustration that eclipsed that of the Uchiha’s. Clearly something was wrong, and if something was going wrong then Kuroko couldn’t resist the urge to give his input on the situation. After all, he knew best, and by the sounds of the voice that was piercing the otherwise calm air – someone young was struggling, and peers are always the best to educate.

It didn’t take much time to walk to the front entrance of the academy and back round towards the primary training facilities that were on offer. The fact that barely anyone was around at this time made it even easier to locate the source of the profanity. As Kuroko rounded the corner of what he was sure was the location of the swearer was, his eyes grew wide. Greeting him on the training ground was what looked like a boy sporting a bale of hay on his head that cascaded down and over his eyes and back. The sight was something to say the least, and the shock of the boy’s appearance was what kept Kuroko from cracking a smile or even laughing; in fact, the moment was so shocking that the Uchiha began to choke on his own saliva – only recovering after a quick cough. Once the spittle had settled, Kuroko looked towards the figure in the centre of the training area.

The combination of how he was stood, and the large bladed fan that was strapped to his back caused the Uchiha to cast a rather long strange shadow across the floor, especially as the sun began to rise further from its perch low in the sky. His eyes settled on the blonde boy before any words were formed. Again he tried not to be taken aback by the mane of yellow hair that seemed to be in the middle of devouring the already frustrated individual.

“Er. What has happened here?” In truth the boy didn’t know what to say, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary apart from what must have been a heavy hairdo. He definitely couldn’t see any specific identifiers that would point out the source of the swearing, but he was pretty sure that no matter what he could see more than the boy ahead of him could, not with that blanket covering his eyes for sure. “Sounded like you were having some trouble, but it doesn’t actually look like you’re doing a lot out here.” He gestured with his left hand towards the centre of the training area quickly before returning it to the warmth and safety of his pockets once more. “Am I missing something?” His eyes continued to scan the figure, doing their best not to continue focusing on the yellow mass that continually leaked into his vision. “What are you actually doing here?”

[WC: 759]
[MFT]
[Topic entered]

 

[Ishimoto]

“Wake up boy, you don’t want to be late!”

His grandmas hard stone cane tapped rapidly on the hardwood bed frame. The boy pulled his thick covers over his head with a slow precision, the small figure curling up into a foetal position under the warm blankets, the muffled response became even more obtuse as the sound barely escaped the blanket sanctuary.

“Jus’ fif more mimits.”

The old shinobi woman scuttled quickly across the room small apartment room, her cane clacking with every assisted step. As she threw open the curtains an audible groan would emanate from the mountain of blankets.
The wise old woman did not respond with further words, instead a small weight impacted the blanket barrier and landed on the bed next to the concealed boy.
Slowly the boy withdrew the covers from over his face, sleep laced eyes looking dazedly at the thrown object now sitting in the flood of sunlight, the beams reflecting off of the polished metal.

The covers flicked aside with a speed alien to the sloth like movements the boy had utilised up until this point. With haste his small hands quickly grasped the forehead protector that was so much more than the metal and cloth it was was constructed from. A wide grin split the young boys face as he quickly fastened the shinobi forehead protector above his brow, lost in momentary reflection at the way the material felt against his skin.
His reverie was broken by his grandmothers voice, her question putting him on the spot at such an early hour.

“And now that you are a proper shinobi what’s the first thing you have to do?”

The boy looked puzzled for a moment before raising his finger in triumph.

“The first thing I have to do is…”

The boys sentence was interrupted smoothly at this point by the old woman.

“The dishes… the first thing your doing is the dishes didn’t finish yesterday. Do you think this is a hotel? You can't come in here only to sleep.”

“Ok.”

The smile did not leave the boys face, his finger tracing around the edge of the metal plate displaying the symbol of the Leaf.

“And a little soap and water never killed anyone!”

“Yes Nan.”

~~~

He had washed, brushed teeth, gotten dressed and most importantly washed the dishes from the dinner of the night before. He had then returned to his room, the first part of his daily training could be completed almost anywhere. 100 situps, 100 pushups, 100 squats, the final component of which, and a 10-km run, would see him the the shinobi training centre.

The boy moved through the motions, each series of exercises completed with practiced speed and, less than five minutes later he had given his grandmother a kiss on her wrinkly old forehead and dashed out the door of their apartment.

His Nan’s words echoing down the hall behind him.

“Wrap up warm or you'll catch your death!”

~~~

His heart raced from the exertion of the sprint, sweat dripping down his face despite the cold morning air which now sting his burning lungs with every steaming breath. His eyes scanned the quickly filling training facility, looking for faces (or other defining features) that he recognised, his gaze pausing for a moment on two boys about his age which he recognised from the academy, they too recently graduating in this examination period or the last. The thing was not that two young shonobi would talk with each other but that these two specific shinobi would be in conversation together, one an arrogant Uchiha with the natural talent and intelligence to back up his words. The other though, his reputation was slightly worse… angry… loose cannon… all descriptions the boy had heard academy staff had used when referring of the blond ball of tween rage.

Ishi would move towards the pair now, though both reputations not disregarded, he had been in a different class to the pair so he had not made up his own mind yet, after all his Nan did always say ‘You can’t tell a book by its cover… and sometimes the cover is ten pages deep…’

The boy approached the pair just as the Uchiha asked his slightly condescending questions of the other, visibly angry young shonobi.

“I believe he is here to do the same thing as us unless I am not mistaken…” the small boy interjected between them with a friendly smile.
“Kuroku was it? I think Gaki(?)…” the boys tone reflecting that he was not sure of the buys name.
“…is here to meet his new team…” the boy indicated with a vague hand invent in a circle.
“…which I think is us right?”

Ishimoto patted the larger, golden maned boy on the arm with an even wider grin.
“After introductions we can punch each other for a bit too, that will probably make you feel better too…”

Ooc: topic entered, I will do some formatting later… written on my phone…

 

[Senju Gaki]

What. Gaki kept staring straight ahead for a moment, his back turned towards the speaker. With his attention now slowly turning towards the other kid he licked his lips, his frown deepening. "Trouble?" His back straightened as he simultaniously breathed in as deeply as he could. Yeah, thats right. I bet your shaking now, eh! Still he hadnt turned around yet, savouring the perceived level of threat that he would surely be giving off. "Oh your missing something allright! Tch!" Gaki smacked his lips and put his hands into the pockets of his jacket before slowly turning around and looking down at the newcomer. Altough only few centimeters apart in size, Gaki felt like the kid was quite a bit smaller than him. With his neck tilted backwards the young Senju relaxed his facial muscles somewhat, donning a relaxed and almost bored face as he started to saunter towards the other boy.
His eyes, despite being mostly hidden behind his bangs, focused first on the boy before slowly trailing off as he noticed another person approaching them.
Well, isnt that just peachy. Seems like these two are just my type.
Fingers clenched to loose fists in their pockets he stopped and carefully eyed the other kid, trying to judge the level of familiarity between the two of them. While Gaki surely had a bad tendency to pick on those smaller than him he had nevertheless been trained as a ninja and was very well aware of the possible "danger", in the loosest meaning of the term, that a trained duo could represent.
The new kid, whose physical attributes clearly differentiated him from Gaki and the first visitor, showed no sign of timidity as he came closer to the center of the training ground and positioned himself somewhat between them immediately irritating Gaki by his sheer nerve. You little....

Without paying any apparent attention to Gaki's slowly deepening frown the weird boy started speaking, as freely as if he was standing in his own home and merely chatting with some old school buddies. Kuroku, huh. Good to have a name to put to the face. Right after my FIST that is! "I am NOT here to meet anyone, wimp." Gaki had enough of the condescending tone that both of these brats had had with him and swatted the hand aside that was just trying to reach out and pat his arm.
"And you better shut up too, while your at it, will ya?!" In the same motion as his deflective move he raised his hand in a threatening gesture, as if he was about to wipe the grin off the kids face with slap. "Damned academy student, havent you been taught any respect in your classes? You better kneel down before i make you eat dirt! And YOU..." In the distance Gaki could see two of the older ninjas eyeing him cautiously, surely just waiting for him to misbehave again and dish out further punishment. His raised hand fell down to midway between its original position and the ground, now pointing at Kuroko. "You, Kuroku, or what ever. Your missing the whatnow where its any of your damn issue what im doing here." Trying to put some more emphasis on his words Gaki stepped forward, with the full intention of shoving the smaller of the two kids aside. It felt just like when he had tried to shove the tree aside before and with a surprised look on his face, still mixed with his usual irritation, he stumbled a step aside.
The kid had felt like a boulder. What. "Getting cocky now too, eh!? Step aside, or ill crush you like a raw egg!" Gaki felt loaded as he reached out and put his hand on the weird head of the small kid. His instincts slowly started springing into action as he kept both of the kids in his sight. I should have no trouble avoiding any attack by the shrimp. And if that Kukoko attacks or does anything at all i can still sidestep and get this one between us. Fuck, i gotta take care of this quickly, before sensei comes...

WC: 691​

 

[Ishimoto]

Eat dirt?

What a strange idea, why had it never occurred to the boy, after all salt was a mineral and it was tasty, iron was good for you according to his nan and that was just little bits of metal… why not dirt? Surly dirt was just made up of bits of everything and statistically most things have to be good for you right?

Whilst he had been thinking of dirt the maned boy had moved in closer, a clear sign of aggression momentarily missed by the smaller child. His words finally sinking in…

“…oh like an egg…”

the grin faded from the boys face, his eyes focusing on the larger boy, his voice lowering in volume as he said his next words.

“Are you a fool?”

Ishimoto let the words linger in the air for a moment too long before continuing.

“A fool to think you are anything more than you are… calm down Gaki… the village made you a Gennin because they saw potential in you, why do you only show them this…”

The boys speech slowed even more, his small muscles flexing beneath his concealed armor, pausing for a second as he tried to think of a ‘grown up’ way to phrase his next words.

“…this infantile dramatics!”

He spun away from the larger boy, spinning with a flair to drama of his own, his vocal volume suddenly increasing to almost a stage voice, his words carrying across the open training field.

“Any proper shinobi worth their salt could snap all three of our necks before you could think! You are a fucking Gennin not the Hokage! You are a Soldier and insubordinate, stupid Soldiers die…”

His voice lowered again.

“…sometimes even good soldiers die…”

His eye locked once more with where he assumed the maned boys eyes should be.

“Rather than boast foolishly of the few skill you do have you should instead try to survive long enough to become a good Shinobi!”

“Now are you ready to spar, you verses me… or do you already know what dirt tastes like?”

Ishimoto adjusted his gloves as he focused on the larger boy, a grin coming over his young face as he addressed the third member of their group.

“Kiroku-san, could you keep score for us please?”

His eyes squinted up as he gave a big smile to the aggressive boy.

“Like my Nan always says, ‘I'm not as green as I'm cabbage-looking’… you ready Gaki-chan or do you need to ‘warm up’ some more?”

 

[Kureji]

​

Whilst exploring Leaf, Kurejī stumbled upon what looked like an academy, and from what he has heard, this academy holds the Village's library. Wonder if this Maru has made a mark to show up in the Leafies textbooks? His thoughts were interrupted by a whole lot of screaming and yelling. He thought about ignoring the whole scene, but part of him thinks about getting involved only to stir the pot. He was in his Rox puppet suit as he walked towards the commotion. He stood idly by as he watched the drama unfold. Just plain talking or maybe even yelling won't get through the heads of these kids, he looked around and studied the area carefully before unslinging his rifle and shooting one single bullet into the ground at his own feet. He might be a missing ninja now, but he's no monster. Assuming the loud crack was enough to stop all of them and their bickering, he slung his rifle and fixed his tie.

"Watching you all fight now would prove nothing right now. Barely even ninjas willing to knock each other's heads off because of a bad temper tantrum. If you really aspire to be an interesting and unique ninja you have to have an open mind and not be easy to anger on such lousy whims." He picked up the bullet fragment off the ground, inspecting the small hole that was left there, satisfied that was all there was to it, no damages or injuries involved. "Just remember, you all decide your own futures and desires. Don't let your talent go to waste with uninteresting bickering." He scanned the room one more time to see if there were any damages or injuries. None other than the floor right in front of him. He gave the three children a bow and then made his way over to the library area. He was sure that his stunt had caused enough of a commotion to get some of the actual ninja on his tail. That's fine, he just wants a chat, and if they are interesting enough, get to know them better through a spar.

(MFT)

 

[Uchiha Kuroko]

The situation at hand didn’t seem to be improving or making much more sense than it had done in the moment that Kuroko had arrived. It was clear, however, that the blonde boy was not in a particularly collaborative mood. Each word he uttered in anger only served to reinforce the ever so slight smirk that played on Kuroko’s lips. The Uchiha brought his arms together and laced them over his chest, leaning back against one of the walls separating the training areas. With a single eyebrow raised, Kuroko observed the boy and said nothing. It was entertaining enough just to watch him.
The pitter patter of quick footsteps drew closer and closer in the few seconds that had passed before revealing their white-haired host; the rather imposing figure of the newcomer arrived with a rather confident demeanour. Kuroko had seen the boy several times throughout his time within the academy, it was difficult not to notice such a colour-free hairdo within a sea of otherwise regular young shinobi. The Uchiha didn’t know him, but from the words that were spoken, it seemed as though he would soon become familiar with both the white-haired newcomer and the angry peer with a bale of hay atop his head.

As the words continued to be exchanged between his two peers, Kuroko couldn’t help but feel as though the tension in the air was very one sided, yet strangely it seemed to be something that both other boys thrived upon. No matter how hard he tried to stop himself, an unintentional laugh slipped from his mouth at the mention of a crushed egg. It was quite the threat but not exactly what the Uchiha had anticipated would be exchanged between the pair of larger kids. At any moment the situation could spark and ignite into a conflict, one that Kuroko couldn’t be bothered to get involved with, it wasn’t his business, and it definitely wasn’t something he felt as though he wanted to waste energy on. A few steps backwards gave him all the distance he needed to be suitably far from the sparking egos. The ensuing talk was something to behold, verbal jabs unlike many that Kuroko had witnessed before. It was becoming increasingly likely that the two boys would attempt to dismantle each other; Kuroko didn’t mind. He’d watch, and learn, and remember the mistakes each one made for later should he ever need that information.

A masked figure soon approached, one that the Uchiha didn’t recognise at all, he wasn’t one of the teachers at the academy, nor was he any shinobi that Kuroko had ever taken note of in the village. Maybe he was ANBU? No. Not with that sort of mask, or uniform. Confidence radiated from him; a strange aura of power mixed with an unpleasant awareness of his surroundings. A professional? The bang that followed, as well as the mixture of smoke and dust that it kicked up into the air was enough to put Kuroko on edge. He turned on his heel, pivoting to face the newcomer while leaving a semi-circular line in the dirt on the ground in the space now in front of him. A bandaged porcelain hand shot backwards to grasp the base of the exceedingly large, bladed fan that Kuroko carried. In a fluid motion followed by a combination of fabric snapping into place and steal sliding over steal, the Uchiha brought the fan to rest on front of him, creating a makeshift wall between himself and the newcomer while also obscuring a large portion of his body. With every second that passed, Kuroko kept his eyes fixed firmly on the masked man, only ever shifting to observe the weapon he used to grab their attention. It looked like it could do considerable damage regardless of who wielded it. Yet that damage could only be amplified by the yet unknown skill of the user; but again, the aura radiating from the masked man was more than enough for the Uchiha to established that he considered himself to be more than a match for three young genin.

His eyes flicked to the hole in the floor, measuring the depth somewhat before returning to their original target. Everyone’s next move would determine the outcome of this encounter, that was all the boy could be sure of.

[MFT]
[WC: 722]

 

[Senju Gaki]

The hair underneath his hand felt like steelwool as Gaki carefully eyed the two kids, trying to decide who and in fact IF any of them would attack him. When the small boy finally moved Gaki immediately jerked back, ready to take on the blow - but instead the white haired boy merely continued talking about infants or something. "Did you just call me a fool!? And where the fuck did you even pick up that stupid little speech, that sounds like textbook boooredom to me!" He watched with barely hidden glee, his teeth grating ever so slightly against each other in anticipation. The air suddenly took on a weird smell and with a quiet scratching sound the young Senju adjusted his stance. Boy oh boy, do you NOT know what ill be hitting you with! First ill smack you right across the face, thatll do some good. THEN i will wipe that stupid grin off your buttered little face, WITH A STONE! And then ill take care of smarty mcintelligoose over there.
"Spar? I will grind you to dust! You!" He pointed towards the Uchiha. "Make sure the teacher doesnt butt in before im done, and i might let you go with nothing but a warning!" Gaki felt his blood rushing through his fists, through his eyes and ears; like a chorus of cheering fans, drowing his thoughts in a wave of white noise.
So lost in the idea of the brawl that he barely noticed the stranger as he approached the trio, his white mask weirdly flat against the bright sunlight in the training area. When his eyes finally noticed the man it was because of the sudden bang of a shot, resonating across the area and momentarily overwhelming the rumbling blood in Gaki's mind.
What now?
The man did not seem familiar to Gaki, which didnt say much, considering he barely cared for the teachers as long as they didnt bother him. Does that mask mean hes an Anbu? Dont we have animal masks or something like that? He tried to remember the lessons during academy where the topic of the different ranks had been touched, but could remember little from inside the classrooms. With a formless curse on his lips, he decided to make a mental note of this, maybe even read up on the Anbu at a later time.
Distracted by his own clashing thoughts Gaki immediately reacted on instinct, straightening his back to appear as big as possible as he turned towards the newcomer. "What now, another lecture!?" Trying his best to appear unintimidated Gaki slouched more than he walked towards the ninja.
"What is it with you all giving me the crap today about future this, fate that?! Who even needs "interesting" ninjas, when being strong is all thats enough in the end? You think someone is gonna stop stabbing you just cause your fascinating?!" Gaki spat on the ground. What a prick...
Altough he felt almost electrified by the current flow of events he could also not help himself tensing up as he came closer to the masked stranger. Something about the smiling mask just gave off an air of unease that he couldnt shake off.
"How about you mind your own business, eh? These are official ninja training grounds here, so if your not here to teach class you should better make like a fucking tree and leaf!"
Worst he can do is give me another suspension... even with all thats been happening father wouldnt let me get kicked out of the academy. To bad of an image for one of his precious sons.

WC: 597​

 

[Ishimoto]

“Where did I learn that speech… maybe in the academy we are standing in, and yes, I definitely called you a fool…” The grin stayed affixed on the small boys face, tempting Gaki to try and wipe it off of said face.

Another, far older than the three, approached the small group and fired a slug into the ground to get their attention. The boy’s eyes did not move from the golden maned boy, even when the stranger fired the shot, Ishimoto had barely flinched. He had grown up in a farming town so rifles were no stranger to him.

The stranger was obviously a leaf shinobi as there is no way that the proper shinobi of leaf would let someone not meant to be here just wander around. He wasn’t even hiding so he had to belong here. The man’s words were hollow, talking of whims and the pointlessness of it all… so not a teacher then. He then wandered off towards the library, leaving the small boy slightly more confused than before.

Ishimoto shook his head slightly as if to clear an intrusive thought, before he pointed to the departing stranger and casually saying, “Well that was fuckin’ weird!”

With a slight head shake again Ishimoto once more returned his focus to his would be destroyer.

“Yes Kuroko… make sure the teachers don’t interfere before he is done…”

 

[Kureji]

Before the human puppet took his leave, he did manage to get a good understanding of the trio. The first one, fan boy, as he'll call him, went on instant defense, wary of him. The second to respond, one that actually made Kurejī show a little bit of interest, is the blonde with the attitude. And finally, the other one that challenged the blonde. Much calmer than the other two.

It was when the Rox puppet started to walk away, he heard the blonde give him such attitude and basically started to chase after him as he started to walk away. Stopping in his tracks, the white masked rifleman turned around. He laughed as the kid tried to tear him a new one. "Dammit, I broke character." He reached into his pocket and released what was inside. An eight-foot-tall bear filled the space between Kurejī and Blondie. It could barely fit in such a space, but all of the genin would tell that this is just a giant stuffed teddy bear, though it was crudely stitched back together, and its claws seem to mimic that of a real bear. The cylinder that held the puppet's soul ejected itself from the white masked puppet and into the bear. In mere seconds, the bear came to life, though its eyes are left unblinking, and then a voice came from the giant stuffed bear though its own mouth was stitched shut, "You say that strong is enough at the end, eh? Perhaps you are right. But then there will always be that endless struggle to be the top dog. To have such a goal is so vanilla and bland because that is your only goal. Just like you in your current state, can't beat me, I am certain that I wouldn't stand against the Sennin not even thinking about my chances against a Kage. And they too, will have people who are stronger than them" A scroll fell out from one of the poorly stitched areas and another body appeared.

The cylinder launched itself out of the bear puppet and into the new body. This one had a hockey mask on with a blue hoodie. "Don't get me wrong kid, strong is important, but if that's your only plan, that makes you pretty lame. But tell ya what." He looked around, "I'll be right back."

He went off without letting any of the genin stopping him. He looked around until he found what he wanted. Coming back, the trio would see that he was wearing a referee's shirt with an extra one in his hands. "Blondie and calm kid, you two have it in for each other, yeah? You two duke it out on a bet. Now, let's see what would be a good bet?" He started to talk to himself, "Bragging rights? Nah, too boring. Some time of servitude for a while? Nah, too cringey. AH! Share an embarrassing secret or do a single dare for everyone to see!" He tossed the other referee shirt to the boy with the fan. "Here you go, Fan boy. You be the other ref, in case I get too bored for this brawl out. You are the official witness of these two throwing hands. Sorry if the shirt is too big for you."

 

[Senju Gaki]

Heh! There you go, finally a grown up that knows his place! Gaki smirked as the stranger kept walking away from the trio. His eyes quickly scanned the other areas of the academy and with a bit of glee he noticed multiple other students staring at them from a safe distance, hidden in trees, behind fake walls and other means of deception. He craned his neck a little bit further to check on his two opponents before an unexpected sound interrupted his moment of triumph. So focussed was the young senju on what seemed like a victory to him that he momentarily stopped paying attention to the masked intruder, who had now turned back around with a hissed comment.
"What in th...!?" Gaki did not manage to get back into a fitting stance fast enough as something massive blew itself into existance right between him and the man. Soft material cushioned the blow on Gaki but the sheer speed of expansion pushed him backwards. With a 'thud' he landed on his back, rolling backwards and into a low posture, ready to dodge at a moments notice.
"Careful!" He explained loudly to the other two genin, more out of instinct than due to active thinking.
Where the man had been before a huge bear, made from cloth and what seemed like messily combined rags and bits, was now standing. The only real thing about it seemed to be its claws, as Gaki noticed rather quickly.
What the fuck is that. What the FUCK is that.
Just as the smoke from the apparent jutsu or seal vanished completely the bear started talking. Its voice seemed deeper than the mans and slightly muffled through the wire that held parts of its mouth closed. The thing reminded Gaki of a broken and abandoned toy that had come back to haunt its past owner.
"Now that is some sick, sick stuff..." His hands fiddled with the bag on his hip, producing a single kunai. Still he felt rather unprepared to deal with... well, whatever that huge teddy was.
Which, for the moment, seemed to be intend to be just that; a huge speaking teddy bear.
As Gaki stared, something else fell out of the body, resulting in another smaller smoke cloud and another smaller body to appear. This one seemed to be another, albeit different looking person again.
Transformation Jutsu?... Clones? Or maybe something more?
The man continued to speak, clearly disagreeing with Gakis superior philosophy. For the moment the young boy had forgotten all about the initial conflict, and kept his eyes on the mysterious body changer. The only acknowledgement of the two genin behind him was in the way that Gaki subtly positioned himself between the bear and the other two kids. While he certainly was going to beat them up come the first suitable chance, this didnt mean that he was not aware of how he, as their elder, should act. What an annoying first day after suspension...
Suddenly a loud rumbling noise tugged at Gakis attention. Somewhere in the background a bang could be heard and with a quick flick of his eyes the boy registered the slowly rising column of smoke on the horizon. It came from the direction on the richer district where his families home was located...
"Tch! This isnt just some elaborate class, is it?" Unfortunately for him, the stranger had used that small window of opportunity to vanish from sight, bear and man alike.
"What." A short moment passed without any further commotion and Gaki allowed himself to take a small step back and turn his body somewhat as he addressed the other kids again. "I swear, if that is a joke, i will bang your heads together so hard youll share thoughts for a week..." Suddenly the voice returned and Gaki had to hold back to not sigh out loud as he turned around.
The man was wearing a refereee's outfit. "Your not being serious right now, are you?" Gaki was thoroughly confused now, and the fact that the man had an additional shirt with him did not help at all.
When he tossed said shirt at Kuroko Gaki narrowed his eyes. "You are not joking, are you? You wont butt in? I dont know what your deal is, Dude... Sensei... but if you want to watch me smack that brat around, that can be arranged." Keeping his eyes on the weirdo Gaki took a few more steps back, putting him at a position parallel to the white haired kid and entered a fighting stance.
"You better not lie to me." He said, before turning his head and focussing on his opponent.

WC: 777​

 

[Ishimoto]

After a series of wild transformations the strange shinobi caused Ishimoto to smile, perhaps his grandmother was wrong and there was still a spit of talent in the ranks of Konoha Jounin.

As the strange shinobi dashed away Gaki addressed the group of three once more.

”We don’t have classes any more Gaki-chan now we have ‘training’ which kinda feels the same… but if this is a joke it ain’t one of mine… it’s all on that guy…”

He indicated towards the returning strange old shinobi with two referee shirts in hand, one quickly slipped on and the other handed to their companion in case the ref got bored… so strange for a Leaf Shinobi…

Ishimoto moved away from his opponent in a similar fashion, his young eyes and mind once more focused on the task at hand.

”I expect you to not hold back Senju Gaki… break me like an egg!”

And with that the white haired boy took up his stance ready for the fig he to begin.

[ooc: I think we can just do it in this topic, not an official b-mod call so we don’t need a spectator topic

will… send actions… to… myself?]

 

[Kureji]

"You can just call me Dude Shinobi for right now." He answered to Gaki, "And I honestly don't really care, as long as you two make a worthwhile fight to watch." But Kurejī was aware of smoke coming from another district when he had followed the eyes of Blondie of whatever he was looking at.

"Oooh! Is there a barbeque happening over there!? Or splosions? Eh, I guess my investigation can be put on hold for just a minute longer." He more so talked to himself before placing Teddy Bear and Rox in their scrolls and jumped through a window, even though the window was closed. What's more was the door leading out was right next to the now broken window. But the puppet didn't really mind. His own thoughts are all over the place very easily distracted by the smallest thing and completely forgetting that he was being a ref for some kids to scrap.

He made a pass by at a shop and picked up some sports fan items such as that big foam finger that says you're number one, one of them fancy hats with drinks on either side of the hat for optimum drinking capabilities, even though he no longer needs the sustenance of water. "Woooooo!" Some citizens are looking at this guy mostly wondering what hockey game is going on now at Leaf. Others barely even bat an eye at the oddity that is happening right now.

(Topic left)
(Thanks for having me )

 

[Shishiwakamaru]

Still unsure of what to do concerning his recent enrollment of the Konahan Academy Shishiwakamaru would head out early in hopes of catching a teacher, or anyone really that could help him find a class sign up or something. The early morning air was crisp and fresh, a hint of sulfur lingered in the air as multitudes cooked their morning eggs. Thankfully the sweet aroma of warm rice culled the harshness of the sulfuric smell. He had thankfully eaten before leaving the orphanage, otherwise this breakfast combo fragrance would be having his stomach howling.

The training grounds appeared to be near the academy itself, which he just so happened to be passing by on his way. As he approached the training grounds he stared with a stone like face of shock and confusion as some older weirdo streaked on by with a referee shirt who seemed to be far happier than one should be this early in the morning. How bizarre...

Shrugging off the curious encounter just now he walked into full view of the training grounds. There was, of course, a handful of other young individuals 'training' or just simply shooting the breeze if you will. One group in particular caught his attention. Had it not been for the referee shirt another adolescent had in their possession he might not have paid much attention to them.

Now this wasn't as strange as what he just saw with the masked individual and the other referee shirt. This was probably a normal occurrence for this area, hence the name training grounds. Sparring was a good avenue to better ones self. Shishiwakamaru had not been in any fights himself, perhaps it would be best for him to observe the group for training tips. He himself had no 'skills' per say, he hadn't even had a single class or lesson. Heck, even his father, when he was alive that is, didn't even bother to train him or teach him any secret techniques from their own clan. Not that he cared, all that shadow stuff seemed like such a pain anyway. Perhaps there was other potential lingering inside himself, only time would tell.

For the time being Shishiwakamaru would keep his distance from the trio. It appeared that two of them were about to duke it out right then and there. He had no plans to interfere, he would probably end up getting knocked out by a stray punch or jutsu. He didn't even know any jutsu, so getting in the middle of all that was a seriously stupid idea. And he was anything but stupid. Finding a stray wall or fence to sit upon Shishiwakamaru would make it plain and evident that he intended on watching, assuming a fight was actually going to ensue.


[OOC - Topic entered]

 

[Yong]

ROUND ONE

Gaki HP: 1170 -45 -45 = 1080 CP: 1950 -78 = 1872 NE: 98 AP: 1 -0.5 AP next round: 1.5 Status: Sprained Heart, Bleeding 1, Poisoned!

Ishimoto HP: 2200 CP: 390 AP: 1 - 0.5 - 0.5 AP next round: 1 Status: Sprained Neck (Ninja Wire Trap)

Round One
0.00 Gaki does a Hidden Action
5.00 Gaki equips 'Iron Fingers'
5.00 Ishimoto equips 'A Good Defence'
5.00 Ishimoto uses a Strategist prepared basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's heart. Sneak Attack. (18,15) Hit
- Suppression fail (96)
- Call Shot Heart success (02) - Gaki is rank 1 Bleeding
- Poisoned!
5.00 Ishimoto uses a Strategist prepared basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's heart. Sneak Attack. (18, 03) Hit
- Suppression fail (66)
- Call Shot Heart fail (65)
10.00 Ishimoto enters a Defensive Stance
10.00 Gaki's Hidden Ninja Wire Trap triggers. (5,4) Hit. Hits neck, Ishimoto's neck is Sprained
Round Complete!

Notes:
I wouldn't normally include the rolls but thought you might want to see them
Edit: Fixed Damage.

 

[Senju Gaki]

"Dont come crying to me when im done with you, shellhead..." Gaki licked his lips in Anticipation as his eyes slowly opened to their full size. Really though, dont blame me... It was weirdo-sensei over here that wanted me to beat you up. After all, how can you grow as a ninja if not by getting your sense slapped around sometimes, no?! The Kunai in his right hand quietly changed hands as he reached into his pockets where his finger guards where located. Meanwhile his opponent seemed to take on a battle stance of his own and for the first time now Gaki noticed the subtle ropes of ropes that where visible on the other kids arms. Ugh... this seems like it might be a bother after all... More kids had started streaming into the training grounds and while the surrounding areas filled with seemingly uncaring genins and students Gaki couldnt shake the feeling of eyes resting on him and his "sparring" partner. Cant loose face here now... "Tch..." Without any warning he released his tensed leg muscles and dashed straight into the small stretch of nothing between him and the other young shinobi. All of his body was itching for this and he felt like thousand tiny needles pricked his skinn all over.
His eyes centered on the white hair as he lunged forward for a second step, which would have been close enough for an initial hit.
Instead his opponent seemed to vanish in a quick blur, just before Gaki would have reached him.
The surprising burst of speed caught Gaki of guard, his arms crossing before his body and his eyes closing momentarily as he expected a blow to his face. Even while throwing up this basic guard he realized his mistake and the dangers of closing ones eyes midfight as a first sudden pain blossomed in the middle of his chest. With a coughing sound he felt himself release a spray of blood. The force hitting him felt like a small and sharp stone, shredding parts of his skinsuit and leaving a bruised and slightly scratched area behind and before Gaki could react to it a second attack followed out of nowhere, aiming precisely at the same spot like a kunai thrown at a bulls eye.
"Arghh!..." All sorts of alarms and instincts seemed to go off in Gakis mind as his left hand flickered momentarily.
The white haired boy meanwhile, allowed himself to regain some distance. Heh, not with me, you dont get to pull that same trick twice you stupid rice grain for a head!
To anyone looking in from the outside the Kunai, thrown in a moment of activity between the two parties, seemed to have missed its mark entirely as its flightpath, slightly crooked as it was, arced around the head of Gakis opposite. Then the sun broke out from behind a pair of clouds that had covered the area in their shadows for a few moments and with the rays of light something slightly reflective seemed to become visible, leading from Gaki's right hand all the way through the air and to the ring-like pommel of his kunai. As the Kunai completed his arc around Shellheads head the wire eagerly dug into his throat and neck. The Kunai, having its path suddenly interrupted by this expected obstacle shortened its turn and whirred several times in a circle, finally catching the young boys neck in a wiry grip.
"Heh! Got you now, you speedy little gnat!" Gaki felt like his blood was boiling and all other thoughts than this fight left his mind, even as he felt his the taste of iron in his mouth.

WC: 608
[Actions sent]​

 

[Ishimoto]

His grandmother's early shinobi training for the boy had been both brutal and effective, quite often heavy (or sharp!) things had been thrown at him to emphasize the fundamentals of a perfect defense. Her croaking old voice echoed in his young memory, fresh as the day it had first been spoken to him.

"Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge!"

A grin came over his young face as they began to move, each appearing to size up the other, hands reaching to their respective weapons as the two youths locked eyes truly for the first time. His hand reached to his hip, removing a pair of knuckle dusters and sliding them into place over his fingers. The weapons fit his young hands perfectly, their blunt edge protecting the vulnerable fingers beneath.

Ishimoto moved, dodging quickly to his opponent's offside, ducking under a hastily prepared guard, and delivering two quick strikes. The blunt metal of the brass knuckle on his right hand striking the larger boy's unprotected ribcage just over the left lung, quickly followed by another strike equally as accurate with his left hand. The quick impacts were delivered with every ounce of strength the young shinobi possessed, he knew, in the long run, he was no match for the older boy.

If he could not win this fight he could at least leave a good first impression...

Ishimoto dipped away from Gaki almost as fast as he had breached the larger boy's guard. His right leg lifted onto its toes, only taking the slightest portion of his body weight and planting his left foot flat on the ground. He smiled at the momentarily taken aback Senju, blood dripping from his mouth where it had been expelled with the air from his now bruised lung and damaged rib. A few more hits and he may even be able to break a rib (he can't!) and that would be something the stronger boy would remember long after Ishimoto had been crushed like the aforementioned egg.

'Fuck! I forgot to dive and dodge!!!'

The Ninja Wire came out of nowhere, quickly coiling around his neck from behind!

'When the hell did he get a chance to set a trap!'

Genuine shock crossed the small boy's face as the metallic wire snagged and stopped short of actually restricting his breathing greatly it was still not a position he wanted to be in... now he had to worry about the larger boy actually having some tricks up his unarmoured sleeves. Ishi was confident in his defense but now questioned if he had bitten off more than he could chew when challenging the older boy.

The smile returned to his face though as he looked to where his knuckles had impacted Gaki's ribs, the trickle of blood from the split skin mixing with the strange residue left on the older boy... The boy returned to his stance, knuckles clenched around the familiar brass of his weapon, his front foot gently lifted and his chin turned down.

"You might want to look at that..."

The words were spoken with no emotion, his eyes flicking away from Gaki's for a moment towards the boy's ribs before returning back to a locked state. His expression turned relaxed once more, he knew this wasn't over yet... not by long shot!

Spoiler: stance

[/url]

 

[Yong]

ROUND TWO

Gaki HP: 1080 -11 -45 -90 = 934 CP: 1872 -110 = 1762 NE: 98 AP: 1.5 -1 -2 -0.5 -0.5 AP next round: 1 Status: Fractured Heart, Bleeding 2

Ishimoto HP: 2200 -90 -78 -28 = 1994 CP: 390 AP: 1 -0.5 -0.5 AP next round: 1 Status: Sprained Neck (Ninja Wire Trap), Sprained Feet

Round Two
0.00 Gaki Bleeds
0.00 Ishimoto uses a Strategist prepared basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's heart. Sneak Attack. Miss (03,17)
4.75 Gaki uses Stone Bullet - Called Shot Feet. 25% Partial Hit (10, 11)
5.00 Gaki's Jutsu is interrupted as he is affected by Poison! It's Serpents Blood!
5.00 Gaki uses a Strategist prepared basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Ishimoto's Feet. Sneak Attack. Miss (01,11)
5.00 Gaki uses a Strategist prepared basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Ishimoto's Feet. Sneak Attack. CRIT! (19,5)
- Explosive Seal detonates!
- Call Shot Feet success! (13)
5.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's heart. Full Hit (16,6)
- Suppression Success! (15)
- Call Shot Heart success! (06) - Gaki is rank 2 Bleeding
10.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike targeting Gaki. Miss (05,15)
10.00 Ishimoto uses a Strategist prepared basic strike targeting Gaki. Sneak Attack. CRIT! (19,15)
- Suppression success! (19)
Round Complete!

Notes:
A couple of notes, only two free basic strikes per round per player, you also ran out of ap due to Serpents Blood and crazy suppression but still got those free attacks off even on -3ap!!
Send me 10ap worth of actions and I will mod 100 seconds!!!
Rolls are shown with no modifiers.
Edit: Missed an action!

 

[Yong]

ROUND THREE THROUGH THIRTEEN!

Gaki HP: 934 -27 -90 -27 -45 -27 -27 -45 -27 -27 -27 -45 -27 -45 -90 -27 -45 = 286 CP: 1762 -131 -80 -110 -110 -131 -131 -131 -131 -131 -131 = 545 NE: 98 AP: 000 AP next round:000 Status: Fractured Heart, Fractured Arms, Fractured Legs, Sprained Head, Bleeding 2

Ishimoto HP: 1994 -95 -285 -285 -45 -140 -45 = 1059 CP: 390 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 = 342 AP: 000 AP next round: 000 Status: Sprained Neck (Ninja Wire Trap), Sprained Feet

Round Three - Thirteen
0.00 Gaki Bleeds
0.00 Ishimoto stumbles! (07)
0.00 Gaki uses a Strategist prepared basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Ishimoto's Feet. Sneak Attack. Full Hit (18,06)
- Call Shot Feet. Fail (89)
0.00 Ishimoto uses a Strategist prepared basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Arms. Sneak Attack. CRIT! (20,10)
- Call Shot Arms. Success! (14)
- Suppression Fail (99)
7.50 Gaki uses Stone Bullet - Called Shot Heart. Hit (18,03)
- Call Shot Heart. Fail (88)
10.00 Seconds Total!
10.00 Gaki Bleeds
10.00 Ishimoto does not stumble (33)
15.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Legs. Full Hit (18,06)
- Call Shot Legs. Fail (87)
- Suppression Fail (64)
17.5 Gaki uses Pressurized Mist. Miss (04,09)
20.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Legs. Miss (03,16)
20.00 Seconds Total!
20.00 Gaki Bleeds
20.00 Ishimoto stumbles! (04)
27.50 Gaki uses Stone Bullet. Hit (19,07)
- Suppression chance reduced to 0% due to Heavy Armor!
30.00 Seconds Total!
30.00 Gaki Bleeds
30.00 Ishimoto does not stumble (30)
35.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Legs. Full Hit (17,03)
- Call Shot Legs. Fail (49)
- Suppression Fail (93)
37.50 Gaki uses Stone Bullet. Hit (17,09)
- Suppression chance reduced to 0% due to Heavy Armor!
40.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Legs. Miss (09,16)
40.00 Seconds Total!
40.00 Gaki Bleeds
40.00 Ishimoto does not stumble (71)
47.50 Gaki uses Stone Bullet. Miss (01,20)
50.00 Ishimoto uses Tetsukawa!
50.00 Seconds Total!
50.00 Gaki Bleeds
50.00 Ishimoto does not stumble (61)
55.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Legs. Miss (02,10)
57.50 Gaki uses Stone Bullet - Called Shot Feet. Miss (12,16)
60.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Legs. Miss (15,20)
60.00 Seconds Total!
60.00 Gaki Bleeds
60.00 Ishimoto does not stumble (50)
65.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Legs. Miss (07,06)
67.50 Gaki uses Stone Bullet - Called Shot Heart. Miss (03,13)
60.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Legs. Hit (15,02)
- Call Shot Legs. Success! (14)
- Suppression Fail (41)
70.00 Seconds Total!
70.00 Gaki Bleeds
70.00 Ishimoto does not stumble (56)
75.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Legs. Hit (12,02)
- Call Shot Legs. Fail (65)
- Suppression Fail (39)
77.50 Gaki uses Stone Bullet - Called Shot Heart. Hit (12,01)
- Call Shot Heart. Fail (85)
80.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Legs. CRIT! (20,04)
- Call Shot Legs. Success! (12)
- Suppression Fail (36)
80.00 Seconds Total!
80.00 Gaki Bleeds
80.00 Ishimoto does not stumble (93)
85.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Arms. Hit (15,04)
- Call Shot Arms. Success (12)
- Suppression Fail (34)
87.50 Gaki uses Stone Bullet - Called Shot Heart. CRIT! (20,11)
- Call Shot Heart. Fail (49)
90.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Head. Miss (08,19)
90.00 Seconds Total!
90.00 Gaki Bleeds
90.00 Ishimoto does not stumble (77)
95.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Head. Miss (06,15)
9Gaki uses Stone Bullet - Called Shot Heart. Hit (16,06)
- Call Shot Heart. Fail (92)
100.00 Ishimoto uses a basic strike as a Called Shot targeting Gaki's Head. Hit (13,03)
- Call Shot Head. Success (14)
- Suppression Fail (58)
100.00 Seconds Total!!!
FIGHT OVER!!!

 

[Ishimoto]

The blood of his opponent had been spilled, poison introduced into his system, he should stumble any moment and Ishimoto had been waiting!

There, the vacant look for a moment and Ishi moved in to strike! Ishimoto suddenly feelt a vicious strike to the foot which was bearing all his weight, a surprise attack of the supposedly incapacitated opponent! An unexpected detonation came only a split second after, sending the small boy tumbling across the hard academy floor.

The boy skilfully slid to a stop and regained his feet in one fluid movement. His foot screamed in protest, like lightning shooting up his shinbone and into his brain! Though Ishimoto knew nothing was broken it definitely felt like it was for the time being… he would have to be more careful!

The small boy flashed his ‘sparing partner’ a quick smile in acknowledgment of the blow well struck.

Now it was his turn!

He dashed forward once more, ducking under the larger boys guard and striking the exact same spot, rewarded with a wet crack and more blood falling to the floor of the academy.

The smaller boys footing slipped and the damaged tendon refused to cooperate, his focus slipping for a moment as Gaki struck back, aiming for his feet once more, though this time not accompanied by the vicious explosion. Ishi twisted as the blow was struck, his own counter hit connecting perfectly with Gaki’s exposed elbow, the brass knuckles doing their vicious work with surgical exactness!

Flying through handseals, with pinpoint accuracy a hard stone smashed against the boys chest, though his concealed ninja chainmail absorbed some of the impact he now had a new threat to deal with! Ninjutsu!

Gaki began more handseals, though this time in a different pattern. Ishimoto moved in close once more, as Gaki completed his seals a razor sharp stream of water spiralled through the space he had occupied a second before, his own attack hitting nothing but air due to the sudden direction change!

Ishimoto noted the blood now freely flowing from the twice struck wound on his opponent, the massive stone bullet hurtling toward him momentarily obscured his view…

‘Massive Giant Bullet!’

His subconscious caught on to the attack only a split second before the impact, his arms crossing his chest as the attack struck home forcing the child to slide backwards under the force of the attack.

Moving as best he could with his damaged tendon Ishimoto again closed the gap created as Gaki continued his seemingly endless stream of repeated handseals,, his metal weapons seemingly designed to allow such free movement.

Another stone bullet struck him full force, though the sting had been somewhat lessened by his armor the attack winded the boy momentarily, again giving Gaki time to put separation between the two of them.

The game had changed, no longer a simple brawl between two children but a true match between proud Konohan shinobi.

He would have to use his ultimate secret technique!

“Tetsukawa!”

Lean young muscles tensed beyond their natural extremes, skin tightening and cracking like splintering, now hard as rock himself, the young shinobi readied himself, returning to his fighting stance once more in his new, ultimate form!

Another stone bullet flew with pinpoint accuracy. The bullet shattered to dust against his armored form as he dashed towards the bleeding larger boy!

Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge!

A kick landed!

Dodge!

A bullet struck!

Duck!

A punch landed!

Dip!

A stone avoided!

Dive!

A bone fractures!

And Dodge!

A defence breached!

Brass knuckles cracked against skull as Gaki fell to his knees, momentarily stunned but quickly regaining his feet. Ishimoto could see though, that he had caused a concussion, the unfocused eyes and the open mouth betrayed the boys condition.

“This fight is over Gaki-sama, you are strong but you should stop now…”

The boy indicated the pooling blood with his hand, fingers still laced through the blood splattered brass knuckles.

“My grandmother always says, ‘If you have another one you won't have an appetite for your dinner.’”

He turned his head towards their small gathered audience, his young cheeks beginning to blush as he realised just how much attention the two minute fight had drawn…