Gravel Pit [Tutor]

[Gotō Daiji]

"Man..." the distinct noise of someone sucking their teeth sounded out. It was just your average day at Kumogakure's Academy, the Aurora Eruditio. But on this day...someone seemed particularly annoyed. "This is some bull." That certain someone just happened to be Ie. Freshly promoted to Chuunin, the village's brass had been attempting to thrust upon the youth a boatload of new responsibilities. One of which was the requirement that he mentor some of the younger up-and-coming shinobi at the Academy. He had been putting his duties off for days now but if he kept on pushing them back sooner or later he'd have some Jounin or other sweatin' him about his "obligations". And regardless of whether or not he could handle some scrutiny, higher-ranked ninja snooping around Zai and the others was not good...

...Ku-9's and Glints don't mix.

So here he was. Against his wishes and in a less-than-stellar mood (though he wasn't exactly the happy-go-lucky type to begin with...) but nonetheless he was present. Garbed in a long-sleeved shirt that was dark navy in color and black shorts, he didn't look much like your typical instructor. Aside from the blue kunai holster strapped to his right thigh and the brown item pouch resting on the back of his hip, it was nearly impossible to identify him as a ninja. The blonde-haired makeshift teacher had decided to occupy one of the training areas on the grounds of the Academy. It was a decent size, but certainly not the largest facility available to students and teachers alike. A bordered area occupying a square footage of thirty by thirty. Not some fancy obstacle course with modular furnishings. Not any flashy ring with cushions and protective equipment. For lack of a better term...this was a fighting pit. Square in shape and with a floor comprised entirely of gravel and jagged rocks. Anyone who took a spill in this ring was bound to get up with a few more scratches than they went down with. And it just so happened to be the perfect setting for the subject of his lesson. There wasn't much left to do now but wait and see. The boy certainly didn't seem to be too enthused about teaching...but just because he wasn't the most eager "sensei" didn't mean he was going to be taking it easy or holding anything back. "Hope these kids are ready..." ...said the fourteen year old who stood five feet three inches tall. Still, he raised a fair point. If his temporary students didn't come ready to go they were gonna be in for a not-so-good time.

And as an irritable youth with a penchant for getting into trouble, he knew ALL about good times.

 

[Kita Shiori]

Tugging at the end of her low ponytail, Shiori frowned as she slid her textbook under one arm and headed for the door. She had been spending more time in the library lately, scouring the scrolls for all the information the late-bloomer was still missing. It was one of the few places where there was silence, a space hollowed out for your own, and the ability to hear your own thoughts in your head. She hadn’t realized how much she had begun to rely on that silence until this morning when Fumiko-sensei swooped by with a flat demarcation and strict orders to report for extra training that afternoon. Apparently Shiori’s instructor could tell just by looking that the thirteen-year old hadn’t been practicing hard enough lately.

Shiori had swallowed back her protests, not wanting to add on to her morning and sometimes even evening punishment detail with the terrifying Chuunin Kunoichi. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. She could argue until she was blue in the face that she was trying her best and Fumiko-sensei would simply tell her that that wasn’t good enough. Shiori sometimes wanted to tell the woman that it was impossible to draw blood from a stone, but she could only imagine Fumiko-sensei laughing and saying that it would be a waste of resources not to try.

So here she was, leaving her quiet sanctuary, and heading off to the training grounds with more than enough time to spare. Shiori had never been one to be late, even if she was lost in a new theoretical text or halfway across the Academy’s campus. Ducking under a low stoop as she exited the main courtyard, she threaded through the various staged arenas in search for the correct location. Her bare feet whispered across cobbled pathways as she paused, staring down at a training ground wholly unfamiliar to her past year at the Academy.

It was a perfect square, but uneven with rocky shale bleached white by the winter sun. There to the aft was an unfamiliar boy, shorter than her but with a stern cant to his features that made Shiori place him as older. She approached with a faint smile, tugging her sleeves into place and thankful that she had had the presence of mind to change from her flowing haori to a tighter long-sleeved tunic of the same ivory hue. Her dark red hakama were usable in all situations, and while it felt strange to be clothed in such an uncouth manner Shiori had long since learned to set aside modesty with her training.

Stepping out into the field, the stone shards compressed and shifted under her feet, prickling against her thick soles. Shiori strode to face the other boy, her smile growing like trellis ivy to curve at her cheeks as she bowed her head in polite greeting. “Hello! My name is Kita Shiori.” At that, she subsided, standing straight and eying the other in curiosity. He could be another student, but just as easily this could be the guest instructor Fumiko-sensei had mentioned. Age or appearance were no indicator in a Shinobi’s life, and there was something about the easy tension in the boy’s shoulders that made her wary.

 

[Sato Yuji]

A yawn was stifled as Saki entered the Academy. She had spent all of last night sorting out her training meaning she had gotten very little sleep. Giving up part of her day to some “tutor” the Academy decided to provide her with was not something she was looking forward to. She figured it was one of her Chuunin cousins that had let it slip that the family Jounin had taken interest in her. Ninjas gossiped worse the housewives. That interest had her singled out for additional training, something that she had been trying to avoid.

She yawned again as she made her way to the area the students dubbed “the Pit”. It was basically a fighting arena. The sides high enough that it wasn’t easy to get out of and the floor was all dirt and rocks. It was an interesting place for their Sensei to hold a lesson, she wonder what it said about their mental state. The Pit was a unique setting for a class.

She at least had been forewarned to wear heavier clothing. The Pit wasn’t easy on clothing, or skin. Her current clothing didn’t support the fighting style she was trying to master but it was better to be slightly weighed down then getting scraped up every time she was knocked to the ground. The clothing was the same black camouflage as her normal outfit but made of a sturdier material. The hood was pulled up over her uniquely colored hair and the top part of her head while the bottom half of her face was covered by a high collar. The only skin shown was that of her fingers. Her gloves were fingerless sap gloves, it never hurt to be prepared, which looked normal unless one was familiar with the weapon. She figured if the class was held in a fighting pit some fighting was going to happen and it was best to be over prepared than under.

As she entered the arena she took stock of the two people in it. They both appeared older than her, even if the boy was only a few inches taller. She figured the boy to be the instructor; he had the aura of a person who really didn’t want to be where they were. Something about the boy set of warning bells in her head. That combined with a faint memory of one of her Chuunin family members speaking of the recently promoted Chuunin put her on edge. A tall willowy female was the other occupant of the room. As Saki approached she was surprised to note that the girl was not wearing any shoes. She politely bowed politely to the pair when she reached them. Speaking to strangers had never been her strong suit so she decided it was better to keep quiet for now.

 

[Gotō Daiji]

Blink, blink. Ie's eyes drifted upward, coming to rest on the newcomer's face. She stood a good bit taller than himself and if she was paying close attention she might notice his dagger-like eyes staring at her forehead, trying in vain to draw an imaginary line from the top of his head to hers. She wasn't that much taller than him...right? "Mm." the boy vocalized in acknowledgement once she introduced herself, clearing his throat to regain his composure. It's not like he was insecure about how short he was or anything it's just that, well...he wanted to hit his growth spurt already damnit!

His gaze soon shifted, taking in her other features. Vibrant hair the color of roses. A soft and kind-looking face. A lack of shoes? And a warm smile to top it all off. His brow furrowed slightly after looking Shiori over. First impression? "Too nice." She seemed gentle, the kind of person that would be averse to some of the darker things Kumogakure required its shinobi to do from time-to-time. The kind of person that belonged nowhere near the battlefield. Ie wasn't some battle-crazed lunatic...but he knew himself. He knew that growing up the way he did made him capable of certain things. When the time came, and inevitably in every shinobi's life it does...he would be able to go through with it. He might not enjoy it, but he could do it. Would she be able to? He supposed only time could tell. It was anyone's guess at this point. Appearances weren't everything. Maybe she would prove him wrong in today's lesson. If not well...the shinobi's life wasn't for everyone.

Just as his thoughts about the pink-haired girl had started to quiet down his second student showed up. This one was not like the other. From a first glance he could tell she was prepared. That's not to say that Shiori wasn't, but this other girl seemed half a ninja already. Bundled up in dark clothing, quiet...hell even the way she carried herself was like that of a shinobi. Though...not like any kunoichi he'd ever seen. Ie had no way of telling for sure but he wouldn't be surprised if she'd be mentored by an older ninja already. Either that or she was one of those rare people who were just born for this type of work. Typically they are few and far between, but they are out there. There was only one way to find out. Now that his two students had assembled and were standing facing him? It was time to begin. "Name's Ie." the short notice "sensei" spoke, folding his arms and letting his eyes shift back and forth between the two of them. "It was decided I tutor y'all today so..." a hand came free to gesture mockingly at the pit. He didn't even try to hide the mild irritation in his voice. Of course it had nothing to do with either of the girls, just his general contempt at being forced to do...well...anything really. After re-crossing his arms he closed both eyes and sighed. "You're 'bout to learn some Taijutsu." Sensible choice. It was his preferred method of combat and easily the area he was most skilled in. As he continued to speak his eyes opened once more, narrowing on both of his students. "Real hand-to-hand...none of that stiff kata they teach you in class." Aside from the minor twinge of annoyance, Ie's voice seemed rather relaxed. His entire manner of speaking was very informal in fact. Saki and Shiori were about to find out that his style of training was the same way...

Ie made his way over to a large black bag that rested on the ground behind him, just at the edge of the pit. "Story time." he said aloud as he crouched down and began rummaging around in the bag. "What's your weapon of choice? If any." Information like this was key to the teaching process. If he knew what sort of tools they were using he would know how best to guide them. He had a basic familiarity with most simple weapons, but he was most experienced with Unarmed and Projectile Taijtusu so obviously they would learn the most if they too shared his affinities. But even if Shiori or Saki specialized in something else he would at least be able to give them some basic pointers and advice. And like that? The lesson was on.

[OOC: Forgot to put this at the bottom of my first post but welcome to the Tutoring session! If either of you have any questions about anything feel free to PM me here or on Discord. Other than that? Let's have some fun and hopefully learn a thing or two about hitting things!]

 

[Kita Shiori]

The boy turned to her with a gaze like broken glass, that initial sharp score muting to casual disinterest as he looked her over. The noncommittal greeting only cemented the impression, and Shiori had to struggle not to rock back on her heels inadvertently. Instead, she stood loosely, her smile burning at a constant pitch as the ninja took her in and cast her out without even blinking. She was used to that sort of response, and the honesty had ceased to sting. Few, if any, thought Shiori had what it took to become a ninja. Just most enjoyed rubbing the deficit in her face, or like her teachers, clung to stubborn pity.

Before the silence stretched thinner than velveteen there was a rustle and swish of approach, another student drawn inexorably to rest at this place. It was a girl, clothed in black, picking her way carefully across the gravel and scanning the area with quick glances. She had no words to add to their silent little party, just a heavy gaze above the shroud of her collar, burning like coal when they settled on Shiori’s face.

The blacksmith’s daughter wriggled one hand in a hemmed in wave, ducking her forehead in greeting as she turned her earnest smile onto the stranger. Shiori could already tell. This was going to be one of the weirder classes she had attended. Maybe Fumiko-sensei had done this on purpose. Though her sadistic instructor’s point was a mystery as of now. Surely, she would figure out the underlying lesson before the class was over. The quiet didn’t bother her, allowing the older girl’s thoughts to circle around her own lanes of consciousness. It was nice, in its own way, to let silence be her only performance. Maybe the whole class would pass like this, scalding looks the only point of tension as communication zinged along nonverbal racetracks.

That hope was swiftly dashed as the boy, their teacher, stepped forward a pace and finally introduced himself. He spoke brusquely, wasting nothing, not even punctuation – his words a flat line of ink at the end of a paragraph. Shiori swallowed, head tilting to take in the gravel pit once more. She had known upon sight that this was a place of tears and blood and sweat but it sunk in anew as Ie’s plain intentions hit her around the ribcage. Shifting her weight to her left, then her right, Shiori curled her outer most hand into a fist to give the tension someplace to call home.

“I don’t use weapons that often. I prefer my hands, but I have been training with suntetsu some.”

Truth had to be recognized, like anything else in life. You took it close, held it tight, and enshrined it under the flesh of your bloody heart. Like analyzing a piece of work. It didn’t matter how much time you’d spent on the thing, how expensive the individual components, if a flaw existed it could not be ignored. So Shiori understood with an open grace that her skills at hand to hand combat could only politely be called adequate. Just as she recognized that the style drilled at the Academy hew to her bones like feathers made from stone. A shoddy affair all around, and yet reality as it stood.

Thus, this pit was not so much a staging area as an arena, not so much a reception as a bloodbath. Which was to say, it was nothing new for Shiori, who struggled daily with everything her peers had begun to learn as toddling children while she was still sorting iron from pyrite. Embracing that was the only way she’d gotten this far at the Academy, and Shiori didn’t waste time fretting over what was to come.

 

[Sato Yuji]

A nod was used as a way to welcome or acknowledge in nonverbal communication. Combined with a small wave it meant a friendly welcome. Saki had been told it was good to establish friendly relationships with other ninja and it cost her nothing to give a polite nod back. So she did, nodding to the other girl as she turned back to the instructor. The friendly wave stuck in her mind though, it had been a long time since anyone had been welcoming to her. Sure, her family was polite and never excluded her but she could tell something about the way she acted made them nervous.


She was pulled out of her thoughts when their teacher began to talk She had heard the name Ie before, that combined with the other clues caused everything to click. Her older relatives had been complaining about the newest batch of chuunin, saying the standards had gone down since they had graduated. Ie was one of the recently graduated chuunin they had been using as an example--he was known to be a member of one of the gangs in the city. Saki had thought complaining was foolish, it was not as if it would change anything. It made sense to have someone with those ties in the ranks of ninja. Ties like that would be useful in gaining information that normally was not found. She had not heard anything about him being assigned an instructor position though.

As he continued to talk she noticed that he did not seem interested in being there. She hoped that his attitude would not impact his ability to impart knowledge to his students. The fact that the class was Taijutsu was not surprising. With the chosen setting any other skill would have been shocking. She had recently received a weapon and it would be nice to work with them. Maybe the session would not be a waste of time. She did appreciate how blunt their instructor was being with his words. Excess word use never really made sense to her, why say something in ten words if only three were needed.

She frowned to herself as the teacher insulted the Academy’s teaching style. She knew that many who came to the school had no knowledge of any type of fighting. It was important to give students some idea of how to fight, so they were not killed during their first mission.

When the blonde mentioned weapons she blinked herself out of her thoughts. In her peripheral she noticed the other classmate begin shifting, a sign of nervousness in the language of movement. Curling hands represented anger, defensiveness, or increased tension it was hard for her to tell. The girl's anxiety did not make sense to Saki, she had to be at least mildly skilled at Taijutsu to still be a student at the Academy. Her weapon of choice made sense also, a good choice if one was looking to fight in close quarters.

Her own tendons stretched and pulled as the hands underneath her gloves flexed. The gloves were the last gift her uncle had given her, it would be nice to learn how to use them better. She knew her stature and lack of muscles made close quarter combat difficult, so she had to supplement for that by not fighting fair. Hence the gloves, specially made to look like normal ninja gloves the fabric was interwoven with powdered metal to both protect her hands when punching and blocking, and to increase her striking power.

She held out her gloved hands to Ie.

“These, and I’m contemplating chakram as a thrown weapon.”
--------
{MFT}
{WC:609}

 

[Gotō Daiji]

Ie stopped digging through his bag for a moment upon both of his students' answers. They wouldn't be able to see his face since he had his back to them, but his expression had actually shifted slightly. It went from one of almost complete disinterest to almost complete disinterest with a hint of amusement. He was a bit surprised by their answers, especially when it came to the seemingly timid Shiori. "Sentetsu? An assassin's weapon..." Perhaps this hinted at a bit of a hidden edge when it came to the girl? Of course Academy Students didn't normally have the means to access to the full arsenal of weaponry available to standard rank-and-file shinobi...but still. It wasn't uncommon to see the odd bokken or bō being lugged around the Aurora's grounds. But sentetsu? Choice of armament said more about a person than most realize. Chakram were a halfway decent projectile weapon as well. He wasn't too familiar with them but he knew enough to understand how deadly they could be in the hands of of a skilled ninja. But to hear that both Saki and Shiori preferred unarmed combat was good news. Not only was it essential to every shinobi's skillset, it meant that he would be able to teach the two of them that much more effectively. The sensei-for-a-day shot a glance over his shoulder at them both. "Good choice." And with that? He returned his attention to the duffel bag.

After a few more seconds it seemed like he found what he was looking for. "Only one way to learn Taijutsu..." the youth spoke, lugging a rectangular object to the center of the back wall of the Pit. He set it down on the uneven ground and shifted it a bit to stay in place. "Fight." Once he was done with that he stepped aside and turned to face both of his pupils. The object he retrieved from his bag? A boombox. It wasn't exactly a new and shiny model but it would serve its purpose just fine. Before any music got started however, there was one more thing left to do. A simple practical jutsu. Despite his relaxed demeanor his hands moved deftly to form the necessary seals.

Hitsuji. Mi. Tora.

A cloud of smoke appeared directly next to him. Once it dissipated the two would be able to see their opponent for today. Ie's exact doppelganger. (Clone) "Your opponent." This technique was slightly more advanced than the illusory version that was a necessary part of a graduating student's repertoire. This bunshin was no simple mirage. It was as tangible as the real one. And though it wasn't quite as resilient or strong, it was nothing to be taken lightly. Yet there was something that might unnerve both Shiori and Saki even more than their opponent-to-be...and that was Ie's gaze. Ever since he casted his jutsu the blonde-haired youth had narrowed his eyes upon his students. The match hadn't even started yet and already he'd begun analyzing the two. Posture, center of gravity, the stances they would inevitably drop into once they detected the change in the air. "Fists, feet, sentetsu, shuriken...anything goes." With a nod of his head in place of a verbal command, the clone Ie began to walk forward, just as relaxed as its creator. In fact it had both hands in its pockets as it moved. The distant look on its face was nearly identical to the boy's earlier expression. Once it reached the center of the Pit it stopped its advance and rocked backwards, shifting its weight onto its heels. Though the clone looked calm, a sharp eye would be able to tell that it was ready to go at a moment's notice. "Don't hold back." Ie instructed, his eyes shifting between the two. The clone's docile face betrayed the feeling it gave off. Its said that truly dangerous ninja emit a certain pressure right before a battle starts. Ie was certainly no Jounin, but his students would be able to detect a palpable tension in the air. Partly due to his stonefaced stare, and partly because of his attack-ready bunshin. "You'll both wind up with more than a few scrapes if you do." After holding for a brief moment to make sure they understood their task he nodded once more. One final touch and they'd be ready to go. He bent down and...

Wu-Tang Clan - Gravel Pit​

Click! A loud mechanical noise filled the air. "Go." was his only instruction thus far. After a few seconds of silence some rhythmic hip-hop began blaring through the speakers. What was a fight without some music to move to? His clone hunched down slightly, as if to prepare for an incoming attack. Now the ball was in their court. It was time to see what Kita Shiori and Abe Saki were made of.

 

[Kita Shiori]

All it took was a simple nod to bolster her nerves and Shiori’s smile kicked it up ten notches. She wasn’t deterred by the other girl’s stiff bearing, or the fact that her greeting hadn’t been received with ebullience. That minor recognition was more than enough to start the cavalcade thumping under her breast bone. It helped, too, that Ie wasn’t starting this lesson off with a litany of complaints or barbed observations. Hope birthed as a flickering flame in the pit of her stomach, tentative and shaky but gleaming bright. This had promise, the telltale taste of fun. Whether or not it revealed itself was up to chance, but Shiori allowed herself the shallow wish.

The girl at her side was still just as unknown as before, then again, Shiori had yet to introduce herself, either. Perhaps, judging by Ie’s casual demeanor, names weren’t important for today’s lesson. It felt awkward to go without, a social nicety skipped with nothing to leave in its place. The world of Shinobi didn’t put as much emphasis on names as the civilians did, but they still held clues of power and kinship that Shiori was trying to wade through. Her skin felt raw stepping out unnamed like this, and she had to shift her perspective, rephrasing the situation to that of a smith dealing with naked ore rather than the delicate subtlety of a finished blade. She was here to be shaped, not to be recognized.

Even if it made her feel both insignificant and oddly free at the same time. Perhaps the other girl felt the same, for she had stopped studying their space as intently and was now addressing the Chuunin instructor. Her gestures were fluid but not flighty, steel ribbed grace that Shiori was instantaneously jealous of. This was a girl that personified the title kunoichi. It was beautiful to watch. She wanted that for herself, that innate ease.

Shiori wasn’t sure what chakram were and made a mental note to ask Junichiro about it later. They had a deal, the two of them. She made sure to inform him of the more esoteric weaponry she heard of, so he could stay on top of the market, and he promised to tell her the specifics once he’d begun reproducing them. Sometimes Junichiro would even let her play test the products, but he always got a pinched look on his face and she’d learned not to ask too often.

As Ie stood back up, the thirteen-year old cast a quizzical glance at the machine in his hands, shifting her weight while parsing his simple speech. For a long burning second, she thought he intended the two girls to spar against one another and a fission of fear curdled somewhere around the acid-adrenaline lurking near her navel. The appearance of the clone soothed the worst of that bitter edged pill, her smile staying firmly in place as she tilted her head to one side.

It wasn’t so much that she was excited to fight a presumably Chuunin-level bushin technique, as she was relieved at not having to spar with another female. Shiori couldn’t place the emotion or the source of it, but it always made her uncomfortable to spar against women. Maybe it was because she was so unused to their presence, maybe because she never knew how to predict or goad them the same way she did men. All she could say was that the prospect of fighting a portion of Ie’s talent was far less harrowing of a perspective than trading blows with the dark girl.

Squaring her shoulders, Shiori bowed perfunctorily to the clone standing across from her and then again towards the real Ie. Music thrummed in the air, heavy, discordant, but in line with her heartbeat as she stepped closer to her opponent. His eyes had her pinned, a tangle of sharp edges and hidden blades, and the sheer force of that regard all but stole her breath away. Shiori ran her hands across her thighs, smoothing the thick hakama cloth in a nervous gesture. Her back curved, downward, before straightening as she caught herself.

She inhaled, tasting the dust in the air and feeling her teeth press against her bottom lip. Meeting the clone’s gaze was hard. It promised unfeeling, unstinting pain, and while Shiori wanted to improve she wasn’t sure she wanted the suffering that would be the toll for progress. Her suntetsu pair sat heavy, tucked neatly in her obi, but she left them untouched. She struggled still with the accuracy necessary for those weapons and it would be foolish to try them at the draw. This wasn’t one of her classroom spars where she could pretend to be weak and draw the opponent in. Ie would take her out in a second, and he would see through any obvious ploys.

Exhaling, Shiori let her body fall into place. Her feet spreading slightly, widening her base, arms tucked close to her body and cocked. No way was this clone going to come in first, giving her the advantage of reactive play. She’d have to thread the needle herself. And without any of the little tidbits and pointers she had collected on her classmates it was a narrow task indeed. Normally she let the thread spool out, watched her opponents to pick up the patterns, letting them set the tempo until she found her decisive opening. That was much easier done with an enemy you already knew something about, someone you could incite or soothe, someone who would fall for the stumbling act that was her second nature.

Shiori’s smile was still pasted on her face, more a self-regulating grin now than an outward expression of cheer. It tightened further as she darted towards the clone, thoughts rattling around in her head as she threw tactic after tactic out the window. Speed was usually her only advantage, but at this skill gap it wasn’t likely to serve her to the same extent. Still, she surged as best she could, pivoting immediately upon closing the gap to swing up alongside the clone’s left-hand. With a Taijutsu fighter he should be equally skilled from both angles, but she’d take a gamble and hope if he was right-handed the left would be a hair slower to react. Nothing to do now but survive the wave and take notes.

No kicks, not when losing her balance would be death out here, even if it would have been a stronger blow. Instead Shiori moved with her initial spin, chambering her right arm back as she sought to sweep in under Ie’s forearm and punch the tender point where his ribs and intercostal muscle meet. Her left followed in tight mimicry, coming in higher in a bid to tangle with Ie's arm or punish him if he'd moved to block the first. This secondary punch aimed for the fleshy space between collarbone and shoulder. Shifting her weight forward to give some modicum of power to the attack, Shiori knew she needed to flow back around if she was going to have any hope of getting away from those powerful hands, but she'd spent her weight and momentum and couldn't gather it back in quickly enough.

 

[Sato Yuji]

A glance up and to the side showed a surprising expression on the other girls face. Saki blinked, it appeared the other girl was.. beaming? That was not an expression she was used to seeing on anyone's face that was under the age of eight. It was a surprisingly pleasing expression to see on someone's face, in fact, it made the girl look like what her brother told her was generally considered beautiful. Come to think of it, she rarely meets a shinobi who could be considered ugly. At worst they would look plain, maybe the conventionally ugly ones got killed off. She made a mental note look into that later, there may be a reason to appear good looking.

Saki turned her gaze back to the instructor as he spoke. She blinked slowly, who was he complementing when he said “Good choice”? She assumed it was directed at the other girl, sentetsu were a much more unique weapon then sap gloves. She had never seen someone actually use them in battle. Hopefully, she would see them in action during the class, if not she could always ask the other girl for a demonstration. The girl did not seem like the type to get angry over being asked to demonstrate her weapon. It was important for her to know what kinds of weapons someone could wield so that when they belonged to an opponent she would know how to counter them. Saki just needed to remember to ask her before the lesson ended. Well first she needed to learn the others name she realized with a start. She had been told it was impolite to ask for favors if the if you did not know the person you were askings name. That was another thing that needed to be done by the end of the lesson.

Watching as their sensei removed some type of machine as he talked Saki tilted her head to the side. She was prepared for a fight but that did not mean she was looking forward to it. She was surprised that he wanted them to fight his clones though, from what she had heard Ie was the type to watch his students beat each other up. Saki mentally prepared herself for the bruises she was going to receive. She may have been able to hold her own against another academy student in a straight fight but against a Chuunin, she was going to feel it tomorrow especially with the look Ie was wearing. She was actually disappointed that she would not be able to fight the other girl, fighting against sentetsu would have been interesting.

She felt tension wind up her spine as the air shifted. She had felt this aura before, it was not as strong as her uncle’s but it was the same feeling. Her uncle had only used it as a demonstration though, he had said that while some people released the feeling she never should. It was similar to bloodlust and had the possibility of giving away her existence, not a good idea with her potential fighting style. It still made the hair on the back of her neck rise though. Saki tried to make herself look as weak as possible as she rolled her shoulders, shrinking into herself. A conditioned response when she felt that this type of tension.

Eyes looking at her opponent she noticed that he was doing the same thing. She internally made a face, she was going to have to change her outfit after she moved up ranks. For now, it was to her benefit to dressing like a kunoichi, it made people take her more seriously but she would have to make herself look less competent as she got stronger. Her uncle always said it was better to look strong when you were weak and weak when you were strong. She had taken those words to heart, along with the knowledge that their definitions of strong and weak were different from other peoples.

Saki could not stop from pulling a face when she heard the music start. It was quickly smoothed over but the dislike had been there. It was not that she did not appreciate music, it was just that she did not appreciate it when fighting. It tended to throw her off her step and forced her to move with it. That made her more predictable, a weakness that she could not have. She quickly sent thanks to her family for advising her to wear heavier clothing as she prepared to start.

She eyed her opponent again, it seemed that he was expecting her to attack first. A tactic that she understood, if they had meet randomly she would have done the same thing. She was already wearing her gloves and she had shown them to him earlier giving away that there was something different about them. She would have to hope that he had thought she was talking about her hands as a weapon, not the gloves themselves. She highly doubted it though. Fighting head to head had never been one of her strong suits. She normally used the element of surprise coupled with an attack and retreat tactics. Attack from an open side and the retreat and hide to attack again. That tactic would not work in this setting.

She sighed and curled further into herself, appearing scared. She might as well get this over with because it was a clone she figured she could aim for the more damaging spots. She surged forward aiming her left palm towards the clones chin if it connected it would snap his head back if it did not it would force him to take a step back. Her right was aiming for the kidney. She expected them both to be blocked or deflected. If the blow to the kidney was deflected she left herself with an opening but if it was blocked it could do some damage to the blocking arm. She was prepared to yank herself back, it wouldn’t be the most graceful maneuver but it should work. Her hope was to force him to take a step back if he did it would be relatively easy to tangle his feet with one of her own.
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(OOC: Sorry it's rough it's my first time writing a fight)

 

[Gotō Daiji]

His gaze was unblinking. His observance unwavering. Ie might not have been thrilled about being forced to be a tutor but that didn't mean he was going to send these two away without learning something. Besides it's not like he could just run off all of a sudden. I mean he technically could...but they'd definitely send someone looking for him. And the last thing he needed were village ninja snooping around him and the Nines. Being a Chuunin that barely worked for Kumogakure meant that the Ku-9's were granted a certain level of amnesty-by-proxy. Even some of his own past transgressions had been forgiven in exchange for his servitude. Completing Missions for the village and bringing in Yen meant that Zai and the others could go about their activities mostly undisturbed. Failing to fulfill his duties to the Village Hidden by Clouds would likely result in a swift and disproportionate response by the village. Ie and his friends weren't murderers or anything that despicable...but a lot of them had done enough dirt to warrant some time in the Tarterian. He and Kumo had a shaky, mutually beneficial, and most importantly unofficial agreement. And aside from all that, the most important thing to him was being able to provide for his little sister. Ie had to do what he had to do. It was just unfortunate that meant teaching of all things...

His clone stood fast with an unamused expression as both Shiori and Saki rushed him. His pupils expectations had not been met. Both of them had anticipated sparring one another but instead were faced with a two-on-one bout with a bunshin of all things. Maybe not the most orthodox method of teaching a Taijutsu lesson, but you better believe there was a method to his madness. Not only would this be valuable experience fighting cooperatively with another, but it would give them both a taste of the shinobi's life. No...there wasn't usually loud rap playing during an engagement with enemy ninja, but being forced into combat with an opponent much stronger than yourself was very commonplace. Overcoming this obstacle somehow was part of the lesson. Saki was no match for Ie's clone by herself nor Shiori neither. If they wanted any hope at all of besting his doppleganger they would have to come up with a plan of attack and execute it without a hitch. Otherwise this was going to be a long and painful exercise. "Too predictable, Shiori." Ie spoke from the sidelines as his stand-in dealt with the attacks. It moved in rhythm with the music to react almost instantly and swat away her first punch, its right hand moving to divert her own before it made contact with his midsection. (Block) If the strike had connected it could've potentially bruised a rib or two. Smart target, less-than-stellar execution. "She's quick though...even with all that extra height." That speed of hers would be essential in outmaneuvering his clone. If she could figure out a clever way to use it in conjunction with her ally. By the time her second attack was unleashed Saki had jumped into the fray. Both of them blitzing the bunshin without any sort of communication? Not bad. A bit reckless...but considering the gap in skill it was their best option.

....unfortunately their attacks were simply not in sync with one another. The Abe girl's palm strike whiffed as Ie's clone shifted its head to the left. A shame too. It would've been disorienting as all hell if it connected. "And you, don't overextend your reach." The "sensei" advised from afar, narrowing his eyes on the action. Her arm was now past his head. A risky position to find herself in. If he decided to have his clone lock her limb and strike near her elbow that arm would be next-to-useless for the remainder of the fight. Luckily he was no sadist...and it wasn't exactly an advantageous position for him either. If she was quick and had enough finesse she could potentially get a hold on his neck. And that was never good. Whatever his next few moves were he would have to fall back. "Impressive." Two Academy Students forcing a Chuunin to move position was no easy feat. Even if it was just a clone. Both of the girls had the right idea about applying pressure, too. Follow-up strikes were crucial. Your opponent couldn't attack if they were constantly on the defense. What they lacked was any sort of cohesive strategy. Sure they each had the anatomical targets in mind for their strikes, but alone they would not be able to succeed. They would have to figure something out fast if they wanted to overcome this bunshin.

In one swift motion the clone intercepted Shiori's second strike with his right hand, utilizing the momentum off the rebound of his first deflection. He would hook her left arm and swing it towards Saki. In a flash his left arm crossed his right, gripping the shorter girl's wrist and re-directing her attack at Shiori. A loud CLAP! sounded out as the students' hands collided. Though stinging knuckles would be the least of their worries. Without wasting any time at all both of the youth's hands flashed outwards, one in each direction. A right backfist aimed at the side of Saki's face and a swift left punch towards Shiori's stomach. Both attacks were lightning fast and rhythmically timed. But regardless of whether or not they connected Ie's clone leapt backwards, covering a good amount of ground in an instant. Now its back was nearly to the edge of the Pit. The clone bobbed in time with the beat in anticipation. The battle was officially on now...but if either of the girls would look to their tutor they would notice something strange. The beginnings of a smirk. True he hadn't wanted to play teacher-for-a-day but things were starting to get interesting now. It was still too soon to say if he underestimated these two or not but forcing a move on his clone was a good first step. "Well?" the boy spoke, arms still folded as his eyes shifted between the two. "If you two don't get serious my clone'll take you apart." The hint of a smug smirk might've betrayed his chiding but he spoke nothing but the truth. His bunshin may have lost ground to them but if they couldn't land any attacks it would simply continue to counter and fall back. They needed a plan. Question was: could Shiori and Saki formulate one? Ie's eyes remained locked on his students. Whatever the result, he wouldn't want to miss this.

[OOC: No worries at all Saki it was actually a great post! You're both doing great so far ^^]

 

[Kita Shiori]

Shiori closed the gap neatly, gravel firm beneath her feet where she might have worried about traction earlier. Peripherally she caught the flash of her dark-haired companion, the two girls angling in from the front on their Chuunin target. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. All of her fights to date had been against Academy Students, or the occasional one-sided beat-down when an instructor felt the need to prove a point. So, while Shiori knew tackling a Chuunin was like floating stone, she nonetheless had no frame of reference for Ie’s sheer speed.

Her body moved quicker than her thoughts, a tight first hitting a wall of steel while the force of the blow reverberated up her arm. Gritting her teeth, Shiori completed her second attack, following through on the smooth motion in spite of the effortless way Ie had blocked her initial strike. Simple math should have given them some type of advantage here. Four blows against two defending arms, but no, the bunshin was blowing their margin of error out of the water and all he had to do was twist and turn to dodge the other kunoichi’s powerful strike. Shiori went wide-eyed, sucking in a lungful of air as she tried to take advantage of being so very close to the target and yet unable to quell the flat amazement at what she’d just seen.

It only got worse. Ie’s hand clamped down tight over her wrist, iron-clad but not crushing, as suddenly the two girl’s momentum diverted and the clone slammed them into one another like he was connecting pipe cleaners rather than moving limbs. The movement caught her off-guard, Shiori flinching back from the hold even as her mind told her to go limp. As the other girl’s fist collided with hers, she felt white-hot pain flame into existence, stumbling into the knee-to-the-stomach blow like a hapless ragdoll.

Gasping for all the air that had just been forced out of her chest, she rolled on impact with the ground, coming up like a shot. Shiori planted her feet, weaving slightly, and wiped a streak of blood off her lips. Copper had an earthy tang and she probed the cut in her cheek where she’d accidentally bitten herself cautiously. Her stomach ached, and she could only guess from experience that it would be a sea of purple on the morrow. “Shit,” she swiped a trickle of blood off her hand, where the gravel had snagged, as the thirteen-year old let out a woozy curse.

Quickly she placed the other girl nearby, and Ie’s clone a fair distance back as if they had never moved. He was watching with those molten eyes, the complete lack of dirt or strain or anything scratching at her nerves. Clenching her fist, tentatively, she figured the pain wasn’t bad enough to be serious. It hurt though, more than Shiori thought it would, and she licked her bottom lip before smiling into the pain.

She had little doubt that Ie’s clone was about to make good on their teacher’s threat, but even so her head was too rattled to come up with a plan. She knew about stratagems from classwork, but there was too much happening at once, the gap was too big. How were two students supposed to show-up a Chuunin? It had all seemed far more straightforward in the texts, an obvious answer to each tactical scenario. But this tableau had been bled dry. Two students. One opponent. Open space. It was like a mental puzzle she couldn’t figure out. For all the clone pointed out her errors she didn’t know what to do about it. How was she to be less predictable when the setting was so barren? When she didn’t even know what the enemy was going to do?

And what had been predictable? Coming from the side? Charging together? Attacking spots of weakness because she didn’t have the capabilities to hit hard enough to matter? Her hand buzzed, lightning strikes radiating up her knuckles as she shook it loose. If he could handle the two of them this easily, when they were playing at their strengths, what exactly could they do? She knew nothing about her sudden teammate except that the girl was wary and had a fist like concrete. So many unanswered questions.

They’d just have to throw themselves against the wall again and hope for more data. Her only advice – don’t be predictable – rang like titanium in her ears. A thought percolated, too hazy to form words, and Shiori grinned. She was going to get hit again no matter what she did, might as well make the whole thing worth it. Flicking her gaze to the other student, Shiori shifted her weight, stepping forward. Talking out loud would only telegraph the whole thing, except… except it didn’t have to, necessarily… If this was all about being predictable, she could work with that. Or try.

“Hey! Do that thing again! Hit him as hard as you can, yeah?” Shiori called out to her teammate, lunging back across the gravel towards Ie as she shouted. She’d seen the dark-haired girl move, even if her focus has been split, and so Shiori knew the girl was good. Hopefully, if Shiori gave her an opening, it would allow her to capitalize and land one of those thudding blows.

Trusting that the other girl would be on her heels for another drive, Shiori hurtled towards her target. She moved at the same break-neck speed as her first attempt, even coming in at the same angle as she got closer. Only this time, instead of pivoting at the last second to strike from a new angle, Shiori barreled forward head-on, fists tight in a classic Academy stance.

If Ie expected finesse from her, she’d give him the most straightforward line she could think of, shoving her bulk into place and spreading out to occupy his front while her fists aimed towards the clone’s nose. Last time around he’d dodged the blows that weren’t to the center mass, but with Shiori crowding up the front if he made any move to the sides she was hoping her companion would have the timing and ability to get something in. Or at least avoid another direct hit from the clone. Shiori could take a few more rounds, but she needed to figure out a way to protect the other girl because she was nearly certain her teammate’s strength was going to be the key to this exercise.

Shiori didn’t think her attacks would land. And if they did, they’d be like the kiss of rain on a tin roof. She was focused more on taking up his attention, moving in fast. Two pops to the face and her left leg snaked out. Shiori doubted she could drop the clone, but she could tangle herself so much into his space that he’d have issues with that easy mobility he’d tricked them with earlier. It didn’t matter so much that it uprooted her own stance, sending her precariously off balance, so long as she made the opening.

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OOC: Oh my goodness, I apologize! I didn't realize Ie had already posted! Sorry for the wait!!!

 

[Sato Yuji]

A flash of movement next to her told her that the other girl had decided to blitz the instructor as well. That was a pity Saki had hoped she would hold back, she had seemed like the type to analyze the enemy before attacking. Saki would have liked if she had let Saki get beat up while looking for an opening. Getting beat up isn't unusual for her so she could have, probably, taken the hits as long as Ie wasn’t aiming to kill.

She hissed to herself as her palm went beyond the Chunnins head. The sensei was right an overextended arm was never a good thing and that was what she had just done. The only way to save it was if she was able to get him with a backhand, something she doubted given his speed. Sure enough, he had moved before she could even think of hitting him. The strike wasn’t completely useless though, Ie was not keen on actually hurting them. If he was he would have taken out her left arm completely, given his speed it would have been easy to hit her elbow taking the arm out of play.

It seemed the other kunoichi’s attack had missed as well. The block must have hurt though the force had to go somewhere and it was probably up the others girls arm. Saku was disappointed, but not surprised, that neither attack had landed. It seemed as if they were too slow.

Not letting her own thoughts distract her she followed smoothly through with the next attack. This one wasn’t any more successful than the first. A hand wrapped around her arm and trying to jerk it away did nothing. As he was moving her arm she saw his plan, she had barely enough time to offer up a silent apology to the other girl's hand before their attacks collided. Saki hopped she hadn’t accidentally broken the other girl's hand, it had happened before. Then her head snapped sharply as the backhand connected.

The strike, though painful, wasn’t enough to send her to the ground though it did make her blink for a few seconds. It was definitely going to leave a bruise the next day. She moved her jaw and ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth. It didn’t seem like anything was broken and she hadn’t cut the inside of her mouth. It seemed as if she was fine and she quickly dismissed the pain the was radiating from it. There was nothing she could do about it except but some cold water on it when she got home. She shook out her right hand, the blow had stung but her gloves had protected her from most of the force. All in all, she had come away with minimal injuries. She was impressed with the clone though, it had attacked right on the beat of the song that was playing.

While she had been recovering from the blow Ie’s clone had moved back. She considered that a victory, she couldn’t count how many times she had sparred with her uncle and he wouldn’t move an inch through the whole thing. Dismissing it as a threat for the moment, he seemed more intent in defending than attacking, she turned her eyes to the other girl. It seemed like she had taken the worst injuries from the simultaneous blows. It seemed as if clone Ie had got her in the stomach and it had thrown her. The worst of the others injuries seemed to be gravel scrape on her hand. That was good, she was still able to fight.

Turning her head back to the clone she tried to think of a strategy. They obviously couldn't bring him down on their own so they needed to work together. The problem was that she was really bad at working together with someone else. If one of them had a distance weapon it would have been a lot easier. One of them would attack while the other looked for openings. Close combat was harder in this setting. She frowned slightly, it didn’t help that Saki didn’t know anything about her teammate other than that she was fast.

She cut her eyes to their non-clone instructor as he spoke. At least he seemed to be enjoying himself, he seemed to be the type to like taunting other people. Mentally rolling her eyes she looked back at the clone. They weren't going anywhere just standing there. Just as she was about to sign the other girl that she would attack and that the other should look for openings to attack with her speed the redhead surged forward shouting. While Saki didn’t necessarily approve of shouting during the middle of a battle she had to admit it was effective. It seemed the other had the same idea she did just with the roles reversed.

Following in wake of the other girl she angled to the left of the clones body. The redhead was getting very close, good she was blocking his movements. It didn’t matter which way he dodged, or even if he blocked. She aimed a heavy straight punch at his ribs not wanting a repeat of last time. If he moved left his arm, or rib, would run straight into her fist, if he moved right she would use the momentum to continue with her other hand. If he didn’t move at all and blocked she have to continue with a kick to the leg, a move that should not’ upset her balance, and she might do some damage to the blocking limb. Any move she made would have to be followed up with a punch to whatever opening the other may have created with her actions. She would have to assume that even if her attacks landed, something she doubted given his speed and specialty, they would do at least some damage.

 

[Gotō Daiji]

"Hmph..."​

So they were improving! Good. With every renewed attack Ie was able to visibly see the girls' progress. It's not as if they would become Taijutsu masters after one little lesson...but they were learning. Adapting. Thinking. It took a lot more than brute force to be a shinobi. Brains were just as if not more important than brawn. A smart, weaker combatant beat out the bigger dumb one nine times out of ten. He would never admit it to anyone but this tutoring thing wasn't so bad. It gave him a weird, minimal sense of pride that his brief instruction had caused Saki and Shiori to better themselves. It's not like he was gonna get a big head about it or anything though. He'd still rather be kickin' it with his friends.

As the bunshin bounced in place waiting for the students' next move Ie's gaze remained fixed on the girls. Not a word escaped his lips as he observed them. In the heat of battle there was seldom time to come up with overly-complex battle plans and communicate them to your allies in a matter of seconds. So Shiori's quick command to Saki was completely acceptable. It seemed like the taller girl had something up her sleeve...and he was about to witness what that was firsthand. In an instant she flashed forward, using that startling speed of hers to close the gap between them. While the first time she shifted her footing at the last second to angle her strike, this time she...didn't? A head-on attack was certainly more risky. But the added surprise that she would even attempt such a thing did manage to catch the clone slightly off-guard. And it wasn't just that. It was her positioning. The way she boxed the bunshin in was very deliberate. It would definitely make it a bit trickier to try his hit-and-run move from before. Wordlessly, her fellow student followed suit. With her ally closing in on the clone, Saki moved in unsion. So this was their strategy? While the clone was busy defending against the taller girl's frontal attack the other would come in at an angle and deliver a crushing blow to his flank. "Not bad..." The corner of Ie's mouth perked up as he watched from the sidelines. Demonstrating this kind of teamwork in such a short time was a good sign. Maybe he had underestimated them after all? Unfortunately they were about to be in for an unpleasant surprise. With his back nearly against the wall and his students preventing any easy way of escape forward, there was only one thing the Ie clone could do...

...hit 'em with the Remix.

A hand slapped the gravel below, shifting it slightly as weight was exerted on it. In one fluid motion the clone completely inverted itself. It twisted its body as it moved into the handstand. His dark eyes darted back-and-forth between the two girls. Using the centrifugal momentum gained from winding his body up he let loose. Not unlike a spinning top that had gone out of control, Ie's clone rotated on its hand, his legs stretching out like the unraveling of a knot and whipping around in an attempt to repel his attackers. (Spinning Wind) Rotating several times over, his legs attacked constantly in every direction. Shiori was closest and unless she reacted quick she would catch the brunt of the attack. And as if that weren't enough...a second Ie leapt over the clone's breakdance attack and towards both the students. (Basic Clone) It was aiming a punch directly for Saki's face. If she managed to get away in time she might be able to avoid the hit but if not? It would...phase almost harmlessly through her? ! When the girls regained their bearings they would see two Ie's standing before them ready for combat. And the real one on the sidelines, of course. "Quick thinkin', you two." his words were seemingly sincere, but sounded as lax as ever. "But in a real scrap, anything can happen." His eyes narrowed once more upon his students, alternating between the two. It was time for their final instruction of the day. "One's an illusion, one's not. Find the physical clone and work together to land at least one hit. Choose right and you pass..." Simple enough...except for the fact that both of the clones were in motion! After a nod of the real Ie's head, both doppelgangers made a beeline for the girls, zigging and zagging along to the music as they went. "Don't choose wrong." Their task seemed simple but in reality it wasn't so. Not only would they have to discern between the illusory clone and the tangible one, but they'd have to use teamwork to land an attack on the latter. It was time to see if these girls were up to the challenge. Saki and Shiori had the budding brawn of shinobi...but did they have the brains?

Perhaps there was something that gave the physical bunshin away? If not, would one of them be able to dsipel the Genjutsu? Or maybe they would just take a risk and guess? Whatever the case they would need to decide fast. Both of the clones were closing in fast and ready to attack. Were they?

[OOC: Alright you two since we're well over the Word Count requirement for a tutor thread I figure we'll make this the last round of posting and then post our exits afterwards. But I leave it up to you! I'm fine with continuing the thread if you two would rather do that. Just let me know and we can get to it!]
[mft]

 

[Kita Shiori]

For once Shiori was thankful for her unfeminine height which allowed her to crowd in the clone’s face with a bellicose grin that only half felt like an act. The other girl had yet to speak, even being struck earlier hadn’t resulted in a peep, and so Shiori had to hope that she was creating enough of a distraction for her teammate to follow suit. As Ie stepped around her hooking ankle, she felt sweat bead down the small of her back. She hadn’t exerted herself this much for this long in a while, though part of the tension was a fully developed sense of fear. If she failed this class, Fumiko-sensei was going to kill her. And yet her current strategy of being as big and bulky as possible wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of skilled hand to hand combat.

Those were the worries running through the rosy-haired girl’s head before the other girl came thundering forward like a hammer to the gut. Shiori tried to time her movements with what she could see from the corner of her eyes, slipping to the side or forward to further hem in the clone as her teammate drove a fist towards their foe. It was a serendipitous moment of synergy, and the thirteen-year old had the tell-tale flush of success spreading across her cheeks just as their instructor bend almost backwards and became a whirling dervish on his Raiden-blessed hands of all things.

“Errk,” she sucked in breath, wide-eyed as those feet pin-wheeled towards her chest. Shiori had regained her balance when the dark trainee attacked in concert, but even so this attack was blistering and fierce and she only just managed to stumble back, hopping at the last second to avoid a vicious heel.

Whatever ragged remains of accomplishment clung to her hollow heart dissipated the moment the clone verifiably split in two, a secondary opponent jumping over the spinning Chuunin and lodging a fist at her companion. She stood there flatfooted for a moment, completely thrown off her guard at the rapid change in their mission directive, before clenching her fists once more.

Shiori shook her head, slowly, reaching up to tuck some wild strands of hair back into her ponytail. This seemed more a lesson in the unexpected than a primer on Taijutsu, but the two appeared intertwined, oddly enough. Shiori had always sort of thought of hand to hand combat as individual moves, rote and mechanical, which was fine when performing kata but about as useful as gold in a firestorm.

As their instructor called out from the sidelines, changing the name of the game with his easy tones, Shiori bit her lower lip. Ie shouldn’t have told them the second clone wasn’t physical, the thread alone had had her heart hammering a new jig. But now that he’d pointed out the obvious, Shiori could feel it, the thread of possibility. She may not be particularly good with fighting, or much of the Shinobi Arts, but even Fumiko-sensei admitted that she had talent when it came to Genjutsu. And this particular jutsu was one she had worked on and perfected just a few weeks ago. Which meant Shiori knew just how to differentiate the clones and spot the weakness embedded in the illusion, the hooks that had sunk across her ocular nerves.

Bring her hands together, she performed a neat hand seal, letting chakra gather in her hara before releasing it in a wider pulse. The Cancel Jutsu had taken a while for her to learn properly, mostly because it was an uncomfortable mix of deft chakra control and a strong surge of chakra, but she put it to use today, watching as the illusion flickered and popped. Leaving just one clone standing between Shiori and the other girl.

Though she was tiring fast, Shiori allowed herself a triumphant grin, overly pleased to have returned to a style she was more comfortable with. If only every fight could be through Genjutsu, she might just have made a half-way decent ninja. Alas, the world revolved around too many axels and she was but a single wheel, spinning until dizzy.

The thing about being unpredictable was that you swiftly became predictable afterwards. So, this time she and her teammate had to switch things up, two approaches suddenly softening like wet paper. The only issues were Shiori had few new ideas, and she had no clue what her silent companion was thinking this whole time. It had been fine to yell out the last round, because it had served to distract and confuse Ie as to her intentions even while keeping her partner in the loop. But now as her mind ran on empty, Shiori had no clue what to do.

Time wasn’t exactly on their side, though, and she brought herself in alongside the darkly pretty kunoichi with no small amount of nervous energy. Meeting eyes, Shiori lifted the corner of her mouth in a commiserating grimace, or perhaps a friendly complaint, before staring at the somewhat stationary clone. If this was a real fight the opponent would never have waited for them to get their balance, for them to initiate the attack again and again. If this was a real fight it’d be over already. Except it wasn’t a real fight, and she had no clue what to do.

“Wanna switch?” she asked, speaking out of the side of her mouth for all the good it would do them. It was only fair, really. And she wouldn’t mind being the one to hit Ie this time around. Moving her weight from one leg to the other, rolling on the balls of her feet, the thirteen-year old prepared herself for another round of throwing themselves up against the wall.

Imagining how her classmate would approach, Shiori took the offensive this time around. Following directly in the other girl’s wake before taking on a burst of speed to roll out from around her teammate and launching quick jabs at the clone’s exposed angles. This time around the goal was just to hit, which meant she had an advantage. With her extra reach, all she’d have to do was tag the clone, touching off on his elbow or hipbone, without worrying about actually landing a solid strike.

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OOC - I don't mind continuing or stopping, whatever you'd like, Saki! Also, sorry that I keep kind of directing the flow of things, posting order is difficult in this scenario. Please let me know if you'd like me to edit anything.

 

[Sato Yuji]

Saki grimaced to herself as she came upon the clones side. It seemed that she had underestimated the speed of her partner as well as her tactical sense. It was good that the other girl had a better head for group strategy than her which made following her orders as easy as breathing. A quick movement and the clone had avoided the tripping feet of the redhead. That was a shame it would have been a useful opening.

She had glimpsed the failed move as she was preparing her own attack. Getting as close as she felt safe too, the closer you were to the target the more damaging the punch, she tensed her biceps and made sure to put her body weight into the punch she threw. Saki realized the second that the punch was throw it would not connect. In a feat of flexibility he was bending backwards, avoiding the blow. What was surprising was that he continued to bend backward onto his hands. After barely having time to jump back, a move that almost overbalanced her, avoiding a foot the aimed toward the face Saki then had to deal with a fist aimed at her face. She sent a quick thank you to her uncle for his torturous obsession with her flexibility as the lumbar vertebrae contracted and her shoulders became parallel to the ground.The punch sailed harmlessly over her. Immaterial clone she thought to herself as she pulled her spin up and jumped backward again mentally marking the clone. There had been no air displacement as the fist had gone over her body.

Landing solidly one her feet a few paces away she analyzed what had happened. Ie’s corporeal clone had avoided both of their attacks and had launched a counterattack by trying to kick their heads. Ie had then made another clone, this one intangible, to attack Saki. She had avoided the attack, an unnecessary move, and had then moved away. The review had taken less than a few seconds. Glancing around she noted that her partner had been forced to jump back a well, not the least bit surprised in the least that the other had managed to dodge the attack. The other girl was fast.

The whole lesson had been one surprise after another. She admired her instructor for that, he didn’t seem as hopeless as her family made him put to be. Turning slightly to look at him but still keeping the clones her line of sight she smirked to herself. If there was one thing she was good at it was spatial ability this. When the clone had thrown the punch at her it had been tagged in her mind's eye. It was easy enough to track which of the clones it was after that.

Turning back to the clone she sensed her ally begin to do something with her chakra, the hair on the back of her neck rose slightly. About to tell her companion to not waste the energy one of the clones disappeared with a pop. A canceling Jutsu then not a bad idea if you couldn’t tell which clone was which. Glancing at the other kunoichi Saki realized she was drawing closer to her side. Frowning slightly her gaze flicked to the remaining clone. In a real fight it would have attacked by now, well in a real fight they would either be dead or not in the area having run away. Considering the other speed and skills it would probably be the former.

Look back she noticed the other was looking at her with a slightly upturned mouth. The other appeared to be running out of stamina Saki noted. A dull throb came from her face, Saki could understand that but had been taught to push the pain out of her mind. It wasn’t the safest thing to do, it often resulted in the person collapsing from exhaustion because they had not noticed they were tired or dying from ignored wounds, but it was what she had been told to do. At the others comment she gave a slight nod. Speed was going to be the name of the game in this situation, they only needed one hit.

Saki thought to herself for a second and then decided to do something incredibly inadvisable. She was just going to jump the clone, wrapping her arms around its upper torso, and hopefully pining his arms, and her legs around its thighs to prevent kicks. It was a foolish idea she acknowledged, she was basically going to try to hug an opening. It was obvious that their simultaneous frontal attacks were not working and he was equally dangerous with both his arms and legs so both needed to be neutralized. It would hurt though if he decided to take offense she could be thrown forcefully away from him but it may also take him to the ground. It also had the element of surprise to it. No one truly expected a weaker attacker to tackle them.
Her mind was made up, she was going to do something that she could hear her uncle calling stupid. Rushing forward to meet with the clone she prepared for the first. Pretending to be aiming to throw yet another punch she got as close to the clone and moved quickly to wrap her arms around him. If that was successful her legs would follow in less then a second.

____________
OOC: I am so sorry for the late reply. I have been sick the past few days and it destroyed my, already small, amount of energy. I’m not going to be helpful, I don’t particularly care either way if we continue or not. If you guys like the thread and want to continue we can. Shiori- From my end, I don’t really mind you directing the flow. It has actually been helpful considering I have no experience writing fights so I’m kind of thankful for it I would have been pretty lost without it.
{MFT WC:910}

 

[Gotō Daiji]

Strange. That's the only way he could classify it. Standing here on the sidelines observing was...doing something to him. Emotionally, not physically. This sensation was a bit familiar but still seemed odd. Watching the two students work in unison in order to overcome the challenge at hand was filling him with some sort of feeling. Like when Oya brought home a good score on a test from school. Or in a begrudging sense when one of the Nines really stood out and demonstrated guts. Ie was naturally a bit of a pessimist so he wasn't at all used to positivity. Only seldom did he express "nice" thoughts and that was with his little sister. She was the only family he had and he'd acted as a surrogate parent for her entire life so this was a standout case. Even with his crew he rarely handed out praise. After thinking about it for a few moments his eyes widened. There was only one thing this emotion could be...

Pride.

"...tch." The very notion irked him to no end. How? Why?! He barely even knew these two! Up until a little bit ago he had never even met them. But somehow in his short time as their mentor...he had a- ....a feeling. It made him almost want to physically shudder. He was no robot or anything but his default expressions were usually of annoyance and disinterest. The fact that Saki and Shiori could drum up something good from the depths of his heart? Unheard of. Well whatever the case he appearances to keep up. Couldn't let word get out that the co-founder of the Ku-9's was sentimental now could he? Ie turned his nose up and crossed his arms as the girls executed their maneuver. He was still watching...just had to make it look like he didn't care, is all. Despite never having fought together before, his students worked well as a duo. So far they'd demonstrated the ability to formulate plans in the midst of battle and adjust on the fly. These things might seem simple to more experienced shinobi, but he had seen even veteran ninja who needed work at doing this. Planning was good. He played to his quick mind and did his best to prepare if he expected trouble. But no matter how well you plan something ahead of time...it would eventually hit a roadblock. Improvisation was just as important as strategy. Internally he sighed. He'd probably have some explaining to do after this was over.

Shiori demonstrated her knowledge of the Cancel technique and utilized it to disrupt his illusory clone. Seemed she had knack for illusions. It flickered slightly before disappearing from existence altogether. His eyes followed her movements as she wasted little time in moving to strike the physical clone. Saki followed suit but...in a more reckless manner? Ie couldn't help but arch an eyebrow slightly at this development. She always struck him as the more calculated of the two. This was good. Unpredictability was a very effective tool in combat. The bunshin reacted but slightly delayed. It appeared her all-out gambit had paid off. The doppelganger wasn't completely immobilized by the bear hug but she did manage to get its left arm and leg tangled momentarily up in a sort of awkward tug-of-war situation. Fortunately for the two of them...it created just enough of an opening to achieve their goal. Just as the clone wrenched its limbs back from Saki, Shiori blindsided him using that speed of hers. The first few straights it managed to avoid on instinct alone but inevitably one connected and then glanced off of his shoulder. Almost immediately the bunshin lashed out. A slap for each of them. Its left hand struck Saki's thigh while its right connected with the taller girl's stomach. These weren't particularly strong attacks and at the most would only sting for a bit. An odd last-ditch effort...but one nonetheless. A poof! sounded out, the last doppelganger disappearing in a cloud of smoke that would envelop the two girls and doubtless leave them coughing. Once it dissipated they would see their sensei-for-a-day, arms still folded and head still upturned. "That was fine, I guess..." In truth it was rather impressive...but he couldn't let them know that! Had to keep them humble, y'know?

Ie closed his eyes and placed his balled-up fists on his hips before sighing. It was time to address the "class". Damn he hated talking... "I told y'all this was about Taijutsu...but that was only part of it." He lowered his head a bit before continuing. "We could practice wooden stances and drills all day...but in a fight there's something even more important." His dark eyes opened and shifted between the two of them. Then he brought a finger up to tap lightly on his temple. "This." Brawn could only get you so far. He knew firsthand. Certainly he wasn't the toughest Chuunin out there...so he had to compensate in other ways. Speed. Misdirection. Stealth. Strategy. Even the most insanely physically strong shinobi was nothing without a brain. "You already know how to punch... He nodded towards Saki first, then Shiori. Despite his personal dislike for Academy kata it served its purpose in a way. "...I wanted to see if you could think on your feet and adapt." Surprisingly, the girls did rather well for their first time battling together. Infact they made a pretty damn good team. Maybe they would end up on a squad together? Things had a funny way of working out like that. He just really hoped he wouldn't be assigned a team of Genin...there was only so much constructive criticism he could dole out. "You did g- ...alright." Ie turned his head at his slip-up. He was gonna need to get into something with the Nines later on in the day. For his own good. No more of this fuzzy feelings crap...

Gravel shifted beneath his feet as he hit the stop button on his now-soundless boombox. His back was turned, but he continued to speak to the girls. "Shiori." he started, removing a tape from the deck as he did so. "Train that speed of yours. You already have natural reach...so get your footwork up and you'll be able to control most close-quarters fights." He tossed the tape into his open duffel, standing to his full height and gripping the speaker by its handle afterwards. "And you, Chakrams." A bit odd for a nickname, sure. But it was the only thing he knew about her. Of course the naturally withdrawn Ie didn't hold it against her or anything. The whole reason he was here was because he HAD to be, after all. "Exercise those legs. Your strikes are solid so I'm sure your kicks'll do even more damage." A second later and he had hoisted the boombox over his shoulder, leaving it outside of the bag as he collected that too in his other hand. Ie turned his back as if to leave. "Get outta here, I'll report in later." Well...it seemed that was all for to- "Oh, but first..." Something else? "Look down." Down? Maybe there was more? If the girls heeded his instruction they would glance down to a sight that would make anyone's heart drop. Explosive Tags. On Shiori it was plastered across her stomach. On Saki, her thigh. The clone must've placed them with those last two hits! Their temporary mentor cast a glance over his shoulder back at the two. "Remember...anything can happen in a real fight." Two flashes appeared, one from each tag. The light was nearly blinding. Both notes began to fizzle and burn away and then-

...

...nothing? As fast as the reaction had started it was over, both paper bombs crumbling away on the breeze. Mocks? Or duds? It was up to the students to decide I suppose. By the time they regained their composure they would see that Ie was no longer there. Of course he couldn't leave things on a high note. Never could. Never would. Jerkass...

[OOC: Figured we'd end it right here you two. Just put a link back to this thread in your training to claim your rewards! Sorry if the tutor was a bit wonky trying to balance my character's IC disdain for teaching and the need to actually instruct you two was a bit of an experience lol. Anyhoo, if you ever need another tutor session or just wanna RP then let me know! Always down to help.]