Keep up!

Sukoshi grunted as the coin made its impact on his abdomen, though he only halted his charge after the clone had jumped back, his 'run in, mess em up and run out come hell or high water' strategy hadn't bore any fruit. He was left clutching his abdomen with his other arm stretched out in front of him from his punch. He turned to Hayate as he spoke, warning Sukoshi of the dangers of tanking hits without any assurance that it would pay off. He knew if there was anywhere to learn how to not commit to a bad read, it would be here and so he nodded his head. 

As they were instructed to meet each other, Sukoshi felt the air change around him, everything seemed heavy, especially his own body. He was paired against someone who was his senior, he got it out of his mind that status would matter here, that there would be any use in staking his pride on a spar like this, it was purely educational. That being said, Sukoshi already had most of Tatsuo's mindset clear to him. The option select strategy was going to be fresh in both combatants minds and Sukoshi had made it clear he wasn't interested in playing out a competition of mind games and tricks, this was still a fight.

As Tatsuo charged him taking the initiative, Sukoshi would wait and stagger his left foot forward, leaving his right foot off to the side and behind him putting most of his weight onto his left leg, anchoring him better to the ground as he thought Tatsuo was going to knock him down with a shoulder tackle as the boy was clearly unarmed, once he saw the glint of the kunai in Tatsuo's hand he knew that was far from the case, he was snapped out of his own head in one instant as the blade came down towards Sukoshi's chest he dug his left foot into the ground, pushing himself backward onto his right foot but leaving him wide open to the follow-up leg sweep.

Just like that the boy fell to his side, wincing but catching himself with his right arm and retaliating by getting to his right knee and attacking right where the opening Tatsuo left him was, Sukoshi pushed himself straight from the ground all the way up to the genin's exposed stomach, charging his left elbow forward with all his might (5) even if it didn't land dead on, the only option afforded to him was to get out of the way, which Sukoshi would capitalize on by either adding a right rising knee kick to the mix if Tatsuo had gone to the right of him or below his elbow strike, a wild chopping right hook if he had gone to the left of him or straight back, this repeated offense might have been ill advised but the point wasn't hits, but control. There was no guarantee Tatsuo wouldn't just take any of these attacks and keep going but Sukoshi didn't care, this was a fight with his senior, he didn't expect to win, but to learn.

(WC: 524)

This time it was Oriton that was the first to move, as he had the simplest task. With a clear set of instructions the boy was quite capable. Hayate hoped the fresh air and exercise would wake the genin up. I'd * hate * to have to do it with repeated takedowns, Hayate thought inwardly, as he smirked a bit. Hayate was no genius or teaching prodigy, but he knew the value of hard work, repetition, and drilling something into even the thickest of skulls, thanks to his own training.

As Oriton took off to run around the perimeter, Hayates gaze followed him for a second and caught sight of Asa..... no, that wasn't her. She was dressed the same as when she and Hayate met, but this was one of Asami's cousins. Asumi? Azami? the taller one. It was still a momentary shock of "Asami's back" each time he saw them. He supposed that was probably subconciously why he hadn't really gotten around to talking to them much yet. He was kinda surprised they stuck around after Asami left, but everyone had their own lives and reasons. When the taller girl moved to practice Hayate also caught sight of the shorter one behind her. Fantastic, there were people here.... He had finally gotten over the awkward nerves of teaching for the first time by just talking about the combat style he was so familiar with and sinking into a devotee's reverie when talking about their specialist subject, and then this pulled him back out into a bit of nervousness.

He turned back to the lesson almost too quickly, leaning against a tree to watch the two newer shinobi face off. The older boy, a serious, studious look on his face, seemed to consider the lesson carefully and then dutifully complied with an immediate charge. Some plan was there, as Hayate saw one handed hand seals - or what might have passed for them, they werent like any handseals hayate had ever seen - in one hand and a blunted kunai in the other.

It was quickly apparent Tatsuo had a slight physical advantage, but not oppressive. That would be interesting as well. Was he the type to press all advantages, did he have that winners drive or vicious spirit? Would he value the training more, or helping his comrade? And how would Sukoshi deal with the disadvantage? Would he accept and plan for it, rage against it? There was no wrong way, Hayate supposed. To each their own, all ways could be bent to be useful. But it would be good to know these two's tendencies for the future. Even if they overcome weakness and train their strength, people rarely changed their base nature fully, and if he every ended up on a team with one he'd need to know.

He watched as the boys continued on, the boys churning feet displacing the worn dirt and grass of the practice field with each step.

Head.

Body.

Legs.

Asumi’s body flowed through the familiar stances by instinct alone. Each strike with her bokken led to the next and then the next and the next. There was a certain calming staccato to the exercise where the first three strikes came in quick succession followed by a pause as she reset her stance and did the whole thing over. Beyond the bokken in her hand and the training dummy before her, there was nothing else that mattered in the world.

Head.

Body.

Legs.

Idly swinging her legs from the bench on which she sat, Azami tuned out both the dull thwap of bokken on dummy and that of the training in the center of the courtyard. Above, gulls listed aimlessly in the sky, riding the swells caused by the distant storm wall. To the left, a small beetle navigated the grooves of the well-worn bench. And, somewhere, distant waves crashed against a breakwater. It seemed anything was more interesting than watching people prepare for combat that may never come—Azami had never been much of a fighter.

She took a bite of her sandwich and returned to her daydreams.

Head.

Body.

Legs.

---

TWC: 777

Sukoshi hit his senior dead on in the stomach, pressing forward with his elbow and about to throw out another punch, he looked up to see that Oriton hadn't been phased by Sukoshi's attack. Sukoshi found himself pressing against an immovable body. He took a wide step backward, getting to his feet completely with his eyes narrowed. Even with all this, he didn't move, Sukoshi put it all into that attack and it did nothing. That was truly humbling. He snarled and balled his fists in anger, not at his opponent, but himself for his impotence. He bared his teeth and stepped forward again, standing about a yard away from Oriton. All he could do was wait, for he had been forced to see the first rule of tanking blows. Know your opponent's power. 

This made his blood boil like never before, as if his very plasma was set alight, Sukoshi would be the one to charge this time, he'd take control and set the pace because that's what he wanted to do! That was how he fought, he didn't wait for instruction, he didn't need words, he needed action. Sukoshi was not proud but he was also not humble, and so the only things he fought with were rage and shame, those are what filled those balled up fists that he swung upward towards Oriton's jawline in an upward double axe handle swing.

(WC: 234)

Sukoshi wasn't holding back, that was for sure. While no serious injury was done to the stronger, older Tatsuo, Hayates eyes caught the tensing of Tatsuo's muscles, the sucking in of air as his breath was momentarily driven from him, and a slight look of surprise.

Sukoshi's eyes DIDN'T see that. Immediately looking for the next opening, and on tilt from the apparent lack of effect, aggression turned into rage, and the fire in his eyes meant harm. Sukoshi paused for but a second before launching a primal swing. Tatsuo's body started responding sluggishly, and it was a coin flip if the blow would land or not.

Normally Hayates rather rough physical training experience would have conditioned him to let it happen to others as well. Kiri was a school of taking your knocks and learning the hard way. There wasn't enough force to kill or permanently injure there, and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. they could mend any animosity later.

But at that moment, a small poof of dust the boys had kicked up that was moving away from them on the other side of the boys suddenly started moving TOWARD the boys. Hayate registered the motion of the dust first, before noticing there was now a jounin standing just behind the moving granules of earth. He just wasnt there, and then was.

Hayate sprung forward, easily catching sukoshis swing and stopping it cold, letting tatsuo's hands finish their movement up to defend himself only to find no blow to catch. But he didn't address the boys, instead he looked expectently at the jounin. this was odd.

The man just handed Hayate a sealed scroll in between the paused combat scene in front of him, unbothered by any of it. "Report to the administration office." As soon as Hayate's fingers firmly closed around the scroll, the pressure from the other side just vanish. The man hadn't let go, he just.... wasn't there any more. The only sign of his passing was the scroll left behind.

"Ummm ......." Hayate searched for words in the sudden pause. "Alright, good job you guys. Sorry to cut this short ... I'll set up another time, i guess. Theres some promise here. Feel free to find each other and practice a bit, it looks like you two might spar well together.".

With that he made sure the tense combat ready limbs of the combatants backed of and loosened into normal stances, then jogged off to tell Oriton a similar thing, and then do as he was told and report to administration.


[exit]
3,209
2600 -> 13 stats, now capped
remaining 600 for 6 ap

2000-> Kiri's lost arts, written for kiri chuunin + by xy.

500 to learn D rankWater replacement
709/1k toward C rank water clone