Maybe a Little Rusty: Sparring (io, nk)

Ryuken lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling of his house, unable to sleep. The day before, Ryu had returned home from a rough mission. There wasn't supposed to be any combat, but unexpected things happen all the time. He was never unsure of his own abilities before, but something felt off during the mission. The enemies were merely thugs, barely had the abilities of a genin, but for some reason Ryu struggled with them. He caught a slash across his right shoulder for it. Not a deep wound, but a reminder that he needed to be better than that.

He had grown complacent in his abilities during this short period of peace they were in. He underestimated opponents because of his rank and got hurt for it. A mistake he did not want to make again. Night had fallen but sleep would not come for the pink haired man. All he could think about was training. He had spent the entire day making sure his Iron Maiden was in top condition, but there was still his own skills that Ryu needed to improve. He wouldnt be able to sleep until he got some training in.

It was late already but his mind was set. Ryu slid out of bed and put his usual white shortsleeved shirt and pants on. He left his coat on the rack, he planned on working up a sweat so best to leave it behind. White clothes were always so hard to clean. He grabbed his maiden puppet and slung it over his shoulder as he headed out the door. The only place he could think to go at this time of night was the training grounds. It would be far enough away that he wouldnt need to worry about making noise. With a plan in mind he set off for his destination.

Once there Ryuken would stop for a moment and admire the star-lit sky. It sure was beautiful once all the lights in the village went out. He laid his puppet up against a tree and started warming up with some pushups. He needed to make sure his joints were loosened up before handling a puppet.

"Whew been a while since I've gone back to the basics." He would wheeze as he finished his set. He hadn't realized how badly his stamina had diminished. He was in worse shape than he thought and this training would be all the more important. Just because there was peace in Hoshi at the moment, did not mean it would last. If the village were attacked right now, Ryu wasn't sure he would be able to protect his home.

Just that thought alone was enough motivation to spur the young man on. He hopped straight back into it and began jogging around the grounds in a large circle. Between heavy breaths he would say to himself, "10 laps oughta do...if I can even manage that much."

Ryuken continued running and managed the 10 laps. He needed a break however and so he sat himself down under the tree he where he placed the Maiden. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He would only take a moments rest and then get back to it.

(WC 541)

Yoshimi would find himself at the training grounds, his duties over for the day but his training far from it. The Manji Clan Hyuuga took his training very seriously, pushing himself to his limits as much as possible. War or peace in the lands mattered not, for his Manji Clan motto had been “Always be prepared for the worst.” It may not have been any sort of official motto, but it was said enough that it was drilled into the head of every Manji Hyuuga and something that they all lived by each and every day.
 
The youthful Hyuuga would be wearing his normal soldier attire, his only real protection at the moment being his chuunin flak vest. He would also be wearing his helm, the long and flowing white mane of the piece seemingly never getting in the way of the movements of the Hyuuga. He was practicing his clan’s basic movements to keep his body limber. One would see this and perhaps think that it was merely a warm up of some sort, but a keen observer would notice the streaks of sweat pouring down the face of the young man. His clothing was also damp from perspiration, suggesting that this was actually his resting period between much more intense training.
 
The starry sky was overhead, a beautiful sight to behold. While Yoshimi didn’t like to use his Byakugan without need, he would still be ever mindful of his surroundings even without the Doujutsu’s superior optical prowess. He would spot a man running along the tree line. Yoshimi wasn’t sure who or what it was so the Hyuuga would rapidly approach to investigate. He doubted that an enemy would have gotten this far without notice, but their forces were spread thin in part due to the treasonous actions of one Valen Akari. Once close enough to see one another without strain or doujutsu, Yoshimi would address this man. “Who goes there?” The Hyuuga would ask, his hand at the ready to draw steel should the need arise. Despite his general fatigue from training he was still very much capable of taking down an enemy of Hoshi should the need arise.
 
Yoshimi would notice the puppet and mistake it for a woman at this distance, his mind assuming the worst on pure instinct. “Unhand her! NOW!” The pale lavender eyes of the Manji Hyuuga had not yet activated, though should this prove to be as bad as it seems from here he would activate his Byakugan and get ready to kill should the need arise.


WC: 426

Ryuken wasn't really worried about his surroundings as he ran and so he was a little caught off guard when he heard a voice call out to him. He slowed himself to a halt. He could sense the stranger and knew that they were a shinobi. Upon spinning around and seeing the man Ryu recognized him as a Hoshi ninja. He didn't know the man's name, but had seen him around the village.

Ryu was startled for a moment when the stranger demanded he unhand his puppet. He had forgotten about how it might look to others, seeing him dash around with a lifelike doll slung over his shoulder. The unknown shinobi looked ready to strike at a moments notice. They were about 15 meters apart with trees all around, but nothing in between them. Ryu obviously did not want to cause an incident, but it would be a shame to let this tension and energy go to waste. After all, what better training was there than combat?

Instead of clearing up the situation he decided to capitalize on it. Without a word he would slowly lay his Iron Maiden on the ground and stand back up. As he was laying the puppet down, Ryu would attach chakra threads to it and hide them from sight with chakra suppression.

"I don't want any trouble." He would say with a grin on his face. The instant he finished his words his attack would start. The maiden would lurch to its feet and begin charging towards Yoshimi. (92 speed) Should the Manji fail to react the puppet would try to grab Yoshimi's right arm and throw him to the ground. (50 strength)

(WC 280)
(TWC 721)

Spoiler:

AP total 550

-5 for chakra threads
-5 for chakra suppression

540 AP remaining.

What a terrible day to have left his primary weapons at home. The chuunin was only equipped with the basics that all shinobi are geared with, the basic tools all shinobi have at their disposal. If a battle broke out between the two he would have to keep his wits about him to prevail. The man upon turning would be much easier to see, his pink hair very distinct along with his lanky body. Yoshimi wasn’t certain whether or not he had ever seen this man before, which only increased his suspicions. The man would seem to comply, though his face held a grin that was an odd sight. Yoshimi would then watch as the lifeless body didn’t move, not even a bit. No resistance, not even a bit. This whole event was becoming more and more strange, but then the lifeless lump on the ground would spring into action, dashing towards the young Manji Hyuuga. The man would stand back, his fingers moving in odd twitching ways. The speed at which this assailant would rise was faster than anticipated but the Hyuuga wouldn’t be deterred. As much as he didn’t want to lean on his Byakugan he likely didn’t have much choice. The veins going to his eyes would bulge, engorged with chakra. He would see the chakra strings and understand what was happening here. It was a ninja puppet, meaning this man was at least shinobi trained.
 
The puppet would dash forwards in a direct line for Yoshimi, the Hyuuga using this to advantage. He would immediately shift his body ever so slightly to use the puppet to obstruct the clear line of sight between himself and the pink hair target while forming seals Tiger → Boar → Ox → Dog → Snake and dashing forwards 5 meters. Five seals considering how little movement they required would easily be completed while this movement occurred and before the puppet managed striking distance The positioning would make seeing exactly what he was doing less obvious if some of the seals were not seen. As the puppet grabs Yoshimi to throw him to the ground it would throw the young man to the ground with a loud thud, only to find itself slamming a fairly large piece of wood instead of the Hyuuga. A substitution!
 
Yoshimi would replace himself with a piece of wood from the trees in the area ten meters away and right behind the puppeteer. Sidestepping to the left, his hands in his weapons pouches. His left hand releasing all but two of his shuriken at the pink haired targets legs (Speed 82) spread slightly apart to cover more ground should he move, the flying razors speeding toward incapacitating his foe. At the same time this was happening with one hand the other had been in his other pouch and drew a Kunai which was used in a downward slash to slice at the visible strings of the puppet (72 sharpness) cutting through them with ease should it connect.
 
He didn’t expect the disks to actually hit from this distance against a fast opponent, and so the young Manji Hyuuga would dash in to engage in melee combat armed with only a kunai. The dense tree line was behind the pink haired assailant, limiting his path options for escape. Should Yoshimi make it to the man unchallenged he would demand his surrender once more, this time with a Kunai at the ready. “Stand down!”

OoC: max numbers and all that stuff for all not listed

AP and Jutsu and stuff:
250 AP to start 
-1 AP for Byakugan
-5 AP for Substitution (this tech is really wonky so I'm not sure if I used it right)
_____________________
244 AP remaining


WC:576
TWC:1002

Ryuken was surprised with how quickly the shinobi before him reacted to the sudden attack. Ryu was able to just barely see his opponent forming handseals, but his view was obstructed and he couldn't tell what technique was being prepared. It appeared as though that wouldn't matter as the maiden was able to grapple and slam the young shinobi into the ground, at least it looked that way. Instead it all became clear when Yoshimi turned into a block of wood, a substitute.

In the moment he realized what had happened, his opponent would throw multiple blades at Ryu's legs while also slicing the chakra threads controlling his puppet. The pink haired shinobi was shocked that his invisible threads had been severed. He was caught essentially with his pants down. Not a good situation, he needed to reset himself and approach this opponent differently. He didn't want to underestimate Yoshimi any more than he already had.

Ryuken would perform a single seal and body flicker away from the oncoming blades, positioning himself directly standing above his Maiden puppet that was laying on the ground. (Speed 180) A close call as if he had simply dodged out of the way, the real Yoshimi would have closed in blade in hand.

"I'm impressed, wasn't expecting you to cut my threads, that's for sure." Ryu would say as he reattached chakra threads to his Iron Maiden. This time however he used only his right arm to produce the threads and didn't even bother with trying to suppress them from sight. "Why don't we kick this training up a notch eh?" He'd yell out and immediately start performing the five handseals for chakra scalpel.The chakra blade would form around his left hand (70 power)so that he was controlling his puppet with one hand and his scalpel with the other.

With that he would begin running side by side with the maiden 3 meters apart from one another towards Yoshimi (both 90 speed). If they were able to reach the younger shinobi then Ryuken would attempt a slice at Yoshimi's left leg with his scalpel, while the Maiden would attempt to throw a punch at his face (50 power).

(WC 364)
(TWC 1085)

540 ap

-5 for chakra threads
-10 for body flicker
-40 for chakra scalpel

485 ap remaining

The adversary would rapidly speed away, making haste to the position of his mechanical marionette. Once addressed about the surprising move to cut his threads, Yoshimi would respond with a simple finger pointed at his pale, veiny eyes. “With my Byakugan nothing is hidden from me, not even your threads of chakra. A puppet master, huh? I’ve never had the pleasure of battling such an adversary.” His words regarding this training and his overall demeanor combined with the fact that the “lady” that he had merely being a puppet heavily suggested to the Hyuuga that this was not what it had first seemed to be. With a faint grin, the youthful Manji Hyuuga would nod “Your training methods are risky, but effective.” Yoshimi would add, a feeling of respect for this opponent finding its way into the heart of the young man.  With a nod, he would show that he was in fact ready to continue, though he doubted the opponent actually waited for such a signal.
 
The opponent would move in for the attack, Yoshimi at the ready. The enemy would launch a two pronged assault with both himself and the puppet beside him. Yoshimi would watch each movement, allowing his enemy to press the assault. He wanted to see how capable they were. The blade of chakra in the man’s left hand would seem to be aimed at the youths legs based on his body positioning. Such a tall man would need to position himself to properly attack the legs of a much shorter adversary. Yoshimi would take this knowledge, place his weight to his right leg and rapidly shift his position once the man had been past the point of no return in regards to attempting the slash once he had been past Yoshimi’s right leg. He would slide to the man’s left side (Split Second B rank, speed 100), also dodging the punch aimed to his face from the puppet and placing himself between the man and his machine to avoid immediate reprisal from the puppet. Yoshimi now at the man’s left behind the shoulder while he was extended for the cut would use the maneuvers momentum to thrust his hand (without the kunai) into the man’s left ribs enough to suggest a hit, but not hard enough to cause any damage.

If this all panned out, he wouldn't press the attack, understanding that this was very likely another Hoshi shinobi. 

OoC: All movements at max speed unless otherwise specified.

AP and Jutsu used:
244 AP to start
-1 for Byakuga
-30 for SPlit Second 
________________
213 AP left

WC: 376
TWC: 1378