Teaching A New Dog Old Tricks [Training / Private]

Kaito strolled through the village of Sunagakure at a rather lazy pace, kicking small pebbles with his feet as he did so. The hustle and bustle of the village did nothing to bother him, however, in fact, it gave him something to listen to as he wandered about aimlessly.

'God I am so bored!' He thought to himself, throwing his head back and groaning disappointedly. 'Today is going to drag on endlessly!'

On this particular day, Kaito found himself with nothing to do. He had made his way over to the Shinobi H.Q. early that morning to request a mission but they quite surprisingly did not have anything for him to do. Returning home after that, he found a letter upon his kitchen table stating that both of his parents had gone out on a supplies run to maintain both of their shops. With that, they wouldn't even be home until late that evening. Kaito tried being lazy around the house, but he found it to be more of a chore rather than a decent experience. Finding himself at his wit's end, Kaito threw on his sandals and just started walking, hoping that he may find something... anything, in fact, to keep himself occupied.

Continuing on his walk, Kaito rounded an oddly familiar corner into a tight alleyway. With gloved hands in his pockets, Kaito looked all around, trying to think of but not being able to put his finger on what had made the alley so familiar. Shrugging it off, Kaito continued on his way, kicking an empty soda can with his feet as he did so. Rounding a few more corners, his eye's caught the dim green light of a sign. Focusing on it, he could see as it flickered and made the humming sound of electricity that it read "Demon's Guild".

"Tima's shop!" He exclaimed, remembering Arantima; his friend and someone whom Kaito would go as far as to call his "mentor". "I wonder if he is in today..."

Taking a few steps forward, Kaito took in a deep breath before opening the door. The clinking of a bell sounded from above the door as it opened, revealing inside the same awe-inspiring restaurant he had been to with Arantima only a few weeks prior. To his center were many wooden tables, to his right booths decorated with lavish upholstery, and to his left stood a long bar. Sniffing the air, Kaito took in the scent of freshly baked pastries and the enticing smell of hookah from beyond the door in the back leading into the V.I.P section. Glancing behind the bar he noticed what appeared to be a small old lady manning it all by her lonesome. Kaito recognized the woman as the one who had made his breakfast baozi the last time he had visited. With a grin, Kaito proceeded towards the bar.

"Hey!" Kaito exclaimed cheerfully. "Long time no see." He placed his right elbow on the bar and rested his chin upon his palm. The lady looked up to meet Kaito's gaze, smiling as she did so.

"Hello, Dearie." She replied, her eyes sparkling against the luminescent lights above her head. "How have you been?"

"I've been fine, thanks." Kaito replied. Looking around the bar, he couldn't seem to find Arantima anywhere. "Tima wouldn't happen to be around, would he?" The lady pondered for a moment, scratching her head puzzledly at the question.

"I don't know honestly..." She said, starting to prepare a drink for one of the other patrons. "If you'd want to stick around I'm sure he'll be back soon, or I can take a message though if you're in a rush?" Kaito thought on it for a moment, shaking his head. He sure would love to stick around and wait to see if Arantima would be back shortly, but he knew that after too long he would just get bored again. Honestly, he would love to get some more training in with the older shinobi should he not be too busy.

"Can you ask him to meet me at the Training Grounds again, please?" Kaito asked before too long. "Just say "Kaito wants to meet up at the same training grounds as before" and I'm sure he will know what you mean." The lady smiled and nodded as to indicate that she would pass on the message. Turning on his heel Kaito began walking back towards the entrance of the shop, waving with the back of his hand back towards the barkeeper. "Thank you, Ma'am. I'll see you around and I'll make sure to hang around a bit longer next time."

"Of course, Dearie. Have a pleasant day." The woman's frail reply was almost drowned out completely by the ringing of the bell above the door, Kaito opening it and closing it up softly again behind him before breaking off into a run in the direction of the village's Training Grounds.

'I really hope he gets that message and meets me there soon...' Kaito thought as he pushed past the crowds of people lining the busy village. 'I'm gonna die of boredom otherwise...'

Within a few minutes, Kaito saw yet another familiar scene before his eyes. Before him stood the gate of a 10-foot tall metal fence and a small guard post to the right of it. Inside was a shinobi in full Jonin garb, looking just as bored as Kaito had been previously. Being in a hurry, Kaito hurriedly removed his Shinobi Identification papers from his item pouch and flashed them at the guard. The guard examined them quickly, humming as he did so before stepping out and opening the gate for the lowly Genin.

"Thanks." Kaito said simply, trying his best not to sound rude, before again taking off at full speed down the trail further into the grounds. The run was uneventful and within in a little while he was now entering the Sixth Training Grounds, the same one that Arantima had introduced Kaito to during their last training session together. He opened the gate and proceeded to walk in, feeling the sand shifting below his every step. There was nobody else in this section of the grounds, but Kaito didn't mind. He preferred to either train alone or with a select few individuals anyways.

Once he was ten meters into the seemingly endless dunes of beige sand, Kaito examined the area. Of course, it was all baren, he didn't expect anything less, but now he knew he only had a little while longer before he would become bored yet again. Pondering for a moment, Kaito decided it was time for him to finally take a seat. He hadn't done so at all since before he left his home a few hours beforehand. Forming the "Ox" and "Serpent" hand seals, Kaito focused some Chakra into his right hand before slamming it down upon the ground.

"Earth-Style: Wall Jutsu!"

The sandy earth below Kaito's feet started to shake, the sound of shifting and molding sand creating a small rumbling sound. A meter in front of Kaito a small brown formation started to show itself, raising from the ground until it stood one-and-a-half feet tall, one meter long, and one foot in width. Standing back upright, Kaito removed the drinking flask from his pouch before sitting down upon the makeshift bench he had just made with his Jutsu.

'And now I wait...' He thought, removing the lid from his flask and taking a small sip of the water inside.

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[Word Count (Post) - 1,249]

[Word Count (Total) - 1,249]

Kaito didn't have to wait too long before Arantima's figure appeared suddenly at the entryway to the desert that was the Sixth Training Grounds. Just as quickly as the boy appeared out of thin air, he ran seemingly at top speed towards Kaito, who remembered the older shinobi's outrageous speed from their first meeting only a few weeks prior. Kaito smiled as his friend stopped and started to approach him at a more reasonable speed about thirty feet in front of him.

"Long time no see, Tima!" He said excitedly, placing his hands upon his knees and standing upright before stretching, indicating he had started to get a bit tired. If Arantima had been much longer, he probably would have found Kaito sleeping instead of finding him awake and alert. "To be honest, I was waiting for you to get started with training, and this tiny thing is nothing compared to the two I made recently!" Kaito remembered the construction missions he had taken on with Naki, a fledgling shinobi around his age, during which he had created two "B-Rank" versions of the "Earth-Style: Wall" at the same time utilizing his knowledge of one-handed seals. This single moment, while having taken its toll on Kaito's young body at the time, was something that he took much pride in, along with the fact that he had taken Naki under his wing and helped the boy to complete a good set of missions in anticipation of them both being able to upgrade from the class of "D-Rank" to "C-Rank". That goal, while still a work in progress for Kaito, was something that he felt was near. He could almost smell it with his Inuzuka-enhanced sense of smell.

Once Arantima was at the edge of the "death bubble", he addressed Kaito as he stood with his back to the younger Shinobi and opting rather to bend backwards and look at Kaito upsidedown. Kaito couldn't help but chuckle at the spectacle that was Arantima. Never had he seen someone stand in a position such as that one.

"Tima..." He said, letting his bench of an "Earth-Style: Wall" crumble back to dust behind him as it had served its purpose. "I'm sorry to bring you out here again, especially on such short notice, but I really need some help with training." Kaito paused for a moment, bowing as low as he could. Unironically, this was just about the same height that Arantima's head was placed on the other edge of the metaphorical "death bubble" he had taught Kaito about during their last training session. "I really have come quite a ways since our last meeting. I've learned multiple Jutsu, the most prestigious one being the "Shadow Clone Jutsu" and I've even gone on to create my own Taijutsu-style as well as a technique that utilizes it. But still... I feel like all of that is not nearly enough... I want more..."

Deciding that bowing would not be enough, Kaito proceeded to rest upon his knees, placing his head just above the sandy earth on the ground and outstretching his arms slightly as to not enter the "death bubble".

"Please, Tima... Please teach me more!"

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[Word Count (Post) - 529]

[Word Count (Total) - 1,778]

Kaito listened intently as Arantima described two techniques that he could not inherently pass onto him, not at this time at least. The first technique mentioned was a Genjutsu, a branch of Jutsu that Kaito was never all too great in either. The second technique was one that made Kaito gulp. He looked up at Arantima, a bit of worry showing in his eyes.

'I'd... have to kill someone?' He thought to himself, the notion of having to kill making him tremble. 'That's crazy!' While he may be turned off by the notion of having to kill, Kaito was forgetting one crucial detail; this was the world of shinobi, a world where nothing can be achieved without bloodshed, whether it be his own or his opponents. Either way, in the end, death is inevitable...

Kaito continued to look onwards as Arantima formed two sets of very familiar hand seals. Four dust devils appeared out of thin air before delivering four Fūma Shuriken before dispersing. He then quickly began to form a new set of seals that Kaito was unfamiliar with, making him cock his head slightly to the right in wonderment. As soon as the seals were made and Arantima placed a palm upon his head, a seal resembling a diamond appeared. Kaito was confused, yet highly intrigued.

'What the heck is that seal?' He thought as he tried to contemplate what it would do. The thought, however, would quickly be sidetracked as Arantima went on to describe that these Fūma Shuriken were perhaps his favorite weapons. Having never seen one before, Kaito was slightly amused at how tall and bulky they were. Here was Arantima, who stood taller than Kaito, and these weapons were even taller than the older shinobi. He would, at some point, need Kaito to make him a wall, but that would also be sidetracked as he asked the Inuzuka if he would like to learn the ways of Wind-Release. The question made a fire come to life in Kaito's gut and his eyes glistened with determination. This was the 'Wind' Country, after all. He had seen many people utilize it during his time in the Academy, and it had always been something he would like to learn. He shot upwards, as Arantima directed him to do so, and could hardly contain his eagerness.

"I am more than ready, Tima!" He exclaimed, almost forgetting to stay out of the 'death bubble'. "When do we get started?" As though to answer the question, Arantima lifted one of the Fūma Shuriken into the air and proceeded to throw it with utmost ease, the sound of it landing fifty meters away echoing through the sandy valley in which they stood. Kaito stood, a bit mortified that Arantima could throw and wield the gigantic weapons with such ease. In the meantime, the older shinobi proceeded to make a fifty-by-fifty meter arena of sorts, using the giant shuriken to mark the edges of the arena itself as he drug his clawed arm deep into the sand as to segregate the area from the rest.

'Reminder to not make Tima mad in any way...'

Not wanting to do just that, Kaito jogged at one-third of his top speed to join Arantima, who had waved him over, within the confines of the makeshift arena.

"So what is up with the arena, Tima?" He asked as he made his way over to the arena. The white-haired ninja answered rather quickly, explaining that the arena would be the confines of their training for the day. He explained to Kaito that it was within an area of similar parameters that he had lost a battle to, at the best of Kaito's knowledge, a Genjutsu user. He told Kaito that one of the best ways to snuff out a Genjutsu from reality was to utilize his inherently enhanced sense of smell. He also stated that he had similar abilities that buffed his senses, but did not proceed to go into detail about them. This advice that Arantima had about Genjutsu, however, was all of what he could offer to the young Inuzuka.

"So that is what you mentioned earlier when you said you could only pass on your knowledge of it verbally." Kaito said as he crossed the threshold into the arena, standing 25 meters to Arantima's left side at the edge of the fifty-by-fifty meter box. Kaito watched on as Arantima drew the lance he had on either of his hips, joining them together before disconnecting them again to reveal a cord of wire trailing behind him. Kaito walked forwards until he stood 25 meters to Arantima's front side. Smiling, he looked Arantima up and down. The smile quickly turned sour. Something didn't sit right with him.

"Wait a second..." He said, not taking his eyes off of Arantima in case he made any sort of movement. He reflected mentally on the arena, the advice he had been given regarding Genjutsu, and the fact that Arantima now had his weapon drawn. Sharpening his eyes and changing his smile to a smirk, Kaito proceeded to crouch down into an incomplete version of his clan's battle position. He bent forward at the knees, his shoulders brought backward to give more balance in the hunched position. "We're gonna spar aren't we, Tima?"

Readying himself if that was the case, he slung his left hand into the item pouch attached to the back of his left hip, grabbing three Shuriken between his fingers. He didn't dare remove them nor his hand from the pouch, however, as to not ruin the surprise of it all or in case Arantima was not looking to spar at all. If the latter would be the case, Kaito would simply drop the weapons back into his pouch and remove his hand.

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[Word Count (Post) - 966]

[Word Count (Total) - 2,744]

Stat Sheet:

With the blades of his lance, Arantima proceeded to form two circles in the sand around him, one being five meters in diameter and the other ten. He explained to Kaito the purposes of the circles, which Kaito made sure of taking a mental note of. He would need the advice as it could very much be life-or-death at any time in the future. The older shinobi also went on the describe how Wind-Release worked and how it was great at close to mid-range, much unlike the Inuzuka's Earth-Release affinity.

"Thank you for the heads up, Tima." Kaito said, a smirk still upon his face. "I'll make sure to put your teachings to good use." The hand still in his pouch began to shake slightly. He was nervous. He was exhilarated. While this spar may quite possibly end as their previous one had, it would be a great chance to showcase the younger boy's growth. A bead of sweat rolled down Kaito's cheek as he felt his hand brush upon something within his item pouch. Feeling it more with the back of his hand, he quickly realized what it was.

'A smoke bomb...' He thought, his smirk growing bigger. He had been pondering how he would advance on Arantima if it did come to a spar, and he did have an idea, but it involved the use of his "Earth-Style: Wall" Jutsu, something that he wouldn't be able to use for a short while longer. Feeling the smoke bomb he held on his person, however, meant that not all hope was lost for his opening attack. 'Looks like I've got nothing to worry about... Just breathe and don't get too worked up...'

Arantima proceeded to point one of the sharp blades of his lance directly towards Kaito, advising him that while he would not be going all out, the older shinobi would show the Inuzuka the way to become as strong as he was.

He told Kaito to come at him.

"With pleasure, Tima." Kaito said, gritting his teeth. "Time to show you how far I've come..." Before he even finished what it was he was saying, Kaito dropped the shuriken from between the fingers of his left hand and grasped the smoke bomb. At his full speed [90] he threw it upon the ground before him. A thick cloud of black smoke engulfed the immediate three-meter area that surrounded Kaito. As quickly as the smoke billowed upwards into the air to the point Kaito could no longer see, he started weaving hand seals. In his left hand, he weaved the one-handed variants of the "Tiger" > "Horse" > "Ram" > and  "Clone Seal" seals to utilize the "Shadow Clone" Jutsu. In his right hand, he weaved the one-handed variants of the "Ram" > "Tiger" > and "Boar" seals to utilize the "Hiding Like A Mole" Jutsu.

'Let's get this show on the road...' He thought as a single Shadow Clone appeared directly before him and his own body began to sink rapidly into the sand below his feet. He winced slightly as he felt his Chakra being depleted by half to fill up the clone, but he did not let it phase him. 'I'll let you fight my clone for the time being so I can gauge how things will go...'

Once fully submerged in the ground, Kaito took in the sensation as he moved at the highest speed [45] he could muster. It felt as though he was swimming as he moved through the earth like a drill, not disturbing the earth in any way, but he proceeded to "swim" until he was nine meters below the surface and twelve meters in front of where he had started, making him halfway between his starting location and Arantima in terms of placement. Upon reaching this spot, Kaito quickly formed more hand seals, these ones being the "Dog" > "Rat" > and "Horse" seals to utilize the C-Rank variation of the "Chakra Mask" Jutsu, and he thought up what small desert animals could possibly inhabit the Sixth Training Ground.

'A scorpion! That's one I could replicate!'

With his utilization of the "Chakra Mask" Jutsu, Kaito proceeded to lower his Chakra Signature to levels below the normal. Having considered the fact that all living beings have some sort of Chakra Signature, Kaito continued to lower his down until it was equivalent to that of a tiny scorpion. He smirked, knowing that Arantima would surely have a grand time of things once he found out that Kaito had slunk away to wait until the perfect moment to strike. He kept himself on high alert, however, knowing that the older shinobi's realization could come at any given second...

[Clone Kaito's Perspective]

Kaito's clone came to life at Jutsu speed, its vision filled with nothing but the black smoke caused by the smoke bomb. It knew only of its task; keep Arantima occupied for as long as possible to get a grasp on how strong the older shinobi really was. It quickly shot a glance back over its shoulder towards the real Kaito, who was already over halfway engulfed by the earth below them, and nodded. It knew not whether the action was seen by its creator, but that didn't matter.

Snapping its neck back forward, the clone proceeded to weave the regular variants of the "Monkey" > "Rat" > "Hare" > and "Snake" hand seals to perform the C-Rank variant of the "Earth Release: Stone Pistol" Jutsu. At Jutsu speed [45] the clone formed Earth-Release Chakra in its mouth, shaping it into small stones roughly half the size of a balled fist before shooting it out in the general direction of Arantima. This being the C-Rank variant meant that ten of the rather large stones went hurtling at [45] speed towards Arantima one after another to create a barrage of projectiles.

'Good luck dodging those, Tima...' The clone thought to itself as the smoke surrounding it started to dissipate and reveal the rest of the desert's surroundings to its eyes.

AP Utilized - Kaito:

AP Utilized - Kaito's Clone:

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[Word Count (Post) - 990]

[Word Count (Total) - 3,734]

[Clone Kaito's Perspective]

As Kaito's clone was in the midst of shooting the bullets of its "Earth Release: Stone Pistol Jutsu" technique, it could hear the zipping sound of wire revolving around him. It couldn't see it due to the smoke released from its creator's smoke bomb, of course, but it sure knew that wire wasn't a common thing found within the desert. It did try to take a few steps back, knowing that if it was to come out from the area that was affected by the bomb, it would want to avoid the areas that Arantima could see, but it was already too late. As quickly as the very thought of stepping back met the clone's mind, wire wrapped itself tightly around its body, clasping its arms tightly to the sides of its body.

'That was fast...' The clone thought, not being able to move. It then felt as though something was making its way closer to the clone as the wire continued to get a bit tighter. 'This wire will definitely cause me some trouble if I can't counter it...' The clone couldn't be too sad about the whole ordeal, however, as it had completed its job; give Kaito a general idea of what to expect from his opponent. It proceeded to smirk as the smoke was dissipated in a gust of air, revealing Arantima himself at the edge of where the smoke had been. The silver-haired boy tilted his head, something that the clone took as confusion.

"Suprise, Tima." It greeted, still smirking even though it was enveloped with an unsettling feeling that it would soon be dispersed. This would be correct, in fact, as Arantima proceeded to tug upon the wire and dig it deep into the clone's arms, doing more than enough damage to make it disperse into a puff of white smoke.

[Kaito's Perspective]

The thoughts of the clone came swarming back to Kaito as quickly as it was dispersed. He couldn't help but shudder as the sensation of the wire wrapping around the clone tightly engulfed him.

'That easily could've been me...' He thought. Trying as quickly as possible to think of his next plan of attacks, he realized that by now he would be more than capable of utilizing his "Earth-Style: Wall" Jutsu again if he so chose to. 'That can come in handy...' Reflecting on what his clone had experienced right before dispersing, he estimated that Arantima was standing within three meters of where Kaito himself had initially been during the start of their sparing match.

He looked in the direction that faced where Arantima would likely be standing and began forming the "Ox" > "Serpent" > "Boar" > and "Monkey" hand seals, keeping the "Chakra Mask" technique he had utilized earlier intact just to play things safe. Eleven meters in front of and four meters above Kaito's current position an "Earth-Style: Wall" began to erect itself from underground. It rose at a rather slow-paced [50] speed until it became twenty meters wide, ten meters tall, and three meters thick. Due to the base of the wall being erected underground, it would only rise to be five meters above ground, but that five meters would be all that Kaito would need.

'Since Tima created an arena with his claw earlier, I assume that should he or I be knocked out of bounds it would count as a loss...' At [45] speed Kaito proceeded to swim through the earth and up through his own "Earth-Style: Wall", which since it was of his own creation, he could interact with freely. Upon getting a feel for where Arantima's position was with the sensory-esque ability granted to him by his "Hiding Like A Mole" technique, should the older shinobi still be within ten meters of the wall, Kaito would hurriedly weave the "Tiger" > "Boar" > and "Rat" hand seals to perform the "Taijutsu Amplifier" technique and add a boost of [20] speed to his next Taijutsu attack. Upon completion of the "Taijutsu Amplifier" hand seals he proceeded to shoot outwards from the wall at his technique-enhanced [110] speed towards Arantima, Kaito performing his "Rending Drill Fang" technique.

"Eat this!" He exclaimed, his left hand balled tightly and held outwards before him. Should Arantima still be on the side of the wall facing toward the edge of the arena, Kaito would make it his goal to force the older shinobi out of the confines of the arena with this attack. Should Arantima be at any other position in regards to the wall, Kaito would simply aim to hit the older Shinobi in the face and quickly remove himself from the metaphorical "death bubble" again. In any case, the Inuzuka would aim as best as he could for Arantima's face.

'I couldn't hit him in the face as he told me to last time, but I'll do it this time!'

AP Utilized - Kaito:

AP Utilized - Kaito's Clone:

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[Word Count (Post) - 801]

[Word Count (Total) - 4,535]