The north and east winds blew as the searing sun rose higher in a cloudless sky, the training grounds where empty at the moment as Heero made his way to the center of the grounds. There was no hint of rain, but that was normal in Sunagakure, the desert was a cruel place where people had learned just how rare water was. There was markings on the ground as a monument to the countless hours of training many had put into becoming better then they had been. His thoughts drifted back as he remembered the actions long ago, he had survived then but his heart was changed forever. Who was to blame? It was a strain to keep his thoughts to himself as he grabbed one of the wooden training swords off the weapon rack. If he was part of a clan that was supposedly strong, why did they get killed by a bunch of lowlifes? His questions just served as a distraction though and with some difficulty he pushed them from his mind.


About thirty minutes into his training he put the wooden sword down and took a large gulp of water from his bottle. The sun was still high in the air and if one did not stay hydrated then they where in trouble. Heero picked the sword up once again and started going threw what little basics he knew. Each time he would go threw the basics he pushed himself a little harder to try to become better then himself. With each swing of the sword his focus became sharper and his speed started to grow.


C-Rank to B-Rank Bukijutsu 269/1800

The soft sound of sand moving under my sandals teased my ears as I walked.  The northeastern winds blowing through the streets, making the loosest grains of sand fly up and dance around the open streets.  Watching this, I could almost see the wind as if it was taking a break from being invisible for just a fraction of a moment, just for me.  The sun seemed to tickle it, letting the dust and sand reflect the light in odd ways as the wind moved it around and pushed through the streets and off down a shop's corner.  And just as quick as it came, the moment was gone.

Rummaging through a duffle bag of items that I was carrying, I searched through and looked at all that I had.  Plenty of throwing knives, shurikens, a fuma shuriken for good measure, my tonfas given to me from Daisuke-sensei, and my red bō staff.  I doubt that I would use all of these, but it was always good to come prepared.  Also what was in my bag, and what was really weighing it down, was a nice big watermelon that I paid good money to some foreign traders for.  This was one of the best fruits that Suna could get its hands on, and always proved to be just what a shinobi needed after training.

The Tsumi Sand Grounds awaited me, sitting still in content patience for me as I entered it's grounds.  The sound of wood hitting upon wood turned my head and to the right was a boy who was taking a break from his bukijutsu exercises.  He stood drinking from his water bottle, his brow furrowed against the harsh sunlight and several beads of sweat trickled down his young face.  With a quick wipe of his mouth the boy sprang back into his exercises, picking up a wooden sword from the training weapons rack.

I watched the boy for several minutes before interrupting him.  "Quite the work ethic we have, don't we?" I asked him, smiling and nodding my approval to the boy as I stepped up beside him.  "Care for a different kind of training?"

Training Raiton A-->S 362/4000

He was going threw the exercises at a decent pace when he was interrupted by a tall women with a duffel bag "Quite the work ethic we have, don't we?" She said smiling. While it was true he was training hard, he only did it so he would not be so weak. Right before he was about to respond his thoughts where interrupted again . "Care for a different kind of training?" The taller women asked still smiling. "Su..sure... what did yo..you have in mind?" He asked with his usual stutter and once again he silently vowed to rid himself of it as soon as he could. After he placed the wooden training sword on the rack he turned his head to her still looking somewhat at the ground. "Wha...whats your name? Mi...mine is Kuroka Heero."



((sorry its short, I just got off work.))


C-Rank to B-Rank Bukijutsu 415/1800

I slowly rested my bag on the ground, pushing it forward in between me and the stuttering boy.  All of a sudden I felt tired, but that was most likely due to the sun's energy-sapping nature.  Things needed to get underway, and my newest little pupil seemed to be energetic enough.  There was something about his stammer that I wish I could fix, but I was no speech therapist.  I couldn't very well whack it out of him.  My qualms about his speech impediment would need to be put to rest, and who knows, maybe they'd come in handy some day.  I looked down at the boy, Heero.  "Well, Heero, my name is Kōga, Suzume the Kazekage.  We'd better get to training you up if you want to live long enough to see the day you don't stammer.  I know it might seem like peace these days, but you must know as a shinobi, that peace is only temporary."

I moved past Heero, taking my duffle bag with me as I set up the exercise that I had in my head.  I rifled through the bag and pulled out the watermelon and set it down on the sandy ground.  I glanced over at the boy to see what reaction his face would have as I got things prepared.  I took out my ten kunai and laid them down in front of Heero, then moved my duffle bag to the side and out of the way.

"First," I said, "Show me what kind of tactics you already know."  I motioned with a wave of my hand to the ten kunai I placed before him, picking up two of them for myself.  "I want you to hit this watermelon with these kunai while I defend it.  Eight Kunai means you have eight chances.  Use them wisely, as I will be using two myself. You may begin when you are ready."  Setting my feet shoulder-length apart, I rested my right hand behind my back holding one of the kunai.  I stepped back and rolled the watermelon with me until there was a solid 2 meter distance between Heero and I.  Inside I was excited to see what the boy would do but I masked my face, however, to show tiredness from the sun and my eyelids drooped a bit as I stared at Heero, awaiting his move.

Training Raiton A-->S 704/4000

As the Kazekage made her name known Heero's jaw dropped, once again he had shown how nervous he was and in front of the Kazekage no less! He watched as Suzumi pulled out a watermelon and scratched his head. 'Why would she have a water melon if we where going to train?' He thought as the Kazekage pulled out ten kunai keeping two to herself. "I want you to hit this watermelon with these kunai while I defend it. Eight Kunai means you have eight chances. Use them wisely, as I will be using two myself. You may begin when you are ready." She explained. Heero nodded as she finished her instructions. Sure it sounded easy enough to hit a melon with eight kunai but this was the Kazekage guarding it. Heero thought for a minute as the Kazekage backed away adding distance between them and the melon. 'Hmm eight chances huh?' He thought at he picked the kunai up, truth be told he was not adept at using kunai and he knew it.

Heero put the kunai away and instead picked up one of the wooden swords, The whole idea was to distract with the sword while simultaneously using the kunai to hit. Heero sprang forward intent on closing the distance to a point so he could throw the kunai accurately. Heero swung his sword as fast as he could down at her torso, meanwhile he let one of the kunai loose at the melon with his free arm, he hoped the swing would distract her long enough for the kunai to find its target.




C-Rank to B-Rank Bukijutsu 682/1800

(( My browser is messing up at the moment and I cant get to my jutsu list, I will have it fixed by tomorrow. ))

The boy's jaw dropped at realizing he was about to train with the Kazekage.  Tentatively, he took his eight kunai and put them away, taking a wooden sword from the weapons rack. His eyes glowed in a brilliiant manner, his gears were turning as I held my kunai out, my left in front and my right held behind my back.  Heero made a lunge forward with the wooden sword.  I watched his sword arm thrust out to attack.  My eyes catching his free arm working below his sword arm.

I took one half step forward to meet the wooden sword, moving to block it with my left kunai.  Swinging my right kunai out as well, I saw the glint of Heero's kunai in his free hand and swung it down to catch it with my own free kunai.  Once I held his attacks at bay, my leg would press up against his chest and kick him back a meter or so.  The kick wasn't meant to hurt him at all, and it was light enough to just do what was necessary.

"Very good."  I repositioned myself in anticipation of his next move.  "Feinting an attack as a distraction for the real threat.  Very smart.  Although it is also a very basic tactic.  You're going to need to have to do better than the basics in a real fight.  Come at me again."

Training Raiton A-->S 940/4000

Heero grunted as his attack was stopped by a foot to the chest, as he skidded to a halt it was obvious he would have to rethink his strategy. Heero dropped the wooden sword and grabbed two more kunai, he would only had five left after this so he would have to make everyone of them count. Gathering his bearings again he let out a sigh, she had him out matched in every way he could think of. Steeling himself again he decided to use some jutsu this time: Fūton: Daitoppa! he yelled as the hand signs where completed, the burst of wind catching his back as he jumped at the melon to close the distance fast. Then as he neared the target he used the jutsu one more time, but this time aimed at his left side so he would fly to the right. As he was thrown by the wind he had created he let all the kunai loose as he went by the melon. 'I sure hope one of them hits.' he thought as the last kunai left his hands.

Spoiler:

C-Rank to B-Rank Bukijutsu 866/1800

((P.S I fixed the issues with my browser. Sorry it took so long.))

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Ray's footsteps created the least amount of noise possible, yet did have the sound of his rubber soles hitting the wood in order to propel the young shinobi forward. His speed had vastly increased due to his training with the now-revived clan of the Kato, and his special knowledge about Chakra Flow had been added to this training in order to create a certain style of chakra flowing through his body, allowing him to move and react much faster. He smiled to himself as he flew along the rooftops of the village, aiming to get to the Tsumi Sand Grounds in order to practice his Taijutsu. His motion had a certain sort of rhythm and fluidity to it, as some of the people who did spot a random guy running across rooftops could see. His long hair flew behind him, and his loose garb fluttered in the wind as he moved. His hands, as usual, were wrapped in black, with only his fingers showing. His entire garb was also black, and this made him stick out like a black spot in the sun, since Suna didn't have shadows at this point of the day. It was slightly hot, but due to his speed it had become much more pleasant now. He kept on maneuvering throughout Suna's many rooftops, till he finally reached the entrance of the Tsumi Sand Grounds. The last time he'd been here, he'd fought with his cousin brother in that exact spot, with the entire plot being unfurled here. Ray smiled, and walked in.

Suddenly, he stopped. His ears picked out a distinct noise of two kunai clashing, and he turned towards the sound, his eyes instantly noticing the two shinobi sparring. Or it seemed to be sparring, as the taller one, who seemed to be a lady, kicked the other shinobi in the chest, pushing him backwards. The other shinobi then used Fuuton jutsu in order to get close to the shinobi, and chucked what seemed to be two kunais at her. But Ray'd already seen enough to know who the lady shinobi was. Her movements were fluid, and her control over the kunai almost master-like. It had to be none other than the Kazekage, Suzume Koga. Ray flitted next to both of them, still staying a safe distance away as he started to speak. "Good afternoon, Kazekage. I see here that you both are training. May I join in, or spectate?", asked he, since the Kazekage was also his Sensei. The young boy stood at attention, his eyes following each and every movement of the two shinobi.

Taijutsu B--->A 437/3000

I watched as Heero dropped his woolen sword and pulled out two more kunai.  Here came round two, my right eyebrow raised up from it's concentrated perch in curiosity.  Something was brewing within the boy's mind.  He quickly used a wind jutsu that created a large gust pick him up and rush towards me at a great speed.  My right leg reacted, lifting up and behind the watermelon, squeezing my right foot under it for a quick kick.  The watermelon was thrown up by my foot and I caught it, tugging it into my stomach as the boy changed the direction of the wind, tossing out his kunai to catch me at an odd angle.  I leaped opposite of the boy and away from his kunai, letting them stab hard into the sand behind where I had once been.

"Good maneuvering, but also anticipate another's movements.  Only rocks sit still and let things strike them."  The boy seemed to have a lot to learn, and there was much to be taught for him to be ready for a real fight.  My eyes met the boy's as he came to a halt, his wind juts fading away.

"Good afternoon, Kazekage. I see here that you both are training. May I join in, or spectate?" A voice called out from nearby.  My head turned to see Ray Kato standing tall and ready, his eyes shining with eagerness.  I took up the three kunai already used by Heero and handed them to Ray.  

"Of course, this will be even better.  Here take these," I said and then waved for Heero to come forward.  "Heero, this is Ray Kato, one of my students.  Give him one more kunai to use.  You may explain the exercise and then can decide how to precede.  This will show how well you two can adapt to new partners."  I stepped away, giving five meters distance between them and I.  They could have their little talk and I would just let the watermelon rest at my feet and enjoy any breeze that came through the Tsumi Sand Grounds.  What an interesting day this had become.

Training Raiton A-->S 1300/4000

OOC:

Heero let out another sigh as the water Mellon was moved right out of the line of fire. "Good maneuvering, but also anticipate another's movements.  Only rocks sit still and let things strike them." said the kazekage her words only served to make him realize even more he needed to get better, but just as he was about to ask for another chance another shinobi walked into the grounds. The new guy was wearing all black in stark contrast to Heero who had digital cammo. "Good afternoon, Kazekage. I see here that you both are training. May I join in, or spectate?" said the new guy.  The Kazekage picked up three of the kunai and gave them to the new guy. "Heero, this is Ray Kato, one of my students.  Give him one more kunai to use.  You may explain the exercise and then can decide how to precede.  This will show how well you two can adapt to new partners." The Kazekage ordered. Heero tossed one of the kunai to the new guy now known as Ray Kato.

"H...hi im He..Heero."  He said, deciding o keep it short to avoid talking so much and showing how nervous he was he simply pointed at the Mellon. "We um gotta h..hit that."




C-Rank to B-Rank Bukijutsu 1087/1800

"Of course, this will be even better. Here take these,"
"Heero, this is Ray Kato, one of my students. Give him one more kunai to use. You may explain the exercise and then can decide how to precede. This will show how well you two can adapt to new partners."

Ray took the kunai offered to him by his Sensei, who had picked them up after evading them, and pocketed them at various locations in his garb. He would keep them in specific locations, partly because he didn't have so much space in one location, and partly because this would allow him to structure his attacks much more efficiently. Not that he'd end up using more than two kunai anyway. He turned towards the other shinobi, who'd been introduced as Heero. From what Ray had seen, this shinobi was a Fuuton user who could use bukijutsu and ninjutsu. This would show that Ray still had to figure out his other elemental transformations, and, if possible, any other style he'd learned. Ray smiled amicably at him, but his eyes sized up the shinobi, trying to find any inkling to the information Ray did not have. The shinobi threw a kunai at him, and Ray caught it, letting it spin around his finger as he caught it in the "dagger" way, that is, the blade of the kunai was in line with the blade of his hand. This was opposed to the "knife" way of holding the blade, in which the blade would be held in line with the thumb. Ray knew that he wasn't so brilliant with any ninja tools, but this hold at least allowed him to use it as the edge to any of his normal taijutsu moves.

"H...hi im He..Heero."
"We um gotta h..hit that."

Ray looked at the watermelon, to which Heero had pointed. He couldn't help but notice that this shinobi had a slight stutter, and wondered if that was due to him being nervous or just a normal thing. The watermelon was held near the Kage's feet, safely in her reach. In order to hit the watermelon, Ray would have to achieve an opening in the Kage's defense, something that was akin to impossible. He could, however, utilize one of his major jutsus and completely obliterate the watermelon, but the Kage wouldn't be too happy with that. He looked back at Heero, and just said quietly, "Support me. Use whatever jutsu you can in order to get her even slightly away from the watermelon. If you wish, attack her directly and I shall support you, although my jutsu are highly destructive in nature."

Ray then launched himself at the Kage, him almost being invisible to the naked eye as his speed had increased so much. He let loose his chakra, and spoke loudly. "Do you feel anything different about my chakra, Sensei?". His chakra had now assumed the feel of pure raiton chakra, this allowed him to have the appearance of small sparks around his body. The sparks didn't really do anything, they were just visual treats because of the chakra. As soon as he reached within distance of the kage, Ray dropped down, bending one foot and swinging the other one around in a spinning sweep kick. As soon as this revolution was over, regardless of whether he connected with his foot or not, Ray would then jump a meter backwards, and then would dash off to the left, increasing the diagonal distance between his Sensei and himself. The distance would be about 10 meters. Ray then clutched his hand, and concentrated chakra within it, creating a flaming cover around his hand. He then released this chakra in the form of a javelin towards his Sensei, jumping backwards as soon as this was achieved. He smiled, waiting for his Sensei to counteract, while keeping an eye on the watermelon. He pocketed the last kunai, and stood tall.

Post Word Count: 658.
Total Word Count: 1095/3000

Spoiler:

Leaving the watermelon by my feet, I waited patiently for the two chuunin to gather themselves for a combined attack.  Ray Kato stepped forward after speaking with Heero, something was about to happen.    "Do you feel anything different about my chakra, Sensei?" Ray called out to me.  Looking closer at him, I saw his body have a flickering around him of small sparks of lightning.  Was this a taijutsu technique?  My legs widened to get ready for close combat and the chuunin rushed forward.  Behind him, Heero hadn't yet reacted, having only said a few words to his newly formed ally.

Ray came forward and dropped down low to the sand, bending one leg and swinging out with the other.  His speed was exceptional for one of his rank.  I had to react faster than I had thought was needed with two chuunin, taking a leap back of two meters from the watermelon.  Having missed my legs, Ray sprang back a meter as well.  Very cautious, but as soon as I landed I knew what he was after.  Very clever, Ray.  He was creating space between me and the watermelon and now he was closer to it.

"Well done, Ray.  It seems you've improved since last I had seen you."  His silhouette of lightning sparks was impressive, though I had yet to see what it could do.  At the most it might have given him a boost in speed.  My mind flashed a bit of his fight against Akami and how impressive his katon ninjutsu had been.  I'd have to watch out for that this time around.

He didn't waste a second as a flame wrapped around his hand and in one smooth throw became a javelin of fire that launched forward at me.  The speed and power of the jutsu was modest, probably a lower level attack and I could easily side step it, moving to my left about half a meter.  Needing to get back to the watermelon as soon as possible, I sprinted forward with my two kunai at the ready.  My eyes searched to make sure Heero wasn't up to no good while Ray had been busy separating me and the melon.

Training Raiton A-->S 1671/4000

Heero watched as the two made distance away from the melon, The so called Chunnin was a lot better then Heero thought Chunnin where as the guy known as Ray did a good job at distracting the Kazekage. Heero was no fool however, as he knew the Kazekage was not so easy to fool. As the two got even farther from the Mellon Heero made his move. He preformed the hand signs for Fūton: Daitoppa once more but this time he directed it at the ground in between the Mellon and the Kazekage in a attempt to screen his movement. Once the dust was kicked up he ran at the target as fast as he could and loosed his two kunai at the target. Still he had to guard the kunai in flight from the Kazekage and once the two kunai was flying at the target he spun and brought forth his own weapon: Yami no Katana: Yasei Surasshu! He said as the sword came to life in his hands. He was intent on hitting that Mellon one way or the other.

Spoiler:

Chakra : 190
C-Rank to B-Rank Bukijutsu 1270/1800

"Well done, Ray. It seems you've improved since last I had seen you."

Ray smiled, and dashed forward, watching as his Sensei sidestepped the javelin with ease and started to run towards the watermelon. Heero also made his move on the watermelon, using his Fuuton jutsu to get an added speed and materializing a sword in his hand, which he used to strike down on the watermelon. Ray raised an eyebrow. So this meant that the shinobi was a Bukijutsu user, and that technique could only mean one thing. He was a Kuroka. The Kuroka were the swordsmen clan, as far as Ray knew, and the fact that this Heero was a Kuroka meant that he had to be pretty good at Bukijutsu. Ray's eyes followed Suzume as he smiled, and swung out his arm, throwing the kunai he'd held as a dagger at his Sensei's mid-section. Ray then bolted off to the left, hoping to buy Heero some more time, as he stopped a considerable distance near the watermelon, and at a very close distance to his sensei, where upon he started striking the Kage.

Ray swung out with his right elbow, then used the momentum to spin and reverse kick with his left heel near the Kage's midriff, then ducking and turning, and then rising up with a knee, jumping. He would then jump backwards with a leap, so even if the Kage had jumped over him he'd be in front of the Kage, and then would perform a flurry of handsigns, ending with a Tiger seal in front of his mouth as he blew out about 20 basketball sized fireballs at his Sensei. He very well knew that his sensei would dodge all of them, but if she did, Heero would end up hitting the watermelon and thus winning the challenge. As soon as his jutsu was over, Ray sprinted to the watermelon, becoming completely invisible to the naked eye for a fraction of a second before he appeared at the watermelon. Ray stayed guard over the watermelon, whether it was broken or not. If it wasn't broken, he'd take out one of his kunai and drive it to where the watermelon was. That was two kunai down. He still had two tucked away in his garb, and he planned not to use them.

Ray looked towards his Sensei. "Maybe I should be a part of an ANBU. I'm pretty sure I might be skillful enough.", said he, jokingly. Ray hadn't been cheery in three years, but now the new beginnings of his clan had enabled him to be cheery again. He was panting slightly, he'd sprinted at his top speed too many times.

Kunais Used: 2/4
Post Word Count: 449
Total Word Count: 1544/3000

OOC: Sorry for the late post, was slightly busy. Next post will be much faster.

Spoiler:

My eyes caught sight of Heero making a run for the watermelon, two kunai in his hand for throwing.  I moved to intervene, my own two kunai ready to stop them when Ray slipped in between me and the watermelon.  They were working quite well together, almost too well.  Ray moved fast, swinging his right elbow out and across his chest, reaching out and forcing me to bend back to dodge the sudden strike.  He used the momentum to swing his left leg out in a reverse kick to follow his elbow's flight path.  The kick forced me to bend back even farther than I had to just for the elbow, making me nearly fall on my back from leaning so far back.  My right arm reached back to grab the sand, supporting my arching back from falling to the sand as Ray's leg soared above my torso.  The breeze made by the motion tickling my bare stomach.

I kicked out with my left foot to catch Ray in his supporting leg but missed as he jumped up with his knee back and away from my kick.  Pushing myself back to a standing position, I was faced with twenty fireballs soaring at me.  A side leap to the right with a side roll that landed me about two meters to the right, I threw out one of my kunai to intercept the two kunai thrown by Heero.  Knocking those away helped but I was too far away to sprint in and save the watermelon from Heero's sword attack.  His blade sunk deep into the watermelon and cut it in half down the middle, leaving two ends of the watermelon.

Swinging my last remaining kunai around in my hand, still several feet away from the watermelon, I began to applaud the two chuunin.  "Perfectly executed, boys."  My eyes flashed at both of them, their skills were good and they seemed to be a good pairing.  Ray proved to work well with others and adapted well.  Heero also showed good focus and capitalized on the efforts of his ally to achieve his goal.  "Ray, you've certainly improved and you could very well become ANBU, just not yet.  AS for you Heero, I look forward to seeing you in action in the future.  You both have shown tremendous promise as great shinobi.  Do not waste your potential."  I stepped forward and picked up the two cut halves of the watermelon and handed each to the boys.  "Now you can eat your reward.  They're very juicy and tasty.  Don't be shy, imported fruit is expensive!"

437/????

Heero stared as his sword split the melon clean in half, the realization that they had actually meet there goal was heavy in itself. Heero knew at the moment the could not have done it alone, at least not yet. The wind started to pick up as the Kazekage addressed the two Chunnin. "Perfectly executed, boys." She said her eyes having a slight change in them, Heero could not tell what emotion it was but he thought it must have been good. The Kazekage went on to talk to the other Chunnin and congratulate him, it was only when she addressed Heero did he hear what she had said. :"AS for you Heero, I look forward to seeing you in action in the future. You both have shown tremendous promise as great shinobi. Do not waste your potential."

The winds died down and the breeze it brought with it soon faded as well, He wondered if he had improved at all or maybe it was all in his head, still he had to keep trying even if it was only so he could forgive himself for what happened so long in the past. His thoughts wondered a endless journey threw his past memory's, some good, mostly bad, however as long as he had a little hope he could go along ways. He clenched his fist as the sword vanished from his hand. 'Why do I have to be so weak, they are not weak what is different? what do I have to do ? I cant stand it anymore!' His thoughts rang over and over in his head along with his memories of the promises he had made.

Heero was once again brought back to reality as the Kazekage handed them both a piece of melon. Heero looked at it as the Kazekage explained how much it was and said they could eat it. The tears built in his eyes as he set the melon down. "I don..dont deserve this... im too weak.." He said his hands clenching as the tears rolled down his face. He wanted it but he could just not see he had earned anything. He hated feeling weak and he hated crying in front of others, the shame of crying infront of the Kazekage was enough to make him turn away. The sobs turned to a mumble as he uttered a few more words. "Do I...I really deserve it?" He asked hoping just for once the training he did was not in vain.

C-Rank to B-Rank Bukijutsu: 1701/1800

(( sorry for the long wait, had work.))

"Perfectly executed, boys."
"Ray, you've certainly improved and you could very well become ANBU, just not yet.

Ray laughed for the first time in many years, the ringing sound of his young voice filling the expanse of voided air around them. He'd finally become good enough to be recognized by none other than the Kazekage herself. Only a matter of time, and he'd be serving under the village, protecting what has been his home ever since the day he was born. He brushed his hair away from his face with his hand, and then looked at the watermelon. It was cleanly sliced in two. Heero's strike had brilliantly hit the watermelon in the center, and had cleanly snapped it. It was good work on the Kuroka's part, to be slashing the watermelon perfectly in sync with Ray's attempts to keep the Kage at bay. Ray alone wouldn't have been able to win this challenge, no, and the Kuroka was the perfect partner for Ray's speed. The Kazekage went over to the watermelons and picked them up, holding out each piece to the two Chuunin. Ray looked to the watermelon, and then to the Kazekage. The Kazekage had managed to flawlessly dodge Ray's attempts, and so far Ray hadn't even been able to land a single hit on the Kage. So much for speed. He'd gotten pretty close with the elbow transitioning to kick, though. He could capitalize on that later. But he hadn't yet seen his Sensei perform a jutsu, so that could prove to be a problem.

"Now you can eat your reward.  They're very juicy and tasty.  Don't be shy, imported fruit is expensive!"

Ray nodded, taking a piece off his Sensei's hand. He bit into the watermelon, relishing it's taste, and then turned to look towards the Kuroka, who'd set the melon down. There were tears in his eyes, for some unbeknownst reason. He was shaking, giving off minute vibrations that the Kato could feel. Ray looked at him, confused, till Heero started speaking.

"I don..dont deserve this... im too weak.."
"Do I...I really deserve it?"

Ray raised an eyebrow, and looked at the Kazekage helplessly. Ray was a social outcast, and thus didn't know how to comfort someone when they were having a tumultous turn of emotions. He looked back at Heero, his face now serious, and a completely emotionless face. "You're as strong as, if not stronger, than me. And I don't consider myself weak. I think I'm strong, or so I hope I'm strong. And since you're at the same level that I am, it makes you strong too. Stronger than many Chuunin, I daresay. Heck, I'm pretty sure you could take me on in a spar and win.", said Ray, his voice not faltering even once. He looked back at his Sensei. "I need more training, Sensei. I have to be better at Taijutsu."

Post Word Count: 485
Total Word Count: 2029/3000

OOC: Sorry for the late post/

I smiled happily as I watched Ray Kato grab his piece of the watermelon.  The boy's face relaxed at the taste of the watermelon, as if the juices were relaxing his tense body.  At least one of them enjoyed the watermelon.  Heero, on the other hand, seemed to be struck with sadness, tainted with past regret, of what I had no inkling.  I had no intention of the watermelons bringing out so much emotion in anyone.  This boy was obviously under a lot of pressure.  Was it from himself or another?

"I don..dont deserve this... im too weak.."  The boy said, only stuttering a small bit as tears rolled down his face.  He tried dabbing his face with his sleeves as the tears streamed out.  "Do I...I really deserve it?"

The shocking response to the watermelons made me pause for a moment, my eyes blinking as I thought through this.  Ray Kato was the first to respond, his own eyebrows perched as Heero spoke.  "You're as strong, if not stronger, as me. And I don't consider myself weak. I think I'm strong, or so I hope I'm strong. And since you're at the same level that I am, it makes you strong too. Stronger than many Chuunin, I daresay. Heck, I'm pretty sure you could take me on in a spar and win."  Ray spoke with assurance and steadiness in his voice.  I admired how quickly he was to cheer up Heero, a good soul in a good ninja was hard to come by in these days.  He turned to face me now.  "I need more training, sensei. I have to be better at Taijutsu."

First, I addressed Heero, who had turned away in shame of his tears.  I pulled at his shoulder to make him face me once more.  "Now don't be ridiculous.  You were the one that cut the watermelon and that was the whole point of the exercise.  Even Ray admits your own strength.  Don't let things of your past hold you back, Heero, otherwise you'll spend your whole life running from something that isn't real but just built up in your own head."

I turned my head to face Ray, "If you wish to continue training, I suggest you fill up on that watermelon and we can meet up a bit later.  For Taijutsu training, I have just the thing, but it requires me calling in a few favors."  I took a step back and checked if I had gotten all of my kunai back, holding the two I already had with me in one hand and holding out my other to the two boys for the ones they still had.

895/700
125 Leftover
Trained Perception C-2 to C-3

Heero regained control as the others tried to cheer him up. He still had doubts about himself but could not see any fault in what the Kazekage said. Heero took a little bite out of the water melon and sighed. "I...I guess I still go...got a ways to go huh?" He said in reference to his training. His new acquaintance Ray had already made it known he was planning on getting stronger and Heero decided he did not want to be left behind. With a bow to the Kazekage and one likewise to Ray he smiled. "I gu.. guess I cant let you get to..too far ahead Ray! And thank you so much for training me Kazekage Sama." He said to the pair.

C-Rank to B-Rank Bukijutsu: 1824/1800

(( P.s my job sucks lol))

"If you wish to continue training, I suggest you fill up on that watermelon and we can meet up a bit later.  For Taijutsu training, I have just the thing, but it requires me calling in a few favors."

Ray nodded. He had understood. The Kage meant to say that his training for the day had been over, that he had achieved what she had expected of him. It left Ray in conflicting feelings about it, though. On one end, he was happy that he had achieved what the Kage had expected of him, but on the other hand, he still didn't feel that he had completely trained himself and he still felt that lack of physical exhaustion that came with completely working oneself out. However, since he wasn't one to argue with the Kazekage herself, he simply went back to biting his sweet watermelon, relishing every single bite and it's sweet, lingering taste, till there was nothing left of the watermelon but a bunch of seeds on a hollow, semi-spherical remnant. Crouching down, he planted the seeds in the semi-dense sand, and crushed the remnant, putting it around the plantation. Ray didn't know why he had done that, but he was sure it had some symbolic meaning. After all, everything a ninja did in this world had some sort of symbolic meaning to it. He looked back up at the Kage, looking at her hand which was open, splayed towards the two boys, asking for her Kunai back. Ray smiled, and placed the kunai he'd kept around his person on her hand. After all, most of them were unused.

Bowing to the Kage, he then turned towards Heero, who'd already begun speaking. "I gu.. guess I cant let you get to..too far ahead Ray! And thank you so much for training me Kazekage Sama." Ray nodded, smiling again. "You should beat me the next time we meet, regardless of what we've become.", said he, before turning back to the Kage. "I should take my leave now." Then, turning away from both of them, he sprinted, his speed being much faster than a normal ninja of his level. As he rhythmically pounded on the sand with his speed, each step taking him forth faster than the other, he pondered over the proceedings that took part today. He had, in order to prove himself to the Kage, allowed his teammate to take the easier pathway rather than him himself going and attacking the watermelon, and he chose to attack and keep the Kage at bay. This wasn't how he'd normally go about it. He was normally the one to use the speed to his advantage, and find a way around the normal obstacle so he could complete the objective without putting himself in harm's way. What had happened to him? Why was he doing this? With answers he didn't have, Ray shook his head slightly, and continued running. He'd almost reached the village.

His thought process then took him back to another time, whereupon he remembered what had happened when he'd fought Tomoya Kato, his brother.

Ray was going to meet Tomoya Katō, one of the more boisterous taijutsu users of the clan, and Ray's first cousin, whom he hadn't met since 3 years. Tomoya was older than Ray, by three years, a fact that always used to astonish Ray since Tomoya was quite like him. They used to spar together ever since they were kids, but all those relationships tore off due to the demise of Ray's mother, and Ray's subsequent isolation from the clan.

Ray entered the sand grounds, as the morning heat started coming around, increasing the temperature by a few degrees. Ray was wearing his trademark black clothes, his hair tied in a small hanging ponytail behind him. His Hitai-ate was worn around his waist, acting as a belt, while his chuunin uniform symbol was on his fingerless gloves. His unnaturally straight face devoid of any emotion, searched in the distant horizon, his black, deep eyes scanning every viewpoint. His eyes rested upon a distant figure in the horizon. Ray ran towards that figure, and upon a lesser distance learnt that it was indeed his cousin.


The meeting had been followed by pure banter, nothing much too creative of the sort. He didn't remember all the details, but there was something about Tomoya creating a clockwork hand and whatnot. However, the next few things were the preceding notions before his life changed.


"Umm, you know it's only the north side which think that way, right? Even the elders like your inventions. They told me you had immense talent, but you lacked medical jutsu to go through with it. However, the extremists in the north have been drastically reducing the inventions in the clan. I might need to exterminate them, but your own brother stays there. I don't know whether I should go on with my plan of killing the north or not. Most of the Elders are telling me to go through with it, but I can't do it without your permission.", said Ray, his conviction firm with the truth he spoke.

"Let me kill them."

Ray looked up at Tomoya's eyes, and noticed a change in them. They had become one with his conviction, or so it seemed. It was the first time Ray had seen this sort of a look on Tomoya's face. It resembled that of a man realizing his job, which perplexed Ray even more.

"If one of the main branch does it, and even one person survives, that's enough to bring a civil war that could destroy the whole clan. If I'm the one, they'll just think I'm getting revenge for the way they've treated me all my life... Plus it'd feel good getting a little bit of own back. And let's face it, your skill at assassination is entirely subpar."

Ray nodded. It was true. "Well, looking at it from that perspective, yes, it would be highly risky. However, are you sure you will be able to kill your own father and brother, who went up against you? If you do manage to do it, I'm swearing you in as my own blood brother. You'll be part of the main lineage, and nobody will ever go against your judgement. But I'm afraid for the safety of your sanity. To kill your own family is immensely difficult, not to mention taxing on your sanity. And, I may not be good at assassination, but I'm not that bad at it. I used to manage to sneak up on Shoryuu so many times earlier, stealing his stuff.". Ray pondered over Tomoya's conviction, being unsure whether it would be a good idea to let him kill his own kin. What if it twisted Tomoya to a different extent? What if Tomoya lost his sanity?


But Tomoya did lose his sanity. Ray had never heard from his brother again after what was known to be the massacre of the entirety of the Kato Clan, with only Ray being the sole survivor. However, things had changed now. There were clan members resurfacing, those who'd escaped or had been exiled. But Tomoya was nowhere to be found. Ray had brought things around, but there were still wounds of the past that existed among the present. Wiping a small tear that had welled up near his eye, Ray continued his dash towards home.

Post Word Count: 1253
Total Word Count: 3282/3000
Training Taijutsu--->A COMPLETE
[EXIT]

OOC: Sorry for the late post. Had to regain my muse.