Well; there was no excuse now. He'd been dodging it for a long time, taking a team. His philosophy? If babysitting was wanted, he'd watch his own kids. Too many Genin wanted nothing more then to milk him for jutsu and prestige ("I trained under the Hokage! I'm the greatest! RAWR!~); versus actually learning anything he could possible teach them. Well; he'd succumbed to nepotism in picking his squad; taking his cousin instead of some random other Genin. Although it was fairly normal for elder Inuzuka to take on clan cousins for apprenticeship; although it was more common for those becoming veterinarians versus ninja. Eh; Kage's prerogative.

The other's? Nothing special so far; which he was grateful for in some ways. Better to take someone that doesn't already have a superiority complex, nor a giant ego. He wanted students that could learn; not that knew everything.

This was why he chose the place he did. Middle of nowhere, deep in a forest most wouldn't enter alone. Ashi? She'd be fine. The Hyuuga? Possibly. The other one, the small clanner... yeah, no idea. Meh, if they made it, they made it. He'd find them later if they didn't.

So her cousin had finally decided to have them all meet up? That was fine, she'd been done painting and had literally been watching it dry all day. She figured waiting a little longer before pushing the furniture from the middle of her mural covered room to their proper spots again was no big deal, in fact it was something she'd rather avoid momentarily.

She'd been rather pleased to find herself not covered completely in paint so after a quick over-shirt change, one black shirt for another, she was out the door and on her way with Akai at her heels. Ashi figured her cousin would pick somewhere secluded for this meeting so she didn't bother looking anywhere around the village, instead headed straight out. It didn't take long at all for Akai to pick up on the fresher scent of Kenta. And away they went.

Her new hobby of free running came into practice as Ashi barely stayed on the ground. Going from boulder to tree, to boulder, whatever could hold her weight ended up doing just that. If it was a large cluster of trees she simply bounced off from one to another, switching back and forth between feet as she did so. Between her speed and her easy way around obstacles it didn't take her long at all to get to Kenta's location. With a final leap she landed on a boulder nearby and settled herself down, Indian style, upon it.

Akai meanwhile went right up to Kenta, tail wagging, with that same "Pet me" face she always wore when coming across Ashi's cousin.

The time? Hell if he knew. He was probably late, though he wasn't that sure of it. Perhaps taking two naps in the middle of the day wasn't such a good idea when he had a squad meeting... Well, there wasn't any helping it now. Takao made his way through the forest silently. He had an unusual calm and tranquil demeanor despite not knowing if he was even going in the right direction. His fault again, no doubt. Sticking to the paths would've been the logical thing to do, but he never got his fill of nature by doing so.

The peace of the forest was disrupted by the faded sounds of footsteps. At any rate, at least he knew he was going the right way. Takao didn't bother picking up the pace. If he was already late, why would it matter if he showed up after a few more minutes? Besides, there was no reason to tire himself out. As he came to a clearing, he pulled off his coat and tied it around his waist. It was a little warm out and the wind didn't do much to help in the dense forest.
After a bit of wandering and eventually finding the path he should have been walking on, Takao finally came to see a set of individuals through the dense forest floor. The first he noticed was the girl on the rock, then the dog, and then lastly the one he assumed to be the squad leader.

He gave the group a brief and unenthusiastic wave to announce his presence. “Sorry I'm late.”

Kenta was too busy petting Akai to notice the incoming male; attention on his reeking-of-paint cousin. He'd been about to ask just what the damage to his house was at that point when the wind shifted and took the scent of male directly to his nose. Oh. Attention paying time. Looking up, he sent a glare that lacked any heat toward Takao; not much caring if he was late or not. "You're standing in poison oak."

Yuki snickered from behind the other male; having appeared from the shadows when Kenta spoke. She sniffed at Takao's pant leg for a moment, releasing a soft growl that was a clear "I reserve judgement on you." before moving to where Akai and Ashi stood. "You don't know your plants, do you?"

Akai all but melted at the petting before wandering back over to Ashi's side. She sniffed at Ashi's pocket for a moment before pulling with her mouth the small picture Ashi had based her painting off of out of Ashi's pocket and backing up from Ashi playfully. Obviously someone wanted to play.

Ashi raised an eyebrow at Akai before turning her attention to the male that'd just arrived. She gave him the once over with a stare devoid of any emotion. Her gaze stopped at his feet and what he was standing in. No snicker, no comment. She simply returned her attention to Akai after the canine gave a couple barks, she wanted to play. "We'll play later, Akai.. focus." Akai dropped the picture and sat as best as she could with her tail still going from side to side a mile a minute, now completely focused on the new arrival. Her nose twitched in his direction and she moved to position herself between Ashi and the male.

Ashi snorted in mild amusement at Akai's over protective reaction, shifting a bit on top of the boulder she was sitting on to become more comfortable.

Takao glanced down as his feet as the contents that he were standing on was brought to his attention. His feet and legs were protected by his boots and pant leg, so he only shrugged it off and looked back up at Kenta. “Well, that sucks...” he said as he stepped forwards and out of the plants. He looked down at what was sniffing his pants and crossed his arms, then looked back up at the two. “I know enough to not get myself killed by eating the wrong thing.” Takao replied as he gave the two a closer look.

He could make out a few clear markings on their faces, and they both had dogs with them. It didn't take a genius to know they were both Inuzuka. But Takao wasn't one to judge, he'd never even met an Inuzuka before, only heard about the obvious things.

Takao took a few steps forward as he spoke to close the sizable gap between him and the group. He didn't really feel like shouting across the distance, and stopped a few feet away from Kenta. “Are we waiting for the third?” he inquired as he surveyed the area quickly, though he didn't see a third human being around.

"Don't care if he shows. He got the message; the Chunnin I sent to deliver it confirmed when she returned. Wouldn't surprise me if something attacks him out here. You're damn lucky you made it yourself; stomping through the brush like that. Yuki was following you for a while." Said snowy canine was sitting at Kenta's feet, growling in a way that a trained ear would know was language; relaying everything she'd seen while she was scouting. "And that poison oak you where standing in? Not a normal strain. That stuff works like thistles. Little hairs all over the leaves that wiggle through clothing and into your skin. Enjoy the itching and reactions tomorrow.~" Douche bag mode, engage.

It was nothing personal; Kenta was just a dick. Always was to new people. He leaned back some, hands pressing to his lower back for support while he cracked his spine some. The exhale of contentment was misty; his lungs where still a little full of water from training earlier. Breathing water practice; the idea was sound enough; given his level of control of his native element; but training was going no where fast. He was no damn Kisame with gills; nor a Houzuki that was basically sentient water parading as humanish.

"Anyway, I'll decide just how retarded that statement is when we start survival training. If we make it that far. Lets see... I know Ashi's skill sets; what do you have so I know what I'm working with."

Ashi wasn't the type to laugh at others mistakes, having made enough of her own and having gotten into plenty of trouble for it, so she just continued to stay silent as was her usual way anyway.

At the words "survival training" an eyebrow raised, and she took another moment to look the male over. 'Hm... this could get interesting.', came her mental musings. Akai meanwhile showed she was all for it as she was instantly on all four feet again, tail wagging even faster now as she looked expectantly at Kenta. Akai just wasn't happy unless she was in motion. "Well, you've got Akai's attention..", she mused out loud, giving a slight shake of her head at her ninken's reaction.

Takao brushed off his shirt and looked to Kenta as he spoke, his arms slowly finding their way back to fold back over in front of his chest. A second long, under his breath chuckle escaped as he listened, though more in an amused tone than something he actually found humorous. “Nothing I can do about it now then, I suppose. I've had worse anyways, and I'm sure you've got something planned for us that's going to be worse than a bit of itching.” he began as he stretched his arms. Takao would certainly be surprised if it was just a casual squad meeting in the middle of a secluded forest away from the village.
“Just gives me another excuse for a long, warm bath when I get home.” Takao replied, resting one hand on his hip while the other idly rested at his side. He didn't seem at all phased by Kenta, or at least not on the outside anyways. It was a little annoying but Takao wasn't disrespectful, he'd keep his mouth shut about it.

Takao glanced over at Ashi briefly, then reverted his gaze back to Kenta. “What I have? Nothing out of the ordinary. I use Taijutsu primarily, then ninjutsu, and I don't have much of a taste for genjutsu. I have a few techniques up my sleeve, but they aren't anything that'll blow your mind.” he said with another shrug of his shoulders. “It's been enough to keep me alive and breathing so far.”

Good enough; Kenta was a ninjutsu master himself; slightly odd in a family of Taijutsu users, but it worked better with his frailer constitution. He tired faster when using physical attacks, and his leaner form meant he lacked some of the hitting power.

"Right then. Good enough." He clicked his tongue, sending Yuki to stand by Akai; his ninken giving the other a short affectionate nuzzle as a form of hello. Turning away from Takao; the Kage moved closer to the edge of the little clearing, pushing through a line of brush with little more then a wave to signal to be followed. He figured Ashi would smell the dampness of the water beyond; but he wanted to see if the male could as well. He was heading for a larger area on the other side of the creek that he'd cleared earlier for them to use.

Akai gave an affectionate nuzzle back in hello before looking expectantly to Ashi.

In one lithe movement Ashi stood straight up upon the boulder she'd been sitting on and then launched herself a good two or three feet into the air before landing lightly on the ground below and following Kenta. Her nose twitched a bit as the damp smell grew stronger the closer she got. Another eyebrow rose in curiosity as she wondered what Kenta could possibly have planned for them. She had a feeling it was going to be fun and tough at the same time, and she pondered momentarily on how sore she was going to be tomorrow after this exercise was done with.

Akai followed as soon as Ashi began moving, her own nose twitching at the smell. She stayed close, protectively so.

Takao didn't have much talent for sensory, and certainly didn't possess a nose like the Inuzuka. However, he could feel a bit more humidity in the air the closer he got to the water. Takao untied the coat from his waist and pulled it over his arms, making sure to adjust the fabric over his shoulders and lay the collar flat before he proceeded forwards. Apparently Takao would have to give them a proper introduction sometime else.

He followed a noticeable distance behind the two, both his hands digging into the pockets of his trousers. A long and drawn out sigh escaped from his lips as he followed, taking particular care on what foliage he stepped on and around as he followed behind the two.

Takao's attention wasn't directed towards the approaching water or the humidity in the air, but rather his surroundings. The area wasn't one he had been in before, and he didn't want to be caught off guard by anything. It was probably just his own paranoia setting in, but it'd be better to be paranoid and safe than ignorant and dead or injured. At any rate, he continued to follow close enough behind the two and made very little noise trekking through the woods.

A soft whine from Yuki was all he needed; leaning down without ever stopping and tapping her back; all the contact needed to initiate a Man Beast Clone. Easier for her to move over the creek that way; and might as well do it now before they started. "Pick up the pace people. Busy Hokage is busy." He simply leaped the gap of the water; not difficult since it was only about ten feet wide. The bushes lining the other side where just as dense; a common site this deep into the woods. They where also fully of bright red berries that looked a lot like raspberries, but would leave anyone idiotic enough to eat them crapping blood for days. Or idiotic enough to eat just the berries, and not the few yellow leaves mixed into the deep green. The yellow had a natural antidote to the toxin that made you sick; and had the awesome effect of making the berries taste like honey.

The bushes hid the larger clearing; maybe 40 feet wide at it's widest; averaging roughly 30ish for the most part. A few larger rocks, a shared shoreline with a second creek, lots of open space. A perfect sparing ground.

"So. I have a few games for you..."

Spoiler:

So, at least they weren't going 'in' the water. At least that's what it seemed anyway. She couldn't imagine what Kenta had up his sleeve for them to do. Akai ran off ahead, straight through the stream, causing water to spray up on the sides as she did so. That was just the canine's way, though.. head first, no matter the situation.
Ashi took a slightly less wet approach and took off running. A jump onto a rock, a boulder, then up onto a tree where she grabbed onto the highest branch she could reach. Using her pent up momentum she swung herself forward and launched herself into the air and forward and just made it with only two inches to spare to the other side of the stream in a crouched position.
Of course, she didn't stay dry for long. Akai had finished running through the water at about the same time Ashi had landed.. and she shook her entire body, flinging large droplets of water everywhere. "Thanks Akai... " A small smile appears, her tone of voice playful despite her words.
She moved herself forward then, following Kenta and taking in the sight around them. 'This looks promising', was the first thought that crossed Ashi's mind, though she didn't voice it out loud.

Takao picked up his pace and caught up with the other two that walked in front of him, though still staying behind them both. He looked past Ashi to witness the sudden change from dog to person, but his demeanor didn't change. Takao followed suit and maneuvered his way across the water, but with a significant less amount of finesse.

He stopped at the opposite side of the shore and glanced behind him, then looked back around to survey the area on the side they stood on presently. Takao had managed his way across without getting wet, thankfully. The last thing he wanted was to trudge through the forest while soaked. He exhaled silently and turned to continue following closely behind the two.

As he entered the clearing, Takao examined the area. It was open enough for a proper fight, and had an abundance of different elements that could be manipulated spread about. His attention left Kenta and Ashi for a moment as he planned and plotted scenarios, a very common habit for him. Something gave him the idea that the game Kenta spoke of was to be a spar between Takao and Ashi.
Takao hadn't displayed much of his own ability, but Ashi had certainly showed that she would prove to be a difficult target to hit. He turned his attention back to Kenta and crossed his arms, waiting for further instructions.

Another soft growl and tongue click sent Yuki!Kenta towards the far end of the open area; where she clambered up one of the large boulders and sat down; obviously taking an observer's view. Her growl was loud, easily carrying to the Inuzuka ears; if not to Takao's. She was settled and ready for this. "Ashi, send Akai over to Yuki. She can explain to her whats about to happen. I need a ground observer..."

He moved towards the center of the area; literally moving until he was standing in the center of one of the various pools of water peppering the area. "Find a place you are comfortable to start. I want you to hit me with your best shots. Team up, do it alone; I don't really care. But I want to see the best you can do. You'll have ten minutes to show off after I whistle to start."

She looked to Akai, and with a simple muttered command sent the canine right on over to Yuki.

Akai ran over, tail wagging in her excitement, to totally focused.

Ashi took a moment to just stare at Kenta. ‘Great, it’s worse then I thought… I don’t have to attack some stranger I hardly know, I have to attack my own cousin.. and I’m sure he expects me to hit him as hard as I can…’, came her mental musings, her face probably showing pretty much exactly what she was thinking as she for once wasn’t shielding her expression. Even though she was sure she wasn’t going to be able to actually hurt him the idea of attacking him was bad enough. ‘This is going to be torture…’, she mentally added.

She glanced over to the other male before moving into a better position, still, at least for the time being, keeping a good distance between herself and her cousin.

A demonstration of skill? Showing off wasn't one of Takao's strong points. He liked to keep his abilities to himself and always have something hidden up his sleeves, as compared to shooting off every technique he knew immediately. But this was different, it was his team. They were secluded in the woods, and if anybody should know of his strengths and weaknesses it should be his unit.

Takao stepped further into the clearing and looked between the two. He didn't have much of any experience with collaboration, so he'd leave Ashi to her thoughts while he prepared his own strategies. Since it was meant to be a display of the best he could do, Takao decided that using both taijutsu and ninjutsu in sequence would be the most effective combination.

“Should we be worrying about you countering and attacking back?” he inquired, wondering if the much more experienced shinobi in front of him would be planning on redirecting any of his attacks.
While he waited for a response, Takao stretched out his legs and arms. Might as well be as prepared as possible before those ten minutes were up. With no weapons to draw, stretching was about the most he could do to prepare himself.

"Only if I feel like it." Which meant that no; he'd just be dodging. He'd show off when he felt like it; but not in a way that would hurt them. They where, after all, his team; and he would protect them. Mostly.

"Do whatever you want, however you want. I'd be amazed if anything I let hit actually hurt." not so much an insult as just fact. The way Inuzuka train, they learned early on to ignore and suppress pain. "So then. Shall we begin?"

No real warning; just a low whistle that cut sharp and high; nearly leaving the audible range of humans when it shot up the scales. This was both a starting noise and a command to the dogs to pay attention; with a secondary command to Akai to circle the field. Kenta dropped into his close combat stance instantly; arms up in a circular manner that reflected his feet placement. It seemed like he was turning his body into a wash of angles and curves; weight centered extremely low without dropping very much of his normal, somewhat impressive, height.

"Come at me, if you dare.~"

Ashi had one thing going for her; she didn't hesitate. Therefore, when Kenta whistled as the signal for them to start she was already prepared to start moving and did just that, her face an emotionless mask, but a great deal of determination showing in her eyes.

Her plan was simple, get in as quickly as possible and land as many blows as possible before Kenta could dodge or move away, all without getting in the way of the other male and his possible attacks for Kenta. Would it work? Time would tell. If it didn't she already had plan B in mind.

Her form lowered slightly before she shot herself forward. About eight or so feet from Kenta she suddenly changed direction; she kicked off of the ground with her right foot, directing herself to the left. After that she shot herself off and behind Kenta. It was at this point that she initiated Quick Step, chakra cushioning the bottom of her feet in a way that increased her speed. At the same time she cocked back her arm, prepared to hit Kenta right in the back if he didn't dodge out of the way first.

She shot her fist forward as soon as she was in position behind Kenta, moving it as fast and as hard as she could. Would it hit? Or, would he dodge it? Only the next seconds would tell.

Spoiler:

Similar to Ashi, Takao displayed no hesitation to start after the signal was given. With his strategy already planned out he began a short set of hand seals. He watched from a distance as Ashi charged forwards and began the fight with her taijutsu. It was proving to be a great chance for Takao to observe both of their taijutsu abilities, though in the current situation it would be better to focus on Kenta.

As the string of hand seals came to an end, Takao sprinted forwards and inhaled until his chest puffed out. Once he was within range he released his breath in the form of a clear flammable gas, which could be easily mistaken for a failed jutsu, though it wasn't a trick that he expected to go under the trained Inuzuka's nose so easily. By now, Ashi's assault on Kenta would already be underway, and would prove to be a great distraction for his strategy.

As the fumes spread out and weakened, Takao had dwindling time to prepare the hand seals for his next jutsu. He really hated starting a fight by shooting off every jutsu he had, but this was his team. If anybody needed to know how he fought and what kind of skills he possessed, it would be them.
The second set of hand seals came to an end and Takao inhaled, though notably less this time. He exhaled and a small baseball sized fireball of pathetic size shot from his mouth and towards the fumes. The second the flame came into contact with the fumes it erupted into a fireball, threatening to consume all that stood inside the fumes.

Chakra: 60/80:

Well... this was fun. Ashi should have known better then to go for a direct attack with straight Taijutsu, but at least she was smart enough to trigger QuickStep. Then again... he'd created that jutsu, and knew all of the drawbacks and weaknesses. Mainly; it was only an increase in movement speed, not attack speed; so not a huge help here. Still; smart move to start with. Get the boosts going early; overwhelm before running out of juice later.

Takao... fire, eh? Well; this was going to be... easy. Kenta's main was water... so Takao was at a distinct disadvantage. He was tempted to fuck with their heads and just melt into the water; but that would defeat the purpose of the exercise. Was tempting though. Oh well; might as well play nice.

To counter Ashi was simple enough; counter Taijutsu with Taijutsu. And as they specialized in nearly the same Taijutsu... well; she didn't have a chance. Wait for her to get close enough; pivot on his feet as she threw the first blow; wrist grab, aaaaand.... THROW! Hand on her wrist for grip and the other to her elbow for power; she would be flying over his shoulder and towards the far side of the pool if she couldn't slip free.

As for the cloud of flame... well... that wasn't a bit issue. Overkill sure; but it worked. The instant he had a free hand; still not even bother to pay attention if he had sent his cousin flying or not; they where pressed to his lips while he inhaled deeply; sending a highly pressurized stream of water directly through the flames. Water Trumpet for the win. The size and power of the stream would easily extinguish the flames; and he was fairly sure he'd aimed well enough to hit Takao; so long as they other didn't try to dodge. He wasn't trying to however, so it wouldn't be hard to dodge the 'attack'.

Spoiler:

She knew that was a bad idea, but it was worth a shot nonetheless. Nothing chanced is nothing gained. She was definitely going to remember that, too... and put it to good use in the future. She went flying of course, right over his shoulder... and into the water. 'Lovely... Okay, time for plan B... I can't do this alone', she thought, removing herself from the water as soon and fast as possible.

'Okay, Ashi... time to get serious.' Her form lowered slightly to the ground, her appearance becoming more feral like. Her teeth would change, followed by her fingernails into claws. Pupils would become slit like and wild looking as the Four Legs Technique came into play. She planned on being prepared for the future in case plan B happened to fail. She also hoped this might cause Kenta to think she was planning something else entirely. Only time would tell, though.

She prayed that the other male didn't get anywhere near Kenta for this next part and pitied him a bit if he did as her hands raised, fingers spread wide and palms flattened. The tips of her middle and ring fingers touching her temples and face. After channeling the proper chakra amount to her hands she released it as a instant flash of blinding light in a fan shaped area in front of her. Her obvious aim, were Kenta not to move, was to stun and blind him for the other male to then launch whatever attack he could get off.

Spoiler:

Chakra: 105/120

Well.. That was it for his offensive ninjutsu. Takao wasn't fresh out of the academy, but this was his first squad. He didn't have much guidance when it came to, well... anything. Despite his primary specialty being taijutsu, it was borderline suicide to go up against an Inuzuka of Kenta's strength and rank, despite the fact that it was only a friendly spar. Takao wasn't stupid enough to run head first and do that.

The water jet that shot through the fire caught him off guard, that was for sure. The fireball could only travel five meters, but the flammable gas itself covered a larger area. Takao pivoted his body on his right foot, allowing for the jet of water to just barely hit his left arm. The power nearly spun him around once, but he easily regained his balance. Before progressing any further he brought his hands back together for a third jutsu. This time he prepared a substitution, just in case he put himself in danger again. If he did go and engage in hand to hand combat, a quick means of escape would be extremely helpful. A simple replacement with a section of a fallen tree that he'd noticed on the way in, nothing impressive.

Takao stood himself back up and faced Kenta. His very small arsenal of jutsu had been depleted, but his true strength lied in taijutsu. Of course, his skills were nothing that could compare to Kenta or Ashi, but it was worth a shot. Takao waited for Ashi to reengage first, knowing that attacking Kenta head on without a proper distraction would just result in his advances being negated. However, with his focus hopefully directed towards Ashi and her attack, Takao would have an opening to strike. Upon seeing Ashi engage, Takao rushed forwards. He jumped into the air, no higher than a few meters, and rotated his body while midair.

The attack itself was rather straightforward, all he was aiming to do was gain momentum through the use of his body and slam the metal plate located on the heel of his boot into Kenta's shoulder. Sure it was a little more flashy than it needed to be, but the momentum would help add some much needed force into his strike.

Chakra: 55/80:

Oh really now... Resourceful, his cousin was. Not that blinding would do much; and he only caught the light in one eye directly; which wrecked his peripheral vision on his left side. Joy. Well; he'd be fine after a minute; so he just slammed the eye closed to reset; stance adapting to the blinding without much problem. He allowed a slightly annoyed growl to escape his throat; even if the sound was tinged with pride over the move.

His ears picked up the movement in his blind side; knowing Takao was coming at him. He wanted to see what the male had in store. He'd let the attack connect; as much as it could before Takao found himself flying as Ashi had moments before. Or possibly in a nasty joint lock; depending on what was used to hit him. A sharp whistle had the dogs backing away just in case; as bodies flying where a nasty thing to get smacked by.

Spoiler: