Since arriving in Hi no Kuni, Kameko had settled into Konohagakure with little trouble. The earliest hours of the morning were spent as she normally did, no matter what country she happened to be in at the moment. After getting dressed for the day, she sat down cross legged on the floor, drew her katana and balanced the rusty blade across her knees as she began to meditate. Originally part of her training in the Ryuzoji clan, Kameko adopted it as part of her morning ritual and never chooses to begin her day without it. After a time, her bright blue eyes opened and, resheathing her katana, she rose to her feet. Afixing the sheath to her belt, the young woman got her weapon pouch, attaching it on the opposite side as her katana, and her hitai-ate from where they waited on her desk. Tying the black cloth as a headband, the silver of the metal stood out against the dark French braid that she had pulled her hair back into for the day.

Heading downstairs, she ordered breakfast at the pub, which operated early in the day for those that were staying in the attached inn. Kameko ate leisurely and lingered at the table after finishing her meal, trying to pass the time. She had always been a morning person but had early on learned to accept that few other people shared that characteristic. Rippa, a Konoha shinobi whom she had met upon her arrival, had invited her to visit him at Sword Saints dojo to compare sword styles and perhaps even try out some Raiton. It had been a while since she had trained with anyone else, and she was interested in what new things she might learn from someone from another hidden village. ‘Nine o’clock? Surely that’s late enough...’ she wondered. Deciding that she could always find somewhere around the village to kill time in if he wasn’t at the dojo yet, she got up and headed out into the streets.

“Just head north, huh?” she said to herself and locating the recently risen sun, she set off in the specified direction. After some time of heading in the general direction, she found the large complex. It would have been hard to miss, and there was a sign clearly identifying it as the Sword Saint compound. There were several buildings in the compound, and after a moment, she located the dojo. She was not the only one here, but many of those who were were dressed in the traditional gi, making her stand out. Having been trained by her mother, they had not observed all traditions, and she wore what she generally would to train or go on missions. Everything was made out of materials which stretched and moved easily with her; she wore a fitted dark blue jacket, zipped up against the cool morning over a white top, and black pants. Unsure if she had the correct building or if Rippa was even here this early, the young woman hesitated in the entryway, looking around for a familiar face.

Rippa stirred where he was laying on his cot. It was a fairly plain bed made of a sturdy frame with some Furs stretched over it. One of his arms dangled over the side as he slowly began to awaken. The sun coming through the window shutters was warm on his back and it was enough to wake him. Still his right arm that had been dangling lazily lifted and swatted at the air before hitting the dresser next to him. With that he located the small square clock by touch before raising his head and peering through his bangs at the time. His eyes slowly focused before he let out a groan. He had slept in and thus missed the dining halls hours for serving breakfast. It was a rule that if you didn't care to wake up at sunrise and train then you didn't care to eat until lunch was ready. It saddened him because the breakfast was likely french toast that morning. He had been looking forward to that too. Luckily though he had an apple hidden in...he pulled open his sock drawer and rifled through it before it dawned on him. One of the other swordsmen had found him out and taken his apple. A small whining noise climbed out of him before he sighed in defeat.

Still he would be fine. Missing one meal hardly meant he was starving. They ate three full meals a day here. He wouldn't really feel to much discomfort until last nights dinner was finished digesting. Not to mention he could aways numb his stomach. Either way he accepted that his laziness had been thwarted and raised from his bed. He was still wearing a set of traditional red robes over black pants so he didn't mind moving from his bed to his door in slow steps. His robes slightly loose as the right shoulder drooped revealing some of his chest. Still he slid open the paper door and stepped out onto the wooden walkway. He lived within the compound and all the buildings faced the main yard. Still he ran his left hand through his hair and brought the bangs out of his eyes as he looked about. The light was fairly bright for a moment but he adjusted easily enough. It was somewhat after nine in the morning. Still he shifted to the edge of the walkway and sat down. A couple of swordsmen passed him and jeered about how tasty breakfast was but he waved them off in good humor. He wasn't much of one to get irritable over such small things. Still he looked around a little more as a common practice trying to detect anything out of place.

One stood out more then anything was the young woman wandering the compound. She was closer to the dojo then the living quarters but it was a clear and open field in the center so he could see her plainly. He knew her as the Kumo genin he had invited to come visit him. He felt a little pleased that she had come. Still there was another thing out of place. He saw that something was off with the general picture before him but he couldn't pinpoint it. As if somehow it was evading his senses. Not perfectly but well enough. He would keep an eye and an ear out for it for now. Still he shifted his robe back onto his shoulder and tightened it before hopping up off the porch. The stubble on his chin made him appear a little older then he was but that was fine with him. Not many expected someone his age to be the head of a division. Granted that wasn't entirely accurate. He was in his late twenties. Many a young individual were rising through the ranks at a much earlier age. Of course, he had only taken so long due to his near decade long sabbatical in the woods studying medicine. He had only returned as a shinobi a few months ago and even then he had been a genin. Still he walked at a leisurely pace across the yard to the water trough near Kameko. It was there for washing off the face and hands of the men practicing and had a fresh stream of water running through it. He quietly washed his face there as he was close enough to easily be spotted and recognized in such a noticeable color as red. A little bit of an inside joke he found amusing. Wearing red when his clan was so famous for blood jutsu.

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Kameko lingered in the entryway for a few moments. Most of those training within were dressed in the traditional manner, as those that she had passed outside had been; it appeared that the dojo held to many old customs. She tarried for a moment, watching two students sparring with bokken in the center of the floor while others practiced their form off to the side. She did not see Rippa’s fair features among those who had gathered in the dojo at this morning hour, and as no one stepped up to greet her and she did not want to interrupt those who were training to ask for where else that she might locate him, she resigned herself to having to figure something else out for her morning. Disappointed by his absence and the prospect of, if she was determined to see him today, either wandering around looking for him or sitting around the dojo waiting on the off-chance that he showed up, she frowned, looking down at the floorboards as she reentered the bright morning sunlight to allow her sensitive eyes to readjust.

When those bright blues looked up again, she spotted a figure dressed in a striking red robe standing at the nearby water trough. When he lifted his face from the washing, she recognized Rippa’s features from that dinner days past. A smile came easily to her face, and she made her way down the steps and over to meet him. “Good morning, Rippa!” she greeted him, her cheeriness bright enough to rival the morning sun. If there had been any doubts as to whether she was a morning person or not, her greeting settled it. After a second, she also offered a bow at the waist, as is traditional in a dojo setting. The slight delay revealed her knowledge of the custom but that she did not regularly use it; this seemed to be his normal setting, so she offered it to him out of courtesy. “Do you have some free time today?” she checked with him. He hadn’t named a particular date for her to drop in on him, and she wasn’t sure if he had anything else planned. Just because she was on a vacation, of sorts, and could follow her own whims did not mean that Rippa had the same flexibility with his schedule.

As they stood talking in the middle of the yard, she was aware of eyes being drawn to them. It might make some uncomfortable, but she had grown accustomed to it and mostly ignored that sense since arriving in Konoha; as a Kumogakure kunoichi, clearly identified by her hitai-ate, and a stranger, curiosity was natural and quite common to her in this village. Between her status as an outsider and the bright red of Rippa’s attire, they were sure to draw looks. It was foolish and impractical to always be on guard even when one was within the walls of another hidden village whom was currently as peace with her own. As a result, she didn’t take particular note of anyone who was outside of the five meters of her passive range of Current Perception, her focus on the young man who had invited her for a visit and some training.

Rippa blinked innocently as suddenly Kameko called out to him. His blue gaze lifted before he smiled as she moved from the steps over to where he was. For a moment she appeared to be entirely cheerful. It wasn't until she was before him a couple of moments that she slipped into a more traditional mindset. When she bowed before him Rippa smiled and quietly leaned his head forward bowing his head in return. His blue gaze never leaving her own. Something about him just seemed to radiate a type of warmth that was common place for him. Still, after words of pleasantries were shared, her curiosity of his schedule was mentioned. He chuckled a little at the question and crossed his arms. After all they hadn't exactly set up a schedule in order to meet before that day. Instead he nodded and spoke in return to her question with a warmth that matched his smile and his eyes, "I am the captain of the sword saints here. It is only natural for me to be able to set my own training regiment. So I can easily make time for you. After all it was I whom offered for you to visit was it not?"

He chuckled and as the breeze picked up he turned the twin, sky blue orbs that constituted his gaze towards one of the buildings. His mind had finally began to work out what was out of the ordinary. Had it been a skilled enough assassin there may have been some damage done before he could react. However his gaze locked on where Tenzo was positioned. He looked right at him and smiled. They hadn't left on the best of terms but he had some respect for the boy. Most of his memories of him were better then average. If not for the meeting in the establishment over lunch he would of had nothing bad to say at all. Perhaps Tenzo was changing from the boy he knew though. People had a tendency to do that. Many people started pure but it was the purest of people that got stained the easiest. Still he had managed to avoid such trials himself as best he could. Mostly by pure determination he had managed to get this far without losing his faith in humanity. Still he turned away from his gaze on Tenzo after only a moment, barely enough to register that maybe he had been looking directly at tenzo. Perhaps even enough to leave some doubt as to had he actually been looking at him at all.

Still he refocused on Kameko who was standing before him. One hand lifted to stroke the hairs along his chin as he looked around a moment before nodding his head to the left. An area of the training grounds was set aside over in that direction that appeared to be stumps for meditation with cushions set on them. A single large umbrella enveloped the entire circle of stumps. It looked a little lavish and comfortable for meditation but it was meant for it all the same. He moved quietly over to it but remaining just in view of Tenzo enough so he would be able to see from where he was that they were under the umbrella and when sitting they would be fully visible to him. If Tenzo wanted to watch the dojo he had no qualms with it. If he had then a guard would of been sent. Still he offered a seat on one stump to Kameko and then moved to the stump right next to it before sitting cross legged facing her. He grinned a little before he spoke.

"So, what would you prefer to discuss today? The similarities and differences in our villages? Sword styles and their pros and cons? Or perhaps..." He lifted his hands up so they were held evenly across from each other and pointed his fingers at each other. At first for a couple of seconds nothing happened. Then a red spark flew between his fingers and it was quiet again. Another second passed and a couple more sparks shot back and forth. Then suddenly currents passed between his fingers in a crimson color of electricity. A little ball began to form but something about this crimson lightning seemed off. It didn't seem to give off light so much as it darkened the area around him. "Perhaps we can compare our raiton?"

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Although she had been personally invited, a few days had passed since their meeting, and one could never be certain of how a near stranger would receive an early-morning guest. When those blue eyes of his met hers, she realized that there was no reason for her to have been concerned; the same welcoming warmth radiated off of him as did when she had first met the man, which set her at ease even when he mentioned his rank of “Captain”. There had been suggestions of his level of skill from Tenzo, but from the title, it seemed that he was rather important here, which she hadn't anticipated when she had come to drop in on him this morning. The name of the organization, besides being the match to the name of the complex, was unknown to her, but she smiled as he assured her that he would brush aside whatever obligations must certainly come with the rank to make time for her. “That it was!” she replied brightly. A breeze picked up, stirring the ties of her hitai-ate, as she asked, “Besides that this compound shares their name, I don’t really know much about the Sword Saints. Do they have a specific purpose in Konoha?” Curiosity was a dominant trait in the young woman, and it could be heard easily in her voice.

As she spoke, she noticed Rippa looking over her head to someone else. With a brief glance over her shoulder, Kameko saw a few students in the yard behind her and assumed that the smile was directed towards them. Not having turned far enough nor lingered on the view behind her long enough, she did not catch sight of the figure on the rooftop, and turned back to the man in front of her as he gestured towards a little less-trafficked area of the training grounds. She followed him into the shade, taking a seat on the indicated stump, her feet resting comfortably flat on the ground as he curled his in beneath him. At ease, she matched his grin with an easy one of her own, her cheeks dimpling from the expression.

Kameko considered the options for the direction that they could take this rendezvous as he presented them. Although she was curious about the customs of Konohagakure, she was also eager to improve her skills as a kunoichi while she was here. A Captain of the Sword Saints? Undoubtedly there would be much that she could learn about Kenjutsu from one whom had such an illustrious title on his resume. She had been trained from a young age in the art of swordsmanship, but it was done in a very traditional manner, more suited for formal sparring than the more “dirty” realities which came along with using her katana in a real conflict. However, she watched with interest as he held his hands up before him. For a moment she wondered at the gesture, unsure if it was some sort of local custom that she was unaware of and would be expected to return. Before she came to a decision, a spark shot from one finger to the other and gradually the sparks sputtered into a little stream. However, this did not alleviate her confusion but, rather, increased it.

Her Kekkei Genkai increased her sensitivity to Raiton chakra, and there was no doubt that the little ball that was forming between his hands was Raiton. Her eyebrows drew together as she thought, ‘Something’s not right…’ To begin with, the color was unlike any that she had seen before. A bright blue-white was common, and as seen only rarely, even in Kumogakure where the skill originated from, Black Raiton was also known to her; this crimson color was something new, and it wasn’t the color alone with discomforted her. Rather than producing light, as is inherent to Raiton techniques, it seemed to draw light into itself, like a void. Was she of a more superstitious nature, she might be inclined to declare such a thing as “evil”; instead, she was intrigued. With her hands resting on knees, she leaned forward slightly to get a better look at the little ball of crimson electricity suspended between his hands. Her blue eyes on the surprisingly un-blue of the Raiton, she began, “What is…Your Raiton, it’s…” Suddenly the intrusive nature of her actions occurred to her, and she sat back upright. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she finished, her tone suggesting fascination rather than anything negative. She held up her dominant right hand and, extending her pointer finger straight up and a few bright blue-white sparks were produced from the slender tip of her digit. Without another hand to form a current, they fizzled out in seconds, but it was enough to make clear the differences between the two. In the shade of the umbrella, her blue-tinted Raiton shone brightly, and when she lowered her hand, the darkness of the area around Rippa’s hands was even more apparent as his Raiton demonstrated the opposite effect. “Perhaps we should,” she agreed to his suggestion that they compare their Raiton, her interest in it clear in her expression.

Rippa listened to her question about the sword saints and their purpose. He figured it was fairly simple to guess but entirely understandable to wish to know for sure. Still the question would have to be answered with his own understanding of it. Or at least how he ran the faction. He smiled though at the curiosity of the question. It was easy enough to get used to people demanding answers or acting as if they knew everything already. It was a common issue with prideful people and at worst it irritated him. Though he rarely acted on such irritations. The level of refreshment that innocently asked questions and open curiosity provided made it feel like the knots in his shoulders were relaxing for once. Having grown up in a prestigious household within a prestigious clan had made most of his life a puzzle of politics. His father had been head of the Angel branch of the Chi clan. With the Angel branch excelling at medical expertise they had made it incredibly high socially and in the medical fields. After all they could heal near death injuries just by touching an individual. Paralyses and Cancer were just another day to them. As such the family had met with characters with hidden motivations on a near weekly basis. It was Rippa's responsibility at the time to discover what they were truly there for as he was intended to be the next clan head. Now with his fathers passing he technically was but he remained away from the manor and within the sword saints Dojo. He liked this girl for the sole reason that he didn't sense any corruption in her. She was just the best person he had come across in some time.

Still she held up her finger and produced some bright blue sparks which seemed to outshine his own abilities in almost a shameful way for him. He dropped his own charged ball and the sparks dropped to the ground before it was gone. No real damage to anything that could be seen. Still he looked down at his hands and sighed. He was about to answer for both the oddity and the purpose of the sword saints when he saw Tenzo approaching. His eyes swung back to where he had last saw him and then back as if he had expected him to have remained out of sight and was pleasantly surprised he had moved to join them. Or so it appeared to be the case anyway, Rippa allowed himself a wide and warm smile that met his eyes which also seemed to be filled with a sort of warm happiness. He was far to easy to read when he was calm. An open book to anyone and with someone as clever as Tenzo perhaps easily manipulated too. At the very least Tenzo could read him easily. Still a white eyebrow rose as Tenzo mentioned his own desire to expand his abilities on behalf of the village. Rippa only peeked at Kameko a moment to see if she felt anything against the man joining them. Assuming she wasn't obviously broiling with dislike for the man Rippa would stretch out his hand to another one of the stumps in the circle. Before speaking in a warm tone.

"Of course Tenzo-Kun. You are welcome to join us. We were actually just discussing that very thing. Perhaps you could have some input as well. First though. Kameko-Chan, you asked about the purpose of the sword saints. Put simply we are an advanced military unit specializing in weaponry. Anyone with impressive prowess with a weapon style be it a bow or sword or even a hammer can become a member, Unlike advanced units of the ANBU though the sword saints have one captain at a time and he is deemed as such based on his skill both in battle and politically. I was raised in a politically strong house and educated as such, along with that my weapon style is a hybrid. I use a twin pair of repeating crossbow Katana and so far it has proven to be the most formidable thing in this entire complex. Our duties are to protect this nation and cross blades with anyone that would threaten it. We are the first and last line of defense and if you attract our attention you had best be a genuine bad ass. I don't enjoy fighting but if I am called to do so I do not toy around. As for the oddity that is my raiton I can explain that while explaining the nature of it to our friend. My original chakra nature is from my clan, in the way others use Suiton I use Blood. Raiton is easily accessed by anyone who cares to train and harness it. Our body is a complex series of electrical signals. When you wish to move your arm your brain sends and electrical charge to the muscles to make them do so, However with my affinity to blood chakra, My Raiton becomes infused with the nature of blood and takes on that red hue. Essentially in order to harness Raiton Tenzo, you should use chakra to expand on the electricity already coursing in your body, infuse your chakra with it and release it in the way you see fit. I suppose a visual is in order though. Kameko, shall I demonstrate a couple of raiton Ninjutsu? Perhaps something more towards your rank?"

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Almost as soon as she experimented with a similar technique by creating sparks from the tip of her finger, Rippa abruptly dropped his crimson ball of Raiton, the sparks fizzling out harmlessly on the dirt; in response, she also cut off the flow of chakra to her own jutsu and rested the up-held hand in her lap once more. The man before her sighed, and she had a brief moment to wonder if, perhaps, she had been too forward in her questioning; although, he seemed like a confident person, so it was possible that the slightly audible exhalation was just out of an annoyance that he had to answer questions which might be obvious to one whom had grown up in Konohagakure. It was unique to her, this feeling of something new being around every corner, and she savored it. Although she loved her home in the mountains, it was refreshing to feel as though she was discovering new things, even if those 'new things' were commonplace in Konoha. The thought was a fleeting one, for a moment later she was distracted as she sensed someone else approaching.

Kameko felt no need to be on her guard in Rippa’s company, safe within the center of a hidden village, so she didn’t pay much heed to the various people that were making their way about the yard or the noises that came along with common-place human life and interactions. It wasn’t until her passive Current Perception alerted her that someone was directly approaching them that she turned to see who it was. The surprise registered on her face when she identified the young man as Tenzo Uchiha. Following their initial run-in, he had personally called on her in her room after bribing the innkeeper to discover which one she was staying in, but after the abrupt ending of their little tête–à–tête, she had certainly not anticipated that she’d be seeing him again, especially only a few days later. The fact that, in all of Konoha, he had managed to run into her again was…peculiar. There was a slight shift in her posture as she subconsciously set her shoulders a bit more squarely, her posture no longer quite so relaxed. The change was a subtle one and likely would go unnoticed if someone was not looking at her at the time. “Good morning, Tenzo,” she greeted him politely, in response to his own acknowledgement. As he continued to address Rippa, it occurred to her that perhaps it was not such an anomaly to see him here after all; it had slipped her mind that the two men were friends, and with such a grand complex, the dojo was likely a popular place to train.

Rippa invited Tenzo to join them in their discussion, which coincidentally had been about the very purpose that the Uchiha stated he had come here for, to learn more about Raiton. Before jumping into that, the fair-haired man went back to her previous question. She nodded at appropriate times while he spoke, to demonstrate her understanding as he explained the Sword Saint’s purpose. There seemed to be a touch of pride as he described it and his own position as leader of the elite group, which sounded as though it was warranted, and pride, especially when it was well-place, did not count as a negative in her view. As he continued, she learned that his clan was involved in the politics of Konoha as well as the fact that it’s Kekkei Genkai was the manipulation of ... 'Blood?' Her dark eyebrows raised slightly in interest. The concept itself did not particularly disturb her, there were other clans who used their body’s anatomy in jutsu, but it was the assumption, whether accurate or not, that he might be able to manipulate her own life’s blood that painted him as a shinobi that was rather more formidable than she had originally figured him for when she ran into him in that crowded marketplace on her first day in the hidden village.

“Please do,” she eagerly encouraged Rippa to demonstrate a couple of Raiton techniques. She had taken a hiatus from life as an active kunoichi for a few years after graduating from the Academy and felt that she was lacking in diversity when it came to her Ninjutsu techniques, many of her current ones were those that were traditional to the Ryuzoji; besides the fact that she was always eager to learn more jutsu, she was also interested in seeing more of what the Chi could do, even if they were techniques that were at her level instead of those at the exceptional level that she was sure, after learning more about Rippa, he was also more than capable of performing.

Rippa observed at how Kameko seemed to tense up a little as Tenzo arrived. Whatever had happened between the two of them between now and the restaurant must of left a sizable impression. His blue eyes shifted between the two wondering momentarily if it would continue to remain civil. After all had Tenzo done anything less then gentlemanly then he might be in for a little bit of shock therapy from the young lady. After all if she was as interested in Raiton as her presence suggested then she might just be capable of frying a bit more then just his pride. Still if it got out of hand Tenzo could probably handle it and if not Rippa was an accomplished medic. He doubted there was much of anything they could do to each other her couldn't make an attempt at fixing. Not that he would tolerate an actual fight in his dojo. He didn't enjoy fighting but if the occasion arose that he had to step in.... He simply wasn't happy at the concept of the situation. Still he felt some respect from each of them and he felt they were good people. Surely they wouldn't try anything so unpleasant as to disrupt the nature of the dojo.

Still he was asked to demonstrate a technique or two after all. His blue eyes shifted and noted the sudden change in Tenzo's gaze and he shivered slightly. The Sharingan was intimidating to say the least. Any dojutsu was but the sharingan held the trophy for pure history of ruining somebodies day. He just hoped it didn't ruin his own at some point. He was having a fairly pleasant day and it needed to stay that way. Still he rose to his feet and stretched his arms to the sides letting his shoulders pop before planting both feet. It was then that he began to speak. "Remember you are in control. The electricity and chakra in your body obey your will. If your will is strong enough you can accomplish a great deal. For instance, Most people consider Raiton to be a purely offensive element. Leaving burns and cuts in its path. However as with any other nature its functions can shift to be entirely supplementary. The Arc restraint is a perfect example of this. Will your chakra into whichever part of you that you wish to be connected to this and release it like a chain or rope. Keep in mind you are not willing it to burn but to hold. I shall demonstrate this for you."

With that he lifted his right hand and pointed it at a dummy eight meters away before releasing a tendril of chakra infused with raiton from his palm. The center of his palm turned dark crimson, almost appearing to have a deep, bloody hole in it before red sparks shot out announcing the arrival of the jutsu. In that second a crimson rope of raiton shot out and parted the grass it shot over at twenty meters per second before slamming into the dummy and wrapping around him. Binding him there. Then Rippa planted his feet and flexed his arm. The muscles in his arm seemed to grow as he flexed before suddenly there was a crack and the dummy came flying back towards Rippa as fast as he had sent the rope out. With that Rippa caught it by the head as the rope faded away and he planted it right next to him on the broken remains of the wooden pole that held it together.

"See? Entirely Harmless. This is used to draw your opponent into a close fight. You must be quick with it though as it is easy to break free from. Kameko, Why don't you try and rope Tenzo. Tenzo, once she wraps it around you break free from it with any C rank technique or higher not weak to raiton."

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While they had sat talking, her blue eyes glanced at the only member of the trio who had remained on his feet. Those dark eyes seemed intently focused on Rippa as he explained about the nuances of Raiton, when, with little more than a blink, she found herself staring at the Uchiha’s signature crimson eyes. With the relative rarity of the clan and her being from Kumogakure, she had never seen the Sharingan and, with all of the fuss about it due to the Uchiha clan members’ frequent involvement in notable events, it did hold her interest for a brief moment before she had turned back to Rippa to urge him to give them a little practical demonstration.

When the captain rose to his feet, she did likewise, to not be the only one still seated; she also preferred to learn new techniques on her feet because it seemed like she retained more details from watching that way. Her eyes tracked the Chi’s movements as he raised his hand; a moment later, the light skin of his palm darkened with his unique color of chakra surging to the surface before the Raiton broke free of him, lashing out in the form of a rope to wrap itself around the dummy. She saw the muscles exposed by the drooping shoulder of his robe flex, but the young woman was still caught off guard as the wooden post splintered under the force of the captain ripped the dummy towards them and was unable to keep herself from taking half a step back as the simulacrum of a person came flying towards them before its velocity was abruptly halted by Rippa’s hand.

A grin briefly lit up Kameko’s face as he named the technique as entirely harmless. Which, it was. However, the ability to bind one’s opponent up in combat, even for a moment, could be very convenient. Oftentimes it could come down to a matter of seconds to determine the outcome of a conflict, and in accordance with that, she’d need to be able to successfully execute such a maneuver with little more than a thought for it to be of use to her. The concept itself wasn’t hard to grasp but rendering her Raiton ‘useless’ was not something that she had tried before. It shouldn’t be too difficult, after all as she well-knew, there were countless electrical synapses and impulses running through her body at the very moment, obviously not causing her any harm as they raced around; she had simply never used it without allowing it to create the burns that were often associated with electricity.

The young woman might not be Tenzo’s biggest fan, but she did not wish harm onto him, especially if, in this occasion, it would only happen as a result of a mistake on her part. Besides the embarrassment at not executing the jutsu correctly, she would feel bad to have accidentally hurt someone. So, before taking Rippa up on his suggestion to try the jutsu on Tenzo, she experimented a little bit with the quality of the Raiton she produced. Using her left forearm as a testing board, she used the sparking technique that she had mimicked from Rippa earlier and channeled sparks, one or two at a time, through her finger and onto her arm. Not unlike how some like to test the sharpness of a knife on one’s thumb, she tested the sting of the Raiton she produced against her own skin first. After a few tries, she turned her arm over and tried the same level she had settled on on the more sensitive skin of her inner forearm. Having observed that she was still unable to feel the ‘shock’ of the chakra against her skin, she nodded to herself, satisfied.

Raising her head, she looked over to Tenzo. Offering him a slight, reassuring smile, she affirmed, “Ready?” When he confirmed that he was, she would raise her right hand to where it was parallel with the ground beneath her feet. The tips of her extended finger would begin to glow a bright bluish-white an instant before five strands of ration shot forth, racing with a little crackle through the air before attempting to wrap around Tenzo’s body. As the sparking, but harmless ropes might meet the young man’s torso, she would curl her slender fingers into a fist, effectively holding onto the five separate strands as though they were one, securely held in her hand. She didn’t try to pull him off his feet towards her, though she tucked that away for when she might use this technique in the future. Instead, she waited and, if she was successful in trapping him, held him with a pleasant smile at her success, her blue eyes on his as she watched carefully for whatever technique he would use to try to escape the restraints.

Rippa observed for a moment as Kameko and Tenzo both seemed to take his instructions to heart. Neither of them seemed to learn at the same rate or seemed to hold the same weight of understanding. But that was to be expected. She was a genin yet had an affinity for raiton to begin with. To her she probably understood raiton since she was a trembling little child in the dark. The jutsu was just another part of her. Besides that she caught on quickly. Even for someone born surrounded by raiton picking up a jutsu within moments could not be easy. He had no doubt she was truly talented. Yet the truth was she was but a genin. She was not on the level that he knew Tenzo was on. His blue gaze shifted to that crimson gaze and he watched it with more then just idle curiosity. The man was far closer to Rippa then Kameko was. Those eyes were as much a curse as was the blood that flowed through Rippa's veins. As they were also just as much of a power within. A burden each of them carried of immeasurable weight. How fitting it was that both curses mocked them with a crimson color.

Still Rippa frowned at how Kameko began to test out the theory of the jutsu on her own skin. It shocked him still when people willingly harmed themselves. Sure, it was better then if they practiced on the innocent but masochism was hardly something a doctor could approve of. Then again he rarely introduced himself as Doctor so he doubted they knew he was actually a medical professional. Perhaps Tenzo had some idea of it but it was unlikely. Rippa had not demonstrated much medical in front of the young man. Still as she seemed to finish experimenting on her own skin Rippa smiled as she made sure Tenzo was ready before beginning. When she held up her hand a single raised white brow would be noticeable before her own jutsu took life. Unlike the single, thick strand of raiton chakra Rippa had produced she had managed to produce several smaller strands. It was different but so long as it held up it seemed fine. He observed how easily she managed it. She was after all standing casually. It was probably easier when she was grounded as she was. Plenty of energy to unleash.

However one observation of Tenzo's lack of defense or counter jutsu made Rippa close his eyes and impatiently sigh before opening them and observing what Tenzo was about to do next with a measure of impatience. Yet even though he had a fair intuition of what Tenzo was about to do Rippa made no move to prevent it. Some lessons came at a price and most came at a cost of some pain. Even as Tenzo decided to show his superiority in the tug of war the jutsu provided Rippa waited patiently. Any damage the man might do to the girl could be easily healed. That aside he hadn't discounted Kameko's abilities yet. She was after all akin to bukijutsu and the jutsu could be used to decrease the length of raiton rope to fling herself at the man. Even if she was not as physically strong she could counter the counter if she thought it through. Though if truth be told Rippa suspected she would be caught off guard by the tug and perhaps hit the ground kind of hard. What Tenzo failed to realize though was that he was connected to her, a walking generator of raiton by strands of raiton. If anything Rippa wouldn't be too surprised if the results of the encounter were fairly shocking. Pun intended.

3726

The last time that Kameko had really been in a training session, besides working on things by herself, had been a couple years ago when she was in the Academy. As a result, she had treated this much the same as that. It was an exercise: ‘Kameko, do jutsu ‘A’. Now, Tenzo do maneuver ‘B’ to break out of the jutsu.’ She had not considered that she would need to do more than hold her end of the rope, and that was what marked her as a Genin instead of a higher ranking ninja, regardless of her affinity towards Raiton Ninjutsu. A more experienced shinobi would have taken a sturdy stance, ready for anything, as Tenzo had before they began. Since she had not, when Tenzo jerked the rope toward him, she was easily pulled off of her feet, her expression changing to show her surprise as she began a short flight that seemed destined to end in a rather ungraceful face plant.

The young woman assessed in a thought that there was no way for her to regain her feet in the short distance that she had before she’d hit the ground. Taking a page out of Tenzo’s book, she pulled her body towards him by retracting the ropes back into her hand, using his sturdy stance as an anchor point to send herself towards him, the opposite of what Rippa had demonstrated by pulling the dummy, the target, towards him. Because he had already set her on a downwards trajectory, she was unable to right herself, but the increased velocity and forward momentum allowed her to change how she hit the ground. Tucking her head and catching her weight on her hands, she turned the fall into a neat forward roll; as her hands touched the ground, she cut off the chakra that she had been feeding into the jutsu to avoid entangling herself in the ropes, and the strings that had wrapped around Tenzo dissipated into little sparks before fading out of sight.

The rolling maneuver was a basic tumbling technique, one that was taught in the Academy, to roll on the ground and regain one's feet quickly. The simplistic nature of it was made complicated by the circumstances. An adjustment had to be made to accommodate the sword that she wore on her hip, necessitating that she take her weight asymmetrically so as to avoid catching it on the ground. It was manageable, but between the adjustment and the force of the momentum from her increased velocity pushing her, she was forced to continue moving forward out of the maneuver and would end up colliding with Tenzo, if he didn’t relocate himself very quickly when he saw her flying towards him.

Should he have moved out of the way, she would take a few running steps to disperse her forward force before turning back to them, a little sheepish in her expression. If he did not move, she would crash into him, her arms instinctively wrapping around him to catch herself.  After a brief moment in the pseudo embrace, she would find her feet again and disentangle herself from him. “…Sorry…” Her cheeks slightly flushed from the embarrassment, both of running into Tenzo and having to grab him to hold herself up, she would step back out of his personal space and turn to face Rippa. Here both potential situations would align as she commented, “That’s, uh, quite a jutsu.. It’s certainly versatile.” She could see all sorts of situations that it could be used in, once she figured out how to keep it from being turned against her. However, it was the number of possibilities it offered that had her making the comment with a grin, excited to have learned it despite the less than stellar results of her experimenting with it today.

After a moment, she looked back towards Tenzo, consideringly. He was clever, even if that cleverness had almost ended in a face-plant for her. Thinking to manipulate an opponent’s technique against them rather than taking the easy way and simply breaking out of the jutsu.. but perhaps that was what one should expect from a shinobi in the higher ranks. Before she could think on it further or say something to him, a newcomer approached them.

The middle-aged man was unknown to her, but he wore a hitai-ate on his forehead which matched her own headband; apparently he was a Kumogakure shinobi as well. He gave her a once-over, and one could almost see him comparing her to a description that he had been given. “Excuse me…” he said to the trio before turning to speak specifically to Kameko. “Ryuzoji, Kameko?” He checked, and when she nodded, he continued, “Raikage Flynt sent me with this for you.” He handed her a letter, and she opened it, scanning the contents, before nodding to the man and slipping it back in the envelope. The Raikage had requested her presence in Kumogakure and asked that she leave the same day she received the message, traveling back with the man who delivered it.

Turning to Rippa and Tenzo, she apologized, “I’m sorry to cut this short, but it looks like I’m wanted back home, post-haste. Thank you Rippa, for sharing these with me, and Tenzo, for being my guinea pig; I’m glad I met you two.” She spoke to Rippa in reference to the jutsu and to Tenzo about taking the place of a practice dummy. Respectfully, she offered the pair of them a bow, similar to how she had greeted Rippa when she first ran into him today. Straightening, she would listen to whatever they might chose to say before offering a little wave and turning to leave the compound with the messenger, heading back to her hotel room to pack up before leaving Konoha.

Rippa was fairly impressed with the quick thinking of both of them. Each of them had reacted quickly to the given situation and managed to get out of it intact. However he supposed given the difference in rank he should be more impressed with Kameko. He was still in the thought process of seeing Tenzo as the kid he had happened across during a peacekeeping mission. Now as he looked at those crimson orbs he wondered just how much of a challenge Tenzo would be for him right that moment. He smiled a little at the though and let out a content sigh. The Uchiha were no joke of a challenge but the Chi were just as dangerous in his own opinion. Either way it was unlikely he would ever have to go toe to toe with the young man. Still his blue eyes snapped to another Kumo nin approaching well before he arrived. Those blue eyes seemed to go on as indefinitely as the sky. Still it was a peaceful warmth emanating from Rippa. Occasionally his eyes and his body betrayed his profession but his aura was one of a medic. At the moment it seemed the Lady Kameko was being summoned. She bowed her head as Rippa rose from his seat and returned the bowed head before she quickly made her escape.

It was then that Tenzo spoke up. Mentioning practicing his Raiton before taking a small demonstration. It had taken Rippa some time to master Raiton. At first it had left countless burns on him. Still he watched Tenzo launch a ball of lightning at the dummy to smack against it hard enough to damage it. It resembled a single raiton bullet. The Uchiha sure picked up things quickly. He wouldn't claim it being due to the clan however. Let Tenzo have his own glory without living in the shadow of his clan. Still Tenzo excused himself with a bow that Rippa returned and took his leave. With a sigh Rippa began the clean up and prepared for lunch contemplating on the lessons of the day.

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