It was a surprisingly warm day in Kirigakure and despite the village being on a island Sukoshi had never visited the shore side. It seemed like a coincidence, almost a godsend, luring him to the shore side today so naturally Sukoshi followed his gut leading him to this moment. The shore side was bustling with activity, all of the tradesman were out and about making deals and exchanging money. Sukoshi strolled through the crowded walkways and down towards one of the piers. He took his shoes off and hang them off the side of the pier in the clear, cool Kirigakure waters. He laid back looking up at the blue sky, only a few clouds scattered throughout.

It was the perfect opportunity for Sukoshi to indulge in his favourite pass time, day dreaming. Lost in thought he imagined a more adult looking Sukoshi, clothes tattered from what appears to be battle. As he walks through the gates into Kirigakure City, he could hear the distant sound of what appears to not only be one pair of feet but hundreds all in unison. As he keeps on walking he can see a huge amount of people runnning towards him screaming things like 'He's here!', 'It's Sukoshi, it's really him in the flesh' and 'The hero of Kirigakure! Sukoshi Kemono!'. They all pick him up over their heads and throw him up and down in celebration. Sukoshi with the biggest smile on his face and with a single tear falling down his cheek, the overbearing feeling of being wanted filling every fibre of his being.

The loud sounds of the shore side began to intrude his thoughts and bring him back to reality. Sukoshi got up, put his shoes on and started walking down the sandy beach looking for salvation from the noisey trade district. It wasn't long before he found a quiet spot with a rock formation in the shape of a flower, the outer rocks surrounding the centre bigger rock in the middle, were about the size of small foot stools. Sukoshi claimed one of these smaller rocks and slumped down on it. There was only a few people around, mostly some old fishermen, but they were all reasonably quiet and kept to themselves.

Sukoshi didn't like being alone he preferred the company of animals but even he sometimes craved the company of other people instead. He didn't feel right today, he felt really unsettled and agitated. He got up and started looking around the area for some more young shinobi he could speak to. He noticed that he had thought he saw a young kunoichi close to where he was sitting, trying not to be creepy, instead of actively searching for her he sat and waited for her departure from the area, planning on speaking to her as she was about to leave.

After an hour passed Sukoshi decided to go and see if he actually did see anyone or if it was just his mind playing tricks on him. He turned the corner and followed the beach down to a secluded cave entrance. He stopped and remained silent, even stopping his breathing for a second, trying to hear for any noises. He thought he must look stupid and he didn't want anyone to catch him in the awkward pose he was situated in. So he decided to call out and see if anyone was there. "Hello? Is anyone here? I'm sorry if I'm intruding on anything private but I thought that I saw someone come down here." Sukoshi yelled.

Then under his breath whispered, "A very pretty, young damsel in distress" while rubbing his hands together. It wasn't that he wanted a girlfriend or actively searched for one he was just slightly perverted, something he chalked up to his animal instincts taking control due to the large amount of time he spends with animals over human interaction.

WC: 659

Nozomi wasn't usually quite as laid back as she was on this day, but she'd been through quite a bit of rigorous training and missions lately, so a spot of rest and relaxation was in order for the young girl. She was still somewhat in shock that Kaekio had changed so much, but even though the Kaekio she knew was dead, Nozomi was sure she could learn to live with her as Mitsu from now on. It would take some adjustment, but she was still the same person on the inside. However, while Mitsu was on missions, Nozomi found herself having less and less to do, as her sparring partner went away, one of the few people she actively enjoyed sparring, and so it was to that point that she found herself heading down to the coast in order to enjoy the unusually nice day.

She wore a simpler garb than usual (the Kirigakure uniform), if that was possible as she was in her civilian mode at the moment, the headband dangling around her neck was the only indicator that she was a shinobi of any sort, and the tanto on her waistband the only indicator of her ability to fight. She wore a plain black skirt, underneath of which some skin tight black shorts were perhaps visible if anyone tried to look. Her belt was a simple piece of cloth which she only had on to secure the tanto, and her shirt was non existent, other than a form fitting black top that covered littler more than a sports bra would. Her footwear was only her shinobi sandals because she didn't make a habit of owning very many pairs of shoes.

She laid out on the beach with her eyes closed, feeling the warmth of the suns rays on her exposed skin, letting the feeling and the sounds of the water breaking on the shore wash over her. Even so relaxed as she was though, her shinobi training kept her on guard, listening for sounds of disturbance, in case someone decided that she was worth the trouble to bother attacking. It wouldn't have been the first time someone had attacked her for no reason. The last time, her opponent had ended up dead, and the tanto she was wearing on her waistband was the trophy she had taken from him. It was too beautiful a blade to have just passed up. Her own twin tanto's were only a cut above average in comparison, but this blade was a beautiful piece of work, one that Nozomi would need to match to a set some day.

People looked down on Nozomi as a shinobi, as she had a history of being sickly, and was on the rather petite size. Her looks weren't of one who was a trained killer. Some even knew a bit about her from the Chuunin Exams, and had seen that she was close to winning, one round away from being a finalist, only her refusal to launch the first blow against her girlfriend had stopped her from seeing it out to the end and getting a definitive answer on whether or not she was the best Chuunin that year. It wouldn't have surprised her if she wasn't, as she was perhaps the least prepared for it, but her skill and prowess with the little she had, had been honed to such a degree that she needed nothing else. Of course, that didn't stop her exile from the Himitsu clan. She hadn't won, and even worse showed weakness in the form of a loved one.

Despite her strength, she was still a sickly girl, and needed shade sometimes. She actually wasn't a big fan of the sun on hot days. She'd lived most of her life in a rainy environment, and because of that, was far too used to it. It was easier to train in the rain, it kept you cool, and sharpened your senses as it hindered sight and hearing to the point that you'd need to push yourself harder to do those normally. The sun, on the other hand, made you hotter, and was more likely to wear down  person, whether they are trained or not. The sun was deadly, dangerous, whereas the rain was to be utilized as a tool. After a while, though, Nozomi had had enough of the sun, as she was a rather pale girl who tended to burn rather easily, especially as she was more often than not covered nearly completely by a uniform. She'd frequented the beach plenty of times, as she lived quite near it. Knowing it well, she knew of a little cave that was good for shade, but still offered the sounds of the water.

Before long, Nozomi was shaken out of her slumber by the sound of a voice, having been lulled to sleep by the sounds of the waves. Nozomi bolted upright, her hand on the hilt of her tanto, before she realized she wasn't under attack. Relaxing slightly, the girl, stood up rather slowly and headed to the entrance of the cave, putting her hand above her eyes to block the sudden light that had momentarily blinded her.

WC: 865

Just as Sukoshi started to wonder if he was just seeing things he heard some noises that seemed to be coming from a nearby cave. He cautiously moved a little just so that he was able to see the cave entrance, knowing quite well that it was probably just the girl, he grabbed a kunai from his ninja pouch and held it up just in case it was a wild animal or if he happened to be mistaken as a threat knowing never to become too complacent. He loved the way the kunai felt in his hand, it made him feel like he was part of a greater purpose. It wasn't that he felt as though it made him powerful but more so that he was part of the Kirigakure defences. It still hadn't really dawned on Sukoshi that he was an actual fully fledged Genin of the Village Hidden in the Mist. Even the way he held his headband wasn't how an ordinary shinobi would and half the time Sukoshi forgot it was even there. Considering he wore it tied around his belt he didn't really have to worry about losing it and when he took off the belt it remained secured to it at all times. He remembered a time when he bumped into his old Sensai from the academy and he had told him that he was being disrespectful for not displaying the village colours with pride. At that moment Sukoshi thought to himself 'Maybe I should probably change how I wear my headband.'

As he finally made his way into a position where he could see the entrance clearly, he spotted what he had been searching for. It was the girl he thought he saw coming this way before, letting out a sigh of relief knowing for sure now that he wasn't going crazy. Getting a better look at the mystery girl, Sukoshi almost immediately started blushing. She was stunning she looked to be only a few years older than Sukoshi, she had long blonde hair, from what he could see a pair of beautiful greenish blue eyes even though he could of been wrong since the beautiful teen was shielding them from the sun and she also had some cute freckles just under her eyes running from cheek to cheek. She was a very slender and pale girl which lead Sukoshi to believe that she may of been sickly. As Sukoshi was finally able to drag his eyes away from her eyes he noticed she had a Kirigakure head band dangling from around her neck along with that she wore a very tight, black shirt that was no more bigger than a sports bra and a plain black skirt. Finally she wore a plain cloth belt that also secured a tanto which the beautiful kunoichi had her other hand resting on top of. This didn't deter or make Sukoshi react knowing full well he was the creeper in this situation.

Sukoshi smiled and waved at the mystery cave girl and thought that he should possibly introduce himself before advancing any further, he knew that shinobi had the tendency to be unpredictable at best. He placed the kunai back into his ninja pouch and looked back up at the girl. "Hey there! I'm Sukoshi Kemono I noticed that you had wondered back here and I hadn't seen you come back in awhile I was just coming to see if you were ok. If I had seen that you were a shinobi I wouldn't of invaded your personal time." Sukoshi said rubbing the back of his head nervously all the while thinking in the back of his head 'I so would of she is an absolute stunner.' "Are you feeling ok? You look to be a little sick there. Would you like a hand getting back home?"

WC: 649

As Nozomi's eyes adjusted more to the light, she could make out the figure at the entrance as a boy from Kirigakure, judging by his headband, which he wore as a belt. There wasn't much special about this boy, other than his affiliation with Kiri's shinobi force, and the currently drawn kunai in his hand, but Nozomi wasn't too concerned about it, as he hadn't made any effort to attack her. If he were to try it, Nozomi would more than likely take him down in an instant. If not, then it was because he was Kage level, and she'd probably be able to hold her own long enough to escape, as she was close enough in pure physical skill to Jounin, and was able to surpass some of the minimal Jounin around as well. Of course, they would outstrip her in jutsu, but apart from that, she was fully capable. After all, a Special Jounin was a shinobi who was Jounin level in some aspects, but not in all. Her physical abilities were honed to their peak. But you wouldn't know that by looking at her. Nozomi offered a weak smile to the boy.

"Sukoshi.. Kemono? Not sure I know much about you clan." she said, and took a few steps forward. As the former clan heiress of the Himitsu clan, she had been required in her curriculum to learn about all of the more prestigious clans around, as well as some of the lesser ones. All of the Kekkai Genkai clans of any danger were also on that list of clans to learn. Unless he was skilled beyond his clan, or lying about himself, he wouldn't be a threat. She chose to trust him for now, as she was a Taijutsu practitioner anyhow, and any attacks could be dealt with without weapons. Her hand left the hilt of her weapon. "I'm Nozomi Himitsu. You didn't particularly invade my time though, I was just in here for some shade. Too much sun isn't good for me."

She giggled slightly at his offer of help. Sure, she may have an illness that fatigued her, but she was far beyond helpless. After all, she had made it to the rank of Special Jounin, and in battle was a fierce woman. Then again, not a lot of people knew her prowess in combat, and this boy probably knew nothing about her in the slightest. She decided to humor him a little. "I'm fine, I'm actually always like this. I was born kinda sickly, and I've always been low of constitution. In fact I'm kind of known for it. When I do fights, I have to win by a certain amount of time, or I'll start to fall off, because the strain of fighting off sets my health a little. I can manage fine enough on my own though. I'd prove it to you if you wanted to spar too." she said, knowing full well she would hold back immensely if he wanted to. No jutsu, she wouldn't swing nearly as hard, wouldn't even break his weapon, because her tanto easily could if she used it correctly. She could play off as being a genin for a little bit.

WC:536
TWC 1401

The Kunoichi gave Sukoshi a slight smile and continued to replied saying that she didn't recognise his clan name and introduced herself as Nozomi Himitsu while explaining that he didn't interupt her and that she was just seeking refuge from the Sun's rays as it wasn't good for her to be exposed to the Sun for long periods of time. It seemed Nozomi began to giggle slightly at the offer  of Sukoshi's help, he slightly turned red at this thinking that maybe he had said something wrong or had something on himself as he instictively wiped his face, but in actual reality it was nothing he had done. Nozomi explained that she was fine and actually always looked this way, in fact she was born this way tiring easily. Sukoshi felt sorry for her at first but as she went on to explain that she was actually known in Kirigakure for her fighting style and how she has stick to a time limit before she reached her physical limitations he felt less sorry and more impressed, feeling a rise in admiration for Nozomi. She then offered to prove that she could handle herself in the heat of battle by requesting a spar with Sukoshi.

Sukoshi firstly smiled and bowed his head slightly and responded with, "Pleasure to meet you Nozomi Himitsu. It wouldn't surprise me if you haven't heard of it my clan it is scattered throughout the many villages, me myself have only ever seen another two, being my mother and father. But they are dead and I have only ever seen Kirigakure so I wouldn't know if there is anymore out there. We are a summoning clan who primarily use Kuchiyose no Jutsu. I've heard about the Himitsu clan they are quite notiable." Sukoshi gestured towards the cave entrance. "Is it ok if I come up and stand in the shade with you?"

Sukoshi contemplated the offer, just being able to touch this beautiful shinobi would make his day, but he didn't want to put his own personal gain in front of Nozomi's health. But considering she seemed eager to prove herself, Sukoshi grinned and gave Nozomi the thumbs up and replied. "We could have that spar you were speaking of? I just need a second I want to be be at top condition to take on a competitor like you." He poked his tongue out playfully but something in his gut told him not to take Nozomi lightly, there was something about this shinobi that made him believe that she wasn't a beginner like Sukoshi was.

Either way this was a perfect opportunity for Sukoshi to hone his ninja skills, there was always the slight butterflies in his stomach before any type of conflict he got into making him wonder if they ever go away in time. He rubbed his stomach slightly trying to play it off as scratching to Nozomi. His pride wouldn't allow her to see that he was actually nervous about all combat, if not for his pride he doubted that he would be able fight at all. But he knew that when he finally accomplished his goal it would be worth everything he had and has to go through. After all no one ever said being a shinobi was easy, his parents deaths were obvious proof of this to Sukoshi.

WC: 570

OOC: Sorry for the wait, needed to get a computer charger for my computer and had a busy weekend.

Nozomi grinned and nodded at the boy. He was pretty polite, but honestly quite playful. To her, that was enough to go on to decide that he was a trustworthy enough person, and she could enjoy messing with him for a little bit. Perhaps downplay enough that he might think he could beat her. She didn't mind losing for a bit, and it helped newer shinobi hone their skills a bit more, as the pace increased. Eventually, they'd be able to push their limits by steadily adjusting to the rising increase in the fighting prowess of their opponent. Of course, Nozomi hadn't had that sort of training. She'd had a much more intense one, which kept her being pushed the entire time. She hardly had a moment to catch her breathe, and when she did, it wasn't for long. And because of that, when her chuunin exams had come around, she's went from one of the worst prospective contestants, to being in the semi-finals, only losing out to her girlfriend. It had fallen out of the public eye, as the new Chuunin Exams rolled around, and people forgot about the flawless matches some of them had had. Nozomi and Kaekio went through the exams virtually unscathed until their battle with each other. That was hardly a battle either. She shuddered slightly, the sudden motion jerking her back into reality.

"Sure, you can come on in, I don't mind." she said, registering his words. "My clan, is perhaps one of Kiri's better Taijutsu clans, but I hardly even utilize Taijutsu as of late, I'm trying to learn Bukijutsu a bit. It's not too hard, I already know body mechanics from Taijutsu, so learning new movements isn't that difficult at all. But your clan is a Summoning based one? That's pretty rare. It takes a certain type of person to be good at summoning, and I don't have the aptitude for it. Then again, my clan isn't one that uses techniques that are suited for team combat. So that's pretty cool." she moved over to the side to allow him to move passed her without a problem. The cave was of decent size, but the entrance wasn't too big.

The girl giggled a little at his statement. "A top competitor like me? You know it." she joked, before shaking her head. "No, I'm not the best around. I'm pretty alright, but there are loads of people who could stomp me in a fight. It's why I like sparring. Keeps the senses honed, and lets you improve your skills. And sparring the same person over and over again tends to lead to massive improvement from both sides. At least that's what my Sensei told me. And so far, she's been right about it. Not that I get to fight the same people very often."

She pulled out her blade, which was a beautiful tanto, superior in build to most, forged by a highly skilled smith. It was a weapon that put most to shame, but one she hadn't spent anything on. It was a trophy from a missing-nin who had tried to kill her. It was superior even to her twin tanto blades, although they were of high quality as well. It was for that reason she carried it around with her at all times, rather than weaker blades, or even a more transportable kunai. She'd be holding back a great deal of course, otherwise she would end up slicing through the weaker metal of the kunai. Normally she'd stick to taijutsu, but she also didn't feel like getting cut up at the moment, even if it was only a kunai doing so. Besides, she did need to work on her Bukijutsu as well, just to get the form down a little better.

WC: 634
TWC: 2035

OOC:

Spoiler:

And so their little spar commenced. At first, it was a rather slow going start, with Nozomi feigning weakness a little, and actually losing some ground against Sukoshi. She didn't mind too terribly, as she was mostly messing with him. Even though he appeared to be winning in the spar, Nozomi never actually got touched, always able to pull off a last minute defense or dodge. Eventually, the pace was starting to wear on Nozomi, who was used to going much much quicker. In a way, she was glad they weren't using jutsu, as most of hers were designed to be lethal, or to inflict heavy damage, but that wasn't the type of spar Nozomi wanted out of the boy. She didn't want to harm him necessarily, but the way the fight was going, she was having trouble holding herself back to such a degree, to the point that she was almost getting hit because of how much she was holding back.

At least if jutsu were utilized, she'd be able to pick up her own pace by a large amount. For a while, she contented herself with planning out ways to utilize her petals, thinking about the theories behind it, so that she could make more variations on them. She'd forgone using her petals a lot, because she wasn't a member of the Himitsu clan in all technicality, considering her exile, but lately she'd been planning earning her way back in. She'd heard rumors that her father was planning something, so she needed to prepare to take him down the only way she knew how, and that was in combat. As much as she hated to admit it, the Himitsu clan was heavily suited for combat, and so she'd make the petals her own. Her first issue to address was her inability to simply easily carry all of her weapons on her, so she needed to fix that. The theory behind making Petal Shuriken wasn't all that complex, so she played out in her head how it would work. In addition to the Petal Shuriken jutsu to cut back on carried items, Nozomi knew her speed needed to be higher. Her Petal Propulsion and Flowmotion were nice, but she needed to work on a dash in order to be able to turn on a dime. The principles were simple enough. She'd do them easily.

As she was planning her jutsu out, she lost a bit of her focus on the fight, and her pace picked up, as she wasn't actively holding herself back anymore. Her weapon bit into the kunai of Sukoshi, slicing the blade in half. Nozomi broke out of her trance, and apologized. She then revealed that she'd been holding back a bunch, and that she was a Special Jounin, offering a few pointers on how he could improve his fighting form, before heading out.

WC: 478
TWC: 2513

Training:
Cherry Blossom Shuriken [1000/1000]
Spiral Lotus Dash [1500/1500]
Total: 2500/2513
Remaining: 13 wc

EXIT THREAD

Nozomi seemed really nice someone who Sukoshi wanted to around, he found a lot of the shinobi in Kirigakure were tightly wound but he felt a somewhat airy vibe coming from Nozomi which reminded him of his mother's temperment. He got his own temperment from her as well but for some reason he had to also attribute his father's pride which could lead to some confusing moments for the people around him. Nozomi agreed on letting him come inside and as he climbed up to go inside explained that her own clan was one of Kiri's better Taijutsu based clans even though she herself rarely uses it lately due to her trying to learn Bukijutsu. She went on to say that it wasn't too hard due to her knowledge of body mechanics from her primary training in Taijutsu. She further added that it was rare for a clan to specialize in Summoning and that it takes a certain type of shinobi to be good at it. Sukoshi took this as a compliment and his face burned a bright red as he moved past Nozomi and entered the cave.

He was surprised to see that the cave was actually way bigger then he had originally thought, the beautiful kuniochi giggled and responed sarcastically in response to Sukoshi's claims at her being a top competitor. She said modestly that she was alright but there were loads of people who could still beat her in a fight, but it was the optimism when she explained that's why she spars and the obvious devotion she had for her sensai that spewed out when she spoke about them, that made Sukoshi like Nozomi even more. As she finished her sentence she pulled out an impressive tanto. Sukoshi had seen it from a distance but to really get it into perspective you needed to see it from close up and from what Nozomi said last Sukoshi assumed not many people got to see it and live to tell the tale.

"Well that is one beautiful looking tanto you have there but I must warn you if we are going to do this I won't be holding back!" Sukoshi said with a grin while spinning the reemerged kunai around his right pointer finger. Secretly Sukoshi was extremely nervous not having sparred very much before but putting on a solemn but confident front.

Not knowing what to expect Sukoshi started throwing everything he had at Nozomi, he wasn't good or had any real knowledge of Taijutsu but he felt something nagging at him not to use any jutsu in this spar. Apart from the fact that he really didn't have any jutsu apart from summoning and his academy jutsu he also felt as though the pace they were going at was fast enough and felt quietly confident as the spar went on feeling as though he had the upperhand in the spar even though never really connecting anything solid on her. Nozomi's resourcefulness really impressed Sukoshi even though it was starting to frustrate him not being able to land anything solid.

Sukoshi noticed that Nozomi seemed to be focused on something else and he saw this as a perfect opportunity to strike. For some reason she didn't seem to lose any speed or reaction time but more so gained it. The pace of the spar started to get too much for Sukoshi as he struggled more and more to keep up with Nozomi's movements. Until her beautifully crafted tanto sliced through his kunai like butter, Sukoshi's face dropped as it seemed as though Nozomi had snapped out of what appeared to be some trance. She was quick to apologize and revealed that she was holding back quite a lot and that she was actually a Special Jounin. She then gave Sukoshi a few tips on how he could improve his fighting form before dissappearing as fast as she had appeared. Sukoshi sat on the beach thinking of the strange encounter he had with Nozomi before standing up and leaving to head back into the heart of the village.

WC: 693

[Exit]