In order to limit the number of people breaking into rob graves they had placed some chains around the entrance, to the forbidden crypt. In order to get inside he would need to break in, but he was not interested in breaking in and was more interested in learning to deal with Scythe users. In a previous battle he had learnt that he was being out matched and outclassed by the wielder of this strange weapon. Having heard rumors of Kenji his friend from Kumogakure having a scythe he decided to send him a letter.

The letter basically said very little only saying.
~meet me in the graveyard, follow the directions on the back, meet me here as quick as you can~ he then sent it with a carrier ninja pigeon who flew towards Kenji earlier that day. Waiting as he say on top of a grave stone the cold air blowing through his hair, even though it was day time the mist that gathered there made it seem later than that.

He took a deep breathe and stretched a bit, he began to wonder what happened in the spar that happened before, he remembered Kenji fighting some guy and him being captured by some lady, but his memory was a bit fuzzy from the blow he took to the head earlier. As he began to get impatient swaying from side to side as impatient as any child could be, he shouted out in a loud high pitched voice. "Kenji!!!"

No one was there as he jumped off the gravestone and began walking around in circles, he kicked around a few rats here and there as the crows began calling him stupid. Those annoying birds only being allowed to live as he did not want to waste his chakra, energy or time on these annoying black beasts. He tapped his feet then made really loud foot steps as well. Not very respectful of graves, but he was not in his usual mood, he had lost two fights already as it is, his fight against Kitara and the fight against the Scythe user. Third time he might die so he best be prepared to be a lot stronger than he ever was before. He needed Kenji to train him and he knew he had to also train in order to deal with someone else he was tasked with handling.

Training Onojutsu = 398/1500
Chakra = 270/270

Kenji was still recovering from the intense and productive spar a few hours ago. He had met with the medical shinobi after, she gave him some treatment and pills to keep his energy up as he would need it just in case something unexpected happened. That was hours ago, and the day was coming to a descent. The sun swooped over hill, leaving just a soft glow emanating over the expanse of the village. Kenji was now in his quarters dressed in his official alliance garb, as in these turbulent times he couldn't afford too much free time. He leaned against his window, peeking it out on the village, the village that he so selflessly protected. His job wasn't over yet... The training session was good practice, he couldn't say that he had ever faced such unique skills before that he faced against Sanosuke. It was honor to spar with his comrade. Kenji's competitive spirit on the other hand savored such a close battle, and a hobby of his would likely become challenging Sanosuke frequently. Kenji was not completely satisfied with his performance and was highly anticipatory of another clash.

The soft ominous light was pleasant on his eyes. The colors swirled together with unmatched harmony, Kenji was momentarily lost in the image. His trance was broken by a pigeon landing on his sill. Not only that, but also bearing a letter in its talons that it released for Kenji to retrieve. Kenji took a deep breath as he slid the note through his hands, unrolling the papyrus, and revealing its content.  

~meet me in the graveyard, follow the directions on the back, meet me here as quick as you can~

His face was expressionless. It would've have served the author better to have possibly leave a name. But now, for caution's sake, Kenji would have to with more stealth than he would like, meet this mystery person. It actually likely wouldn't have made much of a difference, given the current state of the village, Kenji would be foolish to ever leave his guard down. Kasfara rose from his slumber, "Where you going?" "Don't worry friend, just a small task." Kenji reached out for his ring of Supeketuro that lied on the dresser top. He slipped the sapphire ring on slowly. "Small task... but you're taking Supeketuro?" Kenji smiled, "You can never be too careful. I would ask you to tag along, but you'd just get bored and fall asleep" Kasfara shrugged as every word was true, he had no argument.

Kenji galloped down the steps and made his way... to the graveyard. As the sunlight continued to dwindle, the small portion of his Supa Hane Katana that lied on his hip, the sliver of blade that showed glistened magnificently, and so did his gloves of reflection, but they always did.

Once he arrived in the vicinity it didn't take him long to recognize the person who had summoned him. It was Ren. The blonde was pacing impatiently. Kenji figured he would relieve the kid's tension. "Ren, I'm here. Now, what's going on. Why have you called me here?"



Training: 543

He had been waiting so long that his usual inhibitions nearly dropped as he ran and nearly hugged him, but his guard returned to him at the last moment as he stopped about one foot away from Kenji. He took a deep breath as his heart was racing, he was sad and was at the same time filling with excitement that he came. He stood nervously blushing as he swayed his head from side to side.
"I know I am not that strong and that i might be really weak, but would you like to go out with me"

He forgot to say the rest of the sentence as the pause would appear awkward to everyone but him as he finally pointed to the crypt entrance. It was clear he had either chosen to train underground in the crypt and was perhaps just scared to go in alone, the truth was that he was too lazy to explain everything right away. He was thinking for a bit when he realised he actually did not give enough information on what they would be doing here. He looked up at Kenji into his eyes then finally said like a somewhat shy but excited kid. "Can you help me break into the crypt so we can train there, if we train up here i'll just keep running away the whole time and i want to see your scythe please". With a great sense of wonder in his eyes if Kenji had learnt anything he would have learnt that Ren's personality was ever changing. The only clear indication that he did not change was his reluctance to hug him, something which he rarely did at all except when he needed to steal something from someone.

He began to fidget a bit as his patience had basically ended up flying out the window ever since the war went the way it did. Losing former class mates from the academy, having his former academy sensei fight him to the death, the clan member who betrayed the village and nearly killed him. Not to mention the lady he grew attached to Kamikira going missing and the Mizukage dying on him. Everyone who was close to him was gone the closest person left to him now was Kenji, which made Kenji the most important person to him at the moment. He began to think if there was any favor he could perform in order to repay Kenji that would not cause too much trouble. As he took a deep breathe his heart began racing again, he had lost too many people already and now all he had was Kenji.

Training Onojutsu = 443 + 398 = 841/1500
Chakra = 270/270

Kenji looked on in shock as Ren raced towards him, it appeared that he considered hugging Kenji. He was relieved that he restrained himself. Ren still had yet to tell Kenji why he called him here, he just stood there wink pink cheeks, swaying excitedly. Even with their few meetings, Kenji still hadn't pinned down this guy's personality. He was an interesting fellow for sure. To Kenji's delight, Ren finally formed his mouth to speak.

"I know I am not that strong and that i might be really weak, but would you like to go out with me"


...

Kenji could only stare at Ren, just as Kenji turned his shoulder slightly to walk away, as this was definitely not the sort of thing he thought Ren had in mind, he spoke again adding more context to his statement before. 


"Can you help me break into the crypt so we can train there, if we train up here i'll just keep running away the whole time and i want to see your scythe please".

The Jounin looked at the crypt, it certainly was something he could help out with. Kenji was also always up for training. He looked back at Ren with narrowed eyes as the last part shocked him... how did he know about my scythe... that one battle when I drew it just for a split second, one of the witnesses must have survived and the word made it to Ren. Oh well.


"Alright Ren, I'll assist you. Stand aside." Kenji was more than willing to help Ren with his training. So, Kenji extended his right hand that bore the sapphire ring on it. Then the ring began to light up brightly with a blue hue. As the light become more intense the light beamed outwards forming a scythe of pure blue chakra, then after a few seconds it solidified into its official scythe form. The astonishing 9 ft long scythe was nothing short of intimidating. The 3 ft long blade had sapphire encrusted along the side, adorning the masterpiece to mesmerizing levels. Kenji wielded the massive weapon with one hand, and in a single graceful slash it bombarded into the crypt, crushing it completely.


"... You first."


Training: 916

Unsure why Kenji did not wish to enter the crypt first as he walked towards the opening entering in slowly a little bit looking around. "Kenji if you scared you could have told me". Mistaking Kenji's offer for him to be the first one to enter as a sign of him being scared of small places. He then held out his hand but having let his guard down too much he fell back rolling down the stairs deep into the crypt before hitting his head against a wall. He looked around and touched a strange liquid which pricked him as strange liquid lining the area all lit up as he stood in awe.

Whether Kenji rushed down to follow him, or whether he was still up there would have been hard to tell as he then noticed a small candle. When he put it against the liquid it lit up and fire was burning along the liquid lines along the walls. The crypt had only a single coffin at the back and a fairly decent open space that was fifty meters long and twenty meters wide. As he stretched himself out a bit waiting for Kenji he began to think back to the last time he saw a coffin.

***Flashback***

A small boy sat on top of a coffin looking down at an old lady as he was shedding a few tears. "Why did you have to go, I do not want to be alone. I want you here with me forever" as he sat there taking the small blade he had stolen when someone stopped him. "Do not waste your life, she would have wanted you to live". As the small boy looked up at her with the tears still flowing not understanding what reason he had to live, he had no one and no one needed or wanted him anyways. As he then looked at the woman not recognising her too well, "Who are you?". The light had come in behind her almost as if it had been a sign as she said, "I need you, so live on like she would have wanted you to, when i do not need you anymore you can kill yourself then, but for now I need you". He cried as she would embrace him, one of the few embraces he would ever receive for several years"

***Flashback End***

"Kenji, are you there?" as he heard something moving behind him as he spun around to look towards the stairs.

Training Onojutsu = 418 + 841 = 1259/1500
Chakra = 270/270

Ren lost his balance as he entered down into the crypt, falling to its depth. A small smile lit up on Kenji's face, it dissipated slowly as he marched down after him. He got to the bottom of the stairs to find that this pit was quite roomy and indeed a good place to train. He saw Ren on the ground, he spun around to see Kenji standing above. Kenji let the scythe lie at the bottom of the steps, he reached out for Ren, "C'mon, we have training to do."

Kenji took a moment to marvel in the beauty of the area. Flames arched along the walls illuminating the area. There was plenty room to train down here, also, at the back of the den was a single coffin. "So much space for just... one coffin, peculiar indeed." Kenji put an end to his ponderer and gave his attention back to Ren, "Well you summoned me, what would you like to train. You mention wanting to see my scythe in action, so I assume you want to learn Onojutsu?" Kenji looked back at the coffin and saw that the coffin was constricted by chains.  


Training: 1119

He refused to take Kenji's hand getting up himself, then dusted himself off a bit then finally nodded. "I want to learn to be more than just a simple sword user, I need to learn to fight with things besides swords and how to fight other weapons. So I am hoping you could teach me first how to handle scythes since well i only had a fight against a scythe user once. When i tried to find out about someone with a scythe to train i recognised your name. The lady said i must not tell anyone she has that info though, but oh well. We going to train now, maybe hold back a little bit i can not handle you at full speed.

Drawing out his sword Tsukiyo then pointing it towards Kenji carefully. "Come at me", he kept up his guard and other than Kenji abusing his full speed he would probably be okay. He then began to think back to the number of times he had sparred and realised he did not get to spar that often to begin with. Everyone was always so much weaker than him and he did not want to use his ninjutsu now, he wanted to master his bukijutsu completely and wished to ascend to a level greater than he had been before. Kenji was the best bukijutsu user he knew as well as being a friend.

There was a strange draft that entered the place the air being somewhat cold while the fire that lit up the place caused random moments of heat at the same time. His hair was hanging further to the right of his face as he focused his eyes. As if preparing for a duel as there was not even a sound, he had learnt though that everything mattered. Even the slightest misplaced movement could mean death, but with onojutsu misplaced movements can be traps, the movements unpredictable and disrupting the general flow of the battle. Surprisingly the weapons were rather swift and could deal with many different situations, while his sword was more specific and direct. It was time for him to find something he may have thought he never had, he would need to deal with a large combination and it would be unclear what Kenji would do.

Training SubSpec Onojutsu = 1500/1500
Excess Words Training = 143
Chakra = 270/270

Ren was ready, he had his weapon drawn, calling for Kenji to attack him. However, he made sure to request that Kenji not go all out. The Jounin had no intention on exerting himself too much any way. With a smile on his face, he began to back up slowly, only a few steps. He knelt down, never taking his eyes off Ren. His fingers coiled around the handle of his scythe. There was only about 2 meters between him and Ren, the scythe was 9 ft long. It would be too easy for Kenji to unleash a strike... he would see soon if Ren was aware of the same math. His right arm was relaxed even as it took on the weight of the scythe.The scythe seemed to lift itself up. Kenji's skill with the weapon, perhaps unsurpassed. With a single shift in weight, the scythe was already nearing the torso area of Ren, the Scythe blasting forward at Sannin speed. Kenji silently agreed to Ren's terms to not fight at full speed, and he wasn't. Sannin speed was something that he couldn't help. However, he was more than capable of reaching speeds far beyond that of a Kage, but he would not endanger a comrade with such blistering movements. 

Kenji knew that Ren was a weapon user as well, maybe not as adept as himself, but still quite skilled. That being noted mentally, Kenji was prepared for a reaction from his comrade as he shifted his weight. As the horizontal slash moving at Sannin speed closed in on Ren's torso, before it got too close, he would curve the path, arcing the massive weapon upwards slightly obscuring Ren's vision for a small time, but he would surely be occupied as he would have to give such a formiddable weapon the utmost attention. In that split second, Kenji would draw two shuriken with his left hand, and during the upward strike, launch them at the scythe initial target, one at the torso and the other at his leg. After the shuriken met their destination. He would enter spin, while spinning bring the scythe back down for a horizontal slash. This rather simple combination sequence would take no more than two seconds to reach finality. 

The speed and range of Kenji's initial slash would challenge Ren at first, but before the blade would reach the end of its path, Kenji would arc the weapon up, drawing Ren's eyes and attention up as well. Simultaneously, Kenji would draw and launch to shuriken at Ren. The most marvelous aspect of Kenji's actions was the fluidity of each transition and the coordination. After the shuriken were released at the likely distracted Ren, he would enter a spin bringing his scythe spiraling down for the real horizontal slash. If Ren proved unable to successfully ward off the rather elementary attack, Kenji would be sure to let off the final slash, so that the would inflicted would be mild at best. 

Onojutsu style weapons are likely hard to judge and vary in many ways from conventional weapons, making the difficult to adapt to, if proper training has not been had. So Ren definitely had the right idea seeking him out in this art form, but it wasn't easy to pick up. Reason being, not only are Onojutsu weapons different, but for that very same reason takes much more skill to master. Careless technique with such a unique weapon could lead to self inflicted harm. 


Training: 1709

It had been a long time since Ren had actually focused against an enemy with the correct form in mind, rather than holding a wide stance with his sword below him or to the side. He had his sword pointed forward on purpose to reduce the time it would take for him to get it in front of him. He waited patiently and in a moment so quick that he nearly missed it Kenji began swinging his deadly scythe, the scythe being nine meters long and the distance being five meters meant that the swing would not only be wide giving more time to avoid it regardless of how fast it came. He prepared in advance as he gripped his sword tightly as he moved it slightly raising it up a bit and moving it to the side where the slash was coming from.

Keeping his eyes on Kenji he noticed something in that short moment of time as the scythe seemed to miss completely as it went upwards, watching carefully as he tried to figure out the reason behind that as the scythe was raised into the air, if it was not for the strange lighting in the area making the shuriken stand out he would never have noticed. Not fully certain of their path he aimed a downwards slash to knock both shuriken to the ground. With his sword lowered he would be far to slow to attempt blocking any follow through attacks, he watched carefully thinking he was in trouble but in the following second Kenji spun around, feeling a bit sad that he did not have the speed to attack Kenji during the spin he remembered the previous failed battle where he witnessed a similar technique. Immediately Ren ducked as low as the blade flew over his head with a true horizontal slash rather than a feint. His being small meant his sword could generally cover any shuriken or small attacks if they were not more than two or three. While being short meant that a normal horizontal slash would generally miss him. These two factors counted in his favor on several occasions but he realised with that miss it was his opening.

He realised that Kenji was still faster than him, but was moving slower than the last time he saw him. Not to mention he was also a bit faster since the last time Kenji saw him as well. He did not notice before cause he had not been in a situation where someone held back before which allowed him to better understand the truth behind onojutsu. The art of onojutsu was actually slower, but the awkward shape allows for it to strike in fairly unique ways. The upside though is that a scythe is only trully dangerous where the blade is, so being close range results in the enemy having only four options. Make an awkward slash that has less power like the time he fought that girl and she struck down prematurely to counter, hit the person with the side of the weapon then pull back with the blade, something that occured to him after noticing the redirection that pulled back the horizontal attack, if he had been closer that could have actually come from behind him, then the third option which he had encountered once upon a ship was to take a back step. Those were the three general patterns, but even with his new understanding he wondered if there was a definite weakness.

Not wanting to hesitate he dashed in close range so the blade of the scythe would not be able to strike him easily as he slashed upwards from Kenji's left leg in a diagonal to his right shoulder. While it would be lethal to some he believed Kenji could avoid it in so many ways as he decided on how to deal with the follow through. If Kenji evaded by moving away he would chase after him with varying slashes from left right up down and side to side. However if Kenji pulled of a block he would procede to hit against the scythe rapidly inorder to make a breakthrough. The final option might be for him to evade and attack at the same time in which case Ren would have to block and attack with his second sword in order to make up for the speed gap. He was wondering if there was another weapon that could be used to deal with the situation and he was not certain whether he had the skill to rise to the challenge before him.

Ren's eyes stayed focused and it was unclear as to whether he would learn anything else from this training session

Training Words = 787 + 143 = 830
Chakra = 270/270

Ren's small stature helped him more than he expected. His eyes were barely able to catch the glint of the projectiles, enabling him to stop their assault, also giving him enough time to prop up a block against the following horizontal slash. Ren was relentless though as he didn't wait long before he answered back. The short shinobi sprinted for Kenji, attempting to try his hand at close range combat. A smirk came onto his face. As Ren ran forward, Kenji yanked on his scythe. He pulled the scythe in, letting the light deadly instrument run through his fingers at startling speed, gripping it once he reached the half way mark of the handle. The weapon was now virtually shortened, now only 1.5 meters (4.5 ft). By time the scythe finished moving through Kenji hand, Ren was now initiating an upward slash with his weapon. Kenji was now able to extend the scythe, with expert timing he placed the scythe deftly in the position the blade would take. Because of the 3 ft long blade of the scythe, it was extremely easy. So the strike was blocked, immediately afterwards, Kenji would pivot his wrist turning the handle in his grip. In a fraction of a second the blade of the scythe would reverse, not only blocking the opposing weapon, but now it would hook it. Kenji with all his might brought his arm up trying to force the weapon out of Ren's grasp, but at the very least it would render him vulnerable for a moment.

Kenji would then leap back regardless if Ren's grip of his weapon was lost. Kenji slid to a stop, halting about 5 meters away from Ren, more than enough distance to take a break. "Nicely done Ren." As Kenji made one step to the side, a rumbling sound shook the entire underground training hall. The look on Kenji's face wasn't a good representation of what was going through his mind. His expression blank, watching the unfolding events. The sound ceased, and the walls to the left of the stairwell opened up, revealing a 10 meter long rack of weapons. Kenji smiled, "It seems this was a den for the most skilled warriors." Kenji took only a single step towards the glorious display of fine quality weapons. We have options now.


Training: 2103

The skillful way in which Kenji changed his grip on his scythe was something a bit unexpected as you would normally not do something like that a sword, or any other normal weapon for that matter. His upward slash was blocked extremely well and even though he followed up with a slash from his other weapon the scythe was shifted so to block his second slash and pull his other sword a bit which forced him to twist his wrist to unhook the blade. Instead of taking advantage of the opening that came from inexperience Kenji chose to leap back as if he was either holding back or being careful. As Ren was hoping to actually use his third sword as well even though he was suppose to change his choice of weapons.

Standing five meters away a fairly safe distance and with his scythe not back to its usual grip yet ment they were both out of range of each others attacks. Then something unexpected happened to their surroundings, the ground was shaking and if he did not plant his sword into the ground he would have fallen over having not fully recovered from the day before this, as he took a deep breathe to calm down he noticed that Kenji had a blank expression as if he was used to earthquakes happening. All of a sudden i then became silent then a ten meter long rack of weapons appeared and then Kenji mentioned how this was a den for skilled warriors or more like a bloody mist training ground since this was under the graveyard. He then finally spoke as he put his swords down and walked towards the wall and looked around then found something interesting, a kunai linked to a chain that was probably about five meters long and then he just had his one sword still on his back not yet drawn.

"Kenji..., be careful i don't know how to use this yet" with the warning given he swings the chain with kunai and the tip of the kunai flies straight for Kenji's face but having misjudged the momentum of swinging a chain which seemed to be even heavier than him he fell over altering its course as it missed Kenji completely. He looked away blushing as that was probably the most embarrassing thing since that time he accidentally cut the one girls hair while learning to use his sword. He got up slowly then bowed apologetically to Kenji. "Sorry, may i try again please Kenji?" He was embarrassed but he knew he had to show proper manners to someone who taking their time to train him.

Training Words = 830 + 444 = 1277
Chakra = 270/270

Ren approached the rack, as he did Kenji back up slightly as he knew this would be bad initially. Onojutsu was likely the hardest style of Bukitjutsu to master, and her Ren was showing the courage to attempt to use such an unorthodox weapon without any proper training. Kenji couldn't back a smirk as Ren warned him of his inexperience. If you know you can't use it, why not ask for help first... Kenji thought to himself jokingly. As Ren's attempt with the flail weapon went awry, bringing him to the ground, he rose quickly, apologizing and asking for a second attempt.

Kenji lifted his left hand, gesturing Ren to stop. The scythe that rested dangerously in Kenji's hand began to glow a deep blue. It then morphed into an orb around his finger, and then into a ring with a single sapphire. With the scythe "drawn", he approached Ren. "As an expert in Onojutsu, may I?" Kenji looked at Ren's form. "The first phase was to practice fight against an Onojutsu weapon, you did well, we'll get more practice later. Now it seems it is time to use an unorthodox weapon. Firstly, when using a flail weapon such as the one you're holding, balance is most important. If your stance is not centered, you will lose your footing just as you did. With training, you can implement different stance to make your attack or defense more dynamic, but for now, we'll settle for the basics." Kenji looked at Ren's careless grip. "How about we set the weapon down for now. Okay. You slide you dominant foot back, slightly bend your knees, and angle your feet slightly to the right. Now in that stance, practice a whipping motion, a motion you would use to the swing the chain weapon, but only use your wrist, it grants much more control and precision. If you use your arm and shoulders you allow for much more error." Kenji would leave Ren with that bit of knowledge, after he showed that he grasped the basics, he would let him pick the weapon back up, and try a few swings on targets other than himself, then they could get back into their spar.


Training: 2480

He was about to make a second attempt when he was gestured to stop what he was doing. He got a bit nervous thinking that he had failed in some way and would be left alone. He watched as the scythe began to glow a deep blue which made him take one step back on instinct. Mistaking it for an attack his mind still a bit shaky until he noticed it turn back into a ring. It was then that Kenji began to speak about onojutsu and requesting a chance to do something. He told Ren that he had done well in fighting against his scythe in the beginning and then he began to explain things to Ren. He mentioned that balance was really important and Ren noticed that when he fell, but was not sure why his balance was off. He was told to center his stance which made him think of the fact that he does that when he uses his swords, it sounded strange that onojutsu would have a similar ideal to kenjutsu. Then he realised he forgot that all bukijutsu requires you to have a strong center for control. Kenji mentioned that later on he may use an aggressive or defensive stance but while he may have wanted to do that, a centered and well balanced stance may be best for learning a foreign weapon.

As Ren stood there Kenji looked at his hands as he blushed wondering why the shinobi he respected cared about his hands so much. He was then told to put the weapon down and he knealed slowly and put it down then stood up again and looked to Kenji not saying a word while just nodding slightly. He got told to slide his dominant foot back which was not too helpful as both his feet were dominant. He chose to let his right food slide back slowly then bent his knees slightly as instructed. He was told to angle his feet to the right slightly which he did following each word carefully as to not rush or make any mistakes. He began swinging his arm but when he got told to only use his wrist he stopped a bit. He began to flick his hand with his wrist slightly but not too much as the movement felt somewhat strange. With a sword flicking your hand with your wrist is not ideal and is best just used to alter the path of your blade with your firm grip controlling the sword. Then he realised that with the chain his arms maybe did not matter as he began to think about a string and how you only need to move your wrist to get it to do anything. After a bit of swinging and whipping with his imaginary chain he finally stopped after having done that for close to ten minutes adjusting his movements each time slightly.

He looked towards Kenji then finally spoke, "May i try again now please, Kenji-sensei". Having now seen Kenji as a sensei showing a higher level of respect even though he would probably just call him Kenji one day. He wanted to try and swing the chain right away but he felt if he did that without asking first it would be rude. Kenji was taking time out of his busy life to train him and he could not waste it by being too in a rush, which to some degree he was in. He was sometimes patient and sometimes not his temperment shifting very often. Was he finally ready to truly grasp the extent of onojutsu and master it. His form looked a lot different then before as his balance looked good, however only time would tell if this was true or not.

Word Count = 1274 + 628 = 1902
Bukijutsu A-->S = 1902/4000
Words Left = 0
Chakra = 270/270

"I think you're ready for another try... You see that sign about 4 meters over to your left, if you can hit that, then we can truly resume." He was surprised that Ren was as good a student as he was. Despite him being an extreme nuisance, he isn't a half bad shinobi apparently. Kenji now waited for Ren to complete the task given to him. He was sure he would be able to handle it.

----

After Ren hit target, Kenji gave a muffled clap. "It's time to fight 'for real'. When fighting any opponent, they're rarely going to use one style. So now, I will attempt to incorporate my onojutsu with other abilities, to keep this realistic and beneficial." Kenji's scythe returned to its full glory. The distance was a "safe" 5 meters, or that distance would normally be safe. But because Kenji's scythe was 3 meters long, that distance would mean nothing shortly. In a couple blinding steps, Kenji was already in striking range. The incoming strike was a simple downward diagonal slash, going from Kenji's right shoulder to his left hip, but there was a twist. Ren had shown earlier that he likes to block, well he would see if he would block again. The slash came in a Sannin speed, and because of it downward angle, ducking wouldn't be an option. The likely response would be a block, and at the last second, right before his scythe collided with Ren's weapon, he would channel lightning chakra through his scythe, and on contact, would likely disarm and electrocute Ren, leaving him extremely vulnerable for a finishing strike.

However, Kenji kept in mind that Ren's new weapon had an even greater range than his own at this point. So if Ren attempted to counter with his flail weapon, Kenji would intercept the strike by hooking the weapon with his scythe, sending lightning chakra through it then, and as the lightning transferred from his weapon to Ren's, he would at the very least be electrocuted, and likely disarmed. Kenji had no intent on truly harming Ren though, it would definitely sting, but he'd get over it. No matter how arrogant Kenji is, he couldn't let that cloud his judgement, he had been mildly impressed with the small blonde haired shinobi during their limited encounters. 

295/320:

Training: 2878

Kenji gave him the okay to try again against a target four meters in the air above him. He did not hope to hit it he knew he could then lifting up the chain slowly and carefully he began a slow movement with a swing of his wrists the chain was now spinning round and round. The speed kept going then he took a back step using his right foot as support then took a left back step for momentum as he leaned back then swund his wrist a bit while raising his arm up. The chain flew through the air and the kunai at the tip just hit the side of the target and as he felt it pull forward. Being leaned back he did not fall over and was pulled upright again as he pulled the chain back. He then realised that momentum was key in maintaining a solid form and good attack then spun as the chain surrounded him he shot it out hitting the target dead in the center. However the chain surrounded him too much as after hitting the target some part of the chain tangled on his foot and he fell. He hit his target but in the end got taken out by the chain as well. "Well i hit the target"
Kenji seemed impressed and replied with a muffled clap. He was then told they going to fight for real now so he can get used to the many styles and ways to deal with onojutsu in general.

He revived his Scythe to its weapon form then stood five meters away which was safe for Ren but not quite for him as Ren spun the chain around to make sure not to get caught again. He repeated this as his balance improved having just heard they fighting he was getting ready very quickly. In a few moments Kenji was already in striking range of Ren who had barely finished figuring out his chain better. He noticed Kenji was making a basic downward slash towards him as he gripped the chain to try and use it to block the slash. As the scythes blade neared he noticed a familiar static and imbued the chain with chakra reinforcement. He noticed as Raiton energy dispel but the force of the slash was strong causing him to fall back from the slash entangling the scythes blade in the chain how ever he swung the main end of the chain as he ultered his grip sending the kunai tip right for Kenji's head.
In normal training he would be more careful but after seeing how strong Kenji is he knew that holding back might be insulting or waste Kenji's time.

His heart was racing as he was falling back knowing his attack will probably fail while he tried to think of a tactic to not win but to impress Kenji. If the static was new to him he would not have countered his experience in being a Raiton user came through for him same as his height. Everything he used showed signs that he made the best of what he had and did not bother to worry about his weaknesses being weaknesses and rather used them to his advantage. Also the location they were in was ideal for all sorts of tactics so as careless as it may seem this may have been the most ideal training location for any shinobi weapon master.

Training Words = 577
Chakra = 260/270

Item Reinforcing Technique:

Ren imbued the chain with chakra negating his own attack. Kenji was impressed by Ren's reaction to his extremely subtle technique. Small in stature maybe, but he was quite large in guts, he was already initiating a counter with the rangy flail weapon. Still getting accustomed to the style of weapon, he launched an attack, resulting in him losing his balance once more, but not nearly as bad as last time. The incoming strike lacked power, speed, and accuracy, and it posed little threat. After a split second of analyzing the attack, he lowered to one knee and released a gust of wind from his scythe at the off balanced Ren. With his balance forsaking him, he would be pressed to not only recognize the subtle and innocuous stream of wind being released from his scythe, but to find time to react sufficiently. Regardless of whether he dodged or defended the gust, which was a trigger for a powerful illusion, he would use its success or failure to set up his next move.

Immediately after the release of the gust, Kenji would drop his scythe to the ground and weave five hand seals, then he would make sure he was within 5 meters. If the gust connected, his entire sensory network would be disturbed leaving him defenseless against the following Genjutsu. If it failed, all Kenji needed was a few hand seals and a lunge forward. So far, the way things were looking, his chances at executing "Tree Binding Death" were pretty good. Once again, if the series of illusion worked, it would simply act as a lesson. Fighting against Onojutsu is one thing, but fighting against an opponent with Onojutsu and other formidable skills was a much greater and more realistic task. It wasn't in his nature to use Genjutsu so freely, but if this training was going to be optimum, he had to.

270/320:

Training: 3195

Whether by luck or skill being knocked back and watching his attack dodged so easily he knew he had a lot to learn. He noticed a strange movement of dirt as he did not have much time to do anything fancy he rolled to the side as he just watched the dirt moving passed him. Had they been outside with a natural wind blowing through the air he would have surely not noticed he did however make a slight mistake having now wrapped himself in his own chains from rolling. He would now need to think fast as he did not really have much room for error and could now not move which was probably might have been worse than being knocked back by a wind, which he did not know was meant to perform what he ended up doing to himself with the chain.

He looked on as five hand seals were being performed as he was quickly struggling and loosening from the chain his small size helping him once again. He then watched as Kenji seemed to jump towards him after the hand seals as he had just loosened free leaving the chain behind to make space as he leaped back. The moment he landed which was roughly four meters away from Kenji he noticed something strange. He felt roots growing around him then before he knew it he was trapped inside what appeared to be a tree. He remained conscious as he was confused for half a second before realising that this was not a jutsu when he thought about it. Wood was not an ordinary element and therefor most likely he was now in a genjutsu not wanting to waste time hurting himself since that might be a bad idea, he concentrated quickly on breaking free as the tree seemed to shatter at that moment he had been in the genjutsu at most maybe half a second before he broke free. "kai"

He breathed a bit heavily having had to use his chakra to break free which really was not something he wanted to do but he had no idea what kind of genjutsu it was so he did not have time to play around. "So that time you made that noise" as he now thought back to the spar he had seen between Kenji and Sanosuke. "That was genjutsu?" he asked a question which Kenji could choose to answer truthfully or attempt to explain it so that it would not seem like the last time was a genjutsu. He was being cautious and grabbed hold of his sword on his back and looking to the walls at some of the other strange weapons as one had caught his eye. Things were going to get interesting and only time would tell how things would turn out.

Training Words = 577 + 470 = 1047
Chakra = 225/270

Genjutsu Kai:

Ren was quick to recognize the Genjutsu, and kai'd out of it successfully. Ren posed a question afterwards. Kenji appeared to not even hear the words that Ren spoke. The distance separating the two was a mere 4 meters at the time of the "kai" so Kenji decided to flex his Sannin speed once more. He picked up his scythe that he had lied down. Kenji smashed the massive scythe at Ren's feet. A smirk appeared on Kenji's face. Supeketuro was capable of rendering large structures to rubble. As a result, the earth whined at the force that Kenji's scythe placed upon it. The shockwave and tremble it would set off right at Ren's feet would leave the small shinobi struggling balance, the smashing strike would also kick up broken earth and dust, obscuring Ren's vision. Before the strike, Kenji saw that Ren was reaching for a weapon on his back as well as looking at some of the other weapons on the rack. If Ren remained grounded, Kenji would take advantage of his balance and vision loss and strike with the long scythe, looking to inflict a mild would along the leg. If Ren jumped, Kenji would meet him in mid-air, where he would look to exchange, Kenji doubted he had a weapon that could endure a true clash with his scythe. 

Ren would have to formulate some plan to obtain a weapon, this spar wouldn't last long if he couldn't get a formidable weapon. So far, Ren had did well to adapt, but fighting on the response wouldn't work forever, if he wished to master Onojutsu, he would have to learn to use strategy. Onojutsu uses very awkward weapons, making straightforward attacks usually futile. In order to optimize the advantageous of Onojutsu, the user needed to set up his strikes.


Training: 3507

He expected an answer but instead Kenji picked up his scythe and moved so fast that he did not even pick up the movement, as he realised the scythe smashed just before his feet. Kenji had a strange smirk on his face and at the very least he had trashed the ground upon which he stood. He was struggling to stand and some rubble and dust flew towards him as he activated his clans secret jutsu in order to prevent hurting his eyes so he could see a bit without having to avoid the dirt. The water that gathered over his eyes like a lense as his eyes now appeared an icy blue. Concentrating on this he decided to do the same thing as Kenji as he struggled he leaped forward to the side of where he last saw the scythe, in that moment he had ended up near to Kenji but realised that a side step would probably not work on Kenji too well. He noticed that Kenji seemed to have ignored what he had left behind earlier as he then decided to slash with his sword.

If Kenji slashed with his scythe Ren would block and pull the chain with his foot entangling Kenji's feet now that the chain was uplifted somewhat. He would then grip the chain with his hands in order to attempt to trip or atleast bind Kenji's legs. The other possibility would be that Kenji remembered the chain and would just jump free after his counter slash but then Ren would throw several kunai at Kenji and side flip before grabbing a scythe from the wall as well. There was always a third of forth option with the fact that Kenji was for the most part strong and had many skills he had not seen yet. Regardless if Kenji did jump at least Ren would also have the chain back and not just the scythe. He was still holding his two trump cards for this sparring session as he was beginning to understand what onojutsu was after Kenji's attack, it is creative and it is explosive so to speak.

He learnt now that it was not about just randomly attacking or making strange attacks sometimes you had to just be straight forward with it, even the strangest weapon can be nothing more than a glorified sword or a modified whip or dagger or any weapon for that matter. Onojutsu was both unique and the same which was conflicting but began to make sense.

Training words = 1047 + 422 = 1469
Chakra = 215/270

Kiri Shiryoku D-rank

The earth trembled at the force of Kenji's other-worldly scythe. In response to the violent tremors, the ground rattled, kicking up a lot of things, including Ren's chain. It's orientation made it viable for Ren to use any excess momentum to entangled Kenji in the now airborne chain. The visual of the being capable of latching onto him, his shoulders, his legs, his neck, caused a sensation, a powerful to override his conscience for the briefest of moments. In one flutter of his eye lids, a month's worth of reminiscing occurred in a blink. His thoughts followed a frightfully ordered sequence, as he relived that day on Shaka Beach.


(Flash back)

You're a sage now Kenji, that means something you know. It isn't just a sign of strength, it is a sign of wisdom, whether you like it or not, the Kasfarians have taught you to teach. Among many of your responsibilities is the generosity of knowledge... are ready for that. There are going to be times where you find yourself in compromising situations, ones where you find yourself confined even. But you have the tools to break free, you have the tools to get out of any situation, and most of all, you have the keen sense to recognize the best method...

Kenji was sitting atop the dome, as the words of his mentor, Kaslam, played through his head. These duties, did not sit well into the brash and high octane, and short sighted Kenji. Birds flew over head, a rare scene at the altitude Kenji was at. As their wings stayed outstretched, soaring effortlessly through the thin air. His view of them was a fleeting one, as they fell in and out of the arms of the wispy clouds. Am I no longer as free as them... do I really belong to everyone now, do I really owe them?? Questions that would normally never enter his selfish psyche. I guess that is the special thing about Senjutsu training, you're not only training your body and chakra system, but your mind too. The conflicting emotions continued to swirl, drifting in and out of his consciences as the birds drifted in and out of the clouds. Everything was connected now it seemed, including Kenji to the world, compelling him to share something with it. With all these deep thoughts, the dome had lost its charm. It was ironic, Kenji always wanted to "think", take new approaches to ideas, but those approaches always found a way to benefit him. His skewed and warped philosophies had a knack of supporting his case. This impartial philosophy on the other hand, this philosophy that does the exact opposite, and supports everything but him, needed to be sidelined for a period.

He left the dome that was in a hurry, wanted to get closer to ground, and to a longing body of water. It being so long since he has the luxury of a nice walk in the sand and a dip in the ocean. There was perfect place, about 2 hours from where he was. Shaka Beach...

(End of Flash Back)
(Present)

That was it, the realization of his new destiny, one that put others before him, a notion not too long ago he would have scoffed at. One till this very day he has trouble accepting, apparent by the need of a flashback to help remind him of his new dogma. The flutter of his lids had passed, and his vision resumed focus. Kenji followed through with his slash, delivering a full blow at Ren. However, becasuse of Ren's obvious intent on blocking, Kenji would add a little something extra to his attack. Right as the curved portion of his scythe's blade collided with Ren's weapon, an immensely powerful wall of wind infused chakra would be released with bone fracturing force, given the point blank range. Kenji didn't know if Ren was planning on doing something in conjunction with his block, but he would be in no state to execute it after being rammed with Kenji's wind technique. Ren was lucky, under normal circumstances, he was call upon his gasping speed to take advantage of the vulnerable opponent, delivering a kill shot within seconds of the blast. Unlike Ren though, Kenji would never be foolish enough to leave anything to chance. The uplifted chain had Kenji's constant attention, immediately after the scythe rammed into Ren, Kenji would slide his grip up near the middle and spin it and  himself, given length and shape of the scythe, if the chain still drew closer to him, it would be repelled by the S rank weapon with ease.

Kenji would now beginning preparing his next move, while his opponent was likely busy recovering, and given Ren's small stature, it might take a while. Kenji would dedicate some time to priming his chakra for his next technique. Being able to use weapons were great, but if you do not have the supporting skills to supplement it, what good does it do? If Ren was to truly grasp Onojutsu, he would have to show that he could overcome obstacles. Never in his wildest dreams would he be in a situation or circumstance that was optimum, he would have to adapt to just about anything. Kenji hoped that his lessons would be apparent in retrospect. But for now, Kenji's mind was concentrating on gaining flawless control over his chakra.

250/320:

Post of Prep will begin next post. :

Training: 4423

As soon as his blade made contact he felt for a moment something as he fell to the ground somewhere on the opposite side of Kenji coughing a little bit of blood. The the other swords he had placed down far earlier were used as replacements as the blades got knocked so hard that they hit into the walls embedding themselves into it. If he had known about the type of technique Kenji was going to use he would have did his replacement a half a second sooner. Kenji used the clash of their blades as a distraction as Ren began taking deep breathes before lowering his sword then began his technique as chakra gathered. He looked to him then focused as he performed his ninjutsu, releasing a powerful water dragon which went full speed towards Kenji, this would most likely be easy for Kenji to avoid but the chains were still in the air around Kenji making movement a bit difficult, not so much but every moment counted.

Ren was beginning to feel a bit tired but it may have just been the force that nearly managed to hit him. If that technique hit it would most likely have killed Ren whose frail body would not be able to handle it. His aim was slightly off but the water dragon was big so at the very least it would perhaps hit Kenji's shoulder or arm or both. While doing this a thought shot into his mind which was probably due to the slight pain of knowing he nearly took a lethal blow.

***Flashback***
"Obasama, why did my mom die?", as the little boy who was then just Yuzu Ren a little boy who did not know much of the world. The old lady who was his grandmother took a deep breathe then answered. "You see you like your mother have a frail body and when giving birth it takes nearly everything we have just to survive. You were special since you hold the secret of our clan and our legacy known as Suijinou." The old woman got up and grabbed some books and began reading a story to the little boy.

"Long ago several generations before my time the first head Yuzuichi had grown up in the clan, having been on its own for many years the Yuzu clan was a peaceful clan who had aimed to grow and collect fruit. By having a strong control over water we could easily keep our farms going even without there being rain for many years. However our clan lost its way when a war broke out between the peaceful farm clan Yuzu and an unknown clan from Konoha. Apparently the head before Yuzuichi felt they needed more land to expand their farms, but this greed went too far as the head Yuzu Nen chose to have them fight. He was powerful and could match most Jounin with his insane power. He did however send most of the men to war and even the women were forced into the war to defend the clan, as Konoha could not allow their clan to do whatever they want, whether decided by the Hokage of the time or their underground leaders feeling a need to. It was never quite clear who started it and how it came to be. In our time of need the Mizukage came to our aid but i have no idea what deals were made back then but i do know that one day you may be forced to lead the clan."

The young little boy could not understand all of that then tilted his head questioningly and asked. "Am i really going to become the clan leader?". The old woman laughed at her grandchild's innocent nature which she knew was rather fragile. It was then that she continued talking after ruffling his hair which he loved a lot. "Now listen here, the reason you going to be the next clan leader is because you the only one left with Suijinou as well as being chosen by the Mizukage as the next clan leader. With the debt we owe to Kirigakure they were placed in charge of selecting clan leaders from the next generation, while there was another child chosen that child died and you were left as the next choice. I do not want you to be forced to be in charge of an entire clan and live a normal life, but you will have to become a shinobi one day. Now when i was young i met the forth Yuzu clan leader, he was the only male to lead the new clan of Yuzu and he told me that he wished for change. We spent so much time fighting when we are a clan of fruit gatherers, so he began to rebuild our reputation making deals within the village distributing special fruits and unique materials as well. I forgot his name but he did many great things and was known as a sword master which is where our secret art Mizukiri came from. His sword skills and ninjutsu became so powerful he developed seals to keep his great power locked away. No one knows what happened to him, but one day he just vanished without a trace as the clan panicked the Mizukage announced that he was probably wiped from existence as there was no trace of him in the entire Mizu no Kuni. Some say he was eaten by a legendary mythical beast, others say he sealed himself away after gaining a power he felt was too great for any one man, but most of the clan believed at the time that the Mizukage killed him. This is why not all of the clan members like people from other villages as well as the fact that our blood line is mostly carried through women and you being a boy makes you special.
So you see your mother had to give her life for you, she was told to give birth sooner but she knew that a frail child would not survive so she waited until the last moment she could. She carried you for twelve months in order to ensure your survival. So whatever you do, be careful cause you carry a great legacy and are more important then you know".

As the little boy looked up to his grandmother he said, " Did you have to tell me all that just cause i bumped my knee into a tree?" As the old woman smiled as she realised she said too much again, not that Ren would even forget since his memory was actually very good he just did not understand any of it yet.

***FlashbackEnd***

"Kenji!!" he shouted as he redirected his water dragon at the last second from his arm and shoulders to Kenji's chest and face aiming for a direct hit. He did not lose his temper he just got a bit emotional due to the pain.

Training Words = 1469 + 1162 = 2631
Chakra = 185/270

B-Rank Water Dragon Jutsu
E-Rank Kawarimi

It was too late for Ren now, the wave was being released at full force and he was still in his wheel house. Tuft after tuft of wind poured forward robbing Kenji of the visual delight of seeing Ren rocketed backwards into the wall of the underground weapons keep. As stated before, just as the wind was released Kenji would rapidly rotate the scythe along with his body repelling the chain violently several meters away from him. He looked at the brown brick wall, Swords...?! Then Kenji heard breathing behind him, He's behind... replacement jutsu, but when, I never took my eyes off the brat...??!! Kenji's honed reflexes spun him around quickly, right as Ren was preparing what appeared to be a water jutsu. I wonder what he is planning to do with that? Kenji thought to himself with a grin on his face. As the water was released from Ren it formed into a dragon. As the dragon set course for Kenji, just for fun, Kenji used a jutsu himself. Kenji was about 10 meters away when his chakra invaded Ren's. As soon as his Genjutsu took effect, he would dash to his right to avoid the water dragon, then he would leap backwards as the dragon was sure to be persistent.

Creeping into Ren's mind now was likely his greatest fear, wrapping around his conscience preventing him of thinking of anything else. This was the most basic Genjutsu any respecting Genjutsu user should have in his arsenal. There were three reasons Kenji was using the jutsu now. One, any situation could be helped if his opponent if afraid, simple as that, it is almost always a sufficient distraction. Secondly, it would hinder his ability to aim his dragon due to the likely struggle to focus. Thirdly, it should give him just the time he needed to finishes conjuring up the control to use his next jutsu. By looking at Ren, he seemed to be wearing down a bit. The Jounin couldn't say he was surprised, by his own admission, he had been on the defensive for the entire fight. While opposite him, Kenji had been measuring every shot, putting far below his best effort, simply toying with the prospective student. If Kenji was actually trying against the little one, he might be reaching the brink of fatigue too. Ren was having to use every ounce of speed and mental dexterity to avoid the powerful earth quaking moves of Kenji. Ren had proved resourceful many times, using his height even to sneak out of compromising situations, commendable indeed. Hopefully though, Ren would ultimately take from this encounter that fighting on the fly against opponents of equal or greater strength simply won't do in the long run.

The great Chikara remembered when he adapted a similar disregarding style of combat. Like Ren, Kenji relied on last second slapdash antics to at best, prolong fights, delaying the inevitable. A fight style like that will never benefit shinobi like Kenji and Ren. They were too frail and physically not up to maintaining such a fervor in combat. Instead, it would always behoove shinobi like the two engaged now to follow a more cohesive approach. An approach/plan that builds on itself, that has an end goal. Ever since the start of the spar, Kenji had a goal in mind that would teach Ren a valuable lesson, and the way he would emphasize that lesson was coming soon. I'm actually glad he managed to pull off a replacement jutsu despite me keeping tabs on him, because now I get to "see" how he reacts to this.
 
Kenji had lessons thrust upon him too
 
"Never use Genjutsu recklessly nephew!! It's an art of surprise, not brute force. The overuse of the skill dulls its effectiveness."
 
An adage he had to learn and equip, for it has been the sole reason for his prosperity. Kenji was confident that today, Ren too, would adopt a new principle of sorts that would stay with him for the rest of his shinobi campaign. As he kept his attention split between the water dragon and Ren, Kenji expelled 10 chakra in preparation for his hopeful finale.

230/320 (-10 chakra for prep.):

Training: 5128

After building up and firing his water dragon he did not understand it at first as there seemed to be something whirling through the air. As he saw Kenji jump to the side something began to eat away at him. Something deep within his mind began to be drawn as if something searched for his deepest darkest fears.
***Flashback***
"Hey, Yuzu have you ever been afraid of anything?" a boy asked him as he looked back at him. "I am not scared of anything Tora" as the young Ren argued as if insulted at the idea of him being scared of anything. The other boy known as Tora replied to him with a sigh then spoke further. "You do know i am scared of a lot of things unlike you, but everyone has something they are scared of". The young Ren began to glare at his friend Tora as the wind blew through his hair and then the thunder rumbled. The lightning breaking within the clouds as it began to rain as Tora ran for cover, he ran after him but tripped and nearly began to cry. He got left behind by his best friend as he was about to cry he came back. "You see you are scared of something."
***FlashbackEnd***
He was scared at that time however that fear had long since passed, with his best friend leaving him, his mother, his grandmother and every close friend he had leaving him alone. His fear of being left alone passed since he was already rather alone, but he did know he was in a battle with someone who was there with him so he was not alone. As he redirected his water dragon missed just barely passing the new location as his mind was being messed around. It was then that his mind began to wonder again.
*** Flashback***
"Hey, Ren what is it that you playing with" as his academy sensei spoke to the little boy. It was then that he put down the harmonica he found. "Nothing just thought i would play with it for a bit like a normal kid so i can go undercover". The sensei looked to him and asked him a question. "Do you like playing music or just listening to it?" as he looked down he finally spoke up. "I like music, and i love to hear it", the woman then looked to her student then finally said to him in a cold uncaring voice. " What if you could never hear music or anything ever again." For a moment a large fear fell over him but then he answered her with. "I will always have the music on the inside even if i can't hear it anymore". The woman then ruffled his hair and told him. "That is a really smart way to look past your fear"
***FlashbackEnd***
It was then that something grabbed hold of Ren as his water dragon ended with a splash just falling short of Kenji as he began to shiver. His eyes opened wider as something finally took hold of him, it was his one and only true fear that finally began to show itself. It was unbelievable to see and his first thought was that he had to run away right now. His hands were shaking as he did not understand this feeling, he had not been able to really face this before. He has felt this way before and it was now that he began to show signs of proper emotion. His eyes began to fill with tears as the only words he said to Kenji then were. "I don't want to die", lost in his own illusion of Kenji being serious and wanting to kill him. The aura he had seen before in Kenji's spar with Sanosuke. That scary insane release of chakra even though right now Kenji was not doing that at all.
Overwhelmed by fear for the first time in his life something in him struck, his main instinct he has always had rose to a height far higher then the one he had before. Survival was his main objective now and with what he had seen with the spar with Sanosuke he felt holding back anything would be a waste. He began to form a few quick handseals as he performed Suiton Suijinheki as a wall of water rose infront of him but still allowed him to see Kenji shrouded by an evil aura, with the intent to kill him when he feels like it. This on its own would have been one thing but he did not stop there as he gathered his chakra preparing to perform another jutsu, his mind no longer clear as he was now fighting with his fear. The fear of dying that had always been there was now stronger than ever. This was the toughest trial in his entire life and it was brought about by such a weak technique. If only he could figure it out would things change, and while he still felt this way he now went from careful combinations to brute force tactics to destroy that which was coming to kill him, even though it was not there.

Training Words = 2631 + 869 = 3500
Chakra = 165/270

B-Rank Suijinheki That water defence wall and yes being lazy with the copy pasting again will edit it in later busy working on Aya post

It was a slight satisfaction building within Kenji as Ren succumbed to the effects of the basic Genjutsu. The lion sage could see the quake in Ren's posture as his worst fear swarmed around in his mind disturbing the shinobi greatly. Whatever idea that gripped Ren, it was doing just what Kenji had planned it would. Reaction fighting would never get him far against Kenji, and unbridled fury would gain him even less ground against an expert counter fighter. Now that he was being racked with his worst fear, his attacks would likely be more intense, raising the level of the spar slightly, but it would ultimately result in giving Kenji more options to attack himself. It would appear that his lessons were still going unheard. Obstacles were an absolute, fears, additional skills, etc, the only way to prevail was to... 

With his blue hair waving as he acrobatically dodged the water dragon with frightful ease. The water beast dissipated on contact with the crypt ground. An eye for talent had been active throughout the course of the spar, initially Kenji was impressed with Ren's resourcefulness, but did he really think that was any way to fight an opponent equal in strength? Did he really think such a style could be sustained. Kenji fought in that manner as a Genin... Ren had the speed and strength of a shinobi around Chuunin and Special Jounin rank. He had been trusted to play a part alongside him in the war... he had sufficient combat experience... right? Or was Kirigakure getting soft in who they chose to put their confidence in? Maybe it was Kenji's duty to correct that possible error. 

Ren struggled more and more to get a handle on his phobia, whatever it was. His struggled peaked in the form of sobbing... he exclaimed his wish not to die... Kenji's face for the duration of the spar up until now had remained unchanged, no development, no comments had evoked the tiniest of reactions from the veteran, but "I don't want to die" ????!!!!! Is that his fear? Death? But what a welcoming bliss the idea is? How could anyone fear it, let alone a shinobi? A master of the craft that produces the entity in bulk. Is Ren really a shinobi, or is he just a boy with a knack for combat pretending to be a shinobi? 


Kenji's trail of thoughts ended. And he for once allowed his voice to ring out. Right before he spoke, Ren conjured up a mass of water that shielded him, most likely to give him time to garner a hold on his emotions, but as long as the Genjutsu lasted, that wouldn't happen. "You cannot fight for you comrades, your loved ones, nor protect them with a pathetic phobia such as death. I have never heard such a thing trickle off the lips of any self-respecting shinobi. I came here not knowing what to expect, but upon arriving and finding you, I hoped I could help, and teach you a valuable lesson before my inevitable departure. You will learn much from this point on young Ren. It is my duty to make a shinobi out of you yet... I shall decapitate your fear of death, by decapitating you... The only way to overcome your fears are to face them." A sinister chuckle spewed from Kenji, "You'll face yours now, for real, no more illusions." Kenji darted quickly, moving just within 10 meters, at about 6 meters from Ren. Kenji's scythe was gripped tightly in his left hand. He tossed it up a few meters and formed the tiger hand seal, initiating "Bringer of Darkness". 

What a better realm to face death, than a lair of darkness. Kenji's scythe was back in his hands, and now that he had robbed Ren of his eyes, he would slowly prowl around the den of past warriors until he would abuse his speed advantage, and the advantage of surprise to deliver a damaging life lesson, one that would hopefully make Ren a better ninja.

205/320:

Training: 5813

If he had not been gripped so intensely by fear Ren might have taken greater advantage of the time Kenji was wasting while deep in thought, while the time was not really that long in a fight even a single second can be an eternity. Kenji began speaking to him and instead of hearing Kenji clearly his mind only picked out a few things. He heard that he would not be able to protect his loved ones if he was dead, his loved ones were already dead. The other thing heard was Kenji telling him he would kill him as the sinister chuckle spewed from Kenji sounded to him like an evil witch laugh. The genjutsu had now completely confused him instead of just being trapped within fear Kenji had made him have mixed feelings along with the fear. Instead of just seeing Kenji approach normally he was seeing a giant aura which was not even there around Kenji as finally his opponent was within ten meters of him. Ren's eyes changed, as the water kept a guard up for him the scythe which looked even larger as it went flying into the air he mistook that as a sign of a large scale attack and responded in a way that made the entire purpose of his earlier jutsu completely different as it was clear that he stepped into the water.
"Silence!!!" he completed his seals and performed Raiton Jibashi which would have the ability to paralyze Kenji for some time if he did not avoid it somehow, an extremely powerful Raiton jutsu which normally would be short ranged but with the water splashed on the ground earlier and the water wall as well near to Kenji he attacked. The lightning was not really dodgeable at this stage with the current situation, but at the same time the attack was reckless as the lightning shot out randomly as well the ground they stood on electrified as it hit him then. Whether Kenji found away to avoid the technique through some special means or had a technique for blocking this, Ren would get struck similtaneously by two things. His own Raiton which fortunately was being focused more away from him resulting in him only getting shocked to some degree, while at the same time he lost sight of everything. Having already produced a large scale technique being hit by multiple genjutsu he was no longer completely conscious, as his fear died down only due to his mind not being all their.
Silence had fallen in his mind his ear drums may have been damaged temporarily as he could only hear static now. His water shielding just barely stabilizing as he almost stopped breathing altogether. He had burns on his arms and legs, but his eyes were saved by the technique he used on his eyes earlier. His mind began to stabilize but he was not quite all there yet, struggling with his fear before him vanishing into the darkness he began focusing his chakra. This was not a once off combination as he dropped down to one knee before sending a smaller but somewhat shocking technique through the water, Raiton Kangekiha both reaching further with the help of the surrounding water on the ground. Whether Kenji could avoid all these or stop them all was unclear but he had completely lost it taking harm from his own techniques in order to defeat his fear. He was no longer holding anything back as he then finally snapped. He began a monologue whether Kenji was struck by the attack or still okay somewhere while the water was still electrified was unclear. Some electricity was still filling the air as his hair stood up from the static.
"All my friends, everyone that i loved, all of them are dead. They protected me so i could live, I am not afraid of dying I am afraid of disappointing them by not staying alive for them. Maybe you have lots of friends or comrades or people you love, but everyone i love always leaves me to die and i will not go and leave anyone by dying as well. A shinobi is no good if his dead, a shinobi who can not die is no good while alive." This was when he finally realised while he may have been reckless before he always held back, as he knew going all out meant risking his life. However sometimes the best choice for victory is to put your life on the line, with no intention of giving it up. Risking your life is not reckless, its putting meaning into your task so that you do your best. This was when Ren looked out his mind was troubled and he realised he must have been seeing a genjutsu. If Kenji was really using his technique from before he would have been way too fast for him to get his water shield up in time. Not being able to see with the water electrified he finally spoke out to Kenji.
"Sorry, i was being scared all the time", the fear was still gripping on to him as he now knew it was an illusion and with his sight gone he only had one option. He focused and waited for Kenji, it was not clear what he was planning but he took his stance and lowered his sword. "If you do not come to me i will come to you". Ren had changed thanks to Kenji's talking and felt he had to show his new resolve even if it meant he might hurt Kenji really badly.

Training words = 3500 + 937 = 4437
Chakra = 135/270

B-rank Jutsu : Raiton Jibashi

Raiton Jibashi:

D-rank Jutsu : Raiton Kangekiha and Raiton Hiraishin

Raiton Kangekiha: