A-ha. This was it....this was what he was wanting to do for so long. It was like an itch he had to scratch. Having not done it for a good deal of time (why, it was since he had left for the Lightning Country from Sunagakure no Sato!), it was much more than a relief to him. It was like something pent up was finally released from him.

Yes, katas. He did the mountain climbing, the strenuous training here....but the biggest part of his training was his forms. He flowed from one stance, one shadow-box, to a complete halt, then to the next, all from memory. It wasn't as if he used them in battle, at least not in their crisp form like he so very often practiced; it was more...if he knew the movements by heart, he could alter them at will. Aside from unbending defense, he had to be flexible in his offense. He'd even taken that man's advice and learned a bit of means to take people down non-aggressively. It was far from effective at this point, as he didn't get to hone his senses as much as he had liked....but he was better in that department than others of similar ability already. He had to be able to spot attacks in order to effectively react to them, and his reactions were necessary to be on par with it in order to counter appropriately. Thus...this bit of attack just fit in a little mite better than he had hoped it would. All it took was a slight bent finger and a negligible jab compared to his normal forms, and in time even this became easy.

Taede had gotten up here by climbing, not by Supernaturally Walking; that was not the thing for a guy like him. At any rate....he was watchful. He admittedly got a little spooked when taken by surprise, so he was careful to get a good view of the surroundings. His Water Droplet Reflection Sight was a very prudent way to let him take in everything around him without seeming like he was paranoid. He might have been, just a little on the inside, but no one had to know that. His carefree exterior did him well in most cases.

It was sometimes annoying for Taede to wait for people, but....he knew he couldn't be so hard on others. He was tardy all the time....he could recall at least two of the most recent missions he was late to, and one that he missed entirely due to a....mishap. At any rate, he was keeping a close eye out. A little sophomoric behavior of his was looking at people through his Doujutsu without actually looking at them; talking normally and ignoring every single urge, twitch, or mannerism that might give away that he was playing a prank on them; often, he would talk to the air as if it were a person for pure effect of oddity. (Having a few acquaintances that were Kōga, he often saw himself being read. It was weird.)

As he was just finishing up his final set of forms, footsteps approached....south-east, at 7:00, eh. Taede's eyes looked through the distorted reflections of the tiny orbs of water that suspended themselves through the air; namely, clouds let him see perfectly where a white fluff would occupy the field of vision otherwise. His ability was odd, due to the fact that his dilated pupils might suggest some sort of mental influence (he's been asked multiple times if he was "on something"), but useful nonetheless.

It was a part of his own training, really, that he had become slightly acute to the sound of footsteps. Learning how to erase one's own gait from the sense of sound was something that took an understanding of what not to do, what to listen for. Taede just hoped, now, that it was the person he was waiting for.

[678]

"Tsk. At this rate, I will be indirectly training someone from every major village,", were the thoughts of a silver-haired male, Nanashi, sitting on a stool at an open-air eatery, finishing up a cup of tea that were order by him moments prior. The soothing liquid flowing down his throat relaxed the male and was a welcoming feeling. Although, he knew he had other engagements to attend to, specifically meeting up with a certain Suna-nin, the Sannin needed this moment to unwind from the events transpired this morning.

He had, on orders from his mother, tracked down an elusive person who owed a debt to her and had yet to pay it - that being almost a decade ago. Seeing how his mother was quite known in Kumogakure for some of her past exploits, he, Nanashi, was sent to deal with this problem with orders to get what was owed through any means necessary. And Nanashi did just that, although, no blood was shed, he did put the fear of Kami into the man. When the individual came home, expected to be greeted by his wife and two children, instead, he found them all sitting on the couch, flipping through a photo album with none other than 'The Pestilence of Iwa', Nanashi, in the middle and a tad bit too close to his wife. The pair locked eyes for a moment, a threat sent, even as the children hugged their father, and wife kissed her husband. It didn't take much time for the man to quickly give Nanashi what he came for, ushering the Sannin out with a hint of urgency. Though, not below, Nanashi could thank the wife for the meal and wished them a 'good day'.

It took up most of his morning, Nanashi having to wait for the husband to return for lunch, in order to get what he came for. Hell, it had only been a few minutes since he had left the man's house not that far from the eatery he was now at.

"Guess, I should not keep him waiting. . .", he mused to him, leaving the correct amount of ryo for the tea along with a small tip, before exiting the establishment. Instead of using a body flicker, Nanashi decided to walk towards the Battle Plateau, where he told the Suna-nin to meet him 'training'. Nanashi really didn't have any idea what he would trained the genin in. For one, he didn't know anything about Taede's specialization with him being a taijutsu specialist only being an assumption. However, he had decided, that he would train this kid on said assumption. And if he was wrong? Well, at least the boy would get some valuable experience.

It wouldn't be long before Nanashi made his way up the plateau, coming from the southeast, at a rather sedated pace. If there were any sensory shinobi, or jutsus activate, they would notice something odd. For Nanashi was also coming from the opposite direction as well, stopping a short distance from the top. How could there be two Nanashis? Simple, he had created a shadow clone, upon seeing the plateau in the distance, ordering it to come up the opposite side.

Upon reaching the top of the plateau, Nanashi, not the clone,  immediate saw Taede looking in his direction. The genin oblivious had either heard his footsteps or used a sensory jutsu to sense him, not like he was trying to mask his presence. Either way, yellow, serpentine eyes gaze into the teen, showing nothing but indifference within them. A moment of silence descended on the pair, only to be broken by Nanashi "Might want to move. . ."

The once stationary clone having reached the top of the plateau with ease. The distance between him and Taede would be closed quickly, the clone moving at Chuunin speed(C-3 to be exact), index finger bent and poised to jab Taede in the center of his spinal column. Even though there wasn't any chakra involved, the jab would still hurt; the clone was not holding back his strength at all. Though, there was a chance the jab would miss, the clone's creator having warned the Genin in ample time to at least prepare a counter.

All the while, Nanashi watched this occur from his standing position, waiting to see how the genin would react.

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