Shippo smiled as he and his partner arrived in the training field. Shippo was starting to train his Taijutsu. He wanted to make sure that he was capable of actually performing well. Going through the motions was one thing, and while it had some valuable practice to be sure, there was something he was missing. He looked to his ever present partner Tsume with a smile “Hey boy, would you mind giving me a hand with some training?”

Tsume looked up at him with a slightly disinterested look, but then shrugged his shoulders lightly before he stood up on his feet. Shippo took position so it was easy for Tsume to climb up on his back. The little canine did just that jumping onto Shippo’s back before he exploded into smoke. As the smoke cleared Tsume was now the spitting image of Shippo, and they were perfectly alike in every way. Now Tsume climbed down and took up the stance that Shippo was want to use. After spending so many hours watching Shippo practice Tsume had some idea of how his fighting style worked, he also had his own style of fighting.

Now they were starting to go through the motions of launching blows in an effort to work and attack each other. They weren’t doing it very seriously however, as there was no reason to seriously injure one another, but neither of them were landing blows. Just before impact they would halt their strike and break apart moving onto the next blow. This wasn’t a training session to improve strength, it was one to improve speed. With each blow they moved that much faster in order to land more blows in a shorter period of time.

The pair kept this up for a good long moment before they finally broke apart again in order to catch their breath. They both sat down hard panting, and Tsume being as tired as he was released his jutsu appearing the same as he always did. With them being so tired Shippo sighed heavily stretching out laying on his back he started to laugh nodding his head “Well Tsume it seems we have gotten a good workout in. At the very least we can say we tried to do something with our time!”

Tsume lay completely stretched on his stomach giving a bark of agreement slowly closing his eyes to relax and nap right alongside his partner. Of course, being such a beautiful day as this, and given that they were in a public space someone was bound to come find them sooner or later.

Chakra 135/150:

432 WC

As Bōei made his way to the training field he pondered what he should focus on for his training today. "Ninjutsu or Taijutsu....Hmmmmm?" he thought to himself as he walked along the path to the field. He felt the cool breeze of the day drag across his face as the rays from the sun warmed his skin. The path was relatively short from his home which made it an excellent spot for him to train at. Normally he would go at night when it was relatively quiet and free of others but today he decided to change things up a bit. He hoped maybe he would find someone to train with for a change as his wooden dummy at his home would only do but so much for his training. Although he hoped he may stumble upon someone, he wasn't overly ambitious about it and wasn't going to seek anyone out as that would take too much effort.

When he turned the corner he noticed two figures laying in the field, a boy and his dog. The dog was a deep grayish blue color whose face happened to be a few shades lighter than the rest of its body. It appeared to be napping next to what Bōei assumed to be its master. As he moved closer to the pair he began to make out more fine details about the boy who appeared to have not noticed Bōei's presence as of yet. The boy was wearing a dark tank top under a redish-orange zip-up jacket with black fur lined cuffs and dark green cargo pants also lined with the same black fur. On the boys face were two marks on his cheek which Bōei immediately recognized as the Inuzuka clan's markings. With this knowledge he began to analyze the pair, recognizing they were probably decently versed in the art of Seijutsu. Although the Inuzuka clan are a staple within the leaf village, Bōei had never trained with or against any of its members.

Bōei walked closer to the pair making sure to leave enough distance as to not seem overly aggressive or trigger the boy's furry companion to defend his master. "Hey you, seems as though we are the only two out here today. Would you like to spar? If not that's fine with me but I figured I would at least extend the courtesy of asking" Bōei said loud enough for the boy to hear him speak. As he waited for the boy to respond he figured he would start training by himself, as he figured if the boy wanted to join him he would do it. Bōei slipped into his traditional fighting stance; a high, narrow stance with the elbows kept close to the body with the arms are positioned across the vitals of his centerline. After getting himself prepared, he started to perform kata associated with his fighting style, waiting to see if the boy would take his offer or not. Either way, Bōei was going to do what he needed to do regardless if he had a partner or not.

WC: 538

Shippo yawned softly as he relaxed and enjoyed himself, but both he and his beloved partner soon caught a scent. It was a scent that neither knew, but with a soft growl in his chest Tsume’s right eye popped open and he beheld the approaching shinobi. With a huff that sounded as if he was simply relaxing even more he had translated there was no threat to either of them. So Shippo kept his eyes closed yawning again and turning over to face the oncomer, but kept his eyes closed and kept himself looking peacefully at sleep and at his ease. When the other shinobi stopped, and began to speak Shippo slowly opened his eyes looking up at him with a smile that was showing off his fangs as he suddenly jumped up full of energy and ready to go for most anything looking as if he was ready to run a mile in a few seconds.

He nodded his head lightly with a smile “I would love to spar! It would be fun! Oh, by the way My name is Shippo Inuzuka, and this bag of lazy bones here is Tsume. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” he said as if he was already a dear friend to him. Presently, he moved in front of the other shinobi taking up his own stance, but only after her performed the kata so as not to be in the way. When it was safe to do so he took up his proper position. His feet were in perpendicular stance. His right hand was palm up and ready to receive, while his left hand was over the center of his chest crossing in another perpendicular line. His left palm was resting in the crook of his elbow and then he slowly moved himself up onto the balls of his feet ready to move them, and dance with his opponent “Your stance is familiar. Let’s trade a few blows and see what comes of it my friend.” He said gently shifting himself on his feet never leaving his weight settled in one place so as not to become too stable and be knocked over or off. The claws of his clan were out and they looked to be sharp and indeed he would use them in claw strikes, and finger strikes. These were weapons to give him the edge in his Taijutsu and it was all he wanted or needed.

Tsume on the other hand slowly rose to his feet backing off, but keeping his eyes trained on the leaf shinobi ready to attack should he need it. Now it was a matter of waiting for his opponent to make the first strike, of course, if he wanted to attack first then he could do just as much. There was nothing more that needed to be done before Shippo was ready to engage in the fight.

492 WC
924 Total

As Bōei continued performing his kata, he kept the shinobi in his views watching his movements from his peripherals. It appeared since he had layed his offer on the table to the unknown shinobi, he had popped himself up like he was full of energy and excitement. Seeing the shinobi's over zealousness made him slightly regret extending his offer as this shinobi seemed like he was going to push it more than Bōei wanted to. In his peripherals he could see the shinobi smiling, showing off his canines which seemed to be longer and sharper than normal. "Gotta watch out for those..." Bōei thought to himself.

“I would love to spar! It would be fun! Oh, by the way My name is Shippo Inuzuka, and this bag of lazy bones here is Tsume. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” spoke the shinobi in an excited tone. He spoke as if they were already close friends or something of the like. As he spoke Shippo placed himself in front of Bōei and assumed his fighting stance. As Shippo prepared himself in his stance, Bōei realized something oddly familiar about it. It appeared the two shinobi shared their fighting style. "What are the odds..." Bōei thought to himself. “Your stance is familiar. Let’s trade a few blows and see what comes of it my friend.” said Shippo as showed off the claws on his hands. Bōei analyzed everything he could about Shippo so he could be as prepared as he could be. Given Shippo was of the Inuzuka clan and had animalistic features, Bōei could infer that Shippo would probably adjust his fighting style accordingly to use those claws and potentially fangs as opposed to the vertical fist normally attributed to the fighting stance. "Those claws are going to be troublesome, better make sure not to get hit..." Bōei thought to himself as he prepared a counter strategy. "I have to control this fight and force him to react how I want. I need to gather more information first..." Bōei plotted in his mind.

As he continued to plan how he would approach the sparring session, Bōei watched as Tsume slowly rose to his feet feeling its eyes trained on him. Bōei cracked his neck and proceeded move towards Shippo. Bōei opened up the combat by performing a front kick amined at the inside of Shippo's knee cap with the purpose of knocking him off balance limiting his counter attack options. This would be a simple test of Shippo's reaction time and speed, and he would adjust his strategy accordingly. What would Shippo do? Would he block, would he attempt to counter, or would he simply just be hit by the technique? In any situation, Bōei had already prepared a counter strategy to handle any one of the possible scenarios.

WC: 502

Tsume was nervous about watching his partner in a fight, but there wasn’t much could do about it. Shippo would do whatever he wanted to do, and there wasn’t anything Tsume could do about that. Still, he would be back up if his partner needed it, but he wasn’t sure how likely a thing like that was too be.

Shippo was excited about this friendly sparring match, he hadn’t had a chance to spar for a good minute, and so he was almost vibrating with energy. He didn’t know this shinobi’s name, but he did know that he was a member of the leaf village so he trusted that his opponent wouldn’t actually give him an irreversible wound. Of course, if he was wrong Tsume was ready to tear the other Shinobi’s throat out in half a heartbeat, or at least try to do as much. Still, he couldn’t really focus about that right now as he caught the movement of the kick. With a quick bit of action he skitter stepped to the side moving so the kick would have to cross the center of the other ninja’s body in order to try and reach him. At once he recognized that kick as something familiar to his style of fighting. It was interesting to say the least and only helped to prove the point in his mind that this other shinobi knew his style of fighting. Shippo wasn’t idle while he thought about this however he sent out his opened palm out in a jab not a traditional move in this position, but it was perfect for what he wanted to do being that his claws would give him some kind of advantage.

He didn’t commit his eggs into this basket however, and he was ready for the counter blow, or for the block that he was likely to face. He wanted to be ready to return the blow that was sure to come for him and not seem like a complete novice in front of the other shinobi. Presently as he got ready to receive the next blow he asked rather out of the blue “Oh, right, what’s your name stranger? It’s polite to introduce yourself after someone else has done likewise.” He said cheerfully making sure to come off as friendly and well meaning.

401 WC
1,325 Total

As Bōei continued to throw his kick, he realized it seemed like Shippo would chose to dodge the kick rather than block it. “Good choice,” Bōei thought to himself. It appeared that Shippo was familiar with the intricacies of the style and was prepared for such a strike. "That's what I would have done if I were in his position," Bōei concluded. He watched carefully as Shippo shifted himself to the side to avoid the incoming blow. With little hesitation Shippo launched a counter attack back at Bōei. It came in the form of an open palmed jab led by those quite sharp looking claws. It was unconventional for the style but given the Inuzuka's natural weapons, it made sense for Shippo to make the best use of them. As the strike came at Bōei, Shippo began to speak almost as if he had forgotten they were fighting. “Oh, right, what’s your name stranger? It’s polite to introduce yourself after someone else has done likewise” said in a cheerful tone. Without breaking his concentration, Bōei replied with a single word, “Bōei”. Reacting to the jab, Bōei retaliated by swiveling his body just enough for the jab to pass by him without any contact. Bōei wrapped his arm around Shippo’s trapping it underneath his armpit against his rib cage to prevent Shippo from dodging the next attack. Bōei intended to force Shippo to block and take his next strike. After trapping Shippo’s arm, Bōei launched a straight vertical fist punch aimed at Shippo’s sternum. With this punch, Bōei intended to put the pressure on Shippo and force him to make a mistake. Bōei was comfortable waiting for others to make a mistake, biding his time until the inevitable first mistake. From what he could tell, Shippo was on par with him in speed but his reaction time was just slightly slower. Bōei figured he would abuse this as the bout went on. He realized he needed to nesutrslize Shippos ability to react. He adjust his strategy accordingly to stay close to Shippo, forcing him to react faster and faster until his reaction time begins to break down. “Shouldn’t be too hard I hope. I don’t feel like wasting too much energy on this…” Bōei thought to himself as he watched his opponent intently, waiting for him to make his next move.

WC: 429

The fact that the kick was continued showed Shippo that his opponent was likely to make a hurried mistake trying to fix for a move that was already in motion. This told Shippo that his opponent was already thinking of the moves ahead of time, and did his best to make sure they didn’t leave him in a position that was unrecoverable. It would make fighting him a lot more interesting being that a miss would be finished out and then followed up in a rapid succession. He didn’t like that this implied a higher reaction speed in his opponent as this would only complicate his fighting even more.

He did hear the other boy introduce himself and that was something to behold in and of itself. He gave the boy a smile as he tried to move his arm away from the failed jab only to have it wrapped up in Boei’s arm “Oh, well it’s nice to meet you!” he said just as cheerfully as ever. That’s when he launched his own counter attack. It was slower in coming, but using the closeness Shippo pushed himself up onto his tip toes and surged his open maw forward towards Boei’s face planning to use his sharp fangs to bite the genin, on the nose, or cheek and get him to let him go. Of course, this wasn’t likely to be obvious as to his intention, but a mouth full of sharp teeth coming at anyone tended to be slightly unnerving. Yet, he wasn’t aware of the blow that was now coming at him. With the pushing closer he managed to change the target of the blow to his stomach rather than his sternum, and he let a grunt escape him as he felt the blow hit him, but by that time his mouth would be too close to Boei’s head to stop it’s attack.

However, there was another blow that Boei would be hard pressed to see as it was coming in tandem with his own strike and the bite. It was another palm jab led by claws only this one was more aimed towards Boei’s stomach the claws sharp and ready to scratch. The wounds that might be inflicted would be only superficial that Shippo knew, but they would still hurt and possibly serve to give Shippo the desperately needed space that he wanted. If both of his attacks failed to connect though Shippo would lash out with a kick of his own aimed at Boei’s right shin in order to knock both of them over onto the ground.

Tsume meanwhile stood on end nervously bouncing from his left paws to his right paws trying to determine if he should interfere but without a direct order or call from Shippo he wouldn’t get involved. Shippo wanted this to be a fair fight, and so fair it would be even if Tsume didn’t care to let his partner get beaten like a drum during such a fight. Besides he had faith in his partner’s skills so he would wait.

510 WC
1,835 Total

Bōei remained calm and collected as he watched his opponents movements tryin to predict the inevitable counter attack that was sure to come. As he analyzed the situation he felt his punch land squarely in the gut of Shippo after a quick deflection away from the sternum. At that moment he realized Shippo’s counter attack strategy. He used the close distance to initiate a bite attack that would be difficult to dodge without letting him go. “He's clever. He is trying to force me to let him go…” Bōei contemplated. Additionally Bōei noticed yet another claw strike coming towards his midsection. Understanding he would only be able to handle one of these attacks in time, Bōei decided to take the hit to the stomach to block the bite. Thinking quickly, Bōei also realized  something that would give him the advantage in this battle. In his haste to bite, Shippo had shifted up onto his tip toes and compromised his frame. Given that he was on his tip toes, his center of balance was shifted, and it would be significantly easier to knock him off balance compared had he remained flat footed. Bōei released Shippo from the arm hold to allowing for his next move. Using his now free arm Bōei released a quick palm strike to the side of Shippo’s face causing his bite to miss Bōei’s face albeit only just slightly, but slightly was enough. The palm strike however would serve another purpose more instrumental to victory in this confrontation. Bōei rotated his body slightly to allow him to capitalize on Shippo’s critical mistake. Bōei extended his leg out and using his palm continued to push Shippo’s head using his own momentum against him so that he would trip over Bōei’s leg. Since Shippo had launched himself off his tip toes, the added momentum of Bōei’s palm strike would easily drive him hurling to the ground. As he pushed, Shipped claw strike landed on Bōei’s midsection, slashing hid shirt and leaving a ling scratch on along his stomach as Shippo fell to the ground. Had he not rotated his body, that claw strike would have been significantly more damaging.

After Shippo hit the ground, Bōei evaluated the extent of the damage. His stomach was bleeding from the wound, albeit only slightly, and his shirt had been ripped. He didn’t expect for his opponent to leave that kind of damage and was slightly annoyed at the holes in his defense. Bōei quickly contemplated exactly what went wrong in his defense and how Shippo was able to get him. Bōei realized he should have trapped both of Shippo's arms to neutralize the claw threat. The bite could have been resolved with an elbow strike of a head butt.  “Well this is pretty lame, I spent a lot more energy on this than I wanted and I got my shirt ripped. Lame,” Bōei lamented to himself. He brushed himself off and wiped away the blood while facing Shippo. “Well fought. You got me. I didn’t expect that. Thanks for the session. I’ve learned a lot,” Bōei said bowing to his training partner. He turned towards Shippo's furry companion and spoke once more, “Thanks for not interfering”. He turned once again and walked toward the tree line before Shippo could respond. He walked into the shadow of the large tree overseeing the training field and vanished in the blink of an eye, heading back to his home to treat his wounds and rest.

Chakra Usage:

[~Exit Thread~]



WC: 612
TWC: 2081

Training:
Speed: E-2 -> D-3 (1700 Words)
Reaction Time: E-1 -> E-3 (375 Words)
Remaining WC: 2081 - 1700 - 375 = 6

Shippo had indeed over committed to the course of action he had taken, but he was sure that it was the right move. His bite was blocked by the palm strike to his face that kept his head moving and kept his momentum flowing through his body. He had given away his footing to gain some kind of ground, or at least a break in the action. However, what Boei wouldn’t ever know was that Shippo didn’t care if he had been let go or not, because if he wasn’t let go his claws would’ve sunk into Boei’s body holding him tight to the Inuzuka so he could continue to bite and stab at him without letting Boei get away and create any kind of opening in the clearly Taijutsu heavy shinobi.

However, all of that was a moot point as Shippo was sent spinning into the ground, but not before he delivered a very powerful slash of his own. Well, powerful in the sense that a genin could be powerful with his own skills and abilities. Which to say bluntly wasn’t all that powerful. The scent of blood triggered the fight reflex in Tsume and he shot to his feet searching Shippo from his direction as best he could, making sure that there wouldn’t be any kind of serious wound and if there was a wound then he wouldn’t be staying in a neutral position like this for much longer. However, he wasn’t given any orders, and didn’t see Shippo bleeding in any fashion so he didn’t do anything.

Shippo spun through the ground to face Boei making sure he did his best not to be stationary for long. With a few quick rolls, he was soon on his back looking up at Boei ready to fight. However, his opponent seemed ready to leave he gave a bow to both Shippo and Tsume before he ran off. As he left Shippo gave a soft whimper feeling rather abandoned. Wasn’t much he could do about it but he waved in the direction that Boei had gone “See you around Boei! Nice sparing with you!” Tsume walked over to Shippo jumping onto his chest licking his face gently “Well, Tsume, it seems there wasn’t much we could do about that. He must be a very busy guy. That’s alright, we shouldn’t hold it against him.” With that it was done and he headed towards home Tsume at his heels. He would find Boei later, and then they could spar again in the future, but there wasn’t anything that could be done right now. Boei had left in a huge hurry and while Shippo could understand it wasn’t what he would’ve preferred to have happen. Still no sense in worrying about it now as he had other things to do.

[Exit Thread]

468 WC
1,835 + 468 = 2,303 Total

Training
STR: E- E1: 75/75
RT: E – D: 750/750
Perception: E1 – D: 675/675
Endurance: E – D: 750/750

2, 303 – 2,250 = 53 WC Remaining