"You're kidding me, right?" Kakushi said as the Konoha military policeman presented him the pitiful chunk of steel and wood in the vague shape of a tanto.

"What's the matter?" the policeman asked.

"What's the matter?" Kakushi replied, drawing the weapon from its sheath to examine it more closely, "This is a piece of junk. The steel is brittle, its covered with imperfections, and calling these rags on the hilt a grip would be an insult to grips everywhere." The policeman laughed.

"What did you expect?" he said, "For 120 ryo you're lucky to get a blade at all." Kakushi sighed. The man had a point there. Kakushi was lucky to get a tanto, or any sort of sword, for this amount. 120 ryo was not a small sum-Kakushi's mission commission had been 150-but anything better than this was 400 ryo at least. With no point in arguing any further, Kakushi gave the policeman the money, resheated the tanto, and strapped the scabbard to the back of his waist, hilt on his left side for ease of draw.

"Pleasure doing buisness with ya," the policeman said, walking off smirking. Kakushi fought the urge to stick out his tongue and walked off in the opposite direction.

After a few minutes of walking through the market, Kakushi realized that he was more than a little hungry. His stomach rumbled its consent, and Kakushi looked around for something good to eat. His eyes fell on Ichiraku Ramen, and his frown turned to a smile. He practically teleported over.

"One bowl of beef please!" he said.

"Coming right up!" the man replied. Kakushi waited apprehensively, his mouth already watering. When the man put the bowl in front of him, he couldn't resist licking his lips.

"Down the hatch!" he said, snapping a pair of chopsticks in two.

WC: 303

Shippo smiled widely as he looked over to Tsume nodding his head “We are so lucky! We don’t have to work today! So, let’s go get something delicious to eat!!” Tsume barked happily as he padded along next to Shippo the pair of them heading away towards their favorite eatery. This was a ramen shop that the two of them were constantly going to. The owner didn’t even mind giving even Tsume a bowl of broth, and meat so long as Shippo paid for it.

It didn’t take them long to reach the Ramen shop and upon seeing the other person in the place Shippo smiled and cheered “Here, here!” right after the shinobi snapped his chopsticks. Shippo looked to the man behind the counter smiling widely “My good friend our usual!” He says cheerfully before bending down to pick up Tsume dusting off his paws before setting him on the counter in front of the spot where he was going to sit down. Tsume barked happily and despite the dog on the counter the man doesn’t seem to mind.

Shippo looks to the other shinobi smiling “I love this place. I’ve been coming here ever since I was in the academy. He’s the only shop that allows Tsume to be up here so he can eat. He is my partner and shouldn’t be eating on the floor.” He said even though the other man didn’t ask for such information. As if struck by an after thought however he smiled “Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Shippo, and this is Tsume! It is a pleasure to meet you!” he said

Just then the man placed the two bowls in front of Shippo and Tsume “Here ya go.” Tsume’s was a bowl of beef just, the beef and brooth however. Shippo’s was a bowl of beef with extra noodles and the rest of the things that were absent from Tsume’s bowl.

Shippo smiled picking up a pair of chopsticks “Thank you! Time to dig in!” he said eagerly chowing down.

WC: 339

Kakushi froze midway through his first bite when another person suddenly appeared at the counter.  The young man cheered his consent at a good meal, then reached down and picked up a small ninken before placing it on the counter.  Kakushi was a little shocked, but then he saw the markings on the young man's face, and everything made sense.  He was of the Inuzuka clan; of course he treated his dog with the respect a partner deserved.  

Kakushi was surprised again when the young man spoke directly to him, telling of why he was here and introducing himself.  Being of the Arashi clan, Kakushi wasn't necessarily well thought of in the shinobi community, thanks to who his great-great-grandfather was.  Still, it would have been rude to not say anything, so Kakushi slurped down his bite, wiped his face with a napkin, and returned the young man's smile.

"Kakushi," he said, "Of the Arashi Clan." Kakushi hoped the declaration would not draw instant suspicion, but luckily by now the man had brought Shippo's meal, and the young man and his dog dug in with such gusto that it made Kakushi smile again.  He gathered some of his own noodles on his chopsticks and stuck them in his mouth, guiding the delicious tendrils as he sucked them into his waiting stomach.  He finished his latest bite, then turned again to the Inuzuka beside him.

"I have never met an Inuzuka before," he said, "At least not face to face.  That's a very nice little dog you have."

WC: 559

Shippo smiles widely as he devours his ramen nodding his head as he looked to the other shinobi. Kakushi Arashi. So this was the one who was sitting next to him eating. Shippo, couldn’t exactly complain, but whatever past the Arashi clan might have, Shippo doesn’t know and most likely wouldn’t care because he didn’t judge people on the past but on the present. So instead, he smiled and nodded his head to Tsume swallowing down his light bite “mmmm, delicious ramen. Anyway, this is Tsume. He’s my partner.”

The pup stops his lapping of the broth to lift his head licking his lips. With a huff and a curl of his lips to show fangs he goes back to eating. Shippo sighs flicking Tsume’s right ear “Jerk.” Looking to Kakushi he smiles embarrassed “I’m sorry about that. He’s not usually that rude, but sometimes he doesn’t like being disturbed while he is eating. Anyway, he’s my Ninken partner and we are a team.” That’s when Shippo notices the blade on Kakushi’s back “Oh, you are a weapon guy huh? That’s cool. I’ve only met one other weapon user, but she used a spear.” He said half falling into memories before turning to take a few more bites of the ramen in front of him.

“Mmm, so have you been put on a team yet? Done anything super cool?” he asks excitedly looking at the ninja next to him.

WC: 239
Total: 239 + 339 = 578

Kakushi took another bite, smiling around his mouthful at the cute little dog. The young man next to him, Shippo, apologized for the behavior, but Kakushi waved it off as he swallowed.

"No problem at all," he said, "I wouldn't expect anything else. Especially from a ninken. I've heard they are pretty ferocious in combat." Shippo commented on his weapon, and Kakushi sort of subconciously touched the hilt.

"Yes and no," he said, reffering to his chosen profession, "I use swords and other weapons sort of out of necessity, because I'm terrible at using chakra control. A jonin told me that it's because I have so much internal anger and fear that throws me off, so having something in my hands helps me to focus." Kakushi took yet another bite, disappointed that the noodles were beginning to run out.

"Turns out there's more techniques than I thought that involve focusing chakra into a weapon," he said when he had swallowed, "I picked up a couple from the senseis, and I'm looking into more."

Kakushi mildly snorted when Shippo asked him about his adventures.

"No team yet," he said, "And the most exciting thing I've done so far was sit in front of a gate for six hours. It was a C-rank mission, so I guess I shouldn't complain, but it was still annoying that the only trouble I had was an adventurous academy student and a thug who thought being able to hold a knife meant he could take on a ninja." Kakushi took the last bite of noodles and with one big slurp drained the broth.

"Ahhhh, that hits the spot," he said, "How about you, anything interesting since graduation?"

WC: 840

It was a good thing that this shinobi was okay with Tsume’s behavior as he was indeed not used to having to explain that Tsume was just doing what he always thought about. Presently, however, he smiled nodding his head “I suppose you could say that. The ninken that are my mother’s partners are indeed great warriors and I have to say that I am very interested in Tsume getting up in that level of skill.” He said slurping up the last of his noodles before draining the broth with three large gulps showing that he was very used to such a thing and often.

Now he listened to the words that Kakushi was telling him. The idea that someone was able to focus such chakra into weapons was great news indeed. Shrugging he laughed to himself “Well, that’s good to know. However, I must confess that I am only good with Taijutsu, and Seijutsu which of course has to be the case being that I am an Inuzuka. So, your ability with chakra is much better than mine.” He said honestly setting his bowl aside while Tsume was already starting to lift his head from the bowl licking his muzzle and finishing his meal.

With a happy yip he licked Shippo’s hand and he placed their bowls inside each other handing them back to the cook with his money for payment “I am afraid I have only had one mission so far. It is a D-Rank mission that had me running around delivering letters. It really is irritating. Still, I’ve had my share of adventures. Tsume and I got separated in a forest and it was a terrifying time for me. It’s the first time that he and I have been separated from each other. We have done some training with some of our other comrades, but nothing quite so interesting as guarding the gate.”

He yawned loudly stretching himself out his bones popping and forming into place “mmmm, now then. A good meal, and training to be done! We should get to it Tsume.” He said lifting Tsume and setting the ninken down on the ground looking to Kakushi “Are you going to come with us?”

WC: 368

Total: 368 + 578= 946

"Taijutsu is a very good skill to have," Kakushi said, "And Seijutsu is just plain fun to watch." Shippo spoke of losing Tsume in the woods, and Kakushi nodded.

"That would most definitely worry me too," he said, "If it ever happened. Unfortunately I have never actually left the village; my childhood was sort of, restrictive." As Shippo paid and got up, Kakushi did the same. Then the shinobi asked if he wanted to train with him. Kakushi was taken a little aback by the invitation. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Still, he had intended on doing some training, and a quick sparring match or maybe just a shuriken competition would certainly be welcome today. Kakushi's skills were still not very refined, having graduated from the academy very recently, but he welcomed every opportunity to learn.

"Most certainly," Kakushi said, standing beside his fellow ninja, "A little training would be most welcome right about now." Kakushi smiled. Finally, a chance to try out his new jutsu. He'd never worked with a real blade beyond a kunai before, and though the piece of junk that the policeman had given him could barely be called a weapon, it was better than nothing.

"Please," he said, "Lead the way."

WC: 1048

Shippo smiled softly as he nodded his head in approval moving to lead his fellow shinobi through the village. Heading in the direction of his favorite spot on the open training fields he kept speaking with Kakushi “Well, that’s alright. I haven’t been out of the village much myself. Sometimes I walk through the forests, I would like to go out and do more missions out there, but what kind of missions I do not know. All in all, the village is a nice place and I don’t really mind staying in here. Besides as a shinobi of the village who knows where I will be called to. Who knows for how long I may be away from the village, and maybe I’ll long for home. In the meantime, however, I am going to just stay here and hone my skills.”

It didn’t take him long to reach the training field and he smiled as he turned to gesture it to the one who followed him “This is where I like to train, and this is where Tsume and I get the most of our alone time. So, would you like to train here with me and Tsume? We usually play a few games that are designed to enhance an attribute. Unless of course you would rather us do something a little bit more practical like spar.”

Tsume looked the weapon master over and huffed in irritation before he stood next to Shippo ready to fight. Shippo giggled and shook his head “You’ll have to forgive Tsume, he is always ready for a good fight after all. I do hope that you don’t mind that. So, what would you like to do first?” He asked as he smiled waiting for the answer, but his posture and body movement showed that he was ready to react clearly not an unguarded opponent. Still, he made no moves against the other shinobi instead just waited for something to happen.

WC: 326
Total: 326 + 946 = 1, 272

Kakushi walked along happily with Shippo, hands in the pockets of his pants.  On the outside he remained calm and collected as he listened to Shippo talk, but on the inside, he was as giddy as a first-year academy student.  Finally, he had a friend! Well, maybe not quite there yet, but he at least had someone to talk to who didn't care who his family was.  He nodded a few times to what Shippo said, agreeing wholeheartedly.  

"I agree," he said as they continued to walk, "Constant training is good for both mind and body.  I practice weapons techniques an hour a day myself." By now they had reached the practice field, and Kakushi felt a familiar feeling of excitement.  Training had a special place in his heart, because every time he trained, he knew it was another step closer to becoming a shinobi his father and clan would be proud of.  One step closer to chuunin, then jonin and maybe even the ANBU.  He still had a ways to go before he was of that caliber, but every journey started with a single step.  

Kakushi walked onto the sand of the field, took a deep breath, and turned to Shippo.  Tsume, the little dog, looked ready to fight, and Kakushi got a little nervous.  The Inuzuka were nothing to sneeze at by themselves, but put one of their ninken in the mix and you had **** on earth.  But, if you never tried, you always failed.  Still, it would be nice to get a feel for his comrade before going straight to sparring.

"I always like to try new stuff," Kakushi said, "Show me one of these games.  You pick." Kakushi stood loosely, arms crossed, smiling behind his mask.

WC: 1339

Shippo smiled warmly to Kakushi nodding his head lightly he looked to Tsume “Well, that’s good to hear. We shall start with our favorite game. It’s quite simple. TAG. You see unlike children playing tag it is much harder to out run a dog. Dogs are naturally faster than people, so avoiding one takes serious effort. Not to mention catching one. The game always starts with Tsume as the one who is ‘it’ and he will try to tag us. It is a very intense game, there is no safe, and we only win if Tsume gives up. We will be tagging each other as well as Tsume, but we only get points if we tag Tsume. He gets points for tagging us. But, I will warn you, he likes to tag by biting so there is a great chance you will be bleeding by the end of this game.”

He then looked down to Tsume smiling “Alright boy, Tag, standard rules, no holding back, and please for God’s sake remember the no biting zones.”

In response to this Tsume gave a huff of irritated boredom. With a look, over at Kakushi Shippo smiled “Well, we have a five second head start. Do your best. The one with the most points at the end wins and the loser treats to the next batch of ramen. Fair enough? On your mark, get set, GO!” He dropped to all fours in the traditional Inuzuka style rushing off past Kakushi heading off in his chosen direction. Tsume slowly stretched himself out snarling softly as he did so the sound of his bones popping into place rang out. He looked at Kakushi with a canine smirk which was quite the scary looking thing on a Ninken like Tsume.

His tail flicked slowly to the right side of his body for what seemed like a count of one. Then to the left for a count of two.

WC: 322

Total: 322 + 1, 272 = 1, 594

"Oh boy," Kakushi said, slipping into a combat crouch as the rules were explained, "Tag with a dog. This ought to be interesting." He prepared himself, but the odds looked grim. Tsume being a dog he would be far faster than Kakushi. There was no way he could outrun the animal. But what to do then? He couldn't outmuscle Tsume, for one he wasn't strong enough, and for two the whole idea was to not get touched. He'd have to outmaneuver Tsume, both mentally and physically, but it was obvious Tsume was no pushover when it came to brains. There would be no sucker punches in this game.

Think, Kakushi, he thought to himself, This is training for life. There may come a time when you have to deal with someone who is faster than you in combat, and at that point, it will be life or death, not just a game. As Shippo finished explaining to Tsume, Kakushi was mentally reciting all the ways his senseis had taught him to deal with a faster opponent.

Anticipate and evade, he thought to himself, seizing upon one of the key strategies to dealing with fast-moving objects and opponents, Look at them carefully and make a guess as to how they are going to move, and make them move first. Kakushi sized up Tsume as the dog prepared to attack.

He seems aggressive, Kakushi said, his mind racing as he analyzed his furry opponent, who had now reached a count of two, Aggression equals tunnel vision which equals direct attack, and if his main way of tagging is biting, that means he has to be facing me to engage. That gives me a window to evade once he's committed to the attack. I don't have to be faster than him, just fast enough to get out of the way in time. If I anticipate the lunge, I can dodge it. Kakushi smiled behind his mask and crouched down low as the count reached four, presenting as small of a target as possible as well as building up potential energy in his legs to add some speed to his lunge. He put out his hand as the count hit five, curling his fingers in a "come on" gesture, hoping to goad the ninken into a reckless attack.

WC: 1723

Shippo smiled as he loved the feeling of running on all fours. This was always the greatest joy in his experience. He loved running on all fours, he loved moving about without a care in the world, and he loved to run as if he were a ninken. This was one of his many unrealistic dreams to be a ninken and run wild and free. Still, none of that really mattered at this moment in time because he was going through the steps to start his game. Getting away from Tsume was the hardest part of his life, and there would never be an easy way to do it. He loved this game, but at the same time he hated it because he never won.

Moving through the training ground he inhaled slightly before looking back to see the standoff that was happening. Staying on all fours however so he could be ready to move at a moment’s notice before anything terrible would happen to him and he would lose this game. Hopefully with another player in the mix he wouldn’t have to bother with avoiding Tsume for long so he could put more energy and focus into how to tag him.

Tsume meanwhile, was being challenged by the other shinobi and his tail wagged to three seeing that he was indeed trying to provoke such a stupid reaction as to lunge. This was not what Tsume was going to do so as he got to the four count he slowly got up to his feet shaking himself off and then gave a soft growl of irritation. At the insulting manner that Kakushi was using to provoke him. At the five count Tsume turned around slowly not bothering to seem like he was interested in Kakushi turning in the opposite direction of Kakushi.

With a sudden rush, he started to use his back paws to kick up dirt, dust, and rocks right into Kakushi’s face and hopefully his eyes. He kept this up for a count of three before turning and lunging past Kakushi moving towards Shippo. Who in turn gave a yelp of surprise rushing forward away from Tsume back towards Kakushi. This however, was yet another feint as Tsume only made it past Kakushi to round on him and attack him. Snarling as he did so. He didn’t like to be taunted, and the lunging wasn’t going to be his key strategy in this game. He would get back at this shinobi who had shown him such disrespect.

WC: 420

Total: 420 + 1, 594= 2,014

Tsume reached his count of five and Kakushi readied himself.  Every muscle in his body was tensed.  He waited for the attack, but then, out of nowhere, Tsume stood up and turned around.  Instantly every alarm bell in Kakushi's head went off.  That was not supposed to happen.  To turn around and ignore an enemy was so contradictory to everything Tsume had been doing before that there was no way it was real.  "Feint" was practically written in neon lights on his fur.  Kakushi remained tensed, and when the attack came he was totally ready, lunging to the side as soon as Tsume's back feet started scraping.  The shower of dirt and rocks still caught him a little, but a hand over his eyes and the mask on his face kept him from being debilitated.  

"Wow," he said, "Clever little ninken isn't he?" Tsume turned back around, and rushed at Kakushi.  Kakushi prepared himself, but he saw by the way Tsume was poised that he wasn't heading for him.  He was headed for Shippo.  So, instead of dodging aside, Kakushi dodged towards Tsume, reaching out in an attempt to run his hand along the ninken's back as he rushed past.  The movement was too fast to tell if he connected or not, but he hoped he did.

Kakushi's mind was working furiously, trying to think of a way to tag this blur of fur without getting tagged himself.  Then, as Tsume turned back to him, He seized on a sudden idea.  Going from static to action in a split second, Kakushi scraped his foot along the ground in a sudden and vicious kick, sending his up own shower from the loose earth of the training ground.  Since Tsume was committed to the attack, and certainly not expecting his target to fight back, Kakushi hoped that his shower would be more effective than Tsume's, which had been aimed at a ready opponent waiting for any signs of movement.  With his foot now up in the air, Kakushi drew on his Academy agility training to turn the movement into a back handspring, allowing his feet to go out from under him and arching his back to plant his hands on the ground and use them to push off and send himself shooting backwards.  

He hit the ground in a three-point stance and again changed his strategy, hoping to throw Tsume off once again.  He bolted for the wall of the stadium, hoping to reach it before the certainly very ticked off ninken reached him.  

(OOC: Are we allowing the use of non-lethal jutsu? Like Supernatural Walking Practice and stuff like that? I want to see how Tsume reacts to Misty Flame Dance lol)



Projected Point Gains:
Kakushi: 1

Total Points:
Tsume: 0 (Possible)
Kakushi: 1 (Possible)
Shippo: 0

Total WC: 2145

Shippo was quick and he was quickly moving through the training ground keeping his eye on Tsume, and it was a wonderful thing to see. Kakushi was doing a brave move and he was going to be rewarded, but at the same time so would Shippo. He focused his chakra through his body only now doing a true Down on all fours Technique. The speed it gave him allowed him to shoot forward to the pair. Kakushi was able to touch Tsume’s fur, but this was something the pup was all too eager to have happen. As soon as the hand made contact Tsume whipped around almost folding his little body in half with the action aiming to sink his fangs into Kakushi’s arm. Being that Tsume’s reaction time and his overall speed being better it was a likely scenario that Tsume’s strike would hit home.

Of course, Shippo wasn’t going to be left out of this fight. With Tsume distracted Shippo rushed in there and tapped Tsume on the back with his left hand. Before forging ahead with the speed that the technique gave him. It wasn’t easy, and he was sure that Tsume would have plenty to say about him just sneaking up like that so he kept running towards the wall away from the fighting. Tsume was beside himself, not only did Kakushi touch him, but so did Shippo. This was maddening. Of course, he wouldn’t have held on if his bite on Kakushi was effective, but now he had to choose who to go after. He decided that he would have to remind his partner about the consequences of sneak attacks like that. He let Kakushi go and head to the wall. While he tore after Shippo thus ignoring the entirety of Kakushi’s back hand springs and the attempt to kick rocks at him.

Shippo didn’t need to look back to know that Tsume was after him. Heading to a tree he was quick to jump right up into it landing on one of the upper branches. He was lucky that it didn’t snap under his weight however and he started to regain his breath looking to see what Kakushi was up to. Tsume Meanwhile, was under the tree snarling up at him as he was too small to jump to even the lowest branch and dogs weren’t very good at climbing trees. Still, he had an idea and he could wait.

WC: 406
Total: 406 + 2,014= 2,420
Points:
Tsume: 1 (possible)
Kakushi: 1
Shippo: 1

Chakra 135/150:

Yes! Kakushi thought, elation filling him as he felt fur beneath his hand. The elation soon vanished as he felt teeth sink into his arm.

"OW!" he yelled as blood welled up, "Son of a *****!" Kakushi bounded away, gripping the arm that was now flowing with blood. He cradled the injury, wincing at the pain. Kakushi had always been rather fragile; he bled more than other people, and it took less to damage him. His agility usually compensated for it, but not this time. Tsume was too quick. Still, he had gotten a point, so that was good. It wouldn't be a shut out.

Kakushi watched Tsume tree Shippo, and had to laugh. The young ninja looked like a cat up a tree. But, he was distracting Tsume, so Kakushi couldn't be too negative about it. With Tsume focused on Shippo, Kakushi had some time to rest. He quickly tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and wrapped it around his arm to staunch the flow of blood. The wound covered, Kakushi reassessed his situation.

All three of them had one point. Shippo and Kakushi's impromptu teamwork had actually paid off rather effectively. While he was fast and smart, Tsume still had only one mouth. If they attacked together, they could get enough points for one of them to win. At this point, Kakushi cared more about showing Tsume what he was made of than actually winning. An idea forming in his head, Kakushi began running towards Tsume, going on the offensive to give Shippo a chance to strike.

"I comin' for ya, Tsume!" Kakushi yelled, "You think you're so fast? Let's dance!"

As he ran, Kakushi began charging his chakra, getting ready to cut loose with a jutsu he was sure Tsume would enjoy.

Shippo looked down at the ninken shaking his head lightly “Geez Tsume, there is no need to get so worked up about things like this.” Tsume snarled loudly as he carved deep gouges in the base of the tree. Shippo didn’t know what he would do to get away from the ninken, but he did know that he didn’t want to get bitten. After all, there would be no point to him getting hurt again and giving Tsume yet another point. Instead, he would simply have to wait and think of something better. He didn’t have many jutsu that he could use, but there were a few he could think of.

Presently, he sighed leaning against the tree thinking about the options he had available to him. What he did know however, was that Kakushi was trying something. He watched as it was clear the weapon master was going to try something. It was at this point that Tsume noticed something happening. He looked back over his shoulder to see Kakushi coming towards him. He snarled shaking his head slowly as he watched Kakushi approaching. Tsume snarled as he started to rush towards Kakushi ready to attack him. Tsume had already showed how clever he was, and there was really no need for him to struggle so hard.

With a snarl, he rushed forwards towards Kakushi, but this wasn’t the entirety of his plan. Instead, he stopped jumping back and gave a series of barks. With a burst of white smoke, he stood there as the exact copy of Shippo. He turned jumping up into the tree and knocking into Shippo himself. The two who looked exactly alike slammed down to the ground struggling and wrestling to either separate or get at each other. Nothing was going to be accomplished and if Kakushi used his jutsu it was inevitable that Shippo would also be caught in the crossfire.

WC: 318
Total: 318 + 2,420 = 2,738
Points:
Tsume: 1
Kakushi: 1
Shippo: 1

Chakra 130/150:

Tsume’s Chakra 25/35:

(OOC: sorry for long wait :) oh, and I looked it up, because of Agile, my speed is equivalent (D-rank) to Tsume's. Also, think we could wrap this up, maybe in the next post? Want to get these words to the training threads!)

"Darn!" Kakushi said out loud.  Man, Tsume was smart.  So smart it was downright unnatural.  But, he was a ninken, so Kakushi supposed that that was to be expected.  Still, it was annoying too.  Kakushi continued to run towards the sudden melee that was unfolding on the ground of the training floor.  When Tsume and Shippo went down, an idea suddenly came to Kakushi.  He smiled as it formed in his head.

Kakushi, being a swordsman and a son of the once-famed Arashi Clan, had very sharp eyes.  Many ninja called it having an Ace Eye.  This usually helped him throw projectiles on target, but it could also help him see through things like genjutsu, or, in this case, track a target.  Kakushi had never taken his eyes off his furry opponent, even after the cloud of smoke, and had watched him during his leap and tumble with Shippo.  Tsume may have looked exactly like Shippo, but he was still a seperate, distinct entity, and Kakushi, since he had a clear view of Tsume the whole time, was able to keep track of which Shippo was which by their movements.  

Never taking his eyes off the wrestling Shippos, knowing that losing eye contact would totally mess this up, Kakushi depended on reflex to extend his hand down and reach into his ninja tool pouch.  From it he drew a single shuriken.  He held it in his hand and focused his chakra.  He channeled it into the shuriken, which started to glow blue.  Any casual observer would have thought Kakushi crazy, throwing a shuriken, barely aimed, into such a close melee.  Kakushi, however, was most certainly sane, and he was about to whip out a technique that neither Tsume or Shippo could possibly know, because it had been Kakushi who had revealed its secrets, long since lost to time.  The secret technique of the Arashi Clan.  

"Blade Meld!" he shouted as he prepared to throw the shuriken, "Shuriken Control!"

WC (Including previous uncounted post):
625
Total WC: 2770

Chakra 140/150:

Shippo was caught completely off guard by what Tsume did he was truly the smartest pup that Shippo had ever known. He would not ever underestimate his beloved pup. The two wrestled as much as they could, but they suddenly parted violently as a sound caught their attentions. It was a dog whistle, a loud high-pitched whistle that no human could hear, but both Tsume and Shippo who had been trained to hear this particular brand of dog whistle. He was about to look over to see his new friend and let him know, but that friend was busy throwing a shuriken in some kind of fashion at Tsume.

This was not that unusual to anyone, and he would not have any quips for it later. Instead he only stepped in front of his canine companion pulling out a kunai flushing his chakra into it so it could withstand the blow. If the blow was not turned away he would be able to reflect the attack so he could protect both himself and Tsume. Tsume wasn’t long to hold the transformation as he moved backwards he was able to release the Jutsu without the small puff of smoke that signaled the doing so was done. When it was done and Tsume stood there, and the attack was either deflected or canceled he was ready to talk. Moving across the ground he stood in front of Kakushi smiling warmly “I am so sorry about this, but we are being recalled. I hope you don’t mind it. Still, this was a lot of fun, and it seems that you are the winner. So, the next round of ramen is on me. It’s been a real delight to meet you.” Tsume slowly walked up behind Shippo bowed his head in respect before he as well as Shippo rushed away heading off all at once because that whistle would spell their death tone if they did not get to the source of that whistle in a timely fashion.

[Exit]
WC: 334
Total: 334 + 2,738 = 3,072

Training:
Jutsu-
Scoring For Blood - "Fetch" (譜ぇッ血, Fetcchi) D: 750/750 words, 80/80 Ryo
Being Pinned On One's Back - "Roll Over" (牢る奥場, Rōru Ōba) D: 750/750 Words, 80/80 Ryo
Unadulterated Heroism - "Howl" (覇王留, Haōru) C:1,000/1,000 Words, 150/150 Ryo

Stats-
Speed: D to D-1 325/325 words, 25/25 Ryo

Totals:
Words: 3,072 – 2,825 = 247 Words Remaining
Ryo: 623 – 335 = 288 Ryo remaining

Kakushi was just about to hurl his shuriken, but suddenly the two wrestlers broke apart and stood separate.  Kakushi followed through, hurling the shuriken at his now open target.  Then, suddenly, Shippo whipped out a kunai and charged it with chakra, apparently ready to protect himself and, by the way he was standing, Tsume too.  Kakushi, realizing he must somehow be calling a halt for some reason, put his hands into the standard chakra-gathering generic seal and then, seemingly by magic, the shuriken made a sharp 90 degree straight into the ground mere inches from Shippo's feet.

"What's going on?" Kakushi asked.  Shippo explained, and Kakushi nodded.

"Very well," he said, "Thank you for the excellent training session.  I learned a lot.  That's a very talented dog you have there." Kakushi was surprised that he was the winner, but he guessed it was because his opponents had to depart.  Not the best way to win, he supposed, but a win was a win regardless.  That was the way of the ninja, and though Kakushi didn't always like it, forcing or encouraging a retreat was just as honorable as any form of victory.  Tsume walked up and bowed his head to Kakushi respectfully.  Kakushi, making sure to keep his tanto in its sheath, performed a twirling salute and gave his own bow.  

Then, Tsume and Shippo were gone.  Kakushi smiled as they left.  Today had been a good day.  He had made a friend, two actually, and he was certain that their friendship would last for a good long while.  As Kakushi turned toteh gate of the training session.  He thought of something he had once read in a swordsmanship tome about the connection forged between opponents in combat.

Once you cross swords with someone, the tome had said, You know their heart.

[Exit]

OOC: Thanks for the great RP!

WC: 302
Total WC: 3072
Extra WC from previous threads: 126
Total Usuable WC: 3198

Training:
Strength, Speed, Reaction Time E-2 to D-0=1575 words
Perception, Endurance E-1 to D-0=1350 words
Total Used: 2925 words
Total Remaining: 273 words