A Graceful Interlude (Training

Sakamoto · 1 A Graceful Interlude (Training - NK) Tue May 08, 2018 12:56 am

Sakamoto

D-rank

EP : 52

176

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

'Konoha was a Busy place...‘

It hadn't been long since Sakamoto had arrived in the village hidden in the leaves, the human world had certainly grown since he was last here. The stone monuments that had been erected seemed to tower over people like grand displays of power and ingenuity, with flagrant regard to sense and reason. It was frivolity at its finest as long-dead men and women attempted to remind people of their deeds when the deeds themselves were not worthy of remembrance. Sakamoto, in that sense had decided it best to have a rest from society, placing a training notice into the administration building, simply walking behind the desk and slotting it into the in-box to account for his location as he would stroll along the Naka River that cut through Konoha like a blade. People seldom recognized the flamboyant feline as he moved about his daily duties, weaving in and out of the crowd, not looking to move too quickly simply due to the injury that he had taken to his kind leg, attempting to jump or bound at any given speed was a reckless motion for him that cause no shortage of stabbing pain... The samurai who had managed to land the blow seemed to be skilled... and although he was dead, Sakamoto found himself here, in the land he grew up in.

'but why?'

The Ninneko could not quite grasp or gather why he was actually here, why he had signed up for a ninja equivalency test, bothered to pass and become a Genin in this miserable country. He could tell that many of the people here knew nothing of hardship, smiling as they went about their cliche daily business without a care in their minds, while a systematic death machine of trained child soldiers paraded in the shadows, known to the civilians as supposed dutiful guardians of their safety. All it would take was one of them to go rogue, and within moments their entire safe, wholesome world would fall, crumbling around their ankles and suffocating them with the mortar they'd built the foundations of their paradise on... But there seemed to be something hidden within it all, these people didn't seem to be ignorant of the dangers of the world around them, the simply seemed to trust in others enough that they didn't shoulder every burden life threw their way. Sakamoto was jealous of that, having never had such a luxury and now finding himself positioned in such a manner that he was surrounded by it. The culture shock was simply immense, and it frustrated him to no end.

However, as the feline went about his daily business, he would never have expected that a ninja, whomever they might be, would have actually accepted the training request that he'd sent into the administration building earlier that day, forwarding them to the Naka River. Sakamoto wasn't one to think of altruistic acts as commonplace, and yet, here he was in the land of fire about to receive yet another lesson. But the poor creature wasn't quite able to shake the feelings of times gone by... flashes of steel flickering in the chaos as screams and cries of his companions pleading and fading from the world as they were righteously cut down, culminating in the cowardly Sakamoto detonating charges around the fortress consuming what was left of the wounded and the dead alike into an expansive fireball that narrowly missed himself by a narrow margin. Striking through the blaze finally with his own claws, only to be blocked by a swinging gnarled blade that would abruptly snap. It's shrapnel penetrating deep into his side, causing a wound that would surely almost take his life, if it weren't for the heated steal cauterizing the wound for the most part.

"Damn Ronin, thinking that he's better than me... It's not logical damnit!"

Sakamoto would curl his prehensile tail around a stone, pivoting with his front legs and skipping it half-way across the river with a flick, only to hiss lightly at the wound as the pain shot up from his hip and into his spine. But even he could not know the depth of the damage that had been dealt, not simply to the nerves in the area that were damaged and in a state of hypersensitivity, but the psychological association of the pain with a near-death experience combined with such a moral enlightenment was more than clinically traumatic. The Cat had a lot to go through and he didn't seem to be doing it for the most part. Simply taking his time as he roamed the quiet river, the sounds of running water crashing against what few rocks dared to stand against them in the middle of the stream drowning out the sounds that wafted across the air from Konohagakure. It was peaceful, there was no denying that much. This was the sort of atmosphere he felt like he would be able to get used to...

[876 / 750. Speed E-D
126 remaining]

Nora · 2 Re: A Graceful Interlude (Training - NK) Thu May 10, 2018 6:21 pm

Nora

D-rank

EP : 1

116

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

The shrill call of black-feathered birds bickering over something unintelligible in the sky above, the inextinguishable laughter of many young children at play in the courtyard below, the creaking of wood, errant metallic clangs, and persuasive adults beckoning. As time passed these sounds seemed to follow an almost rhythmic cycle of repetition, nature and man colluded to form such a dissonant song, and this familiar cacophony had lulled the long-haired child, who savored it so, into a light daze atop his usual iron perch just feet from the doorway to his apartment.

With eyes open wide but blank in intent and lacking any focus, an experience soul would surely perceive the child’s mental journey. Takahiro was on a voyage of sorts, a search for answers pertaining to the Unknown. In the imaginative throws of his mind, he scorned it in all its forms; it was a spiteful enemy for leaving him with incessant questions, insidious doubts and mitigating insecurities. To not know was to be uncertain and the surefooted Kimura thrived when aloof and confident in his own headstrong, independent way.

He wanted to know why he was so ostracized, why he felt out of place in his own home; Takahiro wanted to know why in the few weeks that he had managed to assimilate once more into Konohagakurian society, he’d only failed to establish any meaningful relationships or bonds to speak of. The Kimura found himself for once longing companionship, rather than the freedom of solidarity. When he was still navigating the curriculum of the academy, still sabotaging his own assessments to avoid graduation, Takahiro only longed to be free from the restraint of the classroom and a lifestyle he hadn’t chosen of his own volition.

Yet now, after his most recent clumsy dance with peril, and having survived the most precarious of circumstances, he sat firmly in the company of the same, now disparaging, genin whom he’d so willingly avoided and derided, to himself, as they strived to achieve. There was almost something karmic about the way in which things had unfolded. Irony harassed him like a stray dog in search of attention, as it pervaded various moments of the passing weeks. The avoidance his peers showed him now was a direct result of his own choices; the tables surely had turned for Takahiro. It was almost disconcerting enough to leave the young teenager idling away on, what had the makings of, a beautiful, productive day.

“Ah, enough brooding already! I’m starting to sound like an adult… they’re the one’s that spend their lives perpetuating images and catering to the opinions of others. I’m gonna find another way to earn respect. If they don’t want to give it to me; If I don’t deserve it, so be it. I’ll take it from them.”

The mercurial youth doubled down on his position; Takahiro fed his negative thoughts to the growing fire inside. Each moment that passed in solitude, without distraction, veritably stoked the flames, nurturing his fiery passion until his very skin ran red hot with resolve. It occurred to him that anyone who would rather see him fail would surely have loved to see him in such a listless, stagnant form. Takahiro by then sat erect atop the railing, with every impulse urging him to move, to fight, and to strive.

To his own surprise, Takahiro felt extraneous emotions surging, and swelling inside him, that he hadn’t felt in quite some time. It was overwhelming to a degree and while the Kimura had surely steeled himself in recent months to reality, the innocence that lingered beyond the boundaries of formality and principle was crying for acceptance. In time what could’ve been tears formed in the corners of eyes before being erased by somewhat trembling hands. He hadn’t cried since that night, when he’d been captured and subsequently saved by none other than very the shadow of kirigakure.

Takahiro could almost see the trees; even feel the humidity of that night as his imagination evoked imagery of what occurred before him. The ethereal form of Ayakashi herself would appear if only for a fleeting moment, smiling in the same way she had. This reiteration was admittedly far more pleasant than he usually recalled. He’d been spared the moments of anguish and ineptitude; He’d been spared the emptiness of that older brother’s eyes. Instead the final culminating moments of his greatest adventure to date filled him with confidence and restored Takahiro’s focus.

Today like any other day he would devote himself to progressing. It was true that he’d very much been hard at work, trying to cultivate his skillset while doing so in ways that too satisfied the wanderlust that was intrinsic to his very being. Today however was about repetition, devotion to routine, devotion to a certain pursuit. That for now was finding the answer to his senpai’s question. Until he knew exactly why he wanted to be a strong ninja, Takahiro felt he could never amount to his potential. So gracefully he set a plan into action, almost free falling from his perch just three stories above as his chakra, embodying it’s wind affinity, enveloped his person and facilitated a smooth landing just a few meters from the main mass of children, about five individuals.

His path from there on out was more haphazard to say the least. He darted through the courtyard, ignoring any eye contact or acknowledgements as he soon broke the plane of the entry gate. What ensued was the teen darting through a mixed crowd of people and contraptions; It would surely appear erratic to the untrained eye, but he was smooth in his transition between movements and as he darted between and above, or below, obstacles it would become clear to anyone observing that his familiarity with the urban terrain made him a formidable traveler. It was almost subconscious how the boy navigated to one of many administrative buildings; he entered in the same fashion. His eyes scanned the walls as he slowly made his way down the hallway until finally they rested on one littered with papers of varying dimension, almost each of which seem to bear different handwriting, as he searched for anything that caught his eye.

When a simple piece of parchment, baring little more than a time and place at which to meet this mystery ninja in need of a training partner. Takahiro admired the appeal of the handwriting never the less, wondering what person to whom it belonged. The more questions a child like him had, the more they were inclined to seek out the answers. Stretching with considerable effort upwards, he pried the notice from the cork board only after rising to the tips of his toes. Having to acknowledge once more his lack of height surely would’ve drawn more ire from the boy, had Takahiro not already been fixated on answering the vague note he examined with both hands gently pinching the edges.

By the time he’d exited the building, the now rolled up document was securely tucked beneath a few layers of blue fabric. A quick glance at the sun overhead and his surroundings told him that he was indeed already late for the proposed meeting. With haste he made his way through the organized chaos of Konoha’s remarkable the closer he got the outskirts of the village. He enjoyed the kind warmth of the sun, as it grew more intense in the evening air and welcomed the villagers to the pursuit of many ventures. It wasn’t until he’d broken the tree line and took to limb and branch, for a less conventional path to the Naka River, that the Kimura began to wonder what would become of the interaction.

The angst settled deep in his mind and the tension in his muscles all yearned for release. Where sparring would usually be a crude last resort for him, the idea was more welcomed by him in lieu of his usual sentiment. Never the less how things unfolded was punctuated by less of a question mark than whether his would be acquaintance had the patience enough to wait. Foliage still encompassed him, but light towards the end of his tunneled vision grew more intense as he neared it.

..1397/1397

Sakamoto · 3 Re: A Graceful Interlude (Training - NK) Fri May 11, 2018 9:43 am

Sakamoto

D-rank

EP : 52

176

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

'The mind is everything, what you think, you will ultimately become.‘

Words of wisdom, many had thought as many seemed to have come to listen to the man who spoke them earlier that day in Konohagakure. It was a fitting display of many surrounding what seemed to be a person dressed in orange as he announced his varying proclamations to the leering crowd as their eyes fixated on him in awe and wonder. While he had spoken many words before, and Sakamoto had sat and listened to them all in turn, these words spoken by the solitary preacher of the fire temple in Konohagakure no sato lingered in the felines' mind as he wandered along the stream... decompressing the many thought forms that swirled in a chaotic cacophonous mass around his head. Saka was never the kind to fall for the faux sentiment of a religious mediocracy, the thought of abstaining from the rare pleasures of the world for the sake of some higher power seemed to defeat the very purpose of living.

Yet the fire temple always held a central theme in their preachings; they always seemed to preach about how to live was to suffer, how one was to seek out the cessation of all suffering to alleviate it from the world and within the hearts of all mankind. The perceived wisdom of their mindless lessons drilled into the cats' skull as he feigned tolerance of the sacrament. But now, as he carried along the waterway which cleaved like a blade through the heart of the city like a vein, Sakamoto could not help but scoff at the outrageous level of ego that lurked behind the idiotic statement. Just because their life was suffering, who gave them, the temple the right to convince the rest of the world that they were? Suffering, after all, if anything, was a subjective state of mind that which could not possibly be shared by the masses! The thought of the religious machine couldn't help but make the felines' blood boil, unable to understand the reason why people would sacrifice their individual identity to become part of a faceless mob in which all self worth would simply be absorbed uncaringly into the heartless collective. It seemed like a fate worse than death.

Sakamoto would let a curse out under his breath, the lone lyric leaving his lips as little more than a whisper on the cool lonesome wind. Was this all that Konoha was? A village full of platitudes and the signaling of some arbitrary moral superiority!? Was it a faith like this that the Ronin that he had come across and almost ended him had meant when he said Sakamoto would find the subject that ronin had died for? It all seemed so soulless, so hollow and desperately disappointing... However, Saka couldn't find it within himself to state definitively that this was the root of his search, there had to be something more... 'If you should find yourself reborn, go to Konoha, and meet its people, find friends and have people love you, you'll find your answer within them...'

They were words that on their own which seemed simply, but what did it mean to get close to a person? Could he simply approach someone and ask for their love? Did it have a cost, and if so, how was a Ninneko supposed to pay it? Peace in this hell of a nation seemed to stand on the edge of a blade with the world around them in chaos while indentured servitude which masqueraded as noble service seemed to be the norm in these ninja villages. Sakamoto couldn't stand it... Hypocrasy's heart beating healthily within the bodies of the human world as usual, speaking about 'the will of fire' and how friendship and love was the path to a unifying peace, while they simultaniously trained killers capable of levelling cities with magic at their fingertips which those who used it could barely understand...

'Yet that wasn't what really irked him.'

No-one in this nation knew what freedom was... No human here knew what it was worth to live and die by your own word as your moral and physical law. The bliss of needing to rely on no one, to be able to freely carve your own stone road through sand or through forests or through mountains, no matter how deep, how vast, or how tall. An absolute freedom of the kind that allowed you to grow by your own merits, to succeed by them and garner bounties beyond the wildest dreams of any living Daimyo, or to die by your own mistakes without anyone else there to hold your hand, stay your blade or mourn your loss. Sakamoto had felt that once, he'd known the joy of absolute control over his own destiny until it was taken away, and by who? More importantly; for what..? There were too many questions to count to which answers seemed to only succeed in generating more from the aether.

'But a solitary sound would break his concentration.'

Sakamoto wouldn't whirl in such a manner to reveal himself as suspicious, the obsidian coated feline had long known that he was little more than a cat in the eyes of the human world. To the human eye, Ninneko were indistinguishable from the more domestic breeds of lesser felines that humans tended to keep on their lengthy leashes. In the stead of a hasty reaction or retreat, his ears would simply perk up and he would turn in the direction of the sound as what seemed to be a ninja would bound out of the forest... Sakamoto would focus his amber-gold eyes on the newcomer, the void like black of his cats eye narrowing against the light as he would observe them intently from top to bottom with the hope of assertaining their purpose.

The open glade Around Sakamoto was remote yet aesthetically pleasing to the eye. A paradise of an open plain blessed with wide overarching willow trees along the riverbank. Aromatic grass growing to ankle-height dusting the field like a wave of emerald which glistened in even the softest of winds. But it was near the river itself that Sakamoto sat, in such a manner that he could have easily been drinking until the feline was disturbed by this interloper, shimmering black fur without a single taint of another color against it glistened over his body, yet cutting through it like a blade was a somewhat tattered rag, a scarlet bandanna tied lovingly around his neck as some kind of sign or collar.

Assessing the newcomer as no threat Sakamoto would look to the lake before moving towards the ninja and letting out a somewhat pitiful meow as it would aim to stroke up against the side of his leg, stepping over his foot and leaving a pawprint as he did so as he would think, letting out a purr as he would use the moving angle around the ninja to hope to get a look at their equipment, as well as any sign of their rank.

"Why would a ninja be out here in the middle of nowhere? On patrol perhaps?"

Sakamoto would think to himself before moving a meter or two away from the ninja and sitting, looking up at them expectingly for some kind of attention and cocking his head to a side and letting out another curious rrrow. It didn't dawn on Sakamoto's mind even for a moment that this ninja could have been answering the call for training he himself had sent out earlier that very day. The supposition failed to enter his mind for even a moment as the faline saboteur simply asserted that the newcomer was simply some form of intruder into his personal time that was not accounted for, and thus, totally unwanted... but, what could they possibly have come here for, and stopped in the opening no less.

"I guess we shall see..."

[126+1405=1531/ 750x2

Trained Perception + reaction time E-D]

Nora · 4 Re: A Graceful Interlude (Training - NK) Thu May 17, 2018 10:16 pm

Nora

D-rank

EP : 1

116

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Gentlly coddling winds embraced the boy brimming with youthful fervor as the iridescent hues of nature encasing him shattered into a shower of emerald leaves that gleamed beautifully in the aureate glow of the fiery celestial being above. Its warmth was relaxing to Takahiro who himself paused if only for a moment as his upward trajectory ceased; He shut eyes momentarily to simply savor the waning rush of intensity he’d felt in racing there. All feelings of vertigo graciously overlooked his haphazard entry as visions of a time not so long ago raced beneath the boys eyelids, as his imagination breathed new life into the ethereal.

“Taka… quick!”

A familiar voice rang out with clarity that disagreed with the laws of reality, while the image of a beautifully matured ninja in distress shrouded in an icy veil that was all that shielded her from a cleverly placed trap. The boy’s body was still in a state of free-fall and yet his muscles tensed as if still impassioned to move by her call. Where his visage initially betrayed the blissful chaos within him in keeping up calm appearances, within a few seconds a confident white smile would shine through.

His eyes would burst open there after before narrowing into a ready state of focus. Where fate had seen fit that he was able to repay his debt that very night, there was still a sense of indebtedness that Takahiro felt at any mention of the lady kage who’d spared him untold troubles and potentially his life. Her words, the question she posited had stuck with Takahiro even long after his departure from Kirigakure no Sato. He still felt the sense of urgency, the necessary impulse to find the answer, his purpose, and daily it’s pertinence grew.

With merely a few seconds to spare before impacting the ground, the Kimura’s body would contort in such a way that surely his lower body would bear the brunt of the landing. No longer could he falter on his path due to his own missteps. With grace and confidence as his consorts, the barrel row that ensued was tight, efficient, and purposeful. Resigned to the pursuit of validation, the simple opportunity to validate his self before the eyes of another was undoubtedly what led Takahiro to accept such a vague request for a training partner.

But in seeing no one present, he quickly adopted a much more perplexed look as he scanned the area briefly, both in search of the mysterious individual who’d summoned him there and in the hopes of disproving the insidious notion that he’d been misled into coming here. The boy would sigh lightly as proof of being discouraged,

“Maybe they got tired of waiting?!”

The final word emanated more sharply in tow of the others as the sensation of soft, umbral fur lightly caressing one of his legs was enough to startle him, as his focus was elsewhere. Peering down he couldn’t help but notice the warm, tingling feeling the sight of the feline filled him with. Soon after intrigue would arise in him. Takahiro would lower himself slowly so as to not disturb the cat which he assumed had taken some kind of interest in him. The boy sat effortlessly in a deep squat, using the weight of his head and folded arms to counterbalance thereby resisting the urge to fall and sprawl about in a childish fit over being ‘stood up.’

“Why are you alone Mr. Cat? Do you have a name?”

He couldn’t fathom the irony let alone the masterful and ongoing deception occurring before his eyes.

“Judging by that bandana I’d say you belong to someone , but… your out here all alone. Are you a wanderer like me?”

He glanced about once more as the feeling that Takahiro was overlooking something , or rather someone still lingered in his mind. In seeing no one, he relented his search and opted to show the only individual that cared to be in his company some attention. He would extend his prone, dominant hand forward in the hopes that this cat, like any other he’d interacted with prior, would register his scent and seek affection there after. The child naïve in his years had no idea of the sentience at work behind those golden orbs he then stared curiously into.

...734/2131

Sakamoto · 5 Re: A Graceful Interlude (Training - NK) Sat May 19, 2018 11:09 am

Sakamoto

D-rank

EP : 52

176

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

'And lo the stars aligned...‘

As soon as the man addressed Sakamoto with the fervor of a child addressing that of an everyday housecat, the disappointed demeanor accompanied with the solemnly hanging sorrow aloft in his voice as he reached down to pet the cat would alleviate Sakamoto's suspicions. This child was here to meet with the ninja who had posted the training request... what a bother... Sakamoto had hoped that request to be something that had allowed him a semblance of solace as opposed to a day of mediocre patrols and drills under the watchful gaze of a squad leader and the humans that accompanied the chaotic quartet of ceaseless noise and agitation. However, as the child spoke, she mentioned in passing that she too was a wanderer, which, caught a hint of Sakamoto's attention, causing the adroit feline. The almost Arcadian scene that lay around them like that a scene of a painting as he knelt to tend to Sakamoto who would sit efficaciously, leaning into the boy's hand for selfish petting befitting his diminutive station, while simultaneously listening to anything else the boy had to say as he was tending to Sakamoto's base desires... albeit in a condescending manner.

'But he couldn't shake being called 'Mr Cat'... '

Sakamoto would take a quick bound away from the boy, turning his back on him at that moment and drawing away from any further affection the genin would freely offer. Thinking for a moment before turning only his head around to raise an eyebrow, looking the boy in the face as he would lick the back of his paw and straighten the obsidian fur that coated himself, layering it back into each stands' respectful location with the precision of a surgeon before narrowing his eyes to a disappointed yet lazy stare directly into the heart of Nora. Hoping to convey his attitude perfectly with a glare before the shock of what came next would seek to throw the child's worldview. In the natural world that they resided in, the concept of talking animals was a familiar one, great and terrible creatures roamed the landscape, many of them hostile, while some had endeavored to aid humans should they prove themselves... But, in most cases, each of them had congruent mannerisms with their species. Of this, Sakamoto was no exception, however, as he would open his mouth in a yawn, his small size and feline stature pitching a high squeak for a moment as he would clear his throat, only to pretext the conversely deep and monotonous nature of the cat's spoken voice.

"My name's Sakamoto... Don't call me Mr Cat..."

The voice would forwarn total and objective disappointment in a sense. It was dry, level and potentially dismissive and uninterested. It was the perfect voice for such a quiescent appearing cat, despite his recalcitrant nature. The deepness of it was almost commanding, with an inner sense of dramatization in its soulless affliction which seemed to carry a weight upon it. It was as if he were tasked with some form of grand undertaking, something that had pushed such a whimsical creature to become so serious would, in theory, be of great import, to him or perhaps someone close to him. The creature would await a reaction, sigh, and then continue with his contemplation. Shifting his gaze to the water once again as his inner thoughts, once so aligned as he quelled the internal chaos within his mind, may as well have been thrown into the stream and discarded.

"Well, i guess that's that... I assume you're to be my training partner... I can't assume another reason other than pure happenstance that you would come to this specific location other than you reading the application I'd left back in the village. That, and you're obviously looking for somebody... So, I suppose we should begin then?"

Sakamoto would take time with his words, spacing them as he uttered his sentences strongly with an intense focus on their intent in being heard by whom he was speaking to. His eyes locking with that of Nora's as he spoke as they would flow cleanly across the warm Konohagakure breeze without being so loud as to be strident. He would get straight to the point, in hope that the boy that was here didn't mind some form of sparring or a contest to warm up, however... unfortunately for Nora, Sakamoto was in a bad mood now, and little would dissuade him against it. He'd had his privacy interrupted by this young ninja in such a manner that it had thrown his concentration. So now, he was looking to take out even just a small amount of frustration on the cause of that interruption. The fact that he'd already placed a suiton seal on the boy's footwear would make it infinitely easier to enact. The battle between them, at least in the eyes of Sakamoto, was already over before it had ever had the feintest of chances to begin. Either way, succeed or fail, Sakamoto didn't intend this training session to last long...

"I propose a Simple spar to first hit... thoughts?"

Flexing his internal chakras as with his body from a position ten meters away, the wind around him would pulse for a second blowing at the aromatic grass that surrounded him, little more than a show of some level of competency as he active;y redied himself for the small match to come...

If it could even be called that.

[31+990 / 750 words. Str E-D.
271 words remaining.]

Nora · 6 Re: A Graceful Interlude (Training - NK) Fri Jun 01, 2018 11:35 pm

Nora

D-rank

EP : 1

116

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Takahiro’s scratched lightly, and the smile that arose as his new cat acquaintance accepted his unconditional offer of affection grew wider and brighter at the animal’s reaction. Takahiro had on occasion heard of animals possessing sentience beyond their normal capacity, with the ability to speak readily in human tongues. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the solitary feline before him was an example of such beings. The thought had never crossed his mind. Having been to preoccupied with admiring the soft, raven fur and impressively lean, yet seemingly supple physique of the animal before him.

The inexperience of the young shinobi rested in his wandering proclivities, by nature and choice he found himself a stray adrift in the network of social ties and loyalties spanning generations and bloodlines over. None of which, including his own spoke to him. Takahiro could not recall ever being the child who blindly heeded the words of his elders, his relatives. Instead he’d always sought to find his own answer and in turn, admittedly, he often times found himself lacking the understanding he needed as result.

His face would become flush with naiveté at the moment he first recognized the ninneko’s voice, it’s deep singular tone conveyed the essence of an experience, belittled man rather than the clueless, fundamental Taka concluded him to be so careless. His mouth falling agape, he would scramble to his feet as he eyed the feline as he distanced himself. Taka used this time to his advantage, taking a moment to process what he’d witnessed though it unfortunately presented an equal opportunity for more inquisitive questions to arise.

‘Sakamoto? … He just talked, I did just hear that?’

Curiously he wondered what gave this cat the ability to speak as he did, as it was not a foreign concept just an unusual one it would not take long before the manner in which he viewed Sakamoto changed. It became he, and while the ‘Mr.’ was still technical correct he quickly grasped how demeaning it must’ve been. It was a point of pride that Takahiro read between the lines, he fancied himself astute, or keen. So inaudibly he chastised his hasty arrival at a deduction, tightening his fist out of frustration in having his apparent ineptitude so randomly exposed to him once more.

His eyes never the less fixed themselves to the small body of the cat, which stood out clearly in the light of day amidst a sea of green leaves. As the feline motioned in the opposite direction of Takahiro, a gentle, warm breeze wafted through the air spurring the multitudinous blades of grass about them both to dance rejoice fully, adding in their own shaky accent to the message the winds then carried with them. The soothing way in which the wayward winds enveloped him did little to soften the blow of Sakamoto’s stern words to a teenage psyche rendered frail by an apparent lack of perception.

"Well, I guess that's that... I assume you're to be my training partner... I can't assume another reason other than pure happenstance that you would come to this specific location other than you reading the application I'd left back in the village. That, and you're obviously looking for somebody... So, I suppose we should begin then?"

The shift in mood and the cat’s apparent intentions became clear with his proposal of a proposition. Takahiro’s condescending actions had likely rubbed his new contact in the wrong way, and the spar he’d envisioned being an opportunity for developing rapport and camaraderie proved to be more of a challenge. A challenge that set Takahiro on edge, his muscles growing tense overall in anticipation of what was to come. His expectation was an immediate assault, but one last proposal qualified their inevitable bout and whispered the possibility of reconciliation in defeat to Takahiro. To whom that defeat belonged would be a matter of will and cunning, the child knew this and knew that he was at a disadvantage.

Images of just moments earlier in their interactions flashed beneath his eyelids, the visualizations revealed, beyond his inaccurate analysis of his opponent, that his lapse in judgment had left optimal space and time for the minuscule cat to properly observe his person. The notion that Sakamoto might very well have been crafty enough to use this to his advantage with whatever unknown abilities a ninneko might possess. A tremble crept into the fibrous crannies of every muscle, while his imaginative mind brimmed with wayward ideation. Takahiro had little experience with combat outside of the innocuous comfort of bouts between family members, and classmates.

Something eked at the back of his mind.

Death had once followed nigh, calling to him in the darkness from afar. His will having been rendered mute in the determining of his fate; it was Ayakashi and her alone that spared him his life. With a new resolution in mind, his eyes grew wide with intent as they focused on Sakamoto; their calm sapphire hue betrayed an inner ferocity that rarely ever reared its head. The direness of the situation was grossly exaggerated by his own anxiety over the ignorance he’d shown, the openings he’d provided. The battle very well could be already lost. The probability of it all was incalculable to the youth and in lacking the worldly experience to bolster his native abilities, Takahiro would thus rely on instinct.

‘You have to fight for your life.’

“Sakamoto-dono, apologies are in order!”

More words would follow seamlessly, as both fleshy mittens met beneath the furls of excess azure cloth and his upper body lowered slightly in a bow that the Kimura hoped signified his accepting the cat’s calloused challenge,

“I assure you I will never under estimate you again!”

The lofty sleeves of his kimono would recede, revealing two glinting steel shuriken in either hand, as well as the boys attempted deception. Within seconds the miniscule projectiles were sent careening towards an admittedly smaller than usual target. Their trajectory if unabated would line the earth where Sakamoto stood with a diamond formation, the intention of which was to send him airborne or trigger a more defensive reaction. Mindfully he inhaled, as his own chakra swarmed to his lungs igniting those very gases as his torso expanded unreasonably wide before releases a deluge of flames that engulfed his own body.

The sensation of intense heat wafting over his frame was soothing, but not enough to ignore the immense surge of drive and focus his cloaked exuded. He could feel his heart beating exponentially faster, and his muscles were tense and responsive as if delighted to obey his every whim. The young Kimura strongly believed it would all be necessary. But the time for deliberation had long passed, and with the crunch of bone within a clench fist encompassed in the oddest of flames he set about to action. With his enhanced movement speed he would burst forward towards his feline opponent while simultaneously drawing forth, from it’s subtle nook within the cloth bound to him, a single kunai intended solely to aid him in countering what melee abilities he would encounter.

..1190/3311
[Exit]

3311 WC Total:
 - 1000 Words & 150 Ryo
+ Standard C-Rank: Fire Style: Fire Clone Technique

2311 WC remaining
 - 1000 Words & 150 Ryo 
+ Custom C-rank: Yozen [Lingering Life]

1311 WC remaining
 - 1000 Words & 150 Ryo
+ Standard C-Rank: Katon: Sokusei Shika-ou [Fire Style: Metamorphic Acceleration Cowl]

311 WC remaining and lost
------
- 450 ryo total

Last edited by Nora on Wed Sep 05, 2018 5:59 pm; edited 2 times in total

Sakamoto · 7 Re: A Graceful Interlude (Training - NK) Mon Jul 16, 2018 10:13 am

Sakamoto

D-rank

EP : 52

176

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

'‘

“Sakamoto-dono, apologies are in order!... I assure you I will never underestimate you again!”

'It's too late for that...' Sakamoto would think to himself as his would-be attacker would come at him with everything he seemed to have, There were a number of ways that this fight could go should they have engaged in a fair match... of this much, the feline was certain. However, seeming relatively disinterested in the battle to come, Sakamoto would form the chakra in his throat in the mean-time for the technique to come. Having placed a seal on the man's shoe, there was little he would be able to do in the case of Sakamoto using one of his techniques. The ferocious feline was not one to dabble with ninja like this person. With the chakra prepared in his throat as his opponent would charge the cat with a blade in hand, Sakamoto would let out a low meow as chakra would fill the air in front of him, leaning forward into it as the power of the ninjutsu technique would fill the air for a moment before the trap that the feline had set would be triggered.

Short of a miracle, the battle would have been over in an instant, a bubble of fuuton chakra emitting from the seal on the ninja's shoe as the pawprint seal would be filled with the chakra from his ninjutsu. Deciding that it would be better to hope to trap the ninja rather than clamp down on him with the shark-like teeth of one of his other techniques. The bubble of the cat-style technique would gravitate the ninja into the air, a vacuum pulling him into the center of the orb of Fuuton as Sakamoto would look on in wonder for a moment, licking his paw and not particularly caring for the result of his actions should they result in what he expected to occur. The ninja was more than able to throw projectiles out of the bubble or root themselves to the ground and drag their way out of it with relative ease... but... the spar was until the first hit... and the sly feline had already placed that first hit on the boy before the match had even begun.

Few may have considered it cheating, but, Sakamoto could not help but yawn, this was the punishment for thinking him to be lesser than he was. He was a cat, a young panther no less, and he wasn't about to be thought of as some ninja pet or the like. He had led men into fights and taken on Samurai as a bandit for some time, he wasn't about to allow some kid think him lower than his station... though, as Sakamoto would turn around to take his leave, likely leaving his struggling 'friend' in the suspended bubble... he could not help but feel a flicker of the passion that had been projected by the boy... he was apologetic, enough to be respectful... a feeling of guilt would begin to swell up in the cat, not wanting to confront it directly, but rather swallowing it down and allowing his response to be one of anger as he would leap into the brush, intent on leaving this scenario entirely and leaving the boy there to his own devices until the bubble would 'pop' on its own accord.

'Was this what he meant?'

"Is this it? some well-meaning kids who just want to interfere and get in the way of everything? Are these the kind of people you gave away everything for? If that's the case you're a damn fool." Sakamoto would speak into a nearby well, looking down at his own reflection, speaking not to himself, but directing it to the crimson bandanna he wore around his neck. "It's their choice if they want to stick out there neck for somebody else... why should I wanna risk mine for them? If they're not smart enough to think their way out of the trouble they find themselves in, why put myself in danger? If anything, I'll just double the trouble they're already in... This whole thing is stupid! Why am I even here!?"

As if the world conspired against him at that very moment, trout that were swimming up the underground streams to spawn at that precise moment in time far below the earth were eagerly moving in the direction of the water. The vein of this stream that the well tapped into, creating a veritable channel towards the body of the liquid mass, had occasioned a few rather confused specimens to swim up it before. Too eager to reach the surface and find its way back to the school, one of these unlucky specimens broke the surface of the bountious well, breaking the surface in the very moment that Sakamoto was lost in his own thoughts and looming over the water. The flailing tail of the fish as well as its 20Ib body crashing karmically into the face of the cat causing him to fall backwards in a surprised yowl, crashing into the ground stunned for a moment in surprise.

Standing up to hiss in the direction of the well, Sakamoto would allow chakra to fill his mouth before blowing three wind bullets for the fish, each of them missing spectacularly as it would plunge back into the depths to find its way to the others... having served its celestial purpose in this moment. Cursing under his breath, Sakamoto would, in his deep frustration strike the stone with his claw, leaving four long marks, but equally hurting his paw that was thankfully numbed to the sensation at the time. Cursing the whole scenario, but more specifically that damn fish who had succeeded into channeling his anger from quitting his pursuits into something more practical... food. While he was unable to control where he was right now, he was able to control what he would have for lunch as he began to move to town...

"I feel like fish..."

[Exit thread.
750 / 750 end -> D rank.
500/500 E rank jutsu trained.]

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1 A Graceful Interlude (Training - NK) Tue May 08, 2018 12:56 am

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