It was shady within the forest, with a little sunlight poking in-between the treetops. As Niko observed this, he knew the exact reason why Kyo had invited him out into the forest for a training session. He'd be playing right into her Ninjutsu specialty, that of the Wood element. When he was initially asked to do this, he had not received any sort of mission and didn't expect to anytime soon, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to square up against a long-time friend from the village of Konohagakure.

For a few moments, he reminisces to when they were younger and they both were walking through the Market District. When they were both observing the area, they bumped into each other accidentally. They both warned the other person to watch were they were going, one with more emotion than the other. Even though it was the most random occurrence, when their eyes met, they knew that they'd become friends of some sort in the near-future. Both children were known for hiding their emotions and being dismissive, but at this moment, those personas shattered, and they felt a connection and a surprising understanding with one another...

It was at that moment when Niko snapped out of his quick, but vivid daydream. His train of though then ventured off into another personal realm, something that perturbed him. Why exactly did she invite him out into the forest for a training session at this moment in time? Kyo has ample opportunity to do so awhile after they got to know each other, but why now? Maybe since he was of the age of 14 and the rank of Genin, maybe she saw him worthy of a one-on-one battle, even if she was two ranks ahead of him. Did she actually consider both of them on the same skill level? Niko stopped pondering right there, kind-of answering yes to that question, feeding towards his ego...

He refocused himself and paid attention to his environment. He knew Kyo all too well, and the fact that she won't hold any restraint and make use of the environment to her advantage. Even mentally knowing that he was against a large disadvantage, Niko's ego and foolhardiness encouraged him to train with Kyo, no matter the circumstances.

Finally arriving at his destination, he starts thinking over his strategy over-and-over, he waits until Kyo arrives into the forest at the predetermined training location...

Taijutsu (Specialization) word count:

Niko was probably one of the very few people that hadn't harassed Kyo during her years in the Academy. Sure, he was an underclassman that she only met every once in a while and had rarely spoken to. But the few people that knew how Kyo functioned could tell that she was the type of person that could communicate volumes of emotions and messages with a simple glance. Of course, only those who bothered to notice - a number that was surely in the single digits - could actually relate to the Senju Clan leader or remotely understand what the strange woman was trying to say. Few people bothered to notice and see beyond mere words, and Kyo couldn't quite blame them. But Niko was one of the handful of people that understood the surface of how Kyo worked on the inside. A mere look between the two of them was enough to vaguely establish them as acquaintances. Since then, they had met a couple of times, mostly for training. Such was the case today. Kyo headed towards the small forest surrounding Konoha.


She took her time getting here. She had left particularly early so that she didn’t have to rush towards the meeting place that they had agreed upon. Kyo disliked being rushed. She would often much rather pay attention to detail and enjoy her surroundings instead. The young kunoichi rather enjoyed being surrounded by nature, which was mainly the reason why she always decided to train in places where she could be surrounded by trees and the like. She didn’t mind small animals either. She welcomed any type of wildlife. She considered them the utmost expression of the world’s innocence. Nature in its untouched form was a beauty to behold, in her eyes – which was exactly why Kyo took her time to breathe in the clean air and enjoy her surroundings. She considered it a part of her training, in fact. After all, she was a Senju. She believed that she had to be in tune with nature in order to get the full potential of her techniques in play. This was the sort of meditation that she needed to do just that.

However, that couldn’t go on forever. The young woman had to train her body as well as her mind. She sped up her pace, though only a little. She would arrive at the clearing just in time. Niko was probably waiting for her there already. She shrugged, finally making her way into the clearing. Her expression was unchanging once she saw him. As always, there was little to no hint of emotion in it. But then again, that was just the way that Kyo was, or rather, the way she had become. People had to look close in order to see the changes in her expression, which were always small and slight. She nodded at the boy, bowing slightly as a form of greeting. “It’s good to see you again,” She said simply, before sinking into a stance. She would focus on training Doton – the earth element – today. She needed to practice. Besides, she needed to improve that element if she ever wanted her Kekkei Genkai to be as strong as it should be. “Shall we begin?” She asked him, mostly as a formality.


[Word Count - Doton from B to A: 549/3000]

As he sees Kyo arrive in the distance, Niko already has a few thoughts as to how he could stay in this fight. Sure it was practice, but he knew exactly how Kyo was. She would be relentless and work you 'til your limit. That's why he liked Kyo so much, she didn't hold back what-so-ever, even if she's a Special Jounin and you're a lowly Genin.

“It’s good to see you again,” Kyo said simply, before sinking into a stance.

"Nice to see you too, Kyo." Niko replies as shows a little smirk and gathers himself into his usual Jeet Kune do-style stance.

“Shall we begin?” She asked him.

Niko prepares himself and responds "I'm ready whenever you are."

With a few scenarios already in mind, he waits for Kyo to go on the offensive and make the first move.

Taijutsu (Specialization) word count:

Kyo was in one of her more basic stances. She was wary and light on her feet, just in case Niko attempted some form of preemptive strike. By the looks of it, however, it seemed like he was waiting for Kyo to move first. Quite frankly, she didn't mind. She had sort of taken it upon herself to train him, in a way. Sure, their encounters were few and far apart, but whenever they did meet to hone their skills, Kyo would make sure that Niko actually improved a considerable amount while they were at it. She felt it was the least she could do for him, considering that he was one of the few people that refused to take part in trying to torment her on a daily basis. The young kunoichi narrowed her eyes, looking at him as he stood across the field. By her calculations, they were roughly three meters apart. She knew that he was a taijutsu and ninjutsu user from previous fights, so it might be best to keep her distance. Then again, she could always try to overpower him by placing several seals around his immediate area.

She concentrated for a moment. With several hand seals, she placed the palm of her hand on the ground beneath her. She didn't speak a word. She just saw how the small inscriptions appeared on the earth underneath her hand. Perfect, she would now have that seal in place for future use. It was a useful technique. It allowed her to create a temporary barrier once she activated the seal. It also helped her train her earth seals while she was at it. And now that that was set up, it was time for her to perform her actual attack. Without removing the palm of her hand from the ground, she formed a hand seal with her free hand. Almost instantly, she sank into the earth.

Kyo remained there for a moment, quickly locating Niko. She wanted to give him a chance to figure out what she was planning. She was meant to be training him, not just herself, after all. She supposed that a few seconds would suffice. In any case, she would then extend her hand from the ground in order to clutch tightly to Niko's leg. She would then drag him down into the ground, leaving his entire body, with the exception of his head, buried underneath the earth. As she did so, she would resurface from the ground once again. She would leap back and she would remain within the range of the seal that she had previously placed on the ground, regardless of whether or not the technique worked. She wouldn't lower her guard and she would keep her stern gaze on the young genin.

[Word Count - Doton from B to A: 1016/3000]
[Chakra Left: 230/250]

Jutsu Used:

After a small amount of waiting, Kyo took the first move by weaving a few hand seals, and placing one of her palms on the ground, and a seal of some sort appearing on the ground. It was either Summoning Jutsu or some sort of Fuuinjutsu. After a second, nothing appeared, so Niko knew it wasn't any type of summoning. After a couple more seconds, the seal didn't activate still. He wondered for a moment why this occured, but then realized she was saving it for later use. Kyo was always a sly girl, and since Niko knew this, it didn't suprise him in the least.

He then notices Kyo take her free hand and weave a sign of some sort. In a split second, she disappears into the Earth like a prairie dog burrowing underground. He assumed that she would use the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique, and prepared accordingly. While waiting for Kyo, Niko scrounged around the immediate perimeter to find any sort of large objects to use in his place. e found a couple, that he hid in various foliage, just in case he had to use a substitution. Rushing without hesitation, Niko goes and grabs a large log he had previously found and brought it to his original standing area. Then in a flash, he snaps back to where the log had just recently resided, and lies in wait in the prone position. Initiating the Substitution Technique, he lied in wait for her to catch the bait.

A few seconds after her jutsu was initiated, Kyo's hand sprung up from the ground, and grabbed the leg of the "Substitute" Niko. She drug it into the Earth, and resurfaced from the ground. Quickly, she backpedaled towards her seal that she set earlier. It must be some type of defensive jutsu that she will use to counter-act his close to mid-range Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. Kyo knew him all too well, it seems. Regardless of his knowledge of her defense, his foolhardiness gave him the confidence to attack head on from where he was located as of now. As soon as the "substitute" of Niko dissipates, he starts to rush at Kyo with extremely high speeds, with a Jeet Kune Do style flying kick.

Chakra usage:

Taijutsu (Specialization) word count:

Remember to record your chakra usage Kyo :D

Kyo almost smirked, though her expression actually remained quite... unchanged. Well, that was the way it always was and Niko was probably already used to it. He had used a substitute to avoid Kyo's technique. It was basic but effective. Kyo saw him rush at her as the substitute dissipated. She was already standing on top of her seal. All she really needed to do to avoid his charge was press a hand to the ground and activate it which was exactly what she did. The ground surged around her, forming a set of barriers around the young kunoichi. If Niko decided to continue his assault, the kick would undoubtedly land on the stone walls that were now around Kyo. They served multiple purposes. Kyo could use the stone walls as a means of protection, but also as a means for cover, which was what she intended to do. She thought for a few seconds, formulating a plan. She first considered forming a wood clone and leaving it standing where she was right now. She would proceed to use the same technique once again and try to bury Niko beneath the ground. But she decided against it. This was meant to be training for her as well as for him. She couldn't just keep repeating the same D rank jutsu in hopes that it would work. She shook her head.

Instead, the young woman's hand moved towards her waist. That was usually where she kept the wooden dolls that she used in battle. It had been a while since she had last used Daichi. Best try it out, lest the titanium in its fingertips and the mechanisms inside the doll get rusty. She placed the doll on the ground and formed several hand signs before pressing the palm of her hand onto the small doll. "Wood Style: Animation Seal," She muttered as she poured chakra into the doll. Inscriptions formed on its small back before it came to life. It looked dazed and confused for a moment, seeing as the small cave that Kyo had formed was dark. It looked at the young kunoichi, as if expecting answers. Kyo's lips twitched. Daichi had been the doll that she created to remind her of her older brother, now dead and buried. She pressed a hand to the small doll once again and muttered another set of words. "Sealing Technique: Expansion," She said. The doll almost instantly grew up to 6 ft in size. It almost burst through the walls of the cave. It had to hunch down in order to remain virtually undetected by Niko. The young Special Jounin would wait until the boy broke her defenses before revealing what hid underneath the earth walls. In the meantime, she sat on the ground, as if meditating. Daichi looked bored. If it hadn't been for the glare that Kyo shot him from the corner of her eye, he would have broken down the walls himself. Instead, he let out something akin to a quiet groan and decide to stay in place.

[Word Count - Doton from B to A: 1524/3000]
[Chakra Left: 200/250]

Jutsu/Items Used:

As Niko rushed at Kyo with his Jeet Kune Do style kick, a wooden dome erected itself around her. "So that's what that seal was for" he thought. His kick connected with the dome with little to no effect. Doing a backflip onto the level floor of the training area, he pauses a moment to figure out what his next move would be. Obviously she was on the defensive, so she must have something up her sleeve. Niko had a few tricks in mind, but he was going to save them until necessary. He decided to continue to kick and punch at the dome until she made a move or gathered a plan together. Trying to do damage upon the dome with Taijutsu was probably a useless tactic, but there was no harm in trying.

So he began to repeatedly punch and kick the dome in midair. That was the only place he had an advantage against Kyo, so why not stay up here for the majority of the bout. After a couple combos of hits to the dome from his hands and feet, he got an idea. He'd have to wait until Kyo made a move, but he was sure it'd give him the momentum. so he continued to hammer away at the dome until Kyo had presented herself.

Chakra usage:

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Kyo would meditate for a moment. She would close her eyes and wait for the walls to be torn down. She supposed that training her mind was just as important as training her body. She rarely ever meditated, since it often brought back unwanted memories and thoughts. She pressed her hands together as she sat on the ground. It was merely a formality. The position of her body made no difference to her. All that mattered was what was going on in her mind. This was supposed to be earth training, so she might as well concentrate on becoming "one" with the ground beneath her. She took several deep breaths, trying to form a sort of link with her chakra and the earth. It was almost as if she could feel the vibrations of the earth as she spread her energy onto the ground. Or maybe this was just a product of her imagination, of her deep concentration. After all, Kyo knew no technique of the sort that could let her see or feel what was going on by just touching the ground. She could only just hear and imagine Niko's movements. He kicked and punched at the walls around Kyo, hoping to at least dent them. The sounds became more and more muffled as Kyo kept concentrating on the earth rather than the fight itself. She had bought herself a bit of time to do so, after all.

The task was mildly difficult, though. Despite their difference in ranks, Kyo couldn't quite let her guard down. Niko was a talented shinobi, after all. But to successfully meditate, her mind had to part from this world and begin a quest of introspection. Luckily, she had Daichi behind her, who was growing increasingly impatient. She could tell by the way he moved and huffed. Kyo tried to ignore him. His time would come soon enough. She thought she might as well devise a strategy while she was at it. Time seemed infinite when she was locked in her own thoughts. She pictured herself drifting in the void that was her mind. She saw herself floating peacefully in the darkness. There were several small lights, as if stars in the sky. Each represented a memory of the past. Kyo would do well to avoid most - if not all - of them. They each reminded her of pain and loss. They reminded her of the reasons behind the wooden dolls that she carved and the multiple scars around her body. She did well to hide them with bandages. Just seeing them was enough to bring back that pain as if it were actually happening once again.

But Kyo ventured on. She was searching for something in particular - the source of her earth chakra. Chakra was the sort of essential tool that a shinobi carried withing his or her body, locked inside and hidden behind many obstacles that one needed to surpass in order to find true power. At this point in time, the young special jounin had blocked out all sound coming from outside. She was immersed deep withing the void that was her own mind. She could feel the pathways of energy slowly opening up within her body, granting her further access to her elemental chakra natures. She needed to improve on this on in particular if she ever wanted to master her Kekkei Genkai. Wood element could only be powerful if earth and water were strengthened first. She had gotten her water element to strong level, mostly because of her fear and paranoia of fire. Sadly, she had neglected the earth element. Well, at least she still had time to fix that.

Feeling empowered and knowing that she was running out of time, Kyo's eyes snapped open. She stood up suddenly and looked at Daichi, standing behind her. The animated wooden doll understood her command without her having to speak it out loud. It stuck its hands beneath the ground the mechanisms in the doll activated, stretching each of its ten fingers beneath it. She could still hear Niko kicking and punching at the wall in his familiar taijutsu style. That didn't make him too hard to locate. Just as the walls crumbled, Daichi's fingesr would shoot up from the ground and try to wrap themselves around Niko's body, virtually strangling the young boy. They would incessantly follow him if they missed, emerging from the ground and rapidly extending over the 30 meter radius. Kyo, on the other hand, would stand still and hold her guard. She would silently tell Daichi where to go and what to do while readying herself to deflect Niko's punches and kicks.

[Word Count - Doton from B to A: 2306/3000]
[Chakra Left: 200/250]

"This is taking a large amount of time to break down her earth defenses. She must be cooking up something good in there. I guess I'll find out when this dome breaks open." Niko thought.

He had made some damage into the dome, a good amount of cracks that had fissured along the dome, yet it wasn't enough to break it even in the slightest and see inside of it. Niko thought it was time to cut the shenanigans and enact his plan. He drew upon his chakra and dropped down to the front of the dome. Then, he went quickly charged into the dome and used the Leaf Whirlwind jutsu on the dome. A succession of chakra-enhanced high and low kicks hit the dome. Then for the finish of the jutsu, he used a more powerful high kick followed by a more powerful low kick. Backflipping a few meters after his jutsu, he observed the earth dome that protected Kyo. The impact of the combination of kicks damaged the dome, but it needed one more attempt to make a hole in it.

Niko took a split second to decide upon what he'd do next to break the dome wide open. Then he rushed the dome one more time. He then raises his chakra level in his legs and does a spin right in front of the dome. Using the Leaf Gale technique, his rear spinning low kick  enhanced by the focusing of chakra was enough to break open the dome.

Using the dust generated from the opening of the dome as cover, Niko creates a clone in his Jeet Kune Do stance that was motionless. He took on the face of it's user and looked as focused and determined as he usually is in battle, so it seemed that it'd might be enough to fool Kyo. Before the dust cleared, he jumped high up into the air and hides within the foliage of a high above tree right behind the dome. There he waits for Kyo to make her move upon his clone.

Chakra usage:

Taijutsu (Specialization) word count:

Kyo didn't really see what Niko was doing. She could only listen quietly, with her enlarged doll by her side. Therefore, she couldn't really see the clone that he had replaced himself with. She could, however, hear the rustling in the trees when he landed and knew that something wasn't quite right. Had he thrown a projectile? If so, why? She would have to keep her guard up and she would have to keep her keen eyes on her surroundings in case he had set up a trap. As the walls crumbled away, Kyo stayed by Daichi's side. It's fingers had clawed deeply into the ground, digging their way towards the clone rapidly. Or at least one set of fingers was. The other remained dispersed around Kyo and would soon act to deflect any blows that would come her way. They would emerge from the ground and swat away anything that was thrown at the Special Jounin. If it was Niko that launched himself her way, the wooden doll would wrap its long fingers around his leg and swat him against the ground repeatedly, unless the young boy somehow managed to dodge the blow.

As for the clone, well, Kyo would take care of it quickly. Daichi's fingers shot from the ground. They aimed to wrap themselves around the clone and strangle it tightly. If it had been the real Niko and if the blow had hit, it would have shattered his rib cage without a doubt. Well, she still planned to do the same, not that she knew that this wasn't the real version of Niko just yet. She would find out soon enough, as the mere illusion went up in a puff of smoke as soon as Daichi's fingers touched it. Kyo frowned, looking at her surroundings carefully, trying to spot Niko. She didn't turn around, but all of her senses were focused on finding the boy. She was confident that she would spot him soon, and even if she didn't, he would have to come out of hiding at some point. Daichi's fingers retracted after resurfacing from the ground. The had torn small ditches in the earth as they did so. The mechanisms inside him activated, pulling the metal wires back. Daichi's arm recoiled slightly as they collided back into him. As this happened, Kyo remained in deep thought as she formulated a plan. Maybe she could.... Yes, she would do just that. The young Special Jounin sat on the ground as she had been doing within the dome. She appeared to be meditating calmly as Daichi stood guard beside her. It's other arm was still beneath the ground, hidden well by the earth above it. Sure, his limited its movements to an extent, but it was worth it for what she had planned. And unless Niko suddenly developed the Byakugan, he wouldn't be able to see where, exactly, Daishi's trap lay.

[Word Count - Doton from B to A: 2806/3000]
[Chakra Left: 195/250]

Soon after he laid the decoy and the walls of the protective dome crumbled away, some strange hands came up from the ground, swiping at the clone. The fake Hatake dissipated as the strange arms that attacked the clone retracted. Kyo stood there searching around for the real Niko. It seemed that she had no idea where he was. Looking from high above and behind the Senju, he waited for the perfect time to strike.

He assessed the situation "So, she has no idea where I am. That means she'll be ready to counter any attack I produce. Also, there's some type of... thing, that's assisting her. it's underground, so I need to try to stay off of the ground for extended amounts of time."

Coming up with a plan before she became wise of his situation "I guess I have to attack her silently so I can throw her off a bit. After that happens, her and whatever that damned thng was she has underground will come at me with no remorse."

Preparing to swoop in silently, Niko advised himself "Remember... stay off of the ground for extended periods of time..."

With a large burst of speed, he flies toward Kyo from behind and planned to hit her hard. He knew that neither were going to go easy on each other, and she would understand. Building up a bit of chakra for his attack, he prepares to use the Dynamic Entry technique on the woman. He aims for the back of her head as he descends upon the battlefield.

He mentally apologized to his comrade "I'm sorry, Kyo." just before the kick hit her on the backside of her head.

Chakra usage:

Taijutsu (Specialization) word count:

There was a very slight sound of movement. Kyo would have discarded it as the wind otherwise, had it not come from the same place as before. Her body tensed reflexively. Her natural instincts were kicking in. She moved quickly, barely managing to get her head out of the way of Niko's blow. It connected with her shoulder, throwing her slightly off balance. She realized that she could use this to her advantage. Everything seemed to move slowly as Kyo's thought process ensued. She could feel the sharp pain in her shoulder. It would likely bruise her skin, though Niko didn't possess enough raw strength yet to shatter her bones. Still, he would get there eventually. In any case, she had to react in the small window of opportunity that she had.

Kyo would grip Niko's ankle and it connected with her shoulder, probably allowing her a couple more seconds to act. The doll moved on its own, knowing what Kyo had planned already. Its fingers would rapidly burst from the ground as the figure itself remained completely still. They would lash out at Niko, attaching themselves to his arms and legs. There would be two fingers coiled around each of his limbs. If they managed to catch him, they would begin to constrict, holding Niko in place while they slowly aimed to crush his arms and legs. If he managed to dodge the initial blows that Kyo sent his way, the doll's fingers would still follow him relentlessly around the clearing.


[Word Count - Doton from B to A: 3063/3000]
[Chakra Left: 190/250]

In a split second, Kyo dodged to the side to avoid the knockout kick. However, to Niko's surprise, the blow hit her in the shoulder. He could obviously tell by seeing his foot connected and her face grimaced with pain. She reached for his ankle as his foot disconnected from the injured shoulder. Niko did not dodge and allowed her to grab his ankle with both hands.

The hand from the same "thing" that Niko had seen earlier came up popping from the ground and came straight for Niko. He had seconds to make some type of move.

With her allowing an opening, he swung his right knee in the direction of the right side of her head, hoping to strike a hard blow and be released from her grasp. With his ankle subdued by the Senju, she either would see the move and let go or be impacted by the attack coming for her head once again.

Chakra usage:

Taijutsu (Specialization) word count: