The wooden bokken whistled through the thick mountain air. The short, silver-haired boy made a horizontal slash at the invisible enemy, aiming for the neck, but the foe was quick. The boy was relentless, and with a slight shift of his black boots, he reorientated his stance, moving his weight to the left. His arms soared downwards, pulling the practice sword into a diagonal strike, a fatal slash to the chest. Again, another miss, but the young warrior was not finished. Using the momentum from the last attack, the boy lifted his right leg and rotated to the left. Now supporting his weight on one leg, he unleashed an explosive side kick. His foot slammed into the imaginary enemy's gut, and the foe hunched over, the air knocked out of him. The boy donned a prideful grin. Another diagonal swing sliced the foe's face, causing him to recoil in pain. Before the enemy could react, the short, silver-haired boy curved the trajectory of the blade into a final horizontal strike to the neck. Bleeding flesh was cleaved from the opponent's throat. Rasping and gasping, the invisible enemy fell to his knees, incoherently pleading for his life in vain. Soon afterward, he finally succumbed to death's touch and fell onto the gravel of the Battle Plateau. Takashi panted steadily, smiling as puffs of white smoke snaked from his mouth. Removing himself from the trace, his battle stance relaxed to a casual slump, his smile disappear behind his lips, and he adjusted his glasses loftily. That's it for forms.

He perused his bokken, his pride diminishing as he remembered his mighty weapon was made of wood. Takashi threw the dinky practice sword to the ground, letting it crash onto the gravel next to the invisible body. If he had an audience, he would have used his Yami no Katana instead, the Kekkei Genkai of the Kurokas that spreads fear on the battlefield faster than a plague spreads illness. Not only does using it give him a sense of dignity for his clan, but Takashi felt powerful using the blade. He loved the warm rush he felt as the Chakra pulses in his palm and elongates into a deadly weapon, one that only he could wield, to use for his own will.

But he had been training for about an hour and a half now, and he deserved a break. He collapsed onto his back and braced himself for the sharp pickle of the gravel. Supporting the back of his head with his gloved hands, Takashi looked up to the heavens, watching as clouds drifted miles above him and admiring their individual beauty. Fluffy and stark white, ever-changing and unique, massive yet gentle, shifting like a placid sea. Absolutely marvelous. Takashi let his mind wander. He saw himself gliding through the air, lifting up, up, up until he was grazing the clouds, bounding off their surface, leaping gracefully from one to another. His mind began racing at a mile a minute. Thoughts of mid-air battles, flying spectacles, cheering crowds, eagles, hawks, gliding, soaring bounced and collided in his head, but a peaceful mien was presented on his face. I'll find a way one day to fly. And I'll do all of that. That'll be awesome.

As he arrived at the Battle Plateau, Bokuden took a seat in the spectator's area. Bokuden enjoyed watching various ninja train and spar. The Battle Plateau provided the perfect setting to observe and study a plethora of different styles and jutsu. It was to his surprise however, to find the Battle Plateau empty. Well, it was almost empty. There stood a lone boy practicing his katas with a bokken. After a observing his form for a bit Bokuden deduced that the movements the boy was practicing were from a battoujutsu school.

It seemed strange that a boy who looked so young was training at the battle plateau, he should have been at a dojo. There were rules on the battle plateau. If one is on the plateau and are challenged to a sparring match you must except. There was no written law per se, but it is a generally accepted practice. It is considered cowardly to refuse a challenge on Battle Plateau.

Just moments after Bokuden deduced the boy's practice of battoujutsu the boy threw the bokken down to the floor in frustration, to Bokuden's surprise. This display of frustration seemed unprovoked and confusing. The boy seemingly began to let his mind wander as he stared into the sky.

"This isn't the place to be daydreaming, kid," Bokuden said from his seat in the bleachers of the spectator's area.

Takashi's cloud-watching session was interrupted by an unknown voice. His brow lowered as he felt the child-like wonder drain away. He shifted his head half-heartedly towards the stands, grinding the back of his head against the gravel. Sitting in the spectator stands was a towering white-haired man. His attire was gorgeously sophisticated, an azure blue military coat with shining gold trimmings, and strapped to his left side was a katana ready to be drawn. The man's appearance put Takashi's simple garb to shame.

At cursory glance, Takashi thought he was another adult come to reprimand the boy, so he gave annoyed sigh. But as his eyes wandered back towards the stranger, the boy squinted, concentrating at his form. His impressive height suggested he was an adult, but the finer details of his body, like the smooth curves of the chin and the lean build, suggested otherwise. He may be a Genin like Takashi was, but from this distance, it was impossible to tell.

Regardless, Takashi's eyes narrowed in a peeved glare. Looking back up at the clouds, Takashi asked, "Why not? At this height, you have a great view of the clouds, and the solitude is perfect for contemplating." Assuming this person was another annoying adult, Takashi announced, "I've been practicing for a while now, and I want to take a break. So I'm taking a break." He limply tossed a tiny stone in the direction of the mystery man, which sailed at a feeble arc. "I mean, you can train here, if you want. Hell, you could even use the bokken too. It's not even mine. But this space around me, right here..." The boy raised his hands, pointing towards the ground and spinning his wrists in a circular motion representing his personal bubble. Never did he look away from the clouds. "...is my break time space." He darted a finger at the white-haired stranger's direction. "Don't disturb me."

A smirk grew on Bokuden's face, amused by the boy's response. "I'm just trying to help you out," Bokuden remarked, "You would be much more upset if it was some brutish thug interrupting you rather than me. At least come to the spectator's section to avoid any problems. Bokuden hoped that this answer would appease this sky gazing boy. The boy was young looking, but he was not a toddler. He should be aware of the rules of challenge on Battle Plateau.

Then there was also the issue of the rumors circulating about the Battle Plateau. Apparently some thugs were frequenting the site in order to force unwary trainees into battles and take their valuables as a "prize" for their fight. This was in fact the reason Bokuden was there this day. He intended to stake out the area to see for himself. However, he had no intention of allowing this kid to get involved. If the rumors were true, the thugs would hardly be going down without a fight.

Takashi's cynical grimace slowly disappeared as the mystery man's smile grew. Looks like he's not here to yell at me after all. The boy sat up. He glanced at his shoulder and noticed white splotches of gravel dust clinging to the shoulder of his his wool coat. The boy patted the spots lazily, removing only a few. He then looked at the bleachers pensively and occasionally glanced at the stranger. The gravel is kind of a pain to lay on. After another moment of thought, Takashi stood up. All right. But if this guy is going to be a pain in the neck, I'm leaving. The gravel crunched beneath his black boots as he ambled to the stands, his hands in his coat pockets. His chest was held high pridefully. He stepped up the stairs with deliberate elegance. He sat down next to the stranger, readjusted his glasses, and crossed his arms.

He raised his brow at the stranger in blue. "I'm Takashi. Of the Kuroka clan. I'm sure you've heard of it." Takashi waved the name of his clan like a flag thinking it would impress him. He waited briefly before continuing. "You should probably remember my name. I'll be Raikage someday. Then you can say you knew me when I was a kid and people will treat you amazingly."

Just then, a shadow darted from the corner of Takashi's left eye. Attempting to maintain his calm facade while on guard, he bolted his eyes to the side and turned his head ever so slightly. It was probably nothing. A stray animal from the village or a passerby who got lost. Regardless, the boy focused a handful of Chakra to his palm, readying his weapon should he need it.

His eyes fixated on the stranger again. Now that he was up close, he attempted to discern the stranger's age. At this distance, the youthful details of his face were evident, but his towering height threw off Takashi's guesses. Eventually, his curiosity won over his observational reasoning. "So who are you? And... how old are you?

The boy remained on the ground for a short while, occasionally glancing over in Bokuden's direction. It would not be long before he picked himself up off of the ground and stared intently at the shinobi and began to speak. "I'm Takashi. Of the Kuroka clan. I'm sure you've heard of it." Bokuden assumed from the haughty manner in which that statement was said that is was supposed to impress him. He was familiar with the clan, being an avid scholar of swordsmanship of all styles, but names and titles meant little to Bokuden. A masterly crafted sword wielded by a novice was no better than a kitchen knife. His only response to that statement was an apathetic stare and a raise of his right eyebrow.

Takashi went on to explain that Bokuden should remember his name in order to brag in the future, since he would become the Raikage. That Takashi was so forward and adamant about his dream of becoming Raikage put a smile on Bokuden's face. Despite his apathetic and sometimes cynical nature, Bokuden admired nothing more than a person who had dreams and convictions and stood by them. That smile would quickly fade as Bokuden noticed something move swiftly out of the corner of his right eye. He briefly glared out of the corner of his eye in that direction. "It appears we are not alone," Bokuden noted to himself.

His gaze shifted back to Takashi as he appeared to be sizing Bokuden up. Finally Takashi broke the silence and questioned, "So who are you? And... how old are you?" Now with a much more stern look on his face, in anticipation of the emergence of their guests, Bokuden answered, "My name is Bokuden. As for my age... I think that can wait until more pressing matters are addressed."

His hazel eye wandered towards the stranger again, eager to see how he reacts to the name of his clan. The corner of Takashi's mouth pulled up. However, the stranger in blue simply raised his eyebrow and stared blankly at Takashi. He darted his gaze away, attempting to maintain his facade. The boy clenched his teeth together, nearly breaking his jaw. His lips tightened and strained to prevent his frown form showing and in the process caused wrinkles to form by the base of his nose. His brow twitched compulsively, and a valley of ridges would rise and fall with each twitch. He should be in awe to actually meet a Kuroka, so either he doesn't know or doesn't care. Bastard.

After Takashi said he would become Raikage, however, the stranger's mien changed. On his blank, stoic face, a smile appeared. With the anger still pent up inside him, Takashi's eye drifted back to his face. Takashi felt a portion of the anger dissipate. Normally when people hear of his aspirations, they assume he was only a child with flights of fancy and dismiss him. Judging the stranger's smile, he showed his faith in the silver-haired boy's potential. Takashi's face was too rigid to show his gratitude, but he managed to raise his brow and relax the tense muscles of his face slightly.

But the stranger's smile soon disappeared after his gaze focused to his right. He had seen what Takashi saw and prepared for the incoming enemy after introducing himself as Bokuden.

From the bushes emerge two men in rugged, dirt-ridden clothing. One was somewhat burly about 5'10" with long, greasy black hair tied in a ponytail. His chin was sharp, pointed, and he unruly dragged a kanabo across the ground as if it was too mighty even for him. To his left was a man with spiky orange hair and shades. He was about the same height, albeit a few inches shorter, than the other one, but he had a much lankier frame. Sheathed in his belt was a washizaki. Both had their Kumo headbands displayed prominently on their foreheads, reflecting the shining sun. "What're two brats like you doing here?" the one with orange hair said with a devilish grin.

Takashi stood up. "Training. What the hell else would we be doing? Knitting?"

The orange-haired man sneered. The boy was too cocky to be intimidated. The other man stepped forward, swinging the kanabo onto his shoulder without much grace. "Let's just take their stuff now and be done with it."

The orange-haired one threw his arm to his side, halting the burly one. "Hiro, don't be so hasty."

"But they're tiny pipsqueak Genin. It's just like squishing grapes."

Takashi's faced reddened and fumed. "Who are you calling pipsqueak?"

Turning completely away from the two boys, the orange-haired man said, "We should at least give them a fighting chance. It might be fun after all."

Takashi's brow furrowed, and he bared his teeth. "Hello!?" The more he was ignored, the more irate he became.

Hiro chuckled, "Are you kidding? Look at the short one! He'd be squashed in a millisecond." Takashi had had enough. The silver-haired boy leapt down from the stands, crunching the gravel beneath his boot. He rummaged through the ground.

"Well, we'll save him for later then. Beat the big one to a pulp, take his stuff..." Takashi's digging finally paid off. He held up a grey stone the size of his palm. "...then we'll torture the little one..." He turned to face the two men. His face was tense, furious, determined. He pulled back his arm. "...until he goes crying home..." With all of his fury and might, Takashi launched the stone at the orange-haired man's head. "...to his mommy." Just then, the stone collided with the man's temple, and an audible thunk ringed from his skull. The man recoiled and shouted in pain. He held his hand to his temple as he hopped up and down. "Ow! Son of a--!"

Hiro let out a thunderous cackle and slapped his knee. "He got ya good, Hideki."

"Shut it!"

"Hey!" The two shifted their gaze to the boy. Hideki's eyes burned with immeasurable wrath. "When I talk, you shut up." He walked forward with clenched fists. His gaze was stern and unwavering. "My name is Takashi Kuroka, and I assume you idiots want to challenge us to a fight." They curled their lips and sneered. "If that's the case, I'll accept your challenge," he declared in a haughty manner. "I'd love to beat you senseless and make you beg for mercy."

"Cocky, little brat!" The sheer anger in his shout gritted the cords in his throat. Hideki unsheathed his blade and stood at the ready.

"All right!" Hiro swung his kanabo excitedly, grinning.

Takashi turned to Bokuden with a grin on his face. "I could probably beat these guys in a minute, but wanna help me destroy them? I'll even let you pick the one you want."

As the two men emerged from the surrounding shrubbery Bokuden did not raise himself from his seat in the spectators' section, instead preferring to examine the duo. A kanobo wielder and a swordsman, huh?" Bokuden thought to himself while analyzing the two men, "Given the sloppy manner of their movements, they don't appear to be shinobi, at least not shinobi that have finished the academy."

As they approached they began taunting Takashi, who was becoming visibly irate. Choosing to ignore Takashi due to his size, the two announced their plans of taking Bokuden out first and deal with Takashi later since they were sure he would pose no threat. Before one of the men could finish however, he was struck directly on the side of his head by a stone Takashi had thrown. "Well, I suppose that's it for trying to end this peacefully," Bokuden noted to himself.

With a satisfied grin on his face after taunting the duo, Takashi turned to Bokuden and invited him to participate as well, "I could probably beat these guys in a minute, but wanna help me destroy them? I'll even let you pick the one you want." After spending this whole time observing from the spectator's area Bokuden finally jumped down to join in the action.

"I would actually prefer to take them both," Bokuden said, now turned to face Takashi with a smirk, "No need for the future Raikage to burden himself with such impudence."

(OOC: I'm so sorry I've been absent so long! DX

Bokuden leapt down next to Takashi. The tall boy in blue wanted to take on both. "No need for the future Raikage to burden himself with such impudence," he said. Takashi smirked, and a slight tinge of red bloomed across his cheeks. Takashi's weakness has always been flattery, and someday it may be his downfall.

With his head held high, his chest out, and shoulders back, he responded, "Of course, but I accepted their challenge, and I never turn down a challenge." The short boy grinned gleefully at Bokuden. "Besides, I'm dying to mop the floor with these guys."

"I will not be made a fool by a little runt!" Hideki snarled. Washizaki throttled in his right hand, the orange-haired man darted across the arena. As he got closer to Takashi, he moved his arm back and prepared a thrust. His wrist, however, was weak, and the blade dangled, and Takashi smirked as he saw it. Takashi's right leg slid forward, pushing bits of gravel in front of him. As the blade and Hideki lurched toward him, Takashi merely shifted to the side. The sword zoomed past his chest. Hideki's sloppy attack yanked his body forward until his head was only a few inches from Takashi's chest. In the blink of an eye, Takashi jabbed his fist at Hideki's face, banging his knuckles on the man's nose. His opponent stumbled backwards, moaning and grasping his nose as it bled.

With the extra time, Takashi formed a seal. "Yami no Katana: Weapon Summoning Jutsu!" He held a fist forward, and from the cracks of his knuckles slithered trails of hissing steam. A beam of water erupted from his hand and curved into shape. The water transmogrified into a thin blade about two feet long hissing as the scalding water touched the frigid air. Wasting no time, Takashi bolted towards the enemy. The crunch of gravel reached Hideki's ears, and he opened his eyes to see the boy weapon in hand charging head on at him. Takashi, smiling victoriously, swung, and Hideki did the same. Their blades collided. Droplets of water flew from Takashi's blade and evaporated in mid-air. As both pressed relentlessly, Hideki frantically inspected the foreign blade. No hilt. No steel. Only water.

Meanwhile, Hiro slammed the end of his kanabo on the ground, sending bits of rock flying. "Looks like you're mine," he chuckled as he eyed Bokuden with eagerness and bloodlust. He stomped his way towards the boy and raised his cumbersome club overhead. With the momentum, Hiro swung horizontally when he got close enough to his opponent. A gust of wind whistle around his weapon as it swung towards his chest. The weight of the attack would shift his body towards the swing, making his right leg waver.


130/150 Chakra

JUTSU USED:

Spoiler:

WEAPONS USED:

Spoiler:

As expected Takashi refused to back down from the fight. "Oh well, it can't be helped I suppose," Bokuden thought to himself. Before he had a chance to act Takashi had already begun his fight with the smaller of the two opponents. "So he decided to take on the swordsman unarmed?" Bokuden mused, [color=darkblue]"No... he's a Kuroka. He's never unarmed." Bokuden was correct in his assumption as Takashi soon formed his sword from what appeared to be suiton chakra.

As much as he would like to have observed the nature of the Kuroka's Yami no Katana there was no time. The larger, kanobo wielding man approached Bokuden and launched a horizontal, sweeping swing in an attempt to blind side him. "Tch, please," Bokuden sneered as he easily evaded the attack, "Don't insult me. I don't need to be able to see such a pitiful attack to avoid it." The brute then swung his weapon about clumsily and followed his previous attack with a vertical slash. Bokuden once again evaded the incoming attack, this time with a sidestep. As the wielder struggled to left his weapon back up from the ground, Bokuden ran up the length of the kanobo and delivered a swift knee into his attacker's face.

Bokuden then defeated both of the enemies singlehandedly and was carried off by a group of beautiful women who were members of his fan club. The end~

(OOC: Sorry Takashi, it's kind of troublesome to stick around in a thread that isn't getting responded to. I'm losing track of what my character has gained since this thread started. I'll be happy to rp with you when you are less busy, just let me know)

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