[OOC: I carried Nagare up the wall with me in my last post xD, so I'm just going to rp it as such lol]

As Bokuden took his final step over the edge of the wall and onto the platform where the forge was located he quickly scanned the area for a bench to lay the unconscious Nagare. He spotted one far over to his right next to the grindstone and carefully placed Nagare down on his back. Horui, having took the stairs up, soon approached the bench and stared down at Nagare before retrieving another slip of paper from his pockets and jotting down another message. "Our kekkei genkai splits our chakra equally between us when I'm not dormant, and he went too far with jutsu and summoning." Horui didn't seem all that concerned for someone who was essentially his other half. More disappointment showed than anything, Bokuden assumed it had something to do with the careless use of his jutsu, but didn't bother saying anything about it.


Bokuden's gaze shifted from the note and back to Horui after taking in its contents. Well. that explains why he tired so quickly. Bokuden then looked down at the bench where Nagare laid and continued. Still, I didn't think he would take it as far as he did. I intended to get him worked up, but to run himself into the ground like this? It makes me glad that I didn't use the plan I had to REALLY get him upset. If I did he might still try to kill me when he wakes up from his self-induced nap. Bokuden folded the piece of paper over, covering up the section that had already been written on and offered it back to Horui, prompting him to respond in writing. This writing based for of communication was definitely slower than speaking, but since Horui did not speak there wasn't much that could be done about it. Besides, slow did not necessarily mean bad. Bokuden was definitely not going to start complaining about a slow pace after having all of those katon jutsu thrown at him.


Word Count: 4434/9000


Raiton S>SS

Horui took a moment, deciding the diction of his next few sentences. He was about to tell Bokuden about Nagare's habitual self-centered demeanor and overall unstable mind. He was out of paper and he couldn't keep writing on that used up slip...so he started scribbling on his hand. Nagare tends to get out of hand with his emotions. I feel the same way a lot of the time; many of my own emotions can be quite negative, but Nagare's are more intense, and he acts on them. Yet he never feels guilt for the pain and death he causes, but rather grows man when someone, like me, opposes such choices. It's become a recent problem between us.

Horui loved Nagare literally as much as he loved himself, but they were growing distant from each other. As if they were mere battle partners instead of supposed twins. He tried to think about a solution to this problem; the only one that came to mind was their clan's Gemini Tattoo that increased the bond between them with a powerful seal and chakra...he considered talking to Naga about this, later.

For now, he finished the last sentence in his hand, which was covered in chicken scratch letters on both sides. He offered it to Boku to read, keeping his eyes locked on Nagare's dormant figure, chest softly rising at equally spaced intervals to indicate steady breathing.  

---

Training Suiton D > C
Word Count: 2,864/2,850
Training Complete

Horui paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating what he was going to say next. Bokuden stared at him inquisitively as he rummaged through his pockets. Whatever he must want to say must be a little lengthy if this slip isn't enough, Bokuden thought to himself as he withdrew his outstretched arm and slid the folded sheet of paper into a pocket on the inside of his coat. Horui's pocket excavation appeared to be a fruitless venture as he pulled out his empty hands. Horui was apparently searching for another slip of paper or some other medium for his writing as, after a brief moment of pause, he began scribbling on his own hand. He then offered his hand to Bokuden to read in the same manner he would his paper messages. It was an unusual way to convey a message to say the least, but given Horui's non-existent vocal abilities there wasn't much of a choice. The act amused Bokuden who let out a slight laugh and said "You know, if you needed paper you could have just scribbled on that other sheet and asked. I always carry around a notebook." Bokuden then reached into his bag and pulled out a black, leather-bound notebook. He dusted off some of Satomi's white fur before presenting it to Horui. "Sorry about the fur,I had Satomi climb into my bag during our match."


After placing the notebook down in front of Horui, Bokuden grabbed Horui's hand and pulled it closer to his to read it. Staring intently at the palm of Horui's hand deciphering the poor penmanship that had been presented to him, Bokuden began to make out what the message was. Nagare tends to get out of hand with his emotions. I feel the same way a lot of the time; many of my own emotions can be quite negative, but Nagare's are more intense, and he acts on them. Yet he never... "Hold on, flip your hand over" Bokuden said as he took it upon himself to turn Horui's hand over anyway. ...feels guilt for the pain and death he causes, but rather grows man when someone, like me, opposes such choices. It's become a recent problem between us. 


Bokuden released Horui's hand after he finished reading the message and let out a deep sigh. Bokuden folded his arms as he contemplated how he should respond to Horui's message. Finally Bokuden redirected his gaze back at Horui and proceeded to speak his mind. I'm no stranger to anger, but being a shinobi is a career already filled with occupational hazards. Far too many in fact, to allow your emotions to cloud your judgement. In our line of work losing your cool could very well mean losing your life. If I were a real enemy rather than just a training partner what do you think would have become of Nagare once he ran himself into the ground? You won't always be able to protect him from himself. If he won't listen to you about protecting himself it might be worth a try to remind him of the people he endangers with his carelessness, you for starters. You are the one most directly endangered by his inability to control his emotions. If he needs a bit more incentive I suppose you could drop Jishin's name in there. Seem's pretty selfish to abandon her for your own stubbornness. Of course, those are just suggestions. It probably wouldn't be wise to jump straight into the deep end without treading lighter waters first.


Word Count: 5042/9000


Raiton S>SS

Horui declined the notebook with a smile, insisting that Bokuden keep it. He left his own notebook at home; there was a sketching notebook at home as well, but that was Nagare's, and it wasn't his to write in freely. It was already half-full of detail drawings of flames and Jishin, anyways, and he was sure that Naga would want to fill the rest with more intricate art. He turned his attention back to Nagare, who was breathing softly, still unconscious.

Nagare lived on in his mind, thoughts rolling through the pink, wrinkled hills of his soft brain. They were so realistic...new experiences and old, all in illusions, thoughts, dreams. He breathed in quietly, still unconscious, yet conscious at the very same time. He stood alone in a large savanna, flat and continuing around him for miles and miles. There was no life here; it was dark and gray, and dead grass poked through the dry cracks crisscrossing the landscape. Trees could be seen in the far distance, as dead as the grass was. They were mere shards of bark, standing so far from him, but acting as an encampment, keeping him confined in the plains. He had peace here, even in darkness. He finally felt alive, free. He took the first step out towards the dead trees. The ground cracked beneath his feet and the earth shuddered under his weight.

Taking quick glances to the left and right, Nagare carefully planted his next step; yet another crack boomed around him. He stopped in his tracks as he noticed the cracks in the ground stretching, connecting into a nexus of wounds that covered the surface of the savanna. The booming didn't stop this time; it continued, even without his continued movement; he had broken something, just with his steps. His steps, his choices, his path of life. Hot magma boiled from the cracks now, flooding the savanna and lighting the trees and grass aflame. He stepped back, and the cracks grew even wider, lava erupting from them like two-dimensional volcanoes. He could feel the heat tickle his skin, and the sensation of it shifted into fear quickly as he felt it burn through his skin. A look to his arms revealed that they were black, charred to the point of numbness; he could no longer feel them as they crumbled away into dust. He sprinted away from the lava, but it was too late; it was everywhere. His legs crackled with each strained step until they crumbled, and he fell into the ground, exploding into a cloud of ashes.

Nagare's eyes opened the second that happened, and he gasped for air. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked at the rolling clouds overhead. Horui reached out to touch him, a comforting pat on the shoulder, but was electrocuted upon contact. He recoiled and stood up, holding his stinging hand in pain. "Horui! I'm sorry, I was having a nightmare." Horui gave him a disdained look of disappointment, to remind him of the things he had done. Nagare frowned, remembering that he had used Hunter Cerberus Bombs on Bokuden. Bokuden. He still had to be here somewhere.

Nagare turned to his left and saw Bokuden standing there, holding a notebook toward Horui and saying something. He only heard the words..."Of course, those are just suggestions. It probably wouldn't be wise to jump straight into the deep end without treading lighter waters first." "Don't worry about the notebook," he whispered, ignoring the part about deep waters and focusing on the notebook in Boku's hand. "He has his own, he just left it at home." He assumed that Bokuden was referring to his unconscious state, which he now realized was due to chakra exhaustion. He read Horui's thoughts to process what he had missed of the conversation between him and Bokuden, and it only clarified his assumption that Bokuden was judging him for overdoing it. He still felt very drained, and it was true that it wasn't the smartest thing to do. He had already gotten angry enough in the course of the last hour, and realized that Bokuden's judgement of him wasn't something to take so seriously. The guy naturally seemed to have an attitude, obviously didn't know what Nagare had been through. There was a reason he was like this.

Nagare's anger focused more on Horui, and what he had written on his hand, in plain sight, and all over his thoughts. Nagare expected to be judged by someone he hardly cared for such as Bokuden, but definitely not by his own twin. Raiton chakra continued sparking through his fingertips, emitting a loud noise.

---

Training Raiton C > B
Word Count: 793/1,900
(5% off due to Sōseiji Kekkei Genkai)

While awaiting a response from Horui Bokuden he suddenly sensed a large surge of raiton chakra right beside him. Upon looking down to the source he realized that it was coming from Nagare to which he responded by taking a step back. At that concentration of raiton chakra one would be shocked upon touching Nagare. It was a strange situation to have, someone passing out from chakra exhaustion, but then suddenly having this rush of chakra wildly flaring out. The only reasonable conclusion that Bokuden could come to was that the fatigue had weakened Nagare to the point where his body was unable to subconsciously put "limiters" on his chakra and that whatever he was experiencing while passed out was stressful enough to cause him to begin violently expending chakra. As Horui and Bokuden looked on Nagare suddenly awoke in a cold sweat and gasping for air. Horui reached over to offer him a comforting pat on the shoulder, which was a mistake as he was about to learn, and was greeted in turn by a strong electrical shock. "Horui! I'm sorry, I was having a nightmare." Nagare exclaimed only to be met with a disappointed and perturbed scowl from Horui. From what he could tell from the facial expressions between the two it was not an issue of the shock, these two had bigger issues that they needed to work out.


There were a few moments of silence between the two as Bokuden suspected that they were communicating telepathically. If the two shared thoughts as Bokuden heard members of that clan do then it wouldn't take long for Nagare to realize everything that had been said while he was unconscious. It was a thought that didn't really bother Bokuden, he rarely regretted anything he said and definitely did not regret what he said to Horui. Besides, nagare was struggling just to keep himself standing tall, he could get as mad as he wanted, he wasn't a threat at this point. Strangely though, his anger seemed to be more focused on Horui than Bokuden as Nagare stared down at Horui's hand. "Ah the message," Bokuden thought to himself as he thought the situation through. "I see. He must feel betrayed that Horui, I would imagine literally his own flesh and blood, would express those feelings at all let alone to someone they barely knew." Even after running himself into the ground Nagare could not get a hold of his emotions. "Such a troublesome person," Bokuden thought to himself. Bokuden walked over to Horui and grabbed the wrist of the hand he had written on, lifting it up and displaying it to Nagare. "Is this what you are mad at? If you think that this is the largest issue here than there is an even bigger problem than I thought."


Word Count: 5516/9000


Raiton S>SS

Nagare watched as Bokuden stood there, analyzing the entire situation as he held a steady gaze at the two. Horui sat quietly, not sure of what to think. He knew that Nagare had just seen the writing on his hand, but he wasn't regretful; it was the truth. Nagare was only bothered by it because he knew it was true, and he had serious issues. Bokuden stepped forward and grabbed Horui's wrist, displaying it to Naga, saying "Is this what you are mad at? If you think that this is the largest issue here than there is an even bigger problem than I thought." Nagare resisted the urge to hit the guy. "Bokuden, just quit it. You keep talking down to me. You don't know what Horui and I have been through together, and there's a reason that this hurts me." he stood up, facing Bokuden head-on.

Nagare's body felt weak and frail, but electricity surged through his body in every part. It wasn't a great amount, seeing as his chakra was already running quite thin, but it was enough to emit a droning noise, and sparks jumped from his skin at 30 second intervals. He had lost control of the chakra he had left; he'd need to get to a hospital soon, or he could die of chakra exhaustion. He turned to Horui, who looked back at him with unsure eyes. I'm sorry. Horui let out a half-grin and thought back, It's alright. I'm sorry, too. Horui rubbed away the words written on his hand with his opposite hand, and a black blur was left in their place. Nagare turned back to Bokuden, and calmly said, "I'm going to go to the hospital, to get my chakra system fixed up..." When he took the first step back down, he noticed a rather plump looking elderly man walking up the stairs, holding a large satchel. "Who are you? Need a weapon? I assume that's the only reason anybody comes to my forge." he said, in a confused tone. Nagare smiled at the man, and said, "No, I don't need a weapon. I was just training with Bokuden, but I'm heading out now."

---

Training Raiton C > B
Word Count: 1,171/1,900

Nagare angrily stood up to face Bokuden, clearly trying to hold back his emotions. From the lack of control he seemed to have over his anger Bokuden was surprised that Nagare had not attempted to hit him yet, even though in the condition that he was in Nagare wasn't much of a threat to anyone anymore. "Bokuden, just quit it. You keep talking down to me. You don't know what Horui and I have been through together, and there's a reason that this hurts me." Nagare responded, the anger coming through clearly in his voice. At this time it appeared that the forge master had returned, but Bokuden did not turn to face him. Nagare spoke to him briefly telling him that he was leaving, but Bokuden had other  plans.


Bokuden stepped into his path to block Nagre from leaving and turned to face him. He clearly was not going to listen unless he was forced to listen. "I'm sorry, Horui, but this needs to be said," Bokuden then grabbed Nagare by the collar of his shirt and pulled him off of his feet,  "Are you done feeling sorry for yourself yet? No one is talking down to you and maybe if you weren't so wrapped up in your own misguided anger and self-pity you would be able to see that Horui is trying to help you. I honestly don't give a damn what you think about me, be as angry at me as you like. If you think it will solve any of your problems go ahead and hit me. You know it will feel good. You also know damn well that it won't solve anything. However, if you are going to claim that the things you two have been through together justify your anger with Horui than I'm afraid I won't be letting you go anywhere. Stop using your past as a crutch to make up for the fact that you don't know how to cope with your own issues. We are shinobi. death is one of the more PLEASANT occupational hazards we face. Do you think you are the only one who has ever had a troubled past? So you should just get a pass on being a prick because you have been sad in your life? Feel how you want about Horui opening up to me about how he feels, but at least he's doing something. Did you ever stop to consider that he was forced to look for help from outside because you were too busy being angry to care about what he had to say, how he felt? Bottling up your emotions and taking them out on others doesn't make you tougher, it makes you cowardly and selfish. Which is exactly what you are doing now, being selfish and a coward, running from your problems instead of facing them. I know what it's like to have a partner and I know what it's like to be angry and be going through rough times. Whether or not you listen to me is irrelevant, but you have people who care about you, right? You're life doesn't belong to you alone, remember that." Bokuden then slowly put Nagare down on his feet and glared straight into his red eyes.


Satomi looked on in shock as she listened to Bokuden dig into Nagare. This side of Bokuden, being overcome with emotion, was totally out of character for him. She knew exactly why he had gotten so worked up, but said nothing and simply jumped up next to Horui as the two awaited for Nagare's response. The forge master said nothing and carefully sneaked over to his forge understanding the fragility of the situation, tip toeing as if trying to not disturb the proverbial thin ice that everyone was standing on.




Raiton S > SS: ~6166/9000~

Nagare was intercepted by a stern-looking Bokuden who stood in his path and didn't move. The blacksmith continued past them, proceeding to the forge and beginning to work. Nagare stood for a moment, deciding whether to push Bokuden out of the way or to just wait until he moved. Suddenly, Bokuden reached out and grabbed Nagare by the collar, pulling him close and restricting any movement. He started lecturing Nagare on how he shouldn't "take his emotions out on others", namely Horui. His breath against Nagare's face was an unpleasant feeling; it didn't hold a smell, but the rush of air brushing against Nagare with every word irritated him. Once Bokuden finished and felt sufficiently secure that he had set Nagare straight, Nagare wrestled his way out of Bokuden's grip and fixed his collar.

"Look. Horui and I have already gotten over it; he was angry that I used a powerful jutsu on you (although it didn't land), and I was angry that he was spouting off about how unstable I am. Honestly, I am in the wrong on both accounts. I shouldn't have used that technique on you, and I can be a bit unpredictable. But you're acting like I'm some sort of bad person because I'm not considering Horui's emotions. What you don't seem to realize is that Horui is just a part of me; I can freely read his thoughts, feel his emotions, experience his pain, and he can do the same with me. I spend too much time feeling. I spend too much time facing my issues. That doesn't mean that facing them instantly changes them, I'm working on it. My problems are my lack of remorse and my thin temper, not my 'bottled emotions' and my selfishness. I wanted a simple training session with Horui, and instead, you insult my summons, who are like family to me, and when I take you seriously and start fighting you seriously, I nearly kill myself from chakra loss. I black out, have a nightmare, and wake up to see Horui acting like I'm a death machine just for fighting you with my strongest technique. And then you yell at me for a while, thinking you're changing who I am as a person for the better. The whole situation is pretty backwards. I'm done here, we can talk again some other time, but I really need to get to the hospital. I feel quite light-headed."

Nagare stepped around Bokuden and started down the stairs, and Horui followed, making sure that Nagare was okay (his steps were a bit erratic). The blacksmith in the background started hammering a blade, leaving it silent save the constant pounding of vulcanized rubber on metal.

---

Training Raiton C > B
Word Count: 1,641/1,900

As Nagare was released from Bokuden's grip, he adjusted his collar and responded to Bokuden's monologue with a rant of his own. Bokuden said nothing in response to Nagare as he felt at this point that it would do no good, he clearly missed the whole point of what Bokuden was trying to say. Nagare was stuck in his own ways about how to handle his problems and was likely going to stick to them even if the "work" he is doing is accomplishing nothing but spinning his wheels. As Nagare walked past him heading to the hospital, Bokuden turned to the blacksmith in order to apologize for their intrusion, "I had come here to have my sword examined, but it seems like that will have to wait until a later time. Don't go on another vacation until I get back. I have to go tend to Mr. remorseless before he gets himself killed by his own stubbornness."


"It's no problem at all, go do what you have to do I'll be here when you get back. I don't have any other trips planned, I'm pretty behind on my work as it is. Just make sure you bring it to me in the morning before orders start flooding in. Now go make sure he is alright." The old man said with a kind smile before going back about his business.


"Thanks old man," Bokuden said with a smile before quickly locating Nagare and Horui. Bokuden and Satomi followed Nagare and Horui down the stairs, quickly catching up with the other two. Using the advanced knowledge of electrical charges afforded to him by his clan's sensory abilities, Bokuden calculated the net charge of the electricity that was flowing through Nagare's body. He then jumped down to the first landing on the stairs leading down the forge and cut Nagare off, thrusting his palm into Nagare's gut and releasing a flow of electricity with an opposite net charge value in order to cancel out the charge that was preventing Nagare from being touched. Bokuden then grabbed the staggering Nagare and slung him over his shoulder against his will before staring at Horui and telling him to run. Bokuden followed that up by quickly running down the stairs, carrying Nagare on his back.


Up at the top of the forge the blacksmith decided to take a little break before returning to his forge and getting to his work. He decided to take a quick survey of the area and saw that everything up on the smithy level seemed to be in order. As he walked over to the ledge from which the training area could be seen however, he looked down only to find it in ruins. The walls and floor were covered in scorch marks and several of his weapon racks and benches were at least partially destroyed with weapons scattered all over the floor. He gripped his hammer tightly and released a surge of katon chakra from his body which was visible to all around as a giant pulse of fire coming from the top of the forge. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY PRACTICE GROUND?!?!?"


Raiton S>SS: 6701/9000

Nagare continued forward, in the general direction of the hospital, when Bokuden jumped down and intercepted him, throwing forward a jab. Thinks he's got hand-to-hand skills, huh? Nagare thought to himself. Seemed like Bokuden wasn't giving up with this whole thing, despite it being, well, none of his business. Heads-up, Horui. Summon something, and then I'll let you go ahead and take care of this. Horui nodded from his stance next to the forge, and re-summoned Ondan. Nagare then used a Substitution Technique to switch places with Horui right as the jab made contact. Nagare now stood, watching from the forge as Bokuden picked up Horui, who was acting dazed by the hit, run in the opposite direction. A voice nearby him, recognized as that of the blacksmith, yelled, "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY PRACTICE GROUND?!?!?"

Startled by the yell, Horui perked up and twisted his way from Bokuden's grip, landing on the ground back-first and doing a backwards roll to face Bokuden head-on, in case he tried to grab him again.  Ondan hopped down to their level, leaving Nagare up at forge-level looking down at Bokuden, who was at the northwest, Horui, who was north, and Ondan, who had jumped in-between them, swords drawn. The blacksmith was northeast, near the weapons, booming about what had happened before grabbing a massive battleaxe from the rack, and charging at Horui. He jumped out of the way as the battleaxe arced downward, slicing into the rocky ground with a clunk Ondan didn't move, still facing Bokuden. "Me having to be re-summoned is a clear sign that you're a bit of a problem for Naga and Horui. You're good, for a Genin." he said in his usual calm tone.

The blacksmith struggled to pull his axe out of the ground, and Nagare ran behind the forge, taking cover there. It was more than 20 meters away and 10 meters higher than the four of them were, so he figured it would be fine to rest there. Horui faced the blacksmith, his back to a stone wall. The pure rage in the man's eyes was a signal that they really shouldn't have pissed him off.

---

Training Raiton C > B
Word Count: 2,021/1,900
Training Complete

Nagare's Chakra - 15/125:

Horui's Chakra - 65/125:

Nagare had switched out with Horui at the last minute before Bokuden picked him up. It was a crude attempt at a substitution at that, in his physical state not only had his speed dwindled far too much to create a believable optical illusion, but Bokuden could sense his movement regardless. After Horui wrestled his way out of Bokuden's grip he re-summoned his red panda. Bokuden was not nearly as concerned with the summon as he was with the blacksmith who had grabbed a battleaxe and charged in Horui's direction. "You idiot, I saw that substitution. Are you trying to kill yourself, exerting more chakra in this situation? I was trying to discharge the electrical build up that was preventing you from touching anyone. Now we have to deal with the old man. He might be the best smith in the village, but he is also fucking crazy. We HAD a chance to get out of this, now he isn't going to stop," Bokuden said in an annoyed tone, directing it towards Nagare. Horui jumped to the side, avoiding downward swing, but his summon remained steadfast in his position staring down Bokuden.


 "Me having to be re-summoned is a clear sign that you're a bit of a problem for Naga and Horui. You're good, for a Genin." the creature said in a calm tone, his stare never turning from Bokuden even as Horui was under attack. Luckily the old man had paused to retrieve his weapon from the ground, giving Horui time to take a defensive position. With the limited space on the staircase however, there was little Horui could do besides back up to the wall and face the blacksmith. Bokuden stared back at the summon with an apathetic look for a moment before slapping his right palm onto his forehead and angrily pointing to its summoner in danger right behind him. If Bokuden recalled correctly this summon used fuuton techniques, which would not be of much help against the blacksmith's katon.


While all of this was going on the blacksmith had finally retrieved his ax with one final heave. His furious voice boomed throughout the area, shaking the weapons and tools laying on racks around the forge, "Did you really believe I would just let you walk out of here after you left my property in ruins? Without even so much as an apology? Now it is too late for words, I will beat some manners into you disrespectful brats!" He then raised his ax over his head and flowed katon chakra through it, causing it to be engulfed in an intense fire. He took a few practice swings with it, the flames forming a trail along his swing path as he moved it back and forth. .The heat from the blade could be felt on the wind caused by each swing.

---

Raiton S>SS

7283/9000

Bokuden commented on the situation, saying "You idiot, I saw that substitution. Are you trying to kill yourself, exerting more chakra in this situation? I was trying to discharge the electrical build up that was preventing you from touching anyone. Now we have to deal with the old man. He might be the best smith in the village, but he is also fucking crazy. We HAD a chance to get out of this, now he isn't going to stop," Nagare didn't listen to his ramblings, he knew what he was doing. He wasn't trying to be stealthy, he was getting away from Bokuden and his "I'll save you!" attitude. He stayed tucked into the corner behind the forge, safe from the blacksmith's wrath. Horui managed to slip to where Ondan and Bokuden stood as the blacksmith held his now-burning axe in front of him.

Ondan sprinted forward, drawing both of his katana. The blacksmith threw an overhead slash at the panda, but Ondan deflected it with his sword before turning so that the blacksmith's back was facing him. "Blades of the Harvest Moon!" he called out, and both of katana were sent smoldering, leaving them with a red-white glow. He slashed the Blacksmith, but the man managed to dodge the blow, retaliating with a horizontal slash of his own with that meaty axe of his. Ondan blocked it with his katana, and their weapons stayed pressed together, working against each other. Smoke began to form from the blades, floating off into the sky. Nagare took this opportune moment to jump down from his post and shove a hand into Horui's back. It broke through, and a light burned from Horui's back. Good luck. Horui thought as he began to fade. Nagare couldn't move while he was absorbing Horui, but the process couldn't be reversed at this point. He needed to wait it through; he just hoped that Bokuden and Ondan could stall that blacksmith long enough before he could join the fray.

---

Horui's Chakra - 60/125:

Ondan's Chakra - 35/50:

Training Suiton C > B
Word Count: 344/4,000
(No discount due to Souseiji Kekkei Genkai being Dormant)

Horui scurried over to Bokuden and Ondan's location as the blacksmith waved around his flaming ax in the air, ducking the streams of fire as they were expelled from the weapon. "It's as I thought then, they don't possess much talent in close quarter combat. Hopefully at least Horui has enough chakra to provide ranged support with some suiton jutsu while the raccoon and I hold him down on the front lines," Bokuden thought to himself as he took three steps forward and in front of Horui. Before he could make another move however, Horui's summon darted forward flowing chakra into his blades, intent on attacking the blacksmith. The old man, nimble for his age, dodged the attack and swung his enormous ax in retaliation . Ondan blocked   the attack with his own katana, creating a deadlock with the blacksmith as their weapons pressed against each other in a struggle.


While watching the two fighters clash Bokuden sensed another presence enter his sensory zone, a familiar one at that. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder Bokuden could see that Nagare had jumped down from his position up by the forge and landed behind Horui, pressing his hand into Horui's back. A light shone from the point of contact, shining out over Nagare as Horui's body and electrical presence began to fade from Bokuden's vision. Bokuden raised an eyebrow at the spectacle, unsure of what was really going on. "He said that Horui was a part of him, is this them becoming one again?" Bokuden thought as he allowed himself to be distracted for a moment as he watched. It didn't appear to be an instantaneous process and   in all likelihood Nagare was putting himself in a vulnerable position by starting it in the middle of a fight. "Why do this now? Is absorbing Horui a way to restore some of his chakra? Either way, it looks like we will have to cover for him for a bit until he's done," Bokuden contemplated in his own mind.


He was decently familiar with the old man's fighting style, this was not the first time he had been through an ordeal like this when coming to get his sword examined. In fact, this kind of thing happened far too often. He might be the best smith in the village, but it was surprising that no one had tried to do anything about his temper. "I suppose they just feel it best to leave him to his work, high up and away from the village as opposed to trying to reign him in," Bokuden said to himself while turning his gaze back to the ongoing struggle between the smith and Ondan. Bokuden was done thinking it through, now it was time to act. He lunged forward, running behind Ondan and yelling out to the summon, "Hey raccoon, close your eyes!" Bokuden then jumped up onto Ondan's head, using it to springboard himself up higher just like he did earlier within the mist. He whistled loudly while up in the air, drawing the smith's gaze skyward and swiftly weaved a series of hand signs. He then activated his Lightning Release: Blind Faith jutsu in order to blind all onlookers in the area and mask his next strike. Using the added gravitational force from his descent, Bokuden removed his still sheathed katana from his side and delivered a downward vertical strike right to the old man's head. Bokuden hoped that the daze following the strike would cause him to calm down, but knew that there was the very real possibility that it wouldn't work. This old man was the definition of hard headed, literally and proverbially, and once he got going it was extremely difficult to cool him off. Bokuden leaped behind the old man in order to gain tactical advantage by surrounding him and awaited someone to make the next move.

Chakra: 95/150:

---

Raiton S>SS: 7943/9000

Bokuden used Ondan's head as leverage once again, jumping skyward and using some sort of jutsu to blind the blacksmith while he struck. A single downward strike using a sheathed katana was thrown at the blacksmith, who took the blow with little reaction. Landing behind him and turning towards his back, Bokuden searched for a next move. Nagare finished merging with Horui, and returned to his full natural power. He barked orders at Ondan in a rushed fashion as he ran forward. "Use another Equinox Break! I'll catch his other side with a fireball." Ondan nodded and followed his orders, resheathing his blades and unsheathing them again; it send two long blades of wind, similar to the last ones, only emulsified in red hot flames, as strong as an A-Rank Katon jutsu. Nagare took a long route to the Blacksmith's side, and launched a Great Fireball from afar. It approached him fast, and Nagare ran back to his front so that he was surrounded; Bokuden to his South, a fireball to his East, two massive flaming projectiles to his West, and Nagare to his North.

Nagare racked his brain as the blacksmith held his burning axes in a defensive position. We need to blind him... he thought to himself, and an idea popped into his head. He made a Dragon hand seal, and a mist covered the area once again, keeping the Blacksmith in the dark, with hostile forces on all sides.

---

Training Suiton C > B
Word Count: 590/4,000

Ondan's Chakra - 10/50:

Nagare's Chakra - 55/250:

As Bokuden landed behind the blacksmith and began to perform a reassessment of the situation it became evident that his previous assault had little if any effect on the old man. "Shit, it's as I feared. He has already far passed the point of no return. I didn't unsheathe my sword because I didn't want to hurt him, but it looks like that won't be an option this time. Even so, I can't let Nagare get carried away again. If we have to hurt him to calm him down then so be it, but I have no intention of killing the man." Bokuden thought to himself as he racked his brain for a non-lethal strategy that could help them in this situation.


Before Bokuden had time to formulate a plan, Nagare had already begun to take action, apparently finished absorbing Horui. "Use another Equinox Break! I'll catch his other side with a fireball." Nagare yelled out to his summon as charged forward, trying to gain position in order to follow through with his strategy no doubt. Without hesitation the summon sheathed his katana, only to forcefully unsheathe them once again sending two large fuuton blades soaring in the direction of the blacksmith. It appeared to be the same manner of jutsu that the creature had used earlier against Bokuden while the field was covered in Nagare's mist, but something was different about it. It did not take long for Bokuden realize that the katon chakra that the summon had used to augment the power of its katana had also augmented his fuuton projectiles with katon chakra, no doubt increasing their destructive capabilities. Nagare did not stop there however, as he himself expelled a large fireball from his mouth before retreating to the one side of the blacksmith that was currently open. The blacksmith did not seem fazed by the situation he found himself in, casually assuming a defensive posture with his flaming ax raised. Nagare, perhaps realizing that the blacksmith was concerned neither with being surrounded nor the incoming attacks, then used his Hiding in Mist jutsu once again.


"Not bad," Bokuden thought to himself, taking note of Nagare's apparent preference for using his summons in order to surround his opponents. Bokuden had already seen Nagare use similar tactics twice before by this point, once at the baseball field and once during their earlier match. Once again however, much to Bokuden's annoyance, Nagare had once again gotten carried away with the fight. Bokuden had no doubt that the old man could take a hit, especially from katon jutsu, but he was still slightly worried. In order to keep an eye on things through Nagare's mist, Bokuden activated his Current Perception: Combat Range, extending his sensory range far enough  to follow the blacksmith. Expecting the old man to attempt to eat the jutsu that were heading his way, Bokuden was shocked to sense the old man descending from his previous position. "What the hell? He was standing on solid ground how the hell could he possibly go straight down?" Bokuden thought to himself as he continued to follow the man's presence underground. The blacksmith's ability to use doton jutsu was unfamiliar to even Bokuden, who had only known him to use the katon element before. Before Bokuden had a chance to alert Nagare and his summon to the old man's location, the blacksmith was already beginning to emerge, choosing his target at random.

Chakra 90/150:

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Raiton S>SS: 8529/9000

Nagare, due to his close proximity to the blacksmith, noticed his next tactic: he looked down to the ground and began to sink. A Doton jutsu that was well known around as the Groundhog Technique. Raiton, then. he thought for a second as the flames exploded into each other in an inferno that shone brightly in the mist. Nagare knew that Horui hadn't given him much chakra, so he felt that he could use two more jutsu and then no more, for fear of blacking out again. "Raiton: Ascending Charge!" he yelled as he pressed his hand into the ground. A pulse of energy blasted through the solid rock, in a full circle around Nagare, splitting it left and right. The blacksmith was caught in the blast and thrown out of the ground, and into clear view. He made another hand sign, and a swarm of bats appeared like before, but they attacked the blacksmith, swarming and biting him and keeping him restrained. "Bokuden! Attack him now!"

---

Training Suiton C > B
Word Count: 758/4,000

Nagare's Chakra - 20/250:

(OOC: Feel free to exit this thread in your next post, I'll continue my Suiton training in another.)

With the blacksmith now underground he was completely clear of the two katon jutsu that Nagare had sent his way. The jutsu collided together in the center of the mist causing an explosion visible even through the mist, the heat created from the impact dispersing in all direction making the mist feel more like a sauna. “Ugh, this humidity is killing me,” Bokuden growled in discomfort, “Satomi is going to kill me, this is going to cause her fur to frizz up.”  All the while Bokuden was making sure to keep track of the blacksmith’s location using his Current Perception, attempting to nullify the potential element of surprise. With the old man wasting no time in making his next move Bokuden would have no time to waste waiting around for the aftermath of the katon jutsus’ collision to clear up. Seemingly able to move freely while underground, the blacksmith made a beeline right for Nagare. Unsure if Nagare would be able to foresee the incoming attack Bokuden followed the same path as the blacksmith towards him, but wasn’t going to be able to close the gap fast enough to stop the attack.
Fortunately it appeared as though Nagare was privy to the blacksmith’s intentions as he prepared himself by molding ration chakra that Bokuden could see through the mist. "Raiton: Ascending Charge!" Bokuden heard Nagare yell out before feeling the concentration of ration chakra surge straight into the earth beneath Nagare’s feet, causing the ground itself to explode skyward. Nagare’s plan seemed to have worked as the old man came flying out of the ground along with all of the debris, leaving himself air born and vulnerable to a follow up attack. By now the mist had begun to fade, seemingly released, revealing Nagare, the blacksmith, and the katana wielding summon. The summon disappeared in a cloud of smoke as it was apparently bansished. Bokuden was unsure of what had caused Nagare to send the beast home; Nagare had shown himself capable of switching between summoning contracts, so that was a possibility, but Bokuden was also concerned that Nagare was simply running out of chakra and was unable to maintain the summon.

His concern was dispelled, at least temporarily, by the swarm of flaming bats that began to surround the blacksmith. They were the same bats that Horui had summoned to use as a shield earlier during their match, it appeared that they also had offensive capabilities. The bats seemed to be restraining the old man as Nagare called out to Bokuden, urging him to attack the blacksmith now. Physical attacks weren’t going to do much to the old man at this point, he was too consumed with rage, what he needed was a shock to the system. Bokuden charged up his Lightning Release: Wave of inspiration, focusing all of the lightning into his left hand, and leapt into the air over the retrained blacksmith. During his descent Bokuden reached his hand into the swarm of bats, receiving burns along his arm in the process, and grabbed the old man’s face. He then released the charge straight into the old man’s head, causing his body to convulse from the shocks, following through with the attack all the way down to the ground adding to the effect of his jutsu by using the blacksmith’s head to break the fall.

Chakra: 75/150:

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Raiton S>SS: 9096/9000

The blacksmith fell to the ground as Bokuden shocked the crap out of his face. They both landed to the ground (the blacksmith broke Bokuden's fall) and everything was quiet. It seemed like the blacksmith was unconscious. Nagare, now back to an exhausted, chakra-starved state, simply turned again. He picked up Shinrin Hogo-Sha, and wrapped it around his back again (it had fallen when he summoned Ondan during the battle), before smiling at Bokuden. "That was good work. I need to get to the hospital still, but I feel stronger as a ninja. Fit a lot of training in today, I thank you for that." and with that, he stepped down the stairs, and off into Kumogakure, as the sun fell over the horizon, leaving the moon to supervise the world in its absence.

(Exit Thread)

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Training Suiton C > B
Word Count: 895/4,000
(Training to be continued in another thread)

Bokuden confirmed that the blacksmith was incapacitated before examining the burns on his arm. Nothing that can't be handled back home, he thought to himself as he twisted his arm around searching for damage. Nagare picked up his summoning scroll and thanked Bokuden for his help with the training before leaving. Kind of an abrupt exit, no? I suppose he doesn't have too much time to sit around and talk with his chakra levels so low. Bokuden decided to wait for the old man to come to. It wouldn't have been right to leave him there and besides, when he woke up his anger would have already subsided. Bokuden did originally come here to get his sword looked at after all, it would be a waste to travel all the way there and not get it done.

[Thread Closed]