OOC: this thread, timeline wise, is after Takao became Hokage but before he travelled to the summit.

The waters of the Naka river were unusually calm. Typically, the flow was rather intense, the waves crashing over each other violently, creating a beautiful white foam, and an even more beautiful thundering noise. Tatsumaru laid a few feet away from the shore, staring into the clouds. It was a fairly warm day, with an overcast sky obscuring the sun. A few feet from Tatsumaru, a few weapons were laid out in a tidy row; a jet black Sansetsukon, a red oak Bo staff and a matching pair of Nunchaku. Tatsumaru had been waiting for his mentor for over an hour now, but he didn't mind. Takao had recently become Hokage, and as such his free time was reasonably limited. He supposed he should be honoured that Takao was making time for him at all, considering his new position was so demanding. The previous kage had been assassinated, and the entire political world was a powder keg, waiting to explode into another world war at the slightest provocation. Hell, it was a miracle he was showing up to spar with a Special Jounin at all. If anything, the time to himself for retrospection was pleasant. It gave him time to reflect upon the world around him, and perhaps, if he was lucky, find some degree of peace.

Word Count: 217

"Sorry for being late! Tatsumaru's eyes snapped open as he heard Takao's voice ring through the still air. "It's not a problem, Hokage Senpai." Tatsumaru said with a smile, sitting up and stretching his arms out. His bones let out an audible crack as he stretched, as if annoyed at the prospect of being moved. Once he had stretched, Tatsumaru dragged himself to his feet before stepping towards the array of weapons he had laid out. "Would you like one?" he asked his Senpai with a warm smile, his gaze locked on his scruffy Senpai. It felt weird that someone so strong was younger than he was, let alone that he was referring to someone six years his junior as Senpai. Still, it was irrelevant. Takao was Hokage, and he was the stronger man. It was the appropriate title.

Word Count: 356

"No thanks, I'm fine with what i've got." Tatsumaru bent down silently and picked up the Sansetsukon as Takao spoke, hanging it around his neck by the center rung. He removed his spiked gauntlets as Takao got into position, tossing them on top of the Bo staff and Nunchakus. He had no intention of wearing intentionally lethal guantlets during a sparring match, especially ones with barbed spikes. The wounds they caused often got infected, and the last thing they needed was a Hokage with a severe infection. "I went shopping today. Picked up these..." As he spoke, Tatsumaru lifted up his sleeves, revealing weights around his forearms. "They slow me down and make me hit with less force, but they make the training so much more productive." he spoke with a grin. The weights were incredibly expensive, and they made him move sluggishly, as well as sapping his strength. Still, not only did that force him to fight with more ferocity to compensate, it also put more strain on his body, increasing the rate at which he developed and toned his muscle. A useful tool for any Taijutsu user.

"Shall we begin?" Tatsumaru mirrored the Muay Thai stance his Senpai took on before replying. "Of course." Once he had replied, Tatsumaru wasted little time in acting. The fundamental principle his father had taught him rung through his head as he acted: Those that strike first win. His right hand shot for the end of the Sansetsukon hanging near it, grasping it gently around the very end. As soon as he had a grip on it, he bucked his left shoulder, causing the other end to rise up. Lashing his right hand towards Takao, the Sansetsukon lashed forward violently, cracking in a straight line towards Takao's face. As he swung, Tatsumaru stepped forward thrice with haste, walking on the balls of his feet so that he could strike as soon as he was required to. As he stepped, he swung his left hand upwards, ready to grasp the cent re rung of the Sansetukon so that he could use to to block any incoming blows Takao might throw at him. At the apex of the steps forward, Tatsumaru's left leg was forward, with his left shoulder aimed towards Takao. His left leg kicked off the balls of it's feet, the shin aiming for Takao's torso; A basic Muay Thai kick, but a powerful blow none the less.

Word Count: 762

The kick connected with Takao's ribs with a satisfying crack. Takao's left hand locked around Tatsumaru's leg as the kick connected, grasping it in place. Such a tactic was countering 101, however, and Tatsumaru had expected it from the moment he kicked. The standard follow through was to use your own legs to toss the individual or knock them off their feet. With this in mind, Tatsumaru had already acted accordingly. Once the Sansetsukon had missed, Tatsumaru pulled the center piece back slightly, causing the forward-most arm that had missed Takao to snap back parallel to the center piece. From there, It was a simple process of letting go of the right piece so that he was grasping only the center, and spinning. His left hand spun the center stem around horizontally, causing the arms to flail towards Takao. The movement of a Sansetsukon was difficult to predict, a useful trait for any taijutsu weapon, so Tatsumaru hoped he wouldn't be able to both dodge it and attack at the same time.

As he began spin the Sansetsukon, however, he noticed Takao moving to kick his weight bearing leg. Such an attack would floor him and allow Takao to lock him in a most compromising position, unless he acted quickly. Tatsumaru let go of the center piece of the Sansetsukon, causing the spinning motion to send it flying towards Takao's face. Meanwhile, he kicked off with his free right leg, dodging the kick by simply moving above it. He aimed his right leg straight towards Takao's neck, hoping to hook him in some bastardized form of a scissor kick. Meanwhile, he threw his arms back, hoping to catch his weight as well as giving him an anchor point to counter any potential throws Takao might attempt.

Word Count: 1058

Takao released his vice grip on Tatsumaru's left leg before stepping back, carefully avoiding the Sansetsukon, as well as Tatsumaru's unorthodox kick. Still, Tatsumaru was prepared for such a reaction, hence why he had braced himself by transferring his weight to his hands. Once both of his legs were free, he followed through on the kicks, joining the left leg up parallel to the right one. Abusing the momentum, Tatsumaru pushed off with the palms of his hands, causing him to rise through the air and land on the balls of his feet, his left side aimed squarely towards Takao.

"Moving in these damn weights... it's so lethargic." he groaned to himself, his eyes darting quickly around the battlefield. The Sansetsukon was too close to Takao for him to try and recover at this point, but he was right on top of the Nunchaku and Bo staff. Hooking the tip of his right foot underneath the chain, Tatsumaru kicked his foot up, causing the Nunchaku to fly into the air, where he casually caught it with his right hand. Spinning it around once, Tatsumaru locked the other arm of the Nunchaku underneath his right armpit, extending his left arm towards Takao's head, his hand held out in an open palm. Turning his palm horizontally flat briefly, Tatsumaru curled his fingers in, beckoning Takao to come attack him, before returning his hand to it's previous position.

Word Count: 1293

As Takao took his detour to remove the Sansetsukon from the field of play, which, admittedly was a wise move, Tatsumaru took the opportunity to withdraw his extended arm and form a more traditional stance, with his left arm parallel to his right, fists up, elbows locked into his torso. Takao's lightning fast speed quickly displayed itself, as he cracked off a sharp kick towards Tatsumaru's left side. His instincts kicked in, and Tatsumaru found himself transferring his weight to his right foot, raising his knee to meet his elbow; a traditional Muay Thai kick block. The shin of Takao collided with the side of Tatsumaru's knee in the blocked position, and it hurt like a mother fucker, causing Tatsumaru to be knocked back roughly two feet. It was a small miracle that he remained on his feet, purely due to the effective nature of a Muay Thai block. The force drove into his right leg, which slid rather than buckling, releasing a lot of the inert energy into the ground. Still, it hurt, but that was good news for him. The most effective thing a Muay Thai block has going for it is the knock back effect. Anyone who smashes their shin into the side of a kneecap with that much force has to feel the pain, as it delivers a feeling akin to kicking a steel rod.

Not one to rest on his laurels, pain or no, Tatsumaru quickly regrouped, kicking off from his right foot as soon as he stopped sliding. Having dropped his left leg back to the ground to help brace himself as he slid, he chose to kick off mostly with his right foot, keeping his left hunched back to a degree so that while mid-air, he could thrust the knee-cap out suddenly in a knee-swing aiming for Takao's chest. As if that weren't enough, Tatsumaru's right elbow was poised, and he began swinging it down towards his Senpai's crown. A firm whack with the elbow on the top of the head was an infamous Muay Thai killing move, as it dazes the victim, and in some cases, knocks out or even kills the poor soul. Of course, he knew his Senpai wouldn't go down so easily, even if he did land it, but that wouldn't stop him from trying. The weights were already feeling less noticeable, a sign of his battle-trained body adjusting to new circumstances.

Word Count: 1695

Taijutsu C>B: 2000 - 600 (30% reduction from weights) = 1400

Taijutsu B>A: 3000 - 900 (30% reduction from weights) = 2100

Taijutsu B>A: 295/2100

Admittedly, Tatsumaru was used to fighting people a bit more... squishy than Takao. It was a rare man that could take a full force knee to the rib-cage and stay on their feet, given how powerful a blow it is. In fact, Tatsumaru was certain he heard a rib crack. Clearly, his teacher was far tougher than he gave him credit for. As he began to fall back, Tatsumaru was admittedly all too unprepared for how... rapidly his sensei recovered. A sharp left fist crashed into Tatsumaru's rib cage, his body responding automatically to grab it, helping absorb some of the momentum. Still, his sensei hit like a truck, and as his feet hit the ground, his hands still glued to Takao's hand, the only thing Tatsumaru could think was how much he missed having air in his lungs.

Takao's right elbow hit Tatsumaru's nose with a sharp crack. Tatsumaru released his teacher's hand, his head snapping violently to the right. His body turned with his head, and in a moment of panic, Tatsumaru leapt a few feet forward to avoid any immediate incoming blows. Landing on his hands and knees, he starred at the pool of blood beginning to form on the floor beneath him. His nose was definitely broken.

Tatsumaru's hand cracked his nose back into position with a firm snap. His teeth ground together as he did so, avoiding the otherwise inevitable scream. Dragging himself to his feet, he turned to face Takao, his face and front covered in blood. "Good hit." he said with a cold, emotionless expression on his now bloody face, shutting his eyes for a brief second. As they snapped open, his normally blue eyes had been replaced with bright red ones, and two tomoes spun merrily around his pupil. Taking a Muay Thai fighting position once more, Tatsumaru waited for his teacher's next assault. This time, he would be ready.

OOC: Since I activated the sharingan and did nothing with it I aint paying a damn fee, it's just there so I dont have to RP activating it next post.

Word Count: 2013

Taijutsu B>A: 613/2100

As Takao approached, Tatsumaru's eyes made his every movement painfully clear. He could see a silhouette of his teacher approaching, his every muscle twitch spelling out his next move. As such, when he slid his leg in between Tatsumaru's legs, a move he surely saw as surprising, Tatsumaru had already begun to react to it. Before Takao had even begun to move to punch him, Tatsumaru's right leg swung to the left, the shin bashing into the left side of Takao's right leg. As he did this, his left leg removed itself from the ground at the same time, the back of his shin smashing into the right side of Takao's Ankle. As Tatsumaru fell back, landing on his hands, the contradicting forces on Takao's legs sweeped him off his feet, causing him to land right side first on the ground with a harsh thud.

As Tatsumaru was far more prepared for this actuality than Takao, given that he had planned it, his legs had already moved out of the sweep position once Takao begun his fall, and by the time he landed, Tatsumaru's heel of his left foot was aimed squarely for the base of Takao's chin. Meanwhile, Tatsumaru's right leg was raised into the air, the heel hovering above Takao's rib-cage before dropping, Tatsumaru swinging down with force in an attempt to connect the heel with Takao's side. He intended to get his revenge for that damn broken nose, preferably by breaking a few bones himself.

Chakra: 305/315

Word Count: 2261

Taijutsu B>A: 861/2100

Takao fluidly dodged Tatsumaru's chin kick, and even managed to shut down Tatsumaru's heel drop by thrusting his right leg into the kick, the force cancelling each other out. Using his beautifully fast speed, Takao positioned himself to twist his legs around Tatsumaru's left leg in an attempt to drag Tatsumaru off his feet. Tatsumaru saw this coming thanks to his eyes, of course, and began to make preparations to counter it. He began to retra- Tatsumaru's plan was shattered by a sudden burst of blood forcing it's way out of his mouth, and as Takao dragged him off his arms, Tatsumaru was only able to focus on one thing; the mixture of vomit and blood that he was choking on. As he bashed into the ground, his airway cleared slightly and tried to roll over to cough up the blood and regain his composure. Takao either hadn't noticed his predicament or didn't care, however, as his left leg shot down, smashing into Tatsumaru's right clavicle. A smooth sound was heard, the iconic noise of wood splitting, and Tatsumaru knew his clavicle had been split length wise down the middle. The pain was intense, but he still couldn't breathe. Forcing himself to roll over, Tatsumaru began to puke up blood, trying desperately to try and regain his breath. He couldn't even hold himself on all fours any longer, and with a gurgle he collapsed.

Shiho was watching the battle between her husband and the Hokage from the other side of the river. She wasn't sure if Takao had noticed her, but she knew Tatsumaru was aware of her presence, as she had told him of her intentions to watch the fight. Battles of this nature would push Tatsumaru to his absolute limit, and she had no intention of leaving him there without medical assistance. She had greatly enjoyed the bout, right up until she saw that while Takao was swinging Tatsumaru around, blood was shooting out of his mouth. As the sharp kick connected with his clavicle, Tatsumaru was still clearly focused on his airway. This was one of the worst displays of his condition since he had been born, and Shiho knew if he didn't get treatment he could die. Dropping down from the tree in which she sat, she sprinted across the surface of the water, rolling the now unconscious Tatsumaru onto his back. Before he had passed out, he had managed to clear his airway, but the breathing was still desperately laboured. Laying her hands on his chest, she managed to stabilise his air-flow, and after about a minute, she turned to addressing some of his worse injuries. She ran her hands across the shattered clavicle, and while she wasn't able to fully repair it in a short space of time, she gave it a rough patch job. It wouldn't hurt any more, but a mild blow to the area would re-break it. She gave the same treatment to his nose, stopping the bleeding and sorting out the worst of the damage. "Were you trying to kill him?!" Shiho snapped as he slowly came around in her arms, her concern for her husband clearly written all over her face.

Tatsumaru's eyes opened to find he was staring into the lush cleavage of his wife. Clearly, she had gotten worried and interfered. As his mind came back to him, he gasped for breath, but realised he could breathe easily. The pain in his nose and his shoulder were also gone, and he found he was able to stand with ease. Tatsumaru knew his wife had probably just saved his life. It had been years since he had had an episode of that level of severity, and it was troubling to say the least. Still, when you're fighting a Hokage, it makes sense that he would force you to your utmost limits. Kissing his wife gently, Tatsumaru nodded a silent thank you to her before turning to Takao. "Shiho will tidy you up if you want her to, then we can pick this up again. I have no intention of cutting such a good match so short." Tatsumaru stepped away from Takao and Shiho as he spoke, staring at the massive amount of blood he had lost. For the first time in years, he was scared; truly scared of his condition. Still, the only way to fix that was to get stronger, and the way to that was through Takao's fists, it seemed. Taking on a Muay Thai stance at a distance of fifteen metres, Tatsumaru waited for Shiho and Takao to figure out what they were doing, then Takao would approach again.

Word Count: 3035

Taijutsu B>A: 1635/2100

Trained Strength, A to A-3

Takao refused Shiho and beckoned he approach, an action Tatsumaru found interesting, to say the least. Perhaps Takao enjoyed the pain, or perhaps he was trying to imply that Tatsumaru hadn't truly hurt him. Either way, it merely fueled his anger. Tatsumaru blinked, his eyes instantly changing from a deep blue to a fiery red in the transition. His two tomoes were active, and he intended to abuse them to maximum effect. Kicking off the ground, Tatsumaru approached Takao rapidly, trying to bait him with a basic deceptive manoveur. As he closed the gap, Tatsumaru spun once to his left, raising his left foot and swinging the heel towards Takao. To someone without the Sharingan, it would look as though he had committed to the blow. There was no real force behind it, however, and Tatsumaru would stop it as soon as he saw Takao move to intercept or dodge it, dragging it back to the ground before following through by kicking off the ground with his right foot, aiming the heel straight for his jaw with a sharp vertical axe kick. Not elegant, but hopefully very effective. If not, he would easily be able to see the counter attack coming, and hopefully avoid it.

Chakra: 295/315