The day was young and Kenji found himself wandering about the village he was still relatively new to. The sky was gray, the clouds were beginning to gather as they warned the earth dwellers of the downpour to come. The blue-haired genin made his way to the daunting "High Battle Plateau". So far Kenji has only been attracted to the most dangerous of locals Kumogakure had to offer. First, he tried his hand at the ultra high altitude environment of "Sky Point", where he decided to test his clan's special ability. Then, a few weeks later looking for inspiration, he visited the mysterious "Durian Tree of Demonic Knowledge". At both places were a common theme, a overly serious know it all genin. And that stick in the mud happened to be a very skilled genin at that, as the shinobi was able sprinkle Kenji's body with minor burns and put a 2 inch hole in his chest. Kenji had recovered from the battle and was ready to return to norm.

Kenji finally reached the towering plateau. Kenji used his supernatural walking jutsu for most of the trip. Kenji stood atop the overwhelming structure, he then made his way to the center. This monstrosity lied within in the village and from it Kenji could see his apartment. The brash genin wasn't afraid of heights, but this was enough to make him momentarily anxious. Kenji stood there for awhile, he unsheathed his sword and began attacking the air. In the middle of one of his swings he felt a pellet of water splash on his forehead. A drizzle soon ensued. Kenji with his sword in hand looked to the sky, "I think it's a little late for a rain check."

Spoiler:

Chakra:

TRAINING FUUTON/WIND, C>A: 293/5000

"Looks like rain," Bokuden said to himself, "But it's far too late to go home now" The trip to the High Battle Plateau was a long one, but one Bokuden felt was well worth it. Bokuden relished the opportunity to observe the battle styles and techniques of other warriors and the training areas in Kumogakure were in no short supply of warriors seeking to test their mettle against one another. The High Battle Plateau in particular was a favorite people watching spot of Bokuden's. The absurdly high and dangerous location deterred all but the most seasoned or determined warriors affording Bokuden ample opportunity to study fighting styles of all kinds.

He rarely actually participated in the fights however, as he preferred to relax and enjoy his hobby away from the prying eyes of the world. He spent the majority of his time on the High Battle Plateau seated in the spectator's section, usually by himself. Very few spectator's were either willing and/or able to make it all the way up to the training grounds by themselves and the combatants could rarely be bothered to assist unwanted guests to the top. It was the general consensus among the regulars that if you could not make it to the top of the Plateau alone then you did not belong there.

There had been very little foot traffic today however, even for the High Battle Plateau. During the two hours Bokuden had been up there he had not seen a single person come to train. "I guess the clouds scared everyone away," he joked to himself, "I imagine at this altitude they didn't want their weapons to turn into lightning rods." His comments were said only half jokingly however, as it was not unheard of for lightning to strike atop the Plateau during storms. In fact, it was for that very reason that no metals were used in the construction of the training grounds at the top of the Plateau.

As Bokuden looked back over the training ground from the spectator's area he could not believe his eyes. "Is that Kenji Chikara?" Bokuden thought to himself, "I just keep running into this kid." Kenji had not noticed Bokuden in the stands and Bokuden made no move to make his presence know just yet. As Kenji walked to the middle of the Plateau he unsheathed his sword and started swinging it in the air. The movements were familiar to Bokuden, after all he had already fought Kenji twice, but he had not seen Kenji since he escorted him to the hospital after their last run in. Bokuden hoped that the peace they seemed to have made at the end of their last fight would hold up as the two simply had opposing, incompatible ideals. Either way a drizzle would soon begin to fall from the sky prompting Bokuden to react, as he hates getting rained on. God damn it! This rain is going to mess up my hair! Bokuden shouted as he jumped up from his seat, "Well, damn. I suppose my cover is blown now, Bokuden thought to himself knowing that there was no way Kenji could have NOT noticed him.

Word Count: 535/9000

As the rain began to fall at a steady rate, the occupied genin could hear shifting going on in the wings. He paused and turned his head slowly to see who had been observing him from a distance. Kenji's face turned blue, as he was exasperated by who he saw. He exhaled and turned his body to completely face his apparent shadow. "You know, I'm beginning to suspect you as a stalker Bokuden." Kenji said to the frustrated genin who appeared to be upset at the rain for compromising his hair. Kenji ruffled his blue hair. "So what brings you here Bokuden?" Kenji said as he sheathed his sword. As Kenji waited for a response he wiped his brow.


TRAINING FUUTON/WIND, C>A: 414/5000

As Kenji turned to see Bokuden there was a moment of awkward silence between them as neither knew exactly how to react to the situation. After a short while Kenji finally broke the silence, "You know, I'm beginning to suspect you as a stalker Bokuden. So what brings you here Bokuden?" Before replying Bokuden readjusted himself realizing how ridiculous he must have looked shielding his hair from the rain and screaming about it. He brushed back his hair with his hand and tugged on his coat to adjust its position before adjusting his glare back Kenji.

Bokuden then cleared his throat and replied, "Stalk you? You should be so lucky. Anyway, I come here all the time to observe the matches that take place. So the real question is why are YOU here? Bokuden wasn't actually interested as there weren't really all that many different reasons to climb to the top of the High Battle Plateau, but he needed to deflect attention away from his own actions. Bokuden stood standing as he awaited Kenji's answer.

Word Count: 714/9000

"I've never been here, and from what I've heard it seemed interesting so I thought I'd come check it out." Kenji replied to the now standing Bokuden. Despite seemingly coming to terms with their differences, there was still a small amount of tension between the two as they tried to transition from almost fatally wounding each other to being cordial. The rain started to pick up even more, Kenji was now finding it difficult to keep his head up. Kenji said with partly closed eyes, "Are you sure your hair will survive?" Kenji had seen plenty of rouses like this back in the rice paddy fields that bordered the mountain ranges, it was clear nature was bluffing and the precipitation would pass in due time.


TRAINING FUUTON/WIND, C>A: 542/5000

"I've never been here, and from what I've heard it seemed interesting so I thought I'd come check it out," Kenji replied, trying to break up the tension between them after their last fight. Bokuden wasn't sure why Kenji was so upset about what happened that day, he did want to be a shinobi after all. It was an occupational hazard. Either way Kenji was once again showing how little he knew about village, this boy was going to get himself killed one of these days. Bokuden placed the palm of his hand on his forehead in disbelief. "Are you sure your hair will survive?" Kenji continued before Bokuden had the chance to speak.

"Cheeky little bastard," Bokuden thought to himself. Bokuden than ran his fingers back through his hair in order to get the now wet hair out of his face. "We live in the mountains, I learned how to take care of my hair in poor conditions years ago. My hair will be fine." Bokuden said, "But I can't say the same for you if you want to stand in the middle of that combat area."

Word Count: 907/9000

Bokuden had let Kenji know he was more than capable of keeping his hair in good condition despite the weather. He would continue, "But I can't say the same for you if you want to stand in the middle of that combat area." Kenji put his hands in his pocket while he raised his head. The ground was now slick, but for someone as well coordinated as Kenji, it wouldn't be too bothersome. "Guessing by the incredible height of this place, I'm assuming only the most serious of battles take place here. And I bet just by standing here I'm susceptible to be challenged."


TRAINING FUUTON/WIND, C>A: 650/5000

(ooc~ order from here on: Kenji, Bokuden, Binsu.)

After Kenji's statement about what standing on the battle plateau entailed, a stranger crept up,"Salutations, Hope i am not interrupting boys, but would either of you care to help me with my training?" Kenji turned his attention from Bokuden and looked at the older shinobi. He was taller than Kenji, he wore a black jacket. The most intimidating aspect of the obvious shinobi's appearance was an impressive weapon that was wrapped around his shoulders. Kenji began to laugh as the rain trickled down his face, "If you plan on using that weapon there, no." Kenji said jokingly as he would never actually back down from any challenge. He continued, "I'm Kenji by the way."


TRAINING FUUTON/WIND, C>A: 768/5000

Kenji looked down at the ground for a second, most likely taking note of the slippery conditions brought about by the rain storm. Bokuden wondered to himself why Kenji would even make such a demonstrative acknowledgement of the slippery ground, even an academy student should be able to fight in these conditions. Having fought Kenji before he knew that he should be more than coordinated enough to move around regardless of the slick footing. Maybe he was worried that he wouldn't be able to move around as wildly as he usually does with his footing compromised. That was all just speculation of course. Bokuden was often guilty of letting his mind run wild. "Genius has its drawbacks, sometimes you just can't turn your brain off," Bokuden thought to himself as he awaited Kenji's reaction.

"Guessing by the incredible height of this place, I'm assuming only the most serious of battles take place here. And I bet just by standing here I'm susceptible to be challenged." Bokuden was surprised he got the idea so quickly and gave him a sarcastic applause.

"Good job, Kenji. You might actually be smarter than you look, Bokuden said in a sarcastic tone with an apathetic look on his face, "Although to be fair, that isn't saying much. Bokuden's mocking and uninspired applause came to a screeching halt as he saw a man approach from the corner of his eye. Bokuden motioned with his hand at Kenji to get into the spectator's area, but Kenji didn't seem to pick up on what he was getting at. "This boy is going to get himself killed one of these days," Bokuden thought to himself disappointingly.

As the man approached Bokuden directed his gaze towards him and began his analysis. He was obviously a swordsman, as he had two katana secured to his waist. He didn't appear threatening as he approached Bokuden and Kenji and Bokuden sensed no hostility, but good intentions can be faked. Bokuden's biggest concern was the large great sword strapped on the man's back. Bokuden had studied swords all his life, but had never seen that particular style of sword before. It had to have been custom made and from the looks of it alone Bokuden knew that it was no ordinary sword. "If he's wielding something like that then I can't afford to assume that he is a shinobi of our level," Bokuden noted to himself as the man began to speak.

"Salutations! Hope i am not interrupting boys, but would either of you care to help me with my training?" The man said in a friendly manner. Before Bokuden had a chance to respond himself, Kenji decided to chime in.

If you plan on using that weapon there, no. I'm Kenji by the way," It was obviously said in jest as Bokuden knew all too well that Kenji was too hard headed to turn down a challenge, even if it was one he couldn't win. Even though it was generally against his policy to step into a fight on behalf of someone who wasn't a woman, Bokuden jumped down from his seat and stood in between. Bokuden felt compelled to make sure that Kenji stayed alive long enough to get his opportunity for payback for their last fight.

"You can go home now, Kenji," Bokuden said, now stretching out his back. Bokuden turned and looked at the man in the black coat, then turned back to Kenji. "This man is obviously a swordsman, and as a swordsman myself it would be poor form to subject him to watching you flail around wildly and call it kenjutsu," Bokuden said while brushing his fingers through his hair to get the water dripping from his wet hair away from his face again. "Don't worry about him," Bokuden said to the stranger now face to face with him and his back toward Kenji, "He was just on his way out. I'll train with you."

Word Count 1583/9000

Kenjutsu S>SS

When Kenji had finished introducing himself to the stranger, from the rafters came Bokuden, causing a splash with his dramatic interjection. "You can go home now, Kenji, This man is obviously a swordsman, and as a swordsman myself it would be poor form to subject him to watching you flail around wildly and call it kenjutsu." A look of indifference was sprayed across Kenji's face as he listened to Bokuden 'try' and keep him out of harms way. This guy is obviously unaware of the fact that my Kenjutsu is of Jounin level, and capable of holding my own against someone without enhanced hearing or whatever, which he assumed was the case with Bokuden. On top of Kenji's skill in Kenjutsu he was even more proficient in Genjutsu, giving him the necessary ability in his mind to fight anyone evenly. "Don't worry about him, he was just on his way out. I'll train with you." The stranger replied, "Anything's fine with me," Kenji felt disrespected by the exchange and would speak accordingly, "It seems you are the fool today Bokuden, you have numbers on your side yet you decide to neglect the obvious advantage. Don't be like that, let's give this stranger a run for his money and make this the most heated... and slippery training session he's ever had." Kenji spoke with his chest out and chin up, in an attempt to undo Bokuden's belittling of his ability. " You appear to welcome a good challenge so I'm sure this will be find with you sir. Before we go on, I believe proper introductions are needed."



TRAINING FUUTON/WIND, C>A: 1044/5000

The rain still pouring down over his head, Bokuden waited for the man's reply. The man stared at Bokuden with a puzzled look on his face for a moment, no doubt trying to make sense of the situation he found himself in. It appeared that both of them had an understanding of the obvious gap in power between them. Bokuden had no intention of even stepping onto the battlefield, but Kenji forced his hand. He only hoped that Kenji would take his cue to leave and let Bokuden fight without having to worry about Kenji getting himself killed with his stubborn and foolhardy ways. Now much closer to the man in question, Bokuden was able to try and analyze his potential opponent in much further detail. It was a futile effort however, Bokuden possessed great perceptive abilities even without his clan's ability. There was nothing that he saw from up close that he could not have seen from the spectator's area he had jumped down from only moments before.

It was at this point where Bokuden began hypothesizing as to the fighting style and techniques of his opponent. There was obviously nothing he could discern definitively about his opponent's fighting style without actually fighting him, but if he could at least partially deduce his opponent's fighting style beforehand his odds of victory would increase exponentially. The most obvious starting place would have to be the swords that the man was carrying. He had two katana at the waist and a greatsword strapped across his back, all of which Bokuden assumed he knew how to wield and could do so in unison. Multiple sword fighting styles were not uncommon in a the kenjutsu heavy village hidden in the clouds, but including that enormous weapon strapped to his back seemed like a stretch. A sword like that with such a large handle must have been designed for two handed use. That left Bokuden to assume that he was capable of dual wielding his katana for speed and would switch to his greatsword for added power or to perform finishing blows. Bokuden had no intention of allowing him to draw that sword and it appeared that he would have to resort to his iaido immediately.

"Anything's fine with me," the man said, snapping Bokuden out of his own thoughts which had made him largely drown out everything except his theories. The man then took a few steps back from Bokuden, clearly putting distance between them in preparation for the fight. Bokuden understood that there was no need to continue the small talk and placed his left hand onto his sword with his thumb pressed against the hand guard, preparing to draw his katana.

Just when he thought that the conversation was over however, he heard Kenji's voice chime in from behind him. Now audibly offended by the other two shinobi continuing on as if he was not there Kenji proclaimed, "It seems you are the fool today Bokuden, you have numbers on your side yet you decide to neglect the obvious advantage. Don't be like that, let's give this stranger a run for his money and make this the most heated... and slippery training session he's ever had." Bokuden had almost forgotten Kenji was still there and was disappointed to see him still insisting on entering this fight. What made it even worse was that he insisted on continuing to use tacky Saturday morning cartoon style phrases to get his point across. Bokuden then turned his gaze back to Kenji with an irritated look on his face, meant to tell Kenji to get the fuck out of here. Kenji however, simply puffed out his chest and continued, " You appear to welcome a good challenge so I'm sure this will be fine with you sir. Before we go on, I believe proper introductions are needed."

At this point Bokuden was beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake not finishing Kenji off back at the Durian Tree of Knowledge, but quickly returned his attention back to the matter at hand. "There is no honor in ganging up on an opponent just because you feel that he is beyond your capabilities to take down alone, Kenji," Bokuden commented, still trying to drill it into Kenji's thick skull to leave, "Besides, I'm sure that our opponenet would never agree to something so absurd."

Word Count: 2324/9000

Kenjutsu S>SS

Kenji let Bokuden carry on with his rhetoric, as he concluded the stranger had announced his name and his decision. The stranger's name was revealed to be Binsu, and he wanted or would tolerate a fight between him and the two genin. A smirk came across Kenji's face as he could tell this guy was powerful. He had that mammoth of a sword on his shoulders, yet he was confident enough after declaring battle to keep his hand at his sides where his additional two katanas were. It was obvious that both Bokuden's and Kenji's specialty was Kenjutsu, yet this Binsu, facing two apparent Kenjutsu specialists was sure he would only need half his arsenal. Or at least that is how Kenji saw it. Kenji's friendly disposition remained, "Binsu, we will do our best to make this a high quality training session for you." Those were the last words Kenji intended to say for a while as the fight atop the High Battle Plateau was underway. Kenji, not wanting to demonstrate his impressive speed and agility just yet, made a series of backward hops to give himself the needed space to analyze his opponent at a safe distance. The blue-haired genin was also aware from his two encounters with Bokuden that he was the more skilled of the two in close. So Kenji planned to use his speed and mid range Genjutsu to surprise the preoccupied Binsu. As Kenji put about 10 meters between him and Binsu he placed his hand on the hilt of his long sword bracing himself for whatever was next. Kenji was in a more rational state today then when he fought Bokuden, the genin was taken aback by the disrespect and let his emotions get the better of him. Today the ambassador of the Chikara was ready to put his best foot forward against his most dangerous opponent thus far. This being a completely new environment for Kenji he had took time to make note of his surroundings, with a beaming smiled on his face that exuded confidence he was doing the same thing as the first move was yet to be made.


TRAINING FUUTON/WIND, C>A: 1408/5000

"Majority rules, I suppose," Bokuden said while letting out a deep sigh. This is exactly what he wanted to avoid. He knew he most likely couldn't win a straight up fight against Binsu, even if it was just practice, but now he had to worry about Kenji as well. Binsu did not seem to have any discernible malicious intent towards either of them, but Kenji had a way of pissing people off that Bokuden wanted no part of.

As Kenji jumped back to create space between Binsu and himself, Bokuden noted that he must already be thinking about a collaborative attack. "He knows that I'm the better close range fighter," Bokuden mused to himself while turning his gaze back to Binsu, "It looks as though he intends to use me as a distraction while he uses his jutsu from a distance. Ah well, at least it appears that he is finally beginning to grasp the difference in our power.

Although, Bokuden never planned on Binsu agreeing with Kenji's idea of a 2 vs. 1 fight. Even an experienced shinobi could fall before superior numbers if the weaker shinobi worked well in unison. The only problem was that other than what they demonstrated in their two previous fights Bokuden and Kenji knew nothing about each other. Bokuden also had no intention of divulging the details of the Ryuzoji clan's techniques to Kenji. The existence of the Ryuzoji clan's ability was known to relatively few throughout the village despite the clan's widespread notoriety. This was due in large part due to draconian clan law and punishments involving the dissemination of clan secrets. Bokuden couldn't have given Kenji more information even if he wanted to. If they were to have any chance of winning then Bokuden would have to rely on Kenji's deductive abilities in order to come up with collaborative attacks without signaling in a way that Binsu would notice. For obvious reasons Bokuden was already making peace with the whooping that was coming their way.

Regardless, Bokuden had no intention of charging head first into battle without at least some gauge of Binsu's power. In order to put some more distance between them Bokuden leaped in the opposite direction of Kenji placing himself some ways behind Binsu's back. From this formation Binsu would be forced to choose his target and turn his back to the other shinobi creating a blind spot. It was about as basic a strategy as it could get, but it was the best option available to Bokuden with such limited information. Now it was time to wait for someone to make the first move. Bokuden wasn't the type to go pure offense from the beginning so instead he waited, preparing to use his ability the moment Binsu was on the move.

Word Count: 2799/9000

Kenjutsu S>SS

"Binsu, we will do our best to make this a high quality training session for you," spoke the shortest guy in the pair. Although he wanted to say 'Thank you', he didn't want the two to think of him as a softie, a title of which most people who had known him for a long time chose to call him by. Instead, he gave off a slight smirk and a gentle nod, which he hoped would make up for not properlly uttering the words 'Thank you'. It would seem that the two nin had finally agreed to cooperate and fight the Jounin together, something Binsu was yet to regret should this be the cause of his defeat. He knew quite well of his little weakness: the inability to multitask, though he always found a way around this problem when he needed to. Just before the match between the shinobi had started Bokuden, the tallest one between the two, took a leap over Binsu and landed not far behind him. It would seem as though the two ninja were hoping on taking Binsu out from opposite direction in hopes of landing an attack on him should he forget to dodge one attack coming from the other direction, whilst the other attack went unavoided. This clever battle formation would certainly prove lethal, when fighting a ninja like Binsu, even when used by the lowest ranked nin, so Binsu decided to destroy their initial plans just moments before the match had started.

Just as Bokuden landed not far behind the guy, Binsu leapt 5m towards his left side and then turned 90 degrees to the right whilst standing at his new position. From this location, Binsu had eliminated the duo's initial 'Attack from different directions' plan, but feared that this may have revealed to them one of his major weaknesses. If one was to find out that Binsu had great difficulties doing multiple things at the same time, they would easily gain a huge advantage over the Jounin, though it wouldn't be enough to put him to submission. Now that Binsu had both of the guys in sight, he was able to anticipate of the guys' attacks before they reached him, at the same time avoiding the other's attack, should they stick to their plan of taking the guy on from opposite directions. "The match has begun," he'd say in a low, flat toned voice towards the two boys, from his current location. Even if the two were already aware that the match had begun, he felt as though he needed to make it official, after noticing that neither of the two had bothered to make he first move.

After an akward pause between all three parties, Binsu would decide that it would be he who would made the first move of the battle. He quickly drew out one Kunai, from the kunai pouch that was strapped onto his right thigh and threw it on the ground in front of him, only a few centimeters from where he was standing. Although it looked like a waist of a good kunai, Binsu knew exactly what he was doing. He then drew out his Hakujona blade, the black coloured katana strapped on the left side of his belt, and went running towards the tallest of the two, making a mental note that he should not devote all of his attention towards him and instead be cautious about his other opponent from a distance. Once he had managed to reach the guy, he'd make a simple, mid-horizontal strike aimed across the guy's stomach, but he knew better than to think that the guy would simply stand there and let the attack go unavoided. No, instead, Binsu came up with a few different ways, in his head, that his opponent may use to avoid the attack. 'Well, he could duck under the swing, jump over the swing, pivot to the left or right, or jump away from the attack,' Binsu would think to himself. 'Oh, and he could draw out his blade and let it clash with mine, like most kenjutsuists do.'

Chakra: 295/300 *Just preparing...*:

Training Raiton (C -> S)
{Wordcount: 3101/9000}

Kenji beginning to become highly skeptical of his choice to stay in this fight, him and Bokuden knew so little of each other, on top of that they disliked each other, now they were working as a team. They would have to find a way to mount a decent collaborative effort if they were to challenge this guy. Kenji knew of Bokuden's skill in close, and he knew he had some talent in the elemental ninjutsu department as the lighting attack he hit him with left him stinging for hours. The tall genin is also intelligent and uses his basic ninjutsu efficiently. Kenji figured if he could give him a small window, he could capitalize and land a damaging blow. But the blue-haired genin hadn't quite found a way yet to achieve said goal.

Upon Kenji leaping back to give himself room against the unknown skills of Binsu, Bokuden had decided to jump over Binsu and position himself behind. When Bokuden landed soon after Binsu would turn 90 degrees so that both genin were in his sight, hmmm, I never considered countering the tactic like that.. There was a break in the action as the three shinobi contemplated who would make the first attack. Kenji would then let out a sigh of relief as the shinobi attacked Bokuden first, but Kenji had no intention in letting Binsu off the hook, Kenji would draw his longword. As he held his sword, he knew if Bokuden could do anything, he could hold his own in close. So instead of charging he decided to take a few moments to analyze what was going on, and ponder a few questions. Why had he turned and then attacked? Why did he attack Bokuden first? Maybe he just chose one of us randomly.

He would have to wait to find the answers out, as of right now Kenji would play his first card. He had came up with a rather rudimentary diversion tactic. Now out of the sight of Binsu, Kenji performed the hand seals for the Doppleganger, he only created one. The clone would charge Binsu from behind where he wouldn't be seen, this was to act as a distraction to give Bokuden the needed time to possibly unleash an attack on Binsu himself after he would find a way to counter the already oncoming attack. As soon as the clone charged, Kenji transformed himself into a sword, there were now two swords on the ground. Kenji was positive this would distract Binsu long enough, as he would have to deal with the charging clone and Bokuden, he would have little time to notice the extra sword on the ground.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Chakra:

TRAINING FUUTON/WIND, C>A: 1857/5000

In response to Bokuden repositioning himself behind him, Binsu leapt about 5m to his left and turned his body at a 90 degree angle in order to return both shinobi to his field of vision. He had obviously already realized why Bokuden moved behind him like he did and his immediate response signaled to Bokuden that Binsu at least had some strategic aptitude, even if that first tactic was infantile in its simplicity. It had become a standoff with each party waiting for the other to make the first move. Bokuden was almost positive Kenji would be the one to run in and get things started, but to his surprise Binsu moved first.

Before making a motion towards either Kenji or Bokuden, Binsu drew a kunai from his weapons pouch and threw it straight down into the ground beneath his feet. "Hmmm, now that's an interesting opening move," Bokuden thought to himself while still intently observing his opponent, "It would be best to keep an eye on that kunai. If he went through the trouble of making such a deliberate action there must be some sort of strategy in the works." Bokuden considered alerting Kenji, but that would simply provide Binsu an opportunity to change his strategy based on what knowledge we appear to have about his tactics. Besides, Binsu had now proceeded with his first attack and was charging directly at Bokuden.

Binsu drew the black katana that had previously been strapped to his left waist and began running towards Bokuden. "Slower than I expected," Bokuden thought to himself activating his Current Perception: Close Combat Range as soon as Binsu closed some distance between the two, "Still, something seems... off about his attack. He seems hesitant to focus too intently on me. Is he concerned about leaving his back exposed to Kenji?" The prospect of fearing a sneak attack from behind seemed almost unfathomable to most members of the Ryuzoji clan who possessed the ability to use Current Perception. Being able to sense all electrical currents, including those flowing through the human body, was a skill trained so thoroughly amongst the clan members that it became as natural to Bokuden as breathing.

While Binsu charged at him, Bokuden noticed Kenji taking action out of the corner of his eye. He had made a clone of himself and sent it to charge at Binsu's back. Bokuden assumed it was cover for whatever plan Kenji had in store as the clone could not actually damage Binsu nor would it arrive on time to be of use to Bokuden. Immediately after, Kenji then used the transformation technique to turn himself into a replica of his sword. There would now be two identical swords on the ground, but Bokuden would have to wait before he could do anything with that knowledge as Binsu was closing in.

As Binsu closed the distance between Bokuden and himself he would begin his first attempt at an attack, a horizontal slash aimed at Bokuden's stomach. It was an attack that Bokuden could have just as easily blocked with his katana, but he had no interest into getting into prolonged clashes with Binsu. After waiting until Binsu had already commited to the strike Bokuden sidestepped to the right (Binsu's left) with minimal effort, allowing him to just avoid the blade. It was a common tactic among Ryuzoji clan members. The ability to read the electrical synapses of an opponent's body allowed the clan member to predict an opponents attacks in a manner that perhaps even surpassed the sharingan, as they did not have to wait to observe muscle twitches. Knowing the movements the opponent would make allowed the Ryuzoji clan much more time to react and by mastering the art of last minute dodging with minor movement they could force the opponent to commit to an attack and then launch a counter attack, affording the target significantly less reaction time. It was one of the most fundamental philosophies of the Ryuzoji combat style.

Immediately after his sidestep, Bokuden used his Iaido to swiftly draw his blade out for an attack. It was a wide arching swing aimed at the front of Binsu's neck with the intent of using Binsu's momentum to force him to collide with the blade of Bokuden's katana. Oh how wonderful decapitations are, but Bokuden knew that the likelihood of this attack actually killing the shinobi was slim. Bokuden was still trying to get a feel for his opponent's skill level.

Spoiler:

Chakra 145/150

Wordcount: 3554/9000

Kenjutsu S>SS

As Kenji's clone charged Binsu from behind, in hopes of causing Binsu to direct his attention to the clone leaving him more vulnerable to a counter attack. Before Kenji's clone even reached Binsu, Bokuden had performed an impressive dodge as well as a quick and well set up counter. As Kenji observed from a distance while in the form of his sword, he knew Binsu was going to get hit, it didn't matter how skilled he was, the side step was too quick for him to have much time to counteract. Right as Bokuden's katana was on his way to his face a smirk came across Kenji's face, not that anyone could see it, and he knew what Binsu had did with the kunai in the middle of the Plateau, he had set up a Kawarami, similar to what Kenji did in his last encounter with Bokuden when he set the substitution with his sword. Kenji was highly disappointed in himself that he didn't notice it earlier.

As expected, smoke replaced Binsu, and his kunai took his place. Binsu was crouched down, apparently resting and unaware that the Kenji he saw attempting to attack from behind was a clone. Kenji undid his transformation and the clone dispersed, Kenji set a substitution on his sword just like he did against Bokuden, he hurled his sword at Binsu, aiming for Binsu's shoulder. After launching the sword, Kenji showed a flash of his great speed as he quickly moved well within 10 meters. Now Kenji was in range for his genjutsu, but he decided not to use it yet. It was indeed his most powerful attack and he wanted pick the perfect time to unleash his genjutsu as well as unveil his raw speed.

Kenji was sure Binsu, even off guard, would easily dispose of the long sword coming for him. As the sword flew towards Binsu, he realized that attacking one by one was totally neglecting their 2 on 1 advantage, he had to find some way to communicate with Bokuden to orchestrate a collaborative attack. Kenji knew Bokuden had elemental ninjutsu and great reflexes, and Bokuden knew Kenji had genjutsu and speed. Then it came to him, he had a plan that was sure to use each others skills appropriately and mount a strong attack. Now, how would he relay this to Bokuden, hopefully his 'partner' was at least contemplating the same thing and would also make efforts to communicate them as well.


TRAINING FUUTON/WIND, C>A: 2264/5000

As Bokuden's blade touched Binsu's neck he felt and heard a loud clang. At the moment of the strike Binsu had used a substitution jutu to switch places with the kunai he had thrown to his feet earlier. "Hmph, so that's what it was," Bokuden noted to himself as he immediately sheathed his sword at the end of his slash, as is customary for Iaido. Binsu was now standing back in his original position, well out of the range of Bokuden's Close Combat Range, so he released his jutsu immediately to conserve chakra. At this range he would have time to react to Binsu's movement with just his Passive Range if need be.

At this point Binsu would have obviously noticed the clone that Kenji had sent to feign an attack from behind, but with any luck he would not have seen through it. Bokuden was not convinced that Binsu would be so easily fooled by a regular bunshin jutsu. It was just like that time at Sky Point, Kenji neglected to be mindful of the environment when he used the jutsu. Bunshin can not interact physically with the world around them and just like they did not leave footprints in the snow at sky point, they were not causing splashes in the puddles of water that had accumulated because of the rain.

Sure that Binsu would be expecting a surprise attack from Kenji, Bokuden needed to act immediately to try and take advantage of his preoccupation with Kenji's imminent assault. At that moment Kenji released his transformation jutsu and bunshin and attempted a ranged attack by throwing his sword. He immediately followed up the throw by darting closer Binsu. "That distance again," Bokuden thought to himself, "He's trying to set up that genjutsu. But he's still retreating to the very edge of his jutsu's range. He won't be trapping Binsu like that. I guess I should help him out."

After quickly analyzing the situation, Bokuden knew he needed to force Binsu into the air where he would be defenseless. He even thought of the perfect way to do just that. Bokuden briefly glared over to Kenji and gave the slightest nod of acknowledgement before making his move. Bokuden's target was not Binsu himself, but the large puddle that had formed from the rain that he was standing in. It was large enough for Bokuden to take advantage of, but detached from the other puddles in the area so that Bokuden did not have to worry about Kenji getting caught in his attack as well. Bokuden immediately weaved the necessary hand seals while running and activated his Lightning Release: Wave of Inspiration. Kenji had seen this jutsu before, but he only saw it Bokuden fire it, not use it in this capacity. By concentrating the jutsu into his hand rather than firing it Bokuden could use the water beneath Binsu's feet as a conducter for the electricity of his jutsu. This would increase it's range and potency as Binsu was not only standing in water but was completely soaked from the rain at this point.

Binsu was being attacked on two fronts. The throw could easily be deflected with his sword, but if he wanted to avoid electrocution there was only one way to go, up. Once up in the air hopefully Kenji would know what to do.

Spoiler:

Chakra: 135/150

Word Count: 4124/9000

Kenjutsu S>SS

Bokuden didn't disappoint, and as soon as Kenji released his sword Bokuden followed up with an raiton attack to force Binsu in the air, where he would be vulnerable to Kenji's Genjutsu. As Bokuden's raiton attack, the same once he was hit by at close range, made its way to Binsu who seemed to not be flustered by being attacked so quickly after his substitution.

Kenji was preparing himself to get in even closer as Binsu would jump, surely he would leave his jutsu's range. But all of a sudden, the ground they stood on began to quake, and a pillar made of earth shot from the ground, right under Binsu, lifting him in the air to avoid both attacks. Kenji had a blank expression on his face as he was so confident the collaboration attack would work. Now, the genin's sword was stuck in the pillar that was 10 meters high. Kenji was skeptical about going up too close to the pillar to remove his sword, as he didn't know if Binsu could still manipulate it, and cause it to erupt in Kenji's face. Kenji had no real intention on fighting in close against this guy anyway, so he would hold off on retrieving his sword.

Binsu leaped off and landed about 5 meters away from his jutsu, he was holding 3 kunai in his hand waiting for either Bokuden or Kenji to make a move. Kenji glanced over at Bokuden, Binsu was a Doton user and Doton was especially weak against raiton. Kenji felt it would be in their best interest to turn this into a mid-range elemental ninjutsu battle. But Kenji knew Binsu wasn't going to let them so easily, plus he could be hiding something else. They would have to proceed with caution, Kenji wouldn't last against this guy in close, but he had an idea of how to nullify the disadvantage.

"Hey Bokuden! Throw me a kunai" Kenji was sure Bokuden would comply since they just worked together to try and trap their opponent, but he was able to get away. Kenji had something in mind, he had no idea if it would work or not, but he was willing to give a shot.


TRAINING FUUTON/WIND,C>A: 2643/5000

As soon as he was in range of the puddle that Binsu was standing in, Bokuden plunged his electrified hand into the water. The lightning, clearly visible from the jutsu, surged forth through the water in the direction of Binsu. Confident that the two sided attack would force Binsu up into the air Bokuden focused his gaze at Binsu, intending to analyze his reaction to prepare an appropriate follow up action. If Kenji could trap him in a genjutsu then the two of them could use the subsequent opening to end the match, even if Binsu was more powerful than either of them individually.

To Bokuden's surprise however, before his Wave of Inspiration jutsu hit its target, an earthen pillar erupted from the ground. The enormous mass of earth raised had raised Binsu about 10m off the ground and safely away from Bokuden's jutsu. As the lightning collided with the doton pillar it disappated, having seemingly no effect other than a few cracks near the base."A doton jutsu, huh?" Bokuden thought to himself, "A pretty sturdy one at that, if it was able to withstand that last lightning jutsu that I strengthened by running it through water while having an elemental disadvantage. I probably don't have a jutsu in my arsenal as of right now that can break through it. I had no intention of trying regardless. It is an annoyance, but it is just something we will have to work around. We can't overpower him with jutsu, so attempting to would just be an unnecessary waste of chakra. What is more important here is that we now know that he is a doton user with the ability to alter the ground beneath him by merely weaving some hand signs. But...can he also alter the ground beneath ours?"

After Bokuden's raiton jutsu dissipated, Kenji's sword flew into the doton pillar and stuck to the side. Bokuden knew that Kenji was defenseless in actual combat without his sword if he couldn't get his genjutsu to connect. It was in both of their best interest for Kenji to get his sword back, but approaching the pillar head on when Binsu had already demonstrated his ability to manipulate the ground beneath him was foolish. However, there was no guarantee that keeping their distance would keep them safe from Binsu's doton jutsu. That is to say nothing of the other jutsu that he is bound to be concealing. They needed to keep the pressure on and force Binsu into acting.

Before they could mount an offensive on Binsu, he jumped back and down from the doton pillar and had drawn three kunai. " Willingly giving up the tactical advantage of higher ground?" Bokude thought to himself, "What's he planning?"

"Hey Bokuden! Throw me a kunai," Kenji yelled from across the field. Bokuden raised his eyebrow, unsure of what Kenji was thinking. He then reached into his kunai pouch and threw two kunai over to Kenji with his left hand. With his right hand he drew three shuriken, one placed between each of his fingers, and threw them at Binsu to provide Kenji some cover for whatever he was planning.

Word Count = 4659/9000

Kenjutsu S>SS