The wind picked up gently as Iyata strode down the street, placing her hand up she gently tucked back a strand of hair behind her ear as she walked. She had been informed that she had been selected for Squad Five, however she had not known there was a fifth squad in Kiri. She did not even know currently if there was a Leader for Squad Five or who they were. It was these uncertainties that caused her some unease inside. But she was extremely confident in her Kage and decisions made by her.

It was now that she figured she would take the time to meet her fellow shinobi before a situation would arise in which they were not familiar with one another, more so for her own peace of mind as anything else. She had a hard time believing or trusting other's for that matter and wanted to make sure they were capable and competent. She walked up to the small courtyard just outside the Mizukage's Office where other nin stood to receive their orders and missions and waited silently for the rest of the squad.

Tenka stretched luxuriously in his small apartment, gently entering consciousness. He had a relatively clear schedule, and assured by the small amount of light entering his window, it would be hours before he was supposed to meet his teammates. He turned on his side to glance at the small clock on his bedside table, and froze. Oh no, not on the first day! he thought, throwing off his sheets and running for the shower. It was already midmorning, he had been deceived by dim sunlight filtering through the misty morning, and now he had roughly twenty minutes to make it to the meeting.

Tenka exited the shower, dressed quickly in his normal shirt and shorts, pulled on his shoes and dashed out the door. "You only get one chance to make a first impression," he muttered to himself as he dodged around pedestrians through the streets towards the meeting place. With that in mind, he tried to straighten his forehead protector in its proper position around his head, nearly dropping it. It's a lost cause... he thought, settling for tying forehead protector around his right arm. Tenka was far from the image of a professional shinobi at the moment, with hair still damp from his shower, and, due to spending all of his money on rent, a complete lack of even the most basic ninja tools.

By some miracle, Tenka arrived on time to the meeting place. Glancing around the area, he spotted a pretty girl around his own age standing alone in the courtyard. C'mon, Tenka, he thought to himself, struggling with a wave of anxiety at the prospect of talking to the stranger before approaching. "E-excuse me," he began, pausing to clear his throat to cover the nervous stammer. "Might you be here for the meeting of squad five?"

Iyata turned her attention to Tenka has he approached her, a slightly amused smile came across her face as Tenka nervousness wore on him like a glove. "I am in fact. I am Iyata Aisu, most people call me Iya (Eye-ah)."She stated to Tenka. She turned about to face him offering her hand out to him in a shake, "I am to assume you are a member of Squad five as well then?"He asked softly. Iyata looked at Tenka and came to the conclusion that he seemed able enough which set some of her worry to rest. But only time would truly tell the capabilities of even themselves working together as a team was only as efficient as their weakest member.

The day I was assigned a squad, I woke up extra early.  At the time I had no idea a squad assignment had been made for me.  I woke up early to use more time finding out more about the village and how the shinobi's system worked.  From what I had gathered by asking around, it was at the Mizukage's office that every shinobi got their orders and were able to be assigned missions and earn money.  Getting up with a small yawn, I intended to do just that.

The cool air stung my skin as I pulled away my blanket and set my shivering feet on the damp floor.  Living in a very wet and misty land had it's downsides, I learned that morning.  I looked outside the window and only saw a slight pink haze in the horizon.  Beating the sun wasn't an easy thing for me, but it was what I had intended.  Slowly, I trudged to my closet and pulled out my clothes, draping my hooded top over my shoulders, pulling up my loose pant legs as I fought from slipping on the wet floor.  The morning dew would be gone soon, but not soon enough for me.  Tying my thigh straps and putting on my kasazuri armor piece before securing my pants and top at the waist with a red sash.  Taking a seat on my bed for stability, I slipped on my Edo boots and tighted my Kote around my forearm.  Now with boots on I easily walked towards the window and used my reflection in the dark morning sky to tie up my hair.  I grabbed my brown face covering and put it on, then as I made my way to the door I tied my fox mask to my left thigh.

Once out of my apartment complex, I made the long walk to the Mizukage's office.  I greeted the shopkeepers as they hurried to open their stores on time and even saw a few early bird shoppers waiting patiently with the local newspaper in their hands.  Trying to read the paper in other people's hands, I wondered if my fight with the blue-skinned boy from earlier had made it on the news.  That would not be the best way to be first known after settling into a new village.  What took me by surprise now living here a few days was that not everyone here were ninja.  I had figured a hidden ninja village would be like the samurai villages, but it seemed ninja and civilians lived together harmoniously.  Nearing the Mizukage's office, I could feel myself getting warmer as the sun peaked over the buildings and bled into the streets.

Stepping inside, it took me awhile before I found the place where I needed to go.  In my confusion inside the office building, I had waited until a ninja made their way and followed.  I was led to a bulletin board outside the Mizukage's own office and the squad listings already had my name on them.  There was a notice next to the listing that said for my squad to meet in the small courtyard that very morning.  I humphed to myself and made my way back outside into the sunny morning.  I stood outside the doorway for a moment, letting my eyes adjust to the sunlight when I saw two ninja in the courtyard just outside the office building.  I only assumed they might be in my squad, but either way I would have to ask someone if I was in the right place.

"Hello, would you two by chance be here for the squad meeting?" I asked them both, walking up to them tentatively.  My eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them hoping I wasn't sounding like a completely lost fool.  They were both much younger than me, but I had heard ninja send children on missions sooner than samurai.  Something about the dangerousness and high rate of death in their business had forced them to be this way from what I knew.

With a simple note from the Mizukage's office Kaguza had been pulled from his usual routine. At first thought perhaps he'd get to have another drink with Ayakashi, however upon arrival it wasn't a friend waiting but paperwork. Not much, but it was exactly what Kaguza hated, though is position was unlike the other ninja. While the blonde haired ninja was one of the three Sannin, he held a title that put him in a different position of power to the other Sannin. Kaguza had been declared Captain of the Seven Swordsmen, a group that had ended several decades ago, but still held weight through history. The objective of the order's revival had yet to be determined, in the past it was a special assault force, it was likely the objective would remain the same with his skill set.

Finding quiet place to hide, or rather sneaking into the Mizukage's office, Kaguza began looking through the file he had been given upon arriving at the office. With Ayakashi off visiting Tenmei in the hospital, her office would be the quietest. The file held the profiles of three lower ranking ninjas and a note stating that they were to be his squad. A mix of surprise and confusion filled his head. The feelings weren't bad, he just wasn't sure how to handle training a squad, his methods often resulted in visits to the hospital. Thoroughly reading through the profiles of the three ninjas, he had a rather interesting group. A chunnin puppeteer, and two genin weapon users. There was potential in the team's composition alone. A second note in the back of the file told that the group was to meet today, peering up at the clock, the meeting time was in about a minute. Not much to compose himself, though he never set out a plan when it came to really anything.

Leaving the file on the Mizukage's desk, Kaguza snuck out of the office through the window in search of his squad. From the roof he had a perfect birds eye view of the courtyard below. It didn't take long to spy his squad, it seemed as the third had just arrived. Taking a moment to judge the distance and rather someone would walk into his landing area, Kaguza jumped from the roof. Landing with a crash next to the group, he stood in a small crater with his feet together and his arms out at his side as if to keep balance on a high beam. As soon as the small dust cloud cleared, Kaguza greeted the two ninja with a slight salute. "Hello there." A few of the staff simply stared at Kaguza with annoyance. It wasn't the first time he had destroyed something or caused a ruckus, there really wasn't anything they could do to stop him. "My name is Kaguza Myugan, feel free to call me Kaguza, I am your squad leader." Giving a smile to what would likely be three shocked ninja. Kaguza stood in A pair of dark boots with matching baggy pants and shirt, a long white overcoat with a black border that faded to a dark red as it reached the white. Myugan was written in big black letters down the back. A decorative leather scroll case hung from his waist with the scroll itself hanging at his right. Since he had learned Fuuinjutsu, he was able to carry all of his weapon in a scroll as opposed to his old harness that used to scare small children.

Iyata turned her attention to Naoko as she approached Tenka and herself. She was in the process offering her a nod in assurance that indeed it was. When out of nowhere another Shinobi appeared with a most peculiar fashion. She brought up her arm allowing the dust to hit her forearm before it was inhaled and she lowered her arm and gazed at Kaguza. She seemed a far more superior shinobi then many she had encountered as of late, she was quite impressed as well as stunned by the entrance. Iyata nodded her head to the leader and stood at attention. "I am Iyata Aisu, Kaguza Sensei"She stated and bowed to him softly.

Iyata stood back up straight looking up at him Kaguza....Kaguza that name sounded very familiar, her eyes widened some as she was finally able to pinpoint exactly where she had heard that name from. She was a one of the three Kiri Sannin, and also the established leader of the Seven Swordsmen. Iyata had never placed much faith or time into learning other Villages history but she was very much a avid reader of her own villages history. She had always wanted to be one of the swordsmen but her parents were unfamiliar with Bukijutsu and in relation could not teach her. But once she was in school puppetry found passion in her heart, but she still had a place in her heart for the sword.

Tenka had only just taken Iyata's hand to shake, reassured by her soft tone, when the new arrivals began appearing quite rapidly. First, a woman arrived, half her face hidden by a brown cloth, also inquiring about the squad meeting. Tenka noted that she seemed older than both he and Iyata. Is she the team leader? he wondered briefly. His thoughts were interrupted by a stupendous crash, as a blonde man seemed to fall from the heavens, landing in a strange, but also rather impressive pose. Though shorter in stature than Tenka, the man gave off the unmistakable feeling of confidence and strength that marked him as a powerful shinobi. When he introduced himself as the leader of the squad, it was less of a surprise than his sudden appearance.

Having only come to Kirigakure relatively recently, Tenka had not heard the name of the infamous leader of the Seven Swordsman, so he did not make the connection. Shaking off his surprise at the sudden arrival, and realizing he had yet to give his own name, he quickly bowed his head to his new teammates and sensei, and declared, "I am Hattori Tenka, pleased to meet you all." Raising his head, he glanced about. A pretty girl of the same clan as the Mizukage herself, a mysterious girl with a mask, and now this man with a theatrical flair as the leader... This squad is looking pretty interesting! he thought to himself.

I received a nod from the girl in the group and was about to introduce myself when a man crashed down beside us.  After some dirt and dust finished being tossed by the crash, a blonde man stood up in the little crater he had made.  The wild landing caught me off guard and instinctively I had taken two steps back while grasping at the hilt of my katana.  I quickly relaxed as he introduced himself to us.  "Hello there.  My name is Kaguza Myugan, feel free to call me Kaguza, I am your squad leader."

Rather quickly the other two ninja introduced themselves as well. "I am Iyata Aisu, Kaguza Sensei" They seemed to be taking his dramatic arrival much better than me.  Maybe this was how all ninja were; wild and dramatic.  "I am Hattori Tenka, pleased to meet you all."

Looking from Kaguza to Iyata and then Tenka, I memorized their features.  Kaguza's blonde hair and dark, leathery attire; Iyata's posture and loose, white clothes; and Tenka's scrawny appearance.  This was her team.  Did this make her a ninja now?  No, I was still a samurai at heart.  These were the ninja that I had come to understand and see if what that dead woman's testimony was true about this village.  "And I am Shimazu, Naoko." I said, releasing my grip from my katana and stepping forward again.

[Training jutsu: Spinning Blade 2658/3500]

Kaguza folded his arms as the three introduced themselves. So these were the ones he was to look after and train. First impressions were always important, so far his squad was made up of two polite ninja and a third with an impressive reaction stance, and this was only from his theatrical landing. Taking a moment to more properly memorize names with faces, he needed to come up with some kind of beginning squad meeting. Formalities such as talking about each other or discussing formations didn't feel appropriate or interesting to him. "It's nice to meet all of you."

"Hmmm, how bout we jump straight into training? It's said two warriors often can learn more about each other from sparring then talking. I think that's exactly what we should do." This plan definitely fit Kaguza more then a sit down, and he would see first hand how the three would handle themselves, as well as vice versa. "I want you three to go and retrieve all of your equipment, weapons, knives, anything and meet just outside of the village at the abandoned well. We'll spend our first day as a squad sparring, so that we have a first hand experience on each others talents."

Waiting to hear from his squad before beginning on his way. Kaguza always carried everything with him, specially since he had learned to seal away everything in the scroll on his hip. During his run to the well, he took out a pair of meteor hammers and proceeded to wrap them around his forearms. With the chains in place he was combat ready.

The run to the well always seemed to get shorter the more he made the trip. The familiar sight of the old well and the surrounding area was comforting, this was where he had trained for most of his career. His plan for his new squad was to spar, but to just go at it without a few restrictions didn't seem fair. Measuring out a few distances, Kaguza drew a few circles in the ground. A total of three, all with the same center point. The smallest had a two meter diameter, the next a six meter radius, and the third an eleven meter radius. Each circle had it's own importance, that the three would have to learn.

Waiting at the center point of the circles, he stood as his new squad arrives. Once all three had arrived he began, "This will be our first training session, a simple spar amongst us. However you won't be facing each other, this is for me to learn your abilities and for each other to try and coordinate. Simply put, it will be you three against me. To win, all you have to do is to force me from the circles around me. This means I am restricted to the space inside the smallest circle till you make me move and then I have more room till the next. We're done when I cross the border of the outermost circle." To others he had fought in the past this would have been a simple task, though they knew more of this strategies as well as were higher ranks then these three. "Begin whenever you three feel ready."

Post's Word Count 541
Training Scroll Sourced Summon 541/750 words

Iyata stood listening to Kaguza and oddly enough was eager to test her mettle against her new Sensei she of course knew this was not a life or death scenario but still invoked the idea of a good challenge as both encouraging and testing of her own skills. Therefore it was very enticing to be able to also see the abilities of her comrades. Once they were dismissed to gathering their equipment and arms and her squad dispersed she quietly stuck her hands into her pockets and began to quickly run towards the abandon well outside the village. None too her astonishment she had spent the majority of her efforts focused on the crafting of her puppet which at this current moment was unfinished she had absolutely no gear. She found herself somewhat unprepared for this fight however she also felt it more of a challenge, who knew when she would have to rely on herself and her own spirit to get her out of messes or situations that would require no tools of the trade.

Iyata began to wonder exactly what the task would be, would it be herself against her comrades in a free for all or would it be more structured and a strategic event. Either way she was excited to be a part of something that was bigger then her own ambitions, to work towards a goal that did not favor just herself but others as well. But that all being said if she benefitted from it in a positive way, she would never turn a blind eye to it. She eventually arrived at the well and saw her Sensei drawing the circles around himself and oddly enough was curious about what it meant.

As she was finished she stood and waited silently for the others to arrive, as they one by one appeared she stood at attention and listened to the instructions. As she was informed that this would be a contest to see how they worked together to move Kaguza from the circles she found herself quite confident that it would be possible between the three of them. However she was not as naïve to believe that it would be done by brute force or that it would be as simple of a task as it would appear. Kaguza was a Sannin after all and earned by right of the title. As he finished giving the instructions and affirmed that he was ready she looked at the others and shrugged her shoulders gently and gave the indication that she was ready.

She slapped her hands together and began to weave through the necessary handseals. “Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!” Four puddles of water formed two on each side of her and shifted into dimension and form creating duplicate replica’s of herself. Iyata and her clones stood in a guarded stance watching their Sensei closely for signs that would betray his intent in the next coming moments to give her a better idea on how to proceed.

Jutsu:

Current Chakra:

Training Jutsu WC 501/900:

Events were progressing quickly, it seemed. Brief introductions had been made, and they were straight on to training as a squad. Tenka had no weapons or gear to pick up, broke from paying rent as he was, but took the opportunity given by his new sensei to swing by his apartment and grab a plain black jacket, as the morning was chilly, and he had forgotten it in his earlier rush. As he made his way towards the well, he began to worry. Without weapons I won't be able to give a proper accounting of myself... I hope my teammates won't be disappointed, he thought with a frown. None of his ninjutsu were truly geared towards offense, and he usually used weapons to attack to compensate for his lack of brute physical strength.

Upon arrival, Tenka listened closely as Kaguza explained the rules of his odd circle challenge. We just have to move him from the circles? he thought, raising an eyebrow. With three of us and one of him, that shouldn't be too difficult, should it? The challenge seemed unsettlingly easy to Tenka, so much so that he suspected some sort of trick. "What's up with this?" he muttered to himself, scratching his head. He was distracted from his perplexing thoughts as Iyata took the initiative, activating the Water Clone Technique.

Seeing his teammate was ready, Tenka began thinking how he would approach the fight. He may be going into the challenge unarmed, but there was one tool that he could still call on: information. Taking a second to remember the names of his squad, he asked, "Aisu-san, Shimazu-san, do you know anything about sensei? I know we've all just met each other, so it may not be much, but anything you've observed could be helpful." As he spoke, he kept his attention focused on Kaguza. Iyata was already on guard, so Tenka figured the test must have begun, and Kaguza had not said that he was limited to only defending himself. Gotta watch out, in case he makes a move from inside the circle, he thought to himself.

I paid close attention to Kaguza's words, being taken aback by his forwardness to dive straight into training.  His words on how people can learn more about one another in a fight reminded me of my father.  As a child, I had been taught this almost every day from my father, and he constantly demonstrated it with his friends.  There wasn't a single friend my father had that he hadn't dueled with at least once.  His closest friends were those that would spar often with him.  I knew that Kaguza and my father would be in agreement to this point, though being a ninja there would still be much tension between them.  Blinking myself out of my thoughts, I found myself alone, as Kaguza was heading off to the abandoned well.  Iyata was heading the same way while Tenka seemed to be splitting off to grab something.

I was basically ready for training, though I hadn't brought my bow with me, so I would need to get back to my apartment if I wanted to use it.  Not knowing what exactly what was in store, I decided having it wouldn't hurt.  My trip back was nice enough, as I tried to enjoy as much sunlight as I could while walking down the streets.  The sunlight was deceiving, however, as the morning was still chilly, but it did feel a bit warmer whenever I stepped out of the shade of buildings.  What was more chilly was the consistent breezes that blew around my loose clothing, keeping me cold as I made my way to the cheap apartment complex away from the Mizukage's office.  Stepping into my apartment, I realized that I had no idea how to get to the abandoned well.  In a slight panic, I quickly grabbed my bow and slung it over my shoulder, wearing it across my chest and ran outside.

Thankfully, one of the stall vendors near my apartment building was able to help tell me how to get there.  The run to the abandoned well took a bit longer than it should've as I missed a few turns and had to back track several times, but I did finally arrive to see the rest of the group waiting for me.  As soon as I stepped up next to my two new squad mates, Kaguza began detailing what exactly he had meant by training.  Looking at my sensei standing inside the three circles and listening to his instructions, I understood that he wasn't one for waiting around.  Glancing to Iyata and Tenka, it appeared they were ready.  Iyata shrugged and then clasped her hands together.  Four puddles formed around her as if by response to her hands, and I couldn't help but stare in amazement as the puddles of water billowed up and took shape, transforming into replicas of herself.  I had been told of strange powers the ninja used, called ninjutsu, but this was my first time seeing it.  Fortunately my brown face covering hid my gaping mouth at seeing ninjutsu clones being created in front of me.

"Aisu-san, Shimazu-san, do you know anything about sensei? I know we've all just met each other, so it may not be much, but anything you've observed could be helpful." Tenka asked, grabbing my attention away from the water clones.  I quickly reviewed what all I had noticed about my new sensei.  He seemed to be one to get things done quickly, and not very patient.  He had immediately started us on a training exercise and each time he spoke was quick and concise.  The landing he had made for an entrance to our meeting also showed a bit of dramatic or theatrical sense, though it's hard to tell if he was always like that.

"Well, only two things come to my mind," I answered, sliding out my katana with my right hand.  "Kaguza-sensei seems to like to move quickly through things, so probably isn't very patient.  Second thing would be that he is dramatic.  That's all I can think of though."

I focused wind chakra to my blade, preparing for a jump at Kaguza.  "Let me try something real quick," I said as I took a leap in the air, raising my blade above my head, it's tip pointed to the ground.  I would land inside the second circle, stabbing my blade into the ground at the edge of the first and inner most circle, releasing the wind chakra on my blade around me in an attempt to push Kaguza out of the circles.

Training Onojutsu Sub-Spec [771/1500]

Chakra:

Kaguza stood waiting in the center most circle as his three new students began the fight. Out of the three, only one had any gear to retrieve, a bow, which could prove to make things difficult while he was in the center most circle. The chunnin of the group , Iyata, immediately setting up a form of defense in her clone jutsu, it was fitting for a puppeteer. Tenka on the other hand wanted to begin with a more practical approach and one that likely could have resulted in a strategy to push him from at least one circle. If the three would move to flank him, especially with Iyata's four water clones, their odds of a successful attack would be much higher. It was Naoko, that made the first offensive move however. Kaguza simply watched, since his room to move around was merely a few steps to either side, analyzing exactly what might happen or what she'd try to do. Jumping high into the air, it seemed she planned to go for a straight stab, however her aim was off.

Thinking back to the file that had the profile of these three, the few key pieces of information about Naoko were that she was skilled with both swords and wind chakra. Would her jutsu simply be to blow him out of the circle? Unlatching the chains around his forearms to release the meteor hammers, Kaguza threw the weighted balls outwards each at an angle. The ball of each chain reaching just short of the second circle, once the balls made contact with the ground he channeled a thick chakra to the head of each chain. His jutsu would serve to anchor himself to the ground as Naoko landed releasing a powerful gust of wind. The chains rang out as the force of Naoko's jutsu hit him trying to push him back, several small cuts appearing on his clothing with a few on his face. Though it was a good try, Kaguza still remained in the center most circle and easily within striking distance of his student.

The two chains tied to Kaguza's forearms were still anchored to the ground behind Naoko. Maintaining the jutsu the anchored the meteor hammers to the ground, the Sannin pulled sharply with more force then the earth near them could hold. Pulling swiftly on the chains, the sound of the ground giving way rang out. Kaguza had pulled two large chunks of earth out of the ground, each still connected to the end of his meteor hammers. Having aimed his strong pull the two chunks of earth moved swiftly to collide with either side of Naoko.

It wasn't the most difficult attack to dodge, all she had to do was jump back into the air over the flying pieces of earth. However if she managed to get out of their trajectory, it was a simple matter of redirecting the force exerted on the moving rocks to alter their path. Pulling sharply to his right, would alter their path. Kaguza would release the boulder connected to his left arm to better aim the remaining boulder connected to his right arm. Generating force with both his legs and waist, he'd swing the now only boulder in a full circle around himself, releasing it to send it flying for the other two of his squad, Iyata and Tenka. Once his counter attack was finished, Kaguza would proceed to quickly re-wrap the chains around his forearms, for future use. Kaguza returned to his casual stance of standing with his arms folded as he watched to see what his squad would do now after seeing a portion of his ability.

Post's Word Count 610
Training Scroll Sourced Summon 750/750 words
Training Temper's Moving Dragon 401/2500 words

Chakra Remaining: 370/390 :

Iyata watched Naoko attempt the strike all the while she was watching their Sensei closely, she knew very little about his actual abilities but knew the reputation. He was a swordsmen and a damn fine one at that to be of the caliber to reorganize the Legendary Seven Swordsmen. As the meteor hammers to the ground she found herself slightly puzzled then began to understand what exactly was happening, the fact that those massive balls hit the ground and further more were able to rip the ground up from its holding and to be used as weapon. Iyata knew that this particular exercise would be difficult. However she did not realize it would be this difficult. She watched as Naoko took the initiative and poked at his defenses. She was very impressed with her comrades Wind Jutsu, she would have to ask Naoko to teach her at some point.

“Tenka....Naoko…speed is ideal, we have to keep those chains in the air and him off balance in order to push him out of the circle. If those chains hit the ground again they will just sink in and anchor him.” She stated softly. She blinked softly as suddenly a large chunk of earth was hurtling towards her, she knew that she had the ability to dodge it. But what was the ability of Kaguza to redirect the massive earth formation to follow her. The clones around her suddenly made a shuffling maneuver mixing each other up. Three of the Iyata’s shot off into different directions to avoid the boulder, the 4th Iyata pushed Tenka out of the way gently and took the impact. As the boulder hit the Iyata it gave a slight spasm before exploding into a gush of water.

The three remaining Iyata took to their feet immediately running towards Kaguza one from the front and the others from the left and right. In a synchronic motion they both held up their hands and began to weave another series of handseals. As they neared Kaguza Iyata from the left hit the ground in a slide attempting to slide beneath Kaguza’s legs to take one of them out, the one moving from the right suddenly joined with the one coming at Kaguza head on. Their bodies lining up to make a single Target. The first Iyata jumped forward as the one behind it jumped upward its leg glowing with a Aura of Charka in midair rotated herself around hurling a blast of Wind Chakra centered on Kaguza’s chest.

Chakra:

Jutsu:

 

Training Jutsu WC:923/900:

Tenka watched closely as events began to unfold quickly. Naoko initiated conflict, using her wind ninjutsu to attack from one side in an attempt to blow Kaguza out of position. His new teacher's response was truly masterful, anchoring himself neatly in place with two hidden chains before the attack hit home. Even more impressive, Kaguza shifted his defense into offense seamlessly, ripping chunks of earth out of the ground to counterattack. "Watch out, Naoko!" he called, forgetting his usual formality and calling his teammate by her first name in his concern. Such a clever attack could be quite dangerous if proper warning was not received. He isn't going to make this easy for us, huh? he thought.

He listened closely as Iyata offered a fair analysis of their teacher's technique, noting that they would not be able to move him without keeping his chains occupied first. However, he allowed himself to be distracted by Iyata's speech, and missed a crucial detail as Kaguza's attack shifted to himself and Iyata. He returned his focus in time to see a sizable chunk of earth flying towards him, too late to dodge. Fortunately for Tenka, Iyata covered for him with a clone, pushing him out of the way of the attack. Her clone was destroyed, leaving a puddle of water in its place.

Tenka mentally berated himself for his lapse in focus that had forced his teammate to cover for him, and began weaving seals for his own techniques. With effort, he activated two ninjutsu, the Hiding in Water Technique and the Water Clone Technique. His real body sank into the puddle of water that had recently been Iyata's clone to lay in wait, while a single water clone formed to replace his presence on the battlefield. With luck, Kaguza would not notice the switch in the midst of battle. As Iyata attacked from several sides at once, Tenka's clone leapt into the air above his teacher, punching downwards at the more experienced ninja. With Iyata attacking from the sides, Tenka hoped to cut off Kaguza from escaping into the air. From the puddle, the real Tenka watched, waiting for a chance to launch an unexpected offensive.

Chakra:

My strike made small cuts to Kaguza, but his chained weapon anchored him down.  He was quick, but I guess that's expected of a higher ranked shinobi.  His counterattack was flawless, bringing chunks of earth out with his meteor hammers.  I reacted on instinct, jumping in a backflip away from my sensei with a quick pull at my sword.  Tenka yelled out to help me from behind me, but I was already on the move, my instincts saving me once more.  The two boulders crashed just before my head as I flipped back, the sound sending me shivers as I landed on the edge of the third circle.

Kaguza's counter then shifted into a direct attack as he dropped one boulder while swinging the other to whip it at Iyata and Tenka.  Iyata and her clones jumped away in time, only sacrificing one of her clones to push Tenka out of the way of the boulder.  The clone instantly changed to water upon being hit, creating a big splash and forming a puddle near Tenka.  Iyata then switched to attack, and I heard her advice on how to attack Kaguza.  The way she looked in the battle, it seemed like she knew more of what she was doing.  Cursing under my breath for being reckless and nearly losing my head, I flipped my katana around in my hand, sheathing it behind me while reaching for my bow with my other hand.  While Tenka slipped down into the newly made water puddle and created a clone of his own, I ran along the third circle's edge behind Kaguza.

I slid to a stop, watching Iyata's wind kicking jutsu shoot towards Kaguza.  I rushed in from behind Kaguza to join the fray, pausing for a moment so as to arrive three seconds after Iyata's attacks so I could have a better chance to throw off Kaguza.  Holding my katana to my left side, I ran towards him, pointing my blade behind me for a sweeping slice.  Focusing wind chakra to my katana once again, I stepped in close to Kaguza and spun on my toes to my left.  My sword followed suit, releasing wind chakra around me to create a light whirlwind.  I was hoping to either boost Iyata's attacks or, if her's didn't connect, to catch Kaguza off guard and push him out of the circle.  The whole rush of this training session got my adrenaline going and I was loving it, a big grin was hidden beneath my face covering while I spun.

Training Onojutsu Sub-Spec [1202/1500]

Chakra:

Naoko was quick to recover as she easily avoided his counter attack, Iyata as well reacting in time to both dodge and prevent a seemingly distracted Tenka from being hit. As the higher ranking of the three, Iyata seemed a natural leader, analyzing the situation and moving to coordinate the rest of the squad. Managing properly mix herself among her clones, three of the remaining Iyatas moved to flank him from three sides. Tenka and Naoko moved accordingly as well, the young swordsman approaching from behind while Tenka jumped to attack from above. As far as coordination went, there was little room to escape for Kaguza especially given the limitations of his own challenge. With four people attacking him from all horizontal sides and no way to make his way underground, his only real option to avoid the oncoming assault was upwards.

Building up a storage of Raiton chakra and channeling it downwards, his jutsu when used as he jumped upwards, would propel him skyward and a great speed. Tenka attempting to assault from above served as the only obstacle preventing him from avoiding the other two's attacks. Again channeling Raiton chakra this time to his hand, Kaguza shifted his body to avoid Tenka's punch and moved his arm to push the genin aside as he went upwards. In truth it was not a simple push, on contact lightning raced into the water clone of Tenka's. The water clone immediately return to it's liquid state after receiving a charge from Kaguza's chain lightning jutsu. As gravity always work, Kaguza reached the peek of his jump and still had to contend with the remaining group still at ground level.

Gravity continued it's work as Kaguza began to fall back to earth, with a total of four opponent's below he had to determine who his targets were. Naoko hadn't created clones, so she was actually there, making her one target. Iyata on the other hand had created clones, however Kaguza did know they were water clones which gave him a clue as to which one was real. Releasing the chains around his forearms again, Kaguza aimed to strike both Naoko and Iyata with his chain lightning jutsu just as he had done so with Tenka's water clone. Giving the weight on each chain a spin, the metal balls flew at their targets. One straight for Naoko, the other straight for the Iyata that had launched the wind style jutsu. Since they were basically standing on the border of the center most circle, there was no question of them being out of range of his chains. Should the chain weapons make contact with their targets, they would deliver a strong electrical shock that would cause their muscles to seize, and slow their speed down. As for the Iyata that had slid along the ground to get under his legs, Kaguza would simply make a solid landing on top of her. The third Iyata, he was hoping would retreat to avoid being hit by his counter attack.

Post's Word Count 503
Training Scroll Sourced Summon 750/750 words
Training Temper's Moving Dragon 904/2500 words

Chakra Remaining: 330/390 :

Side Notes:

Iyata was keeping track of her leaders movements, but keeping a very close eye on those chains not wanting them to sink back into the ground as it was counter productive to what they were attempting to accomplish. Iyata watched as Kaguza went airborne avoiding the attack that she had sent his way. It would seem all was not as it appeared of this man, her temper slightly boiling over with frustration she was positive that it would of produced a more acceptable result but she would have to try a different tactic to be able to push him out of the circles.

She was truly starting to understand the gravity of the situation, they were not by any means at the level of this Sannin but she was not about to let that stop here one moment. It was all about keeping the pressure on, precise as possible and anticipation. If there was something that she had learned about building puppets that everything in life had a pattern. Whether it was the grain of wood, to the birth and death of life, the world was developed of patterns. It was all about paying enough attention to find that pattern.
Iyata was not provided a moments respite, as their leader landed ontop of her suiton clone she was immediately faced with the realization she had taken her eye off the ball for a mere second that could provide her undoing. The only saving grace was the reaction time in Kaguza’s attack from chain to actual implementation of ball caused some pause. She found herself facing down the barrel of a proverbial gun. Her body reacted knowing that getting hit by that hammer was not an option, she threw her hands together moments before the ball crashed straight into her sending her flying backward electricity causing the body to spasm.

In that moment the spastic body exploded with smoke in turn a log of wood suddenly exploded into splinters from the Jutsu and impact of the attack. Iyata appeared behind Kaguza coming down from the air at an angle, she inhaled quickly and exhaled a burst of wind at an angle in which would push him forward a few feet should it catch him off guard. Iyata on the other hand in mid movement to the ground suddenly lifted off into the air and into the trees moving out of sight for the moment.
The single remaining water clone took this opportunity to move away from Kaguza and disappear into the trees as well.

Chakra 155/200:

Post WC 424
Training Jutsu: Water Release: Wild Water Wave WC: 900/900-Completed
Training Jutsu: Wind Release: Spiralling Wind Ball WC:447/900

(OCC: To continue on with the Thread, at this time Tenka and Naoko have been skipped over and may return when they are able to do so. Kaguza it's your turn)

(OOC:  I apologize, hadn't been on this account in awhile and didn't see Kaguza's PM until just last night)

As I spun, I watched in awe as Kaguza jumped up and slid out of our attack, pushing away Tenka's water clone like it was nothing. Stopping my attack, I looked up at Kaguza's meteor hammer come crashing down towards me. Instincts overwhelmed me as I lunged to the side at the last second, rolling out to the edge of the second circle.  Turning to see the results of Kaguza's counter attack, I saw the log of wood get shattered by the other meteor hammer that was intended for Iyata as her clones dwindled to one.  Then I was shocked to see Iyata appear behind Kaguza and blow a concentrated stream of wind chakra before hopping off into the trees soon followed by her last clone.

I kept myself panting, and looking over at the puddle of water that Tenka had originally hidden himself in.  A glance over to the trees and then my eyes returned to Kaguza.  I was way out of this guy's league, and I wasn't sure what to do next, so I walked backwards until I was a meter past the edge of the third circle, trying to keep my distance from him and his meteor hammers.  I doubted that I could dodge them again if I got in close, so I sheathed my blade, instead pulling out my bow for a new line of attack.  For now, I would rest and watch, gather my thoughts before going in and breaking my neck just trying to get Kaguza out of a circle.  This little training session was turning into quite the convoluted mess.

Training Onojutsu Sub-Spec [1474/1500]

As Kaguza moved moved back towards the ground below under gravity's force, he landed only one of his chain attacks. One of his meteor hammers making contact with Iyata, or as it appeared before a cloud of smoke erupted, she had managed to leave a substitution. The log of wood however couldn't withstand the force of his attack as it shattered into an area of wood debris. Naoko on the other had managed to dodge his attack as it impaled the earth where she stood, leaving a small crater on impact. Both females of his squad had managed to avoid one of his favorite and versatile jutsu, it was impressive.

A moment of impress however came at the wrong time as Iyata had gotten behind him and at close range. Exhaling a strong gust of wind, Kaguza couldn't recoil his chains fast enough to avoid or block the jutsu. The blast of wind met it's target and blew Kaguza back to the ground as well as causing him to roll just outside of the inner most circle. A smile painted his face as he casually stood back up and examined his coat which was now covered in dirt. "Very good, I would have thought it take you three at least an hour to move me from that circle." Though the first part of his challenge had been met, it didn't get easier. Pushing Kaguza from the second to the third circle would possibly be more of a challenge then his squad could handle, as now he had room to maneuver as well as launch his own attacks.

The sannin was happy so far with his squad's capabilities. In roughly the same amount of time they had accomplished the same as Strafe in their last sparring match, and as a Sannin himself now, there was potential for the three. "That was a quick strategy Iyata, it's good to know you can seamlessly take command of the squad and analyze a technique. Naoko your stance and form is impressive, I want to see the peak of your determination though." Looking around, Tenka had yet to make his appearance. "Let's Hope Tenka is watching closely while in hiding." Noticing just how dirty his coat had gotten, Kaguza decided to take it off and toss it well outside of the outer most circle.

Kaguza quickly re-wrapped the chains around his forearms again, before coming up with an idea. "It's a rare occasion that I address my profession as a Shinobi, preferring to call myself a warrior. I'll show you exactly why." With a deep breath, the Sannin performed a handful of signs and then drew in the air with his index finger. As he moved his finger, lines of sealing text hung in the air. Upon completion, the image he had traced out was that of a large hammer, and with an explosion of smoke a physical weapon came into reality. Kaguza's jutsu was simple in design, though for those who didn't realize the scroll on his hip held all of his weapons sealed inside, it might appear as if he materialized a weapon from nothing. The technique simply summoned a sealed weapon from the scroll on his hip.

With a swing of his war hammer, the smoke created by his jutsu was dispersed. In his hand was his favorite weapon, a large war hammer by the name of Temper. At five foot six inches, the weapon was nearly as tall as it's wielder. Ever since he was a genin he had a fascination with hammers in both their use and destructive power. Wanting his squad to reach their very best, he'd use his best against them, that included all of the secrets that we're hidden within the hammer as well. It took a moment as Kaguza took in the position of his squad, Naoko being the only one in sight with Iyata hiding in the forest and Tenka either in the forest as well or hiding within any of the puddles about the area.

Post's Word Count 671
Training Scroll Sourced Summon 750/750 words
Training Temper's Moving Dragon 1575/2500 words

Chakra Remaining: 320/390 :

Ooc:

Iyata breached the covered canopy of the forest jumping back a few trees able to maintain a visual but was able to be shrouded in the mystical foliage. Being still within earshot of Kaguza Sensei she listened softly as he spoke to them all. "That was a quick strategy Iyata, it's good to know you can seamlessly take command of the squad and analyze a technique." She couldn't help but to smile at the praise it made her chest swell slightly with pride, she had never heard words of encouragement at all growing up. But to be given those words probably meant more to her than anyone else could possibly imagine. She watched gently as Naoko backed off, it was a wise decision on her part. As talented as she was with weapons it would not be wise to go head to head with someone so skilled.

She scanned the battlefield and was unable to glimpse Tenka, her brow furrowed slightly in puzzlement and concern. But she could not be worried too much about him at the moment, she was facing down the barrel of a loaded weapon and she was finding it even more difficult to determine a good strategy now that she was able to give the Sannin more room to maneuver. It was a good job, but also a curse at this point. The smaller circle restricted his movements and now he was just shy of full range of motion.

She watched closely as a sudden explosion of smoke and a even larger hammer appeared in his grasp, her jaw hung open a moment and she mentally swore to herself. The thing to put mildly looked godly, she would never hope to lift such a thing let alone use it masterfully. It was a moment like this she really wished she had her puppet completed as it would come masterfully in handy at this particular time. But she had to keep her wits about her and think steps ahead. She still had her clone, which gave her one more advantage to try and get him out of that circle. quickly surveyed the area burning the surroundings into her brain memorizing as much as she could of the terrain. She had an idea but it would require her to bide her time and wait for the appropriate moment. She knew that little she could do to assist Naoko at this particular moment she had no gear to assist her and relied heavily at this moment on her Jutsu's. Which she was unable to make anymore clones, she had to wait until her body recovered from it.

Chakra 155/200:

WC:443
Post WC 424
Training Jutsu: Water Release: Wild Water Wave WC: 900/900-Completed
Training Jutsu: Wind Release: Spiralling Wind Ball WC:890/900

Standing just off from the third drawn circle, I heard Kaguza's brief critique of our fighting.  His point was made, I needed to work harder.  up to this moment, I didn't feel like anything I had done had achieved anything.  Iyata seemed to be pulling the weight for both Tenka and I in this exercise.  Although I was still trying to get used to how things worked in a ninja village, that was hardly an excuse.  Training was common everywhere, and various exercises were meant to hone special skills.  So far, the only skill I was showing was that I could properly wield a katana, but using it effectively in this scenario was something else.

As a samurai, our way of fighting was open and straight-forward.  One person would fight another, katanas or other blades would be used openly in the fight and there weren't any tricks or hidden clones to be used to catch the person off guard.  A test of physical and mental strength was what a fight between samurai was about.  Here in Kirigakure, there was ninjutsu and all of the little tricks these ninja could use with it.  Clones, manipulating wind or water was something unheard of for us and would taint the battle.  Winning by means of something else other than your own physical strength and skill as well as your mental focus would make the win dishonorable.  If I was to make my life in this ninja world, I realized now that I would need to learn a few of my own tricks.  This wasn't the easiest conclusion to come to, as I would definitely have to reconsider what honor and an honorable fight would mean in this new world.  Just as I was contemplating this, I saw Kaguza scribble in the air with his hands and after a puff of smoke had cleared, he reappeared with a massive hammer in his hands, holding it as if it was as light as a sword.  The weapon looked devastating and much more dangerous than my rusty little blade.

Taking a deep breath as I thought things over, I sheathed my katana behind me.  I focused on my Bushido teachings and calmed my mind.  Slowly, I took my bow from my shoulder and held it in my left hand.  There wasn't much I could really do to push Kaguza out of the circles, especially since he had more room to maneuver now.  One thing I could do, and would do, was distract.  I would have to rely on Iyata and Tenka to push Kaguza out into the next circle, meanwhile I would make it my goal to divert Kaguza's attention solely on me.  I was outside of his reach of his wrecking balls, and I didn't think he would be able to reach me from where he stood.  Besides, it seemed that his part in this exercise was purely defense.

Stretching my bowstring with concentrated wind chakra, I formed my first arrow. Aiming directly at Kaguza, I let it fly and restrung my bow once more, firing a second to follow the first.  I then unleashed three arrows aiming one a half meter to his right, another a half meter to his left, and the last was shot about half meter above his head in hopes of catching him if he tried to dodge.  Though immediately after letting my fifth arrow loose I regretted just aiming a half meter from him.  He had already showed his speed to be much more than mine, so I doubted they would hit, but they would require his attention.

Chakra:

Kaguza stood now with his favorite weapon in hand. Tenka and Iyata along with her remaining water clone had hidden themselves within the trees leaving Naoko out in the open. Keeping an open mind to the possibility of the others attacking from any angle. Removing rank from the equation, Kaguza would be seen as being at a disadvantage. It was three against one and he was confined to a small area to move about during the fight, though now it had increased, it still wasn't a great deal if he was against opponents of higher rank. A thought occurred to Kaguza, this could potentially happen to him at some point in the future. A slight grin came across his face as the situation could possibly help him in the future.

Possibilities aside, Naoko was the only one of his squad that he could deal with at the moment. The girl sheathed her katana and withdrew her bow, it didn't seem she wanted to go into close quarters against him. With the difference in rank, she was playing both safe and smart, least as she thought. She stood just outside the outer most circle. Kaguza's moveable space was a six meter radius circle, the outer most circle, an eleven meter radius circle. The difference being five meters required them to enter the largest circle to be in range of his meteor hammers. There was one detail they had not taken into consideration however. Kaguza had been moved from the inner most circle, which meant that details of the battle had changed. It didn't appear that any of the three had guessed the reason for the set distances of the three circles. It was starting to become rather irritating that Tenka had yet to make any kind of attempt to aid his team mates in the slightest.

A few ideas to further test his squad came to mind, though the challenge at hand was difficult enough. Naoko with a bow in hand began to pull back the string, though there was no arrow that Kaguza could see. The genin had already proven to be skilled with wind style techniques, was that her ammunition, blasts of wind? The first arrow of Naoko's was set loose. The arrow was fast, which caught him off guard. Raising the broadside of his war hammer, Kaguza blocked the first shot. A strong amount of force pushed the hammer back against it's user. Being behind the hammer now, he didn't see the second arrow directly behind the first. On impact, it caused him to stumble backwards a few feet as the other three arrows flew by. If he had dodged the first, he'd likely have been hit by them. The speed the arrows traveled at was only a step below his own speed. Skilled with both her blade and a bow, along with a natural talent for wind release. If she had a higher rank, a match against her alone could prove difficult.

Kaguza had to regain his footing after blocking the second arrow with his hammer. Naoko had a precise aim, if he failed to take notice of her arrows he'd suffer for it. With a possibility of three people launching surprise attack, he had to deal with the young archer. Kaguza sank his hand into the earth he stood upon and pulled out a piece of earth shaped like a sledge hammer. Temper in his right hand and the earth hammer in his other, he charged the stone hammer with an excess of raiton chakra. Stray sparks of electricity began jumping from the earth hammer. His attack was meant for mid range combat such as this. Kaguza threw the earth hammer straight for Naoko. The hammer began spinning like a disc as the raiton chakra began to discharge, turning it into a solid disc of lightning. On impact, all of the electrical energy would flow into it's target and the earth would transfer all of it's physical force as well into the same target as well as break up on impact.

Post's Word Count 675
Training Scroll Sourced Summon 750/750 words
Training Temper's Moving Dragon 2250/2500 words

Chakra Remaining: 295/390:

Iyata began moving along the tree line keeping into the foliage to keep hidden as best as she could, her clone moving close behind her. She watched her sensei dig a large hammer out of the earth. She blinked softly how in the hell does he keep getting these weapons. She would make a mental note to ask him about it at a later date. She stopped shy and allowed her idea to blossom in her mind a moment and figured this would be as good of time as Any. It was at that moment that a rather huge chink was put into her chain, as she witnessed Kaguza suddenly super charge the hammer and hurl it towards her squad mate. She could not locate Tenka for all she was aware is the man had taken a nap underneath a tree. She cursed softly and ran through the possible scenarios and there was only one solitary solution that would not hinder her plan. Both Iyata and her clone launched themselves out of the trees and into the air.

The two where coming skyward ahead of Kaguza and the other behind. Both of them raised their hands and began to weave their signs. In synchronistic fashion the one ahead raised her hand up and expelled a jet of water directly into the charged earthen hammer upon impact two things occurred, the trajectory of the hammer was thrown downward its target now the ground. As the second Iyata hit the ground behind and in mid range of Kaguza she was able to perform the final step to the Jutsu and the water puddle from the water clone of Tenka’s he had destroy suddenly engulfed into a mist effectively obscuring Kaguza’s view around him for 10 m. However the jet of water from the other Iyata had a side effect Kaguza’s secondary jutsu went off on the hammer sending an electrical current back towards Iyata not able to cut off the jet in time her body suddenly sizzled and exploded into water. Effectively she was now the one and only Iyata on the battlefield. Iyata pursed her lips had not expected that to happen. “Naoko! HIT HIM NOW!” She called out to her Teammate…

Chakra 135/200:

WC: 374
Training Jutsu: Water Release: Wild Water Wave WC: 900/900-Completed
Training Jutsu: Wind Release: Spiralling Wind Ball WC: 900/900-Completed
Training Jutsu: Water Release: Waterfall Basin Technique WC: 364/1350

Side Note: