Nagare wasn't having the best day. He was exhausted from the previous night, his mistake of inviting friends over and staying up late. It was commonplace in his day-to-day life to try and be social. He'd gotten back from Konoha a long time ago, but rather than getting right back into the constant train-and-grind that was the life of a shinobi, he wanted to enjoy things more and focus on the good parts of everything. He was a Sannin, yes, but even though it was a high-ranking position, it didn't mean that he was constantly swamped with assignments and missions and work. Sure, there were plenty of younger shinobi wanting to be taught by him and desiring to be his pupils, but most of them he simply turned down. They weren't the same as urgent calls to help with emergencies, or doing dangerous missions. It was just as if he wasn't a ninja anymore. He took time to travel, learn more about the world, read and compose music and all of these things...

Still, that didn't mean that Nagare wanted to stop being a ninja. He'd been one for so long, he couldn't imagine quitting now. So today, that's what his plan was. He was going to refresh himself in fighting skills and practice the things he needed to expand on, namely his swordplay. He carried Aubade, his favorite (and only) blade, on his right hip, ready to be drawn at any moment; yet it was a powerful sword, and he was no where near mastering its use. His Kenjutsu was mediocre, at best, even after so much training between he and Bokuden. He didn't quite know what it was yet, he'd tried using so many different stances and positions to hold the sword and varying strikes and slashes, but even so, his battle skills were...unimpressive, as far as swords went. If he wanted any sort of proficiency in a close-quarters skirmish, he definitely needed to brush up on it. He resolved that swordsmanship was the kind of thing that required constant practice to master; it wasn't a matter of fighting style or how you balanced your sword or anything like that. Each person he had fought had their own style and had used them to a T, and now it was his turn to develop his own style through practice.

The Sannin left his home without a second thought, at least making an effort to take a shower but not any to groom his facial hair or anything like that. It would take 15 minutes to shave, and that was 15 minutes he could instead spend training, which he would much rather do. He made his way through the crowded streets of Kumogakure, the very same ones that never seemed to change throughout his life there. There were restaurants here and there, looking like dwarves compared to the massive towers and spires overhead, and bridges into connecting them so high in the air. Clouds surrounding the villages' boundaries, like an angelic barrier, protecting and watching over its citizens. He loved it with all of his heart, and it was nice to wake to that everyday. A few people here and there waved hello to him on the street, some of which knew him since childhood, others just now hearing of him because of his Sannin status. Either way, he always gave a polite wave back, without reaction.

As Nagare continued walking, his head began to pang steadily in a sudden headache. That was something that happened a lot to him lately, headaches and migraines. Just last week, he had even coughed up blood...he had gone straight to the Kumogakure General Hospital, naturally, but the medics simply told him that there nothing was wrong with his body as far as they could tell and he was probably just stressed. He didn't like being given indirect answers to problems. "Maybe" he was just stressed. But what if it was a serious problem? What if it was somehow related to his violent fits where he lost himself to a darker half, like he had during training before Konoha and even in Konoha during his fight alongside Hokage Tatsumaru? What if he could die? It was bothering him deeply, and the more he thought about it, the more fearful he grew. Finally, he reached his usual training grounds and unsheathed his sword. Training. That's all he needed to focus on, this headache would go away on its own over time. He best not think about the negative possibilities and everything that could go wrong, that was pessimism and he wasn't that kind of a man.

With a quick Dragon hand seal, he activated his kekkei genkai. A glowing apparition appeared to grow from his body, a separate mass of chakra forming a human body. Within seconds, it took full form, and Horui appeared, looking back at Nagare with a happy expression. They looked exactly alike, like twins, as Nagare always explained the two of them to be, even though Horui was merely a construction of Naga's chakra system. He hadn't used his kekkei genkai in a while, choosing to give Horui a break both for his sake and in case the constant darker half came back for revenge. Training, however, was going to be a different case; training was always much easier when Horui was helping out. The "twin" shared his thoughts with Nagare, as always. Don't get so down on yourself, and worry about the negatives. We're here to train! Let's have some fun, alright? Nagare gave him a smirk and held Aubade low to the ground, sliding his foot a bit to the left to get a better defensive stance. As his foot stopped, he lifted his arm in a vertical arc and positioned the tip of the blade to face Horui's heart. He focused intently and gave Horui a curt reply.

"Whatever you say. Let's go."

---

Training Bukijutsu C-Rank to B-Rank
Word Count: 1,016/3,800
(5% off due to Sōseiji Kekkei Genkai being active)

Nagare - 175/175 | Horui - 175/175:

(OOC: Sorry for the late reply i got caught up in something important last night. Also bad ass face claim, i am a little jelly of it.

Small barks of an annoying little puppy that was about to be deep fried in some grease for waking him up was heard on this bright morning. Zetsume threw the light blanket that covered him off of his body and onto Repede, the small puppy that was barking. Nine out of ten times the reason the puppy would wake him up would be because either he was hungry or wanted to go outside. The other tenth of a time was because he would have a bad dream and need company. Zetsume sighed and petted the small dog through the blanket who was playfully trying to bite at his fingers. After a few minutes to let the cobwebs of his mind vanish, he decided to get up and feed the puppy. Like always he devoured it quicker than anything he has ever seen before. Hungry eh boy?, he thought while giving him a small pat on the back. Today seemed like a beautiful day to train and lord knows he needs it. He has been slacking while people around him have all grown much powerful, yet it did not bother him that much. The strive for power has seemed to leave him entirely, only the simple need to live kept him going. He did not attempt to shower because he did it last night and it seemed pointless to waste water. Zetsume leaned down to pet the puppy and kiss him on the forehead goodbye. Grabbing his trust bow and arrows, Zetsume set out towards the training grounds.

Zetsume enjoyed his walk through the village, even after gaining his status of Jounin not many people even knew who he was. Secretly he enjoyed that because he was never really social with people and often came out as a rude individual by his cold mannerisms. Even with the people that knew him because he helped them in one way or another they often did not even say hello because they also knew that Zetsume probably would say hello back. To Zetsume fame was something that he never wanted as people would constantly harass him with questions of help and what not which are things that he did not want. Though one play did always welcome him like family. It was a small restaurant which to him served the best Chicken Lo Mein. During his travels to the training grounds he would make a stop in the shop to eat up. Training on an empty stomach could be detrimental towards his training and he did not want that. Like always when he walked in the owner would give a big yell towards him which he would only reply with a small wave. The people here were very nice, even when Zetsume had lost his cool to some thugs that were in here a long time ago. Roughly three to four minutes after sitting down the waitress whose beauty was astonishing came by and gave him the usual. Zetsume never did escape from his comfort zone, even with food. They all knew what he wanted and he liked it this way. She came with a wide smile that could be seen as misleading, while she brought out a big bowl of Chicken Lo Mein and a large sweet tea. Zetsume only said a small word of thanks to the woman as to try to not lead her on. She has had a crush on him yet the married life was not one in his mind that a shinobi should do. He was entitled to leave at any moment, or even die in the middle of combat. He did not want the people that he left behind to be sad, so to him he less people he knew the better.

After finishing his delicious food which he scarfed down like his dog, he promptly went to over pay for the food like he always did. The owner would tell him that it is too much, yet the over pay was so that the other workers including the cook would get a nice tip for the day. That could be the very reason that the people here loved him, that he could pay them happily with an over amount. Zetsume grabbed his gear from the back of his chair and set off towards the training grounds again. The walk was not much further than where he started from. Just a few more minutes and he would arrive at a place that has not seem him in quite some time. He wondered if anyone would be there that he knew, some conversation would be good for him, lord knows he needs it. Zetsume can slowly feel his mind rotting away as thoughts of homicidal tendencies would cloud his mind. Keeping these feelings at bay was something that he has been trying hard to do, yet it has been quite some time since he has killed someone and it almost felt like an addiction now to him because he has done it so many times. He would have to be sure to check out the mission board on his way back down.

Only about ten minutes after walking from the restaurant he made it to the training ground to find it surprisingly empty other than two men that were just standing there. At first he was going to ignore them and train by himself but then he realized that he knew those two. It was Nagare and Horui. Zetsume promptly walked towards them with the fake smile he always put on for people to greet them.

"Hey, Nagare and Horui, seems that great minds think alike when it comes to when to train eh?"

He let out a small awkward laugh because he was unsure as what to say next to both of them, after a second to contemplate he spoke again in a friendly tone.

"I heard you have achieved Sannin status, it seems that my congratulations would fall on deaf ears because you have been one for quite some time from what i hear. I never did congratulate you so, yea that is me congratulating. If you came up here to train would you indulge a weakling like myself in a sparring match?"

Zetsume knew that his words were idiotic and unsociable, yet these were things he could not help. Talking to people were always things he did not enjoy. Zetsume held out both of his hand for a handshake, which he did not let many people do, yet he felt compelled to.

1087/5750:

(OOC: No problem, I don't mind if posts don't come immediately. And thanks, Zerochan always has awesome FC pics)

Thoughts fluttered about haphazardly as Nagare proceeded to make the first move, swinging the sword in a horizontal arc and slamming it directly into a kunai that Horui held up to defend. The kunai sizzled with heat against the molten blade; Aubade's natural Katon affinity made it a tough weapon to fight back against. Horui pushed back full force, just enough to gain a lapse in position and time to duck under the blade and swing with his own clone of Aubade, a hit which was blocked and countered in return. A few seconds of back-and-forth swinging before they reached another moment when the blades locked, and just as the clang of the metal echoed loudly, a shifting in the nearby grass reached their ears. They let their blades fall level to their waste as a figure entered the training grounds. Nagare knew nothing of the man; plain brown hair, hazel eyes, uninterested look. He wanted to continue training and disregard this guy, but Horui stared at him and concentrated hard. Nagare! It's...it's, uh, uhm...well, we know that person! Nagare turned to Horui and rolled his eyes.

Does it matter? I certainly don't remember him, so he must not have been all that important. C'mon, don't stop now, we need to get this sword thing perfect. Horui ignored him, instead thinking harder. He knew it, it was on the tip of his tongue, he just needed to sift through his memories and thoughts and find the words to put it in. Nagare sighed and sheathed Aubade, waiting for Horui to make some sort of indication that they could continue. The man was now approaching them, readying to greet them or something. Nagare certainly hoped he could slide by without having to say this man's name or anything, it would definitely be awkward if he said the wrong name or made up something to say. Horui managed to get it before the figure reached them. Kyodara, Zetsume! Our sensei, back when we were, what? Genin? Chuunin? The face and the name matched and it registered in Nagare's head. Right, it had been so long since he was that young, over five years ago, but it was Zetsume, and he was coming. Within steps, he'd be there. Horui smiled widely and Nagare gave him a smirk that he always seemed to give everyone. "Well, look who it is."

Zetsume hadn't changed much over time, he still had the same face and general features he once did, but he looked to have aged; his height was taller, his muscles more defined, and his hair a bit longer. There was a scar on his nose, one that Nagare didn't recognize, which meant it was either new or Nagare just hadn't noticed it before. He stopped in front of the two, and gave them an awkward smile. "Hey, Nagare and Horui. Seems that great minds think alike when it comes to when to train, eh?" Nagare let up half-grin and Horui nodded. After a small pause, Zetsume continued, most likely in an effort to strike up a conversation. He talked about how he'd heard of Nagare's rank, and gave him congratulations. Then, he proceeded to ask for a sparring match, something that Nagare was happy to oblige to. "Don't sell yourself short just 'cause I'm a Sannin and everything; that's just a title. You'll always be my sensei, Zetsume, and you're no weakling. It's good to see you, by the way, it's literally been years." That was honestly the most genuine Nagare'd ever felt about something he'd said in quite a long time. He had missed Zetsume deeply, even though he wasn't the most dependent person around. He had plenty of respect and gratitude for the man, simply for taking him in as a pupil in the first place. Since becoming Special Jounin and leaving the squad, Nagare and Zetsume just seemed to grow distant, and next thing they knew, five years had passed, and by the looks of it, a lot had changed, both in them and Kumogakure no Sato. It was intriguing how time had that effect on people...it just went to specific tasks and goals and relationships and once it was all used up, it passed and those that weren't under its spread were left disconnected as things grew busy.

Horui tapped Nagare on the shoulder for a moment, and Nagare turned to face him, as if to say, "what do you want?". Don't forget to say hello for me! Seeing as I can't talk out loud and all. "Oh, and Horui says 'Hi' too." Horui nodded again. Now that social hour was done, Nagare set his mind back into battle, unsheathing Aubade and holding it tightly with his left hand. He stepped back a few paces, with Horui taking the opposite side of Zetsume, and they both looked at him with sinister smiles, prepared for an "interesting" spar, at the very least. They wondered what new tricks the Jounin could have up his sleeve, since they hadn't seen him in battle for so long...last they remembered, he had used Ninjutsu and Kyujutsu to his advantage in long-range battles. Either way, they did their best to prepare for an onslaught. Nagare spoke once more, in a lower tone this time.

"Back to this sparring thing. Whenever you're ready, just say the word."

---

Training Bukijutsu C > B
Word Count: 1,943/3,800

Equipped Weapons:

After giving a small laughter to his words of "Just a title", Zetsume knew better than to underestimate anyone. It could get him killed or severely wounded. Those two things could not happen, not on this day. The cool air felt good on his arms as he stared at Nagare, unable to think of the words to say. Talking was not his forte, nor will it ever be. Taking his bow from his back, Zetsume gave a small smile. The thoughts of how much stronger this one has gotten made his excitement rise. Fighting was the only thing he was ever good at, well that and cooking but no one ever got to eat his food except a dog and they lick their own ass. Zetsume had noticed how the ages have passed, the loneliness had been a burden and a blessing. Though somehow he felt relief when he talked to Nagare, almost like getting a splinter out. It seemed to have warmed his heart knowing at least someone out there knew his name and of his existence. Though sparring with him seemed to be the perfect way to start this day out. He had not trained in quite some time, he had no real need to. The need for power left him a long time ago, now only the need to survive helped him to go on with his meaningless existance. Since there was no imminent danger to him, the thought of it seemed futile.

Zetsume remember their fight long ago, Nagare fought with strange looking bats and a good sort of ninjutsus. Back then he did not have to use his KKG to his fullest because of Nagare's strength at the time. Though now, maybe he will be able to show him his true power, one that he never did really like using.  Distance would prove to be advantageous against this one. Taking a deep breath, he began to run back while drawing two arrows from his quiver, letting them go simultaneously. Both directed towards Nagare, he hoped this would suffice as time to go. He would have to keep his distance as he did with all of his foes, even if they too had long range abilities. Zetsume's heart began to pound in the manner he has not felt in quite some time. Oh how he missed this feeling.

Zetsume, eyes set on both Nagare and Horui, moved back in an obvious effort to gain a terrain advantage; he was a ranged fighter, but that wouldn't be a problem for the two. Nagare turned his head to the left, looking over the training area. No real hills or jutting rocks to use as cover, and so they were out in the open, vulnerable to attack. Without facing Zetsume, Nagare traded thoughts with Horui as they devised a plan. We're gonna have to attack from different positions to maximize our efficiency. Staying in the same spot won't benefit anyone, it'll only give Zetsume a bigger target area to skewer. You go off wherever you can, and summon Norei. He'll provide aerial support while we retaliate against Zix with whatever jutsu we can. Go. Horui, without making any physical gesture or response, silently sprinted to a far corner near a wooden post and initiated the summoning jutsu. It would take a bit of time to finish, without a scroll, so he concentrated quietly, as to not get Zetsume's attention.

Two arrows were launched from afar, moving pretty fast as they caught Nagare's eye. They weren't chakra arrows or anything of the sort that Zetsume had used in their last spar years ago. In fact, they seemed to be of wood, so they wouldn't be a problem to burn away with a fire technique. As they continued towards him, Nagare made a Tiger hand seal. "Katon: Nobi no Jutsu!" He chanted before spouting a pillar of flames that engulfed the arrows. They burned away, leaving steel tips in their wake. One of the tips fell to the ground, while the other had enough momentum to cross paths with Nagare's cheek, leaving a small but still painful cut around an inch in length that bleed loosely. Nagare wiped the blood from his face, before reaching for his back pocket. Now, for a little bit of offense... He shifted his hand within the small pouches before unveiling three shuriken and throwing them at full force. They flew ahead, aimed at Zetsume's chest, lower stomach, and arm, respectively.

With a lapse between the swift throw and Nagare's next movement, he finally regained his senses and took another swipe of his hand across his cheek to rid the extra blood from the cut. The bleeding was lower, now, as it began to clot slowly, and he made an effort not to pry over such a minor wound. He sprinted towards Zetsume, in the opposite direction from which Horui was summoning Norei from, and held Aubade tightly in a reverse grip to readily to deflect incoming projectiles. Horui could attack from afar, if needed, once Norei was in play; for now, Nagare needed to close the distance between he and his starring partner and try to force an advantage.

---

Training Bukijutsu C > B
Word Count: 2,427/3,800

Nagare - 165/175 | Horui - 175/175:

{OOC: I know this thread was like months ago but Zetsume never freaking posted so I'm just going to end it so I can finish my training}

Nagare had no problem closing the distance, now close enough to his target to land a solid blow. He swung his sword with a light-handed flourish that glided past Zetsume's torso, raking his flesh and leaving a cut. The cut sizzled, as Aubade's Katon chakra ate away at the wound, leaving a deep burn. Zetsume didn't seem to react to the blow, only taking a moment to stagger back and regain his bearings. A burst of smoke in the distance signaled that Horui's summoning jutsu was complete and within seconds Norei dashed into view. The bat flew erratically and excitedly, with a toothy grin of pure bloodlust on his small face. His talon shredded into Zetsume's cheek as he passed and left another cut in its wake. The man remained still, as if frozen by some kind of technique. Nagare began to make hand seals for a Katon jutsu, but stopped in the middle of them. His eyes met Zetsume's, and they held a long stare. "Uh. Zetsume? What...are you doing?" The man didn't reply, only stand there with his eyes wide and wounds bleeding. Nagare wasn't sure whether to be creeped out or scared that Zetsume was having a heart attack. He sheathed his weapon and walked over to the man. Norei's carnage stopped, and he flew back around and landed on Nagare's shoulder, with his black orbs of eyes gazing back at Zetsume. He wanted to kill the man, but that was just him, he was the violent summon and he had to restrain himself at times.

The Sannin kept his hands at his side as he tried again to call Zetsume to attention. "Zetsume? You alright? Say something." Zetsume blinked. At least it was some sort of physical response, but it still wasn't what Nagare was looking for. He stood on the balls of his feet and reached out to tcouh Zetsume. He poked the man gently in the stomach, and waited a fair amount of time for a reaction. Nothing but steady breathing and another blink or two. Maybe Nagare's amazing skill level had surprised Zetsume so much that he was now in a state of psychological shock and was paralyzed? It just didn't make sense that this would happen in the heat of battle, but alas, Nagare couldn't protest. It still wasn't the training session he'd wanted, but he figured he shouldn't have let Zetsume join in on it in the first place if he'd wanted a normal training session between he and Horui. He shook his head, and turned back to his "twin". "So since Zetsume seems to be, um, unwell, we should just go. We can train some more tomorrow, we've got enough in for today and I'm hungry anyhow." Horui nodded in agreement, facing Zetsume one more time to ensure that the guy was breathing.

They both turned, somewhat disappointed, and began to make their way out of the training grounds. The sky was a clear blue color, and the sun overhead was smoldering. It was a hotter than usual, at that moment, so Nagare suggested they eat inside. What better place to eat indoors than one's own home? They walked the familiar road together, side by side, as they conversed telepathically. That was always a bonus, Nagare was fond of talking without actually saying any words aloud. It was an interesting feeling. So do you think Zetsume is going to be OK? What if he was paralyzed and dying and we just left and now he's going to be dead?"

Well, I doubt that. Sure, he's got a few wounds from us, but he won't die from them, and the way he was standing and staring off into space wasn't an 'I'm dying' kind of stare, more of an 'I'm in another world' stare. Horui reassured him with a smile. Nagare considered it for a moment. Fair enough, I guess you could be right. It's just so unusual that he would do that. Norei remained upon Nagare's shoulder, looking rather dismal and sad that he couldn't kill Zetsume. He didn't know that Nagare and Horui were speaking, so he thought that all was silent...he chimed in to break said assumed silence within moments. "I want to go back there so bad and kill that freak. Ughhh...why couldn't I? I should've just done it regardless of what you two had to say about it." He grumbled on in his scruffy voice, a bit unfit for a bat but somewhat intimidating nonetheless. When they arrived at their home, Nagare planted himself down on the seat in the front room and looked down at the failed attempt at a tattoo on his hand. It was originally supposed to be a Fuuinjutsu seal, but it wasn't a good idea trying to tattoo it on himself, and now it resembled an abstract spiral of sorts. He was looking forward to the day he could finally perfect his fuuinjutsu technique, but that wasn't his top priority. He would take it slow, mastering the art day by day based upon his prior knowledge that he'd received from Takeshi. Horui walked into the kitchen to go snack on...whatever was available, really, but Nagare kept his attention focused solely on that hand, taking it as a symbol of what he could be...

And what of Nagare's sword technique? He was beginning to realize that maybe the common Nodachi wasn't he weapon for him. Aubade was a special blade with a connection close to his heart, as it was originally the blade that his best friend wielded, but things had changed and memories were fading and here he was, a Sannin of Kumogakure, still struggling to master the blade's use to no real avail. He figured he may as well try to use other weapons, just to see what they are like. Many ideas came to mind, like Zetsume's bows or the puppets that Araiguma Gifu used so well. His mind was leaning more towards the idea of polearms, as he could use them and keep a distance between his opponent and himself at the same time. It couldn't be all that different from a sword, so he smiled as he laid back, thinking of the possiblities. He removed Aubade from his form, setting it down next to him. It was a sight to behold, with intricate designs throughout its length, so he was sure to fetch a decent price if he sold it. He'd use the money he gained to buy a new weapon...a more fitting weapon for him to train with. This was the beginning of serious training. Up to this point, the Sannin had always trained periodically and to learn jutsu, but he'd never had intense training sessions in order to bolster his strength and might. He couldn't do such a thing alone, though, so he'd need Horui and maybe an additional friend to help. The next month would be a full on training rush, in order to become the best ninja that had could.

Horui looked back at Nagare from the kitchen, with a curious glance. Why are you sitting there with a huge smile on your face? You look really scary, almost like Zetsume except a little foreboding. Nagare looked back at his twin and spoke aloud rather than in his head. "We're going to train. I don't know about you, you may want to keep using swords, but I think I'm going to practice using polearms instead. Like, scythes and stuff." He lifted up an Ox hand seal, and Norei, who was still flitting about the house making loud screeching noises, disappeared in an instant, leaving only a silhouette of smoke in his place. "We're starting as soon as possible, maybe even tomorrow if we have the time. No one seems to be around in Kumogakure at the moment anyhow." Horui sighed silently. Nagare always went on these training kicks, so certain that each training session was more meaningful and rigorous than the last. It grew annoying, but at least it was a productive activity, despite its tediousness. He eventually nodded. Fine, fine. More training, nothing different there. Now, can we just eat dinner?

-Exit Thread, Thread Closed-

Training: