It was a nice, warm day for Sunagakure no Sato, which is quite rare for a desert village, but I was tired of long stretches of unbearably hot weather.  The week had been one of the hottest of the year and had kept me cooped up in my office much more than I would've liked.  Today, however, I managed to get in a morning run and I'd be going on another later this evening.  For the moment, however, there was a different exercise that needed doing.  Times were hard for the Sand, and their numbers seemed to be much less than I had remembered it when I was young, and now being the Kazekage I had become fully aware of our number problem.  It was because of this that I decided to take on students myself.

Sifting through the Grand Bazaar, ignoring the different cries and yells of attention from store owners and stall vendors, I recalled the portfolio of a Genin I had chosen; an Akuma.  They'd be an interesting mix and I was interested to see what kind of people these kids were.  The Akuma was was pre-teen in years, which could be disastrous, being a young kid fresh out of the academy usually meant wild energy and no discipline.  That could foretell quite the bickering between us two, and I hoped for both our sakes that the Akuma boy would be mature enough to manage.  Only time would tell as I meandered around the bazaar and sat on a corner bench with two lamp posts on each side.  I had given instructions to my new pupil via messenger-nin on where to meet.  This south-side bench was one of three along the south side, being in the center of them I figured it would be simple enough to find me.  So I sat and waited for the boy to show up.  I had quite the day in store for this one.

Akuma got his message and it was about time for him to begin his journey as a full fledged genin. He was sent into a few missions and has had the opportunity to see the genin life first hand but this, "teacher student" stuff was more then new to Akuma. He has been in a class with many kids, but now he is going to have a sensai that is going to focus on him and probably just a couple others. This was obviously a different situation. Not only that, but word was already spread that Akuma will be joining Team Zero, which is in other words, Team Suzume. The young Kami got ready as he set off to the meeting area. It was a nice day out, perfect day to meet your future.

Kami went to the Grand Bazaar and searched for the south side bench. It wasn't difficult to find since it seemed to be in the middle of the area. Not only that, but Kami can see from a distance someone sitting on the bench. Akuma did not have to be a sensor in order to sense the presence in which this shinobi produced. It was undoubtedly her, the Kazekage herself and Akumas sensai. This was of course a time to cherish for it is the first time Akuma finally gets a chance to meet the Kazekage on a personal bases. Akuma walked towards the benches and as soon as he neared he said, "Hello Miss. Kazekage." Kami bowed his head slightly out of respect before lifting it back up.

Waiting for my student to show up, I adjusted myself on the bench, flicking my clan's cloak over the bench so I wouldn't wrinkle it. I took off my hood and relaxed on the bench, leaning back and resting both arms along the back of the bench, letting the sun tan my face and stomach. The warm sun felt good on my face and I closed my eyes to focus on the warm touch only to be interrupted shortly after by a young boy's voice. "Hello Miss. Kazekage."

I tilted my head forward and opened my right eye slightly to see a young, blonde haired boy standing before me. He was bowing his head slightly in greeting. His widow's peak parted haircut and youthful appearance matched the portfolio all too well. I was slightly disappointed he had arrived so soon before I had really gotten a chance to enjoy the sun. Looking back at the sky, I sighed away my disappointment, there'd be plenty of time soon enough for catching some sun. "So you're here," I said, straightening up to properly speak to the boy. "You realize what you're getting yourself into, Akuma, Kami? I'm expecting full dedication to our training since your family has so passionately requested that I teach you. If there's anything you want to say, say it now. Otherwise, we're going straight into training." I gave the young boy a strong stare as I spoke, making sure he felt the weight of my words. He was young, but that just meant I would have plenty of time to mold him.

Akuma seen as the Kazekage slightly looked down and towards the young genin. A sigh came out of her mouth, but Kami can tell that it was because of the end of her relaxation period that she felt that way. "Of course I am here miss Kazekage. I wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world itself." The Kazekage spoke, and Akuma was hit with the reality of the matter faster than the words came out of her mouth. Akuma was again even more proud of his family for giving him the opportunity to train under such a powerful shinobi. Kami knew he was chosen for a reason, but to have been requested and accepted is a true honor. "I do know what I am getting myself into miss. Training is where my clan specializes miss Kazekage so I am more than ready for what you have for me, or at least I would like to hope that I am. I have nothing else to say except... I thought we had more members in this team?" Akuma said his last words somewhat confused but he didnt mind being the only student of the Kazekage either, but he was just curious. Afterwards he said, "Well then. Im done. Should we go train or what Master Kazekage?"

I slowly rested my hands on my knees, pushing forward to get off the bench.  All of a sudden I felt tired, but that was most likely due to the sun's energy-sapping nature.  Things needed to get underway, and my pupil seemed to be energetic enough.  My qualms about his family's military ties would need to be put to rest, and who knows, maybe they'd come in handy some day.  I looked down at Akuma.  "Well, we'd better get to training you up if you want to live long.  These days it might seem like peace, but you must know as a shinobi, that peace is only temporary.  Follow me to a sports field that's near here.  We'll be using it to test your abilities."

I moved past Akuma, heading past the stalls and towards a street heading east.  The ruckus of the street market was at its peak today, with the streets packed with people budging their way through.  Making my way out of the Grand Bazaar to the sports field, I stopped at a fruit stand and purchased a watermelon.  Tucking it under my right arm, I carried it to the soccer field where I placed the large fruit on the ground, then turned around to face my pupil that I assumed would be there.

"First," I said, "Show me what kind of tactics you already know."  Reaching from a pouch at my hip, I pulled out eight kunai and handed it to Akuma.  "I want you to hit this watermelon with these kunai while I defend it.  Eight Kunai mean you have eight chances.  Use them wisely, as I will be using two myself. You may begin when you are ready."  Setting my feet shoulder-length apart, I rested my right hand in my pouch, ready to pull out a kunai if needed.  My face, however, showed tiredness from the sun and my eyelids drooped a bit as I stared at Akuma, awaiting his move.

Training Fuuinjutsu C-->B [335/2000]

The young Akuma looked at the Kazekage as she stood up, calmly and gently, but as she reached he stands, she appeared to have been caught off guard by the suns ray in Sunagakure. This is something that happens regularly to sunagakure citizens, since living in the desert is not an easy task, although one thing good comes out of it, and that is that the desert breeds consistency. Sunagakure shinobi do not give up easily, and sometimes even rarely do. Akuma believes that this comes with the sun that lives above. Kamis thought ran wild as he was proud to be able to be taught under such power, maybe now, being trained by the Kazekage, he can truly reach strengths capable of reaching ANBU heights. The Kazegake then began to speak, and it quickly began to be serious matter, as she made Akuma think of a life short lived if one is not strong enough. Akuma listened with a serious face and said yes to the Kazekage as she led the way to a training field.

Akuma had in his mind the whole time in his short trip, the thought of his death if he doesn't become as powerful as one would need to be to prolong life. Being in front of the Kazekage, one doesnt even need to be a sensor to feel the powerful presence which comes from her. Akuma can't help but think that he wants to be that presence, and it is the first time he has imagined himself fighting alongside the Kazekage and actually being of help of the battlefield. That is a dream, that Akuma wishes to live up too sooner rather than later at this point. The Kazekage was fast, traveling through the city, but Akuma was able to keep up, especially now that she stopped to grab something to eat... or so Akuma thought.

The watermelon that Kami thought the Kazekage was going to eat was actually placed on the floor on the field that we got too. The Kazekage then turned after placing the watermelon in a certain area, and then she spoke and gave Akuma a few kunais. The instructions were given and they were actually quite clear, although with the mechanical mind that Kami has, he needed a lot more clarity. He did not know if he had to simply throw the kunai, or just hit the watermelon with the kunai no matter how it is done? Either way, the mission was set and Akuma got ready and said, "Well miss Kazekage, lets begin."

Akuma first through 6 of the kunais given to him into the air, while throwing the other 2 on the ground in front of him, with the handle sticking up. He then made the clone hand sign and said, "Izoku!" in which 3 shadow clones made of wind appeared and each grabbed a pair of kunai as the original bent over to grab his pair. The match has just begun and already, their are 4 Kamis and the 3 clones were sent to corner the Kazekage and the watermelon. Of course, the speed in which the cornered the Kazekage was the part where Akuma was really trying to impress her. Being the Kazekage Akuma is sure she knows, but it is always good to catch people off guard with the sheer speed that Akuma possesses. He is a genin that moved at the same speed as a jonin in order to get into his position and box the watermelon. The speed in which the clones got to their stations were so sudden, that they appeared in their areas as soon as the original grabbed his two kunai.

Kami was on his knees when he grabbed his 2  kunai and quickly threw it toward the Watermelon in a very low and odd position. All the other clones did the same, except for 1. And the idea behind this strategy was simple. Akuma is not bulls-eye when it comes to throwing his kunais, so a number of the is needed to his a specific target, and that target is the Kazekages blind spot. Kami Akuma is training long and hard to be a bukijutsu specialist and sub-specialize in shurikenjutsu, so his ability with the kunai is a bit above average as one can see by the strategy he is trying to pull off, but not enough to show any true significant ability. The Kazegake can only defend so much before one kunai slips by her blind spot. If none get to hit the watermelon, one clone will charge head on with the kunai, ready to stab the watermelon.

"Well miss Kazekage, lets begin," Kami said as he tossed up six of the eight kunai I had given him.  He slammed his hands together and formed three shadow clones that each caught a pair before landing on each side of me.

This was a decent opening, indeed.  Minus a point for telling me when he was starting, a rookie mistake but a mistake nonetheless, but he also earned a point for surrounding me with his clones.  The speed was remarkable for a genin, but after reading the report on him from my office, I had expected this.  His quick speed would prove to be invaluable in the future, that much was certain.  I smiled at his tactic, hoping to see more of this clever mind of his be put to work as I stepped one leg behind the watermelon so that I could better address any direction of attack.

He started his attack at once, with all of his clones throwing their kunai at once.  The kunai were thrown low in the air to get to the watermelon on the ground.  At first my thoughts were to fall on my hands and swivel my legs around in a tight circle around the watermelon to knock away the kunai, but that would allow an opening for one of his clones that had decided to spring forward to stab the watermelon with his two kunai.  So, instead I took to the air.  Clenching my legs together on both sides of the watermelon, I propelled myself upward and spun my body forward into a flip.  Retrieving my two kunai from my pouch, I would send each to the two clones that were on my sides.  Coming around from my flip, my head rising from being below my body back up into the air in the tight flip saw the clone that was rushing in to stab the watermelon in between my calves.  Reaching out with my arms, I slipped my hands in between the clone's arms, pushing out at the wrists to move the kunai's path away from the watermelon.  Then I would grab the wrists with each hand, using the last of my spinning momentum to fling the clone over me as I came back around in my flip.

Landing back on the ground, I released the watermelon from the grip of my legs, letting it rest again on the ground where six kunai jutted around in the ground after missing the intended target.  The clone that had tried to stab the watermelon would be sent flying towards the real Kami.  I would then pick up the six kunai that lay around me, holding three in each hand between my clenched fingers.  "Never give your opponent the advantage of knowing when you're going to strike," I told him as I begun my evaluation of his attack.  "You did good in surrounding me, but the strategy lost its touch when you threw away all of your kunai at once.  A battle between shinobi never ends in a few seconds, but the first seconds of the attack can predict the outcome.  So be wary and cautious.  Always overestimate your opponents so that you'll end up being over prepared for even the worst situations."

Now I had said this knowing he would not let the attack end here.  I was hoping he had something more in mind besides just this simple attack, but I did want to make sure he knew these lessons, even if they were already common knowledge to him.  Kami was a talented ninja and I didn't want to see him get wasted over a simple mistake.  Again, I waited in case of counter or follow-up attack.

Training Fuuinjutsu C-->B [957/2000]

Kami Akuma seen as it became clear that his maneuver was flawless. Flawless indeed. Being the Kazekage and thus, Suzume is a shinobi of Kage level, Akuma knew very well that she would think about the blind spot, so that was nothing but a decoy. While the attack appeared to have been targeting the watermelon with tossed kunais, the reality of the matter is, that Kami expected the Kazekage to do something in order to evade those thrown weapons. Although, Akumas Izoku technique is new, rare and never before seen so the Kazekage had no way of overseeing what the potential of the clone is. Akuma seen as the Kazekage jumped high into the air, carrying the watermelon with her. It was an impressive feet nonetheless as she dodged all of the kunai with one simple move. Akuma knew that she was going to evade the kunais, but just not in this manner. The Kazekage flipped as Kami seen her pull out two kunais from her pouch, these kunai were thrown directly at the clones that were at the Kazekages side and it was a bulls - eye indeed since the Kazekage is so proficient in weaponry. This was to no avail of course, as the clones simply phased through the kunai as if nothing ever touched them, a perk of being made out of wind. But the Kazekage didn’t see that as Akuma seen how she ended her flip to defend against the last of the clones, who was dashing in for the stab on the watermelon. The Kazekage attempted to reach in and grab the wrist, and to Akumas delight she didn’t attempt to smack the kunai off the clones hands as even her hands phased through the clones wrist quite clearly in order to make way for the clone to sneak a stab onto the watermelon.

Izoku is Akuma’s pride jutsu, and although it has a handicap or as some would call it, a debilitating weakness of not being able to use ninjutsu and being easily destroyed by chakra based techniques is that Izoku only uses taijutsu and can not be effected by countering taijutsu, nor basic metal and thus bukijutsu unless of course chakra is used in the attack. The Kazekage is sure to know the clones special ability now, and only two people in the world know about this technique. The kazekage and a friend of Kamis. This clone is meant to be a technique used, just for this purpose and that is to cause confusion in taijutsu and by an attack easily phasing through in point blank range, the clone is able to use that moment in time to attack with more than a natural amount of accuracy, as one can see by the Kazekage missing the wrist and the stab already being so close, even too close to defend against as it makes it harder.

The Kazekage then finished her flip and landed with the watermelon as she seen six kunai on the floor. The Kazekage had a few herself in hand, and soon after she began speaking. To the first statement she made, Akuma said. “Yes ma’am. Forgive me.” After Kami apologized the Kazekage began her evaluation. After she finished speaking with her second comment, Akuma had no choice but to disperse his clones and say. “But Miss. Kazekage, the strategy relied on me throwing all of the kunai at once. Like that, you figured I played all my cards in one play, when in reality, that was just my first card. Battles rarely end in a few secants, but if the strategy is right, then a secant of a mistake is all that one needs Master. I will always be weary and cautious sensai thank you. But about your last part. . . [Akuma paused as he pointed at the kunai that was stuck inside of the watermelon] You shouldn’t underestimate your opponent either Master. You may be A LOT more powerful than I am, but sometime a well thought out plan and thus timed strategy can do it too.” Akuma smiled with his hands on his head and said, "So what's next?" as he stayed hoping that the Kazekage was impressed with his Izoku technique, it is one of his favorite techniques after all, and he plans on utilizing it when he becomes ANBU to its fullest potential.

Taijutsu B->A 2187/3000

Last Training Post - 265 Words

My arms slipped right through Kami's clone as I reached out to move aside the kunai thrusting forward at the watermelon.  At first, I didn't really notice this until I had landed, but I hadn't been able to grab hold of the clone and throw it back at the real Kami.  Instead, after giving my little speech, Kami pointed out my own folly.  I glanced down at the watermelon at my feet with two kunai sticking out of it and chuckled.  It looked as if the teacher had lessons to learn as well.  "Very good,"  I said with a proud smile.  "Your skill with jutsu is astounding.  Never in all my years have I seen clones that behave like yours."

Silently, I made a mental note to remember his clone jutsu.  It was very interesting to see and if he already had this kind of skill with using jutsu, he would end up being a great shinobi of this village.  I had been reluctant at first to take on any pupils for training, especially one so young as him, but now I was glad I accepted to take him on as my student.  Sure, I was hoping to make more use of this little training exercise, but he proved to be more talented than what I had first assumed from just reading the report written up on him.

Reaching down to the two kunai, I pulled them out individually and then sat down.  "To be honest, Kami," I said as I began carving up the watermelon with my kunai.  "I didn't expect this to be over so soon, but you proved yourself more than capable.  So, let's eat."  I held out one of my kunai that had a piece of watermelon pierced into it, offering it up to Kami.  The other kunai had a piece as well and I quickly took a bite, savoring the flavor of the watermelon as I chewed.

Training Fuuinjutsu C-->B [1284/2000]
Adding WC from this thread [1284+1002=2286/2000 ~ Training Complete!]

Kami Akuma smiled as he heard what the sensai had to say. He was proud of himself but he was too glorified by the moment to have thought about what he has done. This bonding with the Kazekage ment a lot to Akuma and he wanted to cherish this. What is the importance of shaping the mind of the young? One would ask. And EVERYTHING would most definitely be the answer. Kami Akuma has now more than ever felt like he has bonded to other people and most especially an adult like a pair. Being mutually respectful to one another, the Kazekage did a great job in showing her humanity. Kami Akuma wanted to get as strong as possible in order to stabilize the village of Sunagakure and the Land of Wind as a whole. This strive to protect his village, land and overall his home, causes the young shinobis mind to grow in a distinctive shape, known as enlightenment. There are several different methods of determining who is enlightened and who is not.

The Kazekage has a vibe that is like static: as soon as she offered Akuma a piece of Watermelon, their bond started continually twisting, stretching and bending for the better. According to Kami Akumas intel, the other teams haven’t been fully set – up and ready to go, so he was proud of himself and his sensai for being the ones to roll – the – ball with this idea.

The young Kami Akuma is no model or by no means a perfect model of a shinobi with a perfect mental shape. Kami Akuma just view his life and “good – and - bad” morals as a simple system which explains the known shapes of the geometry within the mind, as discovered by experiment. This way of thinking can allow Kami Akuma to predict the geometry of similar minds - which makes it for fairly useful models and Kami Akuma can take those models and use one as his sample, I E his own life’s model. That is Kami Akumas own way of creating a modern method of quantitatively calculating the most stable mental shapes within each and every one of the possibilities in order to come out with the best outcome and live by that rule of life. This is obviously a complicated lease on life, but that is one of the consequences to having an eidetic memory and thus a mechanical and one – track – mind.

When Akuma accepted the piece of watermelon he thought about the opportunity he was given. This watermelon means a lot more than just a watermelon. This is the final straw and thus the last sign of stabilization within this 2 man team between the Kazekage and Kami Akuma. By the Kazekage offering up a piece of her food like that, she did not need to say anything as Akuma felt nothing but acceptance. Kami was accepted and if this was a test in order to gain admittance, then Kami was sure to have passed it and he was glad to have done so. Kami reached out and grabbed the watermelon. He sat down and again began to think about his future. Being trained by the Kazekage was going to be astonishing, and it will do wonders for his abilities and strength. “Thank you Miss Kazekage.” was the only thing Kami uttered as he was barely even able to speak the whole time after the Kazekage offered her piece of food. Turning his head around as he felt his eyes get watery a bit and he didn’t want the Kazekage to notice. Kami is known as a serious person, and he wants to keep it that way, even if it meant holding in a few tears which was a success.

Kami Akuma only thought about the morning when he trained. Running around sunagakure no sato in this hot sun. It was about time that the world paid Kami Back. And to be tutored by the Kazekage of his village was a true honor and to be tutored alone was to be respected a destiny. Kami thought about his life and how it couldn’t get any better. All of his taijutsu training and hard work has finally paid off and he couldn’t stop repeating those few words in his head. Being with the Kazekage was going to be a blast, and if all goes right and his dream comes to fruit, he will be fighting along - side her, defending her in no time at all. Kami is a genin not, but he feels that his strength is only getting stronger and as he ages, so does his power age. Kami may be as fast as a jounin now, but he believes that if he keeps up with his taijutsu training, that by the time he is a chunin, he will be as fast as a village’s sannin. Meaning that Akuma can very well be the fastest shinobi in Sunagakure if he does not slow down his pace.

Taijutsu B->A 3000+/3000