A Lesson in Taijutsu (Mission)

Masuyo Kaede wrote:Mission Name: Taijutsu Spar
Mission Type: Education
Mission Rank: D
Mission Goal: Show of your Taijutsu skills in a spar with the Academy's Taijutsu Instructor
Description: The Academy Taijutsu Instructor is looking to hire an aide to lend them a hand at the academy today. Head on over and meet up with the instructor who will explain that the two of you will do a light Taijutsu Spar in front of the students.
Payment: 10,000 Ryo
Requirements: Genin+, Taijutsu Skill.

Tsubaki was among the prime candidate for this mission. It was a D-rank mission and it involved putting up a convincing spar with one of the Chuunin instructors at the academy for the Academy students to spectate and take notes. Tsubaki was also a Chuunin, although a bit inexperienced compared to those teaching at the Academy. What made her exceptional for this role was that her Taijutsu prowess neared that of a Jounin. This helped make herself and her clan look better as well as making a great performance for the Academy Students to learn and hopefully pick up. After all, learning Taijutsu from a Kaguya was no luxury anybody could experience.

From her feet Tsubaki wore a pair of thick rubber and leather combat boots. Embedded in the soles of the boots were iron plates to protect the feet from caltrops and the toes protected by a shell of iron as well doubling as a means to increase kicking power. She wore a pair of black pants which were modified like her boots by having bands of steel woven into them along her shin providing greater protection. These pants also provided a thick plastic-rubber compound at the knees and parts of the thigh and hips granting maximum comfort when crawling and moving about difficult terrain. White bandage wrap secured a navy blue holster against her right thigh containing a single kunai for quick draw purposes. Around her waist she wore a heavy utility belt holding the bulk of her gear. Two navy blue holsters were together on her right side together containing shuriken.

Around her back side she carried her hip pouch which was suspended above her right buttock containing the rest of her ninja gear. The left of that in a slightly canted fashion was a full length Chokuto in a navy blue scabbard. It was not lacquered or polished being bought from the local smith being a functional tool rather than a pretty one. Over her body she wore a light mesh shirt which was covered by a heavy, thick long sleeve top which served as the Kirigakure specialist combat armor. It was an insulated jacket which compound material which served as electricity insulated much like the rest of the advertised gear. Rings of steel where sown into the fabric from the lower rib cage up to the chest and to her upper arm. This provided additional support while still being lightweight to the most vital areas of her body. Of course this aided the main portion of her body armor which was a standard, slate gray flak jacket over her torso provided heavy support from blunt impact and cuts. This model was the common kind with elongated shoulder pads and extensions from either side protecting her lower abdomen and back even more. Across her chest was a brown leather baldric which carried two folded fuuma shuriken held by their rings store mid back.

On both hands she wore a set of black gloves which had a pair of steel plates on the backs of them for maximum protection. Topping off the design Tsubaki wore a heavy black cloak over everything concealing more of what was described fastened securely around her neck by a knot. The hood was down to show off her elegant features and provide maximum visibility. Tsubaki stood 5'6 and weighed approximately one-hundred and forty pounds being at her peak performance. Her skin was very fair to the point of being almost pale. This was coupled by her long, silky white hair extending to her lower back and sapphire blue eyes which anybody within Kirigakure that had knowledge of her clan would know she was certainly Kaguya, and the leader nonetheless. She wore no makeup, yet her natural complexion made her remarkably beautiful.

Tsubaki left the clan district walls in her usual garb and found herself taking the main road leading straight to the heart of the village. She had to admit she felt weird being so proactive with her service to the village as of late. Even a lot of the staff members in the administration and academy questioned if she was new, though she couldn't differentiate is they were simply teasing her or genuinely confused. Her reply was the same, which was a direct answer with not much else to add. She was here for business and nothing more. Tsubaki was seen as an mysterious, yet precious gem in the community. She always packed her lunch which she did out of necessity. The high status clan leader did not trust the food prepared in the cafeteria. Among the common hair styles and appearances among the Shinobi and Kunoichi she was unique with her long flowing silk white hair and fair skin. Lots of people found her drop dead gorgeous while others thought she looked irregular. Tsubaki limited communication with both parties uninterested in forming a connection.

Her boots thudded on the teak floors of the academy first level. In her hands she held a baby blue double-decker bento box close to her bosom. It was time for work.

Stashing her food in the break room she'd return to the gymnasium of the Academy. It was ten-thirty, which meant the Academy Student's Taijutsu class started in thirty minutes. This gave her a bit of prep time with the head instructor. Pushing one side of the double doors open she was surprised to see only the instructor present. This inevitibly made her presence known. The man smiled and greeted her pleasantly. "Ah, you must be Tsubaki Kaguya. Pleased to meet you. I am Hanzo Tamashi. I am the head Taijutsu Instructor of the Academy. First thing's first, remove your weaponry and flak jacket. We need to give the Academy Students a clear presentation of our Taijutsu." The man was already out of gear wearing nothing but his sandals, pants, long sleeve, and forehead protector.

Tsubaki had a bit to remove from herself. Starting from the cloak she would fold it neatly and place it on the folding long table. This allowed her to access her baldric easier setting that aside. She eventually worked down to the holster on her right thigh setting the last of her weapons aside. She'd fumble with the belt straps on either side of her flak jacket to free herself from the encased protection. It certainly helped as she felt much lighter and much more flexible while her armor that she still wore, which inevitably was apart of her clothing as well, provided decent protection. "Okay, I'm ready." She said stepping onto the mat where the instructor stood. "Wonderful! So our objective today is to give the Academy Students a basic grasp on how Taijutsu combat works. There is an archetype that close quarters combat is this open, vulnurable fight where everyone's attack is the big 'hay maker' punch or kick to end the battle. Our goal is to show them that Taijutsu is a game of endurance and beating your opponent down by attrition. So I want you to focus on making your attacks exclusively that of a professional. For the first phase of training I will act as the heavy-hitting brute, which is the negative archetype. I will come at you with full aggression, but assuming you are a real professional at martial arts, you will have no trouble keeping up and defeating me."

Tsubaki would nod at bits in the conversation to show Hanzo she was paying attention. In the midst of the instruction she reached into her bosom to retrieve her own forehead protection which was almost never worn on her body. It had a blue cloth with the Kirigakure emblem engraved in the front steel plate. Placing it on her forehead she would tie the knot in the back securing it onto her head. "The second phase will be me implementing a real Taijutsu style. Ideally we will be matched. We should expect to exchange blows at some point, but ultimately we will prove that not all attacks have to be the fight-ending strike. So, do you want to go through some practice drills to get a feel for my style?" Tsubaki nodded eagerly with a sharp determination in her eyes. "You bet I am!"

They would approach each other toe-to-toe first before taking five paces back clearing a five meter gap between each other. They held the seal of confrontation, which was one to display good sportsmanship between two battling parties. After securing that the two would rush towards each other and begin the spar. Each of them displayed their finesse as a Taijutsu master playing with each other's strengths while targeting their opponent's weakness. It was hard to tell the winner, but as professional they barely worked up a weak. Sure, Tsubaki was clammy in some places, but overall she just appeared out of breath. Hanzo was the same as they heaved a bit to themselves. "Well played. I have to admit, the Kaguya are a lot tougher than I would expect. Spend the remaining five minutes to catch your breath before the others arrive." Tsubaki was surprised by Hanzo's performance. That man, a Chuunin, managed to keep up with MY Taijutsu? The Kaguya are renown for their ultimate Taijutsu ability. How did he keep up with me so easy? After all the work I put into myself...

Leaning against the folding table she'd finish half of a bottle of water before the sound of commotion filled the halls as the Academy class busied the halls and eventually were led through the doors and instructed to sit on the floor in rows by their class instructor. Tsubaki closed her bottle of water and stood at attention. "Good Afternoon everyone. Glad to see you all made it. Today we will be going over the fundamentals of Taijutsu. This includes dispelling common myths about combat and how to maximize your movements. I am joined here today by Lady Tsubaki Kaguya, a Chuunin Taijutsu Specialist. She will help me demonstrate."

Tsubaki bowed before the crowd of children. They were all very young, eight years old being the recruitment age for Academy Students. Some were older having one or two of the students twelve or fourteen, but they were all still younger than her. Tsubaki would turn to face the head instructor for the Taijutsu practice and perform what she was taught.

"Three! Two! One!"

The fight would begin between Tsubaki and the instructor. She stuck to her guns capitalizing on speed and moderate strikes to overwhelm her opponent. The head instructor stuck with what he promised going over heavy strikes to make an example of poor fighting strategy. As a result Tsubaki got the upper hand in this bout landing a total of seven strikes before he called it quits. Although she was considered a lightweight her strikes added up and could eventually disable a more formidable foe. In the instances she met an opponent who was much more durable that her attacks did nothing she always could fall back on her bones to deliver more lethal attacks.

The lesson ended, Tsubaki even more worn out than before. If she really wanted to push herself she knew she could last quite a while. But alas, the students were heading back inside to their classroom and Tsubaki was dismissed. Requiping her gear she made sure she had everything before heading to the break room to freshen up and have her meal. After having her lunch in the break room she completed her mission for the day. It was certainly an easier task as it was rated D-rank instead of the usual C-rank Chuunin at her level carried out. Still, it was a good bit of revenue and a good practice nonetheless. She'd carry her lunchbox out the Academy and hurry home. She was in desperate need of a bath after the hour long session of combat training.

[Exit]