Keeping Rhythm (Training w/Kagetsu)

Tch..tch..tch..tch..tch


After graduation many new Genin avoided the academy whenever they could. It was considered a place beneath them, or they simply did not like the building due to bad memories of test taking. Tsubaki on the other hand enjoyed the warm air and ability to see clearly. She was the only person in there as she trained by herself dedicated to her figured. Tsubaki dresses very light and loose to accompany her clan's ability. She wears a pair of deep blue sandals popular among many Shinobi which is coupled with a lavender haori kimono. The kimono is secured with a blue sash secured around her waist. Beneath the kimono Tsubaki wears a light mesh shirt to provide additional coverage.

Tsubaki herself is of short height among her clan, standing only 5'6 and weight 140 lbs. Just like her kin she shares a very pale, soft skin. This is coupled with sapphire eyes and pearly white hair which extends all the way down to her lower back. As the symbol of her status in the clan she has a set of grown horns at the sides of her head. Although having a somewhat fit figure her endowed chest and lower body balances her out.

Tch...tch...tch...tch-cht...THUD

A spine whipped her shins sending the girl planting face down onto the hard gym floors. darn...I'm never going to be able to lead my clan if I can't even jump rope. I need help... She thought to herself while remaining motionless on the ground. Being so young and possibly one of the most spoiled clan members in her district gave a lot of warriors doubt. Tsubaki was driven to prove them wrong, but has been having trouble doing so.

Out and away from her usual training spot, Kagetsu ventured into the Kirigakure Ninja Academy's gym to see what Genin might be training. Very seldom did Jounin visit this part of the village, save for accepting new teams or returning failed ones, so to see one here, weeks before the next graduation ceremony, would be unusual. Kagetsu, however, wasn't dressed in the typical Jounin fashion of Kirigakure shinobi, with her loose white shirt and black pants, leaving only a headband wrapped around her waist as a belt to denote her status as a Kiri-nin.

With footsteps as light as the air, the Kunoichi walked through the large, open doorway leading to a large arena-like setting, with seating on either side and an open space in the middle for Academy level spars and physical tests. It wasn't equipped to handle the kind of high caliber techniques and abilities of higher ranking shinobi, which is one of the reasons it was hardly frequented by graduates; they viewed it as a childish place that they have grown past.

The young girl inside the well-lit gym didn't appear to be one of those people, which meant she was probably Tsubaki Kaguya, the one that Kagetsu had been sent to find. There were many Genin in the Hidden Mist Village, and while most of them had been assigned to three-man squads overseen by Jounin sensei, there were still many that were left on their own; outliers from graduating classes that were less than three in number, or those for whom there was no Jounin available to teach. Tsubaki was one of these, and so she had been left to her own devices until a sensei could be found. For the time being, that sensei was Kagetsu, a shinobi most often sent on small group, high priority missions that had some time to spare and hopefully advance the training of this young Kaguya. These outliers were sometimes fortunate, for while they lacked the constant teamwork and camaraderie of the typical squads and consistent sensei, they were able to receive condensed, focused training from Jounin and Chuunin that often resulted in an overall advanced curriculum; outlier students were often the stronger shinobi of the village, and in the case of Kirigakure, the more likely to become Anbu or Hunter-Nin, or perhaps even one of the Seven.

"Seems like you aren't balanced." Kagetsu pointed out. She started walking towards the girl, evidently unfazed by what was clearly a spine being used as a jump rope. "How do you fare with a sword?" The woman asked, holding one hand on her hip and the other out with a practice bokken -one of many in the gym.

Tsubaki remained motionless lost in her thoughts for a bit. Her silence was interrupted by a feminine voice which was more than enough to startle her in the silence of the gymnasium. Tsubaki rose her back upright still on her knees before she sunk her bottom onto the gym floor W-sitting. With a stroke of her left hand she fixed some of her hair before turning to face the newcomer. A woman slightly shorter than she was, but most likely much older and more wise. The Kaguya's diamond blue eyes moved frequently taking in all of her features and frantically scanning her intentions. Her black hair was a flaw, while red eyes were typically a deformity in her clan. Though, her redeeming quality was the fair skin she had which although many shared in Kirigakure, it was a desirable feature nonetheless. At the very least she could trust her as something with intentions that were not malicious. "Hi." The woman offered Tsubaki a practice sword, something she was not entirely used to, but it served a purpose. She tossed her spine aside while gazing at the toy grabbing it firmly with both hands.

Tsubaki fixed herself in a squat before standing upright adjusting her hands onto the grip of the toy. She gave her wrists a few twirls getting adjusted to the weight and shape of the bokken. "Okay. Begin." With the bokken in her hands she simply extended her arms a few inches as the wooden sword pointed outwards, softly poking the woman in her right breast.

"Just a little further, Lord Mizukage. I sensed her moving towards the academy a little while back."

Nikuyo said nothing at first, debating on whether or not he should even be here right now. He had on only his arm guards, leaving the rest of his armor at the Mizukage's Complex under the guard of those shinobi protecting the village secrets too. He was armed only with two trench knives, one strapped on his left hip and one strapped to his right thigh. A black shirt and black pants were his choice of clothing along with close toed combat boots instead of the regular shinobi sandals, his unkempt salt and pepper spilling past his shoulders. He only ever brought an arsenal with him when he left the village, because inside of it there were very few foolish enough to try and attack him. Ayame had seen many people within the military challenge him, as he had been chosen almost solely by the Hozuki upon the foundation of the village. Their money bought votes, assuring their victory in the supposedly democratic process. He had not been the strongest, even without counting Nikuyo.

Now, there had not been a single case of public discontent towards the Mizukage. The Hozuki growled and bit in discussions of state, their still sore wound from Ayame's death still fresh on many minds. It had been such an unusually quiet transition that Nikuyo now sought to test whether the loyalty of the village was truly with him. But first, he needed competent shinobi.

"Why her," he asked simply and as bluntly as possible. Hizashi Hozuki almost never praised members of his own clan. They had politically isolated him for years due to his suspected dislike of Ayame and when Nikuyo came to power  he had openly admitted he despised Ayame and was all too helpful in aiding Nikuyo to stabilizing the village after the tumultuous change in leadership. To be honest, he was the true administrative head of the village. Nikuyo ran the military and dictated what the village would ultimately do, but Hizashi was the one gathering most of that information. His rise in station amused him, as he now sat higher in the village's affairs than most of his clan's typical aristocratic family branches did. And he reveled in it. That was why Nikuyo liked him, because he was a man who understood the desire for vengeance and what one may have to do to get it.

Both men had their sensory abilities active, with Hizashi having been searching for Kagetsu on request from Nikuyo. When he had found her, he reported directly to the Mizukage and the two left soon thereafter. It was lucky that Nikuyo had been searching for Hizashi to ask where this Kagetsu was, as this cut down the time needed to reach her drastically.

Hizashi smiled at Nikuyo's question, thinking for a moment how best to describe Kagetsu to Nikuyo. He had told the Mizukage of a potential prospect worth fostering, but no more in a bid to raise his curiosity. It worked, and now Nikuyo was on his way to meet this jonin of the Mist. "From what I've seen and heard of her, she is ruthless in pursuit of her goals. She just needs the right incentive."

Nikuyo said nothing at first, simply grunting his acknowledgement of Hizashi's analyzation. Ruthlessness would indeed be a useful trait to foster. There were many unsavory things that were going to need done in the future, and the weak would not be able to do them.

"Fighting Capacity," he asked, again without many words.

Hizashi shrugged as they got into view of the academy. "Her file said that she specialized in kenjutsu. With her rank, and if her personality analysis on record is correct, then she should be capable. She was marked for high levels of intelligence, and I can say from personal experience that she has made her name known among many in the field of information exchange." Nikuyo replied with silence again, accepting the explanation.

The two arrived at the academy, with two signatures inside. Hizashi would sign to slow down before speaking softly to the Mizukage. "I sent out an order for her to train a young Kaguya genin, and that led her to here it would seem. I assure you that she has potential, Lord Mizukage. She is spoken of highly within the clan, and even if I don't like most of them, they know talent when they see it." Nikuyo could guess which was the more experienced of the two in the room, as one chakra signature bore the work of refinement while the other was still young and fairly unruly. Nikuyo laid his fingers on the building, transferring his sensory abilities into the academy itself to get a better idea of what the two were doing. The two high ranking shinobi were eighty meters from the two female shinobi, having approached from the other side of the building from where they had met. He had no intention of interrupting a training session, if that seemed to be what they were doing, as training was of the utmost importance. Nikuyo did it every day, even at his age, feeling that a well trained body was the only body a shinobi should ever possess.

"We'll see, Hizashi."










Used Sensory

Just pretend I'm not here. Nikuyo will just be keeping track of what's going on for awhile, no need to repeat that every round.

Tsubaki's grip around the bokken showed a certain amount of practice; most people would try to wield it with one hand, and while that was an effective strategy for a skilled swordsman, it left an easily abused opening for disarm. So rather than going for an aggressive disarming counter, Kagetsu swatted the bokken away with a clack of her own, using the same two-handed grip as Tsubaki. Her motion flowed into a lunge preparation stance, her feet unmoving, but her hands drawing the practice sword back and to her right. In an instant, she shifted her movement and lunged forward, stepping out with her left foot and shifting her weight to her right to fully support a committed stab for Tsubaki's mid-section.

Kagetsu was yet unaware of the company they had in this one on one sparring session, for while she was a sensor-nin, she saw no reason to keep that ability active in her present setting. This allowed a more focused approach into this bout with Tsubaki, so that she could observe the girl's movements and produce specific counters and attacks to see exactly how the young Kaguya would react, thus giving Kagetsu a much better assessment, which she would use to determine how they might proceed in the future. The lunge was one of these moves, where Tsubaki might have the power to deflect the blow, despite the opposite momentum of her outward swinging sword, or she may have the fluidity of movement to continue with that momentum into a dodge. Even still, she might be hardy enough to fully take the hit and continue to fight without slowing.

The benefit Tsubaki had with her focus was she only had to think about two skills, which conveniently were apart of the same field of combat. Kenjutsu focused on what was in her hands while Taijutsu was with the rest of her body. This did not complicate her options and allowed her to focus entirely on there two fields so much so it became muscle memory. Tsubaki's playful thrust to the woman's boobs was met with a reaction. Parry... In the second it took for Kagetsu to swat away her bokken the synapses in her brain sparked. Riposte! It was almost immediate after the parry. Although Tsubaki lacked a whole lot of battle complication she knew the essentials of Kenjutsu enough to get an idea of what her opponent's next move was. The parry redirected her blade leaving her entire body open for a counter attack which would easily be followed by a quick thrust. It all happened in a moment after the parry was complete. The older woman re-positioned her stance becoming perpendicular with Tsubaki's body as her hands prepared the drive the toy sword into her squishy belly.

Tsubaki was entirely dedicated to meet this aggression with a hard counter of her own. In togetherness she moved her body to be outright parallel with Kagetsu's and her thrust while dropping her arms downwards. This brought down the bokken she held horizontally like a guillotine bringing her strength and body down in a hard counter. The movement was enough push any threat away from her body as she maintained full control of the attacker's weapon. Tsubaki utilized the option to incorporate a basic Taijutsu move commonly done with sword fighting. The movement with her bokken positioned her shoulder with the body of the woman. In a slightly crouched stance she sprung off her feet closing the short distance with her body driving her left shoulder into the chest of Kagetsu. The power was there to knock the Jounin over. If successful she would take a couple steps back and resume her posture with the bokken at hand.

The young girl's skills extended beyond just Kenjutsu, Kagetsu realized, as she made full use of her body to make up for whatever raw power she might be lacking. A combination like that was uncommon for a Genin, and the sudden burst of a Taijutsu-based shoulder charge in the midst of a sword fight actually felt refreshing to see. Kagetsu hadn't expected much of anything enjoyable to come of this spar, but Tsubaki had some talent.

The older woman accepted the downward bokken strike, releasing her left hand and leaving her right to guide the falling practice weapon down and back. Tsubaki's legs straightened and her body shot out, moving at the same time as Kagetsu's front leg. It had been bent to act as a catalyst for the power provided by her rear leg, but now it was fueling a swift side-step that put the majority of Kagetu's body out of the way of the little girl's shoulder charge. The Hozuki's free hand pushed the base of Tsubaki's neck as she passed by, sliding her rear leg to be in line with the rest of her body and complete the transition out of the Kaguya's way, just in time for her bokken's swing to be in full motion.

Kagetsu maintained the weight on her left foot until her right was fully behind it. With an immediate shift, she turned her body clockwise, spinning on her right heel to provide a heavy power boost to the force of what was now a diagonal, single-handed downward chop with her bokken. It'd take full advantage of Tsubaki's exposed and undefended back, a place where hardly any swordsman could effectively protect, thus placing the young girl in another situation designed specifically to test out her ability.

Kagetsu was swift which was expected from someone in a higher class. Whether she was simply "holding back" or not she did not appear as challenging as she thought she would be. The parry was not met with a counter of any sort, though Tsubaki would be somewhat thankful of her own physical abilities and quick thinking for that. The shoulder charge would have worked if she was a bit quicker. Her shabby speed was the bane to her combo as Kagetsu simply reacted around it, pulling herself out of the parry and out to her flank. Tsubaki lost sight of Kagetsu, and for a moment she was blind of her whereabouts before she pressure and a soft hand on the back of her neck. Tsubaki's legs tightened as it was met with the new introduction of weight. This, however, triggered an almost natural response the Kaguya had. From the cervical seven bones protruded from the back of her neck. Although being natural Tsubaki forced some conscious control over the bone growth making them blunt not trying to cause any physical injuries in what would be a simple spar with wood sword. These would grow out with a slight curve gripping the hand of Kagetsu the moment she placed it on her back neck.

Being an avid "scholar" of her clan's technique was would understand the usefulness of the Larch Dance in this situation. Not skilled enough to execute it herself she went with the standard approach. Tsubaki almost copied part of Kagetsu's technique. Letting go of the bokken with her right hand her left was free giving more mobility to the sword. Tsubaki's body dropped low enough to where her right knee touched the hard gym floor while her right hand did the same. Extending her other arm out back she did a blind cut across Kagetsu's abdomen while the Jounin's right hand would be snared on the bone trap. Whether or not it would be successful the momentum from the drop would inevitably throw Kagetsu back-first onto the floor-- the drop heavy enough to wring her hand from the bone's grip which would not be achieved alone with her present strength. If Kagetsu was released as planned Tsubaki would spring back on her feet resuming a standard stance assuming Kagetsu did not plan any quick retaliations.

One could almost see a spark in the Jounin's eye when the bones reached out from Tsubaki's neck. She'd not expected such a precise and appropriate manipulation of the Kaguya Kekkei Genkai from one so young. This Genin would make for an interesting pupil. Though the bones of the Shikotsumyaku were powerful and among the hardest materials on the continent, they were less than effective against a bloodline that could easily be considered their counterpart. Kagetsu's hand slipped from the calcified grasp as though by magic, and with Tsubaki's back turned, she'd be left unaware of exactly how that could be done.

Tsubaki dropped as Kagetsu's turn neared its end, the bone grip no longer working to interrupt her pattern. The two bokken clashed as the Jounin course corrected for what she reasoned was going to be a slightly diagonal slash made without aim -but given the proximity of the two, sight was hardly necessary to land some kind of hit. With the loud clack of solidly clashing wood, the small exchange was ended, and the Hozuki took a step back to assess. She could go back in as Tsubaki was rising to continue combat by sword, but she had seen a great deal in just those few seconds. Tsubaki was well balanced, practiced, intuitive, and skilled in her bloodline to some extent. There were yet many other fields of study for a shinobi, however.

With her left hand, Kagetsu fashioned the Tiger seal and opened her fingers, allowing the vapor in the air to condense until it had formed a the grip for a whip in her palm. She grabbed hold and lashed it out, water forming the full length throughout her motion, until it finally finished in time to loudly snap at Tsubaki's shoulder. Kagetsu would pull the whip back and swing it about to return with a wrapping motion around the Kaguya's sword arm, and pull her close, throwing her off balance and opening her up to a thrust from Kagetsu's bokken.


Water Release: Water Whip - C-Rank (No WC)
Stamina: 75/80

Tsubaki's unsuspecting counter-attack was met with swiftness allowing Kagetsu to escape from Tsubaki's attempt to trap unscathed. With equal speed they clashed their bokken and were separated in the aftermath. Oh no...now she knows my surprise... Tsubaki was a very unskilled Kaguya to say the least. Most of the apprentice clansmen knew at least the basic fighting style and were physically competent to overpower most Genin. Tsubaki was in fact an average Genin in most regards, despite not identifying herself within the Shinobi system. She was nothing significant at her current skill level, aside from having the base ability to grown and utilize her bones. It was something that made her somewhat untouchable to the average man, though Shinobi are much more prepared. Tsubaki watched the Jounin across from her carefully as the bone that sprouted from her neck slowly began to recede. Kagetsu's hands combined together holding a familiar hand sign. Jutsu time? Crouching down her off-hand grabbed the tossed spine while holding her bokken out in the other point first.

Tsubaki could only assume moisture began to collect in Kagetsu's hand, growing and forming into a long tail as she violently motioned her arm into a whipping motion. Tsubaki prepared to remedy this attack by swinging her bokken out broadly. The toy sword would have to intercept the whip at some point. If the whip was not aimed at her, then it would not have been a problem. The motion of her bokken would catch the water whip before it hit her shoulder knocking it away if successful. Planned directly after she worked her spine into a whip as well, using the tailbone end as the striking face. It was not sharpened like it normally would be since it was originally used as a jump rope. However, it would still leave a painful bruise due to the focused energy. She lashed her own spine to strike the wrist of Kagetsu's whip-wielding hand. It was an attempt to cause enough pain compliance to drop the whip. Tsubaki knew striking the wrist would be a rewarding action. It was a sensitive place to target to disarm an opponent.

Even as Kagetsu's whip formed, Tsubaki brandished the spine she'd been toying with earlier. Kagetsu hardly even considered the object until now, remembering only then how the Kaguya employed their own skeletons in combat as makeshift weapons. Tsubaki's bokken intercepted Kagetsu's whip, which wrapped around the middle of the wooden shaft, snagging just tight enough to keep a hold. The Hozuki thought to use that to pull the young Genin in and continue her initial tactic, but the spine whip forced her to use her own bokken as interception, catching the bony construct somewhat near its end, but not enough for its reactionary turning around the bokken to be of any threat to Kagetsu's body.

The two stood there, entwined in each others' whips, with only Kagetsu's arms crossed over each other. The Jounin released her hold on the whip in her left hand, letting it collapse back into a liquid state, and then used that newly freed hand to form a seal, while keeping a firm hold on Tsubaki's spine with the bokken in her right hand. With just the one seal, Kagetsu spewed a bubbly foam from her mouth and onto the ground in front of Tsubaki, spreading it all around her. This would erase any traction in the young girl's footsteps, while leaving Kagetsu firmly planted on the stone floor. The Hozuki then pulled on her bokken, using its connection with Tsubaki's spine to draw the Kaguya forward, aided by the slippery surface. Her left hand then formed the same seal as before, but focused the chakra in her mouth into one precise point, so that when she opened it, a bullet of water shot out, aimed for Tsubaki's forehead.


Water Release: Wild Bubble Wave - C-Rank (No WC)
Water Release: Gunshot - C-Rank (No WC)

Stamina: 65/80

As the spine snapped they were both caught in each other's snare. Kagetsu snagged Tsubaki's bokken with her water whip, and Tsubaki had her spine whip around the Jounin's bokken. Tsubaki was tied up, both physically and mentally. It was a short flash of time before Kagetsu dropped her water whip. The whip immediately lost its form when she let go, no longer flowing chakra into the water and it splashing on the ground forming a small, narrow trail of water connecting both of their locations. The absence of this whip freed Tsubaki's bokken hand, which opened up her options. Despite Kagetsu immediately transitioning from her whip's grip to a hand sign Tsubaki had the upper hand not needing to charge chakra. The moment her bokken was no longer grasped by the construct of water she motioned to wooden sword to her waist before boldly using it as a projectile. The rather short distance between them made it a viable option to use as a projectile despite her inexperience. The bokken flew straight, point-first, as it sought to strike the girl's breast serving as a strike to the heart and otherwise a fatal blow.

Immediately after releasing the bokken she was quick to put both hands on the spinal whip and wring it back with all her might, so much so to the point of throwing her body in the action as well to try and overpower Kagetsu with sheer force and dedication, not needing balance so much in this situation. Kagetsu would be forced to disarm herself, or put equal amounts of dedication in the tug-o-war lest she would be controlled and forced towards Tsubaki and her thrown bokken.

The force of Kagetsu's bubble wave easily knocked away the bokken, for while it may have represented a dangerous threat were it a real sword, the force behind it was hardly sufficient to withstand this particular technique. With the foam now coating the floor underneath Tsubaki, her only source of friction was the space directly beneath her feet, and with every move the girl made, that space grew smaller and smaller. As she struggled to reel Kagetsu in with both hands, pulling with power great enough to overwhelm the Jounin's single handed hold, Tsubaki would suddenly find herself without a leg to stand on as the floor's slick texture rid her of any traction, causing her struggle to only bring her down to the ground, where she would feel a very solid thump on her forehead. Kagetsu didn't particularly care to make the Water Gunshot any form of lethal, and was well aware of the hardiness of Kaguya bones, but even still, Tsubaki might be seeing stars for a little while, given the sudden shock to her head.

Kagetsu would then take the opportunity to unwind her bokken from the spine whip and casually fling the latter away. It might become a threat later, but for now, Tsubaki would need to find a way to stand up without further compromising herself, while Kagetsu remained just outside of the slick zone, within range of the whip, but far enough away to avoid direct Taijutsu. She'd wait to see the young girl's next move, and react accordingly -being honest, she wasn't entirely sure if that gunshot was over the top and wanted to be sure that no permanent damage had been caused.

"... Not as bad as I had been expecting. Prepare the mission as planned." Nikuyo took his hand off the building, having sensed the happenings of the little spar and piecing together the basics of what had happened. He was no longer needed here, he had gotten enough to satisfy his curiosity. Nikuyo turned to leave, Hizashi saying nothing in response to his kage's command. There wasn't anything to say, and Nikuyo hated unnecessary words. He took a couple steps before stopping, turning his head slightly so that his ear was closer to Hizashi. "And make sure to send me someone worth something tomorrow. I don't want a repeat of the last time you said you found a promising physical talent." Memories of the jonin Hizashi had supplied him for a light spar replayed in his mind. The spar hadn't been anywhere near long enough, lasting only half a minute before the jonin was on the ground and bleeding.

Hizashi nodded, though Nikuyo couldn't see this movement. "Of course, Lord Mizukage. This one will be much more suited to your needs." Nikuyo said nothing in reply, simply turning his head back forwards before bounding off back into the village. He needed to handle a couple more things at the office before heading home to get some rest. Hizashi would wait at the academy for Kagetsu to finish her session, ready to deliver the mission he had discussed with Nikuyo to her in person and without any paper evidence. There were many who wouldn't be too happy with the assignment Kagetsu was soon to receive, and she likely wouldn't be either. Such was the lot of a shinobi.



[exit Nikuyo]

It was as if time slowed down where Tsubaki's action almost seemed as if she hesitated and Kagetsu executed her movement flawlessly. The projectile did not meet its intended target and was instead washed away by a foamy white wave. The foam met the floor and spread quick greatly lessening the friction on the polished gym floor. Tsubaki knew this, as the areas at the edges of her sandals were incredibly slippery. Lifting her head up from her feet she was met with a sharp pain and a splash of water as her head whipped back. Her hands released whatever they were holding as she fell on her back. The pain swelled in her forehead and her head began to ache. Given the speed of the impact Tsubaki was surprised the Jounin used such a powerful technique. As she fell on her back the bubbles forced her to continue sliding as she remained motionless, accepting the event and letting the technique take place. The slide would be ended by a thud as the top of her head met the wall of the gym area. Tsubaki laid motionless there for what almost seemed like a whole minute. The Kaguya girl stared blankly at the ceiling.

Her mind was numb. The concussive impact dazed her as she helplessly tried to figure out how to remedy the battlefield change. Alas, she had no hope in figuring out something on the spot. Especially not after taking a solid strike to her noggin. Tsubaki erected her back off the ground only to resume sitting in her knock-kneed fashion on the gym floor. Several, small veins of blood ran down either side of her forehead and down her down over her lips. As the wound settled it began to feel sore. "Okay, you win." She said simply, still wary of Kagetsu. Tsubaki was perhaps more intimidated by her now knowing she was superior in combat and could do things she had never seen before.

A quick smirk escaped Kagetsu's control as she held back the urge to laugh. It probably wasn't something anyone should be laughing at, but seeing that little girl take what equated to a sniper shot right in the forehead and then fall flat on her back was just hilarious. The Jounin carefully stepped onto the slippery surface and offered a hand to help Tsubaki up. "Hey, you're not bad, kid." She said with a smile.

The Hozuki collected both bokken and set them aside on the far end of the gym. She would have liked to go a bit longer and had even been considering a second round with an alternate setting -she very much loved to train- but she'd noticed another fellow standing off to the side with some kind of look on his face. He was here for one of them, surely, so whatever plans Kagetsu had left for Tsubaki were going to have to be put on hold. That didn't mean she had to do the approaching, of course, and she was pretty interested in seeing just how a Kaguya returns their spines to their backs, if they even do.

As Kagetsu approached Tsubaki utilized the leftover mess caused by the Jounin's foam technique. She scooped a double handful and pushed her hands together, the soapy suds being crushed and taking the form of natural water, which was all the technique was. She used it to wash her face and forehead from the blood. The broken skin where the bullet met was already patched up leaving nothing behind, though internally Tsubaki still had a bit of a headache. Drying her face off using her long sleeves she was revealed to an extended hand. As she finished fixing her straightened hair and cosmetics she grabbed the woman's hand while grabbing onto her wrist with the other. Together she used both her arms to pull herself up fully. Tsubaki patted herself off making herself as presentable as possible always being obsessed with her figure. She watched as the Jounin grabbed the two toy swords as she headed towards the practicing rack. Tsubaki was inclined to follow her, which she did. Taking one step forwards her leg snagged on something. "Oh!" Tsubaki exclaimed while bending over.

Standing upright she held her former spine off the gym floor. In both hands the spine seemingly began to become frail and brittle as, to the natural eye, became thinner and smaller. Almost losing half its size the spine began to grow holes like swiss cheese as it eventually turned into nothingness. As she did that she silently followed Kagetsu like a stray puppy without uttering a single word. Tsubaki stood a couple feet behind the Jounin as she waited for her to say something, or to be given an order.

So apparently Hizashi decided to go into the academy and speak to Kagetsu rather than wait for her to finish and then leave the academy as Nikuyo had expected him to do. The Hozuki smiled and waved at his kin, though he was sure there was no love lost between the two of them. The Hozuki had always had a bad feeling about him, a bastard from a runaway member of the clan. He had come scurrying back when he was a young man, wishing to take in all the glory of the clan as well as its wealth. He was adamantly against the foundation of this village, and yet here he was doing what he could to make sure it was run smoothly.

Hizashi waved Kagetsu over to him. Assuming she came over, he would hand her a small scroll that contained a mission detail. "The Mizukage approves of your... talents. He believes you'll be useful for future plans, and would like you to prepare starting with this." He glanced over at Tsubaki before turning his attention back to Kagetsu. "And please make sure that one doesn't end up swallowing her own tongue. I'm not sure if she knows any better as it is." Hizashi would whisper this last part to Kagetsu in jest before smiling and turning to leave the building. "Do have a good night, ladies." With that, he would be gone, back to the grind of running village finances.





Details inside the scroll:

Spoiler:

Kagetsu offered a humored grin in exchange for the scroll. As always, she immediately unrolled it and read all of its contents. Her face contorted into something of a disappointed expression. She'd expected a mission, of course, but scouting? It was a way to improve, she reasoned, but it didn't sound like it was going to be very fun. Although, maybe if she brought Tsubaki along...

"Looks like we've got a mission, kid." Kagetsu waved for Tsubaki to follow as she rolled the scroll back up and tucked it away in her clothing. She probably should find some way to dispose of it, but she didn't have a talent for Fire Release like some shinobi, and most of her mission details were given orally, so...she'd figure something out. The Hozuki led the way for the little Kaguya girl out of the Academy and on towards the predetermined meeting place with Scouting Squad A.


[Exit -> Walls]

Standing directly behind Kagetsu they were interrupted by a stranger. Tsubaki did not like strangers, especially when she was just getting comfortable around Kagetsu. The man announced Kagetsu had a mission. It was at perfect timing, at least, as their training session came to an end after her defeat. Although her head still rang it was a good lesson. She had to come back better prepared with a remedy for that soapy liquid. Perhaps she simply needed to be better balanced and skate on top of it like she loved to do when it was winter and the ponds would freeze up. When Kagetsu read the scroll and stated the mission she was not clear enough to vividly state Tsubaki was included, if she was. As a response Tsubaki would simply salute Kagetsu as they both left the academy, though, through the mist Tsubaki would innocently take a separate path. One that would lead her back to her estate within the Kaguya clan district.


[Exit]