A Lone Uchiha's Sword [Open]

Mitsuki entered through the side doors of the great training grounds, sword at her side and map in hand. To her, Konohagakure, even given her sharingan prowess was nothing short of enormous. She scratched her head, wandering around, and looking for some training dummies to test out her new steel blade. Her map was then discarded back into her bag, and her blade was brought forth from its long black scabbard... It shone in the sunlight like a refracting mirror, much higher than the usual quality of blade that a genin should be using. Her breath almost seemed to bite at the air for a second before her blade became shrouded in a cloak of sharp wind.

The coordination as she struck seemed far superior than the usual fresh genin. The dummy didn't even stand a chance as she struck, slicing the bamboo dummy clean through the midsection. "...Still not fast enough..." she said to herself. How it odd it was that she was obsessed with how quick she struck... She instantly charged toward the next dummy, this time she barely touched it, but the speed at which she executed the strike was far beyond what should be her current level. It seemed as though she was unsatisfied with this speed to though, impressive as it was.

37/50 CP

Used:
Chakra Flow: Wind - 5 CP B rank damage.
Body Flicker with Flicker Master: -8 CP and -1 tier coordination

In his years, shinobi both young and old focused on something within their career. The focus is being the best at something to stand out and be proud of their accomplishment. Some prefer to work on strength, others prefer on speed. Rare does one focus on their durability, and then there’s shinobi who take pride in their skill. Rin doesn’t publicly admit this, but he too once took pride in his skill with the kenjutsu art. Survival however had other ideas, and for years Rin adapted other weapons that met different situations. Yet when all was done and the dust was settling. Rin found himself back to practicing his old art.

Rin was at the grand training grounds that might as well be one gigantic dojo with his chokuto in his left hand. Currently garbed in his simply grey shirt and a set of baggy dark blue pants. On his feet was a pair of brown sandals. Wrapped around his waist is a leather belt that has the empty scabbard onto his right side, a hip pouch full of supplies on his right flank, and a folded fuuma shuriken held by a brass clasp on his left side. Protecting from the back of his hands to his forearms is a pair of steel arm guards. Otherwise Rin stands at 5’7” with strangely intricate scarred arms that resemble tribal markings. On both of his shoulders is the scarred tissue in the shape of a dragon’s head. His right hand is completely bandaged up to his right forearm as the cloth is actually sealing cloth with heavily written seals on them.

As The Outcast, not many people would even come up to him for the whispers of betrayal and hatred lingering in every word towards him left from the locals’ lips. Even amongst other shinobi they’re nearly baffled that Rin wasn’t executed, and yet there were a rare few who did not believe that Rin was as much of a traitor as people made him out to be. For now, Rin stood in a clearing with a single training dummy as he was looking forward at the dummy with his body positioned so that himself is thinner and becomes less of a target. However his left shoulder is turned away from the dummy as the chokuto is held in a reverse grip as it is pressed along his arm. Part of the jade colored blade sticks up over his left shoulder, and yet from there Rin practices several blurring motions that might even be impossible to perceive for those not used to high speeds. Whether it was dropping into a crouch, or when Rin smoothly changed the reverse grip into a standard grip before he reverted back to the reverse handling.

Yet it would seem that he was not the only one practicing the art. There was another shinobi who was a little smaller than he was. Said shinobi slashed at the dummy in front of her as the enhanced katana sliced into it. Truthfully it made Rin consider if the technique was actually the Vacuum Blade, but he dismissed that thought as that technique had a distinct green glow when active. Which ruled it out to be Chakra Flow. Rin had stopped his movements in the beginning stance as he watched for a moment.

The girl was definitely quick on her feet as she suddenly zipped across the field in a linear path for the next dummy. Despite her speed, Rin’s eyes had no difficulty in keeping up with her as he was trained to track attacks and movement at high speeds. Even so she swung her katana for the second time, and while the damage was impressive Rin could see that the damage mainly came from the blade than her. Yet at the end of the day she was the one guiding. Of course in a way that’s what the elements were for. To inflict damage where strength is found lacking, and in combination with strength could inflict wonders on the situation.

Rin’s blood red eyes continued to linger for a moment longer as the kunoichi assessed the results. Perhaps it was his imagination, but she seemed to be disappointed about something. Perhaps it was none of his business, and perhaps he shouldn’t pry into people’s lives when so many would rather drive a blade through him. Even so, he began to approach her with his chokuto still in reverse grip so most of the blade save for the handle and an inch of the tip was hidden by his arm.

”Were you self taught?” Rin asked as he’d stop roughly 20 meters away, being respectful and all. His index finger lines up with the handle of the jade chokuto.

[Learning Refined Tenchi Style - A rank Custom 812/250]

It was rare that Mitsuki ever interacted with other shinobi, given her young disposition and tendency to veer off the normal path of the Uchiha to take a road... less traveled. Scrolls seemed stuffed into the young genin's pack to the side of the dummy that was cut clean in half, was she a fuuinjutsu user? Mitsuki popped out her neck and sheathed her blade, deactivating its chakra cloaking as she began to stretch out and ready her body for more training. It wasn't so long before she noticed the other shinobi just opposite her, and her eyes flashed for a moment with a faint crimson glow, and a pinwheel pattern with two tomoe to match... though it didn't last but a split second. Unbeknownst to the rugged criminal sharpening his sword skills opposite of her, she in fact didn't know who he was, and greeted him the same as she would any other shinobi.

"Salutations!" She said gleefully.

Perhaps she hadn't realized that he'd been watching her strikes and form the entire time. The larger, and probably far superior ninja questioned her as to whether she was 'self-taught'... she thought that over, as most of her techniques she learned herself, but her speed was naught but her own talent and speed. Her form seemed more nimble than a normal kenjutsu user, indicating she most likely relied on her chakra flow more than she put strength into her strikes, just as Rin had already suspected from her jutsu use. Her body seemed... rippled, muscle showed but they clearly weren't used for strength. It seems her muscle makeup is mostly optimal for moving at incredibly high speeds, rather than striking with great force.

"I am for the most part self taught... the Academy was useful in teaching me... basic things, but the body flicker and its mastery are something I learned on my own time." She replied to his question, confirming his suspicion.

"Are you self taught? Your strikes seem far heavier than my own will ever be, quicker too. Even with my sharingan I could barely follow them." She revealed.

-0.2 CP from Sharingan 2

36.8/50 CP

Perception is D++ for this post.

Well if anything the young shinobi was certainly cheerful, and even though it was only half a second the Sharingan was something Rin was all too familiar with. He once stood in a room with dozens of those same eyes glaring at him with intense anger. Even the same Uchiha who had raised him turned their Sharingan against him. Thankfully that wasn’t the case for this one, whether she recognized him or she didn’t Rin couldn’t tell from expressions alone. Rin waved his heavily bandaged hand in greetings to her.

Mitsuki explained where she learned her skills, mostly self taught with a bit of help from the Academy. Her speaking of training for her speed and body flickering brought a hint of a smile on Rin’s lips. Then Mitsuki flipped the question to him, and frankly he hadn’t noticed that she was paying attention to him. Granted he’s used to the glares of anticipation and aggression. Perhaps he was too focused on those emotions to pick up on the innocence from Mitsuki. He made a mental note to not be too focused in aggression, and Rin slightly nodded his head in agreement.

”For the most part I was self taught, but the rest of it came from experience.” Granted Rin had experienced near death more than one occasion because of it. As fate would have it, Rin hadn’t succumbed to the inevitable embrace of death just yet. As Mitsuki brought up his strikes, frankly he was more curious as to how she could tell how heavy his strikes were.

”Well when you fight a giant beast that almost covers Konohagakure by size alone, you kind of have to learn how to hit harder to make a difference.” Of course he was referring to his fight against Kurama, the same night that Rin sealed the bijuu inside of himself. But technically he was stripped of all of his achievements so Rin could no longer claim that as his fight.

With another cheerful smile, the young genin once again drew her sword. The sword sheened with a quality a clear step above with could be obtained at a mere market, as if the blade were made to order and carefully crafted. Mitsuki clearly had done her homework when it came to getting a half decent sword, seeking out a blacksmith and getting her sword made to a quality even a chuunin would admire. The stamped engraving on the sword revealed that it came from Ashitaka's shop, a sigil probably known farther than the little Uchiha was, at the very least.

Mitsuki was not familiar with close scrapes with death. Her sharingan had first awakened at the death of her father, when one day he came back in a casket rather than into his loving wife's arms. She knew all to well about loss and death, though never experiencing such herself, being so young. She trained her heart out, and on the day of graduation, her second tomoe awakend. An Uchiha almost to maturity by her family's standards at such a young age, but what's a girl to do when everything is taken from her because a single moment of weakness. Thus she swore to herself never to judge a shinobi by their past mistakes, and truthfully, even if she did know of Rin's crimes, it is doubtful that she would care.

"Size of Konoha? I suppose you mean a bijuu then?" Mitsuki knew the legend of the nine beasts, though she'd been lucky enough never to see one in the flesh yet. "I've never seen one up close, though I've heard stories and rumors." She concurred.

"I don't claim to be faster than the fastest shinobi, but I have confidence in my speed. Catching a stray jutsu is how my father perished... I intend to not make his mistakes." Mitsuki said as her eyes flashed a crimson shade again, her sharingan reacting to her naturally volatile state. "It is likely my hits will never be as heavy as yours are, but I will make an effort to be faster than the fastest attack any shinobi can muster." She said with a hint of determination in her voice.

The girl was not just quick on her feet it seemed as she pieced it together as to what Rin was saying. A brow raised as he momentarily looked away.

”Unfortunately those rumors do not grant them any justice. Even with myself, another kunoichi, and two squads of anbu sealers barely managed to just hold it long enough to be dealt with.” Rin answered as he technically only sustained a single blow that matched the bijuu, but frankly it took everything Rin had to hold the bijuu back.

Mitsuki proceeded to draw her steel katana as she seemed to be proud of it, yet those Sharingan eyes flashed to life once more. At the very least, the girl was dedicated to her craft. Although she speaks of her father catching a stray jutsu, Rin can’t truthfully relate as he never had anyone die on him from a jutsu like that. Instead, the plague always took them from him. From the way Mitsuki spoke, it certainly had an impact on her perspective to value speed over anything.

”I uh… I apologize, I didn’t mean to root up a sensitive memory.” He sincerely spoke with a grim tone. Frankly, if Maiori had been killed at any point, Rin wouldn’t think he’d be cheerful that was for sure. Perhaps the kunoichi was in that phase where she works through her grief by keeping herself busy, which is a healthy step to work through it. His left index finger tapped against the hilt of his chokuto twice before Rin spoke again in his usual tone.

”Well, if you got body flicker down, then I think you’ll like a particular technique called the Secret Sword: Moonlight. It increases your speed greater than body flicker could, allowing you to close into your target quicker.” Rin suggested as it was an advanced technique for sure, and one that Mitsuki might have difficulty with. But if there was anything Rin knew was to give something that’s challenging to work for. Because once she finally gets the hang of it, it makes the effort worth it so much more. Granted he doesn’t know about Mitsuki’s unique ability, but it’s something under her belt.

Mitsuki looked dismayed by the idea, for it was not within her grasp to master the high rank techniques... In truth she'd only mastered the basic Moonlight ability because she simply was unable to master the higher ranked jutsu. The young kunoichi looked back over at the older, rugged shinobi and sheathed her sword back into it's scabbard, once again hiding away the sword's features and craftsmanship. "I don't think I'm skilled enough to learn such a technique... as of now I'm still a genin, and anything higher than C rank is outside my batting box." Mitsuki said a tinge of annoyance in her voice, likely directed at her own inadequacy.

Her arms and longs were once again stretched out, as even holding her sprint for a moment was enough to tire her out quite a bit. The muscles she donned on her legs were high strung, like her body was handcrafted for sprinting around like a jack rabbit. "That's alright anyhow... the reason I can move so fast is because of my unusual muscle makeup." Mitsuki revealed, showing that her unique ability did in fact exist, and it made her quite the tiny speed demon. A roll of the neck was given, and her sword was drawn again at a greater speed this time. The strike was definitely more accurate than it had previously been, hitting the target with a precision that was like a grandmaster kendo user's strike.

The dummy wasn't cut clean through however, the blade seemed to stop about half way through the dummy. Her strength remained much to be desired, but even the least observant shinobi could tell that she had honed her skills to a razor sharp edge. "If I want more speed, then I will need to train for it naturally. Soon even the body flicker won't help me get to where I'd like to be." Mitsuki said, matter of factly. It was true however, no amount of techniques short of an S rank jutsu were going to help her jump the gap between skillful and legendary.

Given that it was a Senju's duty to assist in the management of the bijuu and their vessels, it was only a matter of time until Ashitaka was sent to meet with Rin Uchiha. After all, he was the only member of his Clan whose presence was really relevant, despite his age. He'd heard that the man was spending a considerable amount of time in the Grand Konoha Training Facility preparing himself for some kind of ordeal pertaining to the kyuubi residing within him. Consequently, the boy felt that now was as good a time as any to make acquaintances. He was quite surprised to see him in the company of a girl closer to his own age, given that he'd heard the man was imprisoned on charges of treason against the Village. He stopped about ten meters away from them and bowed formally as he issued his greeting.

"Hello, you three." He said politely, projecting his voice to them rather than raising its volume. Ashitaka studied the two members of the Uchiha Clan with his sharp eyes before activating his Sensing Field and letting it wash over them. Little did he know of the bound creature's abilities to detect negative emotions, which would probably have alerted it to his presence at the maximum possible range, given his generally negative disposition. His clothes were fairly generic blue ninja sweats over bandage wraps, which made his equipment all the more striking by contrast. A score of gleaming Titanium fuuma shuriken hung off his hips like a kilt, complemented by the same number of senbon embedded into the inch-thick Senju Wood bracers on his forearms. A large axe was mounted across his back, perhaps an odd choice for someone who was expected to like trees, together with a quiver full of 50 Ebony arrows for the Senju Wood longbow he'd been using as a walking stick up to this point. And finally, a bokken-nata, also made of the eponymous wood, was sheathed over those of the shuriken on his left hip. On his feet were a set of leather moccasins.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I was told to expect to find the Jinchuuriki known as Rin Uchiha in this place." His eyes flicked between the two before settling on the man. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that's you, Sir? Ah, forgive my rudeness. I am Ashitaka Senju, the Legendary Prince of Failure."

Mitsuki is taken aback, though not at all displeased with the arrival of a third soul to their little parade. It was none other than Ashitaka Senju, the man who had helped her obtain her sword just yesterday. A quick glance was given to him, before Mitsuki sheathed her sword again and sat down to rest and restore her expended stamina. "The Prince of Failure hmm? What is my sword then, a piece of junk?" Mitsuki said with a joking tone. "You should have more faith in yourself, you aren't so bad." she reassured the Senju present, with a her signature bright smile to match. She turned her attention to the other side of the arena for a moment, a bit lost in thought.

She knew that Rin had fought bijuu before from their earlier conversation, but the fact that one was currently sealed within him had never actually come up. The required power of such a large and looming beast sealed within was simply unfathomable to the young genin... Whatever constituted and made such a great fuuinjutsu user was certainly unbeknownst to her, that was for certain. A small sandwich would be taken out of her pack as ahe continued to think on the subject. After all, how does one regain stamina with no food or drink to revitalize in the first place? A few bites were given as she looked between the two senior shinobi and rolled her head, popping out the kinks she'd sustained in her neck for some time now. She waited eagerly to hear the two shinobi's conversation as she continued to rest and snack on her sandwich.

Well it certainly was nice to know their own limits, even though it is temporary. Rin nodded his head once again. It was no real harm in it really, and really she would only benefit from being taught if she had the ability to. Fortunately, before he put down the sword Rin knew a lot about both the kenjutsu and taijutsu.

”That’s fair, you’ll get there eventually.” Then a second presence began to approach nearby as Rin turned the blood red eyes over to the source. Another shinobi heavily armed considerably, yet probably around the same age as Mitsuki. Yet there wasn’t really hatred, or at least not the kind Rin was used to. The kid’s eyes spoke of sorrow, and it made Rin wonder what exactly gave the poor guy such emotions. When Ashitaka spoke of his search for Rin Uchiha, and by habit he recognized it as his name until he’s reminded subconsciously that he could no longer call himself an Uchiha.

”It’s Rin Tohsaka actually. I uh… lost the privilege to call myself an Uchiha. A pleasure to meet you all the same Ashitaka.” Rin spoke as he overcame the emotional hurdle as his expression remained the same with a ghost of a smile. To which Rin shifted his eyes over to Mitsuki once more as she moved to eat a sandwich, and back over to Ashitaka.

”Am I needed for something? Or are you relieving one of my fans’ spots?” Rin added a joke in relation to the spies who watch him from a safe distance. Always ready to pounce on him if he brought harm to anyone, but really he’s maintained such good behavior that they seem to be a bit less hostile.

"What? Oh, hey! Look at that. You have your own little club." Ashitaka surmised as his Sensory picked up the half dozen or so ninja whose presence he essentially just rendered superfluous by virtue of merely showing up. In response to the girl's question, he took a closer look at her sword. It wasn't one of his own creations, but it still bore his mark because Monika was his employee. "It looks acceptable enough. I'm sorry, but I'm not keen to put a real masterpiece in the hands of someone who's just starting out. I'm still working out my pricing, but I'll bet you can't afford one. No offense. And to answer your question, Miss... I've learned that it's possible to be good, even great at something and still be a failure. I can craft a blade like nobody's business, but my track record with missions is nothing short of tragic. I... strongly recommend that you don't accept any missions that take you outside of the city walls. You're safe here, and danger is painful."

He returned his attention to Rin... Tohsaka. Don't say it sounds like a girl's name. Repeated in his head as he appraised the man and his resident beast. The weapon he bore seemed to be comparable in quality to his own, though he knew it was neither one of his creations nor one of his employee's, so he couldn't help wondering where the man got it from.

"Well, pleased to meet you Rin-sama. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to have a word with your... companion. A considerable task has been placed before me in regards to what I'll have to spend... well, probably the rest of my life doing. I'll need his help, and I'd prefer to get it peacefully if possible. Beyond that, I'm just here for a little training. That's what this place is for, after all."

An eyebrow was risen in response to the mention of spies. Mitsuki flicked on her sharingan for a moment to survey the area, looking for the 'fans' that Rin spoke of. She had no idea what possibly possessed her family to send spies after one they used to call their own. After all, wasn't family everything to an Uchiha? The mere thought of someone being exiled from the family under any circumstances less of killing a fellow Uchiha just seemed blasphemous to the young girl.

...Sure enough Mitsuki was able to spot a few onlookers to their current spot; they seemed a bit complacent, maybe even a bit lazy given their mission and position as shinobi. Everything about the situation miffed Mitsuki ever so slightly, and her facial expressions as she looked around definitely did no service in hiding her disposition. She looked between Ashitaka and Rin, sharingan still in full glow, wondering what their next words would be as she repeatedly scanned around the training grounds. She steeled herself however, and took another bite of her lunch.

69.8/70 CP
D++ Perception and Chakra Color Sensing

Rin raised a brow at the mention of wishing to speak with his companion as Ashitaka put it. Frankly Rin was in no different position than Kurama was. Frankly the main reason Rin was still Kurama's Jinchuriki was solely because of Rin's experience and strange affinity towards the bijuu. Frankly there were only a small handful of people that Rin trusted to even know about the location of his seal, and even fewer that he'd allow to touch it without investigating them.

"I'm afraid you need to elaborate as to why you wish to speak with Kyuubi. He might enjoy the company, but more than likely he'd just insult you and try to attack the barrier again." Rin has known Kurama for about three years, and over the course Kurama rarely ever revealed anything without Rin spending hours just letting the bijuu vent. It was how Rin learned of Kurama's prison underground. Frankly Kurama was always watching and hearing everything that Rin does because Rin allowed the bijuu to do so.

Noticing that Mitsuki was beginning to look nervous, Rin would address it.

"My apologies, as you can see I'm under constant surveillance, but they're here for everyone's protection." Granted that would be obvious given what has already been revealed by both Rin and Ashitaka. Then his eyes shifted back over to Ashitaka as he expected an answer from the young shinobi.

When Rin demanded an explanation for his request, Ashitaka tried and failed to suppress a sigh. He was fully aware that the only thing more ridiculous than what he was asking for was the reasoning behind it. His eyes darted around the ground as he tried to find the words that would not make him sound completely insane, or worse, "imaginative" to the formerly honorary member of a clan of people with magic eyes with a demon the size of a small city sealed inside him. Eventually, he settled on the truth, cut and dry.

"I... have been tasked by The Sage to be this era's vessel of his power and with it do all that I can to heal this broken world. In order to prove that I'm up to it, I need to collect chakra from each of the nine Tailed Beasts and learn how to manage Senjutsu. I'd prefer to make such requests in a peaceful manner, but I can't afford to take 'no' for an answer and to be perfectly honest, I don't know what I have or can acquire make that a Bijuu would want. Other than breaking the seal, which is obviously a no. Would you ask him for me, please? It's kind of important."

Regarding the girl, well, Ashitaka wasn't sure what to say to her. She already had a sword, and while she was fairly cute, he only had eyes for Ari. He could help train her in Kenjutsu, but Rin seemed to already be in the process of doing that and he didn't want to be more intrusive than he already was.

Mitsuki simply looked on as she soon expected the other three present to start trading dirty looks to each other, namely Kurama to Ashitaka, given the stories she's heard about the bijuu's... temperament. The young girl looked back over to Rin.. her sharingan had caught glimpses of the fox, against her own will. She then addressed his concerns about the spies. "They do not bother me in particular, but I can tell they've gotten pretty lazy on ANBU recruitment if it takes a little Uchiha girl 5 seconds and an incomplete sharingan to find them."

She chuckled a bit at that, before returning to her sandwich, sharingan still active.

68.6/70 CP

At the mention of The Sage, Rin momentarily thought there was no way that task would be given to someone so young. Yet Kurama spoke in Rin's mind.

"Back then, perhaps even to this day, the Sage of Six Paths didn't discriminate anyone whether they're young or old. I find it unlikely that the Sage spoke to this mortal, but there is still a possibility." Kurama spoke to the Jinchuriki, and Rin's eyes shifted to the upper right corner of his vision. The Outcast considered the kid's words, and frankly Rin probably would've let the kid take a sample. However, Kurama wasn't just going to let anyone take his chakra willingly. Especially in his current state.

"Well in that case I would let you do that, but Kyuubi has his own right to refuse. I tell you what though, I'm not sure if you've heard yet but I am preparing to fight Kyuubi once more. If you can assist me in this endeavor, I'll give you the chakra that you seek. Deal?" Rin offered that would be beneficial to both of them. Granted Rin didn't exactly know if Ashitaka can do much for assistance, but if the shinobi was on a mission to acquire chakra from the bijuu then Rin could only hope that Ashitaka had the ability to pull it off.

Mitsuki was still a bit tense, but she commented how she could spot them with her Sharingan now that their presence was revealed. Frankly it wasn't their fault, but if Rin really wanted to do something rash then he would've done so by now. Rin raised a brow before commenting.

"Fair point, but I understand how it can raise anxiety knowing that we're being watched." With that being said, Rin formed half of a Tiger as he used his free right hand to conjure a shadow clone. Both Rin and his clone took a couple of steps away from each other. Rin became focused at his shadow clone as the air seemed to grow tense around them. Suddenly the shadow clone lunged forward as he brought the chokuto downward at Rin in blurring speeds, even a lapse to others. Yet Rin pivoted with a push as he quickly flipped the reverse handling to bat away the opposing chokuto. In the same motion Rin followed up with a swing of his chokuto that sliced through the clone. Under normal circumstances Rin would've beheaded the opponent, but it was a clone and so dispersed in a cloud of smoke.

[Learning Refined Tenchi Style: Shinrin-No-Hagane - A rank Custom] -10 (478/300)
Upkeep Refined Tenchi Style -5

Strength: C+ > B
Constitution: B
Stamina: B
Speed: B
Coordination: S > X
Intelligence: C
Perception: A

Stamina: 165/185

"Your doubt is understandable and your offer is acceptable. That said, would you perhaps like to test me to see if I am a worthy teammate in this fight? I would prefer not to be thought of as a liability, after all. And I've heard that these bijuu, most especially your Kyuubi, possess an awesome and terrible power." as he spoke, he would draw his Senju Wooden katana, revealing it to be such rather than a conventional bokken-nata. Its blade was as sharp and hardy as one forged of steel, and that was before he coated it in black Doton chakra as he made half the Dog, Rat, and Snake seals with his free hand and the nature of his Sensing Field shifted, transforming from a use of his chakra detection to a boost to his natural senses, causing it to flow harshly to his skin and head. He seemed to float and waver slightly as he responded to the slightest changes in the ambient air currents.

He hoped that this boost would be enough to keep up with his potential opponent's previously undetectable striking speed, but he had his doubts. Ashitaka's training had granted him access to quick and precise movements, but even he hadn't been able to see Rin's brief duel with his clone. If this was the caliber of ability he would be expected to fight at, then he was still falling terribly behind. He'd believed that his ability to match the skill of Tengoku was a sign of his growing prowess, but now he was starting to suspect that the wolf-man had held back for his sake even when raging over the broken sword. The Senju gritted his teeth, seeing the learning curve as having been more of a rain-slicked cliff. In his left hand, he held the sheathe to his katana as a bokken; and a transparent coat of Suiton chakra flowed over it from his hand to its tip, gleaming in the facility's artificial sunlight.

He assumed a dual-wielding stance that while uncommon, should still be fairly well-known to any trained Konoha swordsman. To the untrained eye, he seemed to have completely tuned out the presence of Mitsuki and Rin's supervisors, but the reality was that he was more aware of them now than in his native Sensory state. He waited for Rin to indicate his willingness to spar for a bit, at which point he would close the distance and begin his assault. Of course, if the man decided to skip the introductory courtesies and initiate the attack himself, Ashitaka would be ready to defend. He may not be the greatest warrior that the village had ever seen, but he was not one to take lightly, either.




______________

Stuff:

"Maybe some other time, then." Ashitaka said after being met with an uncomfortably long silence. He sheathed his blade and dismissed his jutsu, conducting a crisp about-face and walking away from the assortment of Uchiha. He was getting really tired of this clan and their drama, and their iron grip on the way this village functioned was only making matters worse. Instead of opting to spend the rest of the day self-training, he left the absurdly grand training facility entirely.


[Exit Thread]