the way of the sword

Jinn calmly entered the training field wearing his standard black tank top with black pants. He had his sword calmly strapped diagonally over his back with the holster he was always carrying with him. It was his standard weapon of choice together with everything he could use for further range.

When he entered the open training field. He loosened the strap of the holster that carried his sword. Right after that he calmly removed his shirt revealing his upper body built together with some small scars running over his back. Jinn took a deep sigh before he drew the sword out of his holster and threw the holster on the ground next to him. Jinn took a glance at his brand new sword wondering how long it would take until there was one scratch on it before he started looking in front of him. Jinn looked towards three dummies in front of him being about 20 feet away and 7 feet apart from him.

Jinn closed his eyes for just a second while he made a half tiger symbol with his left hand while he switches the grip from normal grip to reverse grip of his sword with his right. Jinn opened his eyes before he disappeared from sight. Jinn reappeared behind the dummy on the far right with his right arm extended and the sword pointing 90 degrees to the outside. The head of the dummy on the far right slides off the shoulders while Jinn turned on his back left foot by moving his right foot towards the left. His shinobigatana twisted in his right hand again back towards the normal grip before he made a quick slice over the dummies back that was standing in the middle. Jinn twisted further on his feet noticing he cant reach the last dummy with his sword. Jinn started to twist fully while he threw his sword towards the last dummy on the right making the sword stick halfway into the last dummies side.

Jinn letted out a small sigh before he started to walk towards the dummy on the far left. He grabbed the handle of his sword before he pushed it down like a lever and pulled it out.

Masuyo spent her time tunneling beneath the earth as she saw the world above her through chakra sensory granted by her technique. It was perhaps the finest way travel around town without having to deal with interactions. The roof tops were cliche and usually begged for an encounter. The few smart Shinobi chose to take the earth as their primary means of travel. At least the Iwagakure Shinobi did. Masuyo was one of them, tunneling her way beneath the village and towards the stone yard. With Kameko on her absence Masuyo figured it was best to train her body to the fullest to improve herself as Kameko was doing on her own.

Masuyo wore the standard gear most Shinobi in Iwagakure wear. Her footwear consisted of standard black sandals fitted for comfort and security. With the toes and heel left exposed they provided additional balance, while the rest of the foot up to the ankle was protected by the thick material of the sandal. The soles of the sandals are reinforced with hardened material to resist heavy impacts and wear. Fishnet tights draw from her feet all the way up the entire length of her legs designed to fit snugly and providing minimal warmth while still remaining breathable in hotter conditions. A pair of tight black shorts reach down nearly five inches above her knees. White bandage wrap is wrapped around her right thigh which has a navy blue holster strapped over. Around her waist she wears the basic utility belt which carries two green holsters on her right side along with a tool pouch around her back side and a canteen to the far left. She wears a red lapel on her left side extending down to her knee not interfering with her access to her tools.

A red top is worn with loose sleeves reaching down just a little past her elbows. This is reinforced with a brown leather flak jacket provided by Iwagakure's armory which serves as issued the issued armor. This is accompanied by an additional tool pouch which is wrapped around the abdomen facing the front instead of being on the rear. On both hands Masuyo wears a set of fingerless black gloves backed with small steel plates providing comfort and protection. Around her neck Masuyo wears her forehead protector as a collar. The black cloth is tied in a knot around the back side of her neck with the steel plate facing the front for identification. The steel plate has Iwagakure's emblem engraved on the front. Masuyo has straight black hair which extends down to her mid back. Two strands of hair drop down touching her chest which leads into her bangs which are cut shorter and swept to her right side. She stands at 5'9 weighing approximately 145 lbs. Her fair skin is complimented with her voluptuous form which is completed with a pair of hazel eyes.

Masuyo's head would emerge from the earth once she passed familiar grounds. She had entered the stone yard, yet to her surprise she had found another person not far from entering. She saw what would be a lone man with a sword in his hand. He was using an unorthodox method of fighting. She would watch him from a measly ten meters to not disturb his efforts, though having a close enough view of his style. As the man retrieved his sword the head emerged from the earth would speak out to him. "A reversed grip is poor for a sword. You want the leverage gained from the length of the blade to your full potential, and have the most control over it." Placing both palms on the earth she pulled herself up from it like getting out of a pool. As her legs left the pit it seemingly sealed up on itself looking like ordinary ground. Masuyo would stand upright, patting the dirty from her clothes, though her hair was seemingly unscathed. "You must be Jinn? Your chewed up body matches the description of a 'Jinn' I know." Masuyo said referring to the multiple scars along his bare torso.

Jinn suddenly heard a voice although he thought he was alone. He looked towards the direction the voice came from with his green eyes of his. He saw a woman a bit smaller then him crawling out of the ground saying reverse grip wasn't good for a sword. He knew it though. "A disadvantage to gain an advantage." Jinn said towards her. If the held his sword normally he would have needed to twist his hand in an unorthodox way or get to the other side of the doll. He could have also have switched hand but he wanted to train his right hand more. If he went for the other side of the dummy though he wouldn't have enough reach to get to the dummy in the middle let stand how far away he would have been for the last one

Jinn chuckled a bit when she said he looked like another Jinn she knew. Jinn didn't know another Jinn since it wasn't really a Japanese name or anything. "I am more wondering how you know me though and why you know me" Jinn said towards her. Jinn got a bit of a reputation after he got back on a mission as the only survivor. Some thought he killed off his own team though on his own but it wasn't really believable a genin could kill two other genins plus a jounin on his own. Soo there were some rumors going around the village about him for it but that is it.

"How I know you is not the question. I am Masuyo Kaede,
Head Mistress and Jounin of Iwagakure. I have access to information for all of Iwagakure's...lesser Shinobi. I say this, because you are adopted into my program by my order." Masuyo said firmly, yet still maintaining a relaxed, bubbly atmosphere in her tone and body language. Masuyo would began pacing towards Jinn at a steady pace to get closer. She would reach five meters away from him before stopping. "Your teammate is currently out of commission for a month. She is a craftsman and lacks a bit of battle finesse as I would assume you will excel in. Currently she is given the assignment to augment her crafting skill, though as it stands she knows more and can function better than you in terms of combat. But I'm here to change that." She said, reaching down with her right hand to her thigh. The blue holster strapped to her thigh was her primary tool for close quarters: a simple kunai. Her middle finger flicked inwards to undo the button clasp which held the holster closed as her index finger stroked down the kunai's handle hooking onto the ring.

In a deft gesture she wrung the kunai from the holster and twirled by her finger before precisely catching the kunai by the handle holding it in a reverse grip in her right hand. She held it out as her forward-most arm. It served as her defense and offense simultaneously. She rest of her body positioned itself accordingly fixating itself in a combat stance. Her legs were spread evenly at shoulder's width and knees bent. Her right arm was bent at a stable ninety degree angle providing a stable foundation while the kunai remained in hand at a canted angle. Her left arm was kept close to her body, hand splayed ready to react with any secondary responses she may need. "I won't stab you, though you shouldn't let your guard down because of it. You get the first move." On the balls of her feet she was ready for anything Jinn could throw at her. A simple warm up with few minor cuts and bruises shouldn't hurt the Genin too much.

Jinn raised an eyebrow towards her when she said how she knew him isn't approved although she still explained how she knew him a moment later by telling him she had access to all genin files. Jinn maybe looked like a crook or a thug although he was smarter than most people expected of him.

Jinn kept calmly standing when she came closer to him. He saw her taking her kunai out of his pouch. Jinn chuckled "People believe everything that stands on paper though" While she took on her fighting stands he opened his left pouch with his left hand. He calmly reached into the pouch but when his hand came back out he had nothing on his hand. He places a kakuta around his thumb and his middle finger having the spikes pointing in. It would take a good eye to notice them though. He calmly pressed the button of the pouch again to close it calmly.

"Why do I always get the first move" Jinn said with a small sigh while he closed his eyes for a second. The moment they opened he looked straight at her with his green eyes. Locking his eyes onto hers. Jinn walked closer to her in a calm manner. He wasn't trying to rush it this time though like he would do mostly. He would stop when they would be 2 meters apart.

He would stand with his right foot forward with his knees slightly bent. His sword in his right-hand Jinn stepped forwards quickly with his left foot. His right hand twisted holding the sword horizontal with the point pointing towards the left. He would attempt to tap her kunai up as distraction while his left hand shot also up below his sword. His left hand out of sight by his sword until he made it shoot forwards attempting to grab her neck with his left hand that was carrying the two kakuta's.

Masuyo kept a steady, analytical eye on Jinn noticing him arming himself with the Kakute. They were a neat improvised weapon, one she lent Kameko during their mission a little over a week ago. They could be used with the spike facing outwards to enhance the physical damage caused by punches, or inwards to be used defensively. They could also be used to deliver a mean slap, as Kameko was more than favorable of using. Regardless she would have to be cautious of how Jinn planned to use them. They gave him an edge in grappling when he can induce greater pain with a grip. In the end Masuyo did not let the sight of them haunt her. She was more than confident that he was not physically competent as she was. As Jinn approached her senses became more in tune to his movements. He did not make a blunt approach like many Genin would do. He preferred a more traditional stance. The spar would begin as Jinn, only standing two meters away, would take another step closer. His movement had motivation as his sword arm began to take a horizontal swing to it. Masuyo reacted in two simple counters which would conveniently fall in a single motion.

Masuyo extended her right hand across her body at a downwards angle to intercept the sword stroke at her left side while taking a step forwards with her leading right leg. Both blades would clash in a light clack of iron as both movements were halted in their track. Masuyo was already onto her next action the moment she set in motion her interception. Lunging her body forwards she coiled tightly as she led her body's assault with her right shoulder. At full speed she would drive her padded shoulder into the soft flesh just below his sternum. Jinn would feel something feel something large and with a thick, leathery exterior pound his torso like a rhinoceros' charge, the strength of a real one and Masuyo being no different. Her shoulder padding on her flak jacket did make her shoulder less concentrated as her bone was not making first contact, though it was far from cushioned when taking the brunt of the impact. The impact would send Jinn downwards to the earth only to tumble a few meters along the ground before his body would lose momentum.

Combat Stuff:

The moment he heard the clank of the metal followed by his arm unable to move further up meant his idea didn't work of tapping her kunai up to make way for his left hand to reach to her throat. Jinn noticed her head going down for the shoulder charge. Jinn extended his legs quickly that were lightly bend. His right arm would stretch out attempting to slide away from the grip on with her kunai while one knee shot up in front of her arm that is holding the kunai. Jinn would try to bend his upper body over her while his left arm attempts to hold around her upper body. His left hand would grip onto her flack jacket using the kakute for extra grip on it. He would take the hit a bit lower of his body. He would take the hit on his lower abdomen while he tries to hold on to her with his left arm and hand. His right hand holding the sword would twist point the sword towards her stomach.

Jinn was willing to accept the full body slam, though Masuyo did not expect him to make any other avenue of escape. He prepared himself as much as he could, pulling his sword away from Masuyo's kunai, which was probably the best action he could do. She was neigh untouchable in close quarters. Oddly enough, Jinn did this while raising his knee in front of her leading arm. She was uncertain what he tried to accomplish, aside from making him an easier target and losing balance. The man would end up getting plowed by the Jounin's shoulder striking the lower abdomen instead of the mid. He did this by going down with a fight, snagging onto Masuyo's flak jacket in attempts to drag her down with him. Masuyo would stay footed, being in control of her movements as she lowered herself and began sprawling on the ground. Launching her leg arm forwards she would aim to embrace Jinn's right leg where his knee met. Snagging his leg she would lunge forwards pulling his body down towards her lower abdomen. This would pull Jinn beneath her, thwarting his attempts to move above the girl's back.

Masuyo would quickly sprawl, dashing herself into a full mount. She would do this while deftly swiping her kunai armed hand across his left arm, the one that was snagging her jacket. She would do this across the side of the arm, not wanting to strike any vitals though keeping it deep enough to cause pain compliance. It was an attempt to get him to release his snare on her jacket. If failed, it would be no major loss to her. Her movements would all come down in a single action, not wasting any time in her movement and drilled as if she's done this maneuver hundreds of times in her day. With Jinn under her she would settled with both knees pinning the man at his shoulders prohibiting his from utilizing any arm movements. The heavyset Jounin was not light, her body overpowering what strength Jinn had as she abused the pressure points on his body, her years of Bukijutsu and Taijutsu expertise teaching her how the body functioned. Her kunai would be placed on the man's neck as planned to submit him.

Combat Stuff:

Jinn got tucked down on his legs while her kunai when over his left arm making him let go of her jacket. While he got pulled down his right had he pulled towards his own chest while his upper body twisting his upper body to the right so he fell on his left shoulder blocking her from moving her knees on her shoulders. During the twist of his upper body his right hand would go to his chest making a small swing with his sword attempting to make a thin slice over the side of her face with it. During the slice his left hand would reach towards the end pommel of his sword grabbing it right on the but of the pommel. The moment his left hand had the sword his right hand would let go for a second and go to reverse grip. The moment Jinn would land on the ground Jinn would reverse his grip and attempted to slice to her face.

Jinn would be laying on his left shoulder with the back of his left hand on the ground with the pommel of his hilt. His sword would be pointing up with the point placed just below Masuyo's chin. His right elbow is pointing up together along the blunt side of the blade. Both his hands ready to strike up but the strength of both his arms. Jinn would be pointing the blade towards her chin the same moment She would be placing the blade on his throat.

Jin please try and keep in mind the realtive difference between your stats

Spoiler:

Any fight against her is going to be a very uphill battle because of the large difference in stats.  I'm not saying it's impossible overcome the odds, but you should be treating it like you're having a harder time rather then acting like you're near equals.

With her coordination 3 tiers higher then yours. You're only going to be able to do so much because her movement are must faster then yours, especially when she's right on top of you.  You essentially lost the fight the moment you took that body slam since now she's too close for you to do much of anything before she overpowers you.

You'd have just enough time that Letting go of her jacket is fine but as for the rest you wouldn't be able to twist out of the way fast enough to stop her from pinning at least one of your arms, thought you might just barely be able to keep one free.  But even then it wouldn't matter much since her blade would be at your throat long before you could get yours to hers.    

In short I'm ruling that Jinn had one arm pinned down by Masuyo. He was able to keep one hand free, but before he could move it in an attempt to force a stalemate she got her kunai to his troat ending the sparing match.

Luckily it was just a sparing match, because she had you dead to rights.

Having gained a full, proper mount over Jinn she would have her blades placed on the boy's neck. "I must admit you were rather troublesome to take down. Alas, I did not expect you to win." Masuyo would say this while getting up off the boy. She would store her kunai back in its proper holster strapped to her thigh. Facing the other way she paced a few steps before turning back around to Jinn. "I wanted to test what you already knew and how you fought. Not because I enjoy beating Genin. I give you a realistic situation and judge how you react to it. Even if I come out on top I can at least see what you attempted to do and how effective it would be. Let's see here..." The Jounin trailed off in her thoughts, stroking her chin with a finger and thumb as she pondered into the sky. "Ah hah!" She would turn back to Jinn with her facial expression lit up.

"So. You are fairly fresh and inexperienced with the sword. As a Kenjutsu user, your strength is your sword. It's length, sharpness, material, and all that jazz. Unlike a Bukijutsu user like myself, tools are fairly disposable and cheap. We use and abuse them until they lose value and are replaced.
Your sword is a different story. Because of this, you want it to lead your movements. Get the most out of your range. My kunai is only a foot long.
The blade alone on your sword is easily double that, maybe triple. That doesn't go to say the overall length of the sword and your arm's length. Utilize that range. Also, fight defensively. You want to keep your movements as close to your body as possible, or move while still having the ability to counter. Because if I see an opening I will attack it full-force. And as you have experienced,
my physical ability is much greater than your own."

Masuyo would reach back into her holster to retrieve her kunai again. She wanted to give Jinn not only a verbal example, but a visual one to better understand what she meant. "For instance, remember your first approach? You went for a horizontal slash and I intercepted its path with my kunai. A great reaction to my body slam would be to retrieve your blade back to your body, exposing the edge towards me." Performing the Transformation Technique the kunai in her hand was covered by a vertical veil of smoke. As it dissipated in the air it revealed a full length sword, though Jinn would easily be able to tell this was a transformation. "So you swing..." Masuyo mimicked the boy's first attack, though at a much slower pace and not within striking range of Jinn. She would stop midway simulating Masuyo's block from the spar. "And instead of staying at this position, remember that your sword is your strength. If I have it pinned, you lose combat effectiveness. Just because you can't swing it, doesn't mean the edge can't be used as a powerful tool for control."

Masuyo deftly switched grips with the sword to a reverse grip as she pulled that arm across her chest. This changed the blade's position in a short instant as the edge of the sword protected her torso in a diagonal. "With the edge facing me I would have to rethink charging into you or I'll get cut by slamming into the blade. From here, if I did choose to continue with a slam,
you could do what's called a 'draw cut' which is essentially you applying great pressure and drawing the blade across wherever it is leaving a deeper, more moderate injury. And let's say I was suicidal and continued with the attack anyways and was still left on top of you, you would be better off having the blade between you and I. You'll be better off to defend yourself that way." In a puff of smoke, the transformed sword returned back into a kunai in her hand held in a standard grip.

"So remember: utilize your range and fight defensively.
You need to cover yourself more-so than usual since I'm superior in terms of physical ability. And you will fight people faster and meaner than you are,
which is why I'm teaching you this now. Pitting you up against someone equal in strength would teach you nothing. Come at me again and consider my lecture." Sticking a finger through the ring hole Masuyo would twirl her kunai before grabbing it in a reverse grip once again resuming the same "ready stance" she had. Masuyo would wait for Jinn to make another approach.

Taichi had just woken up from a long sleep-in because of staying up late, however he had finally woken up to see a couple of notes passed under his bedroom door, it seems his granddad had gotten the mail this morning. Taichi got out of bed and stretched, trying to get out of that drowsy, sleepy mood. He crouched down near the door to grab the mail and sat back down on the bed, already ripping through the mail to see what messages he had, some of them were typical messages from friends like "Congratulations on making Genin!" blah blah, until one particular mail piqued his attention. It had the seal of the village on it, he was more careful in opening this one up and it told him that he was put in a squad, with a Jounin as his new sensei, her name being "Masuyo Kaede", huh...

The rest of the message revealed that if he could, to go to the Stone Yard to potentially meet his new squad. Taichi wanted to spend today off, but it seems it might be in his best interest as a ninja to know who he's working with. He started to get into his ninja gear and outfit, putting them on relatively quick and already rushed out of the house, his mum didn't even have a chance to ask if he wanted breakfast.

He had been sprinting already towards the Stone Yard, believing that he's late because of his sleep-in. "Shit! I hope I'm not late..." it felt like he had been running for miles, but it seems he finally made it near the Stone Yard, he started to slowly walk towards the Stone Yard to reserve his energy, to get his breathing back up to normal, he stood back though as he saw two people, one guy with black spiky hair and a woman with long black hair going at it, seeing the woman twirl her kunai before grabbing it in a reverse grip. "I guess I'm not too late, I'll just sit back and watch then."

Her body ready, Masuyo fixed her focus on Jinn for his next move. Although her senses her mostly focused on Jinn she was not deaf to her environment. In fact she was well aware of her atmosphere, more so than an ordinary person would be. Despite being tuned in on Jinn another approach triggered her attention to her flank. "Pause!" Masuyo said abruptly to Jinn as she dropped her guard standing upright and turning her body to face her backside. There was another man. His physique was similar to Jinn, though came in blonde hair. His appearance was rather dingy as what Masuyo could assume would be a heavy workout before arriving. He mentioned about being late, which at that point the features in the Jounin's face lit up in excitement. She knew exactly who this man was. "Oh! Just on time! I was about to start a second round with Jinn here, but you may be the better suited individual." With a quick twirl of her kunai she shoved it back into its appropriate holster. Instead of facing the blonde man completely she would turn her body so she would appear as a middle woman with either shoulder facing the two men.

From there she would back up gradually by a few paces setting out of the direct line between Jinn and Taichi by several feet. "So, this is close to an official team meeting. As I told Jinn already, Kameko, your third teammate, is absent with a task of her own. She is currently the most advanced out of you two, so we need to build your strength to be near her own level.
As I was just describing to Jinn were basic battle techniques. What I told him would be pointless seeing as the lecture was more Kenjutsu oriented. Taichi,
your records indicate you excel at Taijutsu and you have the element of Earth.
Jinn here is an expert at Kenjutsu, Taijutsu, and Bukijutsu. Your final teammate, Kameko, is more of a craftsman than anything, though is still a capable fighter. In our luck, she is honing her crafting right now as we speak.
Jinn, she will be able to make you a sword of great strength. She will be able to make us armor as well, for those who wish to own some."

Sending chakra through her feet Masuyo caused a small column of earth to raise just behind her as she fell on her butt. This would be timed perfect as the raising earth would catch her as she elevated herself so her feet were just inches from the ground. This would act as her chair to spectate the two. "But enough about her. This training session is for the two of you. As the assault specialists of this team you two will need to hone the best of your strengths. Currently the lesson is to train your bodies. At the end of it you will be stronger both physically and mentally. I will teach you how to deal with many of the real situations you will face in combat. Not so much a survival exercise, but more-so the highlights of the elements of battle. I will also teach you the required material all Iwagakure Shinobi should know, including two new Taijutsu Styles, and for Jinn basic weapon fighting. The days of Arhat are over.
Although it is completely viable to incorporate Arhat into your movements,
it is a shabby fighting style to rely upon. But enough talk. I want to see how you two fair against each other. A light spar, please. Don't aim for fatal blows."

Jinn sighed when she started talking when she sat on top of him. He was happy though she got off him quickly. Jinn calmly rolls backward before he pushed himself off with his hand so he lands calmly on his feet. The jounin kept talking towards him while he dusted himself off a bit. He listened towards her calmly about how he should use his sword a one in a while a nod towards her just to make sure to her he was listening to her. Jinn wasn't sure if she cared about it though.

Jinn looked at her when she used the transformation technique on her kunai to make it look like a sword. It was pretty obvious to him she used that technique like she predicted. Jinn may not always be the smartest or brightest one around but he finished the academy though. he watched her when she explained what he should have done and how to be more effective with his sword.

When she said he should come at her again Jinn got into his combat stance again. Jinn was holding his sword with both his hands having his left hand being right under the tsuba of the sword. He was ready to strike when the spar suddenly got paused by the jounin. Jinn looked around himself and saw the other genin standing in the yard. Jinn took a look at the other genin when Matsuyo started talking again explaining about their other teammate and that they were teammates.

When he heard he had to spar the other guy Jinn simple shrugged "Doesn't matter to me" he said calmly before taking on his fighting stance on again. His knees bent with his left foot forwards and pointing towards the blond guy. His right foot twisted a bit for balance while he was holding his sword with both his hands having his left hand above his right hand while he held the hilt at waist height. The point of his sword would come about his chin. He held the blade of his sword a bit diagonal to the front looking straight towards the blond guy. "The last one that comes in may make the first move." Jinn said towards him with a small smile. He still had his kakutes on the thumb and middle finger with the points pointing to the inside of his hand.

Taichi stood there, surprised when the fight had suddenly ended and it seems that Masuyo wants Taichi and Jinn to fight. He waited patiently enough as she explained what she knew, what Jinn knew and what records were said about Taichi, he was rather flattered that there were records of him detailing what he was good at. "I gotta check out those records sometime, heh." He always liked being appreciated in some form, and to him records detailing his skills did flatter him.

But enough about that, he focused more on about this potential third member that can't make it, it didn't matter that much to Taichi as he was sure he'd run into her sooner or later. As soon as she mentioned Arhat, he wondered if she knew about the fighting style? then again... it is a rather good fighting style to rely upon, but enough about that. He listened to everything Masuyo had to say and had no other thoughts or comments to make. After seeing Jinn go into a stance and preparing his sword, Taichi grabbed his kunai from his left leg holster and gripped it tightly. "A Kenjutsu user, huh? I'll be needing this then." Taichi would only use the kunai to clash or try to deflect the swords slashes.

With Taichi's spare hand, he grabbed a shuriken from his waist holster, he then threw it at Jinn, expecting him to either dodge out of the way or to clash with the shuriken using his own sword, either way, as soon as the throw was given Taichi already planned his next move, hoping that the shuriken might off-balance him slightly or give him something to focus upon, Taichi rushed straight up to Jinn with a charge, aiming to use Shoulder Charge/Tackle Charge with his spare arm, otherwise if Jinn were to predict this and attempt to slash Taichi, Taichi would attempt to soften the slash by getting his kunai in the way.

Jutsu Used: Arhat Fist, Active = 3 Stamina for this turn
Shoulder Charge/Tackle Charge = 3 Stamina
Stamina: 34/40
Modified Stats: Strength - C, for the turn
Strength - C++ for the Shoulder Charge/Tackle Charge

[OOC: From here on, posting order will only consist of your two until either one wins. Masuyo will just be spectating from here on.]

Masuyo watched as the two interacted. They seem to be rather neutral with each other, sharing no history or strong feelings one way or another. Jinn and Taichi were here to train and nothing more. Masuyo respected that aspect so far. Having dealt with drama Genin before she quite preferred those that did not have the time for petty squabbles. Taichi was wise enough to prepare a kunai before approaching Jinn. He was not foolish to rely on straight Taijutsu at his skill level to deal with an armed opponent. Even Masuyo was no so daring, being much more comfortable having a blade of her own to parry with. Crossing one leg over her leg Masuyo spectated the match keeping a sharp eye on the two fighting. If anything that would endanger one of the two arise she would step in swiftly.

Jinn calmly stood there staring straight at Taichi. He saw the kunai in Taichi's left hand. Jinn just kept smiling though. When Taichi threw the shuriken Jinn jumped backward quickly by simply extending his legs. The jump backward would give Jinn more time to look around and think. He Looks over the shuriken to see Taichi already coming towards him. Jinn would change his hand and moves the towards the right side of his face making the blade point forwards at eye height of Jinn. His right hand gripping more loose on his holt so he could turn his arm making sure his elbow was pointing backwards and not up. Jinn lands on the ground and Jinn drops himself on his right knee to make sure the shuriken would go under him. The moment Taichi would come within reach of Jinn's sword. His hand shoot forwards with the blade gliding under the shuriken. He aimed to stab Taichi straight towards his chest when he rushed towards him. If Taichi would keep rushing towards Jinn he would be punctured by his sword.

Taichi had continued to rush towards Jinn when he saw that he was ready to strike Taichi, however... instead of attempting to block it with his kunai, he let the sword get in range to puncture through his chest, as soon as it collided with his chest however a cloud of white entirely covers where Taichi was, as soon as the cloud were to clear it would show a block of wood, Taichi in the confusion went underground using Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation, the hole that he entered underground with gets covered, Taichi expected that it would look like he completely disappeared in-front of Jinn's eyes when he used the Body Replacement Technique.

Taichi placed his kunai back into his left leg holster and he would start digging underground towards where Jinn was, hoping to take him by surprise. Taichi then started to go up, suddenly jumping out of the ground from a hole and aiming a Rising Knee towards Jinn's back, if Jinn were to suddenly turn around somehow and get a swing in, Taichi would attempt to jump back or attempt to dodge the swing.

When he noticed Taichi running straight into his sword he was thinking this was either a trap or a suicide attempt of him. Soo Jinn went full power into the stab. The moment he saw Taichi go up in smoke Jinn pushed himself forwards with his left foot that was standing in front. He leaped a bit through the having his body horizontal. He twisted his body a bit while his right hand let go of the sword. His right hand would reach towards his right hip pouch. Jinn lands on his left and rolls on the ground while he took 2 shurikens out of his right hip pouch. Jinn uses the roll to get back on his feet as quickly as possible. He kept standing with on his left foot and right knee again just like before the leaped. He was only turned 180 degrees now and having 2 shurikens in his hand. When Taichi would leap out of the ground Jinn would quickly throw the 2 shurikens straight towards him with his right hand. He aimed both shurikens at the center of Taichi's chest.

Taichi had attempted to get the drop on Jinn from the surprise attack from where he thought he was, but it turns out he's a fair distance behind him and with shuriken headed Taichi's way. Despite Taichi's speed, it seems he won't be able to jump or run out of this one. He thought he was about to be seriously hurt until the shuriken did hit him, but after just slightly poking him they just fell down to the ground. He had a confused look, "What?" he then looked over to Jinn and then back down at the shuriken, crouching down to get a feel for them... they definitely were real, so why didn't they hurt him? unless... it seems his strength wasn't that good if the shuriken could barely pierce him. "Damn... if he was stronger, I could've gotten seriously hurt." That was a very reckless move on Taichi's part to go on the offensive like that, it seems the lesson was learned.

Taichi had to plan this next move carefully... that sword of his is troublesome, so close-range isn't an option if he could help it. He brought back up the two shurikens that were thrown his way from before. He then threw a shuriken at Jinn's lower body, expecting him to jump in the air with both of his legs like earlier, he would then attempt to throw another shuriken at his upper body while he's in the air if that was the case, otherwise if he would to attempt to sidestep to either side, he would throw the other shuriken to where he would retreat to dodge the first initial shuriken.

Menza, Nee-san's aide, would run towards Masuyo. He had been given explicit instructions to to alert Masuyo of a certain contingency after his master had departed. The aide would hand Masuyo a slip of paper, bow, and excuse himself. The note read:

Spoiler:

Nee-san had not heard from an prospective interest of his in awhile and he wanted him brought in for questioning as to why he had been so inactive lately.

Masuyo observed the spar between her two new Genin. This exercise was to let her witness the two's potential from a third-eye perspective. She would be able to tell where they needed work, and try to correct their mistakes through a lecture. As the battle unfolded before her eyes she picked out the sound of approaching footsteps which alerted the Jounin to casually turn over her shoulder. Without a word he extended his hand with a small parchment note, sealed with red wax pressed with an engraved ring. The aide would bow and take off in the same direction he came in. Masuyo glanced at the fight and scanned her surroundings ensuring it was secure before breaking the seal. Pulling out a small slip of paper she would read the details. Rivu abandoning his duties? That's a pathetic reason to end up in custody. Peering at the note she surged a small amount of chakra, which was enough to combust the note and letter it came in. Masuyo lifted her head seeing as the spar was still ongoing. The Tsuchikage's orders were inconvenient, but she had to make time for them as she had no other choice.

Crossing her index and middle fingers she would summon a single shadow clone by her side. Hopping off the raised section of earth she sat upon the clone would take her place. Masuyo would do this without gesturing or saying a word to her Genin. Her Shadow Clone would overlook the two Genin for now as Masuyo went off to collect the bounty.

[Exit --> Xīn Zhuān General Hospital]

Jinn kept kneeled down while he watched Taichi getting hit by his shuriken. Jinn just smiled a bit like he did before they started the spar. He had his left foot still forwards while sitting on his right knee calmly while he noticed the kage entering for just a couple of seconds before leaving again. He didn't pay much attention to the kage though. When Taichi started to inspect the shuriken if they were real Jinn calmly changed the grip of his sword he was carrying in his left hand to a reverse grip. The blunt side would point towards his left lower arm.

Taichi threw a shuriken towards his left upper leg. Jinn didn't move much though. Jinn just kept kneeled down and moved his left arm in front of him. He twisted his sword a bit in his fingers so the flat side was facing his arm except the blunt side. He placed the tip of the sword on the ground right in front of his left foot and lined the sword up with the incoming shuriken making the shuriken hit the flat side of his blade. Jinn calmly kept smiling though. If Taichi would still intent to throw the second shuriken towards the same place Jinn wouldn't have to move to simply do the exact same thing wondering what Taichi would be planning to do.

After he saw Jinn easily block the shuriken with his sword's blunt side, he decided to stop on the second shuriken, as he believes he could just easily block the second one or just dodge out of the way with it, long-range tools aren't going to help currently. He started to do several hand seals, Ram, Snake then Tiger... then a white cloud entirely covered Taichi's body, then two clones of himself came out of the cloud, three of them are in a shoulder-to-shoulder line, the real Taichi being on the right, with the two clones following every movement of the original Taichi.

Taichi then brought out a kunai from his left leg holster, with the two other clones doing the same. Taichi then started to move closer to Jinn but he made sure not to turn or do any weird movements that would pick him out for being the real one. The clone line is currently a few meters from Jinn so they're not in range of his sword, then suddenly he started to pick up the pace and rush straight towards Jinn, regardless of what Jinn does with the two clones in the middle and left, as soon as Taichi got into range he suddenly turns to his left, the clones and Taichi then brought out a shuriken and threw it towards Jinn, though the middle and left one looks off Taichi would take advantage of the confusion to rush in on Jinn with his kunai, attempting to slash him.

When the shuriken went near Jinn and with the clones confusing him, Taichi had managed to lightly slash Jinn near the arm that wasn't wielding the sword, Taichi had a sudden surprised looked as he jumped back a few meters from Jinn after slashing him. "What? I actually landed a hit?" soon enough, the clones Taichi created had disappeared in a white cloud, Taichi was surprised because he had expected Jinn to somehow counter it after he countered everything else, and wasn't expecting a direct hit to actually land on Jinn.

Taichi should've continued with the offensive, but he looked over to Masuyo, their instructor. "Sorry... I feel like we've been fighting enough for now, should we end it there?" he asked her, he could've made the cut deeper back when he landed the hit but he didn't want to make a serious wound on Jinn