Sparrow training

Tadara had been assigned a task again. It seemed his skills outside the medical field has some interest to some higher ups. The revelation that he had been Chens personal black ops assassin had drawn attention to him. Much to his chagrin. He had hoped to fly under the radar for some time yet. However they wanted him to train a couple of recruits in the stealth and infiltration arts. Personally he didn't see the point. He was an oddity when it came to these shinobi. In truth they were more like walking anti personnel turrets. Often choosing a straight up fight in the open over the more delicate approaches. It was true most of them who could utilize chakra were more capable than anyone who could not. It was not to be taken lightly however that even a child with a kitchen knife held some danger to them. However that was more effective against soft targets. Easy to approach and overcome. Hard targets usually had guards who could utilize chakra as well. He had never really come across one on par with him however. His unique skill set created a safe space to operate within. Given his range of attack remotely.

Still he had been highly successful so he would need to assess one of these potential future anbu and see about how to mold them to be a better build for hard targets. So he had studied the file on Vax Kazehana. A young man who had been forced into a highly abusive situation from a young age. Trauma had led to a great deal of time spent in the hospital. Vaguely Tadara recalled preforming some surgery. Deep wounds still held scars as he had not been asked to remove them. However given the treatments Vax had remained fully mobile. His mental damage however was not part of Tadara's expertise. He held little value for broken minds. Nor did he see value in fixing them. However Vax did display a strong sense of justice according to his file. Eager to eliminate enemies of the state. Beyond that it appeared he had unlocked the potential in the Kazehana blood. Tadara didn't much care for sand but he saw the value in the ability. It was a highly flexible attack and defense method. Though his experience with it was purely through Shigo. If he valued Suna as highly as she did he may be trouble if Tadara's crimes had come to light.

Still Tadara had sent orders out for the genin to be present for training at the stone yard at zero eight hundred hours. He was to bring any and all his gear for assessment and they would proceed from there. He was instructed to bathe but use no soap or any perfume. He was also instructed to make sure to wear clothes with no scent as well. Tadara had done much the same every morning. Still he would stand present on top of a large stone. His stance at attention as he held his hands behind himself in the small of his back. Amber eyes would regard those training further into the stone yard. They had been informed they needed to leave for their own safety but as of yet they had ignored him. As such they would become part of the exam. He held little value to their lives but they might add value to the exam. Tadara himself had red hair and a suit on. Black slacks with a red lab coat lined with fur inside. Black dress shoes modified with grip focused soles adorned his feet. A white button up and a red tie were kept clean pressed by buttoning into the shirt. The air in the mountains in the early morning was brisk however. His expressionless face would match his empty eyes as he waited. The steady occasional puff of steam exiting his mouth as he breathed.

Vax looked in to the mirror eyeing himself up and down. His fingers traced the scars on his arms and face as his mind wondered. He had been summoned by the same doctor who had helped fix him up when he first arrived to Iwa. Of course he did not remember much from that time, dehydration and the pain of his wounds fogged his memories from the time between him being liberated and being brought to Iwa. He felt the tips of his fingers move from scar tissue to normal flesh bringing him back to reality.

Vax did not know what Tadara wanted nor did it matter. He had been summoned by a higher member of the village and would not be late. His rag tag assortment of clothes did not match with brown and blue pants clashing with his brown and red top. his drown hair stood straight up like it always did making it easier to tie his headband around his forehead. He made sure his sandals were strapped tight before heading out the door.

He knew the way to the stone yard from his accidental meeting with Shigo a few days ago. He had been disappointed she did not recognize him. Of course he never should have expected her to from how long it had been. The fact of the matter was he now knew he was not alone anymore. Vax turned the corner quickly looking up to see a man standing on one of the boulders.

"Are you Tadara Sensei?" Vax asked.

Tadara would glance down as the young man approached. His honey eyes shifting with minimal movement from himself. Something in those eyes was empty. Like endless pools lacking human empathy. He was not a kind person by any means nor meaninglessly cruel. Instead he was a being driven by sheer purpose. Those eyes would seem to calculate everything before them. Observing and analyzing as if the world around him was no more than an equation. However much it seemed to shift he kept tabs on it. The lack of emotion had served him well in his work as both an assassin and a surgeon. Precision without distraction. People confused so many things with the unnecessary. From where he was he had and idea of the entire training grounds and where the boy stood. However from what he could tell the young man was not armed. A pity given the nature of the training. However he had prepared for this eventuality. He would shift his face as the shadows seemed to stretch over it. Only leaving those empty pools for eyes staring down at the young man. He seemed so unassuming standing up there but those who knew...well they wouldn't let their guard down.

"I am Doctor Kamizuru. Special jounin of Iwagakure. I have been tasked with some specialized training for you. Often shinobi are too direct in their methods. Choosing frontal assault tactics consistently. However I specialize in your typical shinobi definition approach. Stealth and precision are far more useful tools. This training will focus on both."

With that Tadara would lift a hand. With the back of the hand facing the young man. With a flick of his wrist his hand would shift before a kunai would fly down and bury in front of Vax. The kunai was the basic model without much in the way of looks. He had collected it from the training grounds. It was worn and a little rusted but superior to being unarmed. Still the monotone voice and empty gaze were far to unsettling for most. He would return his hand to his side and back into his pants pockets like his other hand. Speaking up once more.

"Somewhere behind me I have had a creature collected known as the invincible Imotabi. A type of cougar that is covered in hardened scales. It has one weak spot under the jaw above the throat. It is known as invincible because it is resistant to chakra based attacks and will defend its soft point. The only way to take down this creature is with a precise attack to the soft point. However if it detects you it will again protect against such attacks. I should also mention it is a hunter by nature. As such it will be difficult to remain undetected and it will hunt down the nearest prey. Such as others here at the training grounds. I am about to loose such a creature against you. Trial by fire as they say. Speak now if you are unprepared for the encounter or the experiment will begin."

Vax stood there listening to Tadara explain why he was there. Vax was a little confused wondering what special skills he had to offer in the terms of stealth. Tadara tossed a kunai landing before Vax with a dull thud. Did he expect Vax to pick up the weapon and attack him? His thought was dashed as Tadara spoke of a beast that would soon be hunting him looking to end his life. He felt no fear at the prospect, Vax had long ago disregarded the fear of death. His time with the Devil's Advocates had him wishing for death on a daily basis.

"If i am to kill this beast with skill i have at hand then i shall wait and embrace death. It has been a few years since i have seen them sir." Vax stated as he sat down on the ground.

As he sat on the ground legs crossed he moved his arms as if to fold them across his chest. In that moment his sand rolled over the kunai burying it. As little as he feared the possibility of death he was not ready to go out as a meal to some beast. If that was his path he would have been made some pack of wolves of mountain lions dinner in the three years before he made it to Iwa. His sand subtly shifted around him settling in to almost a moat separating him with a good one meter ring around him. He could feel the kunai being moved through the sand waiting for the opportunity to be used.

"I suggest sir we get this over with, I'm sure it is hungry and I do not like to wait for meals. I'm sure it does not either." Vax casually stated.

Tadara would watch as the boy remained calm and buried the kunai. Utilizing himself as bait was clever enough. A lot of creatures humans included fell for direct tricks. However there was a downside to it. Tadara would watch quietly a moment. No expressions showing through his eyes or face as to what he thought of the choice. He had provided the young man with insignificant gear against a greater opponent than he had likely faced. He had survived harrowing things. Torment from humans and lesser beasts left and right. Statistically low threat creatures. To be expected for a child to survive against. It held a benefit however as death did not sway the decision making as much. Approached without fear the concept of death could be avoided rather easily. It allowed for calm and collective thinking. However Tadara wondered if he could remain calm. People referred to something he had never experienced personally called trauma. An overreaction he found common in his fellow beings. In his studies he had found it to be debilitating to the more extreme cases. However for the time being he would simply observe the interaction. A couple of bee's escaping his sleeves before heading to go an release the beast.

Tadara himself would fold his hands behind his back. Amber eyes watching as they seemed to glow a moment while he preformed the required seals behind his back. From his feet up he would seem to fade right before the kids eyes. The light reflecting off him to hide his presence. The hiding in camouflage technique in full play as he moved to another vantage point. Interested in watching the interaction from above. The data he would collect from this experiment could prove worthwhile. Also perhaps allowing him to prepare for the inevitable with Shigo in the future. Still he would hear the cage door drop in the distance. The heavy Iron clanging as the rope was undone. He knew the beast was coming but personally had no fear of it. Still after a minute the sound of heavy animal breathing would be heard. It had come across the young mans scent and soon appeared around the far corner. A red scaled mountain lion by the looks of it with pearl white eyes. It would growl at the young man. Feeling uneasy at him enough to slowly start to pace around it's prey and studying it. It was hungry but there was a threat present. So it was being cautious and circling the oddly calm human.

Vax sat eyes closed listening to the space around him. His sand hand started to spread from one meter to thin itself out stretching itself thin in a circle around him. The thick circle had become almost invisible as it made a diameter of ten meters. Only a ring of sand still one meter out was visible leaving enough space for the kunai to circle him its exact area unknown. He heard the birds flutter away as the beast was released from its cage. The area became silent as he waited listening for any sounds giving way the position.

The silence seemed to take ages before a bush rustled the great cat making its way into the stone yard. His breath shook not from fear but anticipation. He reached out feeling every grain of sand he could waiting for the moment to strike. He could hear it breathing as he kept his eyes shut tight feeling through the sand more than anything. Here and there he could feel the random paw falls as it made its way around him occasionally stepping into his sand circle. Just a little more time was needed, if he sprung the trap to soon then he would miss for sure and be killed. To late and he would be dead before he could open his eyes.

Tadara would observe hidden from view. Todays subject was a fairly direct individual. Not having taken to stealth for the mission necessarily but a different route to achieve the same goal. In this case an animal however instinctual and wary had little chance against a hidden attack. There were instances of assassins who would blend into a crowd or the environment in order to get close to a target. However luring a target to you was allowing you to have the prepared space you desired. it wasn't always so easily achieved. However in this case he had the majority of the creatures attention. it would sniff the air to smell for anyone else nearby. Seemingly satisfied that this meal was alone. Yet it did not flee or fight. It simply sat where it was. Yet the creatures instincts were telling it this was dangerous. It would snarl and smack at the sand with its paw cautiously. Uncertain as to the nature of its fear. Calculating it as irrational after a minute and giving into the sheer hunger of the moment. It's eyes would narrow as it bared its fangs in a low snarl before launching forward directly at its prey from behind. The most advantageous spot for it.

However with knowledge of its weakness and the prepared hidden blade it would be easily dealt with even for a genin. If Vax did as he had prepared to do the blade would catch in the animals throat in the soft spot as it shot up out of the sand. Sending its launch into a sliding hurdle to the side. It would shift and twitch as its blood slowly drained out of its neck. Shallow but effective as such a dull blade could be. As it did as if he materialized out of the air next to it Tadara would appear as he dropped the hiding in camouflage technique. His honey colored eyes looking down at the beast as it struggled weakly while bleeding out. Yet he did not seem to relish in its pain or regret its death. He did not even offer it mercy as it drowned in its own blood. Instead he would shift his gaze back to Vax. Studying him once more. Speaking in plain voice. His face consistently blank for every word he spoke.

"One method to eliminate a target is called a lure. Which you just pulled off. This style has roughly a sixty percent success rate. Giving you lay of the land and prep time for whatever may occur. However this method is usually considered suicidal if you yourself are said bait. A target believes more often than not what their eyes tell them. There is a low ranked genjutsu that allows you to create an illusion. Utilizing an illusion in your place raises your survival rate substantially."

Vax sighed in relief as his plan worked. The kunai lay buried deep within the neck of the great beast as it lay behind him dead. He stood and brushed the dust and excess sand from his clothes listening to Tadara. He understood that he had been reckless using himself as bait however he could only shake his head at the idea of using Genjutsu.

"I am sorry sir I do not have the aptitude for Genjutsu, only my hands and my sand." His voice was short feeling frustration within himself.

Tadara would watch quietly from where he stood. The blood of the beast seeping into the sand under it as he listened to the young mans explanation. Much like the others of his clan he relied on close combat and his sand. The bloodline was more potent than that of course. Yet the three he had met were lacking. One was even a drunkard. However that did not disable them from working towards being an ANBU. Like himself they held hidden potential most did not see on the surface. Already he had learned a valuable lesson on targeting vitals. However Tadara would ignore the body for the time being. Finding the living more useful. He would examine the creature later and see if there was anything that could be harvested from it chemically. Some hint at how it resisted jutsu. However even a tank of a beast like that one had been taken down rather easily by a surprise attack. Being able to strike from concealment was important too. Still Tadara would have some interest in taijutsu. Should his plans fail and he were engaged in close combat....He could not overstate his weaknesses if he were to try and be prepared for them. Shigo had already almost caught him lacking.

"A lack of aptitude can be overcome. Even the most basic of genjutsu can be useful to snare an enemy in a trap. However data does show the more successful special operatives are capable in close quarters combat. I myself am more of a data analyst. That said I wish to see this aptitude for your hands and your sand. I am a med nin so no need to hold back. I can heal any injury that happens to either of us. Engage me when ready. "

Closing thread
5 x 15 = 75