The Eyes Have It!

There was a calm breeze blowing through the village hidden in the leaves today, and Sera found herself humming while walking to her favorite training location. It wasn’t everyday that the weather was nice and she was able to practice whatever she wanted after all! When it was too windy it could be hard to train her archery and when it was too rainy it could be a little spooky to cast lightning techniques.  Although she was going to train, Sera was walking slowly as she finished braiding her long blonde hair. After fighting her clone she realized that having her hair out of her face was the way to go, but maybe a braid would make it look more cute?



Unfortunately the six foot wide bow that she had strapped to her back was making the braiding process a bit more difficult and it took until she had already walked into the training grounds for it to complete. There weren’t any mirrors around and she didn’t really want to create a shadow clone just to see her reflection so she would just have to trust that the braid came out okay. Sera began to stretch and prep for a productive day when she saw someone new enter the training facility! With a wide smile and a wave, Sera would shout out to the stranger.

“Heyo~ How’s it going?”

The day before had been so rough... Mud where it shouldn't be, almost getting caught undressed, digging headlong into a tree, etc.. Natsuki was, instead, looking forward to a nice and relaxing day just lounging in the sun, back to the basics before Tōri got in his head. He didn't see anyone as he walked in, but perhaps that was wishful thinking

“Heyo~ How’s it going?”

The chipper tone sank his heart as Natsuki stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned to face the girl that called out, one he didn't know. If he could muster it, he would have let out a sign of relief knowing that he has no social obligation to this perfect stranger. With a blink of his black eyes, he turned on his heels and started walking out as cooly as he walked in.

[Exit]

The member 'Natsuki Uchiha' has done the following action : Dice roll

---

'Bunny Arrival' :

The newcomer to the training grounds clearly saw Sera waving to him and in response, turned away and began to leave… Wait what? Tentatively, Sera raised her hand again and waved to get his attention. Maybe he just hadn’t seen her? No he definitely did! Furrowing her brow she lowered her hand and began to run over to the boy.

“Hey waaait! I’m friendly, I swear! Don’t leave!”

Sera pleaded a little more desperately than she meant to as she jogged over to the fleeing newcomer. It wasn’t that she was desperate for company. No, definitely not! The last two companions she had trained with were a clone of herself and a wooden training dummy she was this close to naming, but that was totally normal. After all, it wasn't everyday that a random person who looked your age came in and decided they also wanted to train. This was an opportunity she needed to strike on!



“My name is Sera. I was just about to start training, but there’s plenty of space for you as well! We could even train together!” She shook her head nervously as she tripped over the next words. “B-but we don’t have to! It was just a suggestion!”

Just keep moving, just keep moving...

“Hey waaait! I’m friendly, I swear! Don’t leave!”

Just keep moving, just keep moving!

He came to another stop, wide eyed and once again dumbfounded, as she ran in front of him.

“My name is Sera. I was just about to start training, but there’s plenty of space for you as well! We could even train together!” “B-but we don’t have to! It was just a suggestion!”

What's with this girl? She's talking a mile a minute... Still, if he'd learned anything in seeking out the quiet, it's that ignoring these types just makes them try harder. "Uh, I'm Natsuki," he said coyly, averting his gaze down to his feet- that is, until his eyes fell onto her bow. "But what would we even do, y'know? You've got that bow, I've got this katana..." He let his voice trail off, hoping to discourage the girl. Really though, what shinobi, even a genin, only has one thing?

The black eyed boy stopped trying to leave and introduced himself albeit quietly, as Natsuki. His body language indicated that he seemed to be a bit shy and reserved and without making eye contact, asked Sera what they would even do since they possessed different weapons.

Having overcome the first obstacle of just keeping Natsuki from leaving, a smile spread onto the blonde kunoichi’s face and she began to brainstorm. It wasn’t as if they needed to spar against each other or teach each other anything. The act of training was just working towards self improvement.

“Well, what did you come here to train? I’m not suggesting we spar or anything. Maybe we could show each other some techniques?” Sera eyed the sword that Natsuki carried and realized that she never really interacted with other swordsman often.

“I’d be interested in seeing some cool swordsman moves!” She turned and did a quick scan of the training grounds looking for something in particular. Once she found it, Sera would point to a large boulder with a hole through it that she had semi-destroyed previously. “If you have any ninjutsu specialties we could practice those too. Sometimes just having someone to watch or act as an idea bouncing board is helpful.”

She was good, she had expertly dashed several of Natsuki's defenses. The Walking Away jutsu was one of his most reliable, and even that did nothing. She had him trapped, socially.

“Well, what did you come here to train? I’m not suggesting we spar or anything. Maybe we could show each other some techniques?” “I’d be interested in seeing some cool swordsman moves!”

He barely had a chance to respond, only opening his mouth briefly as she turned. Even then, he didn't get a word out before she pointed towards the boulder he was planning to lounge within. “If you have any ninjutsu specialties we could practice those too. Sometimes just having someone to watch or act as an idea bouncing board is helpful.”

"Err... The katana?" Natsuki reached back and scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. Truth be told, I, uh... I, don't really know any moves. Why was he telling her this? He hadn't opened up about this to anyone... It's mostly for show... Or whittling... Or dog grooming... His face grew a bright red that would even the sharingan would envy.

“The katana is super cool!” Sera’s face lit up as she praised the shy shinobi’s choice in weapon. During the academy she had trained with kunai and shuriken along with her specialty of a bow, but never with a sword. “I’ve never used it before. I’d probably cut myself trying!” she laughed at the idea. It was really hard to shoot yourself while practicing with a bow, so it wasn’t something she really had to worry about when learning it.

In a quiet voice, Natsuki mentioned just using the sword for whittling or dog grooming, his face turning red as if he was embarrassed of such things! Sera’s brow furrowed as she responded to the boy, wagging her finger to emphasize her points. “That’s not something to be embarrassed about! Everyone has to start somewhere! Being able to practice holding a blade in a way that won’t cut yourself is valuable training!”

Sera gestured to Natsuki so that he would follow her back into the arena and she began to walk towards her favorite corner of wooden training dummies.

“These are my favorite dummies to train on. You can cut these guys up and they won’t even complain! Well, not much!” Sera chuckled at her own joke and would check and see if Natsuki was able to let his guard down at all. Training should be fun! Not something to stress about.

“The katana is super cool!” I’ve never used it before. I’d probably cut myself trying! That’s not something to be embarrassed about! Everyone has to start somewhere! Being able to practice holding a blade in a way that won’t cut yourself is valuable training!”

She had a way about her. While Natsuki typically responded negatively to someone trying to encourage him, she wasn't having that effect on him. "I suppose that's true," he started, a little more loudly now, as he felt compelled to follow her towards the training dummies. Genjutsu, perhaps? As she led him away, he shook away the thought.

“These are my favorite dummies to train on. You can cut these guys up and they won’t even complain! Well, not much!”

He looked to the training dummies, some with some serious damage inflicted upon him. How would Sera react to his utter unimpressiveness? Not well, he assumed... but, perhaps that would convince her that he's not worth her time? He let out a heavy sigh as he stepped towards one, and safely away from his new acquaintance. He unsheathed his katana and adopted a wide stance as he readied it firmly in front of him. Making a show of shimmying into a position, he tightened his grip and took a deep breath. He pulled the sword back, well over head and...

"Hyeah!" Natsuki shouted as he brought the katana down in an angled slice towards the base of the dummy's neck. With a thud unimpressive to even Natsuki, he held his stance and glanced towards the slight chip his blade now rested in. He froze in place, mortified.

Luckily, Natsuki’s walls seemed to come down a bit and he followed Sera back into the training grounds. When she showed him the corner of training dummies the swordsman seemed to agree with her idea and drew his blade. Sera watched the shy shinobi carefully prepare his stance, check his target, and then slice down with a single attack. The sword hit its mark, and cut into the neck of the wooden dummy successfully. A big smile burst onto the bubbly blonde’s face as she cheered him on.

“Nice! Excellent aiming!”

Not wanting to be outdone, Sera would pull her massive bow off her back and knock an arrow. As she pulled back the string, the bow would greedily absorb some of her chakra as a type of payment for the tool’s amazing abilities. It wasn’t the most comfortable feeling in the world, but she had gotten used to it after much practice. She unleashed the arrow towards a training dummy about 10 meters away from Natsuki and shot it right in the left shoulder.

“I’ve been trying to practice non-lethal shots. I pride myself on hunting animals for survival, but I don’t feel quite comfortable killing any people just yet.” Sera’s face fell into one of contemplation as she walked up and retrieved her fired arrow.

“Nice! Excellent aiming!”

Natsuki untensed his shoulders at her words. Sure, the power behind his blows left much to be desired, but she was right... He did the target where he wanted to. Huh, I guess she's right... He pulled his sword back, letting it fall to the height of his hips as he turned to watch Sera. It looked ridiculous on her back, but the scale of the bow was all the more apparent as she wielded it. All the same, however, she pulled the string back and let loose an arrow with astonishing speed that stuck fast into a dummy's shoulder.

“I’ve been trying to practice non-lethal shots. I pride myself on hunting animals for survival, but I don’t feel quite comfortable killing any people just yet.” That's where she was aiming?!

A simple "damn," escaped him involuntarily. "I mean, uh, well I'm impressed," He started, still trying to calm his nerves. "To be honest, I expected to see you struggle more with that thing, heheh,

Sera chuckled as Natsuki commented on her wielding the gigantic bow. It was true that it looked a bit silly, but lucky for her, the hardest part about wielding it was literally just carrying it around. She hoped one day she’d be able to keep it sealed away and pull it out when she needed it, but that was a plan for the future. As if she were at a show-and-tell presentation, Sera would hold the bow out and explain how it worked. Or at least how she interpreted it.

“I used pretty much my life savings to buy this guy and it's still a bit new to me. It uses my chakra to fuel the shots so that I don’t need to work as hard to pull back the string.” She put the bow back on her back and flexed a bicep jokingly.

“I was never one to get all muscly and ripped, so this was a no brainer for me the minute I saw it was an option.”

Eyeing Natsuki’s blade, Sera would point her finger at it inquisitively. “What made you decide to pick up the blade? You from a family of dog groomers or something?” Sera chuckled as she poked a bit of fun at him.

“I used pretty much my life savings to buy this guy..." Natsuki's eyes flared in brief surprise. She spent her life savings on a piece of equipment?! For one who works just enough to get by and enjoy himself, the concept of spending so much on something that was basically "for work" tantamount to insanity. "...and it's still a bit new to me. It uses my chakra to fuel the shots so that I don’t need to work as hard to pull back the string.”

“I was never one to get all muscly and ripped, so this was a no brainer for me the minute I saw it was an option.”

Natsuki chuckled too, letting his guard down further as he watched her flex. "Hah, well we're not in dissimilar boats at the moment, it seems," he joked as he flexed his free arm. He felt his face grow warm, blushing with a fleeting embarrassment at what he had just done.

“What made you decide to pick up the blade? You from a family of dog groomers or something?”

There was always a moment of relief that washed over Natsuki when someone didn't recognize him for his clan- the expectations were always so annoying to deal with. At the comment, though, he couldn't help but chuckle once more. "Hah, no no, that was just a joke, mostly. The mission board is filled with all kinds of shenanigans, y'know?" While the subject of this blade wasn't the most comfortable story, he saw no harm in skirting around the issue. "No, this katana is something of a 'gift' from my mother... She's a shinobi too, and this was hers when she graduated from the academy." He'd stop there, the idea that he never really "decided to pick up the blade" for himself weighing on him.

Quickly changing the subject, he brought the katana upright in front of him, eyeing it closely as he rotated the blade. "Mine's just a hunk a'steel, I don't think it's got anything to do with chakra."

The dark haired boy seemed to be opening up a little more to Sera and the idea of getting a new friend made her chest swell with joy. He matched her pace and flexed his own arm showcasing an equally average level of muscle as her. When asked about his origin he seemed to sink back into himself a bit more, but he responded nonetheless. It seemed that the blade he had was an heirloom of sorts, and although it didn't have any special properties, it had a different kind of value to the boy. He then brought up that the sword didn’t have any special techniques or abilities and wasn’t connected to chakra at all.

The blonde kunoichi’s eyebrows raised in excitement as she began to propose an idea for the boy. “Why don’t you use chakra flow on your blade? That’ll increase the cutting power and add some extra ‘oomph’ to your slices” Sera stood to Natsuki’s side and mimicked his stance, picking up a stick in place of a sword. “I’ve never done it myself, but you should be able to just use your blade as an extension of yourself and push the chakra into it.”

“Why don’t you use chakra flow on your blade? That’ll increase the cutting power and add some extra ‘oomph’ to your slices”

"Eh? 'Chakra flow?'" Natsuki asked, looking to her and raising just one of his eyebrows to Sera's two. "I guess it'd be no different to funneling chakra into the earth, I just never considered myself a 'sword-release' kinda guy..."

She picked up a stick and he wondered, if she might have been a Senju just like Tōri. “I’ve never done it myself, but you should be able to just use your blade as an extension of yourself and push the chakra into it.”

He waited, watching the stick intently for any sign of manipulation. A palpable pause passed until he looked at his sword intently. "Right, okay; chakra!" He shimmied once more into a pre-swing readied stance. I raised mountains the other day, this should actually be cake... But nothing... He furrowed his brow, coaxing the chakra through his arms and into his blade. A slight flicker of chakra appeared along the blade, but quickly dissipated. "Eh?"

"Umm... hmm, let me try this..." He had recently learned to manipulate certain earth jutsu by sending chakra through his arms. If he did that, while it'd have a certain earthen flavor, it just might come more naturally. And indeed, it did. In a moment, as if he knew how to do it already, Natsuki's blade suddenly darkened into a deep black.

He relaxed his stance, once more bringing the blade close to his face to inspect it. "Umm, is that what it's supposed to do?"

[Learned Jutsu]
Chakra Flow (Earth) - C rank (217/150 words) - 3 CP

CP: 47/50

After a bit of quiet experimentation, Natsuki’s sword changed color and visible chakra could be seen emanating from it. With a surprised look on his face he had asked Sera if this was normal, but she had no idea. Sera raised her eyebrows in confusion and gave shrug in response.

“I dunno! I’ve never been able to do it myself. I think it's more of a swordsman thing. It looks right though. Maybe try and cut something again?” Sera looked over at the wooden dummy that Natsuki had sliced just moments ago and gave a small smile. She didn’t want to add extra pressure by saying anything, but she was certain he’d be able to make even more of an impact now.

If he decided to attack the dummy, afterwards Sera would remark on something Natsuki said earlier. “You mentioned funneling chakra into the earth earlier. Is that a specialty of yours? Mine is lightning.”

“I dunno! I’ve never been able to do it myself. I think it's more of a swordsman thing. It looks right though. Maybe try and cut something again?”

"Mm, that's a good idea," Natsuki nodded in agreement and turned back towards the dummy. He readied himself, and aimed his strike once again. As he swung, his eyes flared in surprise at just how well this blackened sword cut through the air. Even as it collided with the wood, the cutting power was so much more intense, like it was a sword unlike any other.

While it didn't cut through entirely, the cut was magnitudes deeper than before. Once again, he froze in place, but this time in awe at what he had accomplished with what seemed like so little effort.

“You mentioned funneling chakra into the earth earlier. Is that a specialty of yours? Mine is lightning.”

"Uh, yeah!" Natsuki snapped out of it at the mention of her lightning prowess. Pulling hard, he ripped the sword from the dummy and returned his gaze to Sera. "Lightning, huh? That makes you pretty good against me, yeah? That's what Tōri told me, anyway.!"

[Used Jutsu]
Chakra Flow (Earth) - C rank - 3 CP

CP: 44/50

With the newly darkened blade, Natsuki was able to more successfully slice through the dummy than before. The boy looked surprised at the effectiveness of the strike and it warmed Sera’s heart to think that maybe his self confidence grew a little bit too. Baby steps you know?

Answering her question about his elemental affinity, Natsuki had confirmed that he used earth, also mentioning the elemental comparison to lightning that Tori had also told Sera about. She smiled at this and responded with her experience.

“I’ve definitely found lightning to tear down earth defenses pretty well. I’ve heard that my big weakness is wind techniques, but I haven’t really run into any yet. I’m trying to stay vigilant without being paranoid though. Does that make sense?” Sera put her finger to her chin quizzically as she talked aloud. “I know we don’t really have a say on if we awaken to another element or not, but is there one that you wish you got next?”

“I’ve definitely found lightning to tear down earth defenses pretty well. I’ve heard that my big weakness is wind techniques, but I haven’t really run into any yet. I’m trying to stay vigilant without being paranoid though. Does that make sense?”

Natsuki gulped as he heard this, his blade returning to normal. He might not have been paranoid before, but he never really thought about how lightning might be a bad match up. "Yeah, yeah," he started with a nervous chuckle. "What good is being paranoid?"

“I know we don’t really have a say on if we awaken to another element or not, but is there one that you wish you got next?”

"Oh, umm... Hmm, I guess I've never thought about it before." he hadn't. Why would he? Earth release gives him everything he needs, and what would the others give him? Once again, his mind went back to Tōri and he made a pool using water and earth together. "Maybe water? I don't know, that's just a guess, really..."

"But what you were saying about earth defenses before... Would you mind showing me? With a few quick seals on his free hand, he slammed that palm to the ground before a crude rectangular wall lifted upright. "I've never seen lightning and earth interact."

"If you don't mind, of course!" He quickly added.

[Used Jutsu]
Earth Release: Earth Shore Return - C rank - 5 CP

CP: 39/50

Natsuki responded that he would probably want water as his next element, but hadn't thought about it that much. Sera understood the sentiment behind that. It would be a little disappointing if you built something up in your head for it to not come true; especially something so out of your control. “That makes sense, I try not to think about it too much, but I think water would be cool for me as well. It seems like it would pair well with the electricity.” she pondered.

Interested in the different ways the elements reacted, Natsuki would create an earth wall and propose that Sera try to destroy it with lightning. “Yeah that sounds good! You should definitely step back though, don’t want you to get hit with any stray rubble or whatnot.” Once Natsuki had sufficiently back away from the wall, Sera would form handseals and begin her technique, explaining her move as she did so.

“I’m going to hit your wall with what I hope is the same level of technique. In theory, because lightning has an advantage on earth, it should break through anyways.”

Sera would then unleash her technique; lightning discharging from their body and forming into the shape of a serpent. The snake-like lightning bolt would strike forwards aiming to obliterate the earth wall.

-------------
Chakra points:
102/110 (removed 5 extra from my earlier bow shot I didn't account for)

Techniques Used:

Lightning Release: Snake Thunder (C rank) - 3 CP

Spoiler:

“That makes sense, I try not to think about it too much, but I think water would be cool for me as well. It seems like it would pair well with the electricity.” Natsuki nodded, not even having considered how the elements might pair in a combat sense. That's so embarassing... That the only thing I thought of was making a fucking pool...

Still, she expressed in interest in testing out the relationship between their elements and so he gave his wall a wide berth.

“I’m going to hit your wall with what I hope is the same level of technique. In theory, because lightning has an advantage on earth, it should break through anyways.”

This technique was a sight to behold; lightning in the shape of a snake, and shooting as precisely as her arrow. Still, he had high hopes for his wall. They were the same rank, right? It couldn't be that ba- With a loud crash, the wall was shattered. All that remained were the irregular thuds of rock falling back to the earth. Natsuki's jaw dropped, he thought it would at least put up some amount of resistance.

"Wait, what about this!" He was desperate now. That wall was just a dainty little privacy wall, he needed something with more heft. He wove more seals and, in a matter of moments, another wall lifted out of the earth up behind Natsuki. It stood easily five times taller than the one before, magnitudes thicker, and unbelievably dense. He surprised himself with how little effort this attempt took, compared to the first, but he still felt so winded.

"Heh," he panted, as he moved to stand by Sera's side. "Just try, heh, to take that down!" He was confident that this was the ace up his sleeve, nothing so chakra intensive could fall so easily!

[Used Jutsu]
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall - B rank - 10 CP

CP: 29/50

Getting more and more excited about showcasing techniques, Natsuki went out of his way and created an even larger sturdier earth wall. Sera experienced several emotions at once, led by the awe of this incredible jutsu. She pumped her fist in excitement and her volume started to raise without her noticing.

“That’s SO cool!” she nearly shouted. “You know I’ve seen earth used in some crazy ways, but it never fails to astound me that you can just ‘create’ things!”

Sera smiled at Natsuki and backed up a few meters before she began to form new hand signs. Although he didn’t know it yet, Natsuki had inadvertently started training with her. It was nice to have someone to practice with. Probably better for the ol’ mental health too.

She was torn between wanting to show off with her most powerful technique or to try and match her technique with the wall. The main problem was that she had no idea how powerful this wall technique was. All out it was.

“Better stand back Natsuki, I’m going all out on this one!”

Lightning pulsed through her body and focused up into her head before exploding into a beam as she opened her mouth. The lightning beam would pierce right through the rock wall and more than likely singe a spot on the other side.

“That’s the best I’ve got right now. What’d you think?”

—--------------------
Chakra Points:
97/110 CP

Techniques Used:
Lightning Release: False Darkness (Beam variant): B rank technique, A rank power. (-5 CP)

Spoiler:

“That’s SO cool!” “You know I’ve seen earth used in some crazy ways, but it never fails to astound me that you can just ‘create’ things!”

"Huh, I guess you're right!" He said, his smile so wide that his eyes closed. He chuckled slightly as he reached up and scratched the back of his head. It was an aspect of earth release that he took for granted. If he were a lightning user, for instance, how would he build impromptu shade?

Still, nothing what followed was something amazing in its own right.

“Better stand back Natsuki, I’m going all out on this one!”

Natsuki watched eagerly, taking only one step back. Not far enough. As soon as the technique blasted from her mouth, the brilliant light spooked the young Uchiha back into a familiar position- flat on his ass. It was over just as suddenly at it started, and he stared over towards his most powerful jutsu. It was still standing... but with a gaping hole through its heart like it was made of nothing. The boy scrambled upright and approached the singed edges of the stone, staring at yet more devastation on the other side as well.

“That’s the best I’ve got right now. What’d you think?”

"I think that was... INCREDIBLE!" There was a hint of dread that the best he could do was no stronger than wet paper, but his excitement prevailed as he jumped with a fist to the air. Could he, eventually, be capable of such amazing feats? The moment was so intense, he hardly had the focus to wonder why- why was he suddenly so inspired?

"One day, I'll make a wall you can't penetrate, just you wait!"

Sera had been worried that Natsuki would be disheartened by her attack, but pleasantly the opposite happened instead. The attack had knocked the boy over, but he jumped up with renewed energy exclaiming about the wonder of what happened. Seeming to be inspired by this collision of techniques, he made a proclamation that he would make a wall that even Sera couldn’t destroy. With an innocent smile she would respond; “Well, then I’ll just have to make a technique that can destroy it!” She pumped her arm in excitement, her whole body radiating with refreshed energy.



It was really fun having someone to test the power of her techniques on. Using her bow it felt like there was a lot of potential to hurt someone, but having a friend and training partner that could create walls was incredibly helpful. She was glad that she had been able to stop Natsuki from leaving the training grounds early. A new rival and friend built into one!

“How are your chakra levels? If you’re not used to making huge techniques like yours it can sneak up on you!” she checked in with the young swordsman.

“Well, then I’ll just have to make a technique that can destroy it!”

A resolve he had never felt before welled up inside the young Screw Up of the Uchiha. "You're on!" Was this a friendly rivalry that he had happened to fall into? Perhaps even a friendship? He had spent so many years just toiling away, and he was truly content to do so for the rest of his life, but had they been wasted? Even if so, Natsuki felt no despair in this moment- only excitement and joy.

On that note, however...

“How are your chakra levels? If you’re not used to making huge techniques like yours it can sneak up on you!”

"Heh, yeah, he chuckled bashfully. He was about as drained as he was when he learned those techniques with Tōri. Like so many other changes, he'd never given it quite this much on training of all things. It usually took hunting for the perfect chilling spot or escaping embarrassment to coax him into this much effort. "If I'm honest, I'm pretty beat... I guess I'll have to work on my chakra reserves, heheh!" Again, he chuckled, he could hardly believe what he was saying. "Working on" himself? That was hardly something he'd expect to want to do.

"I think I should head out, got some plans with the clan, y'know? But it really was incredible to meet you, Sera! And I hope to see you again soon. He smiled widely at her before taking a slight bow. Immediately, though, his face went hot again. Why the fuck am I bowing?! He turned completely on his heels before righting himself and walking away, not wanting her to see him blush again.