Training in a heated room

Kuro grinned widely at his fellow village members. He noticed that Mugen didn't have a headband. "All right let's do this,  Mugen you're with me and we're gonna try to beat Kiru!" Kuro grapped his last jug and tossed it so it splattered on the far wall from the door, immediatly performing his hand seals for the last time this day. The water quickly evaporated once more and filled the majority of the room, seven foot high and about three feet for each wall didn't have mist in it. Kuro grabbed Mugen and dragged him into the deepest part of the mist. He whispered into his ear, "All right, don't worry, I have a plan. Just brace yourself, he's probably gonna clear the fog again. Just stand your ground then try and distract him all right? I'll give ya a cookie tomorrow." Without waiting for a response Kuro moved out of sight and melted into a puddle, spreading himself out so he was thin and hard to notice, even without the fog. 

(WC 172)

Kiru could have blown the mist away, but he felt like it had been put up so he could do just that. Maybe he was over thinking their intelligence, but he wanted to believe in them. He would simply stay where he was and prepare for an attack, from whatever direction it may come.

Mugen was startled once mist suddenly filled the room, and the feeling only increased the moment someone grabbed him and pulled him deeper into the mist. The urge to cry out from the shock was a strong one, but he managed to suppress the feeling and allowed himself to be dragged. They had abruptly stopped in an area where the mist was very thick, obscuring everything from the poor boy's view. He barely managed to keep track of Kiru's last location but didn't hear the man's footsteps. That meant the chuunin hadn't moved from his position. Relief ran throughout his body at this discovery. There was an actual chance of them landing a successful attack, a very small one at that. If Kiru hadn't moved, then Kuro must have been the one that dragged him into the mist.

Kuro's hushed voice reached his ears and he proceeded to listen to the "plan." It wouldn't be such a bad idea...if he hadn't left Mugen to fend for himself. Despite not knowing how strong Kuro was, the boy knew of his own strength. He knew his own strength wasn't on par with their opponent.

"Hey, I don't think you should just-" he hastily began to whisper back, but Kuro had already turned into a puddle and left him. This was great, just great. The snow haired child released a sigh and racked his brain for what he could possibly do. His sharingan would be ineffective in the mist, considering it was most likely made up of his "teammate's" chakra. An anime vain soon appeared on his forehead due to his current situation. If that genin didn't leave someone of lower ranking behind then maybe he would feel a bit more secure. However, it seemed he would have to make the best of it. His hands came together slowly before forming hand seals at a rapid pace. Ram → Snake → Tiger. A single projection of the boy appeared beside him, both having a small smirk located on their face.

If he remembered correctly, then their enemy was still near the entrance, which was where the mist was the lightest. Mugen and the Mugen Clone dashed towards the area in which the entrance was located, attempting to make as little sound as possible. The moment a figure came into their view it was certain that figure was Kiru, considering Kuro turned into a puddle. The real Mugen went one foot in front of Kiru while the clone went one foot behind said person. A moment of silence passed by before they initiated their very simple attack. Both dashed towards their opponent, the real one immediately aiming a punch for Kiru's stomach. The clone had copied the original's movements, yet aimed the punch for the man's neck instead. The clone would have, of course, passed right through due to being only an illusion.

If the real Mugen's attack were to be dodged, then he would promptly aim a kick for his opponent's stomach. Hopefully, Kuro would be able to see an opening of some sort during this exchange and manage to land an attack.

Kuro sat in one place waiting for the mist to get blasted away. He was so ready. He was TOTALLY going to get the hit in this time, not like with the big scary guy! So he waited... and... the mist wasn't destroyed... well crap. The plan was he got rid of the mist. If he didn't clear the mist then how the heck was the acadmy student supposed to see!? Kuro couldn't help but feel like a jerk now... he hadn't MEANT to abandon the poor guy! He was just gonna jump up and attack while Kiru was distracted and confused at the sudden lack of genin standing around. His plan had been RUINED! CURSES!

Wait, this could only mean one thing. It had to mean that Kiru must've figured out their plan! Kuro grumbled to himself and quickly slid himself closer to Kiru while staying behind Kiru, being sure to stay where he could see him. He would just have to do it this way. He re-solidified himself while jumping forward. He flipped through the air once, giving his leg and foot a bit more time to solidified before he brought down the axe kick aimed at Kiru's left shoulder.

(WC 202, 85 AP left)

Kiru was not dumb enough to be fooled by a simple clone jutsu. He had a pretty good idea that at least one of the people coming at him was a simple image, and therefore could cause no harm. He couldn't exactly tell which, so he opted to duck and roll past both when they launched their attacks. The suddenness of the roll would hopefully lead Mugen into Kuro's axe kick, and Kiru was definitely surprised to see the genin there when he turned around. "wooah... how did you get behind me?"
Kiru considered that maybe he should have blown away the mist. Was this kid some kind of master strategist?

He had barely managed to spot Kuro solidify himself and strike due to being caught up in his own attack. However, the moment that Kiru rolled away from his strike, Mugen had used his own feet to trip himself. This sent him tumbling towards the ground and while he was trying to catch his balance, he took several hops forward. As a result of this, he would've been out of Kuro's line of attack, narrowly dodging the axe kick. The only downside was that he fell face flat onto the floor, causing a red mark to appear around his nose. A flurry of curses erupted from his mouth as he rapidly rubbed away at the hurt area. It stung very badly...but it wasn't as bad as getting hit with a kick on the shoulder. Mugen rose slowly rose from the ground, smoke coming out of his ears from sheer anger.

"Kuro..." he mumbled, even more smoke appearing from simply uttering the name, "Just where the hell were you while I was out there?!" The boy immediately twirled around to yell at the genin with his face turning red, not just from falling on his face. He was just about ready to knock this kid on the head and walk away without a single care in the world. Luckily, he was a few feet away from Kuro, otherwise he would have done so. "Teamwork, dumbass, we need teamwork! Not just randomly attacking like that!"

Mugen soon took a deep breath, feeling better after getting that off his chest. Yelling was definitely one of the best ways to improve one's mood. The red had vanished from the boy's face, a completely serene expression taking over. However, anyone would be able to see the state his eyes were in. They were practically piercing through Kuro's soul yet had a hint of expectancy in them. Yes, he was waiting for their next battle plan. He wasn't much on planning due to acting on pure instinct, expecting another person to be in sync with him. After all, it was always that way when he was fighting with Lazuru...

"This better be quick since he's standing right there...Do you have a plan that includes working together?" he whispered, leaning forward as a means to pay close attention. He stole several glances in Kiru's direction, making sure that the man didn't move from his spot.

Kuro's jaw dropped when he almost hit Mugen with his attack. "I am so sorry! He ruined my plan! I had a plan and he RUINED IT!" Kuro got misty eyed when Mugen yelled at him. "I'm sorryyyy. This is my first time having a partner. I didn't mean to abandon youuuu." Upon Mugen whispering for a newer BETTER plan Kuro focused himself again and quickly held out and arm as he stepped back deeper into mist, the extended arm bringing Mugen with him. 

"Quick plan B, just charge straight at him again. And don't worry. I won't be almost hitting you this time. I'll be right with you so just rush in with a few kicks or whatever, use two clones and stay between them. You go in for a hit and I'll follow-up." Kuro smiled and rubbed Mugen's shoulder before liquefying and pooling up just behind his feet. This time the plan would work.

(WC 156)

Kiru made sure to not listen to their plan, as he wanted it to be a good surprise for him. So he would wait to see what they did. This Kuro kid might have some good hidden talents that the Chuunin wasn't aware of. How had the kid gotten behind him? It was a wonder.

The boy allowed himself to be pulled into the most once more to be able to hear Kuro's idea. However, Mugen almost lost it once plan B was explained to him. They were just going to charge in again...at least they would be attacking together rather than separately. He swallowed back the impulse to shout at Kuro once more and merely gave a curt nod. He would have to deal with his anger issues some other time, right now he had to be serious. Using clones seemed like it would be a waste of time, considering Kiru was able to see through them. The second his "teammate" turned into liquid, he rapidly went through the hand signs one last time. Ram → Snake → Tiger. A puff of smoke appeared on either side of him, revealing two clones rather than one.

They immediately dashed towards Kiru, knowing that the man still refused to move. It was a query as to why he didn't bother traveling to a different spot while he could. In fact, it felt like this was a mere game for the chuunin, as if he didn't need to try against them. He didn't even bother to strike them yet, which made Mugen slightly frustrated. He now had a goal: to make Kiru do something other than dodge, to make him actually try in this spar. The boy and his clones moved in what seemed to be a zig zag, purposefully crossing in each others paths to confuse their opponent. Once they were close enough to Kiru, all three leaped one foot above the ground and aimed a spinning kick at the chuunin. The clone on the right sent the attack for Kiru's left shoulder while the clone on the left went for Kiru's right.

This meant the real Mugen was in the middle, directing his strike at the man's neck. It might have been a strange place to focus on, but if the hit was successful then there was a possibility their opponent wouldn't be able to breath for a bit. Hopefully, Kuro would be planning on his own charge during this, one that wouldn't be able to hit Mugen.

[AP leftover is 110 after using the clone technique twice]

Kuro shot forward after Mugen as a water puddle, hiding in his shadow. As he jumped into the air he stayed on the ground underneath him. He stopped directly underneath Kiru as Mugen reached his jump peak. This was perfect. There was only one other real idea he had if this didn't work. And it was pretty much the same thing as this... but different!


Just as Mugen and his clones started to come down for Kiru to dodge Kuro resolidified his arms and grabbed at Kiru's ankles. If he caught on he would do his best to hold the boy in place for Mugen's attack. Kuro thought that he'd really appreciate getting the first hit in. 

If he failed then he'd simply move back over to Mugen and inform him of his final plan. And if mugen got upset well then DANGIT KURO WAS TRYING HIS HARDEST! He'd never ACTUALLY done this before!

(WC 154 AC 80)