Training in the Jungle [Open, NK]

In the depths of the jungles that surrounded Takigakure much like the wild plains that the hunters once lived and thrived in, Rikuzashi had been amongst the tall trees of this jungle sitting and waiting for his hunt to finally show itself. He had been silently watching and following the animal for days…maybe one or two at the most simply studying its movements and patterns for when it was time to finally jump it and secure the kill. The large deer had been nestled near a pond twenty meters north of Riku, how he knew the exact location was simple. His eyes had been in their activated stage, the eyes of all the Rouenta and the source of his long range sight, the Ruicichi Sento. The unique eyesight of the Rouneta allowed him to see for a multitude of distances away along with other things, but with just the base form he was a formidable opponent both in short and long range fighting. The moment was drawing soon as the deer began to migrate south towards the edges of the forest, most likely heading back to its family after foraging around for food or maybe some form of a new home.

Either way he sat his bow back onto his back and pushed forward through the trees silently so he would not surprise his foe. Although he was in the trees he knew for a fact that animals like deer had a keen sense of hearing, enough to where the smallest snapping of a twig would set them off and make the hunt worthless. In silence, Riku continued to move through the trees keeping his eyes on the deer as it bounded through the grassy floor until it stopped and looked into the air. With this movement, Riku found it to be the best time to attack his prey before it began to move. Before coming to a complete stop, he would draw his bow quickly pulling back the drawstring and creating a chakra condensed arrow aiming for the neck of the deer. As his foot tapped the trunk of the tree the arrow was fired with precision, hitting the deer and dropping it right where it stood. The arrow however disappeared from the deer’s body as he smiled,” Another successful hunt…another training exercise down,” of course there was still more he could do in order to maximize his training.

The first days of Giera's travelling had been... interresting. Some part of Giera had regretted not taking at least some of the money his father had tried to offer him, but he quickly came to terms with the fact that his family was poor, and so it was not in his place to take anything from them before he left. He figured, if he was going to survive without stealing, and he wanted live on some other things than low hagning fruits in the vegetated areas of the city, he would have to go into the jungles and live in the old-fashion way. At least untill he had gathered enough resources to move on. Taki wasn't a country for him, Giera had decided. Being used to the frozen land of Yuki, Giera felt uneasy in the moist warmth of taki, that made him sweaty and uncomfortable whenever he was wearing a shirt. He would've just taken it off, if it hadn't been for the burning sun, that his pale skin would become lobster red from.

So now he was walking through the jungle, in the comfortable shadow of the trees, towards the location he had been directed when asking for a pond, where he could wash his clothes. The Yuki crest dangled from the chain on the handle of his broad white sword, and made a clinking noise every now and then. Suddenly the trees stopped, and an opening in them made room for a pond. Giera stopped as soon as he came into the opening. On the other side of the pond stood a boy. Giera couldn't tell much of the boy, other than he stood above a deer, he seemingly had just slain. The boy carried a bow. Smart Giera thought to himself I should probably make one of those if I want to hunt here too... Giera's thoughts trailed off. Now that he thought about it, he didn't have much expirience with hunting, and if he was supposed to survive out here, he'd better get some. "Oi!" Giera spoke, loud enough for the stranger to recieve it, as he walked across the water splashing some water onto his bare toes in his sandals, enjoying the cool sensation. "Good job hunting the deer." Giera said and nodded towards the animal lying on the ground, "I was just about to set up camp nearby and was wondering if you knew any good places for that sort of thing? You seem like a guy who does." Giera stated.Not unfriendly, but simply as a sort of conclusion of what he had seen so far. His dark blue eyes stared without wavering into the stranger's.

Riku garnered his attention over the dead buck, taking in its unique and well bred form before running his fingers over the animals midsection and stopping. He was currently checking for any deformities, lumps, or anything that would render this kill....null. So far he had not found anything to be of major concern meaning that its body was well ready for its time," Another successful hunt," words whispered along the winds as he sat his hood up and was beginning to drag the deer to a nearby tree where he would cut it into individual pieces and smoke them before wrapping them. This would have been the plan before he had heard someone speak.

Instinctively he turned those cross shaped pupils towards the sound, pulling at his bowstring to create an arrow before stopping," ...," no words would be hear from him, but after observing the boy from afar he could discern the things on him. The symbol was foriegn to him but he would dedicate it to memory just in case it was of any use to him later. The sword that holstered the emblem however...was soon breaded into his memory as he finally decided to release the chakra and slowly let go of the bowstring," You...are not from this village...why are you here?," not bothering to take the compliment into consideration at first he would question the boy to see why he was in the jungle.

Setting up camp? Was he not aware that the village was where the housing was? It was weird to Riku that someone not of this village would want to live or stay in the jungle, but he would not question the thoughts . He would only point in a general direction that would be North by Northwest," In that direction is a good opening where you can forage for food and other neccessities, but the animals of this forest are banned from hunting by outsiders," The deactivation of his doujutsu would show him to have grey eyes that would look as if he was staring into the boy.

Giera was at first taken aback by the paranoid reactions the boy made. Somehow Giera had intruded on his privacy he guessed. Interresting Giera just thought as he was being targeted with some sort of attack from the boy. Giera didn't seem provoked by the aggressive behavior, just intruiged by it. Along with those special eyes. A doujutsu Giera figured. He didn't reckognize this one exactly though. The stranger inquired him, in the same paranoid manner as he had acted.

"Right, where are my manners," Giera quickly took on a polite smile, that seemed to work with most strangers. "My name is Giera, I have travelled from Yukigakure in search for means to improve my sword or swordmastery. Sort of a family tradition if you will." Giera explained. "Anyway, my travels brought me to Takigakure, where I am trying to gather resources and strength to move on."
"In that way? And I woud be considered 'outsider' I assume... I'll try not to harm the animals then" Giera said and refreshed his polite smile. He took a few steps in the given direction, before he paused. "I find that travelling, ironically, is easier with a light poket, in these times where bandit lure around every cornor..." He turned around, as he wanted to take in the full reaction. "Is that why you are weary of me? Are you afraid of 'outiders'?"

Although Giera's comment could sound like an insult to some, he hadn't intended it to be in any way, and he gave no signs of it being so. He just stood and examind the boy in a cold analytical way.

Why is a ninja from Yukigakure here? Riku would debate on if this was related to the influx of Iwa ninjas being here as well. He wouldn't show this on his face but he was definitely thinking that his leader had a lot of explaining to do later. As his mind moved back onto the topic he would shrug and keep his bow inside of his right hand," Your name has no meaning to me outsider....why is someone from Yukigakure out here in Takigakure? As far as i know, there wasn't a get together in this village...," looking in the direction that he had pointed towards the boy he would nod," It is and i would appreciate it if you kept your word...because if i do find you hunting the animals here, there will be an arrow in your back," being serious on that aspect, the hunters of Takigakure had domain over the animals in the forest, but since this boy wasn't from the village it could be alright.

Weary? Weary didn't describe how Riku felt for this boy or about this situation, but it would take a lot more to unnerve him," I am not weary of you nor am i afraid of outsiders...I would say you should be more afraid of the one that is more...intune with his surroundings. My advice...keep your accusations to yourself," The grey eyes would slate slowly as he took a step backwards and pulled out the kunai knife from the deer slowly.

Giera watched with anticipation how the stranger drew the kunai from the dead. He tried to derive any intentions from his face, to see if he was setting up for an attack. "hm.." Giera's face turned thoughtful, his eyes searched the area aimlessly, and his left hand supported his chin. What is it with this guy, Giera tried to figure out. Giera always sought peoples motives, and on the way, he had insulted countles people unintentionally, just as he had done now, but he didn't see the meaning in lying to make good impressions, the polite smile was hard enough to pull off. Doing this he hadn't made many friends, obviously, but he had learned a thing or two about humans and their motives. In Giera's expirience, all people attacked out of some emotion rooted to fear. Fear that you, or anyone else you like, might get hurt. Fear that you can't provide for your family. Even fear of loosing face, and to uphold a reputation. Then of course there was psychopaths, but this guy didn't seem like a psycopath. What is this guys fear? Outsiders and the change or trouble they brought with them? Could it be that simple? Giera thought to himself a bit dissapointed.

Giera usually avoided conflict, and kept himself on the side, where he could try and figure out these things, because he wasn't very good at interacting himself, however, the point of this journey was to step forward, and make a voice for himself, that people would listen to, and he had just gotten ticket to the frontrow. "If you cut right in the air in front of you," Giera instructed and made the motion of cutting a slice of bread, "you can grab yourself a slice of hostility. It should be great with deer." Giera dryly finnished, before he spun and slowly walked away. In front, where his body concealed it, Giera quickly and descretely weaved the line of signs, Tiger → Boar → Ox → Dog → Snake.

He doesn't seem like the guy that would attack another's back, but he's also easily provoked... Maybe I went too far...

Riku continued to to look at the boy and observe him and his movements as he continued to stand near the dead dear. By now he would need to get the dear out of here and too his home not too far from the area he was in, but that still left this strange boy to his own devices. Keeping the kunai in his hand he would continue to watch the boy as he moved and talked, but wasn't going to let this boy just leave....no if he was going to stay in these woods why not test him out to see what he could do. When the boy had turned, Riku would hold up his left hand to from the seal of confrontation for the body flicker technique. His body would then place itself from the ground, over to a twenty meter branch that had been suspended in the jungle by fifteen feet.

As his body landed in the tree he would smile and throw the kunai at the boy at the speed of fifteen, aiming specifically for his head where providing the boy continued to walk he would be pegged in the head and dropped. The moment he would release the kunai he would jump to another tree's branch and wait in silence as he waited for the boy to make his move.

Giera felt the void behind him, as the other boy's presence vanished. He didn't know where he went, but heard a fimiliar sound whistleing and closing in. Giera's eyes widthened. He was being attacked. Most likely by the person he had just met. He had clearly went too far with his provocative acting. All these thoughts raced through the air, as he witnessed the kunai sail through the air.
*chunk!* A distinctive sound ran through the air, as the kunai connected. But it wasn't the sound of a skull.

Giera watched, hidden in the bushes of the edge of the forrest, as the log he had switched places with, as soon as he had noticed the kunai, landing flat in the ground, with a kunai sticking out of it, where his head had just been. Damn Giera thought, as he gritted his teeth. He hadn't ment for it to turn it out this way, but this boy was clearly out for him. Giera had noticed where the kunai came from, and followed the direction. And up there, in a tree only 10 meters away from Giera adn 5 meters in the air, sat the boy smiling. He seemed to have some special eyes... Maybe I won't be able slip away unnoticed. I'll have to figure out or deal with him otherwise. Giera resonated.

Giera made an illusionary bunshin, that would proceed to storm out of the bushes that would run into the forrest and hide behind a nearby tree. Hoping the boy would be distracted by this, he darted towards the log he had just swapped places with.

[Got my placement off by a lot guy, but i'll let it slide this once.]

Still sitting twenty meters in the air due to the branch he was currently preoccupied on, his eyes would swirl before instantly turning into his clan's doujutsu activating causing his sight to instantly increase as he continued to look around the area or more specifically the area in which the log was located at," Let's see what you do now," the words not uttered into the air, yet were simply muttered in his mind as he drew his bow and looked on. As a hunter he would know to wait until his prey had made the first move, and when they did that's when you strike and make them regret their first move. It was when the subtle rustling of the bushes had alerted his ears he would turn only for a moment and look, the clone not phasing him for a moment. The key movements of it alone had set it apart from the rest. No human under the pressure of one with a long ranged weapon would run in a straight line especially in a terrain that their opponent knew. Turning his eyes back to the location of the log he would see the boy starting to run towards albeit at a low speed due to his perception.

Smiling the bow would be drawn with quick and fast movements, its drawstring already pulled back once he had the bow over his head, the chakra arrow forming and pointing directly at the boy. The arrow poised and ready to strike would be launched without delay moving at the speed of 15 and aimed directly at the boys legs. As soon as the first arrow was launched another would be ready to launch as he continued to aim for non vital area's of the boy such as his arms and legs, but essentially making the boy move about with no room of recovery unless he had somehow found the time to get towards cover.

Riku knew not to stay stationary so while he continued to launch arrows at the boy, he would jump to another branch and shoot another arrow before smiling," Is this all a little ninja from Yukigakure can accomplish?," the fun sid

[1611]

As he ran, Giera tured his head to find that the boy had not fallen for his distraction. The boy didn't have any quiver of arrows, but it clearly wasn't a problem. Arrows seemed to summon on their own, everytime the boy drew the string. The first one left the bow, and launched at Giera, aimed at his legs, Giera Jumped forward, standing on his hands with his legs stretched. The arrow struck the ground right between his arms, and to his surprise, vanished shortly after. From Giera's upside down perspective, he saw another arrow fly towards him, now his legs. Giera quickly split them, so the arrow would fly between, before he launched himself off of his hands and onto his legs, where he, in one final leap covered the distance between him and the log. He tumbled over the log, as an arrow flew managed to rip through the shoulder of his shirt, and make a small cut just beneath Giera lifted the log up as shield, and heard the object, once again being stabbed by weapons not ment for it. As soon as he had shielded himself from one or two arrows, He would pull out the kunai in the log, that was facing him, and jump headfirst in the pond. Another arrow reached Giera, this time his thigh would take a scratch. He isn't trying to kill me, just cripple me Giera realized and wondered what the boy would do with a crippled outsider, that had no one looking for him. He is a psycopath after all... Giera swam, for as long as he could. He knew that any projectiles would have their speed severely slowed and altered when shot at water, especially since the stranger was so far from the surface. Giera swam up again backwards, holding the kunai up. although the kunai was small, the part of Giera was not much bigger, and any further projectiles would be easily deflected. Swimming backwards, Giera would then use the water surface technique, to slowly climb on to the water, observing his opponent closely, still slowly backing further and further away. Giera was now 50 meters away from his opponent.