High Encounters (Private Kumo/Oren)

Up in the trees, dancing on the branches and jumping from tree to tree without a care in the world is where you will find the slip of a girl named Kumori. She frequents the forest surrounding her village almost daily, but since she started at the academy she has had less time to visit.

After a few minutes of aimless roaming she settles herself on a lower hanging branch, swinging her legs over the edge as she brushes her hair out of her eyes and readjusts her clothing, her small amount of weaponry hanging around her waist, reaching into one of her pouches she pulled out one of her kunai knives and slowly spins it on her finger for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a few deep breathes, taking in her surroundings.

Oren has been traveling. Ever since he left the River country he has been restless, the question of who was his assailant would not leave him at peace. At some point he decided that if he was to figure it out, or achieve anything in life, he will most likely need ninja training, seeing as they appeared to be the real power in this world. And since he did not have any, a question was where and how to obtain it. Oren’s journey led him into the Lightning country, so he decided to seek one of the major villages, Kumogakure and attempt to pass for a student, enroll or whatever were his possibilities. Based on the confusion and mistrust that he figured were between the villages, he just hoped that River would not share his wanted status with Kumogakure, or at least that his name would not be on that list, given how small his bounty was. Probably nobody more than a thug would care about him.

From a traveling merchant who had a contract with Kumogakure’s Sakura Corp Oren learned roughly where Kumogakure was. But he seemed to have gotten off course and was now in a large forest of spectacular black tree with white veins. Oren stopped to look around. The view was actually quite breathtaking, at some point he found himself rejoicing that he had set on this journey, no doubt if he did not fail along the path, he had a lot more yet to see. The boy wore mostly black, his ninja pouch was on his waist, hidden under a thick traveling cloak. Standing for a bit he decided to take a break here and look around a bit, he would take down his backpack, but stop upon hearing something. Looking in that direction he would see some sort of animal, or so would seem as the creature would be gone the next moment, soon after some leaves would move in a tree not too far. There was no wind for them to move like that and it was only one tree out of many of its piers. Putting down the backpack Oren would slip his hand into the pouch and after taking out one kunai, he would hide it in his sleeve. Then he would walk closer to the strange tree.

Giving a small sigh Kumori slipped her kunai back into her pouch and stood once more to look over the clearing she was near, leaning against the trunk and just taking in the scenery for a moment more before deciding to head back to her village, people would start t wonder where she had gone, she always had someone worrying about her as if she were incapable of handling herself at any given moment of the day. As she began lowering herself down she froze, her hands gripping one of the trunks as she tried to control her breathing enough to listen as the noise continued to approach her.

Wincing as her hands started slipping, the edges of the bark slicing tiny cuts over the surface of her palm the longer she holds on, unable to get a tight enough grip to pull herself up quietly enough to go undetected. Just as she thought she was getting out of this one unscathed, she slips landing with a deep thud and a low groan. Quickly scrambling backwards she reaches into her pouch on her hip, extracting her kunai and holding it tightly in her fist as her eyes meet the source of the noise.

A... boy? Dressed in mostly black and holding his own matching kunai knife, she finds herself pulling back slowly into a defensive stance, ready at any moment to move. Clearing her throat slightly and giving him one more quick glance over she asks, "Who are you." Generic, yes, but it was all that she could think to say.

As Oren walked, he would suddenly see someone falling from a tree. What appeared to be a girl landed on the ground with a thud and a groan. If she could see his face, the confusion would be transparent. But immediately she jumped back on her feet and got into a combat stance, in her hand he would notice a kunai and also that her stance suggested she had undergone some sort of training. Maybe she was a kunoichi? He would be getting pretty close to the village by now. The lack of a Cloud headband suggested otherwise though.

Moving his hands away from one another Oren would gesture that he is no threat. "Oh, hey there. Did not mean to spook you. My name is Oren Illium, I am a traveler looking for Kumogakure." He missed the part that he was currently lost in some black and white woods, but what the hey. "Are you a ninja from the village?"

Kasumi immediately relaxed and dropped her shoulders, easily sliding her kunai back in its holder and taking a deep breathe as a wide smile spread across her face, a mix of relief and a little gratitude. Ha! He is just some lost guy looking for the village, nothing to freak out about. She looked him over quietly, not sensing any immediate danger coming from him with his surrender. She wondered what someone like him was doing way out here.

"I'm so sorry to have done that, I didn't know what was coming and my hands slipped I'm Kasumi Mao yeah! I mean yeah I'm from Kumogakure, and I'm more like a ninja in training... are you okay?" She looked at him expectantly, her honey eyes filled with concern. Kasumi reached out her as if to touch him to make sure he wasn't too startled but pulled back instead to point toward the east, "The village you are looking for is that way, actually."

Were all people so credulous? Of course, she was just a girl and he actually bore no ill intent, but aren't ninjas supposed to be more cunning and careful? It could possibly be forgiven since she was still in training, but as Oren well knew, life did not forgive. At this point the boy considered if he could make use of her after being pointed in the direction of the village.

His face would no doubt show that he was deep in thought and when he came out of it a warm smile would replace it. "I see. Thanks for the directions. Say... You mentioned being in training. Truth be told, I also seek to become a ninja, would you be willing to show me how they fight, so I know if I want to continue this path?" Maybe he could get some tricks from her.

She smiled back to him, her body language reading complete trust and openness. So he wants to see how ninja fight? Oh boy.. She bit her lip contemplating his question before giving a slight nod. "Yeah I.. I guess we could have a sparring match. Nothing too serious just to give you some perspective, right?" Her eyes flickered from his to the trees around her.

If she was going to pick a place to fight a stranger I guess this would be it wouldn't it? Keeping her mind focused on her surroundings and all the possibilities of escape she looked back at the boy, properly sizing him up. Taking a few steps back into the clearing she motioned him over. "Whenever you are ready."

Oren got a bit excited as she agreed to spar with him. Now only to make sure not to be beat by a girl probably younger than himself. He sort of did not like the idea of being the first to attack, she was a girl after all. When she signaled, he would start with a jog, reducing the distance between them. Before he got close he would pull a kunai from a pack and when he got close, he would swing it at her left shoulder, making sure not to injure her if he saw no defense.

789 w.

Taking a sharp in take of breath as her heart skipped a beat, the fight beginning. Nothing too serious just an open direct attack, taking a quick step back she slipped her hand into her weapons pouch, pulled out her kunai and with perfect timing blocked his attack with ease, twisting her kunai against his and directing his attack away from her and letting it land in the air an inch away from her shoulder. 

Using the momentum of his job against him she easily moved behind him, attempting to grab his arm that was holding the kunai and twist it behind his back, so she could use her free hand to hold the Kunai to his rib cage.

She was quick to deflect his thrust and nimble enough to exploit his over-extended posture. Little could be done when her surprisingly stronger grip started twisting his right arm around his back. The kunai he had previously hidden in his sleeve would now fall into his left hand and he would use her pull to rotate himself, so his eyes met hers. And the kunai in his left hand met her throat, stopping inches away from it, if she allowed it to. Were that to happen, they would appear at a stalemate, as her own kunai would await by his ribs.

890 w.