Will you spar with me? (Yoshi)

It had not been long since Togirama Hyuuga had been made a Genin but already the young boy had been having his doubts. Now that he was an active duty ninja it would be expected for him to fight in the line of duty but what experience did he have with fighting? Yes he had partook in the academy exercises such as the taijutsu spars but they had been very controlled and what you were allowed to do was highly restricted. Other than that Togi's only other experience with fighting was when he had scuffled with bullies who thought that they could pick on him because he was blind.

Taking this all in to account Togi quickly came to the conclusion that if he ran in to an enemy ninja in the field and it turned in to a fight he would lose and possibly get himself and if he was part of a team perhaps others killed. This was not acceptable! Togi therefore decided that he needed some proper first hand experience against real ninja. 

Togi's knowledge of active duty ninja in Suna was somewhat limited particularly knowledge of those who would be willing to fight him and he infact came up with only two names. Yumi Yoshinaga and Ryu Reinhard a pair of Genin who had helped him train in preparation for the Genin exam. With these two names in mind Togi had set out in to the village in search of them. Fortunately during his training with them the young Hyuuga had memorised their chakra signatures and by focussing his chakra senses he was able search areas over a mile away. In this way Togi was quickly able to find one of the chakra signatures that he was looking for.

Heading straight for the chakra signature Togi eventually came to an averaged sized house it was neither particular large or small though it was bigger than the building Togi now lived in in Suna and much smaller than the Hyuuga estate back in Konoha.

Approaching the door Togi hesitated for a moment as he considered what to say finally deciding to just ask if Yoshi would like to spar Togi then knocked twice and stood back as he waited for someone to answer.

(WC: 375)

Togi cocked his head to the side like an inquisitive puppy at the sound of Yoshi's voice, he had at first thought the young girl to be in an upstairs room of the building but it seemed he had slightly misplaced her and now that he adjusted his focus Togi realised that she was in fact sitting on the roof.

"Ah Yoshi-senpai I have found you at last!" the young Hyuuga exclaimed with a pleased smile on his face. Togi then briefly lifted a foot up as he considered walking straight up the wall with the surface walking technique but thought better of it and quickly put his foot back down again. 'It is probably bad manners to walk up someone's wall without prior permission...' Togi silently thought to himself.

Deciding to speak from the ground Togi tilted his head back slightly, not to see but to allow his voice to carry more easily. "I wanted to thank you for all your help once again senpai." Togi began. "It was my Genin exam the other day and thanks to your help and advice as you might have noticed I passed!" Togi declared as he reached up and slightly adjusted the forehead protector that he now wore proudly on his forehead. "So thank you Yoshi-senpai!" Togi declared once again this time bowing deeply.

Standing back up straight Togi smiled contently for a moment before he began brushing down his robes flattening out the creases. "I am afraid I had an ulterior motive for coming here..." Togi began slowly. "I wanted to ask another favour of you..." Togi declared with a slight amount of apprehension. "Now that I am an active ninja it will only be a matter of time until I will be sent out on a mission and I have little experience in actual combat..." Togi began. "I was hoping that you would be willing to spar with me..." Togi then asked hopefully.

(WC: 332)

Yumi tucked her sketchbook away and stood up.  She then slid down the dome house like a surf boarder molding just enough chakra onto her feet to keep from completely falling.  After reaching about a meter from the ground Yumi hoped off and landed next to the blind Hyuuga.

Yumi smiled, "Hello Togi-kun.  You don't have to call me sempai anymore.  Your headband is proof.  We are equals."

Yoshi raised her hand and made a fist hoping Togi would bump it.

Yoshi blinked twice and said, "You want to spar with ... me?  Like with real punches, weapons, and the like?  I was waiting for my materials to make a puppet you see...."

Yoshi was trying to stall for more time, hoping that someone would deliver the items she ordered.  But no one with a box in their hand could be seen.  

"I'm going the puppet-master route you see.  I've been able to produce chakra threads since I was very little.  But I don't think my mats are coming today.  So I guess we could spar.  Shall we go to the training grounds then?  Its located on the other side of the village but it'll provide a nice area for us to do our thing."

Yoshi motioned with her hand for Togi to join her in a trip to the training grounds.  Much to Yoshi's dismay, Togi was right.  They were both officially Sunakagure ninja.  At some point or another they were going to get into a situation they could not talk themselves out of.  At some point they would have to use force.  At some point their lives would be in danger, or the lives of others unless they intervene.  Not training for those situations was the worst thing a ninja could do.  

(WC = 294)

When Yoshi slid down the wall Togi paid careful attention to just what she was doing, the young girl appeared to be using the surface walking technique however the way she used it was very different to how the new Genin had been shown and taught to use it. "Fascinating..." Togi mumbled out storing away that information for later use.

Togi then smiled at the girl now that she was down at his level. "Very well Yoshi... Umm... What would you like me to call you? Yoshi-san or er would you um prefer Yoshi-chan..." Togi hesitantly asked seeing as the girl had referred to him with the familiar suffix of kun.

Togi then cocked his head quizzically to the side as Yoshi held out her fist. Realising that she was expected to do something Togi reached out and gave the fist a rather lame attempt at a hand shake.  

"Yes I would greatly appreciate it if you would..." Togi replied calmly "But I should inform you that the taijutsu style that I use does not really involve punches but chakra laced taps and pokes instead..." Togi replied. "You may also use whatever weapon that you want, even water canteens if you wish..." Togi added with a small smile.

"Ah yes a puppet, during my time here I have discovered that they are quite popular in Suna..." the young Hyuuga replied with a thoughtful look. "It is strange they are much less common back in Konoha...." Togi then commented. "If you wish to use a puppet fort this spar that is acceptable aswell..." Togi added.

"The training grounds would make for the perfect venue" Togi replied with a pleased smile. Crossing his hands behind his back Togi then calmly strolled along beside Yoshi. "Are there any limitations you would like to place on this spar?" Togi then questioned. "You need not worry about hurting me too much as I have been learning some medical jutsu recently so I should be able to heal any injuries we sustain as long as they are not too serious..." Togi then commented.

After the stroll across the village Togi would head for a relatively average training ground unless Yoshi headed for one in particular. "Shall we?" Togi would then exclaim with a wave of the hand before walking out across the training ground and turning to face the girl. "Ladies first..." Togi would then exclaim as he dropped down low in to a taijutsu stance.



(WC:423)

"I get the sense we're going to be seeing a lot of each other - er, I meann we'll be spending a lot of time together.  So of course you may use kun," Yumi informed Togi when the boy asked about which suffix to use, though her voice felt awkward after mentioning sight.

Uh, is the boy deaf as well, I told him I haven't started working on my puppet yet.


"I haven't constructed any puppets yet and have none for our sparring match.  The materials which will be used to make one are still on their way.  I've ordered special wood for its construction," Yoshi tried to explain.  "I'll, uh, come up with something."

When the finally arrived, Yoshi quickly surveyed the area.  A group of twenty training dummies Were standing in neat little columns and rows around 20 meters away.  The large training wall rose up into the sky in the back of the training area.  Yoshi turned to face the Hyuuga and who was standing roughly 5 meters away and dropped into a taijutsu stance.  

A taijutsu user, huh?  I better keep my distance, then, Yoshi decided after looking the boy over.  

"Okay, here I go," Yoshi warned Togi.  "I'm gonna throw a couple of shuriken, so watch out!"

Yoshi would start by unclasping one of her weapons pouches and grabbing two shuriken from the pouch.  She then throws them at a speed of 20 and a sharpness of 40 at the Hyuuga's shoulders just above his longs hoping to avoid any vital areas.  The speed at which she threw her weapons was slower than her fastest speed.  Yoshi wanted to get a feel for the genin's capabilities.  After which Yoshi would start running towards the army of dummies which were 20 meters away at a speed of 10.

(WC = 302)
(-2 shuriken from weapon pouch.  3 remaining.  200/200ap)

"I thank you for the warning Yoshi-chan but I doubt in a real fight an opponent would be so considerate as to shout out what they were about to do in advance..." Togi replied with a small amused smile. Ofcourse the warning could have been a bluff meant to distract him from the real attack though Togi doubted that the young girl would be resorting to such tricks so early on and besides she didn't seem the kind to try and trick a friend before the battle had even begun.

'She wishes to be a puppet master so I should watch out for chakra threads...' Togi thought to himself as he concentrated and sharpened his focus on the girl in particular looking out for the tell tell sign of glowing threads of chakra. 'I can't see any chakra threads but I should wait until the last moment incase she attempts to redirect the shuriken with her threads.'

To an outside observer it appeared as though Togi was standing on the spot as still as a statue completely oblivious to the rapidly approaching shuriken. This appeared to further be the case as not only were the young Hyuuga's eyes as blank as ever and looked as though they were staring off in to the distance but Togi was infact facing slightly to the side of the rapidly approaching Shuriken. Just as it seemed that the razor sharp pieces of metal were about to bury themselves in the boy's shoulders Togi suddenly burst in to motion diving downwards going into a forward roll before springing back to his feet. This action allowed the shuriken to pass harmlessly overhead and slam in to the ground. 'I knew this ground would not be fun to roll about on..." Togi thought to himself as he felt grit and sand fall free from his robes. 'Though I suppose it is better than the alternative...' Togi silently added.

Sensing that Yoshi was now making a break for the combat dummies Togi smiled to himself, he had an idea what the young girl was up to. Keeping his chakra senses trained on Yoshi Togi quickly bent down and plucked the girls shuriken from the ground before carefully placing them in to his own weapons pouch. Togi then dashed forwards not at his maximum speed but making sure that he was moving faster than Yoshi (moving at speed 25) as he began to circle round the training dummies.

(WC: 413)
( Hanshō Byakugan active.  +2 Shuriken. AP 299/300)

(ooc: yes I realise that but with the Hansho Byakugan active Togi has a speed of 50 =D)

"And that is very considerate of you Yoshi-chan but I would rather take the risk of being injured while we are in the safety of the village rather than being unprepared when the time comes for us to go out in the field" Togi replied calmly though there was a pleased smile on the young Genin's lips though it did not match the blank look that he currently had in his eyes.
 
As the opening salvo began Togi was quite content to let the girl charge in between the cluster of training dummies, it would likely hinder her use of kunai and shuriken if there were obstacles between them and to be honest the young Hyuuga was intrigued to see if the girl would be able animate them with her chakra threads. If she could then Togi would be able to go all out with his taijutsu practice and not have to worry about injuring the girl.
 
'She is up to something...' Togi thought to himself as his chakra senses alerted him to the fact that the girl had begun to mould her chakra. The plan that she was enacting however was not the one that he had expected. 'clones?' Togi thought as he let his senses wash over them. 'Hmmm the density of their chakra is rather thin and insubstantial...' Togi noted as he took on a slightly thoughtful look without realising it. 'I very much doubt they are solid clones then, so it is likely that they are the academy standard...' Togi decided. 'Shes good they certainly have her chakra signature though the amount of chakra they possess is no where near enough for an actually Genin' Togi concluded.
 
These thoughts all went through the young Hyuuga's head in a matter of moments and by the time he was being charged done by the trio he had already decided which one was the original. 'No point letting her know that I know which one is the real her' Togi thought to himself as he slid his right foot backwards slightly and assumed a more defensive stance. Togi held his ground and let the three Yoshi's come to him. Togi then smirked slightly as one Yoshi used a dummy as a springboard and leapt at him while the other two charged at his flanks. 'If those clones were solid that would be a really effective manoeuvre I should remember that...' Togi noted.
 

Just as the Yoshi triplettes were about to slam in to him Togi finally sprung into action, he started by quickly bringing his right leg forward and crouching down so that the flying Yoshi would miss her mark had she been made of anything other than chakra, at the same time Togi pivoted his left shoulder back and brought his right arm forward in such away that instead of striking him in the chest the young girls fist lightly brushed past his robes. Quick as a viper (speed 35) Togi then struck back with a two fingered strike aimed at the wrist of the girls over extended arm. Not wanting to seriously hurt the girl in a sparring match Togi held back the amount of chakra he released and only attempt to inject a tiny amount in to the girl's Tenketsuo (chakra 10). If the tenketsuo needle hit its mark however the amount of chakra she could utilise would temporarily be reduced. (-5 chakra for 3 posts).

(WC:570)
(-1 ap for Hansho Byakugan being active, -10 ap for Tenketsuo needle. AP = 288/300)

Yoshi's clones disappeared in small puffs of smoke so that only the original Yoshi remained.  As the young ninja tried to punch the Hyuuga, Yoshi realized that Togi was not fooled.  Out of the corner of her eye, Yoshi saw the boy's chakra-filled hand.  While everything was happening in an instant, for a moment, things felt as if they were going in slow motion.

Crap, he's really fast,  I going to get hit! Yoshi thought as she brought her left up and held it with her right.

In a blink of an eye, Yoshi signed off a couple of hand seals just as the Hyuuga landed his poke.  Yoshi staggered for a moment then vanished in a puff of smoke.  When the smoke settled, a training dummy had taken her place and while Yoshi balanced on the head of another training dummy.

Well, Togi-kun is probably expecting this, so I better not disappoint him! Yumi thought with a smirk.

Yumi molded her chakra and produced a couple of Chakra Threads and attached them to the dummy.  After wiggling her fingers the dummy sprang to life and started to twirl around which looked like a chaotic dance.  It form was simple - only a log was used to make its body.  It possessed several arms which hung freely from the dummy's main body.  Attached to the dummy's arms were padded clubs.  As the dummy puppet spun, its arms swung outwards at a speed of 30 and with an impact force of 10.  If Togi did not get out of the way it would hit him in the right shoulder causing a nasty bruise.

(WC = 264, -5ap for using the Substitution Technique, 190/200ap)


(Right so using training dummies as puppets! XD  How about they are equivalent to Rank D puppets?  That gives them Health 10 Sharpness 10 with one mechanism - their clubs.  They require 2 fingers to operate.  Sound fair?)