Training In The Dead Of Night (Private)

How odd it was that the Leaf Village looked so different at night. At night shadows danced around lanterns as if waiting for them to die and once innocent alleyways turned into ominous abysses of darkness. Every so often one could hear a person shuffling in from what could only have been a long night at the bar otherwise, however, there was silence. Most people with common sense were asleep and those not asleep were undoubtedly inside for the night. Yes, Konohagakure was one of the safest villages in the shinobi world, but even it had things that went bump in the night. Ashi and her loyal companion, Chairomaru,  paid such things no mind however, because they could bump right back.

It had been weeks since Ashi and Chai had been back in the village. For the last three weeks or so the pair had been stationed on the Fire Countries borders dealing with smugglers and other miscreants. It was nothing too difficult, but it was a bit tedious and more than bit taxing on the mind. As such the woman was relieved to be given a few days off before her next rotation back to the borders. Unfortunately the return to the village had used up all of the available daylight leaving the Inuzuka and her ninken to return to the village in darkness.

No longer garbed in the cloak and mask of her profession, Ashi wore a stanard issue jounin flak jacket over a white tank top complimented by a pair of slightly baggy black pants. Topping off her outfit was the messy ponytail her hair was tied in held up by a dull headband of Konohagakure. Suffice to say the woman looked like any old jounin save for the monstrous hound by her side.

With long easy strides Ashi moved through the village with ease; darkness meant nothing to her, Konoha was her home. She knew the village like the back of her hand, if not better. As she walked her footsteps made almost no sound blunted by the worn leather sandals she had strapped to her feet. Interestingly, the woman's path did not lead directly back to the anbu barracks where she so often slept, but it instead wound its way toward the academy and the training ground that lay beyond it.

No, she did not very much wish to train anything in particular. Rather she simply wished to see the place again. Long ago in her genin years she had spent countless hours there and upon becoming an academy teacher she spent many many more. In a way the training grounds had become a touchstone for the woman, part of who she was. So, with silent footfalls the woman carefully made her way through the light foliage to the training grounds, but stopped just outside the clearing it was situated in.

Standing in the shadows of the trees Ashi had stopped, because she could just make out a figure out in the center of the training fields, but more than that she could smell the figure. For a moment she did not move and half considered backtracking and leaving whoever was out in the darkness to their solitude. However, her curiosity got the better of her as she pushed forward.

SNAP!!

She hadn't been paying attention in the slightest and found that she had stepped on a large dead branch that must have fallen in the last storm. The dry crack resounded through the clearing and announced Ashi and Chai's presence to anyone in the area. Freezing on instinct Ashi and Chai stood side by side as still as statues gazing out at the figure in the center of the field. Were the figure to look back all he or she would see were two pairs of eyes, one wolfish yellow pair and another one that appeared to be some mix of wolf and human.

So, much for stealth; thank god we aren't on a mission, Ashi thought idly.

Maloren was concentrating hard on the kunai as a light breeze came through the clearing. It was difficult to get the chakra to move through the kunai properly. A silly thing to run into problems with for a Hyuuga who specialize in injecting their chakra into things to kill them. Still, there is a large difference between this kind of chakra and the killing chakra they used for their style of fighting. He continued trying to channel the chakra into the blade to increase it's sharpness and durability. He closed his eyes to focus on the task, slowly kneading his chakra into the small killing tool. The night moved onward as he continued to focus his chakra into the item before he heard it. A loud snap that resonated through the clearing. He was still very much on guard from before, combine that with the instincts of a trained assassin that was bred into all shinobi since they were six and you got someone who didn't react well to such noises. 

This was proven by the fact that the instant the sound resonated through the clearing he spun instantly and through the kunai toward the source. The dagger whizzing through the air as it went right between the two pairs of eyes that seemed to be staring at him through the darkness of the trees. He instinctively dropped into his gentle fist stance ready to defend himself if need be, or cause a commotion for the ANBU to assist if it was required. The eyes of one of them were a piercing wolfish yellow that was exactly like his nightmare, and the other set were some sort of wolf and human mix. His eyes narrowed in confusion before he activated his byakugan and sighed in relief. He dropped his stance to show he was not a threat and raised his own hands to apologize. With his eyes he could recognize the konoha headband, the joinin flak jacket and the general appearance of one from the Inuzuka Clan. He bowed his head in apology before speaking. "I apologize Inuzuka-san..You startled me you see..." He said before bring his head back up and cracking his neck. He sighed at the lack of progress in his training thus far and pulled another kunai out of his pack to practice. He figured she would move on, probably without a word unless she took offense to his assault, leaving him to further practice the technique. 

WC: 411
TWC: 1221

A dull thud of metal on wood resonated through the clearing as Ashi reentered her head. The kunai had been a bit unexpected, but a slight shifting of her head to one side allowed for it to sail harmlessly into the woodwork at her back. No harm no foul. Perhaps sneaking up on people in the dark was not one of her better ideas. Next time though, next time she would remember that at least in a village situation. Too often her job included sneaking up on people and slitting their throats, but that was for another night, not tonight.

Flashing a friendly smile that came off more as a wolfish grin than anything else, Ashi mused at the boy in front of her. Matching her grin there came a deep throaty laugh that almost sounded like a growl, it was Chairomaru. Perhaps the two had seen too much violence, but kunai was not enough to scare them now no matter how close it came to drilling a hole into Ashi's head. Too much violence was never good, it bred insensitivity.

"It's ok, little one." Ashi cooed with a tone somewhere between chiding teacher and loving mother. She had a bad habit of calling those younger than her little one. It was a quirk picked up from her deceased  mother who had always called her by the name of 'little one'.

Taking a few steps into the clearing with Chai hot on her heels she continued speaking.

"Out of curiosity what brings you out here on such a night?"

On one hand the woman was actually interested as to what the boy was doing out so late, but on the other she did have a duty to ensure the safety of Konohagakure. A boy out at night was slightly suspicious and it was not too good if he was slinging kunai at passersby. What if someone not as quick had happened upon the boy? Would it have been metal on flesh as opposed to wood? Ashi couldn't be certain, but for now she would remain with the boy just in case.

Maloren was brought from his musings at her voice and she and the large wolf walked into the clearing. He snorted slightly at the "Little one" comment but didn't much care, she could call him what she wanted as long as he knew she was addressing him. He looked up at the night sky, the loss on a moon to stare at making it slightly more melancholy than needed before he turned back to her at her question of what he was doing. He wasn't a fool, a jonin would have to make sure he meant no harm to other people, especially this late at night when he was alone, and apparently throwing kunai knives at odd sounds in the woods. God forbid it was someone else, like a civilian. He sighed at the though before looking her in the eye and holding the kunai up to show. "I'm not gonna start tossing these out at random civilians as they walk by if that's what you mean.." He said in jest as before continuing "My name is Maloren Hyuuga. As to why I'm out here I simply had a nightmare that shocked me awake, I decided to come train afterwards since I had nothing else better to do." He explained as he began trying to infuse the kunai with his chakra again to prove his point.

"I'm trying to learn chakra infusion, as it would be a useful skill to have, but I'm having an unnecessary amount of trouble with it. Especially considering my clan is supposed to be specialist in putting our chakra in things...Usually places people don't like..." He added the last part as an afterthought. He flipped the kunai up on it's tip out of slight boredom before absently doing it again to catch it by the handle and trying to infuse the chakra into the blade again. "You're not on duty or you'd be on patrol, not asking a genin what they were doing in a training field away from people..Therefore I assume you just got home from a mission Miss?..." He left the last part hanging, hoping for an answer.


WC: 357 
TWC: 1578

The feral grin that flashed across Ashi's face at the boy's talk of throwing kunai at civilians quickly disappeared at the mention of nightmares. The anbu was no stranger to nightmares. All too often she her missions followed her home in her dreams. People she had killed, people she had saved and those she hadn't they all had a place in her mind. More often than not she erased the thoughts with alcohol, but even that was not enough to numb her entirely to the world. She had to live with her actions each and every day then do battle with them every night in her dreams. No, nightmares were no laughing matter to the Inuzuka woman.

Hyuuga, she was no stranger to the clan. During her time as a chuunin she had worked closely with a Hyuuga. The two had been sparring partners and Ashi had been on the receiving end of the gentle fist technique on more occasions than she cared to remember. And then there were those eyes, the byakugan. The Hyuuga clan was not only powerful, but also quite influential around Konoha. That said it did strike the woman as odd considering many Hyuuga she knew kept to themselves preferring the company of each other to anyone else.

"Inuzuka will do just fine," Ashi said nonchalantly, she was not one for freely exchanging first names until she actually got to know the person.

"Good guess on the mission part, but no. Chai and myself are simply out enjoying the night air much like yourself." Ashi lied smoothly while dropping a hand onto the head of her companion and ruffling his hair. "Chakra infusion though, that is an admirable goal for one so green behind the ears."

Pausing for a moment the woman reached into the small pouch affixed to her hip and pulled out a kunai of her own. Holding the kunai firmly in her right hand she began to speak again.

"When I was about your age I had trouble with this technique too, but do you know what helped me?" She asked rhetorically before continuing. "It is not so much about training, but rather about mindset. You have imagine the kunai is a part of you and an extension of your arm. As such you want a steady strem of chakra going into the weapon, no bursts or anything to that effect, just a steady stream. With this concept in mind I found it much easier."

At this point the kunai in her right hand glowed ever so slightly with a blue wreathing of chakra.

"Why not try again?"

No matter how far Ashi was from the classroom she found that she really did enjoy teaching. It wasn't so much the act of teaching, but rather seeing those she taught succeed that she found rewarding. In fact, there were some days she wished she had remained an academy teacher as opposed to going into the anbu, but that door had closed long ago. Perhaps in the future it would reopen, but for now it was not much of an option.

Malorens eyes narrowed slightly as she answered his question about the mission. He couldn't detect any form of a lie, but she was an experienced jonin. Even they could hide much from the Hyuugas eyes. He listened to her explanation intently, nodding his head at the idea of treating the weapon as if it were a part of you, an extension of your body. He looked down at the kunai and took a deep breath. Allowing his chakra to trickle into the blade until it became a steady stream that flowed through the kunai knife. The knife gained a glow of chakra that hinted at the presence of the energy coursing through the blade. He flipped the kunai up again, this time catching it be the handle before idly throwing toward the kunai he had thrown at them earlier. The kunai managed to shatter the first one, despite the throw not being as powerful which he assumed was a good indicator that he had gotten the technique down. He grinned excitedly at the prospect of the learning the technique before turning to the Inuzuka that had helped. 

"I appreciate the assistance Inuzuka-sensei." He said, granting her the honorific, after all not many people taught him, ever...He was almost entirely self taught which, now that he thought about it, was a miracle he was as good at the gentle fist arts that he was. He turned back up to her and smiled as a thought crossed his mind. "Wouldn't happen to have any useful wind techniques to share as well would you? I find myself having difficulties attacking from a range without the use of one of my clans techniques, but that alone isn't enough in my opinion. I'd appreciate anything you'd be willing to impart on this simple 'green behind the ears' genin." He said the last with a chuckle. He might not have her mission record, but he had killed a few times already. That alone was a huge stepping stone for all shinobi, after all if one couldn't kill, one couldn't be an assassin right? 

WC: 348 
TWC: 1926

A self indulgent smile spread across Ashi's face as Maloren was able to perform the technique with apparent ease. More often than not the woman had found that a teachers job was to enable his or her students. All students had the ability to perform what has been asked of them, it just took someone to prode them in the right direction and for some simply to believe in them. She was not too certain which category the Hyuuga boy fell into just yet, but she was pleased all the same.

At the addition of sensei to her name Ashi did not balk nor swell with pride. At this point in life she was used to it. There was once a time when the honorific felt foreign to her and in some cases embarrassing. When she first started teaching she did not much believe that she deserved it. However, with the passage of time she had come to accept it to such an extent that she hardly registered it anymore; it was a part of her as much as anything else.

That said, she could not help but raise a single eyebrow nor imagine the wolfish grin Chai was showing off with the boy calling himself green by behind the ears as if he were not. The boy could have very well killed countless people, Ashi had known younger killers. However, she figured the boy was not yet even eighteen. And sure, one might say age was no marker of wisdom, but it was one of experience. Experience not only in the shinobi arts, but with life in general. No, Marloren still had much to learn.

"Wind techniques...?" Ashi questioned pausing a moment to think before continuing. "Let's try a derivative of the chakra infusion technique you just used. This time, however, instead of raw chakra you have to focus wind chakra into the blade. It can be a bit harder, but it is made easier if you first gather chakra into your hand and begin the wind release transformation before you flow it through the blade itself."

Pausing again Ashi demonstrated as her kunai's glow changed from blue to an ethereal white.

"Your turn," Ashi said with a dismissive nod.

Truth be told the Inuzuka had always had trouble teaching chakra infusion. There were no hand seals to use as guides and in her experience each person did it a bit differently. As such her explanations could only outline the theory, not the feeling. With time it became muscle memory, but the first couple steps were difficult. For some it took days, if not hours, but other it took weeks and months to master. It all, like much in life, depended on the person.

Maloren cracked his neck as she raised an eyebrow and her companion gave a wolfish grin at his little joke. He knew he had much to learn, but he was definitely more experienced than most genin, and even some chuunin. He knew he couldn't make her see that, but one day she might realize it as well if they continued to run into each other. But that was neither here nor there. As she demonstrated the technique he nodded his head in understanding before reaching into his pack and pulling out a shuriken. He held the pointed star in his hand for a bit, getting a feel for the different shape lest he throw it like a kunai, boy wouldn't that be embarrassing? The technique in it of itself seemed simple enough, it just utilized wind chakra instead of normal chakra. He noted the ethereal white glow that surrounded the blade rather than the blue one and figured that would be the marker for his success, of course he'd still throw it to see what it could do, not testing a technique you learned was just silly. 

He began to gather wind chakra into his hand before slowly moving it into the shuriken. He used the same method as before,  a small steady trickle until it become a moderate steady flow before the shuriken too glowed an ethereal white. He raised an eyebrow curiously, wondering if it was supposed to be that simple and deciding something must have gone wrong, there's no way he could've gotten it on his first try. He threw this shuriken too toward the kunai that was now stuck in the old ones place. His byakugan powered eyes narrowed as he noticed the small wind blades that seemed to protrude from the blade as it spun, increasing it's effective cutting distance by about 3 centimeters. He watched it impact the kunai and slice right through it as if it were a joke, and continue on deep into the tree, embedding itself about halfway through one of thick trees konoha was known for. He raised an eyebrow at this and turned to the temporary teacher looking for clarification, had he done it correct? Was it supposed to cleanly slice through the tree? He doubted it with such a small shuriken, but still...He couldn't help but be curious.

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(I figured since together both techs being taught would only need 2k word count that I could finish up the second one quickly since it IS just a step above the first...that alright?)

Some say teaching is a selfless profession, Ashi would beg to differ. She found teaching to be quite selfish. Her students successes were, ultimately, her own. Sure, one might say that anyone can teach and that was true. However, it took a good teacher to teach well and Ashi liked to think of herself as a good teacher. Of course, Marloren's success was all on him, but Ashi liked to think she had helped a bit. As such she was pleased when the shuriken thrown by the boy embedded itself partway into the tree; impressive for the a first try not that Ashi's stoic expression would show anything, good or bad.

"Not too shabby," Ashi said with a half hearted nod.

"What do you think, Chai?" She asked looking down at her companion who contorted his shoulders in what amounted to an awkward-doggy-shrug. "Yeah, that wasn't bad for your first shot. Keep practicing and it'll be second nature in no time."

A slight pause as the light breeze that once ruffled the leaves died down.

"Oh, and do try to know who or what is there before throwing one of these into the darkness." To make her point Ashi held up the kunai before placing it back into the pouch on her hip. Common sense was a good trait for anyone, shinobi, civilian? It didn't matter, common sense was important.