Feeling out the competition (Spar, IO, Kether)

The bare tree closest to the entrance of the training grounds stood out in the students mind as he entered the training grounds.  Not for any physical reason - It was the normal shade of brown, about a man's waist around.  A few nicks and dings and a footprint where the stray weapon had dug in or the over eager academy student pressed their chakra too hard, but nothing to pick it out from any of the others.

It was, however, the tree Kether and Hayate has sat under after their first training together.  They had gone through a few more in the time between then and now, learning jutsus and practicing techniques, and were on the verge of becoming genin.  In fact, the exam was tomorrow.  That was part of the reason Hayate has asked the older boy to meet him here.

The weather was also unremarkable to the long time Kiri native, slightly overcast, a bit damp with the hint of a chill.  It was one of the reasons Hayate usually wore the white sleeveless hoodie and long black pants that he was about to dirty by sitting against the base of the tree - He didn't especially care for the cold.

As the athletic 15 year old waited, he turned over a second pack in his hand, identical to the one strapped to his own right leg.  Hayate had grabbed a few blunted kunai and shuriken from the academies supplies.

He was here today to spar.  In all their training, they never went all out, never had a free for all spar, never tested their mettle.  The way Hayate figured that, it was time to do that now, before they became genin and might deal with being sent on different teams or missions and their jutsu turn truely too deadly to practice on each other with full intent.  He turned over the pack a few more times, the weight seeming heavier than the items inside.

When Kether enters and gets close, Hayate will stand up and hold a pack out to him, explaining his intent to spar.  Each pack contains 3 blunted kunai and 6 blunted shuriken.  If Kether proposes any conditions, Hayate will accept them unless they're extreme.  If Kether agrees then he'll move to the middle of the training ground (spread out bare trees, overcast but not raining chill day, stone walls marking the boundaries) and Hayate will form the hand seal of conflict, and wait for kether to do the same (signals start of battle).


WC 419

Locking in stats and allowed items
Health: 12
Chakra: 10
Stamina: 11
Speed: 14
Strength: 14


3 blunted kunai 6 blunted shuriken


110AP

Kether slowly walked through the streets leading to the Academy. Hayate had requested a meeting with him at the same place they had first trained together and Kether had, of course, obliged. He couldn’t help but wonder what the other academy student wanted and that very question had consumed his thoughts during the walk. Now that he was at the gates, he realized that it was a fitting place and time to meet.
 
Despite his loose grasp on emotional attachments, Kether still had a sense of sentimentality. The two of them had their Genin exam tomorrow and this would be their last meeting as students of this academy if all went according to plan. It was fitting, therefore, that they met for the last time at the same place they had first trained together. As he entered the training grounds, he spotted Hayate sitting down by the same tree they had sat under when they trained together.
 
A small smile managed to make its way onto Kether’s face, although it was certainly a slight one. His simple black robe was slightly at odds with the hoodie and pants that Hayate always wore, more traditional compared to the younger boy’s more modern style. As soon as Kether stood next to Hayate, the younger boy explained to him the reason that he had called him here: a spar to test their skills. He revealed the blunted kunai and shuriken that they would be able to use for the spar, which caused Kether’s eyes to widen. So, this was to be a true spar then.
 
”We’ve both grown quite a bit since the first time we sat by this tree, Hayate,” he began as he accepted one of the bags of ninja tools. ”You’re two years my younger, yet your power is something that I’ve come to admire.” His eyes narrowed and a slight grin appeared on Kether’s face. ”It’s time to see what the two of us can do.” With that, he looked Hayate in the eyes and formed the hand seal of conflict in response to Hayate’s own seal. Now it was time for the struggle to begin.
 
Forming a quick trio of hand seals, a puff of smoke appeared around Kether. When it had cleared, there were three of him standing there, looking intently at Hayate. This would force him to choose which one he was planning to attack. Hayate had always been slightly better at physical prowess than Kether while he had been better with chakra control, but unfortunately there wasn’t much use for the jutsu that he knew in combat. That meant he’d simply have to rely on intelligence and cunning if he wanted to win this fight.

Kether reached into his bag and grabbed a pair of his shuriken, which caused the clones to do the same. Although the clones didn’t have any physical presence, they were still illusions and would appear to be doing whatever Kether was doing. With a slight smirk, he threw the shuriken at Hayate. Six shuriken flew toward him, although only two of them were real. He’d still have to attempt to dodge them all or else he’d risk being hit by at least one.

Actions:
Transformation Jutsu (-5 AP)
Throw 2 blunted shuriken.
 
Equipment:
Blunted Kunai (x3)
Blunted Shuriken (x4)
 
AP: 90-5 = 85
 
WC: 533

When the conflict handseals were put up, Hayate's face relaxed into a blank slate behind his half mask.  This was everything they practiced a hundred times.  As the simultaneously released the conflict handseals,  Hayate took off to his right, circling the other ninja and keeping the same distance, about 10 meters.  His direction would take him close to the next barren tree.

The battle, then, was to close the distance, where Hayate's strength and speed and taijutsu would provide him an advantage.  But even though Hayate believed he knew the older ninja's jutsu, running straight at an enemy from this distance was inviting a swift death.  he'd have to find another way in.

Instead he began his handseals, just a moment behind Kether's own, as he ran.  The black robed student stood still, concentrating intently on his seals and moving target... Tiger, boar.... he just had to be able close the distance and prevent Kether from pulling any tricks, where he felt confident he could out taijutsu the opponent..... Ox....

Three versions of kether popped into existence and drew two shuriken each... Dog .... The three black robed figures moved together smoothly, throwing identical shuriken in similar paths...

He finished the Snake seal as the shurikens were in the air but no more.  two of the shuriken hit the body and it fell to the ground on its back - to disappear in a cloud of smoke, turning into a branch of the nearby tree.  Instead Hayate appeared about about 5 meters to the right and forward of that location, substitution jutsu complete, on all fours in a sprinters stance.

He sprinted at kether, body low to the ground, drawing a kunai in his left hand and shuriken in his right.

As the clones faded away he would throw his own shuriken at kether (speed 54, distance 5 meters), forcing him to decide whether to try to block Hayates attack or or press his own.  He'll follow behind it at speed 14, sweeping from left to right for a slash towards kether's left thigh.


WC 342 TWC 761

105AP (110-5 substitution jutsu)
3 blunted kunai 5 blunted shuriken

Kether’s eyes widened as the body that his shuriken had slammed into disappeared and Hayate ended up even closer to him than he had been mere moments before. He’s certainly improved upon his substitution jutsu, Kether thought with a hint of approval. The feeling didn’t last very long, however, as he found himself on the defensive.
 
He drew a kunai in his right hand, turning to the side as he did so in order to allow the shuriken to impact him on the arm rather than head on. He was able to bring his arm around to intercept Hayate’s kunai with his own, although the impact was enough to send a shockwave through his muscles. He quickly aimed a knee at Hayate’s stomach before attempting to disengage in order to create some space between them.
 
Taijutsu was more of Hayate’s specialty, which meant that Kether had to try and avoid a straightforward taijutsu fight. His only advantage here was his reach and he would fight to hold on to that from here on out. His left arm was pretty numb from the impact of the shuriken, but he hoped it would at least be able to be of use in getting in the way of any future attacks from Hayate and his right arm was his better arm anyways. This little spar was not over yet.

Actions:
-Take blunted shuriken (math goes here)
-Clash with kunai (speed 13 vs speed of 14, strength of 8 vs strength of 14)
-Knee to stomach (speed of 13, strength of 8.)
-Try and create space (move to 20 meters away)

Equipment:
Blunted Kunai (x3)
Blunted Shuriken (x4)

AP: 85

WC: 226
TWC: 759

Too close to dodge Hayate's shuriken, Kether didn't elect to go on the full defensive, but turned to take the attack on the arm so he could press his own attack.  Hayate approved as he noticed the tall, black robed shinobi wince as the blunted shuriken struck hard, but not drop the kunai he was drawing.  

With the wounded arm facing Hayate, kether used his unwounded right arm to reach around his body from the rear, mirroring Hayates swing from Hayate's left.  The kunai  clashed in front of kethers left leg, the intended target.

Instead of giving ground, Kether also leaned in to bring his right leg up to attack with a vicious knee (since the kunai were currently clashing in front of kether's left).  Unfortunately, the short range of a knee compared to the extended arms clashing kunai, combined with the awkward angle of having to rotate his right knee all the way around to the Hayate who was attacking his left, gave hayate just enough time to bring his right arm, already forward from his attack, over, placing his hand on kethers knee and slowing it to a non damaging level.

With how entangled the boys were (hayate's left handed kunai still pressed against Kether's right handed kunai, and Hayate's right hand on kether's right knee)  Hayate chose to keep the pressure up.  Since he was dashing in with kether moving from a standstill, and kether was currently only standing on one leg, hayate chose to continue in, not slowing.

Hayate would use his higher strength/speed, momentum from being in motion, and the fact that kether was only on one leg to try and throw his weight into the other boys center mass, not a formal attack, but to knock him to the ground.

He would try and keep the kunai pressure up as they fell, occupying kethers arm and attempting to stay on top.  Then, the punching to the chest would begin (if it hits, blunt force 14)


wc 332   twc 1093
105AP 
3 blunted kunai 5 blunted shuriken

Okay, so his attempt to create some distance hadn’t exactly gone as planned. In fact, none of his movements had gone as planned as he now found himself quite tangled up with Hayate. The younger boy had managed to catch his knee with his own hand, although that meant both of his hands were occupied. Despite having taken a shuriken, Kether’s left arm was still somewhat usable and he would certainly use it for all it was worth.
 
When Hayate’s weight crashed into him, there really wasn’t much that he could do to avoid being taken to the ground. Still, he was able to focus most of his energy on controlling his fall, which kept him from falling straight down and more at an angle. With the momentum aimed almost as much sideways as down, he was able to use his bad arm to create a roll. He was smart enough to know that Hayate was stronger than him and would probably still be able to pin him, but it gave him precious seconds before that could happen.
 
With a roll, he was able to build up his own momentum enough that he could push off the ground with his left leg at the point when he was on top. That would give him enough force to break out of Hayate’s grip on his knee. This time, he’d be sure to create some space by throwing the kunai at Hayate’s hip even before he landed back on the ground. After he landed, he'd jump again to actually make a reasonable distance between them, grabbing and throwing another shuriken to make sure Hayate would be busy if he tried to come after him too quickly. Once he’d done that, he would throw together the signs necessary for the clone jutsu again in order to create the two clones yet again. Anything he could do to buy a bit of time since he knew that Hayate was a very headstrong person and would probably continue to attack relentlessly. He’d draw another one of his kunai in his right hand, causing the clones to do the same, and stand ready to counter whatever attack Hayate threw at him.

Actions:
Throw Kunai (54 speed at a distance of 3 meters)
Create distance of 5 meters
Throw shuriken (54 speed at a distance of 5 meters)
Create distance of 10 meters
Clone Technique (-5 AP)
 
Equipment:
Blunted Kunai (x2)
Blunted Shuriken (x3)
 
AP: 85-5 = 80
 
WC: 330
TWC: 1,089

It seemed his training partner wouldn't let it end so early.  Though, one shouldn't expect less from someone Hayate had trained with.

Kether used his larger body and limbs to roll out of the way and push off, throwing his weapon at Hayate as he leap.

The hooded ninja didn't have time to dodge from this distance, aimed near the center of his mass, but with his own kunai already in hand and no distractions he was able to deflect it, rising to  kneel on one leg and drawing two shuriken as his opponent landed mere meters away.

His opponent jumped again to create more distance, a natural reaction, but Hayate saw his opening.  With his opponent in the air, he wouldn't be able to dodge, and with kethers weapon thrown, he had no hard steel to block with.  As soon as the ninja jumped, he threw.

Kether WAS reaching into his pack for more weapons, but as Hayate released the first shuriken, aimred hit kether in the center of gravity, he saw Kether had actually reached for a shuriken of his own instead of grabbing a defensive weapon, and threw that.  The two weapons passed mere inches from each other.  

Crossing his arms as a brace and using his kunai to stop the lighter shuriken aimed at hayate's compact, kneeling form, Hayate would attempt to throw the second shuriken at kethers landing if he managed to deal with the first.

He would then attempt to follow the second shuriken in a low, flat run, as before, though this time straight on and aiming to drive it up into the chest.  Distance was the enemy, and speed was his friend.

WC 280 TWC 1373

Block Kunai (moving hand 0.5m at Hayate speed 14 > 3 meters of flight time at kether's throw speed of 50.5) 
Draw 2 shuriken as kether lands. 
Throw 1 shuriken at kether (speed 54 at 5 meter) as he takes off
Block shuriken while kether is mid jump
Kether lands as second shuriken is thrown.
Full sprint toward kether (speed 14, kunai in left hand)



105AP
3 kunai
3/4 shuriken (one definitely used, one used if kether survives first attack)

Damn, Kether thought as Hayate managed to deflect his kunai. To be fair, he hadn’t really expected to score a hit, he was just trying to buy a bit more time. Unfortunately, Hayate was already prepared to strike back when Kether threw his own shuriken. The two both threw their shuriken at each other, which left Kether in a vulnerable position. Left in midair with nothing to block the shuriken, he didn’t have much of a way to defend himself.
 
With a grimace, he crossed his arms in front of him to provide some level of protection for his chest. Once again, the shuriken slammed into his left arm, sending another wave of pain through it. Hayate sure knew how to throw shuriken effectively. A feeling of frustration arose as he saw that Hayate had once again managed to block his attack. As he landed, he was still able to get off his hand seals in time to pull off his clone jutsu before Hayate’s second shuriken was able to hit him.  The puff of smoke that accompanied the clone jutsu was enough to obscure Kether and the clones as the shuriken entered. When the smoke cleared, all three of the Kethers were standing there with a kunai drawn as Hayate rushed forward.
 
Kether breathed out a sigh of relief, grateful that he had managed to get off the clone jutsu in time and allow the shuriken to pass through one of his clones instead of hitting him directly. Even though one attack had been dodged though, he didn’t have time to celebrate. His left arm was practically useless now, which meant that he was now fighting at only half effectiveness. The only plus to all of this was that Hayate was rushing toward the middle Kether, which he had expected. That was why he had placed himself on the right rather than in the middle.
 
The three began to converge as one toward Hayate, kunai drawn and aimed at his own kunai-wielding arm. Hayate’s attack would pass directly through the clone, leaving him open to Kether’s counter. With the second clone attacking from Hayate’s right side and Kether himself from on his left, he was fairly certain that he would be able to make contact with the kunai. He’d been underestimating Hayate this whole fight though, so as insurance he threw a kick in aimed at the back of his left knee as well.

Actions:
Block shuriken with his left arm supported by his right
Clone Technique (-5 AP already deducted last post, 13 speed handsigns vs 54 speed at 10 meters)
Dodge second shuriken using clones
Rush/attack Hayate’s left arm with kunai (13 speed, supported by clones with no damage)
Kick toward back of Hayate’s left knee
 
Equipment:
Blunted Kunai (x2)
Blunted Shuriken (x4)
 
AP: 80
 
WC: 405
TWC: 1,494

As the shuriken hit Kethers left arm, mid jump, Hayate began to be concerned.  Even blunted, the weapons had a significant amount of force behind them, and taking two blows to the same spot would be enough to force most to tap out of a regular spar where nothing was on the line.

Kether was plowing through with determination.  I have to be at least as tough.  Hayate thought, as he renewed his conviction.  As the black robed figure landed, Hayate threw a shuriken and began another dash.  Hayate chased the shuriken as the older boy revealed the last of the handseals he had been hiding, once again vanishing into three identical Kethers.

The shuriken, moving with three times Hayate's speed, vanished into the middle clone when Hayate was just under halfway there.  One of the other two, then.

Hayate didn't have much time to formulate  a plan, but he wasn't going to slow his attack, he was going to end this.  Covering the last five meters as fast as he could, he trusted in his combat skills to ride through whatever attacks came at him.  He raised the kunai in his left hand to block the kunai on that side, and attempted an Inside to outside block on the right attack.

The left steel rung true, Hayate's right hand passing through ... nothing... instead of kether's wrist.  Hayate attempted to twist toward the older ninja now that he knew kether's location, but with his left arm raised to deflect the attack he never saw the kick coming.  His turning saved his knee, but his thigh took a vicious kick, stumbling Hayate back to a full arms length away and down on one knee.  Hayate rose to his feet with a small wobble, never taking his eyes of kether, and drew a second kunai into his right hand.  He could do this all day.


WC 313 TWC 1686

100 ap (105-5 inside to outside block)
takes 10.5 blunt force to left thigh
3 kunai
3 shuriken

Kether couldn’t help a small grin breaking out as he managed to connect with Hayate’s thigh.  As he stumbled backward and drew another kunai into his hand, Kether tossed his kunai point first into the ground at his feet. He looked up at Hayate before grabbing his left arm with his right in order to try and massage the pain. ”I yield. I don’t want our training to negatively affect either of our performances in the exam tomorrow.”
 
He grimaced slightly as his arm continued to throb. Honestly, he was mainly just relieved that he had managed to land a blow on Hayate at all. With the way that little spar had been going, Kether was worried he’d actually been outclassed enough that he wouldn’t have been able to even manage that much. It was clear he’d have to work a lot more on his physical prowess, not just his chakra control. All the chakra in the world didn’t mean much if he never had enough time to draw upon it. That being said, he knew he’d have to learn some more powerful jutsu to help him out in situations like this too.
 
”You’ve really impressed me today, Hayate. You will become a formidable shinobi for our village.” Surprisingly enough, Kether found that he would miss these little training sessions with Hayate. If they wound up on different teams after their exam, there was a good chance they wouldn’t be able to train like this for quite some time. He wasn’t looking forward to having to interact with even more new people. He slowly removed his right hand from his left arm in order to perform the seal of reconciliation. That was the proper way to end a spar between comrade shinobi. ”Best of luck on the exam,” he said genuinely. ”The next time we train together, we’ll both be Genin.”

[exit]

WC: 311
TWC: 1,805

Claiming +9 stats, Inside to Outside Block, Rope Escape Technique, and Basic Medical Ninjutsu (rank 1)