A Bit More Bite

Mara Asano made her way through town, headed toward the Konoha training grounds once more. She'd gotten in more training than she expected since the exams, and she was beginning to really feel the benefits of that. She already felt substantially more dangerous than when she arrived. And she'd been able to use her match as a learning experience, working to address the shortcomings she'd had during that fight.

But today was about more than that, she wasn't just trying to fight the last battle. She wanted to be ready for the next one. And that meant she needed a bigger arsenal, particularly at a range. Her reliance on close quarters combat had left her at a bit of a disadvantage. She needed something to even the playing field.

For that, she was planning to meet with Zyxis. Her fellow Kumo lightning user had already assisted her before. Now she was hoping he'd help her learn a particularly challenging technique. She arrived at the training field earlier than she'd intended to meet him and wasn't surprised he hadn't arrived yet.

While she waited, she practiced her Hidden Arms technique under her cloak, producing and hiding the shuriken, testing her speed. She'd need to get faster, but it was a nice trick.

When she finally heard footsteps approaching, she turned to address him, giving a warm smile and wave. "Hey Zyx, thanks for meeting me here!"

[WC: 235]

Zyxis' original plan was to head out with Kyson to view the tournament, but instead, he remembered that Mara wanted to meet with him. He smiled to himself as he thought about her. Zyxis wondered how she did and if she was okay in a physical and mental sense, also if she was moving onto the next round. He and Kyson distanced themselves away from each other quickly as he went the opposite way. It didn't take him long to reach the place.

"Mara," He said, "It's good to see you again." 

The girl looked the same. His eyes scanned her from head to toe to make sure there were no lasting wounds that seemed too severe. A glance at her arms showed a few marks and a bit of bruising. His smile turned into a frown as he came closer to her, "Hato could've been a bit more gentle," He slightly joked to her, although in a serious tone. "I'm assuming she got the win over you?"

His eyes shifted to her own, looking to see if there was any change in emotion.

Her smile stayed warm though. Her loss hadn't stopped her stride. "Nah, she was totally fine. I'm still alive, after all! Plus, she healed me up on site. I have a lot to learn before I could honestly, expect to actually beat her."

She paused for a second making sure she felt comfortable asking for guidance. The last person she'd asked had laughed in her face...though she wasn't sure he fully realized he'd still done what she wanted. "That's actually what I wanted to ask you about. I've been doing a lot of training since my match. I'm faster, stronger, a little smarter too I hope. I've learned a few techniques that would have helped during the match. And...I can do this." She smiled slyly. In a quick flurry of movement, she one-handed sealed the four seals for Lightning Rat Violent Quake. A sparking ball of electricity shot out of her other hand toward the training grounds and burst, showering the area in electricity.

She continued. "I have a lot of close range justu, but I honestly need something more effective at range. That was the best I have so far, and its just not strong enough. And as the best lightning user I know, I figured I'd ask you first. Provided you don't mind, of course."

[WC: 219 | TWC: 454]

He was slightly surprised and a bit envious that Mara had such a good mood about losing. Zyxis had been ready to try all over again, rampant at the idea of failing. Mara was mellow and chill, ready to move on.

"Huh," He slightly muttered to himself. Zyxis was knocked out of his stupor by Mara continuing to speak. She was enthusiastic, even sending a bolt of lightning to the ground. He nodded, "Impressive. You have gotten better. Since I'm the best lightning user you know, how could I say no?" He gave her a little wink.

"I think something that would help you a lot is Soul Expulsion. Would you want to learn it?"

"Sorry Mara, I've got to go, we can continue this some other time!" Zyxis said before high tailing out of the training grounds.

[No claims]