Mastery of the Sword (IO, NK)

Minato returned from the shop where he just bought his katana. Proud and almost a kind of sentimental he was walking around with it, feeling this was yet again another step to becoming a true shinobi.
It was almost custom for the Uchiha to be proficient in kenjutsu and often using their ninjutsu in combination with their weapons. That's why Minato decided he wanted a katana as well. He wanted to be able to use his Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu together.
Which meant that he'd need to learn Sword Mastery. He learned the basics and was able to use different kind of weapons but not on the same level as the others who were extremely talented in kenjutsu.

He thought that before he would show his new katana to his parents and friends, he should give it a little try first. And what better place to do that than the Training Grounds? He figured he might run into someone who could be able to help him with his training and improve his skills with the katana.
And so he arrived at the training grounds. 

Seems like Minato was alone out there. Most of the other people were probably out on a mission or guarding the entry gates.
"Oh well, more place for me", he said to himself as he was looking for the right place to start his training.
The stuff he had to do so far was far from dangerous. A mission here and there, some training. Nothing dangerous yet. But there would come a time where he would need to make his hands dirty and draw some blood.
And when that time would come, he would need to be ready. As he still needed to work out what kind of jutsu he would learn, he decided to become adept with his katana since kenjutsu would turn out to be extremely useful in battle. He was sure of it.

He found the perfect spot, in front of some dummies. He drew his sword and decided to let it come naturally. Not force his way but follow his instinct. He was working up a sweat slashing into those dummies.
"This isn't working", Minato thought. He was wondering if he was doing it right, hoping he'd find someone to help him with his kenjutsu soon. 

(WC: 383)

"Aaand that's why they always say stay in school, folks!"

He wasn't one to toot his horn so much, but all things considered, Yoichi felt like he did a pretty good job with the situation. A trio of three dastardly hoodlums stole some money from a sweet old lady, but in a stroke of luck (or misfortune, if you were these criminals), he just happened to be walking by when the incident occurred, and in a matter of seconds he knocked those assholes out cold! The cash was returned, no civilians were harmed, and the police were hauling off the delinquents to the nearest jail cell, leaving him to go back to his current destination.

It wasn't a crime as big as murder or kidnapping, but nevertheless, Yoichi couldn't help but feel disturbed that people had the audacity to act like this during times when their very way of living was threatened by a presence that would require the assistance of EVERYONE to stop. But, some people could never see the bigger picture...or maybe they didn't care. That's what the more cynical part of him thought. That these crooks and murderers would watch the whole world burn a miserable death as long as their profits and villainous streaks weren't effected.

But, it was such a simplistic way to think like that. These villains were people too, which was why he could never be an advocate of torture. That didn't mean he'd let them do whatever they wanted though, or he wouldn't be putting his strength as a Shinobi to much use.


"Well, I guess if heroics were as easy as in the comics, everyone would be doing 'em and Konoha wouldn't be in the situation its in.."

A small sigh escaped his lips as he suddenly changed directions. While Yoichi originally planned a nice trip to the circus for some entertainment, he realized his time was better spent training, preparing for the inevitable. It was also a decent way at helping him blow off some steam, too!

Unusually, the training fields were pretty empty, though he did see a couple of high-ranking missions on the notice board yesterday. Everyone could have just been out of the village for valid reasons, or at least that's what he hoped.

"Wonder if I'm gonna see Fukuro or Minato around..oh well. What technique should I try and learn today? I think I saw a super nice looking technique that'd let me jump pretty high, that could come in handy!"

Wind Release: Jump. It was as simple as it sounded, but sometimes their were higher places that you simply couldn't traverse normally which required the aid of a jutsu, which is where this one came in handhy. Plus, it was much more easier to learn than his previous technique, which meant he would be looking like a dumbass for much less time. He always felt a bit sheepish whenever he failed a jutsu out in public, even if everyone else was always focused on something else.

"Alright, here goes nothing!"

Handseals were formed quickly as a discharge of chakra flowed towards his feet, launching him into the air.

"YAHOOO- Woah, woah, wait! Craaaap!"

The rush of joy he felt from soaring through the air faded away in an instant, replaced by an evergrowing fear as he lost complete control of his jump arc, heading into a tree about fifteen feet away from him.

"This is gonna suck! DAMN IT!"

BWOOSH!

He at least had enough control to manage to brace himself fror an inevitable impact, which helped to reduce the damage quite a bit. He was still pretty hurt but nothing in his body appeared to be broken, so he picked himself up from the ground and hoped to the heavens that no one saw such a spectacular failure. But, as his emerald eyes scanned the area for any potential witnesses, they would meet with none other than Minato Uchiha, a teammate of his.

Did he see what just happened? Of course he did! They were only five feet apart and Yoichi was right in his field of vision, Minato would have to be BLIND not to see what went down!

"Uh, hey dude! Just dropping by.."

He paused, making sure to cringe at himself for using such a bad pun. Sometimes, they just slipped out without him having any control. It happened!

"Figured I could use some training. Heard those Chuunin Exams get pretty intense, yeah? Don't know if anyone of us are ready, but, you know how savage people can get. Better safe than sorry, right?"

Maybe if he played the whole situation casually, the universe would forget his embarrassing fail and he could move on with his life. He was lucky Fukuro wasn't here, or else he would've never heard the end of it for sure! 

WC: 804 
Learning: Wind Release: Jump (D rank version, 804/1150)

Higuto was bored. Things in the village had gotten a lot more boring the past few days thanks to his mistake at the exams. The last time it had happened he decided he'd go and blow some steam off at the training grounds in order to try and get himself back into fighting shape. Maybe he'd have another sparring match with himself to see how well he'd do this time and possibly grow a little bit stronger. However that plan would be thrown out the window as he stepped past the threshold of the field's entrance as he noticed two characters he'd never seen before next to each other. Shrugging to himself, whilst not wanting to interrupt them in case they wanted to be alone, he stepped a bit further away from them while walking to the nearby stream and thinking of ways on how best to proceed with his training. Focusing on forming a few hand seals with one hand light started to form and take shape into that of a sword in his other as he gripped the hilt of his katana and decided it was time to get more practice into his sword wielding.

While still next to the stream he twirled his katana in hand while making seals in the other and thrust the sharp steel down into the water just as the sound of thousands of birds chirping loudly filled the air around him and lighting was focused along the length of his blade. That lightning would travel into the water and sizzle all along the river's surface as he watched and was satisfied that his Chidori skills hadn't gotten rusty. Taking the blade from the water and shaking it clean of water, lightning fizzling out safely, more lights would form along the lower back of his waist as he expertly maneuvered his sword back into a sheathe that now rested behind him clipped to him by his weapon pouch. He would ponder about what to do next before proceeding further.

Catching his breath, Minato was getting ready to continue his training session until he was interrupted by a loud smack, making him lose his concentration. When he was looking over to see what happened he saw his teammate Yoichi sitting on his ass, followed by a bad pun on how he was dropping by.
Close to facepalming himself, Minato decided to get over and help Yoichi get up. Even though he was getting used to Yoichi's somewhat clumsy actions to embarass himself, it still happened that he asked himself if his ass was the only thing his teammate had fell on in his life.

Yoichi explained he came over to train since he wanted to be ready when it was his turn to participate in the Chuunin Exams.
"The Chuunin Exams huh?", Minato asked. He didn't consider it could be their turn when the next exams were held. Now that he was reminded about them, he thought that it was even more reason to train and improve his skills with his sword.
After Yoichi got up, Minato went back to the dummies to continue his training. "When your ass is feeling okay, you can practice over there Yoichi", he joked to his teammate.

When he was about to start again, Minato suddenly felt the presence of a strong chakra, soon followed by the sound of a thousand chirping birds. Nearby the stream he was watching an individual who was performing hand seals wich resulted in lightning taking shape in his one hand while he was holding his katana in his other hand.
The lightning took form in his blade and as he thrusted his blade into the water, the lightning traveled through the water with a sizzling sound.
Impressed with what he had witnessed, Minato was hoping he would be able to perform techniques like that in the future.

Drawing his katana, it suddenly came to him. 
"What if I went over and asked him about teaching me what he just did?" Minato thought to himself.
He decided to gather all of his courage and put on his naughty shoes as he walked towards the individual who was still showing signs of lightning around his waist.

"Ehm, hi there. I was wondering what you were just doing back then and if you could show me how to improve my sword wielding", he finally asked.

(WC: 394, TWC: 777)

Were all the Uchiha this sassy? Sheesh! He took the teasing to good jest though, simply shooting his teammate a playful glare. While he was about to banter some more, Minato's attention seemed to be captured by some random Raiton wielding guy. Rude! Still, Yoichi could at least give credit where it was due. This shinobi seemed pretty skilled at manipulating the elements, and he even utilized a sword, something that he always wanted to use in the near future despite his own aversion to killing. He could always make sure not to aim for the vital signs, right? But, as many of his teachers told him in the academy, it was definitely wishful thinking to believe he could go his entire career without a single life taken. He knew for a fact that monsters existed in this world, but was it really necessary to kill them? Wasn't that what jail was for?

"Good luck talking to that dude, eh? Doesn't exactly look like the friendliest person in the world, but what reason would anyone have to say "no" to you for some help?"

While the Uchiha attended to that, he would finish working on his jutsu. Last time, it was an embarrassing failure, but now he was determined to make things work smoothly. The handseals for the technique were woven without effort, chakra flowing through his system all the way to his feet. In an instant, he rocketed through the air, the wind rushing through his hair as he made a rapid descent, landing squarely on a thick, nearby tree branch. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.


"Phew. Almost thought I'd make an ass out of myself trying to stick the landing..glad I got this down before the rest of the village saw this, hah."

Wiping off a bead of sweat from his brow, he figured while he was resting he could look for some more jutsu to learn. Really, he had a pretty huge pool of techniques to choose from, which excited him; that was the nerd inside his soul speaking.


"Now what should I bother learning? So many choices, not enough time.."

As much as he was hoping for an idea to magically pop up in his head, nothing came up. He was just going to have to focus the rest of his efforts on training so he could better control his chakra, which would give him acess to much stronger Ninjutsu. Still, while he was focused on his training, he couldn't help but take a glimpse at how Minato's interaction with the stranger was going every once in awhile. He hoped his teammate got what he was looking for!

"Now, call me a little bit of a weirdo, but what's the deal with Katon? Why is every Uchiha here so hot and bothered when it comes to it? I think Suiton is a waaaay cooler weapon. Pun most certainly intended."

Puns. If only they were a weapon. In the hands of Yoichi, they'd be the deadliest tool of them all. While his banter may have seemed like pointless drivel(it almost was), it did well to help him clear his mind, which was a perfect state for meditation.

WC: 532
Completed Wind Jump
TWC: 1336

Higuto had his eyes closed but he could hear the distinct sounds of footsteps approaching him from behind as he turned to see one of the ninja he'd seen upon entering the field approach him. Uh oh. Did he interrupt them? Chidori was known for being very loud. Nevertheless he would turn to the guy before he started speaking and listen to what he had to say. As it turned out it didn't have anything to do with interruption at all but sword training advice as Higuto put on a small smile as he let the stranger finish speaking. Whilst listening he couldn't help but notice the other ninja who had been with him seemingly hopping around and passing the time his own way which didn't bother Higuto as he spoke.

"Sure. I'd love to help. That technique I used was just a simple application of Chidori to my sword to make it sharper. I'm actually trying to get any kinks or rust out of my swordplay myself so helping you out would benefit the both of us."

He couldn't help but notice from his senses that this guy had low chakra, too low to form a Chidori, but he decided not to mention it in case they didn't want to try learning such a tech yet. That was to say if they even had an affinity for lightning to begin with. He kept polite as usual, though, as he continued.

"My name's Higuto. It's nice to meet you."

He would give a kind bow after saying this and stand up to await for what his soon to be training partner had to say.

Having walked up to the pale boy with short jet black hair, the boy explained that he was doing a variaton of a technique called Chidori. By using this application of the technique he would be able to make his sword sharper.
After explaining, the boy introduced himself as Higuto, slightly bowing towards Minato.
Returning such form of friendliness, Minato returned the act and bowed as well.
"Nice to meet you Higuto, my name is Minato".

Now that they had shared their info, Minato decided to go further.
"Chidori right? I have an affinity for lightning myself, so maybe one day I'll be able to use such a technique as well. But for now my chakra reserves are too low to perform such a technique", Minato confirmed.
Higuto told that he himself was looking to work on his swordplay as well to get some rust out of it so he'd be happy to train together.
Happy with the fact that Higuto was up for some training, Minato decided to give Higuto the lead in this since he was the more experienced figher of them both.

"Thank you so much for willing to help me improve", he said politely.
"How would you like to begin our training?"

(WC: 206, TWC: 983)

Chidori? What the hell was that? Yoichi didn't have any information about it in his encyclopedia! It must've been one of those rare techniques you don't see very much, but it wasn't like he was interested in Raiton in the first place. It was way too much of a restrictive element, in his opinion. How do you defend yourself with ELECTRICITY? You don't! Seeing how this guy seemed pretty nice though, he figured introducing himself was in order. Hanging upside down from the tree branch, he waved towards Higuchi, flashing the peace sign and a grin that could melt anyone's heart.

"Heya! Since we're all namin' names, mine is Yoichi. You've got some pretty impressive Raiton! I'm actually trying to learn how to flow chakra into my weapons, buuuut I'll get to that some other time. I'm just happy to see Konoha shinobi still training. Maybe we'll have a chance against Kirigakure soon.." 

He swung himself to perch atop the branch, continuing to peer at the two from above. While the exams were certainly far off since these current ones were just ending, that didn't mean he wouldn't be trying his best to memorize his allies abilities.  He'd be gunning for Kirigakure, but if he had to fight any of his comrades..ascending the ranks was too important for him to hold back, even against his friends.

Funnily enough, despite them being teammates, he knew nearly nothing about Minato's abilities as a shinobi. While all the data was nice to keep in the back of his head, he was much more interested in getting to know who his teammates were as people, and so far, he couldn't be happier to have them around.

"Heeey, I might sound like a pest right now, but have you SEEN how smokin' hot some of those Genins are? If beauty was a crime, they'd be servin' five life sentences! It's a shame none of OUR ninja are that beautiful. Maybe I'd be a little bit more interested in romance.."

A couple of guys bantering around about guy stuff couldn't be too bad, right? Considering he -just- introduced himself to Higuchi only a few minutes ago, he might've been acting a little too casual, but he couldn't see how anyone could take offense. If things weren't so bad at home, he definitely would have found some type of excuse to go and travel the world. Mingle a bit with women, learn the cultures of other villages..

A frown appeared on his face for a slight moment. The mist village really knew how to ruin everything they touched, he was sure of it! All these adventures couldn't come to fruition if he slacked off, but sometimes it was important to give your body a break.

"Well, enough talkin' about how sweet Kumogakure chicks are. I'm gonna read some comic books. If you guys need me for demonstrations or anything, well..I'm right here."

Giving the duo a small wave, he slipped out some random graphic novel about spiders and wolverines, occasionally checking up on them just to see what they were doing.

Seriously, no one ever taught Fuuton around here!

WC: 522
TWC: 1858

After being interrupted by Yoichi's talk about girls and Kiri, Higuto explained that it's not so much the sword that's important, but rather the one who wields it. Waiting for Yoichi to go away he continued his talk.
To be sure what he's working with, Higuto needed to know how far Minato was at skill wise. So he proposed to have a little one on one session. As he was explaining the situation, he coherently placed his right hand along the hilt of his katana as he bowed once again.
"If you feel ready then please come at me."

Hearing Higuto say those 9 words, Minato knew what was expected of him. Returning the polite gesture of his teacher he also bowed while making his stance.
Working out a strategy while keeping an eye on Higuto, Minato was looking for any weak or open spots in his opponent's defence. He knew the element of surprise wasn't really an option since he was up against a more experienced fighter. Neither was playing it dirty. Minato wanted to be an honorable fighter, someone who would be able to win without using dirty tricks.
Unsheathing the katana he kept on his back Minato was getting ready to attack. 

His best option was to go in with a decent amount of speed which could make some impact on Higuto's defence and maybe even throw him off a little. Running towards his opponent, zigzagging from left to right, trying to make Higuto guess which side he would attack from, Minato striked from the right side, aiming at his opponent's left shoulder.
Expecting him to easily parry the first attack, Minato would then jump back and strike towards Higuto's lower body. 

(WC: 285, TWC: 1268)