Mastery of the Sword (IO, NK)

Pfft. Why was he the only guy in the whole world interested in girls? Maybe Fukuro would've indulged him better, these dudes sucked! But, Higuto's words rang with him for a bit. As important as it was staying prepared, and while it was a good idea to stay updated on what his allies could do, just what was he doing sitting around and not bothering to hone himself!? He wasn't very sure on what other Wind Style techniques he could learn, but that didn't mean he couldn't try and venture his hand at learning other elements! After all, a strong ninja was a versatile ninja, and he heard that both Fuuton and Suiton went together pretty good.

"Hey, any of you wouldn't happen to know anyone who could use Suiton, would you? Can't stick with just one element forever, y'know?" 

He leaped off of the tree branch, hoping that he wouldn't have to do this by himself. Honestly, Yoichi was getting sick of learning things on his own! But with Konohagakure's unfortunate situation, he figured the village didn't exactly have teachers to give out like it was a lottery. It was up to the new generation of soldiers to teach each other...but, at least it helped strengthen the bonds between comrades. Their was an up side to everything if you looked hard enough.

And what was even better was that if Higuto happened to know Suiton, he'd have nearly everything Yoichi wanted to learn. Raiton, Fuuton, Suiton; all three elements complimented each other well, and they even went pretty good with his penchant for swords and kunai. But, for now he had no idea what else he wanted to specialize in besides Ninjutsu and Weapons. He'd definitely have to figure that out after the Chuunin Exams.

But, for now, Yoichi would read up some more on the element that interested him, regardless of what Higuto's answer would be. He needed to brainstorm some ideas, figure out what type of jutsu to add in his arsenal.

"Wonder if water lets you fly..nah, that's stupid. Gotta scribble that idea out the good ol' notepad!"

This whole process of him saying silly ideas outloud and denouncing them went on for a few minutes. He was a patient guy, and was more than happy to wait for Minato to finish learning whatever he was being taught before Higuto turned his attention to him.

"Now if only water could BURN people.."

WC: 406
TWC: 2264

Higuto's hand remained along the hilt of his sword while his other hand remained within his pocket while he watched Minato rush him. His zigzag movements were known for being an excellent way to make someone confused and tensed in terms of trying to figure out where they'll strike. He would allow Minato to rush in close, making certain he was constantly facing Minato wherever he charged from, and try his attack from Higuto's left as Higuto would quickly bend his knees and allow the attack to completely whiff past above him as he crouched. Seeing Minato jump back he would remain crouched, his left hand coming out from his pocket, as he would then catch Minato's punch with his open palm. (Assuming/vagueing your attacks as punches as you describe your attacks as only 'strikes'.) He would keep a hold of Minato's fist with his hand, making certain he was only applying the necessary strength to hold Minato in place and not hurt him in any way, as he stood up while keeping hold.

"Nice attempt at trying to confuse my sense of direction in your attacks. Once you get your speed up I have no doubt that'll be a very formidable tool for you."

He would then let him go as the question of water type ninjas came from Yoichi. Instead of answering upon letting Minato go he would use his now free left hand to form five handseals in quick succession before blowing slightly out from his mouth to allow water to rush forth and create a wall of water around him that would have enough strength to push Minato back but not harm him. Afterwards he'd allow the water to die down as he noticed another ninja that he was familiar with entered the field as he would watch the three interact with each other while he remained silent and still yet prepared if Minato decided to go for another attack.

As expected, Higuto had no problem with dodging the first attack. With his quick reflexes he was also able to react easily to the second attack coming at him. Simply blocking the strike with his open hand made Minato realise what he was up against.
"So this is the difference between someone who just started and someone who was proficient in kenjutsu", Minato thought to himself. Realizing he still had a long way to go, it was nice to hear Higuto say the next words.
"Nice attempt at trying to confuse my sense of direction in your attacks. Once you get your speed up I have no doubt that'll be a very formidable tool for you." At least he didn't make a complete fool out of himself.

Talking about fools, there was Yoichi again asking if there was anyone who could help him learn Water Jutsu. Higuto seemed to notice it as well as he soon began forming 5 hand seals in quick succession, resulting in a stream of water coming out of his mouth.
Water started rushing out, creating a wall of water around him which pushed Minato back. After seeing this Yoichi's question had been answered since Higuto knew how to perform Water Style Jutsu.

"Katana sparring and I'm not invited?"
Suddenly they heard a voice in the background. It was the voice of a crimson haired boy named Tadashi, or Tracer as he likes to be called. He and Minato had met before and even trained together so they were basically friends. From what he could tell he knew Higuto as well.
Waiting for the two to stop their little spar, Tadashi would head over and introduce himself to Yoichi.

(WC: 283, TWC: 1551)

Well, Yoichi was expecting a more detailed explanation, but he couldn't be too hard on Higuto. Ten thousand things were happening at once, and it would be a pain to process them all. A kind stranger took the time to inform him that people who could make water burn, did in fact exist! And here he thought he was just making some silly little joke. But of course, it figured that such an ability was only exclusive to those lucky enough to be born with it. He had nothing against clans, but he had to admit, it felt pretty shitty to know you'd always be behind those who beat the odds and were brought into this world with spectacular gifts that he couldn't even comprehend.

That only meant he had to work harder to be better. After all, sitting around moping about how the universe seemed to be against him wouldn't free his village from the tyranny of Kirigakure, would it? Besides...he could come up with special talents of his own as easily as they could! All he had to do was put on his thinking cap, and bam! Evil beware, the webbed arachnid was here!

But, all his mulling about at feeling a tad bit inferior was interrupted by the redhead, who quickly introduced himself as one Tadashi Namikaze.

"You can call me Yoichi Hisato, buuuut no need to be so formal. Most of the dudes and dudettes I meet keep it short and say Ichi. I'm a simple..Ninjutsu guy, yeah, but I always imagined myself using a sword one day. Or maybe not. Killing is actually terrible, and don't remind me how ironic my profession is when I'm so averse to it."

He shook his outstretched hand with vigor. That casual, joking personality that he usually had been even more prevalent here than usual. Today simply felt like a good day to be happy!


"Now excuse me while I try and learn an entire element after seeing a jutsu performed..once. Luckily I didn't leave the backup clothes at home..!"

Raising both of his hands into the air, he kept them about five inches apart with them facing each other, channeling an ethereal glow through his hands.


"How hard can this be? I learned Fuuton, I should be able to get this down pretty easily, riiiight universe?"

Even though he never expected reality itself to somehow talk to him and give him an answer, the silence wasn't exactly encouraging either. What did he think when he thought of water, anyways?

Calm. He cleared his mind of any distractions, totally blanking out any interruptions that might've disturbed his learning process. In the next instant, a small orb of water about the size of a grape formed between his palms. But, it hardly had any uses for combat; none of the destructive power or blinding speed most often associated with Ninjutsu was there, and it simply required far too much concentration to make it practical for any reason other than elemental practice. 

Come on, Yoichi, come on! Don't lose focus, don't lose foc-

Splash!

The sphere splashed harmlessly on the grass below, getting his shoes a little wet.

"Damn it! This is as frustrating as learning Wind..maybe even a little more. Gotta try this again.."

A ninja's third greatest tool (besides sheer power and intelligence) was versatility! Plus, the unfathomable combinations he could create with two elements that were the building blocks of life itself were staggering. With Fuuton increasing the speed and power of Suiton's concussive force, there'd be no barrier he couldn't get past! It was perfect synergy!

So, with increased determination, Yoichi channeled his chakra once more into the orb. It grew slightly larger with every passing minute, ending up the size of a baseketball after awhile. It took every ounce of experience he had with manipulating jutsu to maintain the glob of liquid, but eventually he managed. Triumphing over his obstacles was something he lived for!

"Woohoo! Now that that's settled..whew, I think I'm a little tired from all of that."

Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as the orb of water dissipated into the atmosphere. All of the training was starting to take its toll on his body, and he was starting to think heading home for the day wasn't such a bad idea. Plus, he had a few comics to get caught up on, after all. 

"Tadashi, right? You seem like a cool dude, but I'm gonna have to take a raincheck. I'm heading home! Tell me who wins this spar the next time we meet; I think I'd put a few ryo on Higuto, ha."

With that said, he prepared to take his leave.

Bonds. If the Leaf Village ever hoped to get through these miserable times, it needed to stick together, its people willing to go through hell and back for one another. Sadly, he couldn't help but feel his hopes were just a bit ambitious knowing how the nature of humans usually were.

But before he completely left the air, he turned around towards the Namikaze one last time, flashing him a thumbs up and a smile.

"Don't forget to give it your all in the exams, bro! We've got to show Kirigakure we're not gonna take this lying down, and what better way to do it than show 'em up in a major event? That's just the first step!"

Maybe he was a little naive to think -everyone- cared about freeing themselves from the Mist Village's grasp, but..why on Heaven's Earth would -anyone- be content to getting treated like second class citizens?

He left after this though. For real!

WC:939
TWC: 3203

EXIT

Claims: 16 stats, Wind Release: Jump(D), Suiton(Taught, 2k words)

Approved.

Higuto would drop his water wall as Yoichi made off away from the group, Tadashi now arriving, as he watched Yoichi bounce off into the trees. Shrugging he watched as Tadashi entered the fray as Higuto kept his blade sheathed yet removed his hand from the hilt. If this was to become a three way sword fight it was quite clear Minato wasn't going to last long so Higuto would be on guard of both ninja during whatever conversation, if any, was struck up. He didn't allow his smile to falter, though, as he put his hands in pockets and looked to Minato.

"If I'm going to gauge your skill with the blade you're going to need to use it. Don't worry about hurting me. I'm a lot more nimble and tougher than I look."

He would then look to Tadashi before nodding to him.

"Later, perhaps? This is meant to be a training session for Minato."

Tadashi would smirk at the darker skinned boy, Yoichi seemed to be a Genin with a big heart, yet green in reality. No biggie, he would soon have to face the ideology head-on, the friction between real and ideal is a hard one; an endeavor worth observing. The crimson haired Genin would observe the newbie leaving, momentarily averting his eyes to the battle.

"Yeah, Yoichi! Let's give Kiri a taste of their own medicine!"

With a sharp, yet concentrated turn of his head, he would listen intently to Higuto's words, nodding submissively. The Aburame was correct, the young Namikaze shouldn't have enforced his primal instincts to do battle, how childish he could be? Laying his new black katana on the green, short, wavy grass, the crimson haired Genin would lie on the dew crisscross-applesauce. The distinct scent of petrichor was evident. Gazing at the battle, Tadashi would watch it, from the comfort of 10 meters away. If he had popcorn.....

WC: 264
TWC: 585

Yoichi had finally decided to take his leave after having learned his second element from watching Higuto teach him how to be able to execute it. Soon after his small conversation with Tadashi he took off, wishing the rest of them good luck with their training and the upcoming exams.
 
With Tadashi being present as well they had to figure out how to continue their little sparring session. Luckily, Higuto asked Tadashi to stay aside just a bit longer as the main priority was to train Minato. Understanding as he was, the crimson haired boy agreed to the proposal and moved over to about 10 meters away from their location. It seemed like he would act as the audience for a while, only missing a bag of popcorn.
 
Now that both Yoichi and Tadashi wouldn’t interfere with their training session, both Minato and Higuto could retain their focus once again.
Encouraging his training partner not to hold back and assuring him that he is tougher than he looks, Higuto prompted Minato to use his katana to go all out.
 
Minato already knew that he shouldn’t be pulling his punches as he was facing an opponent who was both stronger and more experienced than himself. Trying to come up with yet another strategy he saw it fit to keep going for the element of surprise.
 
As far as he knew, the young Uchiha figured his opponent still wasn’t sure if Minato’s stronger side was on his left, or on his right. So he decided to use that to his advantage. Unsheathing his katana once more while holding it in his left hand, he would charge forward towards his opponent.
Attacking with short but fast consecutive slashes of his sword, he would then wait for an opening where he would then change his assault by switching to his right, only to continue his attempt to push Higuto back. Hoping his training partner would be confused he would anticipate to gain a second opening in Higuto’s defense.
 
(WC: 334, TWC: 1885)

Taking into account that Yoichi was gone and Tadashi planned to sit a little ways away from the action Higuto took this as the sign that hopefully there would be no more distractions for this lesson. Upon seeing Minato unsheathe his blade Higuto would bring his hands out of his pockets, his right hand reaching for his sword's hilt behind his waist as he flexed his left hand a few times, as he watched Minato to see how he was going to proceed. Higuto knew very well that this was meant to be no more than an assessment rather than a spar so he was going to make certain Minato had every opportunity to prove his skill.

As such Higuto watched Minato charge forth, sword in his left hand, as he allowed Minato to close the gap between them before his eyes began tracking each of Minato's slashes. It was a classic aggression move that was normally intended to push an opponent back and cause them to open up to mistakes enough to allow for a swift and fatal strike. However you would need to have a high modicum of speed in order to get the best of the opponent as well as make certain they had trouble seeing the slashes. Unfortunately Minato, while fast, wasn't fast enough to accomplish this which allowed Higuto to dodge each slash deftly. However he did want to see what Minato was about to attempt so he would back up as he dodged to allow Minato all the room he needed.

He saw that the sword would change hands midway through Minato's assault as Higuto would be impressed. Usually it's a good strategy for swordsmen to know which hand is their opponent's dominant one. With this technique, however, it could quite often confuse an opponent. 'Clever.' Of course Higuto was still able to track Minato's movements as he would continue to dodge as his right hand continued to grip his sword hilt. Perhaps soon Higuto was going to come to the point of having to draw it.