New Faces

Minato wasn't sure what was happening. At a certain point it was almost as if he was witnessing what seemed to look exactly like a lover's quarrel. A conflict resulting in a direct verbal confrontation. Insults going back and forth between the monk and the shark, quite the interesting rivalry they had going on. The young Uchiha was this close to grabbing a bag of popcorn since Tanjiro and Kaito were nice enough to provide for some entertainment. Taking note of some of the insults that were thrown around, he never knew when some of them would come in handy. "Mister Clean, I'll have to remember that one" he chuckled.

Tanjiro was able to dispel the Genjutsu once again and Kaito experienced how the Temporary Paralysis Technique worked. Of course it might not be the technique that would make a difference in a life or death situation but it was better to know how to use it since it would certainly have its use in many occasions. It were little techniques like this that could be forgotten since everyone preferred the bigger the better. But a shinobi should be versatile and couldn't neglect the smaller stuff. "Alright, let's see what you've got."

Having a go at each other might be exactly what these two needed to get everything out of their system. No matter how big the differences between one another, at the end of the day you still need to be able to count on the shinobi standing beside you, knowing he would have your back and you would have his. If Tanjiro and Kaito would be able to acknowledge each other's strength maybe they might find a way to solve their differences. They didn't have to hold hands, but they would have to know how to work together if they wanted to make it as a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato.

Kaito was getting himself ready to charge towards Tanjiro. The Shark versus The Monk, place your bets. Minato was curious to see if his lessons paid off and if the two of them were able to perform the techniques shown to them. Time to put it to the test, no more using words to aggravate each other, actions speak louder than words. Knowing how the two of them were getting along this would turn out quite the spectacle. Now Minato was the one who could sit back, relax and enjoy. Regretting he still hadn't got any popcorn. 

(WC: 410, TWC: 4372)

Tanjiro was trying to put the fish man insults to the back of his mind. “Mr. Clean” what a ridiculous comment. He bathed once a day like any normal person would. But that did not matter, what he needed to focus on was the fish man that was about to charge right him.

The shiny top shinobi was unsure why Minato would suggest trying this out before he had even practiced the jutsu. Scratch that, Tanjiro could understand why. It would be quite entertaining to watch him get slammed into the ground. He was not so endearing to the other two shinobi when they first interacted. So Tanjiro could see that the potential prospect of him getting slightly hurt could bring them some joy. 

Tanjiro understood the jutsu’s basic principles. Plus Minato’s demonstration of the technique along with his explanation he gave Kiato rounded out the rest of his knowledge. Now all he had to do was put that knowledge to work while a one hundred and eighty something pound shark man rushed at him. No big deal, right? 

Minato said to use your own chakra like cords that bind your opponent. This was something Tanjiro could easily picture mentaly. It was not so dissimilar to his nazar clan lineage techniques. But instead of channeling his chakra into nazar steel and using that, he was just using his chakra. That sadly was only half of what he needed to do. The other half of it was now manipulating that chakra while under pressure. 

It seemed like the shark man was doing his usual thing while he waited. “Does this Fish freak ever stop working out?” Tanjiro would think to himself. Kaito was doing some sort of work out while he waited for Tanjiro. The shiny top shinobi knew that he might as well take the risk and try it and see how it goes. So Tanjiro in a somewhat reassured tone would say. “Fish stick, you ready to do this?” Tanjiro would assume a wide stance and try to prepare his mind and nerves for the “Test”. 

Kiato’s stocky fish frame along with his stench would race at him almost faster than his eyes could follow. But luckily for Tanjiro, he comes from good genetic stock. His Nazar’s clan lineage lead their member’s minds and bodies to being honed beyond mortal measure. This has let members of the Nazar clan reach a state of mind that is pure focus and clarity. 

Tanjiro may have glimpsed this realm of perspective as he managed to gage when Kaito was within five meters. But he moved so fast he managed to close the distance. Turning five meters into 3 meters and closing. But just before the shark could get a bite, Tanjrio would make the Tiger hand seal. This managed to stop Kaito about five inches from tackling Tanjiro to the ground. 

That was a whole of a lot closer than Tanjiro would have liked. But he was just happy to not be ass first on the ground with a smug shark man standing above him. So Tanjiro would say to a tone that he thought sounded tough but ended up sound more like a sense of relief. “Close, but I stopped you. I am so glad I don't have to wash off some fish stank from my clothes!” 

Standing up and walking slowly away from the fishonobi, Tanjrio would say. “I am guessing you would like me to do the same for you. So you can “Test!” the jutsu out as well?" While Tanjiro said the word “Test” he would look over to Minato. Giving the raven haired shinobi a stare that clearly pointed out the ridiculousness of his previous statement. 

Tanjiro would wait around until Kaito gave him the go to start his charge. Tanjiro knew he was not nearly as fast as the fish man. He would have to work on that. But for now he needed to try and catch the fish fool off guard. So Tanjiro came up with the idea to use a jutsu that Minato had just taught him. If He used Body Flicker to close the distance to the fish fool he could try to get him off balance. 

Tanjiro would when given the go ahead by Kaito make the ram seal with his hand and body flicker to the spot one meter to Kaito’s left side. Tanjiro would attempt to from this location to give the fish man a solid kick to the abdomen. 

If he got stopped he would just grumble a little under his breath. Saying things like “you just got lucky.” and “I let you catch me.” 

Once released Tanjiro would let the other to shinobi pick the groups next training task. Since he started training with these two Lumpkin's he might as well keep it going. Tanjiro was kind of glad he was getting to train again, even if it was with these fools. But they seemed to have some skills and if he was going to fight alongside these fools, he might as well get to know them.

WC 849
TWC 4264

Kaito would allow the monk to prepare as he saw fit before the shark would give a nod and a simple “HERE I COME!” Launching into a full sprint at Tanjiro like a raging bull, ready to slam him into the ground for some laughs. The shark man closed the distance quickly, likely faster than expected from the hairless monk. Still, they had enough initial distance from them that if Tanjiro utilized the jutsu properly he would probably be caught. Closer and closer, Kaito watched the monk fumble with the hand seal before finally stopping him a mere handful of inches before he was tackled to the ground.
 
Kaito could feel the chakra binding him, keeping him motionless. He struggled, but it was pointless. He wasn’t strong enough to overcome this jutsu yet, though he could feel that it wasn’t as tight of a bind as Minato’s was. “Looks like you are more capable than I originally thought. Good!” He would add once able to move again, stretching his still body out a bit before taking his own turn to try out the technique. He would ignore the clear attempts to insult him, knowing that if he was going to get this jutsu down he would have to focus and have clarity of mind. Kaito couldn’t let anger or annoyance cloud his mind, else he would fall behind in his training. There was NO WAY ‘Mister Clean’ here would pull ahead in learning the techniques.
 
Kaito would brace himself, hands at the ready to form the needed Tiger hand seal in order to use the Temporary Paralysis Technique. He would watch as the relatively sluggish monk would form the ram seal. So he was planning on using a technique, huh? The monks body would dash, rapidly clearing the short distance between them. Luckily, the Tiger seal was formed, and despite the monk going for a kick, the paralysis would lock him in place before the kick landed. “Using the Body Flicker to help bridge the gap in our speed. HA! You are a fun one!” Kaito glanced at the monk, frozen in the kicking position. “Your Taijutsu form needs work.” He would add before laughing at Tanjiro’s comments. “I’m glad that the GREAT MISTER CLEAN let someone as lowly as ME catch him.” He considered pushing the bound monk over since that would be HILARIOUS, but he was here to train and didn’t want to humiliate Tanjiro. The guy had some skills, so if they continued to train they might be able to push one another to higher limits than either of them could solo.
 
Kaito would then look to Minato for any further instructions. “It seems like we did it right. Maybe not perfect, but muscle memory through repetition will help there I would hope.” He would scratch his chin some, wondering what else the experienced Uchiha had to offer as far as teaching them. “I dunno if he specializes in Ninjutsu, but maybe you can show him a thing or two. I’ll just watch and keep a healthy sweat going. NO REST! ALL GAINS!” Kaito would then start doing pull ups from a nearby tree branch, lifting himself with relative ease all the while watching and listening to what his new pals had to say.
 
…Pals?


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Even if it was only for a second, Minato caught himself hoping one of them would get tackled by the other. Given how the two interacted with each other it would be quite funny and a typical thing to happen. But alas, it seemed that both Tanjiro and Kaito were going to take it seriously. Probably driven to best the other in this exercise. First up was the shark, Kaito. As he ran towards Tanjiro at his top speed with only one goal in mind, to tackle the monk, the latter was able to stop Kaito just before he was able to take him down. It was close, but nevertheless a successful attempt and performance of the Temporary Paralysis Technique.

Now it was Tanjiro's time to try and drop Kaito to the ground. It seemed like the monk took a different approach as instead of running towards Kaito he would instead use one of the other techniques, the Body Flicker, to surprise the shark like individual. Interesting, but less effective as Kaito had no problem seeing through his plan and was able to successfully stop Tanjiro's movements with the Temporary Paralysis Technique. And it wouldn't be Tanjiro and Kaito if there weren't any insults thrown around. "Alright guys, not bad for your first try." Minato would compliment and encourage them to show they were on the right way.

Kaito would then find himself a nearby tree to focus on his physical training for the time being. Suggesting that Minato would take this moment to teach Tanjiro something else while he would watch from the side while exercising. "Alright, sure. Let's see, you know the Clone Technique, correct?" Minato would briefly explain how said technique worked, how you create an intangible copy of your own body, without any substance. The clones don't have the ability to attack, and thus can only be used to confuse the enemy. These clones are not solid and are just projections of the original. "However, there is another technique based on clones but different to the normal Clone technique they are solid." 

These clones once created act on their own free will, being able to fight and use their own actions. Whereas the normal clones are unable to attack. Unlike the basic Clone Technique, shadow clones are physically real. Because they are visually identical and possess the same chakra as the user, shadow clones are indistinguishable from their original. "As you can hear they can serve many purposes." Once Minato finished explaning the technique he would quickly demonstrate. Forming the Clone seal a poof of smoke followed and out of it a second Minato appeared. "Go ahead and try." The raven haired Uchiha would step back and give Tanjiro some time to prepare himself. 

(WC: 458, TWC: 4830)

The shark man would grin and nod upon hearing the Uchiha’s praise. He was doing something right today, and it helped that he had such a badass for a teacher. If he had to learn these techniques from some second rate shinobi he likely wouldn’t have learned them even half as quickly. Of course, there was a lot to learn for Tanjiro and since their specialties lined up better the buff shark would simply move out of the way and let them have some one on one time. Whether or not ‘Mister Clean’ was as capable as he boasted would be put to the test. Kaito would simply watch the other two while he worked out, keeping his heart rate up and the sweat dripping. He didn’t have the luxury of sitting idly by while Minato taught Tanjiro ninjutsu.
 
Watching, he would make mental notes of both the bald monk and the Uchiha, noting their forms and stances. The difference in experience was clear, both in stance and in general demeanor. Minato was calm and collected while Tanjiro was more… vocal and rambunctious. Kaito probably didn’t have a ton of room to talk in these regards, but it was something worth noting.
 
The clone that Minato had made was like looking in a mirror, the thing perfect down to the finest details. Sure, the basic Clone jutsu was also capable of such a feat, but apparently these ones were solid, having a lifelike substance to them. It was almost unbelievable, but the shinobi arts were full of crazy things that seem impossible at a first glance. Why should this be any different? The monk had less luck though, his first few attempts failing completely and when he finally made something it was… absolutely horrid looking… There was no way that he did it right. Kaito almost wanted to heckle him, laughing at the monstrosity he had just witnessed spawn on the ground. The shark man couldn’t do it though. As crazy as it may have seemed, he knew that being jabs at for ones failures didn’t lead to success. He would instead just let the monk refocus and try again.
 
It worked this time! It was clear that the monk was also happy with his accomplishment. Of course, now that he managed to properly use the Shadow Clones Kaito would heckle him. “HEY! Don’t summon that creepy looking thing again! I don’t want to LOSE MY LUNCH!” He would laugh out loud adding, “And I don’t want you to create any more of those failed clones EITHER!”
 
Hearing the monk mention something about sensing chakra, Kaito would focus in and listen. Something like that would indeed come in handy in various scenarios. Couldn’t hurt to learn it if the capable teacher could teach it to them.

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Minato wasn't sure what to think of Tanjiro. There were moments the monk would act as if he had never been around people before, but there were also times where he took things seriously and put effort into his training. The raven haired Uchiha figured there could be multiple reasons as to why the monk was .. you know, like he was. Maybe his social skills weren't all that, or he wasn't used being around other people besides his own acquaintances. Not that it was that big of a deal to Minato, if the monk needed help he didn't mind being of assistance regardless of his behavior. While Kaito was still concentrated on his own training the monk was about to begin his attempt at the Shadow Clone Technique.

Even though he sounded so confident in his own skills nothing happened when Tanjiro tried the first couple of times. Maybe it were his nerves but it looked like his bald head started shining even more, ever so brightly. Maybe it wasn't so bad that Tanjiro was confronted with failure, as easy things might sound, not everything would go as planned. Sometimes you would need a couple of tries before you'd be able to accomplish something. Fall down seven times, stand up eight. The monk kept trying and when you finally thought he had made some progress he produced something out of this world. Was it even human? Sure, Tanjiro wasn't particularly good looking but whatever that was even did the monk short.

When all hope was almost lost Tanjiro was finally able to perform the Shadow Clone Technique like it was supposed to be. Two bald heads for the price of one. "I wouldn't call it beautiful but at least you did it" Minato would jest. The Uchiha wasn't about to ruin Tanjiro's excitement so he kept the teasing to a minimum. The monk seemed to have found a second breath as he asked for a technique that could help with sensing chakra. Luckily for him Minato did know something that would do just that. There were all kinds of shinobi, sensory types being one of them. "It's more a skill rather than a technique called Chakra Sensory, it's basically in its name. I bet you didn't expect that, did you?" It was pretty obvious what the purpose of the skill was.

"Chakra sensory is the basic ability to feel out chakra, you can feel out chakra if you focus around you and will allow you to detect chakra signatures around you. People with higher chakra stats are detected automatically without the need to focus, due to their high amounts of power, the higher the stat the more it is felt. Sensing the chakra does not enable you to know the location of the source, but rather give you an indication to their presence. You can memorize someone's chakra signature and become accustomed to it so you could eventually pick them out of a crowd." No hand seals, just simply focussing. If done correctly both Tanjiro and Kaito would be able to feel each other's presence so they would know when they were close to one another, since they liked to hang out together after all.

(WC: 535, TWC: 5365)

So the ability to sense chakra was something that just took some practice and focus? That seemed simple enough, but Kaito wasn’t one to easily focus. In fact, there were many times where his lack of focus had caused him various difficulties both in and out of the academy. He would almost frown at the thought of not being able to learn this, as it was indeed a crucial skill to have. If you can’t detect your target, you can’t beat your target.
 
The hulking shark would drop from the branch and try to focus on his chakra. Despite his best efforts, all he could feel was his own heart beating within his chest. Thump, thump, thump, thump. He would have to try and drown out the distraction, but it was not going to be easy by any means. He would focus on breathing, hoping to calm himself down enough to manage this feat of chakra sensory. Just try to focus, Kaito. Listen to yourself breathing, and try to relax. Once you manage to relax, it will come to you.
 
It would take several minutes, the shark seen simply standing there, his eyes closed as if in deep meditation. This was the least active either of the two have seen him. No bouncing, no motion. Just an almost unrealistic stillness other than the movement of his chest up and down from breathing. He could feel his pulse slowing, his mind finally at ease even if only momentarily. The shark man would then try again, his chakra attempting to notice those signatures of the two people he was training with. Despite his best effort, he couldn’t manage to get it, or if he was understanding how to use it properly he didn’t feel the others like he expected.
 
“Hey, uh, Minato. Are you supposed to… feel something?” Kaito had no idea if he had been doing something wrong or not. He just was sure that he couldn’t feel anything different. The more concerning bit of this interaction wasn’t his difficulty sensing though. The sharks demeanor was off, his energy waning. It was almost as if being this calm and staying still was actually draining the energy from him and making him more lethargic.
 
Kaito would look to Minato, hoping the experience of the man could shine some light on why it wasn’t working like he had hoped. The shark man knew that he would have to master this skill if he ever hoped to do well and help show the village leadership that he and his clan were worthy of a place here in the Hidden Leaf.

WC: 436

Practice makes perfect. Even those gifted with an extraordinary amount of talent would have to put in the hard work. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. Talent can only get you so far. A person has to activate their talent in order to make anything big happen.  If they don’t, it’s as if they never even had the talent in the first place. No matter how talented you are, if you don’t work hard nothing will happen for you. That said hard work often does make up for weaknesses. You just need to know what your strengths and weaknesses are and go from there. Turn your weaknesses into strengths and you may go farther than you imagined.

Hard work had to be put in learning Chakra Sensory as well. Just because it's not a technique and it focusses on concentration doesn't mean you'll be able to get it just like that. It was up to Tanjiro and Kaito to show they have what it takes. Where the monk was able to catch up on it pretty quick it seemed Kaito was having more trouble. At first sight it looked like the shark like individual was indeed focussing, trying to relax. But if one were to have a closer look he would note that Kaito was fixating on too many things at once. Something the shark wasn't used to. "You're overthinking too hard" the raven haired Uchiha started his explanation.

"Yes, concentration is key. But you are focussing too much on yourself. On your breathing, on your pulse. At this point you're forgetting to focus on everything else besides yourself. Try to mold your chakra, hone your senses and feel around you. The harder you focus on one thing in particular, the harder it will be to be aware of what's going on around you. Just close your eyes and feel how everything is moving around you." Minato would continue giving his advice as he walked in different directions, maybe Kaito wouldn't notice but eventually he would feel Minato's chakra signature move around.

(WC: 345, TWC: 5710)