Ninja Race: Speed Training! (Open, NK)

Yamakura collapsed under the weight and pressure, the ever shrinking space around her of the two older men who had been watching and encroaching closely after her tumble and fall! Their eyes upon her, four cannon balls of weight packed onto her spine as they drew ever closer, a pair of spiders upon a web encroaching upon the prey between them. She trembled slightly, cradling her burning face in her hands, feeling the utter presence between the two enclose and strangle her own, seemingly concerned, but crushing her all the same! What hubris she had, thinking her brother, her important, serious brother would've been here to watch over her, to bare witness and perhaps even feel a sense of pride in what she had accomplished. Who was she to think that, just because she wished it, that her sibling would've been the one watching her, that she deserved his attention at this stage of her development? What was worse was that there actually WAS someone watching her... two of them actually, and she had fallen on her face in front of them all...

...How pathetic..

Now they crowded about her, one attempting to soften the mood, the other amping it up with his anxiousness and concern, Yamakura drawing further and further within herself as their twin voices bombarded her from both sides, doting on her as if she were just some kid doing a stupid stunt... It wasn't like she was a ninja in training or anything, like she wasn't just another kid out there trying to be cool...  There was a serious, important purpose to this kind of training, to her as a citizen of the Leaf... and she was just being coddled... She could only imagine that if her siblings could see her.... Her brothers woud've been laughing softly to themselves, her twin shaking her head, unable to look...

...So dreadfully... pathetic...

"I'm.... fine..." She barely managed to whisper, Yamakura's hands dropping down from her face and, instead, her arms would wrap around herself. She curled slightly inward, discomfort seeming to radiate off her like a pungent stink! Her amber eyes would flick up at the two, noticing their features... most notably their considerable age difference to herself before flicking back down to the ground again, finding the architecture of the roof below her feet quite interesting....

"Wh..who..." She had begun to ask, but soon realized that introductions from these two were unnecessary. Though they hadn't revealed their names directly to her, they had among themselves and she had been there to witness it! She knew who they were... yet her own name would be oblivious to them, the uchiha being the one nominate factor among them!

"My.... My name is Yamakura Uchiha." She introduced herself, attempting a brief, but gentle smile at the two older ninja! "D.... Don't mind me.... I was just.... training..."
_______________________________________________

WC: 482
TWC: 2875

Man, did this guy not know when to shut up. He kept rambling on and on and on, all the while lighting up a cigarette. Interesting choice for someone his age, not that Asahi would care. It wasn't his health anyway, eventually everyone would die in the end. "No need to apologize. You aren't the first and won't be the last." Tough guy couldn't keep his eyes off the Meijin's scar, it was a reaction he already had gotten used to and no longer bothered him. "And besides, I heard girls dig dudes with scars." If he got ryo every single time someone looked at his face he would have long been rich. Did he enjoy being stared at? Not really, but he also didn't plan on wearing a mask just to hide it. 

When he finally stopped talking for a second he then introduced himself to be Shibata Nara. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine Shibata." Not that Asahi was expecting to see the Nara around that much but just in case they were to run into each other they at least had gotten the introductions out of the way. Anyway, their conversation had gone on for longer than anticipated and the Meijin didn't really feel like leaving the sobbing girl by herself. He was hardly the most suited when it came to comforting someone else, but it was either him or Shibata the smoking rebel. Not the best options out there but the least they could do was try. 

Asahi would allow the girl some time to express herself, how difficult it might be considering the embarrassing situation she got herself into. After a couple of minutes the kunoichi was able to get some words out of her mouth. She introduced herself as Yamakura Uchiha and her reason for being out there was to train. "You were doing really great Yamakura. It was very impressive" he said with a gentle smile. He hoped her confidence remained intact even after the fall she made. "But I'm afraid I do mind. I can't just simply watch as one of my fellow shinobi is getting hurt, can I?" He didn't really intend to baby her, it wasn't as if he was talking to a 4 year old after all. 

Witnessing how the female Uchiha had calmed down a little he would give her some space to become a bit more comfortable before speaking up once more. "Quite the famous clan you're part of. Is that why you were training so hard, in order te be acknowledged?" Maybe the young girl felt the need to prove herself to the other members of her clan, which may have caused her to lose focus and was how she messed up earlier, which resulted in losing her balance. There wasn't much more the scarred Meijin could do, except for offering a helping hand and a promise to hear her out if she decided to talk about it. But it was entirely up to her.

(WC: 500, TWC: 2106)

Shibata noticed the young girl he was trying to comfort was not taking his attempts particularly well, so he took a second of self reflection, and tried to soften his typical hard edges as he realized he may have been making the problem worse. He scratched the back of his head as he said with a smile, "Sorry if I made you feel intimidated, really was not my intent, was trying to be comforting, but, well, as I'm sure you saw, that was a bigger fumble than the one you just took." He paused for a second, thinking of what he could say, before blurting out, "Hey want a smoke? It usually helps when I'm feeling particularly anxious."

He took out a second cigarette from his pack, looked to Asahi, and took out a third, holding one in each hand, "Typically they serve as a way to increase the intensity of training, adding a whole new layer by having to control your breathing along with your chakra," He continued, unaware that he had slipped into another rant, "And by having that distraction, you simulate more so the real mission environment, where other things will most certainly be on your mind. A different improvement you can make to this training is finding a person or people to train with. Not only does it add a way for training to be fun, but when you got other people they can push you further from both a competitive sense of a drive to win, and a fear of that same shame that you seem to be feeling now." Shibata stretched out his other arm, and by extension, the other cigarette, to Asahi, responding to his comments as well "That's one way to look at it, I think I like your attitude Asahi, sure am hoping we can work together on a mission sometime, or maybe even get some training done, want a smoke?" Shibata took a second to realize the situation, and spoke up with, "Ah shit, I did it again. Sorry I really can be far too rambly for my own good."

Shibata shifted back to the young Uchiha, "I'm sure you're doing fine, don't need anyone to look after you, after all, looks like your on your way to be a great Kunoichi some day. If you ever want someone to train with, I'll probably be available and I'm sure I can teach you a trick or two that will get you closer on the path." Shibata took a break in talking his ass off, a rare occurrence as the other roof occupants were starting to catch on to. He started observing the others and his surroundings more carefully. He noticed that there was an apparent path made coming from the direction Yamakura flew from a moment ago, the Uchiha district, up to the Hokage Rock. "Looks like you got yourself a pretty nice track set up, what say we have ourselves a race? It's one way to get some good damn training," the Rebel Heart chirped up.

(WC: 507, TWC:1663)

Yamakura really just wanted to slip away and continue her training as if nothing had happened, to be a ghost between two individuals, an invisible shadow among many others. What she would have given to be a fly on the wall, a person of such insignificant consequence that she wouldn't have to take part in such awkward and soul-crushingly humiliating interactions... What she would have given to....

No! STOP! A voice in Yamakura's head echoed, a proverbial bucket of ice-water SPLASHING over her head! You're a NINJA... or are going to be at least! Have some pride in yourself! It was her own voice... a Demanding voice, one she would NEVER hold in her own mouth and yet... it was so agonizingly familiar... When... When would Yamakura EVER talk to someone like that, make such harsh demands of anyone!? Apparently, all it took was short patience and a drive... for her to turn it upon herself... Yamakura had always been one of the harshest self-critiques, a perfectionist in some ways in order to desperately scrape away at the gap between herself and her family. In this respect, she never gave herself a break. Nothing was really "good enough", only better. Nothing was ever "satisfactory", only an improvement upon the last version. She always strove to hone herself to a more fine and sharpened edge...

...but little did she know that that edge... had a double that bit back.

Yamakura would offer a smile at the two men as they offered their compliments... but it neither held the convincing glow nor the spirit of a genuine grin. Her eyes seemed to cloud over quietly in thought as the girl rose to her feet, her wrist wiping over her face almost akin to a cat grooming itself, the young uchiha brushing off the dust and dirt that had accumulated over her from her... unceremonious fall. She wanted to be outgoing... She wanted to be someone that STOOD OUT... She could've died happy if she made herself into someone her brothers could've been proud of... but... but...

No BUTS! The voice roared again. Start now! Be that person TODAY!

"Y....YES!" Yamakura exclaimed! ........silence..... "Th.... that is... Yes, we can do a race!" She blushed harshly... but she would stand tall...er, her eyes locking with the two, taller, more battle-hardened ninja before her with the intensity... of someone staring down their execution! Yes, she was able to meet their eyes, displaying some willpower... but her timid nature was unmistakable. She simply couldn't help it... but she would do this... For herself and her brothers!

"I'm.... I'm making a run to the Hokage Mountain just a ways from here!" She explained, her voice only slightly trembling, a tad quieter than normal volume! "L...lets go there together!"

WC: 476
TWC: 3351

A smoke? Although it would make sense for the fire Meijin to accept the Nara's offer of a cigarette since it fit perfectly with his image he kindly refused. "Maybe some other time, thanks." Of course the rebel started rambling again, at least this time he read the atmosphere better and tried to confort Yamakura and even attempted to give her some advice. Perhaps deep down under his hard shell there was a softer side to Shibata as well. Tough guy on the outside but sensitive on the inside. There would always be more to it than people made it look like at first. It was what made them so interesting.

In the meantime Yamakura offered them a smile, a forced one but she was trying. The girl slowly rose to her feet, her wrist wiping away the tears, brushing off the dust and dirt on her clothes which she received after falling down earlier. Asahi gave the young kunoichi some time to pull herself together, curious about what she would say. It was still very visible and pretty obvious she was doing her best not to shy away from the two shinobi standing in front of her. A little bit awkward but he was certain she'd be able to express herself soon. She looked insecure, struggling with herself. The first hurdle she had to overcome would be the one from within. To convince herself she was able to do it, to believe she was capable of doing whatever it was she wanted to achieve.

And then suddenly, a voice yelled out. Although stuttering and blushing Yamakura responded positively to Shibata's idea of having a race. All the while looking at the two boys the kunoichi explained she was making a run to Hokage Rock, soon followed by a request of going there together. "Well we can't really say no to that, can we?" The scarred Meijin would look over at the Nara in a way to notify him of his intention to go along with the race. Now that she was finally able to express herself while at the same time growing a little more confident, Asahi decided to join her in a run to Hokage Rock. "Ladies first" he'd say while casually putting his hands back into his pockets. Once Yamakura had given the signal and started running Asahi would follow suit, hoping she would be having fun.

(WC: 400: TWC: 2506)

That is about what Shibata should have expected, at least he supposed, neither one of these people really looked the type to say yes to the first question he posed. "Well, to each their own I guess," Shibata said, thinking about what to do with the loosies in his hands, he couldn't put them back in, that would be far too uncivilized. So he took both the cigarettes, and positioned them both behind each of the other to be racers, standing up, casting a shadow facing their directions. The Nara clan member cooly sat at the edge of the roof, back facing the destination of this race, Hokage Rock, as the young Uchiha had pointed out. His smile now completely faded as he recognized no one's here was genuine, and figured, why put in the effort if it's just gonna mean nothing. He sized both of his potential opponents up, knowing that in his academy days he was one of the more average in terms of speed, and if he was going to enter this race to win, he would have to get crafty. Yamakura was still in the Academy, so even if she was fast for her class, the Rebel Heart could assume that he would be at least equal in speed to her, but the scarred boy closer to his age seemed like much more of a threat. His wiry frame suggested that he was much more mobile that the larger body of the Nara among the bunch. "Looks like we've got ourselves a friendly competition then," spoke the cigarette wielding more rebellious one among the bunch. "First one there gets bragging rights. Sound like a deal?" Shibata asked. 

As he said this, attempting his best method of getting them to think of anything but the ground directly below them, he pointed off to Hokage rock. "Now, let's all line up, when I say go, we sprint for it, make sure to be on your marks and ready to run off when I say go," he said still with his feet pointing the opposite direction of the trios destination. Purposefully using his coat to conceal his hands, he made the sign of the rat, as his shadow extended to the two people right next to him, using the shadow cast by his cigarettes as cover. Under his breath he muttered, "Shadow imitation jutsu, complete," too quiet for the rest to hear, but mostly for his own satisfaction. Having connected his shadow to the other two, he shouted, "Go!" before whirling around, now facing the correct way but causing the others to face the same direction Shibata had been just a moment prior. Shibata then started sprinting as fast as he could over the rooftops towards Hokage rock, spurring the other two to move at that same speed in the opposite direction to a maximum distance of 20 meters back from where they started, putting 40 meters between them and Shibata as he used the cigarettes he placed on the ground as an additional medium. The Rebel Heart chuckled as he shout out back past him "What are you guys doing, Hokage Rock is this way!"

(If this is godmodding for either of you, lmk with a dm and I can edit the post in a way to make this a more traditional race)

(WC: 527, TWC: 2,190)

87/107 AP

Yamakura was kinda surprised by the enthusiasm of these two older, and likely stronger men, two eager to humor someone much younger and inexperienced such as herself for seemingly no other reason than pure altruism!! She had thought guys of their age and stature would have had more important things to attend to, missions and the like,  attending to the needs of the village that couldn't be catered to by mere students such as herself! Perhaps this was their time off...? Maybe they haven't had a mission in a bit and were all looking for ways to kill time...? If this was true, the much smaller and younger ninja would feel almost... a sense of bashfulness that they would choose to spend their hard-fought off-time with some stranger/strange girl they had only just met, willing to partake in an admittedly childish training exercise! Her blush was like an ever-present bloom upon her cheeks as these thoughts flashed across her slightly disoriented mind, a burn that prickled her skin tauntingly, overtly registering her bashful shyness! In a very small way, beneath her self-chilling anxiousness, she felt... almost special, special that these two guys would answer her silent request, if a bit late! They would stand together... but with Shibita strangely facing the wrong way! It was almost as if to suggest that he was going to start this race sprinting backwards! Was... Was he really fast enough to take to surpassing two ninja in speed without accurately seeing where he was going...?

...Or maybe... he was a Hyuuga!?

Yamakura's eyes widened with wonder, contemplation... Perhaps he was one of those ninja in disguise, using a fake name, or perhaps even a fake appearance in order to hone his own abilities of infultration! The young Uchiha's mind bore all KINDS of fruit surrounding the possibilities! Yamakura had never met a Hyuuga before or SEEN their byakugan! She'd read about them a BUNCH in school and how their bloodline ocular jutsu granted them virtually complete 360 degree vision, how they could even see the very network of chakra within humans with MUCH MORE precision than the Sharingan could! Maybe... Maybe she could talk to him afterwords! Maybe he could teach her a few things an-

"Wh.....a....t...?" Yamakura gasped, her skin suddenly flashing with sweat! Her attempts to move were met with NEGATIVE success, almost as if the air around her had calcified into an invisible, skin-tight prison! Her hands were frozen at her sides as if they had been chained there in time, even her neck-muscles refusing to respond to her commands! SHOCKS of fear arched up her spine as a smile flicked across the lips of the Nara, her eyes (the only muscles beyond her mouth seeming to respond to her brain) flicking down to see his shadow arching out like tentacles, interlocking with both her own... and potentially the other man's!

"Wh....Why....?" She whispered as the Shibata turned full circle, FORCING Yamakura to follow suit! It almost HURT how her body JERKED to mirror his motions! Each little twitch of his fingers, the smallest jerk of his leg... and her body was compelled to mimic it! It was MADDENING, a skeleton having replaced her own was what it felt like, a force beyond ALL others that would make her move against her will... and remain CONSCIOUS of it! The Nara's grin... through the eyes of someone subjected to his clan's specialty... didn't seem quite as impish as he attempted to make it... Rather, the twisted smirk of someone with a dark... insidious purpose!

Go!

Suddenly, Yamakura's body would be FORCED to run, her legs flowing smoothly but against her own control, her body like puppet manipulated by the invisible mechanisms at the Nara's command! Yamakura almost felt like crying, fear ARCHING over her heart as the man controlled her like his machine, the girl running to the VERY edge of the rooftop... and OFF it as 120 feet or 40 meters was WAY beyond the rooftop's length from where they stood in the middle! Without her own control, Yamakura would fall helplessly towards the ground below like a porcelain doll having been dropped over the side, her eyes clenching shut, her lower lip trembling in the dark, fearful of the inevitable impact! Falls like this... they were painful to anyone dropping like a rock like she was. A ninja like her would likely survive it, perhaps only even BRUISED by it...

...but with so little control over how she landed...

Help me... She begged in her mind, each second passing like a minute in her own time. Don't let me fall...

WC: 780
TWC: 4131

Standing in the opposite direction of both Yamakura and Asahi, the rebel would be facing the two of them. Considering this recent action it was as clear as day Captain Obvious over there was up to something. Not that the Meijin cared, he'd simply comply and participate in whatever child's play Shibata had in mind. His only concern was with the young girl. She just started to feel a little bit more comfortable and the Nara's idea was to get her confidence back to zero. But then again, he had already proven not to be the best at reading people. 

Just as he expected, the girl started panicking the second she noticed her ability to move on her own accord had been taken away. It was at the exact same time when Asahi felt the same effects taking place on his body. The scarred teenager had a feeling what was going on and what caused it but for now he simply decided to go with the flow. Suddenly Shibata turned full circle, forcing both Yamakura and Asahi to follow suit. Mirroring the rebel's movements the Meijin now was certain of his case. The Nara had used one of his clan's techniques, famous for their Shadow Manipulation.

As weird as it sounded, the scarred teenager felt rather free although he was bound by a shadow. Being controlled by someone else and unable to move on his own free will. There wasn't a single shred of fear, not in his mind nor body. The scarred shinobi would simply let go of everything. Every thought, every emotion. He didn't even flinch when he stopped feeling solid ground beneath him. The idiot of a rebel probably didn't think that far ahead of course. Not that it mattered much. They weren't that high above ground and shinobi like them could easily and safely land on the ground.

His biggest concern however was with Yamakura. The young girl was visibly afraid of what might happen next so it was up to him to calm her down, to reassure everything would be fine. "Open your eyes, you'll be fine. You're a shinobi, remember?"

(WC: 356, TWC: 2862)

Shibata was so proud his quickly thought up scheme was working, that in his excitement he forgot he was dealing with real people, not just pieces on some sort of game board to be moved around without a second thought. It hit him like a truck when he heard, instead of a "Damn," or a "Curse you, you sly and roguishly handsome devil, how could you possibly have outwitted us so easily? We are all flies with itty witty brains compared to you're massive intellect!" nothing at all. The worse things always happen when not a thing is heard; a killer doesn't let out a warning, they just stab, a kid who did something he wasn't supposed to decides to get real quiet, and your dog never barks after they just shit on your freshly cleaned carpet. Quietness was always a sign of trouble, and this quietness made Shibata move his head back, observing the other members of the race as they, mirroring his own movements, pulled a sweet gainer off of the shop and were ready for a harsh landing. He facepalmed, causing the others to do the same, before releasing his shadow, thinking he had gotten enough of a lead and taught enough of a lesson as to convey his thoughts, and thinking if he did it now, he may be able to minimize the damage done to the other two Konoha shinobi.


"Ah shit, sorry fellas! Wasn't thinking bout the fall! Rough time for the both of you, but I'll let yall try to catch up now, besta fuckin' luck to you and hope this thought yall a valuable lesson when it comes to contests appearing to rely solely on the physical acumen of the contestants, you may find a solid application of wit comes more in handy than that of a... well actual physical acumen. You know what they say, may scars be the most sacred of teachers. You know a lot about that Asahi right?" Shibata shouted, ranting as usual, with no certainty that the subjects of the lecture would be listening, or, in a more pressing matter of affairs, if they could hear the young Nara clan member as he rambled on attempting to justify his borderline unethical practices. He had secured his place at the front of the race and, although he felt a bit bad about the potential pain he put the other two members of his cadre through, he was glad that he would be the potential victor, and couldn't help but continue to keep up his smugness.



(WC: 427, TWC: 2,617)

Yamakura fell like a rock towards the earth, as did Asahi... and yet, his blunt, seemingly fearless tone surprised her! Stating it so a-matter-of-factly that he might as well had been striking the young Uchiha with the magnitude of his tone, Asahi would remind her that she was, in fact, a ninja and that if things REALLY got as bad as they absolutely could have been, then she would be okay regardless! ...It was almost as if this were some kind of significant revelation as far as Yamakura was concerned, the young kounoichi's eyes suddenly shooting open as if the fear of the inevitable, potentially damaging impact had gone away!

...It hadn't, but Yamakura had some perspective now! She WAS a Shinobi... or at least one in training! She wouldn't let some stupid fall stop her even if it... you know... REALLY hurt! It was almost as if this revival of her convictions, this inner monologue seemingly freeing her from the shadow possession! All at once, Yamakura would suddenly feel her own body come under her own control again mere moments from impacting with the ground! Quickly attempting a flip in order to write herself, Yamakura would SUCCEED in preventing a literal head-on collision with the QUICKLY encroaching earth.... but that didn't save her from impacting with it in a VERY uncomfortable way! Still learning how to control her movement, the young uchiha barely managed to flip herself in time, instead landing HARD on her rear rather than her skull, tears of utter PAIN flashing down her cheeks! She couldn't help it.... Falling a story DOWN onto your rear wasn't good! Not good at all!

"YAAAH!"

She cried out, unable to contain the scream whelling in her throat, the girl pushing herself up to her knees as her body trembled... and as Shibita YELLED his apologies from where he now stood! The Uchiha opened her mouth to yell something back... but she had not the breath in her lugs, only softly gasping for air desperate to try and flush out some of this agonizing PAIN!

"Owowowowow..." She whined softly, shaking her head as she slowly rose to one foot, shaking her head. "I wanted a race.... not a fight..."

WC: 373
TWC: 4504