Further Training

The sun began to shine through the window of Zaine's room as he awoke. The day had come for him to begin the next step in his training. He was to meet an esteemed shinobi of the village hidden in the sand at a nearby training field in order to start a rather difficult but necessary process in his growth as a shinobi. Nerves overcame the young shinobi as he got out of bed and began to get dressed, throwing on a black short sleeve shirt with a raised collar that bore the Uchiha crest on the back with black straight legged pants. Zaine grabbed his two weapon pouches and attached them to the back of his pants following the tying of his head band tightly to his left arm. Last he would walk to his front door putting on his sandals, ready to depart for the training ground Zaine took a  moment to think to himself about what his training partner and new captain had in store for him. Ready for whatever might await him closed his front door behind him and began briskly sprint towards the training ground as a means of a warm up.

Zaine would Leap from the ground to the top of the nearest building neighboring his home and utilize this high ground as he leapt from building to building to cover more ground as he headed towards the gates of the village. He would need to reach the village walls and head east towards the training field all the while thinking to himself "I had better not go to the incorrect field, Guren stated that it would be the one with a rocky plain and hills that resembles small mountainous structures". This would be Zaine's guiding thought as he would reach the gates of the village in less than a half hour. The gates of the village would come over Zaine's sight as he jumped from the roof of the building closest to the gates and ran through the entrance banking left straight for the 10 training fields that had been designed specifically for Sunagakure shinobi to hone their skills. He had come to the fields a few times while a genin but since becoming a chuunin had preferred his own unique training spots that were embraced by the natural biomes of the desert. But being this a special occasion and opportunity, he would not argue or do anything to dissuade his new captain from wanting to teach him. 45 minutes would pass as Zaine made it to the training field that matched the description of what Guren described to him prior; a rigid and rocky plain was layed out in front of him with two sizable mountainous structures sitting parallel to each other at a height of 40 meters. Zaine Looked on at the field in amazement at its simplicity yet intensity. The harsh rays of the sun reflected off the rugged terrain making the emissions of the sun almost heavy on the shoulders of the young Uchiha. He had no idea that the training fields could be this intense but he welcomed it! This was where he would take his next step as a shinobi even though he had his own personal quarrels with what he intended to do to reach this new level.

Walking to the center of the field Zaine would find a boulder 4 meters in width and 3 meters tall, leaping from the ground he would land on the boulder facing the entrance to the training ground as he smirked and sat in a meditative position. Closing his eyes Zaine would begin to focus on what he intended to take away from the day and how he would do his best to surpass his father and mentor. He wasnt foolish, arrogant maybe, but not foolish and understood that he had a long journey ahead of him before he could accomplish such things. Still he knew that if anyone could do it, he was the shinobi who could. Zaine placed his hands in a formation of a rabbit sign, this pose was the way he felt most in tune with himself and his natural chakra flow, allowing meditation to happen more naturally and smoothly. He would await his new captain eager for the regiment that he had planned out to assist the young shinobi in diversifying his arsenal and making steps towards greater power. 

[WC=735 WC]

Guren had last seen Zaine and Raleth sparring at an oasis outside the sanctuary of Sunagakure. As they fought, Guren noted their strengths and shortcomings that were made evident during the battle. Really there weren’t many cons, but one concern was that the two men both seemed aggressive in their tactics. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but a fighting style of that nature could be well complimented by jutsu and abilities that can be used as either shields or swords for the user. Metaphorically of course. Within Guren’s own arsenal, he considered this to be water. Yet in someone like Zaine’s repertoire he could see earth being an element that would function efficiently when used by a taijutsu specialist. While playing around with this idea, he began to actually wonder if Zaine would be interested in conducting some training with him. Thus a day ago Guren had stopped by Zaine’s house while he wasn’t home and dropped off a short letter. It was an invitation to train with Guren in one day’s time at Sunagakure’s grounds. Admittedly it had been some time that he thoroughly trained, but nevertheless his skills would stay sharp.

Now that the time for the two to meet up was approaching, Guren began packing up his pouches while in his apartment. Once ready, he stood up from his desk and strapped his weapon pouches across each thigh. He threw his yutaka cardigan and began to set out. It was bittersweet though. Although he was excited to be able to train with his new team member, it would be taking away from some of his recent studies in his “home office”, otherwise known as the guest bedroom. He had effectively converted it from a bedroom to an operating room equipped with surgery tables, coolers, and more. It was like a smaller version of the office that Kenshin formerly had in the hospital before relocating to the Spire. And out of this home office, Guren had been treating it as a laboratory with the newly acquired bodies of Shinra and Asura Kan, running experiments and training exercises to better familiarize himself with the human body. These things would be important if he were to go on to become a skilled surgeon and iryojutsu specialist. Nevertheless he had to wrap up his work for the day. He recalled the bodies back into their corpse storage scrolls and tucked away the surgically removed organs within the coolers in the room.

After getting freshened up, he would exit from his apartment and promptly make his way to the training grounds. He arrived early so that when Zaine got there he wouldn’t be waiting around aimlessly. In the spare time he had before Zaine would arrive, Guren would sit himself upon one of the benches which surrounded this training ground, Field #7. As he sat in silence, he breathed and focused his chakra to align with his breaths. It was a nice way to center and level himself, two things that he was always privy to prior to a good training session.

As some time passed, Guren would hear the footsteps of a men approach the area. This pitter pattering footsteps from the shinobi provided an audial cue that the footsteps had quickly ceased. Guren would track their sound with his eyes and they would instantly fall upon Zaine who was leaping towards and landing upon a large boulder. Pleased at his punctuality, Guren awaited a few moments to allow the shinobi to continue with his meditation. After some minutes passed, Guren stood up from his seat and began walking over to his teammate. When he was several meters away, Guren would reach out to him. “Zaine, good of you to show up. And early too. Thank you,” Guren said while offering a slight nod of approval. “I take it you find some peace in this particular training ground, hm?” he asked, clearly commenting on Zaine’s ability to quickly fall into a meditative state within this particular environment. Truthfully, Guren had been doing the same thing.

(WC = 675)

Zaine remained perched atop the boulder he had been fortunate enough to come across as he remained deep in his own thought about what to expect from this encounter. He knew so little about his would be training partner and newly assigned captain but the idea that another Chuunin would be assigned as not only his but also his mentors captain made Zaine curious. Was this shinobi so formidable that he commanded that much respect? This seemed to be the only logical conclusion and as such left Zaine even more anxious and excited than before. In an attempt to calm his nerves the young shinobi began to focus on in breathing, allowing the soothing rhythm of the wind to dictate his pattern of inhalation and exhalation. No more than a few moments after reaching a state of tranquility Zaine would hear the familiar voice that he knew to be Guren's. Slowly opening his eyes, he was met with a warm greeting from the clean cut young man. A welcoming smile would come over Zaines face as he stood up slowly placing his right hand on his knee for leverage and patted himself from the waist down before focusing his gaze back on the an before him. "Punctuality has always been my strong suit. If you're not early in most situations, chances are you're late and I would say so, the simplicity of this arena is very calming to me." He chuckled to himself having realized that yet again he was quoting his late father who clearly did a fine job instilling the values that make for a respectable individual. Hopping down from the boulder, Zaine began to walk towards Guren to give him a proper greeting of sorts. Now being no more than a meter from Guren he would reach out to shake his hand as he spoke again. "I don't believe I gave an introduction the last time we met, although by now im sure you know much more about me than I've been made aware. Even so, I'm Zaine Uchiha, its a pleasure to meet you Guren." Zaine would await the inevitable hand shake(dap) from Guren. Now that introductions were over Zaine would take on a more serious expression as he began to make his curiosities known.


Putting a a few more meters of distance between them by leaping back the young Uchiha would allow himself a moment before speaking again "We both know Ive been assigned to you but even so, its not your job to personally train me so I wanted to know what you have planned here." Taking no precautions to hide his arrogant nature Zaine crossed his arms and smirked slightly. While he was sure of Guren's strength he also believed beyond a doubt that with time and effort he could overcome anyone and anything. He would need a response that would provide him with proof that Guren was at a level where he had an ample arsenal to be considered a teacher. Maybe a demonstration of skill? The method wouldnt make much of a difference so long as it was made clear the level the young shinobi was at. Along with his skepticism towards what he could be taught by this shinobi who to his knowledge was of the same ranking as him was a guilty curiosity and hunger for for growth. Another theory was that this amplified confidence was stemming from the advancement in his abilities that had been recently attained. Keeping his focus on Guren, Zaine awaited a reply.


[WC= 588]

Guren embraced the statement regarding punctuality, as every word that Zaine spoke was true. For anyone to show up either on time or early to an event displayed a commendable amount of accountability. And for shinobi that was quite important. Being able to rely on your teammates’ words and actions was something that Guren had grown accustom to during his time in Kumogakure. He was taught these simple fundamentals at a young age and has gone on to display them and expect them from those he works with. Zaine doing the same was respectable, and Guren was truly appreciative for that. Offering a small smile in agreement, Guren allowed Zaine to continue speaking uninterrupted. Zaine would leap down from the boulder and begin to approach Guren, extending his hand out for a formal greeting. Guren would return the act and meet Zaine’s hand with his own. An audible *clap* could be heard when the two hands met, which were subsequently folded against each other into a snug grasp. A dap, if you will.

Based upon the grip that Zaine demonstrated during the handshake, Guren could tell this man was strong. No doubt physically stronger than he was; and the same could likely be true for his mentor Raleth. Likely a product of their undoubtedly rigorous training as taijutsu disciples. By no means was Guren a specialist in the subject, so at face value it may have seemed like the assignment of him as a captain to Raleth and Zaine was inappropriate. Perhaps even a deeper analysis would prove so, considering the specialties of the three men. But to Guren, those differences in skill sets across the three would be what would make this team shine brighter than others. By having such a versatile repertoire within their team, it would present the opportunities for all three men to learn from each other and to cover each other’s weaknesses in battle.

Guren nodded when Zaine concluded his introduction, and returned the formality with his own. “Guren Chinoike,” he began, “And please, the pleasure is all mine. I have been anxious to work with both you and Raleth. I believe we can have quite the potential as a unit.” With the end of the introduction, Guren would retract his hand from the dap and bring it back to his side. With haste, Zaine would leap backwards and create some distance among the two. His following word seemed a tad bitter, sprinkled with a dash of conceit; yet Guren did not let that phase him. Zaine was right, it wasn’t his job to necessarily train him. But if that was all that Zaine had taken away from the creation of their team, than he would be mistaken. Ironically enough, the end of his speech segued perfectly into what Guren’s intent of the two men being here today was.

Although Guren had initially planned on discussing his aim in bringing Zaine here, it would seem as if the arrogance needed to be nipped in the bud. Perhaps the Uchiha felt a level of discontent in being assigned a Chunin captain.

“Hm. From your tone, I would wonder if you have a problem with your assignment. Is that true?” Guren inquired with a sinister smile upon his face. His body language was the same in which it had been before. Poised and relax. “You went from being so close and warmly introducing yourself to creating distance and speaking with contempt? Must I prove to you that I’m worthy to be named captain of our team?” Guren inquired, his tone rather conniving. Truthfully he was just reading the room, noting that there was likely some unease with having a chunin command a chunin and a jounin. It was about time that the air was cleared.

Upon asking Zaine this question, Guren blinked and his eyes would both rapidly spiral into touting different characteristics in which they had previously upheld. The right, would swirl into a pool of burgundy while his iris diverged into a black color. Within them, was his neon violet pupils which had lost its circularity and had now turned into a horizontal dash. His left was on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. His naturally grey eyes would instantly glow with bioluminescence, radiating a cyan blue color. As his eyes shifted, Guren would discretely spin the rings upon both of his index fingers with his thumbs and firmly ball his hands into fists. Resultantly, both of his hands would begin to lead with blood.

If Zaine truly wanted to test himself against Guren, now would be the time. Guren would welcome the challenge. However, if Zaine had decided to change his mind then that would have been fine as well. In no way, shape, or form was Guren attempting to flex on his teammate. Instead he just wanted to knock out any degree of bitterness there was within the team. If it was best done via a spar or a talk would be up to Zaine to decide. In either case, Guren was confident in himself. The two were beginning several (3 meters) away from each other and Guren’s final prompt should warrant Zaine making the first move.
Guren, still maintaining his posture and position, remained with his eyes fixated upon Zaine’s torse as if he were looking at a true enemy. “Now then, shall we settle clear the air with words or fists?”

(WC = 901. Total: 1576)

With introductions having concluded promptly it was time to get into the true reason for the meeting between the two shinobi that day and as far as Zaine could tell so far it was a size up. He had no issue with this seeing as how he was curious as to what power Guren possessed and wanted to know that this man was capable of leading a team at his level. Zaine would listen to him as he spoke questioning his tone, specifically waiting for him to finish his asking Zaine about his feelings towards their assignment and his standing as their team captain. It was clear that Guren had keen perception and was able to pick up on Zaine's true intentions just by hearing a few words. This was more or less exactly how he felt and if he was to move on under the leadership of this man, he would want to see the merit of deciding he another chuunin as team captain. "I will say, I was pretty surprised when I heard that a Chuunin was going to be leading us. It got me a bit..curious. Don't get me wrong im sure you've got your skill but do your skills transcend those of other Chuunin?" Zaine said as he looked on at the young shinobi smirking and bringing his arms to his side. Knowing full well that this may lead to a skirmish of sorts Zaine began to mentally prepare. In truth he meant Guren no disrespect and had every intention of apologizing for his behavior after whatever was to follow but he couldnt help his curiosity. He longed for battle just as his father had and as his teacher does and that would never change. It was after he uttered these words that the man standing before him closed his eyes, reopening them revealing doujutsu never before witnessed by Zaine and what was more they were two different ocular states! "How Bizarre.." Thought Zaine his hands began to shake with anticipation and excitement. The young uchiha would close his eyes now speaking to Guren once more, "Those are some interesting eyes you have there. Even I have to admit that, but you're not the only one who can take it up a notch. Just my luck, i've been waiting to try this out." These words echoed from Zaine as he slowly opened his eyes, revealing dark red sclera with bilateral pinpoint pupils, now surrounded by three tomoe as opposed to his usual two. His sharingan had advanced since the last time he crossed paths with Guren and he intended to show his new captain that his power had changed right along with his ocular aesthetic. 


Reaching into the weapons pouch located on the lower right part of his back Zaine would grab a kunai, pulling it out and balancing the entire knife on his right index finger. He would bring the kunai up to eye level so that it would be perfectly centered between his eyes and parallel to Guren's gaze. "The air is more than clear already, Guren. What remains unclear is just how powerful you are. Humor me and give me a sample, I think we could both use a warm up anyhow." Zaine would see the blood flowing from Guren's hands and in a bit of confusion raised his left eyebrow just slightly. He was completely unaware of the man's abilities and was hoping atleast to get to showcase his own. This display was enough for Zaine to understand that his captain truly meant to do battle, he could see that he too enjoyed the thrill of combat and this alone began to warrant ample respect from Zaine. 


Lowering his right index finger gently would cause the kunai balancing on it to fall just slightly as Zaine would reach through the loop of the kunai with his left index finger, grabbing it and throwing it at Guren's left shoulder at a speed of 95 while simultaneously leaping back at a speed of 60 precisely 4 meters. Zaine would then begin to chain together handsigns Ram, Dog, Rabbit, Dog at a speed of 60 following up by making his right hand into the shape of a hand gun. The shinobi would smile, ensuring the entire time he kept direct line of sight on Guren at the level of his neck so that the area from his waist to nose were visible. Without delay upon making his hand into the shape of a gun, a bullet made of compressed air would be fired from Zaine's fingertip and sent flying at Gurens's right hand at a speed of 36 and power of 34. Zaine would reach into his weapons pouch with his left hand and ready his index and middle fingers through the loops of two shuriken, his finger still pointed at Guren in anticipation of a counter attack. This maneuver was simple and would showcase the level of seriousness at which Zaine was approaching their sparring match. It wasnt to get out of hand but he wanted to be able to gauge the speed and reflex at least of Guren. If the kunai were to make contact it would pierce the skin and penetrate the bone causing bleeding and leaving Guren with limited shoulder to arm movement on the left. If the air pistol shot were to make contact it would pierce the skin of the hand at a power of 34 and cause a small fracture and limiting hand movement. 


[WC=916 WC  Total=2,239]

Calcs, Stats and all Dhat:

Guren smiled at the comments and questions from his teammate. There was no real point in responding, and instead he figured he should let his actions do the talking. Soon enough Zaine would indeed find out if Guren’s skills were above those of a typical Chunin. As Guren revealed his eyes to his teammate, the astonished look upon his face would yield a slightly chuckle from Guren. “Interesting” was an accurate description to say the least. Guren was well aware that both of his eyes were rare, although one was purchased. In all of his time, he had personally never seen a Seigan and still was attempting to discover its abilities. His extent of knowledge on it was its potential with both genjutsu and water techniques. Both of which Guren was more than adept at.

“Hmm. Seems your eyes are different as well,” Guren commented when seeing the more developed sharingan which Zaine so proudly showed off. He only took a quick glimpse at them, but redirected his attention towards the center point of Zaine’s body. Occasionally he would glance at each limb of his, looking for signs of movement and an influx in blood flow to one of his appendages. Sure enough, a move would be made.  But it was trivial at best, a single kunai was drawn and more words were spoken.

“I see.” Guren would offer at Zaine’s final rebuttal. And with that, the battle was begun. The kunai had been flung towards Guren’s direction, specifically aimed at Guren’s left shoulder. Based on the ample distance between the two men and Guren’s natural speed, he was able to swiftly dodge. This was done by simply shifting his weight backwards and to his right foot and twisting his torso a little over 45 degrees counter clockwise. By doing so, the kunai was on trajectory to whirl right past him, targeted to miss its mark by several inches. Now Guren’s body position would have its right shoulder nearly pointed towards Zaine, while his left pointed in the opposite direction. With this stance, Guren’s own body would obscure Zaine’s vision from seeing his left hand as it was positioned behind his bootycheeks. His left hand would fire through five handseals (Boar -> Snake -> Horse -> Tiger -> Ram; at 70 speed) and maintain the final until the kunai successfully traveled past him.

At the moment the kunai flew past Guren, Zaine had already backtracked 4 additional meters, further widening the distance between the two (7 meters total). Nevertheless, he was still in sufficient range for Guren’s counter. At that same time, Guren would release the ram seal from his left hand and in an instant a resounding flash of lightning would originate from his body as the epicenter. Its flash would expand outward 20 meters in all directions (80 speed). Should Zaine’s eyes undoubtedly meet the flash, they would instantly become blinded from the scintillating shine. However, this would not be the only symptom. As Zaine’s ears should also be introduced to a continual ringing which would drown out the clamor of the battlefield, namely any movements Guren executed.

(Should Zaine see the flash, he is subject to a stat check. If his chakra is less than jutsu power, 80, he will experience completely impaired vision and hearing and suffer -50 deductions to his speed and chakra. Additionally he will fall victim to the effects of the genjutsu. Thus the next paragraph is written under that presumption.)

Should the combination of the genjutsu and ninjutsu tech succeed, Zaine would find himself in a world of brightness, yet similar to the setting the two began their spar in. Yet his sight and hearing would be quite dulled. However within this illusion, it would appear as if the air bullet that he had just fired at Guren would make contact, giving the false impression that Guren’s hand was pierced and fractured. But in reality, Guren had been just fine. Based on the timing of both men’s techniques, Guren had plenty of time to side step (2 feet to his left) the air bullet, right after the activation of his Lightning Illusion Flash Pillar. Following this movement, Guren would extend both hands forward and towards Zaine’s current position and with remarkable speed, two flat headed wires composed of blood would soar through the air (at 110 speed), beginning from the open wounds Guren had just created. Upon making contact, each would tightly wrap itself around each of Zaine’s hands, pulling them outward and away from his body. If this entire sequence were to commence, then the fight was likely over.

However, in the chance that Zaine avoided the effects of the genjutsu and ninjutsu onslaught, Guren would need to reformulate his plan. For his techniques to fail, he figured either one of two outcomes would have occurred. Either Zaine had out-sped the expanding range of the flash, or he had closed his eyes to prevent them from being blinded. In the case of the first scenario, this was fine. Now there would need to be at least 20 meters of distance between the men, giving Guren plenty of time to devise his next plan. But in the case of the second scenario, Zaine would have been handicapping himself by closing his eyes for the duration of the technique. In any case though, Guren was ready to react to whatever, with his body and mind heavily focused on Zaine.

(WC = 906. Total: 2482)

Calcs:

Zaine watched as his team captain made his move, wasting no time in taking on the offensive in response to the initial assault sent his way. Guren seemed to be no slouch in terms of movement in battle perception and although impressive, this was to be expected of one placed in a position to lead. Zaine's pupils would widen just slightly as the shinobi standing before him who had been still up until this point finally began to move. Having clear line of sight on his lower body as well as his torso, the rhythmic movement of the blood users muscles became clear as each fiber contracted giving birth to his next shift in motion. This was the first time Zaine had utilized his Sharingan at this level and he was nearly beside himself upon realizing just how much this new state advanced his abilities compared to its predecessor. This however, was no time to be lost in thought. The kunai Zaine had thrown was rapidly approaching Guren as he moved backwards away from his opponent through the air and upon seeing the minute tension in his thigh that was utilized to raise his leg slightly and pivot it backwards for what would ultimately yield a successful dodge, Zaine understood he might be in trouble. 

His first wind pistol bullet would be fired as he looked upon Guren, now standing with his right shoulder facing the direction of Zaine. His eyes would widen as he began to see chakra well up inside Guren, its color yellow and an ample amount of it for him to begin to worry. This was again the first time he was able to discern a differing color from the normal blue chakra that he had always believed to be the only manifestation of color for the energy source internally. It was clear to him that his new captain was revealing his elemental versatility and that he was about to utilize a jutsu of the lighting element. The strange factor in this for Zaine was his positioning, lack of movement and stillness of his left hand. "How is he building up chakra for a technique with no handsigns?" Zaine pondered at the same moment as releasing focus of his wind pistol. At this point he was sure through deductive reasoning that his opponent couldnt be using an offensive technique, with him not fully facing Zaine and it likely wasn't a movement ability or Taijutsu ability based off of their distance and his lack of body movement (from what Zaine was able to see). Unaware of what Guren had planned next Zaine saw his only option as going on the defensive and with this he would make the confrontation handseal at a speed of 60 while squatting down and shifting his weight backwards, only moments after seeing Guren begin to build up lighting chakra. At the moment Zaine did this he would see the chakra begin to intensify before being emitted from Guren(as his kunai passed by) in what seemed to be a flash of light that began to move outward from him and towards Zaine as it wasted no time eclipsing the distance of 7 meters at a speed of 80. At the same time this flash of light was released from Guren, Zaines clothes and hair began to ripple as if he were being hit with a constant gust of wind in all directions of his body. Having prepped for a leap backwards while still holding the seal of confrontation, Zaine would leap back now at a speed that might provide a bit of a shock to his new captain. At full strength and at a new speed of 110 Zaine rocketed backwards, putting him 40 meters back from his previous position. Zaine during this time would look on as he viewed the yellow chakra spreading out in all directions coming towards him, but stopping short at the 20 meter range. The young Uchiha noted this in his head as he continued moving backwards through the air finally landing on his feet. He kept his focus on Guren as he made the clone handseal at a speed of 110. In a puff of smoke 2 shadow clones would appear, one to the left  of Zaine and one behind him. The clone behind him would grab the back of the real Zaine's shirt collar with both hands as it stepped back with its left foot, putting all of its weight on that leg and throwing the real Zaine at a strength of 50 5 meters back. His two clones would be 5 and 7 meters in front of  him at this point and he would stand in a squated position as he looked on at Guren awaiting his next move. 

If Guren went through with releasing his blood style jutsu, it would have moved through the air towards Zaine at a speed of 110 (the same as himself) for a distance of 50 meters. The jutsu would have to close the 7 meter gap that had previously been established prior to Zaine leaping backwards and activating his wind jutsu. If this were to occur, the clone to the left of Zaine would leap to the left and back diagonally at speed of 60 while Zaine is being thrown out of range by the clone located behind him which would be ensnared by the blood jutsu, having its hands tied. If Guren chose not to go through with this jutsu Zaine would have the clone closest to Guren dash straight at him at a speed of 60, closing the now 47 meter distance over time while it kept its eyes on Guren, Sharingan still activated. 

Calcs, Stats and all Dhat:

[WC=948]

(Voiding the aforementioned use of sanguinary entanglement, as the genjutsu did not hit)
 
As the flash of lightning was released, it would appear as if Zaine had retreated back further. So far this battle seemed like a game of cat and mouse, where Guren had yet to take on the role of the cat. Considering the circumstances of this being a simple spar, there was no real reason to take this as seriously as he normally would. Nevertheless he at least wanted to keep the spar interesting. Impressed, he watched as Zaine was able to escape the detrimental effects of the lightning flash pillar. Had Guren attempted to close the distance between the two or attempted to bind him before exposing him to the genjutsu and ninjutsu combination then the narrative might have been quite different. Instead this was just a test to see Zaine's decision making process while simultaneously showcasing a glimpse of his own prowess. He couldn't help but offer a slight smile of approval, however he couldn't bask in assent for long, as the fight was still occurring. 
 
Now as Zaine began to squat down and accumulate chakra within his calf muscles, Guren was certain that Zaine's evasive maneuver would consist of a jump. The chakra vision granted from both of his dojutsu made that possible. Once Zaine began to dodge the technique by leaping upwards and backwards Guren was confident that his teammate would not be able change his own direction while mid air. Therefore Guren would begin his own counter as soon as Zaine's jumping motion began. At a base speed of 70, Guren began to run forward while clapping his hands together. Upon that same clap, his pace he pursued Zaine at had instantly accelerated from running at a speed of 70 to a respectable 120 thus exceeding Zaine's own speed. As he began to pursue Zaine, he cautiously watched to see if his teammate would attempt any maneuvers or offensive techniques in an effort to thwart Guren's goal of chasing him down. Nevertheless Guren was maintaining the distance between them, which Zaine's actions up until this point would have slightly added to the distance the two had momentarily been apart. Now, there was approximately 9 meters of horizontal spacing between the two while they traveled in the same direction at slightly different rates. Because of Zaine’s enhanced leap, he would be 40 meters above Guren’s position (ground level), thus putting both men outside of the immediate range of each other’s techniques. Guren’s own speed would slowly close in the horizontal distance between the two men.
 
Due to the nature of the technique he had activated, Guren became surrounded by a thick coat of chakra which matched the blue color of his primary element, suiton. It wrapped itself around him like an aura, and would clearly be visible to Zaine whether he was using his sharingan to see Guren's chakra or not. As Zaine was airborne and Guren was running, Guren knew he would have the advantage. His mobility wasn't limited by a leap, so he should theoretically be in a better position to react and attack/dodge than what Zaine would be. So Guren would use that to his advantage. Right after his clap ended and the two men began to travel in the same direction, Guren followed up his technique with another. Swiftly (120 speed) Guren's right hand would fire through 6 handseals (Boar -> Tiger -> Ox -> Dragon ->Monkey -> Bird ), with the final being maintained until both Guren and Zaine were within 5 meters of Zaine's predetermined landing zone. Once they would be within distance, Guren would release the chakra and at the point that Zaine's jump would land him at, a swamp would form and begin to expand outwards at a speed of 85. As soon as Zaine would land, he would be caught within the grasps of the swamp. It would continue to expand outwards in all directions (save for in Guren’s direction, think of a semi-circle) until it reached a diameter of 20 meters and a depth of 5 meters. Should Zaine's strength be less than the power of the swamp (85), then he would find himself sinking downwards and unable to escape the pulling force of the swamp. 
 
Based on Zaine’s position and bodily orientation, he should not be aware of what was awaiting for him at his inevitable landing zone, even if he had seen Guren perform the hand seals. This was because the location and timing of the swamp’s formation would be behind and underneath Zaine’s projected path of trajectory. Thus once Guren reached the 5 meter distance from Zaine’s landing location, he would halt in his tracks completely and watch his ally fall into the treacherous swamp.
 
Nevertheless, during his pursuit of Zaine, Guren kept his left hand free and ready to respond to whatever Zaine might attempt to throw at him. The vertical spacing between the men and Guren’s own speed were both great enough to give Guren plenty of time to react and devise a backup plan. Additionally Guren’s stopping point would allow ample distance for him to be able to respond to any last minute attempt by Zaine. But Guren fully expected the fight to be over once Zaine would land from his jump. However he would not allow his comrade to drown within the swamp, as once his teammate would start to sink within it Guren would cancel the swamp to ensure Zaine’s safety.  
 
(The timing of Guren’s techniques would interrupt the timeline, and pre-date the creation of your shadow clones. Should you out-maneuver or destroy the swamp, Guren will react accordingly.)

(WC = 944. Total: 3426)

Calcs:

(Actions completed after Zaine landed in the previous post are cancelled based on Guren's actions)

Having amped up his speed via the use of wind release Zaine was on a steady course backwards at a speed of 110 that would land him 40 meters from his previous position in front of his new captain. He continued to keep his eyes on Guren understanding that if he averted them even for a moment he could be subject to a vicious and unforgiving counter attack. The rays of light from the genjutsu previously released still continued towards Zaine, his sharingan painting the flashing light as yellow dense chakra expanding outward at a speed 30 slower than his own. He felt confident that he would be able to plot out an efficient counter to his opponent once he was able to regain his footing but these thoughts would be interrupted by yet another surprise. Only moments passed before Guren would clap his hands together while simultaneously bursting forward at a speed much greater than before. His body was enveloped in a blue and bulky aura and his inner chakra shone through as the deep blue of the ocean. Zaine at this point was aware he was utilizing a water based ninjutsu and that by some manner it was augmenting his speed. Paying close attention to the stride of his legs, step by step each of Guren's movements became more clear. Due to the influence of his ocular prowess, the young Uchiha was able to deduce that his opponents speed surpassed his own at this point if only by a bit. Slowly closing the distance between them, Guren would press on as Zaine continued through the air, making it quite clear that he meant to put a quick finish to their skirmish. 

At this point Zaine was running out of options, it was now more than clear that his new captain had not only physical ability well beyond that of an average Chuunin but a tactical mindset and versatile arsenal as well. From what he had gathered thus far, he exceeded his opponent in few if any categories. This in mind, he had one option left and that would be a full on frontal assault which luckily enough Guren had made slightly easier for him by steadily closing the distance. Zaine understood that his enhanced speed would soon leave him and he would be at a severe disadvantage stacked on top of his already rough situation. He would take this time to form the clone hand sign at a speed of 110. A puff of smoke would appear to his right and out of it an identical shadow clone. Without wasting another moment the clone would grab Zaines arm and spin with full force once time before letting go of Zaine and sending him in the direction of Guren at a speed of 120 as Guren began to chain together handseals for another jutsu. After executing this throw the clone would poof away and Zaine's eyes would widen as he saw brown chakra building up inside of his opponent for what seemed to be a dense earth style ninjutsu. Now heading straight for Guren he would place his right hand straight out in front him with his palm open, his other arm would be tucked at his side and his legs would be straightened out. As the distance between Guren and Zaine continued to shorten blue chakra would begin to violently spiral in his opened palm around a small orb until it took full form in the shape of a chakra sphere sized at 6 and a half inches. The sphere would have formed at a speed of 85  and would hold a power of 85. Zaine would keep a close watch on Guren utilizing his amplified speed and his increased reflex speed coupled with his sharingan to attempt to land a decisive blow. If he were to be successful landing the rasengan and planting it in the stomach of Guren, he would be sent flying 15 meters back as the sphere continued to grind and tear into his stomach at a power of 85. This would be tricky for the blood user to dodge due to the fact that both shinobi were closing the short distance between them at a similar speed. If Guren was able to deal with the attack amidst finishing the handseals for his earth style ninjutsu, Zaine understood fully that he would have little to no chance at retaliation. 

Calcs, Stats and all Dhat:

[WC=734]

By this point Guren was quite impressed with the tactically minded teammate of his. Clearly he had not been intimidated or discouraged while fighting Guren, even when his back was seemingly against the wall. And this was all Guren was looking to confirm from Zaine. Right as Zaine created his shadow clone and it started its motion of spinning Zaine, Guren's free hand (his left) whizzed through seven of its own (Monkey -> Ox -> Snake -> Ram -> Tiger -> Dog -> Boar). Once the final seal was completed, the aura which had surrounded Guren expanded in all directions 1 inch outward from where it had originally been. The thick layer of chakra that coated Guren had now expanded from being a foot in width to 13 inches. It was subtle, yet Zaine's visual prowess would undoubtedly allow him to see even this minuscule change in size. However there was likely not much to do as he was already on his projectile like path towards Guren. Nevertheless this aura would not harm Zaine. Instead, it would simply absorb damage that his comrade had attempted to hurl at Guren. 

As Guren remained still with his blanket of chakra covering him, Zaine would rapidly close in the short amount of distance between the two and finally the rasengan which he bore in his hand would come in contact with the chakra aura. Upon contact, the rasengan would be ground and reduced to nothing while the chakra shield around Guren would remain perfectly intact. (Rasengan Starting Power = 85; - 25 from Soul Expulsion, - 85 from scaled Damage Reduction Shield; Rasengan Final Power = 0). 

With the distance between the two men now being within arm's reach, Guren would look at Zaine and offer a proud grin of approval. By this point, the spar should have ceased. Guren would make no more moves at this point, as he felt it to be unnecessary. Nevertheless should Zaine attempt to attack Guren further, Guren would react; however the comfort of his Soul Expulsion and Damage Reduction Shield would more than likely nullify the potential damage which Zaine might be capable of afflicting. Guren confidently stood in front of Zaine at eye level and deactivated his dojutsu, once again revealing his purely grey irises. 

"I'm impressed," Guren admitted. "You've proven to be able to keep up with me even though I was holding back a bit. Still, your tactical mindset and physical abilities speak for themselves. I hope you are well aware of that fact." Guren said with a smile. It was as if all of the intensity he had once displayed dissolved in an instant, as well as the chakra aura which embraced him, provided that Zaine did not seek to continue the spar any further. When it would evaporate before Zaine's eyes, Guren would be revealed to have not even a drip of sweat on him. After all the only movement he had really done was running forward, otherwise his entire position within the fight was stationary. 

Guren then leaned to his left and peered over Zaine's shoulder, looking right at the ever expanding earthern swamp. Menacing and dangerous it was. "You see that? You were a hair away from taking a nice little bath in that swamp." Guren said with a slight chuckle while comically pointing at the large swamp only meters away from both men's position. Assuming Zaine would look in the direction of the swamp, Guren would hope that it would pique his interest. He had started the day wanting to discuss the potential of Zaine learning another element, and now was the time to hook and reel him in. 

(WC = 611. Total: 4037)

Calcs: