Testing the Limits (Zaine)

The sun hangs high, baking the clouds in the sky and splashing the training grounds with sweltering rays. Stone, clay, and dirt glow with heat, the small, carved ponds scattered throughout the area radiate steam, Raleth Sarutobi sits in the center of the training arena. He rests on a small stone stool, next to clay tea set lying on a rough-hewn table, wearing his dune-brown jounin jacket with black shinobi pants and sandals, the Sungakure shinobi headhand hangs around his neck. Sweat beads on his brows and trails down the side of his face, his eyes are closed and his face is stern, he's lost in thought. Clouds part overhead, sunlight beams over the body of the white-ash-haired shinobi, he tries his best ignore the blazing heat. He stays like this, meditating.

Fatigue drips down his neck, flowing down his exposed arms, exhaustion fogs his mind. He can feel the world outside his closed eyes shift, tip, and turn, colors of nausea twirl like sprites in front of him. Heat billows and builds, the heat from the sun tries to cook the Sarutobi's insides, unconsciousness grabs hold of the Sarutobi's mind, and pulls him towards its blackness. But, a sudden breeze, the saving grace of Wind Country, passes by the sun-blasted grounds: cooling the sweating Raleth and carrying the aroma of the tea. Lemon sage tickles his nose, the calming scent of tea fans the heat and fog away from his mind, the immense jounin steels his will. 

He breaths in, and focuses on his own innate chakra: the way it flows through the network inside his body, the beat it pumps to. He stops his breathing and halts his flow, his chakra reacts accordingly: moving through his network like tectonic plates over magma. Raleth finds himself comfortable and relaxed, in a place and space familiar to him. He exhales, resuming his chakra's normal flow. 

He takes another breath and attempts to alter his chakra. He forces his flow to increase, he network seems to strain as sparking heat circulates inside him. A great blaze flickers in his stomach, the embers of an inferno spark to life. Yet, this fire does not flow throughout Raleth's chakra network, it halts in odd and uncomfortable places, the Sarutobi finds himself unconditioned and hasty. He exhales, relaxing the strain on his chakra, and returns to his neutral space. 

Taking one final meditative breath, Raleth Sarutobi concentrates on his energy. He slows his chakra's flow, he tries to give it form and shape. Dew sticks to the sides of his network, waves crash toward his limbs. The water breaks, the surf stills, Raleth's focus falters, and the white-ash-haired shinobi finds himself sluggish and somber. He relaxes, once again returning to his netural space. 

He reaches over the table and picks up the clay kettle, pouring a cup of tea for himself and one other. He brings tea to his lips, resting one hand under the cup. He inhales the deep, sour-sweet of Lemon Sage, and takes a cursory sip of his tea. The smooth drink tickles his tongue, and sooths a burn in his throat. He smiles, like one lost in serenity.

A presence makes itself known to Raleth, the Sarutobi opens his eyes and sees his friend, Zaine Uchiha. He gestures for him to sit opposite, and offers to share a cup of Lemon Sage Tea, a tradition the Chuunin would be familiar with. 

"Glad to see you're on time, Zaine."


[[WC = 577]]

(On time a whole month later jesus, my bad bro!)

Met with a warm welcome upon approach the young Uchiha would greet his old friend in a more formal manner than usual by bowing with his hands grasped together in front of him- today was a special day and it had been quite some time since the two had seen each other so he felt this greeting was appropriate. He would raise his head back up and place his arms at his sides as he approached the opposing seat to Ral and made himself comfortable- he would take up the offer for the Lemon Sage Tea and take a whiff of it before taking a small sip. "You seem to be in higher spirits than every Ral, maybe youve met a lucky lady?" He would say in jest as he placed his cup back on the table in front of him- he wasnt sure where to begin to be honest, there was just so much to fill Raleth in on but he also felt that some of the developments in his life would be better conveyed through physical means. 


He would be wearing a long sleeve white shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back with long straight legged black pants along with black sandals- his headband was as it always was, secured tightly to his left arm and on his back was his prized possession and sheathed blade Benihime and sheathed on his left hip was his basic katana. He had two weapons pouches on his lower back on the left and right side for easy access- he planned on meeting Ral for a bit of basic training but had something that might be a little more fun for the both of them in mind as he was sure that his friend had also made many developments in the passing weeks. 


Raleth would notice one distinct difference in the appearance of Zaine and that was his hair was no longer blocking either of his eyes and was instead parted in the front of his face as to not obscure his vision or more importantly, the two scarlet red eyes with triangulated tomoe around a centered pupil. He had his Sharingan in full affect and had recently become accustomed to having it activated at all times- his rigorous training to ascend his ocular prowess was to thank for the decreased sensitivity to the strain and he had never felt more powerful with them. The look in his eyes because of this decreased strain would not appear to be serious or stern like usual due to the amount of focus and tension required to sustain the doujutsu being lowered- instead it was almost as though this was his natural eye state. "Lets finish up this tea and get right down to it. You know that I wanted to meet because its about time we had a go of it again. I've changed my battle style quite a bit and I want to show you just how skilled ive become." He would look Raleth directly in the eyes as he spoke again "I mean the last time you and I went to blows, my sharingan wasnt nearly as powerful as it is now and I have a few new tricks to show you when it comes to how I handle this blade." He would say as he lifted up his right hand and grippe the hilt of Benihime that sat at a tilt off of his right shoulder "So how about a bit of a warm up? You have a few new things to show me as well no doubt." 


He would smirk as he kept his right hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade and grabbed his cup of tea with his left, he would chug down the tea in its entirety and slam his cup on the table "Right then!" At a speed of 75 Zaine would kick back his chair and leap backwards 10 meters so that he was still within audible range of Raleth- he hoped that the two of them would be able to try out a new game he had in mind so he would explain the rules from this distance. His main reasoning was to avoid the excitement of his old sensei hearing this idea transform into an instantaneous assault from close range, which anyone with half a brain would understand is a bad situation to be in with the Battle hardened Sarutobi. "So heres the deal Ral! Were gonna play a little game. And because im so nice ill let you go first. Essentially, were gong to take turns utilizing jutsu to try to tag each other and you can only use one jutsu to negate, nullify or dodge the jutsu sent your way. Augmentation abilities are fair game, as are any ninjutsu or taijutsu you have tucked away. Obviously were not out for blood, so if im about to tag you with something a bit.. over the top, ill stop the attack once I realize it would count as a hit." He would smile ear to ear with excitement as he finished the explanation of the rules, more than confident that his old friend would be up to the challenge. "So, what do you say?" As if already knowing the answer he would get into a slightly crouched position, his right hand moving from the hilt of his blade to a neutral position in front of his body. 


[WC=906]

Raleth's Stats:

Raleth raises a questioning brow as Zaine clasps his hands together. In all his years of training, his old student had never displayed such formality for a simple training session. From this small action, Raleth knows his friend intends to try something serious. When the Uchiha bows, Raleth notices something. The Uchia's movements were quick, fluid, and precise, so much so that Raleth couldn't believe his eyes. In this swift motion, the immense Sarutobi can see the growth in his student.

He sees how his lessons guided the Uchiha, like how the earth guide's a seeds first sprout through the soil. The Sarutobi's influence molded the base of the stalk, yet it leaves were something singular to Zaine. The sky, life's hardships, shaped the plant that grew, into something Raleth had not expected. No longer could the Sarutobi consider the Uchiha a student, in front of him was now a welcome rival. Zaine stands, opening his eyes, revealing a startling sight.

Sclera red with calculated hate glows behind triangulated tomoe, an analytical stare makes the hairs on Raleth's body stand on end. The immense shinobi shivers under the gaze of the matured Sharingan, excitement flares at the thought of combatting it, much more than when the ash-haired Sarutobi fought a snow-haired missing-ninja. Though this missing-ninja had an interesting sharingan, Zaine's seemed more terrifying in comparison: as if the shinobi who possessed them used its prowess to its fullest-ability. 

A crooked handle poking behind Zaine's right shoulder catches the ash-haired Sarutobi's eyes, Raleth notices the two blades the Uchiha has with him. The one on his hip has its handle worn, as if its wielder's first instinct was to grab the katana first. The thought of any Uchiha with a blade was terrifying, even more in the hands of a shinobi like Zaine. Raleth's eyes move to the crooked handle and notes that it is pristine, as if the blade sheathed on Zaine's back hadn't been used much, if at all. A thought crosses the ash-haired Sarutobi's mind, bringing with it a terrifying implication.

Why have a blade he wouldn't want to use?

The Uchiha comes up to the Sarutobi, and throws a jest at Raleth. A hearty HA! escapes the immense shinobi, his voice travels over the 50 meter training area, rippling the water in the ponds. He pours the lemon sage tea for Zaine and himself as the Uchiha sits opposite him, life-long friends enjoy a moment of drink in silence. As they share this sip, Zaine begins the conversation. It was obvious that his style had changed, yet the self-awareness displayed by the Uchiha made his progress that much more impressive. At the mention of their previous bout, the hairs on Raleth's arm tingle; remembering the scalding burn he had received, when Zaine blew steam blew steam at Raleth with his wind-style jutsu. Though Zaine counted that fight as a loss, Raleth felt the opposite. And, at his friend's mention of his matured doujutsu, the Sarutobi knows his friend intends to right his perceived loss. And, Raleth himself relishes a chance to make the score even. Zaine brings his hand to grasp the crooked-handled of the sheathed blade, a martial artists smirk spreads over Raleth's face as his friend speaks of progress.


Before the immense shinobi can respond, the Uchiha exclaims, then downs his entire cup of tea: standing and dashing to a spot 10 meters away, at a speed that astounds the Sarutobi.

Just how much stronger did he get?

Zaine speaks, the wind carries his voice, the game chosen is amazing. What's more, the tactile mind of the Uchiha fans that feeling of combative excitement, making it blaze into marital joy. Almost unable to contain this, Raleth sips his tea and sits in his seat, enjoying the final moments of lemon sage. When the final drop is drunk, Raleth places the cup on the table: ending the Tea Ceremony. He stands and faces Zaine, beaming.

"MAGNIFICENT!!!" thunders the voice of the ash-haired Sarutobi.  

In the next breath, Raleth reaches for the clay kettle of lemon sage tea on the table and loops his index finger through the handle. Using his full strength, he swipes upwards, flinging hot tea towards Zaine and tossing the kettle in a random direction. In the next breath, he strings together the Tiger, Rat, and Boar handsign.

After traveling 1 meter, the hot sheet of steaming tea morphs into a 5 meter, diagonal line of 5, 10 cm long senbon, with each senbon being 1 meter apart. This line of lemon-sage-scented senbon would travel the 9 meters to the Uchiha at a speed of 45 and with a power and sharpness of 45. 

The left most senbon would be aimed at a pressure point in the Uchiha's left shoulder, if Zaine would try to simply move to his right, his left arm would go numb. The right most senbon would be aimed at a pressure point in the Uchiha's right leg, if Zaine were to simply dodge to his left, his right left leg would go numb. The center most senbon would be aimed at a pressure point in the Uchiha's chest, if Zaine were to stay still he would lose sensation in his back. 

Though the attack is vicious, Raleth is confident in his friends ability to deal with the situation. Besides, the attack is only intended to make him move. He steps away from the table and maintains the distance between him and his friend, he keeps his body active and his senses sharp. He waits react to Zaine's counteract.

[[930/1507]]

AP: 744/764

Jutsu Used: Water Senbon