A Breeze from the North (Taichi Uchiha)

A strange breeze blows over the sand-swept dunes of Wind Country, bringing with it a curious chill, a soothing one that makes the blazing heat of the desert seem temperate. An immense jounin, with arms exposed and wearing a jounin jacket, straight black pants and ninja sandals, walks out of the Sunagakure Village gates, holding a simple, wooden dummy. His headband is wrapped around his neck, his brows are furrowed in thought, his stone face is expressionless. His ash-white hair is wrapped in a regal knot, and flows with the chilled wind as he travels away from the village hidden in the sand.

His journey feels short, though he travels a few miles, he passes the entrance to the training grounds: greeting the shinobi caretakers with a silent nod. He walks by each ground, and picks one covered in stone, moss, and ponds. He scans the 100 meter in diameter arena and walks to its center. Gently, he places the wooden dummy on the ground: setting up its rotating arms. He brings his hands together as the wind picks up, he gives thanks and praise for the comfort it brings. He breaths in and centers himself.

Raleth strikes the top arm with his right palm, forcing it to spin on its bearings: making the opposite arm try and strike the Sarutobi's face. The immense jounin brings his left fore arm up, blocking it and stopping dummy's momentum. And, with the seamless flow of a taijutsu master, he brings his right knee up to knock the middle arm away and swings his foot to kick the opposite low arm at the same time: forcing both to spin on its hinges and attack the white-ash-haired shinobi. Raleth then brings his right palm to block the middle arm, and brings his right foot back to the lower arm to stop its momentum. Raleth continues in this way, practing his flow and tempo in combat: losing himself in a battle meditation

The sound of wood clacking and bearing spining echoes through the training grounds, that curious wind picks up this sound, a silent invitation is sent.

[[WC = 352]]

Sleuthing through the sand beneath the training grounds was an easy feat when you took into consideration the spectacular Mayfly technique that the Norseman had learned so long ago. He sensed another’s presence as he continued to sleuth around, waiting for the right competitor. From 50 meters away, Taichi emerged only enough for his eyes to protrude from the Earth. With his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan activated, he was able to see every single move the individual would make. “He’s fast, that’s for certain.” Taichi thought to himself as he continued to observe. 

With each successive strike, Taichi could not help but to notice the fluidity in which the man moved. It was obvious that he was very well trained in his martial arts. “This one may even be enough to take me on.” Taichi knew he was no master of hand to hand combat, but he usually faired quite well in his hand to hand bouts and he was usually quite confident. Taichi slowly got closer to the individual, ensuring he would not draw any attention to himself as he merged into the Earth as he closed the gap. 

Taichi was now 15 meters away from the dummy beater and he continued to have his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan activated. In a fighting stance, he would let his presence be known. “Hey there friend! I think you ought to go against something a little more ... lively. What say you?! Care to go for a round or two with the man of the North!?” The Norseman stood there, being a little over six feet, dressed in his blue vest and black shorts in. He ensured to tighten his sandles so they wouldn’t fall off during the fight to come. He waited for th response as his fiery blue eyes stared into the man in the training grounds. He would await for his time to strike.

As he walked through the village with his hands laced together supporting the back of his head Zaine would peer up at the sky as a dense cloud eclipsed the harsh rays of the sun. There were no plan in particular that he had but he planned on trying to find something, namely anything to keep himself busy and productive in some way. Minutes later he would leap from the ground atop the village walls and continue his walk beneath the harsh desert heat, his attention focusing on that of a familiar figure who crossed from the village out into the desert surrounding the village. It was his long time friend and sense Raleth Sarutobi, sporting his shinobi outfit in opposition to his usual Sarutobi clan fashioned kimonos. Figuring this could be as good an opportunity as any to get his day moving in an interesting direction, he leaped down from the village walls after the ashen haired shinobi put 60 meters of distance between he and the village gates and began to follow him, making sure that his presence was undetected.

His friend seemed to be heading towards the training field which made sense due to the fact he was carrying a wooden training dummy- most likely to practice some of the Taijutsu fundamentals that he had spent the better part of Zaines childhood drilling into his head. The dummy itself brought back chilling memories of blood, sweat, and tears but also a euphoric sense of accomplishment and effort. The young Uchiha wpuld wait until he saw Raleth choose a training ground and would follow him in afterwards, making sure to let him set up the dummy and begin his training. 

Interestingly enough a man seemed to emerge from the ground near Raleth in a stance that indicated his will to engage in combat as he spoke to to him- the speech was inaudible for Zaine due to his distance from them. To remedy this he would make his way over to the shinobi stopping when he was 15 meters from them and speaking, "I hope im not interrupting, Im just here to watch what goes down here! Dont mind me." He would turn his back to the individuals before speaking again "Show this guy what you can do, Sarutobi sensei." Zaine would leap away to a tree about 50 meters away from them as he thought to himself "The eyes of that man...they were definitely the sharingan but...they looked different. ike nothing Ive ever seen before. I must speak to him once this skirmish ends." He would land at his destination and from here on out he would stay out of the way of the two shinobi.

[WC=449] 

(OBSERVING IC)

As the aged Sarutobi felt the pressure of the dummy's arms on his palms, wrist, forearms, and knees, he felt something on the fringes of his perception. It was familiar, familiar enough for Raleth not to be alarmed, because to him it seemed like the pressure of an Uchiha. The immense Raleth would assume this chakra to be his old student, Zaine, and would finish off his combo abruptly. He turns, expecting to see the eyes and face of his friend, but stops in place as he meets an unfamiliar face. A snow-haired man of similar height to Raleth, dressed in blue and black, stood 15 meters away from the Sarutobi. And, his eyes made terror snake down ash-white-haired shinobi's spine. They were like glacial ice, with pupils that confounded the immense jounin. With every momvement, be it major or minor, Raleth could feel the unknown man's gaze. The only thing that could describe the feeling, was awesome.   

 “Hey there friend! I think you ought to go against something a little more ... lively. What say you?! Care to go for a round or two with the man of the North!?” 

The man then moved into his fighting stance. And, another Uchiha made their presence known, the Sarutobi's old student, Zaine: informing the two that he wishes to observe.

"Show this guy what you can do, Sarutobi sensei."

Raleth nods to his old student. He brings his attention to the snow-haired Uchiha infront of him, the "Man from the North". Raleth brings his hands and feet together and bows his head, giving respect to his opponent, and praising whomever granted him the opportunity to face such an overwhelming foe. He stands up right, and gets into his own fighting stance. He keeps his knees active and spreads his feet apart, shifting his weight to his left leg. He tucks his left arm to his side and extends his right arm to his opponent. He keeps his hands open and his fingers active as well. He breaths in and centers himself.

"May our bout be one that quakes the country..."

That curious and calming wind breezes by the training grounds, the strangest chill sparks between the ash and snow haired men, the fight begins.

Raleth springs forward, leaving a foot imprint on the moss and stone of the grounds, and ducks low. He dashes toward the man from the north, and scoops up a handful of stones from the ground with his left hand, and keeps it back and cocked as if will throw it while also keeping hsi right arm up to guard himself. As he gets to five meters away from the snow-haired man, Raleth acts as if he will throw the stones. Yet, as Raleth begins to launch his arm forward, he feints and tenses the muscles in his hands, crushing the stones to dust when the snow-haired uchiha would expect the rocks to be thrown. He tosses a wide cloud of rough-made sand in the eyes of the Uchiha. The cloud would irritate the terrifying, ice eyes of the man from the north if it connects, and would blur the snow-haired Uchiha's vision. And, with the seamless flow of a taijutsu master, the Sarutobi's assault would continue

As the rough-made sand left his hand, Raleth would shift his weight to the right and spring diagonally, around, and behind the snow-haired Uchiha's left, moving in a semi-circle as the sand cloud came into contact with the man from the north. In the next breath, Raleth would then shoot his hand forward, palming his opponent in the back. If the Uchiha was struck, he would feel a rattling blow to his body that would launch him forward, possibly even knocking him on his feet if he couldnt recover, and would most likely wind him as well. 

But, Raleth would not underestimate the snow-haired Uchiha, and at all times during the assault would be prepared to change his actions.

[[658/ 1010]]

Taichi, ready in his fighting stance, he had one hand on his kunai, and the other raised, ready to block an incoming strike. A stranger had walked up to the two soon to be combatants and decided to watch from afar, something that Taichi was very happy to see. Fighting was always far more entertaining when there was an audience for them to amuse. The two obviously knew each other, based on the interaction that the two had together, "Master and Student, eh? Very particular relationship to have."

The individual took off and began closing the gap between the Norseman and himself. When he was still 15 meters away, the Norseman saw as the opponent would reach down to possibly grab a handful of gravel from the ground below. Taichi would not give him the benefit to get the weapon, he would grab the kunai that he already was touching from his pouch and threw it directly for his shoulder, and throw a second one in the same motion at the same time, aiming for the hand that was reaching for the ground. Should the opponent continue to reach for the ground, he would have two kunai knives penetrate his skin and the nervous system, causing intense pain and possible loss of the use of his arm due to the nervous system being damaged.

Taichi would hold his position, he always enjoyed when people would rush in on their opponents in battle, always made it far more exciting. Taichi was very similar in the regard once, but his four month long meditation had caused him to change in many ways, including his temperment in battle. Should the opponent continue to reach for the ground, he would be impaled twice over in his arm. Should he retreat his arm but continue to close the gap on Taichi, Taichi would simply extend his elbow out to the kidney of the opponent as he sprung diagonally, trying to get behind the Norseman.

Should the elbow land, the opponent would likely be winded with the impact, and Taichi would capitalize by bringing his left foot around his left side and sending his foot directly into the winded opponent's throat, causing him to bleed slightly from the mouth and cause significant pain to the opponent. Should his elbow miss for whatever reason, Taichi would spring forward, dodging any attack sent by the burley opponent that he was facing. He would of course leave behind him an exploding tag, to surprise the opponent that he was facing in the arena, having it explode as soon as he was out of range of the tag. While he was aware of the fact that he was using an exploding tag that could prove to be lethal, he was sure that someone of his speed would be able to get out of the way in time.

The Sarutobi's eyes go wide as he springs forward, ducks low, and begins to shoot his left arm toward the ground. His opponent was quick, quicker than Raleth expected and the snow-haired Uchiha’s response to the Sarutobi's assault was more than effective, it was perfect. And, as the immense jounin takes another step forward and stares into the ice-eyes of the Uchiha, a cold dread washes down his back. In the twisted tomoe of his opponents sharingan, the white-ash-haired shinobi can see a perfect reflection of himself. Raleth could be said to be familiar with the visual prowess of the Uchiha, he had seen his old student, Zaine, grow into his eyes, afterall. But the man from the north, the opponent in front of him, had eyes that were unlike anything he had ever experienced before. With each sudden twitch and dart of the ice-blue Sharingan, Raleth feels his every being scrutinized, his actions analyzed, and his attacks predicted. A sudden feeling invades the immense jounin's mind, bringing with it doubt and fear as he takes another step forward and tucks his left arm to his body as two kunai are flung at him.

Is his opponent that good as to respond so quickly? Did Raleth telegraph his attack, was he too obvious? Paranoia grabs hold of him, did his opponent implant the attack that Raleth performed at the start of the battle, just to prove it could be counteracted!? These thoughts collide and war in the aged Sarutobi’s mind as another foot falls in front of the other. The doubt that came with that strange sudden feeling gnaws at the corners of Raleth’s mind, bading and begging him to stop his assault and perhaps even flee. Yet, another step is taken, the distance between the two shinobi lessens as the Sarutobi angles his body to avoid the kunai to his shoulder. As Raleth tucks his hand to his side and keeps it in a low, resting position, he inhales through his nose with another step forward: calming his racing heart and centering himself. That gnawing feeling grows, terror and fear give way to something overwhelming.

This is Exhilarating…

The distance between the two shinobi close, the white-ash haired shinobi dashes around, the snow-haired Uchiha launches an elbow at the Sarutobi’s side: he feels his attack strike flesh and muscle. Continuing the assault, he kicks his left foot at Raleth’s throat, who by this point is expected to be winded. But, this is not the case. 

Since Raleth’s left arm was low and tucked near his body because of his earlier assault, a simple muscle twitch would extend his arm and open his: allowing him to catch his opponent’s extended elbow attack. Though the speed of his opponent was much greater, the Sarutobi had years of hand-to-hand combat experience: predicting and anticipating attacks at close range was something that came naturally to the Taijutsu master, and the man from the north's technique could use work. As well, this gave immense jounin a grip on the snow-haired-shinobi. As well, since his opponent would feel his attack connect, he would have no reason to stop his continued assault with his left leg.

As Raleth sees his opponent shift his weight for a kick to his right side, Raleth responds with his right arm, which was already in place to guard. He bashes his forearm against his opponents shin, most likely sending a wave of pain up the uchiha’s body, enough to cause him to flinch. In the next instant, Raleth wraps his hand around the man’s from the north’s calf and grips it tightly. 

Having his opponent’s elbow and leg in place, the immense jounin flows into his next attack. Raleth pulls the snow-haired shinobi in and smashes his forehead into the bridge of his opponent’s nose: a vicious headbutt. The clashing of bone on bone would daze the Uchiha more than it would the Sarutobi, for at least a moment if it connects. In the next moment, Raleth leans back and falls, twisting the trunk of his body and using his weight to lift his off-balance opponent from the 
ground: to throw the Uchiha over him and slam him hard onto the stone. If the Uchiha did not brace himself, his head would bounce off the moss covered ground, which would send him reeling. And, as the snow-haired-shinobi would be recovering, Raleth would wrap his right leg over his opponents leg, cross his left leg over his opponents body, and use his weight to pin his opponent to the ground. Raleth then proceeds to pull and crush his opponents ankle between his forearms and chest, and raise his hips to hyper extend the Uchiha's leg-locked leg: threatening to rip and tear the snow-haired-Uchiha’s ankle he concedes.

However, Raleth cannot hope to understand the immense power of his opponent's interesting sharingan. If the Uchiha could anticipate his counterattack and stop himself from launching his elbow to jump back, Raleth would give chase, keeping this a close quarters bout.

[[836/1846]]

Taichi had landed the elbow as he expected he would, the opponent though would not be nearly as injured by the blow as Taichi had expected. Being surprised by this, Taichi was already far too along in his follow up attack, Raichi would spin around with the kick, which was intercepted by the large man’s hand. Taichi realized that this was a far less than ideal situation and he was going to have to think with no time. 

The man’s head twitched forward, the Northman would only be able to see this move coming thanks to his enhanced eyesight. Taichi would anticipate the head butt coming and would sway his head to the right to dodge the attack at the last moment, ensuring the opponent would have no reason to think something was going wrong. Taichi would use his free left arm to go over the charging head of his opponent and wrap it around the top side of the opponent’s head. Then, with an upwards pull of his fiat that would now be just beneath the man’s throat, the Norseman would immediately cut the air flow off to the man’s brain. 

Taichi would not be as strong as the man he was fighting, but he was certainly given an upper hand with the man’s throat being left open for the attack. Taichi would use the free foot that he had left to kick the outside of the man’s knee, ensuring to go for the weakest points of the man’s body, the joints. Due to the man holding both Taichi’s arm and leg, he was not needing to hold himself up. So he would take down the man’s leg so he could bring them both down to the ground. 

Ensuring to not let go of the home he had on the man’s neck, he would also make sure to close off the man’s airflow so tight that he would be unable to breathe. With both men on the ground, he would try to get himself in a better position, but continuing to make sure the man had no air flow.

Taichi, growing annoyed with the situation realized that his choke hold was not as effective as he had wished it was going to be. The only time he had went hand to hand with someone much larger than he was, was in the island of the Volcano, against Ukam. That large man was slightly different than the one he faced currently, but not different enough to make him any more of a threat. Taichi felt the man not slowing with his counter attack, and soon Taichi's body would be slammed against the ground beside the rather large opponent. 

Taichi's anger was beginning to grow, not wanting to just play around like he was before. Taichi grew two more arms out of his side, his chakra now fueling his body, generating far more strength than he was exhibiting before. With the extra limbs and the enhanced strength, he forced his opponent off of his own body, wanting to free himself from the tangle that the two were participating in. After freeing himself from the grapple, Taichi used three of his four arms to grab each arm and neck, while having the fourth arm, the bottom left arm to be ready to block. Using the three arms, he would slam the opponent over his shoulder and hard onto the limestone that lay beneath them. 

Taichi would then leap backwards, forming one handed seals until three branches came out of his side, each with razor sharp edges. All of the branches protruded from Taichi's sides and imediately stabbed into the opponent's hands and the third went straight for the opponent's throat. The one aiming for the throat would stop only a paper's thickness away from the opponent's throat. Taichi would use this opportunity to look upon his opponent a little more thoroughly. "My, my. You brain works quickly." Taichi thought to himself for a few moments. He knew that this fight hadn't gone long, but the eloquence of the man's movements enticed Taichi. He had to stop this fight before it got out of hand and someone truly got hurt. Not to mention, Taichi could see all he needed 

Taichi thought for a moment as he analyzed his opponent. "Interesting." Taichi said curious. "Say, friend. You seem to have a mind for combat. I feel that you have some untapped potential. Care for a walk?" Taichi would keep him pinned down with the arms and branches until he would get the answer from the opponent. Should the opponent agree to the walk, Taichi would retract his arms and branches and help the man up. Should he refuse, then Taichi would use his large arm to knock the man unconscious using his enhanced strength.

!?

Raleth cannot believe his eyes as the snow-haired Uchiha withstands the force of the Heavy Weight Boulder Technique, having using an unknown jutsu to sprout aditional arms to bear the brunt of the jutsu. As Raleth grapples, he can feel the extra apendages trying to pry him loose from the Northman. He counts himself lucky, if the uchiha's speed wasn't reduced he might have been in trouble. As the grapple is broken, Raleth reacts, having more than enough time to react. 

Raleth's arms are forced away, he swings them back and center to his chest: thrusting forward with two open palms, into the core of the Uchiha. And, at the same time, Raleth tenses and activates his legs, so that when his palms come into contact with the snow-haired uchiha he would push against his opponents and leap back, distancing himself greatly from his slowed opponent.

Finding himself more than 20 meters away, he sees the ice-eyed shinobi weaving handseals. Not knowing what to expect, Raleth improvises. He thrusts his hands into the moss-and-stone ground and uses his immense strength to remove a sizeable chunk of rock, one close to his own size and build. As wood spurts out from the man from the North, Raleth braces against it: blocking and protecting himself from the wood style jutsu. As he stays behind the rock, he hears the Uchiha speak. Hearing that his opponent has disengaged, Raleth relaxes.

"Years of combat have honed my senses and instincts, I'd be dead if I wasn't quick and clever." Raleth says in response to the man from the north. He turns his attention to his old student, Zaine. He knows his friend had observed every detail of the fight, and wonders what lessons he gleamed from his old sensei's spar. 


"So, Zaine, how did I do?"

As the snow-haired Uchiha walks up, he asks for a walk.

"As long my old student can come, his potential is much greater than mine."

Raleth would listen to what the snow-haired Uchiha would say on their walk back to village, ponder what he has to say, and take his leave.

[Exit]

[[WC 327 / 2852]]

Claims, 25% Max Stat Discount

• Light Style: Half-Hearted Punch - 750
  
• Genetic Progenitor: Clan Pureblood (Previous Thread Claim) +  1294, +25 Strength
  
• Fire Release: Piercing Darts - 750
  
• Earth Release: Earth Section Crane - (58/750)