Running with Scissors [I/O]

Zaibatsu had been practicing with weapons for a logn time, but these were simple weapons, such as kunai, shuriken, and the like. He had yet to have his hands on a real weapon, as he was saving money for something really special. In the mean time, the wonderful virtual reality training facility would keep him occupied and entertained. In there, he could have the place programmed with a huge number of weapons, and this had allowed him to be proficient in their use over the last couple of months. This meant that whenever he wanted a refresher, he would just come to the building that was close to the one he was heading to now. He wasn't heading out to the virtual facility now, he was heading next door, which was simply dubbed an advanced training facility. This place had a massive amount of real life testing apparatuses, such as large targets that were really hard to destroy, a copy of every weapon one could think of, weighted ones as well for when you needed a bit of hardcore training with it, and a bunch of other things, including medical staff and nutritionists that would help you with your form or your diet. It really was an all-encompassing training facility, but Zaibatsu still missed being able to be on a random plain, or up in the mountains, or other strange exotic locale practicing with weapons that the virtual training facility provided. Oh well, he thought, as he walked into the advanced training facility and looked around.

This was one of the few buildings in Kirigakure that he did not have to bend down to get into the doorways, as it seemed like they could be opened to allow carraiges into the facility, which simply helped Zaibatsu with his immense frame. It was a nice touch that was more inclusive, although he highly doubted the creators of this building had people as large as Zaibatsu in mind when making this thing. As he walked in, there was a small little receptionist woman in front, and Zaibatsu walked right up to her in a fairly hurried step. He was like a train made of muscle, and other people would probably dive out of the way in fear of being trampled, but the staff members of these buildings were just built differently apparently, and she had no change of expression when he walked up to the front desk, and she simply asked him what she could help him with. The place was almost like a large gym, and so Zaibatsu simply paid the fee he needed to and walked over to the weapons training area, where a couple of other people were. There was enough space so that even if they were throwing things or swinging huge things around, the people there wouldn't really interact. Zaibatsu walked up to the weapon rack and grabbed the heaviest weighted weapon he could, which was a large kanabo that was five feet in length. Even though it was that large, it still looked sort of like a baseball bat in Zaibatsu's hands. It weighed over ninety kilograms, but he could swing it around with a lot of ease. As he was practicing with it with some surprising grace and proficiency, he sighed, as it wasn't even a workout.
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WC: 552

"FECK! This thing is useless!!! argg!" A mountan of a man entered the weapons training facility perfectly timed with the outburst of a weaponry user who was in all ways his antithesis. The timing couldn't be more perfect. Pinochio had spent the bulk of the morning practicing with various weapons to get a feel for how they worked. While he'd quickly become a fan of the easy by which he could fling ninja tools, using the strength of the twin rising dragons technique to pepper the training dummies all across the room with various items, it was when he went into individual weapon training that things kind of took a turn. His Kasurai gama cut through the air with ease. The spiked ball on the end followed his every whim, being flung like a laser from his shoulder or knee using the techniques taught in his martial arts school to wield the ranged portion of his weapon like a rope dart.

He'd almost managed to tear the head clean off one of the training dummies before he'd put the weapon that defined his fighting style away, prepping for something else. Latched to his back was an enormous fan. He'd bought it from a weapons dealer in the shopping district weeks ago, mind filled with all the cool ways he could spin around and wield the ungodly large weapon, but when time came to train with it, well. Things didn't go so great. The problem was this. While the fan would be usable and not terribly unwieldy for a nomal ninja, it's three foot height being just right for your standard run of the mill weaponry user to shift about without much trouble, Pino was quite a different sort. Placing the weapon on the ground, it would stand up to his shoulders. Pinochio, standing at four and a half feet tall was nowhere near large enough to wield the rediculous weapon. He'd gotten used to his Kasurai, despite it being less of a Kama for him and more of a full length scythe, but this thing was unwieldy.

Just as the enormous man walked into the training facility, Pinochio found himself fed up with his purchase and ready to cut his losses. With all of his strength(which lets be honest, isn't really very much) He hurled the weapon behind him. It floated through the air, unknowingly flying towards where Zaibatsu was walking, and unless stopped otherwise, the fan would land about a foot in front of the not so gentle giant. Not so gentle? We don't really know enough about his character to say such things yet, but I digress.

"Alright. Skip the fan. I'm not buying new weapons. I'll stick to what I know and hopefully figure out some cool new weaponry techniques to help me fight. Then i'll prove myself to the anbu and the mizukage and everyone will be super impressed by my incredible skill and they won't even notice I'm half their height. Yes. this will be great." As he turned, He noticed the newcomer. Plus side: maybe now he had someone to train with. Downside? He'd definitely just said that whole pep talk out loud.



(TWC 529 removing the large folding fan from my inventory as Pinochio discarded it. hopefully someone picks it up and finds it fun to use 0=D )

Wanting to get some weapon training in, Kizmaru had felt the need to go to the military training field in order to brush up on his skills with the use of weaponry. He was already gifted with this beautiful dark red steam armor and ebony petrification gauntlets but never really studied how to effectively use them. They kept getting in the way of his Taijutsu but he didn't want to get rid of them either as they were one of a kind pieces of equipment. So he figured he'd have to give up his discipline and figure out how to approach the concept of weapon wielding. First, he had to decide on his weapons of choice. Of course, he had his petrification gauntlets which were similar to hand to hand in a way so it wouldn't feel too far from his old fighting style. But then, he'd have to practice using something more traditional as well. Letting out a sigh, he headed on over to the training facility in order to see what he could do to practice with training courses over there. He'd have to start from the beginning but at least it would be worth it if he could watch the more experienced shinobi practice or something along those lines.

Making it to the military training facility, Kizmaru looked around the entrance to see if he could find anybody around that might be dealing in weapons. He spotted some shinobi practicing their accuracy with throwing weapons and decided to watch them for a little while. He didn't know how skillful they were but to Kizmaru they were far more adept at it than he was currently. After he had gotten bored of watching them and turned to go his own way, Kizmaru had stumbled upon a large man that was swinging a club that looked a bit too small for him in comparison. Under normal circumstances, the massive club would have been too much for somebody like Kizmaru to handle yet this giant of a man is able to swing it with ease. He would say he envied his physique but he was sure a body of that size came with its own problems. On another note, somebody nearby had been causing a scene at some unknown predicament Kizmaru wasn't here to witness. Blinking a few times, he wondered if the small gentleman was alright before squinting at them. 

Kizmaru couldn't put his finger on it but it feels like he knew this person one way or the other but just couldn't quite grasp the memory he is looking for. 

W.C: 432

Zaibatsu had been training a bit before walking to another part of the training facility, and as he did so, something was coming towards him and so he looked at it, ready to shrug off whatever was going to hit him. If someone actually threw something at him and it hit him, he would have to go over and have a conversation with them that they probably would not enjoy, but luckily the metal rectangle just sort of slammed into the ground in front of Zaibatsu’s feet. Confused, Zaibatsu looked to where it had come from and saw a small man, less than half his own size, grumbling about the weapon that he had just tossed away, before beginning a small rant about how he was going to impress everyone with his prowess and prove that he was impressive to all the big wigs in the village. Zaibatsu put on a big grin before slightly flicking the folded up fan at his feet into his hand and walking towards the small man. “Hello little man, it seems like you dropped this.” Zaibatsu would say, holding the fan out towards the small man. “I am Zaibatsu! I heard what you said. It seems like for a small man, you have huge dreams, I like that! Hahaha!” Zaibatsu would laugh, as the small man was quite amusing in his mannerisms.

Zaibatsu knew that there were a large number of ninjas that were quite eccentric, and there were people of all shapes and sizes, but this was the first time he was actually closely interacting with one of them. Zaibatsu wondered what the small man would say, and what the problem with whatever weapon he was holding currently was. Zaibatsu failed to open the fan when he kicked it into his hand, so he still had no idea what the weapon was. To him it just sort of looked like a bar of metal that was three feet long. Might be a good thing to bash people over the head with, however. Zaibatsu had yet to see the small man practicing with weapons other than this, so he wondered if he was attempting to get good at a weapon that was non-conventional, or if he had other plans. The small man in front of him did not seem like a person that would have a plan though, so Zaibatsu just waited a bit for his reply.
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WC: 403

"SHIT. I'm so so--Gosh you're very very large. How tall are you like. Six feet?! I feel like your bicep is as large as my whole body. " It took him a moment to get the many different thoughts rushing through his mind organized into some semblance of coherent thought. Shaking the dissonance from his mind he'd start again, craning his neck to try his best to look this newcomer in the eye. It was a challenge. 

"I um. I'm not really that little you're just very very big. But still looks can be decieving. I'm a super powerful Taijutsu and weaponry user yanno. Pinochio Pinochio of the Pinochio Pinochio school of the Anything Goes Style of Martial Arts." In emphasis he puffed out his chest, muscles flexing to increase the imposition of his figure. To be fair he was fairly cut. Shoulders and chest bulged from beneath his armor, showing his strength in a way that hadn't been quite clear before. He was no where near the Sheer girth of Zai, but there was no question he practiced the physical arts. 

"I'm destined for greatness.....One day. See my.....Student? Is an incredibly powerful ninja in the village and now that I don't have to spend all my time teaching her lame old Ninjutsu I can seriously work towards my own rank ups. One day you'll see me wearing a mask at the side of the Mizukage herself. Just watch." Just as he finished his exclamation, his hips shifted, sending his body into a spin towards the training dummy behind him. Thrusting his fist forward, he released the power of his Katchu tenshin Amaguriken. A wall of force thrust foward from his fist, creating a ten meter box that seemed to flash with punches every moment. When the technique finished, the head of the training dummy simply fell from it's shoulders, the rest of it turning to dust under his attack. Then he noticed the second newcomer. 

"Speaking of. HEY! Long time no see!! How ya doin...uh. " he realized that in the two times he'd met the ninja with the really cool armor, he'd never actually gotten his name. Instead he turned back to Zai for a moment. 

"it's a pleasure to meet you Zaibatsu. Nice to see you again too uh. Sir. I don't think I ever got you name?" He would give it a few moments to allow Aloide to offer his name if he chose. If he didn't, he would give it several more moments. Maybe far too many moments left in awkward silence before moving on. 

"Listen. I don't want that stupid fan anyway. You can keep it if you'd like. It's too blunt for my taste. Also nearly my entire height so it's quite a bit dificult to wield." In emphasis, he'd draw the Kasuraigama from his back. The butt of the weapon easily sat against the ground, it's height a bit taller than the fan he'd thrown, and all together looking more like a full length scythe than a Kama compared to the tiny taijutsu specialist. 

(TWC 1039)

So, his assumption was correct. Kizmaru knew this person from somewhere but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. As the half man greeted him, Kizmaru looked at him quizzically as he watched him greet them. He knew he had met a lot of people and seen a lot of faces but he knew this one had a more significant role. He was also tipped off to the fact, he either didn't know or remember his name so at least he could pinpoint it back when he used to be the Mizukage. Well, he had no more leanings in the direction of hiding his identity so he figured giving him his birth name wouldn't hurt. Before he could give his name however, it seems the little man had turned his attention back towards the hulking giant known as Zaibatsu. So that was his name. He must admit, he was still rather intrigued by the size of this person and would like to know more about him, more like how to build and train him so he could be useful for Kiri's future opposition. Afterwards, it seems as if the little man had been waiting for something from him to which Kizmaru would use this as a chance to properly introduce himself.

"Ah, the name's Kizmaru Senju. I'm a Jounin from this village. I've currently come to this facility in hopes of honing my weaponry skills. Preferably, I'd rather have somebody teach me some techniques of this craft but I don't mind feeling my way through the dark on my own. By the way, you look awfully familiar, do I know you from somewhere? There's not much size here in Kirigakure," Kizmaru said, a bit confused. He then turned his attention towards Zaibatsu, "Then again, there isn't much of his size here in Kirigakure either," he added after a brief pause. Regardless, his plan for training remains the same. It seemed that before he approached the two of them, they were both also training with weapons so maybe he could get a few pointers and tips on how to use them better. If he was lucky, he might even be able to snag a technique or two from one of the two of them, or both. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what the deal was with the little man as he could have sworn he met him a long time ago. 

W.C: 402

Zaibatsu grinned down at the little man that was talking to him and was a bit stammering over his words, and for good reason. If one was not used to Zaibatsu’s sheer size, there would be a bit of confusion and sometimes even panic, as with his horns he has been treated as a monster in certain places before. He was in the middle of slaughtering and plundering a bunch of people and things respectively at the time, so maybe that was more the reason. Zaibatsu responded to the little man as he asked if he was six feet tall, and it caused him to laugh pretty deeply. “Eight feet and eleven inches, not including my horns.” Zaibatsu would say, proud of his size. In Ajin culture, the bigger you were, the more scars could be riddled across your body, which were all badges of honor. Zaibatsu had a couple of scars, but the basic run of the mill bandits and people of that nature were usually not enough to harm him in any significant manner.

The little man then went on to say that he was an incredibly powerful ninja of the village and started ranting about some other things about one of their… acquaintances? Regardless, Zaibatsu was not really interested in the pseudo gossip that he was telling him, so he just sort of waited for him to finish, the words not really registering, going in one ear and out the other. The little man finished his rant by spinning a bit and then used some strange technique that blew the training dummy to bits in a hail of what looked like the little man’s fist. A very fast one it seemed, which Zaibatsu was not very good at, but there was nothing wrong with that, really. “Ahh, speed is your forte, huh? I’m quite quick on my feet, but nothing too crazy.” Zaibatsu had no idea how he was supposed to comment on that particular move, so he gave something fairly basic as a response. The little man then started speaking again, before addressing someone else that was there. The third person appeared to be a jounin of the village, as he introduced himself as such and had the jacket.

After the person introduced themselves as Kizmaru Senju, he said that he was hoping to hone his weaponry skills, which was great, as that was exactly what Zaibatsu was there to do as well, and it seemed that they could all practice together. Zaibatsu bowed to the Senju jounin of the village out of respect he had, not just for his superiors, but for people that were stronger than him. Even though he bowed fairly low, he was still taller than both of the men he was standing next to. “Nice to meet you, Kizmaru-dono. I’m here to learn some weaponry techniques as well. I know how to swing the weapons around and how to use the force of my body, but as for actually using them in techniques, I haven’t practiced any yet. So come! Practice with us!” Zaibatsu was looking forward to this, as the fire in his eyes brightened. He was sort of a big dumb brute when it came to combat, at least on a surface level, but he used strategy when needed. The strategy just had to involve being a big dumb brute, however.

After they had gotten rid of any formalities, the little man finally brought notice to the giant folding fan, which Zaibatsu now learned what it was. He unfolded it a bit and saw the pattern and noticed that the construction was in fact quite sturdy, and he could swing it around, causing gusts of wind to go through. Although he did not know much about weaponry techniques, he could recognize that the metal used here would need some sort of chakra infusion technique to make work, and he did not know how to do that quite yet. He was happy though, and quickly went to grab the little man by the back of his shirt and haul him onto Zaibatsu’s shoulder while wrapping his other arm around Kizmaru. “Let’s go wild with some training, brothers! Hahaha!” Zaibatsu would yell, alerting everyone in the facility to what they were doing. It did not really matter if either or both of them dodge, he would still drag them along one way or another, even if it was just using his boisterous personality and excitement for some action.
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WC: 747

"Ah. Yes. Uh. Eight feet eleven inches! So we're not that far off in height then. Well met!" THIS DUDE IS LITERALLY TWICE YOUR HEIGHT PINOCHIO! What has our dear side character gotten into. It is often that comments are made about his small stature bringing the potential risk of Pino being able to be lifted and simply thrown with ease, but this monster of a man could so easily do so that he was actually taken a bit aback. This is fine though. Pinochio was a weapon master in his own right. Or was it in his head? It's probably the same thing.

"Ah! Kizamaru! Yes. We met that day when you and Mister Keita were looking to get some repair done on your armors. I'm your blacksmith! Pinochio Pinochio's blacksmithing shop. Garanteed best in the village or I haven't met as many people as i'd thought!" It wasn't exactly the glowing recomendation he'd wanted, but still, honestly and transparency were important right?! ....right? He glanced back and forth between his two training partners, simply giving a nod when Zai commented on speed being his focus. Of course it was! It caused a small pang of sadness when the day he met the strange shark boy in that dream world he'd found that strength was not quite the boon for Pinochio that he'd hoped it would be. That was the day he determined he would shift to a focus on what he was best at. Thoughts of his failure passed quickly however, when he found himself lifted from the ground. WIth great jubilation he cheered as Zai carted him off towards the training area. He allowed the joy of this faux flight to fill him for several moments. Then his position was made more clear.

This wasn't pinochio the unthinking, green genin. It was training time, and he couldn't be sure that either knew more about this particular specialization than he did, and so the mask of leadership flowed across his face. It was time for Pinochio, head of the anything goes style of martial arts to shine through.

"RIght. SO! There are some supliments required for alot of the techniques I know. Jutsus like Temple style: discovery of an incomplete truth, Samurai saber technique, and other enhancements require one to two things. First Chakra infusion--" In emphasis, the chained portion of his weapon released from his hip. Even from atop the mountainous man he was able to wrap the ball and chain quickly around the crest of his elbow once, thrusting his arm forward to allow the wrapped metal to slip from it's position. The ball shot forward as his training with rope dart style weaponry showed true, a strait jab that crossed the length of the weapon's length pointed away from Kiz to ensure no danger, but within sight of both. Activating his chakra infusion, the weapon would flash with brilliant blue energy, and then, with three distinct whistling sounds the color of the technique shifted to a deep purple.

"Tiger, boar, Rat. These are the seals required to shift from chakra infusion, which is simply pouring your energy into your weapon to more effectively make it an extension of yourself to using the fabled FLying swallow technique. From here, it is Tiger, boar, dog, and rat for Temple style discovery of an incomplete truth. There are higher ranks of this one, but I don't know them. Now these techniques enhance your main techniques... For instance, Glass shard swing is a good option. For this one you swing your weapon with incredible force in front of you. This creates an effect similar to the breaking of glass and the shards fly towards your opponent!"

He emphasized his teaching with two motions. There was an audible thud as his fist pounded against his chest on the other side of his body. THe chain that slid through his palm as he released the first attack pulled taunt, rushing towards himself and Zai, only to float just above Pino's own head, wrapping around his far shoulder and down under the arm holding the chain. With a short movement his head ducked beneath the chain as it released from his body again, propelling the weapon like an arrow a second time.

Pulling back, he arced the second shot, and just as described, the air around the weapon seemed to shatter like glass.

(TWC 1770)

Well, that explains it. This was the small man that had repaired his and Keita's armor a few months ago when they had come back from a little excursion from one of the minor islands of Kirigakure. Good times, he thought to himself although he assumed it wasn't so great for Keita as he had disappeared somewhere along the lines of the mission duration. In the end, he found him so at least he wasn't dead. Now that he had gotten the identity of the small man he decided it was in his best interest to respond to him. "Oh right right, I remember now, you were the blacksmith that repaired our armor a little while ago. I don't know if I ever did but you have my thanks for repairing mine and Keita's armor," he had said. After giving his thanks he had waited a bit for the small man and the large one to exchange their statements to each other before the large man turned his attention to Kizmaru himself. This time, it was the large man's turn to greet and introduce himself to Kizmaru in which, it seems like he did. 

Turning towards the giant man, lifting his head in order to meet the giant's gaze, Kizmaru smirked as Zaibatsu explained he was also here to learn to brush up on his weaponry training as well as learning some techniques here and there. It was good to know he had a kindred spirit with him in the facility. He was obviously not lacking in the strength department when it comes to swinging around a weapon of any kind, he definitely looks like he had the force behind it to back it up. After his introduction, he had begun to pick up the smaller person and play them on his shoulder while Kizmaru felt a hand being wrapped around his shoulder. Kizmaru turned his head to look at said hand before being dragged off to another area of the training facility before he could protest. Well, its not like he didn't come here for this exact reason so he figured he'd allow this to happen, he did wish however Zaibatsu was a bit more subtle about the situation. Though he wasn't hiding his identity anymore, it'd still be quite awkward to have people find out he was the second Mizukage after all.

Now they were on their merry way, it seems the little man would take charge in the attempts at teaching the two of them. He wasn't sure if the two of them would be able to catch onto the lessons the small man was about to teach but he knew he would attempt to make this work. The first lesson the little man had to teach was about infusions. Kizmaru didn't know much about infusion other than basic chakra infusion so he figured this would be worth a listen. He had already known about the flying swallow technique and so he just listened to its demonstration once again. After that, the little man had thrown the ball they had infused their chakra in a direction away from Kizmaru to keep both him and Zaibatsu presumably out of harm's way. Next, the little man had told them the next few hand signs of Tiger, boar, dog, and rat for a technique called Temple Style: Discovery of an Incomplete Truth alongside another technique called Glass breaking swing. Giving demonstrations, Kizmaru felt as if he could replicate this and turn it into something he could use in the near future. After watching the demonstration, Kizmaru had begun to clap and thank the small man. 

W.C: 608

Zaibatsu was in a great mood when he placed the small man on his shoulder and dragged the jounin Kizmaru with him over to the part of the training area that would better allow them to practice with their weapons. Zaibatsu wondered what sort of weapons the jounin practiced with, as he had seen that the small man practiced with chained weapons with surprising efficacy. This was the sport of thing that Zaibatsu wanted to do. Not so much using a weapon with a chain, but moreso being able to use weapons with the finesse that the small man did, although he would put his own personal spin on it, of course. The small man gave off a feeling that he was quite the acrobat, and gave off a feeling of control, at least over his own body and the weapon that he had chosen to use, which seemed more an extension of himself than another object that he had simply picked up. Zaibatsu wanted that exact feelin, for others to think that he wielded his weapon of choice so well that it was more a part of him than anything else. As he was thinking about this, they had gotten over to the area that he wanted, and the small man seemed to change his tone a bit and started to speak more like a teacher lecturing students. This was basically what was happening, so Zaibatsu had no qualms, especially because he was teaching with a lot of zeal and effort. Zaibatsu hated people who thought that everyone should automatically know certain things, even though they had never done them before or had been taught. He was not some big dumb barbarian, he was simply raised in a different environment, and he resented some of his other teachers for how they treated him.

He was greatly absorbed in the knowledge that the small man spoke of, as he had heard that you could simply charge a weapon with chakra, but he had not done it yet. Seeing it and some techniques in action really helped open his eyes to how the process went. He would have to hammer out some more training on his own to actually become proficient in it, but he was used to running chakra through his body, so he thought running it through a weapon would not be too difficult either, and so he tried it with the fan that he had been essentially given by the small man. It was a bit rough, as he could not tell if the chakra that was flowing inside of the weapon was actually doing anything to the weapon, but the concept was there, and he could tell it was working. Because of the fighting style he had trained in, he could feel the force of his own body and his chakra with much greater detail than others without a similar skill, and he was extremely proficient with manipulating the force behind his own body, and this included his chakra. He felt that if he had a bit more time to practice, he could come up with a few ideas on how to use the Extreme Realm of Force to utilize a weapon to crush things under the weight of it, and he got excited. He made sure to really pay attention, so he lost his boisterous self for a moment as the small man demonstrated the weaponry techniques. They were interesting techniques, and it seemed that they would be perfectly suitable for certain situations in combat. Zaibatsu enjoyed that although a couple of them looked a bit flashy, it was probably more about the small man making them flashy than the moves themselves, as he had seen the practical applications.

Zaibatsu watched and nodded when the small man had finished the presentation, and he decided that he should add something to the conversation as well, as he wanted to give back to the small man, and he was unsure if he had a way to regenerate the body’s energy. “Hmm, this weaponry stuff you're showing us uses a lot of energy, doesn't it? You should learn this special exercise from me. It gives you a way to make more energy with your strength or muscles. It only works if you're in really good shape, 'cause you need to know a lot about your own body. It’s called the Heavenly Body, if you want it.” Zaibatsu would say, waiting until the small man was finished before offering his own teachings to the mix. Although he looked massive, and his strategy in combat was not the most thought out, when it came to the manipulation of his own body, he was very proficient, so if they showed interest, he would tell them in great detail how one could use the efforts of their own body, through meditation, breathing, and body exercises, to link their physical form with their chakra network to strengthen it and have it sort of run on its own. It was something that only those who had trained their body to great heights could learn, so the teachings should not be too lost on his training companions.
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WC: 861