Waking up early in the morning was something that Kyoufu needed to get used to. No one had been forcing her to wake up early since she'd come to the Hidden Mist Village. Back when she lived in the Dungeons, it really didn't matter when she woke up... but now that she was getting ready to work and be a ninja again she had to live by a schedule. And although this was technically her day off, Kyoufu had agreed to work with Tsukiya to develop her skills and talents. What Tsukiya didn't know was that today Kyoufu was bringing a friend with her... someone Tsukiya had definitely never met before.[break][break]
Kyoufu was now standing in a cleared area just on the outskirts of Kirigakure no Sato. Alongside her was the tall red-headed Uzumaki who went by the name of Kaji. [break][break]
The two of them were both geared up, Kyoufu wearing her typical green cloak with an orange jumpsuit beneath it. Shinobi sandals as well. She also had with her the Fuuma Wind Shuriken which had become her weapon of choice back when she was at the academy. [break][break]
Kyoufu had also given Kaji some shinobi gear as well.. suiting him up in her dad's old shinobi gear, including two katanas (a real one as well as wooden katana for training), shuriken, and a kunai. Kyoufu wasn't sure how much Kaji would like fighting with swords, but she figured he could try it out until he found something that was more his style. [break][break]
"You're gonna love Tsukiya-kun, Kaji-san. He was my best friend back when we were kids," Kyoufu explained. "He's from the Hyuga Clan, or at least he's related to it. They have an ability called the Byakugan which gives them 360 degrees of X-Ray vision. And they can see chakra! So if we spar or something today you'll have to be careful."
This was the first time Kaji had worn anything like proper shinobi gear. He had never advanced enough in his training to warrant ever being given any. So it really was a touching moment when Kyoufu had given him some of her dad's old gear. Good thing it fit him too.
Of course, he was also nervous for another reason. He was meeting another friend of hers, AND he was going into a training session. Those never ended well for him, and he didn't want to embarrass Kyoufu by being here.
"I'll, um, I'll just follow your lead thrn, shall I?" She had a hell of a lot more experience at this than him. Well, if anything happens, she can always bite him.
Kyoufu could tell that Kaji was a little apprehensive about this training session that they were supposed to have today... and it made sense. After all, he didn't have any kind of shinobi training at all, so working with shinobi should be a daunting experience. Shinobi spars alone carried some risk because if they were going to train and grow any stronger themselves then they would have to put their bodies at risk in order to be properly compared for real combat. That said, they did put the kid gloves on to some extent.[break][break]
Kyoufu pat Kaji lightly on the back hoping that it would help him to soothe his nerves. It was a funny thing, before meeting Kaji it had always been Kyoufu who had been timid and shy. Kaji had helped her to grow a little bit more confident in her own abilities than she had previously been.[break][break]
"Yeah, just follow my lead and don't do anything you don't feel at least somewhat ready for. You're the healer here, but unfortunately I have no healing abilities if you get hurt yourself."[break][break]
Kyoufu looked off into the distance, wondering how long it would take for Tsukiya to arrive. He wasn't late by any means, and Kyoufu and Kaji had set out early because their distance to this particular spot was somewhat longer than Tsukiya's likely was.[break][break]
[attr="class","bolo-body] Mornings. The dreadful enemy. Tsukiya knew he wasn't late, but he had a nagging feeling he was going to be the last one to arrive. He yawned as he walked to the training ground. Training sessions were always a mixed bag. There were days where he felt like it lead to fruitful gains, but there were also days where he just felt like a punching bag to his superiors. Hopefully, today was more of the former than the latter. [break][break] He was supposed to be training with his fellow genin and squad-mate, Kyoufu Senju today. An old friend from the academy who had recently returned to his life. It was pleasant being around her, he decided. She reminded him of simpler days. He enjoyed measuring their progress from the young ninja children they once were. [break][break] He reached into one of his jacket pockets, revealing a pack of cigarettes. Popping one of the death-sticks in between his lips, Tsukiya couldn't help but feel a sense of overwhelming relief as he took his first drag of the day. [break][break] As he reached the clearing, he couldn't help but wonder why there were two figures waiting there. He was under the impression that he and the Senju were training alone today. Odd. [break][break] "Yo."
Kaji nodded quietly. It was his first training session after all, after years of inactivity. Still, he did want to make a good first impression. "Don't worry about me. By now I'm used to being smacked around and left to pick myself up." After all, his own healing abilities didn't work on himself.
And soon, he arrived. A young man with white hair, around the same age as Kaji himself. He took notice of the cigarette in his mouth, and the confused look on his face at noticing that Kyoufu wasn't alone. Not that Kaji can blame him.
"Sup?" Kaji replied simply. It was probably best to let Kyoufu do the talking. He knew nothing of this guy and didn't want to step over any lines.
"Yo" and "Sup?" Great conversation starters from her male companions. Kyoufu was surprised that neither Tsukiya nor Kaji set off to really try to introduce themselves to one another, and it was clear that she would have to take the reigns. Of course, she was okay with that considering that they were both friends of hers who were coming together at this point in time for something very special.[break][break]
"Oi! Tsukiya-kun!" Kyoufu said with a charming smile. "Glad you could make it today! I hope you don't mind that I brought my new friend, Kaji! He's a very special person, but you'll come to learn that soon for yourself!"[break][break]
Kyoufu wanted to just spill the beans on everything, but she also thought it a bit improper to just go off sharing all of Kaji's secrets right off the bat. Kaji might want to retain some of his mystery, after all. [break][break]
For whatever reason Kyoufu couldn't shake that giddy feeling she got just from seeing Tsukiya. He had a way of bringing out Kyoufu's more childish side. He certainly reminded her of better times, even if he was cooler now than he had ever been and she was much lamer. [break][break]
"And of course, Kaji-san, this is Tsukiya! He's basically my oldest and bestest friend!"
[attr="class","bolo-body] Tsukiya couldn't help but smile as Kyoufu spoke. She was someone he considered very important. His sentiments echoed the Senju's own. She was a reminder of simpler days—a time of less hate and anger. His soft expression would not go unnoticed with the pair, even if his pleasant visage was ruined by the cigarette stuck between his lips. [break][break] He took another drag, and lowered the cigarette to his chest. He inspected the red-head with a look of mild curiosity. That red hair... there was no mistaking it. The tell-tale sign of a certain clan that hailed from the Land of Whirlpools. Kyoufu's new companion might not associate as one of them, but certainly their heritage was as clear as day for any ninja that was educated in shinobi clans. [break][break] "Are you an Uzumaki, per chance?" he said, with a thoughtful expression, "The red hair is quite hard to miss."
Thank goodness for Kyoufu. She was able to really get the conversation started, introducing the pair of them. For a girl who was stuck in a cell for a good chunk of her life, horribly experimented on, she was really quite good at lightening the mood. And if Tsuyika's expression was any indicator, he felt the same way. A good bit of common ground.
As the white haired boy started talking, he instantly guessed Kaji's family name, bringing up the red hair. Seriously, were there no other red haired people in this world? Kaji's expression soured slightly. "Yeah, that's right, for what it's worth." He was still convinced his family had all but written him off, so he was still quite bitter about that.
Well, Tsukiya with his white-eyed self was certainly pereceptive. He hadn't even needed his Byakugan to deduce that Kaji was a member of the Uzumaki Clan, leading Kyoufu to wonder if she should have predicted it all the same as well. Of course, she didn't have to predict it as Kaji had told her fairly early after they had met. [break][break]
"I'm pretty sure this is like the square and rectangle situation... being a square makes you a rectangle but being a rectangle doesn't make you a square. Uzumaki's are squares.."[break][break]
At the same time, it really made little difference because Tsukiya had been right... and in the shinobi world Red hair was a pretty rare thing.[break][break]
"In any case... shouldn't we do some training or something?" Kyoufu questioned. "I don't really even know where to start... should we just have a spar? Or should we work on techniques?"[break][break]
That was always the toughest place to start, and the truth of the matter was that Kyoufu really didn't remember much from her old days. She hadn't formed a hand seal in nearly a decade.
[attr="class","bolo-body] Tsukiya couldn't help but laugh at Kyoufu's expression. He supposed that her statement wasn't technically incorrect. But there was just something about that shade of red that alerted anyone of shinobi heritage to what it all meant. It also painted a really nice target that enemy ninja could see easily in the battlefield. [break][break] "It's nice to make your acquaintance Uzumaki-san," the Hyūga responded with a smile, "I hope Kyoufu-san hasn't gotten you into any trouble... yet." [break][break] He chuckled to himself as he took another drag out of his cigarette. He closed his eyes for a brief second, relishing in the feeling of the smoke filling up his lungs. He then threw the cigarette on the ground with a deep exhale that didn't look too different from the jutsu Mist ninja knew how to use. Eying his Senju team mate with an inquisitive look, his foot rose to crush the deathstick under the weight of his sandal. [break][break] "Well," he started, as he tried to pop open a container of gum. His focus wasn't really on the other two at the moment, as Tsukiya was far more concerned about trying to pry open a stupid lid. "I specialize in my clan's taijutsu. Although I still do remember the academy kata, and a smattering of a few techniques I picked up during scuffles." [break][break] An annoyed look crossed Tsukiya's face as he decided to pry the top open with the help of a little chakra. It snapped open with an audible pop. He casually threw in two pieces of gum into his mouth. Ooh—minty! [break][break] "Want some?"
"Just Kaji is fine," he replied. He wasn't too keen on being associated with the family that had essentially abandoned him, "And Kyoufu's been great. It's good to have an actual place to live." A part of him was wondering if he should try on a fake name from now on.
Then came up the training. And once again, Kaji felt a little...underprepared compared to the other two. The talk of Jitsus and katas and the like made him realize just how little he knew. "Well, you've both got me beat. No jitsus, no katas, and eight years of inactivity and malnutrition. A child could probably do more than me."
This was a mistake. Why did he even think he should be here?
