[attr="class","addy2body"] Her kunai sliced clean through the fabric over his hip, creating a shallow wound that would have continued in an arc up his chest if his hand hadn't knocked the blade back down. Meanwhile, his fist connected with her face. Normally this would have caused her to fall back, but she was already mid-sprint toward him and the momentum was not so easily stopped. Her body crashed into his, her kunai falling uselessly on the ground, limbs tangled with his. Another mass crashed into her in turn, sending her sprawling onto the ground, but he would be dragged down with her.
Naoko was left breathless and a bit dazed, crumpled beneath two bodies that were significantly bigger than her own. She did not bother trying to get up, not yet at least, because he would have to make the first move. That being said, Higa would start to feel a burn in that slice from her poison, doubling the irritation of having a cut to begin with. It was barely bleeding, so luckily for him the poison was not able to get into his bloodstream, but it did make the skin around red and itchy. An annoyance, but not a danger.. because he had gotten very lucky.
[attr="class","addy2body"]Yeah, Higa decided to shove her. How rude is that?
She applied force on her heels so that while she stumbled back slightly, she was in no real danger of tripping or falling. While he took the time to respond - again, a mistake that she just warned him about - Naoko did not hesitate. The parasol was dropped, useless prop. She performed a single handseal while at the same time darting forward, closing the gap between them quickly. From the pouch at her side a kunai was produced, green chakra enveloping it momentarily before disappearing. There was not much time for him to look, but if he did, he might notice it now appeared to be slick with liquid.
In the same motion of pulling the kunai out from the pouch, she swiped it up at him from that downward position, aiming to cut across whatever body part came in contact. She was initially aiming for his chest, which was padded by a vest and therefore she didn't feel the need to hold back in fear of gravely injuring him, but realistically he was probably going to try to move or block. It would certainly prevent him from throwing his own kunai as planned, and from freeing his puppet that was securely wrapped in cloth next to them.
Naoko turned back to face him. She allowed him to stand, even allowed him to babble on about testing each other, yadda yadda. As his hand stretched out to point toward the door she had already spotted, the parasol suddenly snapped closed above her head and she swung it like a bat from over the shoulder to his side, namely his exposed flank due to the lifted arm. She supposed they were evenly matched when it came to hand-to-hand prowess, but her strength lied in ambush and agility, not brute force. For this reason, he was unlikely to dodge the assault - just as it was unlikely to actually hurt him. Knock the breath out, perhaps. Shock? She hoped.
Regardless, unless he grabbed it, the umbrella would be slung casually over her shoulder while she grinned at him. The expression was a bit feral, not friendly, even if her height did not add much to the intimidation factor. "Why ever would you put away a perfectly good weapon?" she queried, voice lilting. It was sugary-sweet but he might have caught on to the mocking behind it. Not a jab at him personally, but rather the boring training objective he'd posed.
Expression cleared from pale face, leaving a neutral, almost cold countenance. She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes. "We can fight for real though, if you want. A sparring match would never give you a true idea of someone's weaknesses. Here's one for you - you give too much information away when you speak."
[attr="class","addy2body"]As she brought her finger down to make another cut, the door swung open, causing her to pause with the blade just barely touching the skin. A bead of blood welled up there, mesmerizing her until she forced herself to look up at the intruder; the chakra scalpel dissipated. It was a face she recognized, twofold. Firstly, most importantly, Shoichi was the 'oh-so-capable' Jounin of her platoon. In other words, her boss. Secondly, during her formative years of training her father had met frequently with his parents. They had never been introduced directly but Naoko was not one to forget someone her father had discussed being a strong individual - full of potential.
Her emotional range was still dialed down, there was no surprise in her countenance as the book flung in her direction, merely a hand lifted to catch it. She set it down on the table and then wordlessly, two handseals. The blood dripped down her arm from gravity, she paid it no mind, chakra-glowing fingers pressing over the wound and watching as the flesh stitched itself back together. Thread by thread, cell by cell. It was only at this point that her lips split into a smile and purple eyes glowed with familiarity.
"Evening, Shoichi~" it was practically a purr. The girl stood up, needing the vantage because of her height, head tilting side to side as she gazed over the primer's cover. "In truth, I don't know much about sealing techniques. They were discussed briefly during my medical training, but only as an option for using advanced techniques on the battlefield - a supplement. How do you suppose fuuin could solve the riddle of what is considered healing?"
Yeah, sure. The obvious answer would have been to open the book and start reading, but that sounded utterly boring compared to quizzing the man standing before her. They had rare occasion to talk other than this, and to have his attention focused on her own advancement was a boon. Naoko grasped a piece of cloth from the table and wiped away the blood before it could dry, humming to herself, waiting for his answer. Despite her friendly attitude, her muscles were quite tense and she held herself on guard, half facing him like she expected he would attack.
[attr="class","addy2body"]Black parasol, black dress. If not for the fact she had been living here for over a decade and knew many of the faces around, Naoko probably would have gotten strange stares for the outfit she selected to meet her new partner. There was some function, at least - sleek shoes with grip and a belt with multiple pouches. She stopped in front of the purple-haired man and tipped the umbrella back, so that she could blink down at him unobstructed while still hiding from the sun. The reason for this was unclear, but perhaps it had something to do with skin that looked like it had not seen the outdoors in years.
"Higa?" Uncertain, for a moment, but then she nodded her head. Confirming. "Yeah, I remember you a little bit. There aren't too many people around with hair like that, after all. It's very fashionable. Is it dyed?"
Despite the small talk, the Chuunin was turning in her spot to assess the distance between them and the training facility. If the kunai moving around on its own perturbed her, she did not show it, and in fact did not mention it. A pebble near her left foot caught her attention and she kicked it, sending it skipping deceptively far in the direction of the door, one corner of her lips curling up.
"You invited me to meet with you, and I'm grateful that you seem like a nice person. However, I am a very impatient person. Can you tell me what it is you have in mind for today?"
[attr="class","addy2body"]In the depths of the shinobi training facility, thick-walled rooms lure the antisocial and the overeager. Walking down those polished halls gave no indication to the intense training going on within each room, though neither did the ones inside have any idea what happened without. The chuunin's chosen domicile for the evening was almost eerily silent, and it gave her pause - purple eyes lifted to stare at the door, sensing imminent danger perhaps, before settling back on the table in front of her.
Right arm was bandaged tightly from shoulder to fingertips, blood staining the cloth in seemingly random patterns. It clashed with her choice of civilian clothing, merely a comfortable dress with sleeves torn off for more room. After a moment of reflection, a few handseals were deftly performed, a practiced ritual; chakra thrummed from her inner reserves, down the wrist, to the fingers. At first the green glow enveloped her whole hand, but she focused and molded it to just the index finger, ghostly scalpel blade extended. Left arm splayed in front like a canvas and she brought the scalpel down midway between the wrist and the inner elbow, soft flesh parting beneath.
Her expression remained neutral, watching the blood flow to join dried puddles on the very worktable she sat. It was clear that whatever her motivation, she had been doing it for some time, because it provoked little reaction. There was only a moment near the end of the cut where the sensation crested beyond her tolerance, a surprised cry bursting from her lips to echo off the walls and then, again, silence. Lips remained parted, panting, thick hair tied back into a messy bun but it still clung to her forehead from the sweat. Below the new cut there were several newly-healed marks, the skin pink compared to the paleness around it.
"A clean cut is not difficult to heal," she mused, seemingly to no one. "Jagged edges, old scars, a pierced vein, a puncture - these are more difficult. A pity that we are not actively at war, that I need to practice on myself instead of a real patient.." or, she thought, a target. That would be more fun.
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Born to two shinobi of the sands, Naoko never had the most idyllic childhood. From her first breath, there was war, a parent leaving for stretches of time but never allowing her to be alone. They doted upon their only child like she was the sun itself, ensuring she never went without food even when resources were scarce and times were dire. Her parents had friends, and those friends had children, and among those children she had friends; laughter, play, the haze of imagination, dreams, and propaganda.
Even when she joined her friends to train at the academy, she was sheltered from the realities of war. Some had lost parents and siblings, but her father was lucky to transition to a medical role off the front lines. She wanted to be just like him someday, a doctor, and so Naoko started learning iryou ninjutsu around the same time as her basic ninjutsu lessons. Her mother was a skilled kunoichi in her own way and always managed to return from even the most frightening missions.
At twelve, Naoko was set to graduate from the academy and become a genin. The war was tenser than ever, a dangerous time for a young shinobi, yet before that journey could begin it was over. Sandstorms, death; occupation, imprisonment. Without the figure of their Kazekage to guide them, Amegakure crashed over them like a tidal wave. She was separated from her mother during the chaos, and although her father was wounded he fled with her to Tsuchi no Kuni, where they were given asylum. The politics of the situation went far over her head. Eventually, partly due to his prowess as a medic, they were allowed to join Iwagakure as citizens and shinobi.
New life. It was.. fine. Her father did his best to keep a strong face, but undoubtedly both of them hurt from the loss of her mother, who had not been found. There was no indication that she had died, but Naoko considered it the most likely outcome; he disagreed vehemently. Iwagakure allowed her to become a genin of their own village and after proving her skills permitted her the status of a medical apprentice. She made new friends, even ones she considered good friends. All the same, there was a burning in her heart that developed from despair to longing and eventually to hatred. She would have revenge on Amegakure for what they did to her home.
Proficiencies
🎆 Iryou Ninjutsu | JOURNEYMAN ●●●○○○
Medical techniques are the core of her abilities, having started learning under her father and completed the basic apprenticeship in Iwagakure. The primary directive is to heal. At her current proficiency, Naoko is capable of using her chakra to heal flesh wounds even during tense situations. She can set a broken bone to prevent further damage, but cannot completely repair it without extensive time and energy, thus making it difficult in combat. Severe wounds can be treated in a similar manner, requiring a lot of chakra and a stable workspace to at least reduce how life-threatening they are.
Presently, Naoko does not focus on the combat properties of her medical knowledge. However, all iryou shinobi are taught how to develop a basic poison as part of their training. This poison causes redness, swelling, and itching on skin contact, not unlike an insect bite. When given access to the bloodstream - via cut or puncture - it creates moderately painful stinging localized to the wound. This poison can be applied to weapons such as senbon. She is able to manifest chakra scalpels for surgery but is not able to use them for combat yet.
🎆 Taijutsu | APPRENTICE ●●○○○○
Brute force is not and never will be her strong suit. Naoko trains her agility, relying on outpacing her enemies instead of overpowering them, as well as closing gaps when needed. Precise blows to known weak points are much more effective than merely punching blindly.
🎆 Shurikenjutsu | APPRENTICE ●●○○○○
Like many shinobi, Naoko's primary weapons are lightweight and versatile. Despite the name, she prefers not to use shuriken, rather favoring both kunai and senbon. Senbon have the added benefit of a plethora of medical applications. In her case, she combines her weapon knowledge with the poison created by iryou ninjutsu to coat them, giving each cut or puncture a more threatening side effect.
🎆 Stealth | APPRENTICE ●●○○○○
For now, she is no master of disguise or stalking, instead preferring to rely on intelligence and perception. The average non-shinobi would still struggle to hear a footfall, especially because of her small stature. She has a careful eye for detail, which is valuable as a medic. It would be difficult to hide from her discerning gaze unless one was particularly skilled in stealth.
