[ A Team 8 training | The 3rd Imperial Division's encampment, Sevudia ]
[ A collab between @Enigmatic_Entity , @Nim , @Autumn Song , @Oblivion666 and @Lesli ]
[ With the newest addition, Homura Unkei, being introduced to the respective units he is in, Aiko decides to organise a good ol' team training. It becomes clear that some members have progressed since they last were put up to some of Aiko's tests. But some surprises are laying in wait for the participants of Aiko's training. ]
[ Part 1 ]
It had been quite some time since she had organised a team training. Granted, with the whole occupation as a brigade general, it was no surprise that such tasks were rather delegated than being done by herself. Today, Aiko had decided to break the flow - if only by a bit.
The spacious training field had a corner that was now taken up by Aiko, who had her fists planted against her hips. Various practice dummies were set up as she had already some training in mind. To further try to implement a feeling of regularity, she had sent out an order for her 'official' team to meet her.
As the sun started to climb higher in the sky, it's warm rays illuminating the world, Aiko considered some last decisions. However, it wouldn't take too long before the first few of the small group were going to arrive. And beside that, she reckoned that the current setting of things wouldn't disappoint her.
Heading to the field as she was ordered, Kuni wondered what was exactly planned for them. She heard that Aiko summoned the team, but she never actually got to meet her teammates, as far as she knew. She had learned a bit from her recently, but hadn't made any progress with learning sensory techniques, aside from learning some of the basic theoretical matters about sensory.
Arriving at the field, Kuni offered a small wave as she approached Aiko, while also noticing the training dummies. Stopping a few steps away from Aiko, she offered a small bow
"Yoshikuni Sadako, reporting for duty!" She smiled at Aiko.
When he received orders that Lady Cho was waiting for him out by a practice field, there had been both a combination of excitement and nerves. He had never met his squadmates before, and had only met his squad leader days prior. But the thought of meeting up and training with his official team was something he dreamed of since the academy. Fantasies of going on secret missions with squadmates that he came to care for, the euphoric feeling of brotherhood. Life of a shinobi wasn't to be romanticized, he knew that already and felt guilty every time he did, but it was hard not to romanticize that he dreamt of for so long.
He was the third person to arrive on the scene, second of what he assumed was his squadmates. His long hair was tied in a tight ponytail, and he was dressed with his regular military gear minus the helmet. For once it was fairly decent out, he thanked god for that. He smiled and slightly bowed towards the familiar Lady Cho and the much younger looking girl,
"Homura Unkei, reporting in."
Heading over to the training field and where they were instructed to meet up, Hylli wasn't sure what to think of it. It was actually great to have another chance to train and be mentored by Lady Cho. But she remembered an earlier team training, when she had been a genin. Together with the aid of Hiideki and Mamoru, if she wasn't mistaken. They hadn't even been able to make it anywhere difficult for the Cho during the tasks given.
Approaching the site, she noticed the woman and another familiar face. The corners of Hylli's lips tugged slightly downwards as she recognised Kuni. The sighting of an unfamiliar individual made her pace slightly slower, the young woman considering her approach. Deciding to give it a chance, Hylli advanced towards the others.
Raising her right hand, dressed in a fingerless glove, a brisk salute would be given towards Lady Cho with a curt nod of Hylli's head. Dressed in her own mission garb, the Hyuzu turned to the other two, a friendly smile briefly flashed.
"Hey. Hylli Hyuzu," the young woman stated as she then wondered about something. The question was on the tip of her tongue but Hylli opted to wait and see if her question would be answered anyways.
Under normal circumstances he would have declined this training, but it was a request from his sensei. To which he understood the lingering implications behind it. He would however be the last to show up and was slightly confused by whom two of them were. Well the female looked familiar anyway, the male though was very much someone he never met. Hylli though was a familiar sight and she already understood that once they were done here they were setting off right away. He would give his sensei a respectful bow before looking at the others.
"Sensei already knows me, but for the new ones today. My name is Kazumo Scydling."
One by one they join her. Aiko waited till everyone was gathered and even then allowed a small silence flow after the short greeting and introduction of Kazumo.
"Good, now we all gathered up. I know it is a bit unorthodox these days to organise a training like this one. But I figured it wouldn't hurt." Aiko stated as she gestured afterwards to Homura.
"We have recently gained Homura of the Unkei clan as a reinforcement. He is a graduate from the Academy. If you would honour us, Homura, you can introduce yourself. And I want to invite everyone else to say something about him or herself as well," Aiko continued, her tone remaining friendly.
"Afterwards, we will start with the training. It will consist out of some basic abilities and showcasing your abilities. We will then continue with a sort of spar to truly see where we all are at."
He looked about as the remaining squad members arrived. Quite the cast of characters, all varying in appearance. He couldn't help but smile as he looked around at all of them, faces to all of the names he had remembered from his previous conversation with Lady Cho. Kazumo Scylding was the bookworm, much like himself, and on top of that a Jounin - with some pretty stylish hair. Hyuzu, the girl with the metal release - that was a fascinating thought, he'd love to see her use it in person. Sadako, the girl from Amegakure, young looking. Most of them had been there, he was unsure if this was all of them, but it was definitely most of them. Team eight.
Once the silence had been broken by Lady Cho, he obliged by introducing himself. He took two steps forward and turned around so he could face everyone. With a genuine smile he took a deep breath and said,
"As Lady Cho said, my name is Homura Unkei. I am a noble member of the Unkei clan. You can call me Hidami or Mura, a nickname given to me by my close friends and family, or Homura if that's what you prefer. I enjoy learning about new cultures and people, and this is my first time travelling outside of the empire. I'm still a little new to all of this, so please bear with me." He bowed once more and shuffled back in place. He could feel his cheeks growing warm, but he ignored the tinge of embarrassment.
Hylli's head tilted to the side, if only slightly. Listening to what Homura said, Hylli waited a few seconds before she would fold her arms in front of her stomach. Taking a step to the side, to properly face Homura and some of the others within the gathering, Hylli spoke.
"I am Hylli of the Hyuzu clan. Currently ranked as chuunin," she began, her lips tugging a smile for a few seconds,
"I don't really have an established nickname. I think? Anyhow, I know how to play the rebec. And," visibly pondering about something, Hylli enlisted a pause before she continued,
"I am trying to specialise in a few other fields. But nice to make your acquaintance, Homura," Hylli decided to finish, not entirely comfortable with spilling all the beans about herself right at the start.
Homura's introduction was nice, even offering nicknames, and Hylli also introduced herself briefly. Taking a step forward, Kuni made sure she could see everyone
"I'm Yoshikuni Sadako, or you can call me Kuni for short. I don't hail from any clan, just from Amegakure." She started introducing herself, pausing as well briefly to think on what she wanted to present forth
"I'm Chuunin ranked, currently seeking to learn more about the Sensory field, and I have experience in earth ninjutsu and taijutsu. And it is nice to meet you, Homura." And with that, Kuni stepped back. She figured that was as good of an introduction as any.
"Sure you do." Kazumo said as he ruffled Hylli's hair.
"You are the Storm Dragon." He said with a teasing smile before looking at Homura.
"Well I already said my name so we will go with a little about me. I enjoy reading and hunting. I also recently learned how to use Obsidian Release, other than that I specalise in Genjutsu, and Earth ninjutsu. I also know a little in fire and water ninjutsu. My rank is Jounin."
Amused as Aiko was due to the introductions, she would not let it linger onwards. Snapping her fingers to gain the attention of her pupils, the woman gestured with a hand towards the dummies.
"This is an exercise I have done multiple times with some of you. Throwing a weapon and hitting a practice dummy isn't difficult. However," without even turning to aim or face the dummy, Aiko brandished a kunai and casually threw the weapon in a fluid motion. A soft thud resonated as the steel tip burrowed the weapon in the dummy.
"I am going to make it more difficult. There are three targets. For each target, I want you to hit them from this distance, where I am standing. You can make your trick shots as flashy as you like them. The goal is to basically show what you got or how much you improved from last time." Aiko explained as she gestured to her students to take the stage, taking a subtle step backwards.
"So, who wants to go first?"
Placing the palms of her hands on her hips Hylli sucked on the inside of her cheek, watching how Aiko landed a perfect hit - without evening facing the target. It was inspiring and terrifying. Glancing sideways at the others Hylli decided to step forwards as nobody else seemed eager or excited to showcase how they would handle the exercise.
"Time to redeem myself, I suppose," Hylli muttered underneath her breath. Facing the first target, she remembered how she had tackled this before. Pulling a knife from its sheath, Hylli's eyes narrowed slightly - focusing on the idea that she had.
A soft blue hue flickered and imbued the steel blade of the knife, betraying the moulding of chakra. Inhaling slowly, Hylli would toss the weapon upwards as she then readied herself for the next action. Once the knife started to descend to the ground, Hylli had already taken a few steps backwards - creating a small distance. Suddenly sprinting forwards, Hylli jumped up and twisted her body to allow herself to land a powerful kick against the descending projectile.
The knife itself was launched with a vastly more powerful speed towards the dummy and embedded itself deep in the fabric of the dummy - sinking deep enough to nearly reach the end of the hilt.
Landing on her feet, Hylli already focused on the next dummy as she flexed the fingers of her right hand.
Debating the approach for the second, Hylli pulled two knives and started to spin them in her hands. The trail of the blue chakra surrounding the steel blades became visible, even hissing faintly as the Hyuzu fixated more chakra around the weapons.
Throwing the weapons in a quick succession, the trajectory seemed quite strange. From the onset of the weapon's surging through the air it appeared that Hylli had aimed wrong, causing the weapons to fan out in a wide range. Rolling with her shoulders, Hylli turned around and shrugged as she folded her hands together.
The knives then suddenly moved as if an invisible boost pushed them mid-air, causing their path to become even more irregular. Only to end up in the dummy from two very different angles.
"Okay, last one." She announced, half turning towards the last dummy target. Raising her hands slowly up, Hylli placed her hands at the back of her head, the fingers interlocked with each other.
"Hm, last time I made two knives hit each other to reach this distance." She said, sounding as if she was contemplating on how to go about the last target.
A sound of fabric being torn would become a reality as one of the knives tore through one of the nearby dummies and slammed itself in the last target. The other two knives would follow in quick succession, also hitting the target from two different angles - one even from the back of the dummy.
Turning to the group, her hands still at the back of her head, Hylli shrugged lightly.
"That went better, I guess." lowering her hands she would make space for who wanted to follow next.
He enjoyed the introduction of all of his squadmates, and was actually surprised at some of their ranks. Specifically the ranking of Kuni, perhaps that description slipped his mind when Lady Cho had told him about her. A chuunin that looked a couple years younger than himself. He made a mental note after that to no longer judge people off of their appearance, he should have learned his lesson when he met Lieutenant Cho.
What came next caught him a little off guard. He was decently advanced when it came to taijutsu, but if he were to have to grade himself on the way he uses kunai it would be mediocre at best. He didn't feel any better when he saw Hylli go up first, leaving him completely star stuck. She did it with a form of grace that was both deadly yet dignified. Unsure on how the others would perform, and feeling hesitant he decided to get his turn over with.
"I'll go up next," He nodded, hiding his nerves behind a strong poker face. He stepped forward and reached into his pouch for the three kunais he would use. He grinded his teeth and made sure he would be leaving his best move for last. He formed up a number of signs, and could feel his body temperature building up. For the first dummy he formed another set of signs, and from a couple meters above himself a number of kunai were fabricated seemingly out of thin air. They all came raining down towards the dummy, all of them disappearing except for one that thudded into the dummy's chest. He traded out his descending hell technique, and instead of using a giant ball of flame for the illusion he had used kunais. Simple enough.
He took another deep breath, he was sweating now and it felt like a warm fever on the corners of his temple. With his second kunai, he pulled his arm back at an angle and decided he'll just bite the bullet with this one. It might not be flashy, but it would get the job done. He threw the kunai with as much strength and speed as he could, with a curving trajectory. It slammed into the side of the dummy's head.
At this point the heat coming from his body was almost unbearable, so without wasting time he grabbed the sharp portion of the kunai tip and it hissed as heat met metal. He held it until all the heat from inside his body transferred over to the metal of the kunai, and then threw it towards the final dummy before it would burn his own hand. This is where his mediocre skill started to show, because he missed the mark he was aiming for and instead the kunai thumped into the dummie's arm. Rather than embedding itself into the dummy, it melted right through and out into the other side. He twisted his face in disappointment from missing the mark, and silently turned around and lined back. Surely this failure would haunt him until he perfected the skill.
Hearing about which training exercise they would be undergoing, Kuni felt it was familiar. But if she did go through it, then it was some time ago. Looking at Aiko's example throw, the throw without looking, impressed her a bit. She always liked seeing what everyone was capable of, but she also felt like that was a basic trick for Aiko.
As Hylli went through her routine, Kuni's eyebrows rose. She definitely had quite a bit of talent and an interesting way to get things, and the way she hit the final dummy was a cherry on top for the whole demonstration.
Homura, on his side, already showed some potential for someone fresh off the academy. The fact that his final kunai made a whole through the dummy made Kuni wonder just how hot he made it be. And if Aiko would consider a hole as a hit, considering it didn't just hit the mark, it went through it.
"I'll take the next turn." Kuni said, moving to stand on the spot. Looking at the distance, Kuni seemed to take a moment to ponder on something, before taking out a kunai and throwing it upwards as high as she could, in a slight curve, before proceeding to form a chain of six seals, holding the Snake seal at the end.
Before the kunai would hit the ground, it would be grabbed by an earth hand, one that extended a few meters from the earth, and proceed to do a few circles with its arm, before finally letting go of the kunai, throwing it at the left dummy, and hitting it in the dummy's upper body.
Taking out two more kunai now, She bent downwards and pierced one into the ground, at the very edge of the spot they were meant to throw from. Sinking a bit into the ground with the second kunai in hand, she closed her eyes and seemed to focus on something for a few moments, before smiling
"Gotcha." She stated, before vanishing into the ground, with only the tip of the kunai appearing from the ground.
The kunai would not stay still, however, before it would proceed to move backwards, away from the spot, and then turn to face it. With sudden speed, as if the ground was nothing more than water, the kunai rushed forward, and upon reaching the spot, the tip of the kunai would start to grow, having been released, and then appear completely out of the ground, with decent speed, making its way to the middle dummy. It would manage to pierce the lower center of the dummy.
Coming out of the ground, Kuni briefly glanced at the result of her second throw, before moving her gaze to the third. Grabbing the kunai she stuck in the ground, she pondered yet again, taking a moment to herself.
Once she made a decision, she allowed herself to sink into the ground yet again, this time only until her legs were completely in the ground. Closing her eyes, she took less time to focus on something, before her arm came closer to her body, as if she simply prepared to throw the kunai.
However, before she would throw, her body would begin to rise out, while spinning. And slowly, the speed of the spinning would grow. The pace of her ascending wasn't fast, letting the spinning repeat quite a few times. If any of the others would pay attention, they would see glimpses of her clicking her tongue, as if counting something.
When her feet were almost out, she threw the kunai, aimed at the right dummy. The kunai wouldn't become stuck like the other two, instead leaving a scratch across the dummy's side, before becoming stuck at a tree behind it.
Coming to a halt, Kuni kept her eyes closed for a moment longer, before opening them and looking at the dummy. Upon seeing her result, her expression turned a bit disappointed. She was certain she got the count right. But perhaps she was slightly off, she figured as she moved away.
Well Hylli certainly improved from the last time he was part of this with her, the other two weren't horrible, not terribly great but not horrible. Then again he never really liked being super flashy about things like this. So Instead he would do something that only one person would catch onto more than likely. Once Kuni was finished he stepped forward as he weaved some handseals.
Once he finished the last one, he reached into his pouch and instantly threw the kunai imbued in blue energy puncturing through the first dummy. Nothing too flashy anyway, cause the next one was even more boring of a hit. He simply pulled out his bow and took aim at it, releasing the arrow and hearing a resonate thud of the arrow into the center of the dummy.
Then the third dummy, Kazumo tapped his chin a bit considering all three had to be different. He put his hand onto the ground as he made shape of a black arrow. He carefully notched the black arrow before releasing it. It fell faster than the other arrow for sure, yet at a certain point Kazumo made a release sign and the arrow burst sending black shards into the third dummy.
Kazumo gave a small shrug before joining Aiko, only once he reached her he transported right back to where he was with everything playing out the same way again, almost like he had never done it yet. It would once again end on the black arrow exploding with him walking towards Aiko, just to again repeat the same event.
Aiko observed each of them partaking in the small exercise. The first was Hylli, who took the lead. Remembering how she had attempted it for the first time, there was evident progress as her current display made something quite clear. Noticing the subtle movements that hide the Hyuzu's release sign as well displaying enough experience and capability to utilize movement at the same time, to hide the actual technique that was being utilized. For a moment, Aiko wondered about something as her gaze moved sideways towards Kazumo.
When Homura took his place, Aiko was curious how the genin was going to go at it. Granted, her expectations weren't high. Genin usually didn't do anything groundbreaking, for they had to be taught and nurtured before being able to do so.
Yet, as Homura performed, Aiko made a few mental notes. And despite not betraying it through her features, Aiko was content as slightly impressed. The expression of disappointment that flowed on his face afterwards caused Aiko's eyebrows to rose but her lips remain sealed upon each other.
Kuni was the third that performed. Much as Aiko anticipated, the Amegakure native performed with the usage of earth release. There were some things that Aiko had in mind but she would wait patiently, wanting to see what Kuni would attempt first. Upon noticing that the girl closed her eyes and tried to land a hit with spinning in the earth, Aiko's features subtly shifted. Yet, she remained silent.
The last to perform was Kazumo. While she paid attention to Kazumo, Aiko wondered about something. His performance wasn't bad but she knew better. He was holding back. Not disappointed, Aiko waited till he was done.
"Alright. Time to review what I saw and know now." Aiko started as she settled her attention on Hylli.
"Very nice. You have attempted to hide your release sign and it is clear that you have improved. I was expecting more metal release techniques but I am content with your development." Flashing a friendly smile, Aiko continued.
"Also quite happy that you didn't decide to blow them up."
Turning her attention to Homura, Aiko's head slightly tilted as she introduced a short pause.
"For a fresh graduate, Homura, you did quite well. The lack of access to your profile means that I can't really study how you performed during your time at the Academy. Don't be too tough on yourself. You already stated which two fields you excel at. I decided on purpose to test you and the others on this exercise first, to see how you would perform. And I am quite content."
Turning towards Kuni, Aiko's smile didn't vanish.
"I had expected you to use earth release, wait, one second." Aiko slightly twisted her head to look at the repeating image of Kazumo performing the exercise, now for the fifth time.
"Kazumo, be a peach and dispel your genjutsu. It is starting to become a tad distractive."
"Oh alright." And where Kazumo stood in the field he now stood beside Aiko.
"Thank you," Aiko replied in return to Kazumo before once more settling her attention to Kuni.
"I do think that the third usage was a tad strange. Never close your eyes when you are facing a target. A bit strange as I can hit a target without looking at it. But I suppose that is where the gap in experience and skillset come in. So the fact you missed is slightly due to some miscalculation and perhaps trying to make it too hard on yourself. And then you," Aiko turned towards Kazumo with a sideways glance.
"You are a cheeky one. I was hoping to see more Obsidian release. But I suppose I could have been clearer. So you get away with it this time."
Once more Aiko became silent, if only for a mere moment to allow her words sink in and consider her plan for a second exercise.
"I suppose it won't hurt now to do a small spar. I was first considering you three," gesturing to the chuunin and genin,
"to face Kazumo. However, I think I have a better idea. Kuni and Homura," Aiko turned her attention on the two respective pupils,
"you two will face off against Hylli. The rules are quite simple. Clear communication and teamwork is the goal. And remember that this is a spar. So no need for excessive force. Your task is to subdue, not to kill." Turning her attention to Hylli, Aiko continued,
"Hylli, same counts for you. If you manage to capture or subdue one, to force the other to stand down, you 'win'. However, the actual goal is to understand how the other fights. Meanwhile, Kazumo and I will be reviewing your spar as well as staying on standby to prevent any unnecessary wounding. Any questions?"
Kazumo would raise his hand.
"Did you really want to see me using Obsidian? I can do an actual turn if you want." Kazumo said with a small smile, slightly happy at his genjutsu but same time feeling bad that he robbed Aiko of seeing something.
The smile of Aiko grew slightly but she shook her head, already emphasizing her answer.
"No, it is alright. I will have a chance if these three won't exhaust themselves." Aiko replied, before turning her attention back to the three.
A wry smile spread on Hylli's lips. She had hoped to keep the release sign hidden with the use of different motions or else hiding it with subtle deception. Of course, it was Aiko who was watching and Hylli didn't feel any shame or disappointment that the woman had figured out the tricks.
What did come as a surprise was the second planned exercise. A twinge of disappointment became visible on Hylli's expression upon hearing that they wouldn't be facing off against Kazumo. But that disappointment quickly became replaced with surprise as Aiko stated that both Kuni and Homura would be facing off against her and only her in a spar-setting.
"Hmmm," eyeing the other two, Hylli shook her head,
"No, I am fine with it. No questions on my part."
Now she actually thought about it, Hylli remembered something. Already turning away to create some distance from the other two, the Hyuzu had to calm herself. She had forgotten the mere fact that one of the two had something coming for her - due to the lack of involvement and support during the last battle against the Rongese force.
Once some distance was created, Hylli rolled with her shoulders as performing small jumps to warm herself up. Appearing to be ready, she would place her hands on her knees as well leaning forward - her gaze set on Homura and Kuni, a plan already hatching in her mind.
He was content in regards to how Lady Cho analyzed his performance, well content enough not to beat himself up about it. He still knew he wanted to perfect it eventually, but for now he could store that thought away. He was also impressed at her abilities to analyze their movements, being able to decipher things he would never have noticed. She was the head of the squad and the entire brigade for a reason after all - but he was very impressed nonetheless.
What came next felt like an uppercut to his stomach, the familiar twinge of nerves. He would be teaming up with Kuni for a sparring match against Hylli, both well ranked and experienced. From what he's seen so far from Hylli, and if her skills against the dummies were any indicator she was fairly advanced for a shinobi. On top of that he couldn't recall her mentioning what she was skilled at when introducing herself. It was a good imitation of how combat would be like against an unknown assailant, nobody tells you what they're capable of outright in battle, but he'd be lying if he said it didn't make him tense.
He observed her as she created some distance, and wondered what she had under her sleeves. He could recall times in the academy when he would face other students that were far more advanced than himself, and at times he would come on top. But this girl was a Chuunin. Unlike in the Academy, he wasn't alone, he had another Chuunin on his team as well. He turned to look at Kuni, gave her a slight smile and looked back towards Lady Cho,
"No questions here."
Teamwork was the key. As he walked a couple paces backwards to create a little more space between the two of them and Hylli, he would ask Kuni,
"Any ideas?"
After listening to the input about her performance, Kuni nodded slightly. She thought about explaining her choice a bit, but figured there could be a time for that later. But overall, she understood what Aiko meant.
Listening to what the next stage of their training will be, her gaze moved to Hylli. Aside from what she demonstrated, she didn't really know about Hylli's capabilities. And neither did she know about Homura's capabilities either. And they needed to work together against Hylli. Nodding to Aiko as an indication of understanding the upcoming bit, she turned and walked away a bit, while seeing from the corner of her eye as Hylli stepped in the opposite direction.
When Homura approached her and asked about her ideas, Kuni looked at him
"Several, but they are all oriented towards my own capabilities. Hard to formulate a plan when we don't know our opponent's capabilities, or my own teammate's too." Kuni said, moving her gaze to Hylli
"What's more, the way she moved the kunai in her performance made me suspicious of something, but I rather not go off guesswork. A good strategy to begin with would be agreeing on a signal. If we want to go for attacking in turns, then serve as a switch signal, and one for performing a large scale attack, if you have any. I'm thinking of using that name Kazumo mentioned. It seemed to get on her nerves a bit. Storm Dragon, simply putting emphasis on a different word depending on the action." Kuni whispered to Homura, her gaze going back to him.
"Of course, any ideas you have, feel free to share them. I'm not really the best strategist anyway. I'm more of a 'try things on the go' type of person." Kuni explained.
Observing the two, Hylli's eyes narrowed. She couldn't catch on what the they were saying but that was fine. Straightening her back, her hands shot to each other. Speeding through the required signs, Hylli inhaled deeply. She saw no need to let them take the initiative.
Holding the last sign, her eyes further narrowed before she would exhale and unleash a large wave of water towards Kuni and Homura. Launching the strong wave of water upwards, it would be similar to a sheet being thrown upwards and intending to crash down on the two from above - with spreading out to minimize their ability to dodge it.
"Right, sounds good. Perhaps we can- ," He paused in the middle of his sentence as a towering shadow consumed the two of them. As he turned his head to see the host of the shadow, it swallowed him whole with almost zero chance of him escaping. For a couple of seconds he found himself spiraling out of control under the riptide, his head breaking the surface, and getting tugged back under until finally the wave washed out.
Staggered from the sudden wave, he slowly rose from the ground and realized Hylli may be coming for either himself or Kuni directly after the wave. To make the situation worse, he had zero idea of where Kuni was and had little time to check for if she somehow countered the wave or washed up on the opposite side of where he stood. He hurried into a defense position, unsure of which of the two she would be targeting.
Starting to listen to Homura, Kuni moved her gaze upwards at the shadow that came from something above them. With no time to spare, she started to sink into the ground, before the water hit her, pushing her away from where she stood before. Letting herself fall deeper, she'd eventually vanish into the earth.
Understanding that Hylli wasn't going to let them have a moment to spare, she quickly rose from the ground behind Homura, until she stood completely behind him
"Buy me a moment." She whispered to him, while starting to form a few handsigns.
Watching the water hit Homura, Hylli felt a twinge of guilt. She remembered how Aiko had utterly washed out her during the first team training. But the matter wasn't done yet.
Weaving a new streak of handsigns, Hylli advanced forwards and would slide to a halt. Crouching, Hylli placed her left hand on the water's surface. Her chakra would slither with a high speed through the already chakra created liquid. The water transmuted in a sticky substance that would barely give in and restrict the movements of Homura and Kuni.
"I give you two a chance to surrender," Hylli calmly spoke out, her free hand forming a release sign.
"My next part is going to be quite painful. And Homura can't phase through the ground, nor can you in this state," Hylli called out, her head slightly tilting to the right as she observed the two.
He had little to no time to react to Kuni's commands until Hylli was already on them with her next trick. Homura was both shocked at her speed and mystified by the abilities of both Chuunin; Kuni's ability to react in a split second and escape the wave, but Hylli's aptitude to speed and commanding her next move. Within the split seconds he had to think of his next move, he was humbled to see his skill level at the academy didn't measure up to a Chuunin quite yet and fired up to reach their level of skill.
His arms were out in front of him, but they felt heavy and hard to move. He thought over what he could do as she demanded their surrender, going over every possible plan. Perhaps using Delirium would melt this stuff off, but that would require forming hand seals and at this rate he wouldn't be half way through before he was fried. Same thing goes for any of his other Jutsus. Moving was out of the picture, and even if Kuni were to be able to go through the ground there would be no escape for himself. He gritted his teeth,
"Damn it," the sound of defeat and shame plagued his voice,
"Sorry Kuni, I surrender."
As her own movements turned slower, Kuni glanced at Homura's back. She heard Hylii's call and still kept at it. She only needed two move handsigns. It was becoming increasingly harder, but if he could just buy her enough time, she could get them out of this situation. Forming the sixth handsign, she started to form the seventh, only to hear his response. She still formed the seventh seal, before sighing
"I would've hoped you could put a bit of faith that I had some kind of plan." She said to his back, before raising her voice
"I suppose I surrender as well." She called out to Hylli.
As she said it, Kuni would still activate the technique, as she was still in contact with the ground, and cause the earth beneath the two of them to raise a meter
"Could've tried to separate us from that mess." She said, slowly bringing her hands apart, before the ground would return to its spot
"But you also judged your own options and made a choice. So at least we can tell those gears are working up there." She said with a pat against his back.
Taking a step forward as he gave a small applause to the three.
"Well you certainly improved from last time Hylli, so well done there. For Kuni and Homura though, your biggest flaw was you knew her rank but nothing else really. As such in combat situations against the unknown. You should put the pressure on them quick and fast, the longer you think and devise a plan. Mostly against one who just witnessed what you two could possibly do. Well you just gave them the time they needed to best you."
Kazumo stated before giving a smile to Homura.
"I do respect though that you understood your predicament. Could your ally have possibly salvaged the blunder from earlier? Maybe, maybe not. Yet instead of risking that you picked correctly and opted to not risk your life."
Kazumo then looked at Kuni,
"The biggest mistake was you chose to go to where your ally was. It's commendable to care about your ally, yet would have lasted longer if you instead opted to attack Hylli. The pressure from that could have rallied Homura into recovering from the initial attack. Yet going to Homoura sealed whatever would have happened to him, to you as well." Kazumo would finish before looking at Aiko to give her piece. Then remembered something and looked back at Hylli.
"Also little Storm Dragon, you already won. So put those away now." Kazumo said pointing at the knives floating in the air.
Allowing Kazumo to speak up first, stating his thoughts and giving tips to the team, Aiko didn't say anything to add her piece. Her gaze lazily went back to the floating knives that Hylli had used before - likely a threat from an unknown angle if Homura and Kuni hadn't figured out one of Hylli's techniques. When Kazumo finished, Aiko made a subtle nod.
"I agree with Kazumo," Aiko started as she looked at Homura first.
"I imagine that this isn't the best start. But you already show more maturity than most genin tend to do. Knowing when you should stand down can actually save lives than to proceed to fight further. Of course, nuances exist and make every situation different. But you certainly scored points for having such good insight," Aiko then shifted her gaze back to Kuni.
"While you dodged the technique, I think you made a tactical mistake. By briefly abandoning your ally, you left him open for Hylli's plan and actions. I know what you can do and if I had been you, I would have tried to counter the initial attack of your opponent. Being defensive or using something that seems too excessive can be good, if it prevents your ally being trapped. But we will work more on your tactical plays," Aiko then paused as she looked at the Hyuzu.
"You are growing fast. I would have loved to see what you would do next. While your plan was quite good and you executed it well. I do have to note that you should be cautious. Utilizing one technique after another can leave you drained. Something that your opponents can use against you." Aiko gave a tip to Hylli, nodding as she glanced at Kazumo.
"Of course, this means that I am at an impasse. I had hoped that this spar would do more than serve as a reminder how tactical insight is a vital skill. Now, I could do two things. Well, three." Aiko looked back at the two chuunin and Homura.
"Either we shift this around. Seeing that Hylli is already able to outwit a genin and chuunin, it is perhaps good to see how a chuunin goes against a newly promoted jounin. Then have you two," Aiko gestured to Homura and Kuni,
"observe and then announce your notes. Or," a light shrug followed,
"we can have a round two. I imagine that you two now have learned from your mistakes. Of course, I will make it a slightly different challenge to keep you guys on your toes." Aiko finished, the pause that came after evident that they could voice their desires.
Throwing a sideways glance at Kazumo, it was clear that the Hyuzu didn't like that the Scylding had seen the sneaky attempt with her knives. Granted, Kuni decided to go on with casting another technique while being warned. Slowly, Hylli raised her hands as if she also surrendered. The gesture made the floating knives fall harmlessly to the ground as the Hyuzu straightened her back.
Listening to the feedback from Kazumo and Aiko, Hylli nodded lightly to emphasise that she understood what was being said.
"Thanks, Master Scylding and Lady Cho," Hylli said, turning her head to throw a look at Kuni and Homura. Sucking on the inside of her cheek, Hylli debated on if she should use her first water technique to perhaps rinse them from the sticky substance. But Aiko then gave them options on what they desired as following up exercise.
Near instantly did Hylli's gaze rest on Kazumo. Her right hand itches and causes Hylli to flex her fingers, the desire to finally test her mettle against Kazumo surfacing.
"I would relish a chance to spar against Master Scylding. However," she raised a thumb and pointed towards Homura and Kuni,
"I will leave the choice up to them. I am fine with either option, really."
Taking in the input from both Kazumo and Aiko, Kuni listened intently and nodded along with their words. Aiko's words, in particular, stung as she heard them. Abandoning her ally, which was essentially the same as how she acted in the battle. Her gaze moved to the ground as she then heard Aiko start to explain the next options.
Hylli spoke up and gave her opinion, making her gaze turn to her. Hylli left the options open, making her briefly ponder, before she looked at Aiko and Kazumo
"Thank you both for the notes. I'll memorize and work on improving my tactical thinking." Kuni said with a nod towards Aiko. Her focus then shifted to Kazumo and Hylli
"While I would like a rematch, I don't often get to just watch more experienced people spar, often being in the spars myself. So I think getting to see things from the sidelines can help us learn some more. So I choose to see Kazumo and Hylli spar." Kuni stated.
Homura listened keenly to both the words of Lady Cho and Kazumo. They made great points, and while this wasn't the ideal start he wanted to present them with, he was satisfied in knowing he didn't put his own life at risk or that of his allies. He felt that much better about his decision when he noticed the knives come crashing to the ground. He couldn't help but grin and shake his head, he was screwed from the second he was taken by the wave. Hylli had every move worked out - as Lady Cho mentioned she had the tactical insight the duo lacked.
He bowed, slowly due to the sticky substance, in the direction of Lady Cho and Kazumo,
"It definitely was not the way I wanted to start out, but I value the insight given from both of you. The next time we hold training like this, I'll use your teachings Kazumo and waste no time. And Lady Cho, I assure you my performance will improve from here." He stood up straight, and nodded as Kuni spoke, "I agree. I'd like to see the skill set between these two, perhaps learn a thing or two."
He smiled and bowed towards Hylli,
"Thank you for the sparring match, it was quite humbling, best of luck against Kazumo."
With the choice being clear, that a spar between Kazumo and Hylli would take place, Aiko beckoned Kuni and Homura to come towards her.
"It is best to stay close. I reckon that this will become messy," she said, only to realize that the two were still soaked in Hylli's syrup like technique.
"Ah, first, I suppose I could clean you two."
Utilizing a technique to summon water to gently clean the previous substance from the two, Aiko flashed a smile.
"Alright, you two know the rules. No need to go all out but just acquire one to surrender or well, first blood is also fine, I suppose." Aiko told Kazumo and Hylli, her curiosity evident as it now came to the Hyuzu and Scylding to duke it out.
