A Leader and his people {Hyuuga Only}

The sun had slowly been rising above the compound of the Hyuuga Clan in the north, most members of the clan being idly asleep or preparing for a long day of training, trading or commencing of their daily tasks and jobs. The sound of cicadas slowly filled the air around the clan home like an early alarm clock, the small sound of their clicking and singing made the area seem more peaceful than one might have thought but the early morning feeling was something the clan never wanted to miss. In the low breeze of the wind their infamous clan banner waved, showing off the clan's treasured Eight Trigrams which each member of the clan wore with pride and honor on the daily basis. Past the buildings that the other clan members slept in laid the Main house compound where the head family lived and slept, but in the center of this compound laid the room of the clan leader, Reishin Hyuuga. From his own balcony that out looked out the entire compound he slowly stared at the rising sun and his clan as he looked at the many people starting to move about. Why he was up this early was an easy yet interesting reason which only led to the answer of him wanting to do the best thing in the early morning- train. The golden pair of eyes continued to look forward upon his compound with a brightened expression just like the sun shining down on them before he slowly backed away into the darkened recesses of his room. Being only the temporary remains of the light, he would clap his hands together which would create a loud echo throughout the room until four torches that sat in each corner of the room lit up,” Time to get started,” as the final torch lit up the room a single lantern would illuminate the room from the top of the ceiling causing the treasures and full detail of the room to be seen.

The half-dressed leader made haste to get dressed so that the training area would be ripe and ready before the sun had fully revealed itself to the world, grabbing his chest plate and jacket he would throw the two of them on like it was second nature before making sure everything was in order. From head to toe he was ready for this day to begin which he even went as far as to grab the heirloom left to him, the Heavens Fist, and sliding them on and running at the balcony in a free fall. The room being only three stories up would be a minor jump for him as he had done this on the daily basis to start his training routine. Within seconds his feet had touched the ground causing a loud crash to echo through the Main Branch courtyard which of course had woken up quite a few of the members currently asleep. The commotion caused a few of them to open the windows of the room to see their leader standing in a small crater he had created himself before waving him off as he took off towards the small section of forest that the clan had designated as a “training area.” Reishin from the moment he made it to the woods began to stretch out his body, starting with the arms and the still resting muscles in there, moving his left and right arms in complete circles before bending down and touching his toes to fully stretch out not only his back, but also his legs as well. With the full cycle of stretching complete, his hood would slowly envelope the top of his head, hiding his hair and face from the world as he slowly squatted and took off into the woods.

From the moment he began to run his path was already set, making a sharp turn left he would jump into the air and rebound off of the tall tree , his right foot springing him forward as he touched the ground and rolled before springing upwards and continuing his run. The path in front of him would take him to the obstacle course portion of the forest that was compete with swinging longs, bamboo poles (for balance of course) and at the end of the course was a waterfall where one could relax under the water. The smile brimming on the face of Reishin only continued as he ran past the starting point of the course and the fun would begin. From the moment he stepped forward the sensors placed in charge of the course made the whole area come to life, logs that were at least ten meters wide begun to swing back and forth in forwards and reverse motions causing the rhythm of each to be different. The challenge was on and the challenge today was to beat his own score of a minute and fifty seconds. The course proved to best him only this once as he crossed the finish line at a time of two minutes and five seconds, which was told to him by the Hyuuga sensor at the end of the course. The small window of time made him grumble a bit, mostly because of the new addition of the shifting bamboo pit which was designed to test one’s balance, was also included with a new long feature. With the conclusion of the run being over, the last thing to do was to meditate over the current happenings of the clan itself and to strengthen his body more with the help of the currents of the waterfall.

Slowly he removed the chest plate and jacket that covered the portions of his chest, revealing not only the eight trigrams he had on his back, but also the trigram of heaven sitting on the left of his forearm. Slowly he jumped from rock to rock before landing in the middle or rather the back of the waterfall where he slowly made his way through the pressing waves and sat down. The bitter cold sting of the water crashed down on his back and he would immediately sit up straight as he exhaled slowly and begun to meditate. Within the silence he would begin to enter a state of meditation as he left the world behind and only focused on the matters in front of him. Minutes passed as his body remained still, the water no longer holding its cold embrace as it drenched his body and continued to fall not only around him, but swallowing him as well. What would come from the meditation was yet to be seen as he continued to sit unless fate itself had other plans for him.

1120

As Ko Hyuuga approached the obstacle course, she couldn't help but survey her surroundings as if she were in enemy territory. This was par for the course when it came to the young girl. Even within the safety of the Hyuuga Clan compound, she only felt secure with her family. She was painfully shy and the only person she felt like she could be herself around was her father. When she had lost him those six short years ago, she had lost herself in tandem. When she was alone, she felt empty. To compensate for this, she had tried to form a stronger bond with her grandfather but he had grown cold to her since he had lost his son. That was part of the reason she was even outside of her residence. Normally, when she had no small mission to complete or wasn't training with her caretaker she simply lounged around. The man had decided that such behavior would no longer be acceptable and he had practically demanded that she visit these training grounds.

As she approached the beginning of the course everything sprung to life. Instinctively, she activated her clan's precious Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan. All of her training was accomplished with the accompanying veins bulging around her temples. She found the swinging logs to be a decent challenge though not daunting due to the field of vision granted to her by her bloodline. The moving bamboo poles were another story. She had barely made it through to the end of the course and only did so due to the Byakugan. It had almost taken her six minutes though she had no idea if that was bad. She had worked up a bit of a sweat and thought that she might take a dip by the nearby waterfall. Even if she had actually been comfortable disrobing to avoid getting her clothes wet, she had noticed the presence of two people who had already taken her idea. She recognized them with her enhanced vision as high ranking members of her clan. There was the clan leader himself and one of his advisers; both were members of the Main Branch. She suddenly felt very unwelcome and not necessarily just because of her social anxiety. Still, she decided to walk towards the river. She was just going to dip her head in the water and then leave. That was the plan anyway. She held her breath and allowed her head to become submerged under the cool water as it refreshed her with its chill. As she sat up again, she began wringing out her hair so that she could prepare to return home.

442

Mayuri, much like other times, was spending his unused time atop one of the clan buildings looking outwards onto the new land they had recently taken to improve their crop growth and housing. He enjoyed the simplicity of this activity and also saw it for most of its finer points as well, such as the blood that had to be bled in order for them to have this land to build their ambitions atop of. It also made him furious at his own clansmen for dying on the battlefield, they were after all Hyuuga, the most prestigious and note worthy clan of this age. To be cut down by these inferior clans and worst yet clan less dogs was very unbecoming, he clenched his fist under his long traditional sky blue robe and cooled his anger.

It was at this moment in time that he watched closely as his brother the clan leader bolted from his quarters and made a dash for the obstacle course. Unlike himself, his brother was always eager and moving forward quickly and to be honest somewhat rashly in all his endeavors, it payed off however time and time again as proven by the rank bestowed upon him. Mayuri sighed while dropping his chin into his left hand as he sat up, his left hand resting on his left leg. It surprisingly took his brother just a tad bit longer to finish his course than usual and Mayuri quickly deduced that he had trouble from the new obstacle that had been put in while he was away. A very quick and soft childish giggle escaped his pursed lips as he watched in amusement, even from here he could tell that his brother was more than likely a little flustered about his time.

In moments the clan leader was off into the forest heading towards the waterfall, no doubt to finish his workout off with some cool down time. Mayuri began to stand up in hopes of following his brother and maybe getting to actually talk to him brother to brother without most of the formalities they had to put up with and endure when in the presence of the entire clan. He decided agaisnt it for the moment however, when his brother was training he was very single minded and hard to communicate with and Mayuri came to the conclusion that his best bet was to wait a few minutes to give Reishin time to finish. At the time the wind blew through his hair like a endearing hug and caused his stringy hair to blow back into a more unkempt state than it already was. The wind carried a light but sweet scent to it however that caught his attention, it wasn't anything too strong and more than likely no one else even noticed the change in the air, however Mayuri enjoyed the wind and he knew each smell that came with it as if it was a long lost friend.

Mayuri looked for the scent and slid down the roof slightly to get a better view of the clan people making their every day rounds. His eyes locked onto a woman lightly jumping down from her window, it seemed his brother and the clan adviser shared a similar disdain for using doors and deemed the windows as the right course of action. He watched her actions intently as she mingled with the men and women that she passed and he smiled again noting her posture to be slightly uncomfortable to be in the midst of so many people. He didn't think that was the right attitude for someone to have that used a window as their normal travel route. As the crowds finally let her escape their awe struck and inspired grasp she followed his brothers footsteps to the training grounds and stopped at the starting line. Was she going to attempt the track as well, dressed as formally as she was he didn't read this as the appropriate action one would take in this situation and graded her mental capacity to formulate good plans. She started the trial just as his brother had done except with the fluidity becoming of a woman and in a place of power such as to advise the leader, she moved gracefully and was through the course only a fraction of time slower than it's previous attempted.

He didn't bother watching her anymore, he knew where she was headed and knew it more than likely involved talking to his brother, which would push his own time with the elder sibling back even more, he frowned at the thought and decided he would not wait his turn but instead take his own leave and go into the forest as well. Standing up slowly and stretching his body standing on his tip toes while yawning out loud, he looked down his nose and happened to catch another challenger now at the course. What was with this day and everyone attempting the course? Getting to the edge of the roof he had nestled in he peered across the distance and watched the young girl. He could tell that though she was young, she still held the upper hand on him in age, he wondered how she too would fare on the training course. His eyes watched as if he was a cat anticipating every movement from a ball of yarn and after three minutes of her struggling with the course, he dropped down from the roof and began walking with purpose towards the same field that led to the waterfall.

By the time Mayuri made landing at the course he was just in time to see the young girl make her way to the same destination as his own. Another person to take time away from him, his patience for time with his brother always was a touchy subject for him and anyone not of their blood always irritated him slightly when they would speak to the clan leader. It took him roughly three minutes to walk to the course from his perch and the girl was already three minutes into it when he made up his mind to follow, had it really taken her 6 minutes to run through this? He didn't understand why it took them all so log to defeat such a easy course, so he decided to attempt it himself. Mayuri was what you would call a master tactician always utilizing strategy over force, he looked over at the proctor monitoring everyone's times on the course and nodded towards him to begin the timer. When the proctor gave the go ahead nod, Mayuri put his grand plan into action, he walked by each and every obstacle on their safe sides ensuring he had enough space between himself and the gears and motors. He walked purposefully with his arms wrapped in front of his chest, his hands inside his kimono sleeves. As he made it to the finish line he tilted his head towards the proctor, who was shaking his head slowly in disappointment, Mayuri figured he wouldn't get a time for completing the course, luckily he had been keeping count in his head, forty five seconds to walk from one end to the other was all it took.

He was happy with that time, and he had beaten the track, maybe not in any conventional means, but he was far from conventional and thinking outside of the box was how you stayed alive. Walking deeper into the forest he reached the water fall where he could see his brother and the other two, meditating...or bathing, whichever it was it made no difference to him. Reaching the waterfall and river bank he noted the younger of the females already drying out her hair, was she leaving, she had just gotten her not moments before him. Mayuri leaned against one of the multitude of tress in the area and waited patiently as best as he could, his brothers meditation had to be over soon right?

WC 1337

The cool and calm waters of the waterfall caused an increase in the young Reishin's thoughts as his breathing slowed and his heart rate became softer, his mind becoming one with the cool waters that had not only crashed onto his body but also surrounded his entire being. The water soon became a new catalyst for the thoughts and plans of his mind which at first came only as the issues of the clan, but now changed into subtle solutions to expand its happiness so that all could remain happy. His surroundings being quiet and calm he could hear the calls of nature amongst the crashing waves from the birds of the forest to the calling of the small insects amongst the grass. The completion of his meditation had finally come during its later peaks, but what had also formed was the congregation of some of his clan members. Although his eyes had been closed and relinquished the sights of the world in order to meditate, he could still here the idle shuffling of those around him or more specifically the arrival of the first person. Slowly his golden hues would open and turn to the left as his eyes laid upon his clan advisor's wet and smooth skin with only a smile and a brief chuckle," Shouldn't you be tending to the clan's political business in my stead Madam Lamb or did my earlier departure awaken you as well...," the golden eyes continued to lay upon her before he slowly arose from the waterfall and jumped back to where his clothing had currently been.

With the sun fully in the sky and some company to actually keep him from going into another state of boredom, he turned back to the waterfall where one of his closest friends and advisors had still been resting," So Satsuki are you here to train with your Clan Leader or maybe you are just sticking to me again. Either way it will be good to keep your company outside of meetings," a single eye continued to rest upon the woman as he rested on the balls of his feet, the small gesture creating a stiff yet straight posture from him. In the short time that he had waited for her to respond and speak to him, he slowly turned to see two other forms appearing near the river not to fall from the meditating waterfall. Usually he wouldn't do this to find out who they were, but seeing as there were more and more people appearing at the training area he once again became curious. Activating his clan's unique and powerful doujutsu, the eyes that were once full of color became a milky white color as his eyesight expanded and magnified as their chakra center became visible to him and through this he could discern who they were.

The once blank expression became a smile as he turned his full body and looked to the two of them," Well if it isn't the Mountain and Water in one place at the same time...get over here so we can formally speak...or are you going to avoid your leader," he knew how his brother was when he referred to him as the "mountain" of the clan, but his love for his brother was one no one could really understood. If the two were to walk over to him the left arm of Reishin would wrap around Mayuri before chuckling," So did you come all the way here to spar with your brother again or is there something else you need from me? And it is also nice you see you outside Ko...how is your family doing?," looking to the young clansmen he would slowly release his brother and tussle him around for a bit before moving backwards. The small display of brotherly affection would cause an interesting idea to appear inside of his mind. Looking over to the two women and his brother he would walk over to grab his gauntlets and put them on," How about we have a two on two....me and Mayuri versus the you and Ko," pointing to Satsuki he would motion for her to join the three of them in the center area in front of the waterfall.

Throwing on his jacket he would once again cover up the large tattoo of the eight trigrams on his back as he waited for the three of them to make a decision on what they had wanted to do. It had been quite a while since he had actually trained with the people of his clan and he knew that through this their bonds would strengthen and become better as time went on. The bonus to this training however was that he could throw in a free lesson on some of the higher tier taijutsu techniques that he had been withholding from the clansmen in case they misused these techniques. The only thing missing from this potential spar was his father whom he still owed a final spar to show that his skills were finally exceeding his to the point where his own style had formed through the cracks of his old training.


1980

The heavy falls had lighten the longer she sat beneath them. The cool water flowing sank into her bones, refreshing her body fully as her mind settled. On the front she always seemed to be composed and calm with not a worry in the world, but under all that she was a busy body who couldn't for a moment rest her mind. In addition to tending to the needs of her Lord she was also responsible for a number of things they kept the clan well and alive. She had little time to herself and this was the rare source of relaxation that she could squeeze from her daily life. The longer she sat the more the falls seem to lose its properties and the world around her came alive. She could hear and feel the world moving about and she noticed two different presence closing in. She was not worried about this, if they were a threat they would hide it much better than the were.  " Shouldn't you be tending to the clan's political business in my stead Madam Lamb or did my earlier departure awaken you as well...,"
Opening her eyes she looked over only to be met with those golden hues, her own milky white ones softening from its usually hard stare. Around him she felt something beyond her understanding but she didn't fight it and enjoyed any time she spent with him. He was her friend, her lord, and her most beloved family member. " The political business you speak of my lord is tended to, I do not sleep at night until all the previous days workings are recorded and completed. As for this mornings disturbance, I was already awake to begin with. " Her voice was softer but still held a tone of respect.
It was another effect that Rei held over Satsuki, small yet subtle things changed around him, she was more vulnerable.

" Satsuki are you here to train with your Clan Leader or maybe you are just sticking to me again. Either way it will be good to keep your company outside of meetings," His words brought another rare smile as she followed his lead and removed herself from the falls.
Her body dripped wet which kept her from putting her kimono back on. Quickly she tied her hair in it's tight bun and took a seat next to a tree shaking her head. " I think I should sit this one out, I would enjoy watching our youth put their best foot forward against a brute such as yourself " The remark was playful as she smiled lightly, truthfully she wanted to spar with him alone so that there was no holding back. She needed to be pushed to the limit, it was just a hunch but as she sat she could feel a chill in the air, something unnatural. It almost sent a shudder down her spine but she kept her posture and shook It off, yes it was now time to strengthen herself for whatever should and probably will come.

507

As she was approached from behind by another clansman that she could recognize as a member of the Main Branch, he felt as if she had interrupted something significant. There was no coincidence after all. As Reishin addressed the both of them, her hopes of escaping before she was noticed were dashed. It would be rude to simply run away now. She had deactivated her Byakugan before walking towards him and bowed before him briefly before looking up at him and answering the question that he had asked her. "We are well." She spoke firmly and tersely though out of anxiety instead of disrespect or irritation. Her family had been broken apart by war and bad health, but she still had her father's father to support her even if he could be a bit harsh and they were both in good health. She was thankful for both of these gifts. She only grew more uncomfortable at the mention of battle. She didn't inherit the passion for battle that her father had. He had so much pride in his clan and in her that she could never understand. Though maybe she simply didn't like fighting strangers. In her eyes, combat had an intimacy that she only wanted to share with a select group of people. While she respected him immensely, the Clan Leader wielding his signature weapons was not a shinobi she would include in this mental list even if it was only a sparring match. She still felt obliged to agree to the fight in spite of her personal feelings. Not that it mattered as Ko and the young man at her side were recruited as opposed to the offer that Reishin had given Satsuki. Moving calculatedly if only to avoid showing her apprehension, she bowed before Reishin once again before moving into a battle stance.

306

Gosh his brother knew how he felt about that nickname, especially in public, it was absolutely despised, but it wasn't his top thing either. Mayuri shook his head back and forth slowly with it lowered towards the ground as he shuffled his way towards his brother. Once he got close enough he was wrapped in his brother embrace and pulled in. He tried to fight it, just like any younger sibling would, he even fussed a little, but it was drowned out by his elder brothers laughter. While on the outside he showed disdain for such antics, on the inside he was smiling and wishing this was the moment the stars would allow to last forever.

"Stop calling me that, it's not me. I was on the roof, admiring the view and taking in the scenery when I watched you use a window for a door, so I decided to follow you after giving you time to finish whatever it was you went to do, and yes I was going to try and see if we could continue where we left off last time and see if my abilities have gotten any better. Unfortunately you were followed by two more and it slowed me down while I thought of the best course of action to take, till I came to the conclusion of just coming as well."

He had to put on a strong attitude for the clan adviser and the branch family that occupied the same area as he did for the moment. Mayuri also wasn't one to sugar coat his words, even at a young age he spoke bluntly and honestly even if the punishment was harsh and swift. Talking out of turn about ones clan adviser, in front of the clan leader wasn't his best choice and he regretted it. Reishin had offered the chance for a two versus two match which Mayuri quickly deduced to be folly, it was going to be for all intents and purposes a one versus one match. The clan head would spar with the clan advisor and the branch family would spar with the main family, it was as clear as day.

The young strategist quickly thought of ways to beat the branch member in front of him. He could ask her to die for him, or just simply throw the match all together. Who was she to be worth of touching his body in a striking manner, she was lower class and that was that. However if it came to fighting her, he had already marked weaknesses that she overly showed, her inability to speak loudly and her all to readiness to sink back into the shadows all pointed to very high insecurity points that he could exploit even in a fight. Mayuri scoffed at the ideas and readied himself mentally to destroy the branch bit by bit. However it was all dashed as the clan adviser stepped out of this spar and declined to proceed with the matchings.

Why did she say no, what were her motives for this, the chance to spar with your clan head didn't come around often, was she looking down on his brothers ability? Was she likening his fighting ability to that of two children? No, he had to calm down and keep a level head when deducing and ensure he never put personal feelings first. It was a lesson he was still learning as he tried to best the many strategic maps he had to perfect while in training. His mind switch to that of now teaming up with the one he had just made a fool proof strategy of beating and now it had to be turned into a plan of survival and endurance against "The Heavens". Mayuri stepped away from his brother and took up ground two meters to the left of Ko and he assumed his own stance that he had been practicing months trying to perfect it. He stood with his left foot leading slightly angled inwards and his right foot planted with the foot aimed in a way that it was pointing to the right as well. Both of his arms were bent with the elbows just at his mid section, palms pointing forwards in a pushing motion. He didn't know what to call it yet, but it was a stance that gave great defense and ensured his balance was always centered, he would wait for the signal and from there his mind would be able to conceive a strategy to last.

754

There was no better feeling for a clan leader like Reishin than sparring with his fellow members of the clan. The opportunity to grow not only stronger as a person, but closer as a family was a feeling that he cherished whether it was fighting his clansmen or his family. After hugging his brother and tussling with him he would smile and look towards Mayuri with an enthusiastic look," Come on Mayuri you know better than to put that past me...besides we are amongst our clansmen who know of your immovable antics so it should be fine right? And it was good that you decided to come instead of going back to the house...i would have dragged you back if you ran from me," giving him a small chuckle he would slowly turn to Satsuki, not really bothered by her brute comment but he always thought of himself as a gentle comet.

"I am not that much of a brute Satsuki...you should be more sensitive to my feelings as well dear, but all is forgiven," the brief smile on his face showed that he was not bothered by it, but instead wanted to play with her a bit. Turning back to the two that were going to fight him he would roll his neck slowly before pulling his hood over his head and smiling," Alright you two show me your resolve as a Hyuuga and the strength to protect your fellow clansmen," the smile on his face remained as he slowly entered his own stance.

Slowly his right foot would slid forward as his knees slowly began to bend, his right foot being the lead while his left being behind it. His hands however both opened palmed and faced towards his opponents before his right leg slowly began to sway, his own advanced form of the Gentle Fist style known as the "Heaven's Fist" he would allow the two to have the first move," Now come at me with everything you have and do not fret about the outcome," letting them know that he wasn't worried about getting hurt he would expect each of them to come at him with their power and skills. As he waited for the two of them to come at him, Reishin slowly exhaled as he slowly slid his right foot backwards while still keeping the same general stance, only switching his right to his left as a form of defense, but to them it would seem as if he was going on the attack. His plan of defense was simple and swift depending on the actions of the two, however he also had something else up his sleeve in the event that they tried to work together. One of the hidden talents of this style was the ability to fight multiple enemies at once, however from the looks of how it was going to go he might need to switch his plans depending on who comes first.

2476

As she activated her Byakugan, she watched as her leader took a stance similar to her own with the main difference being that his impressive power would be augmented by the metal gauntlets on his hands. Once her field of vision had begun to increase, she could see that her partner in this battle had done the same. While she had a general idea of the power of Reishin as well as Satsuki, she could not say the same about Mayuri. She doubted he was weaker than her. She wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating him because he looked younger than her. After all, he was already her height. More important than his age was the fact that he was not only a shinobi, but a shinobi of the Main Family of the prestigious Hyuuga Clan. She was sure that he could hold his own in a fight. Whether or not he on the level of the man before the duo was another question. It appeared that Reishin was going on the defensive. She would let Mayuri make the first move and try to coordinate with his actions.

188

Step one, advance as a unified front, ensure that we both move together and in tandem with each other, we risk accidentally attacking each other if we act as if this is a singles match. Step two, divide the opponents concentration as best we can, one attack low, the other attack high, or we attack from different sides, whichever causes the opponent to think more and hopefully make a mistake creating an opening. Step three, effectively keep the target in a box the entire time, keep circling, ensuring to cut the free movement of the opponent as minimal as possible. Step four, don't jump, ever, leaving the ground in a fight if you can't fly or control your motion is a sure fire way to end up dead or in this case beaten.

These were all steps and scenarios Mayuri ran through his head as he formulated a plan to effectively shut his older brother down the best he could, with the skills he had at hand. Looking over at his now partner he hoped she at least knew the basics of fighting and how to work as a team reading the movements of your partner and responding in kind with your own. He wouldn't be able to simply walk over to her and tell her his ideas and plans, that's not how a real fight would work and every spar had to be treated as real time war. She had also activated her byakugan, an offense to himself more than anything, Mayuri had sworn never to use his eyes other than in the service of his brother and using them to fight against him would sully that promise and break what it stood for so his eyes stayed their same ever white color.

It would appear it was up to him however to make the first move of this event and so he did. Stepping off of his right leg he took to a sprint to close the distance hopping that the branch would follow the mains lead. The distance closed from three to two meters , at the two meter mark Mayuri put all his weight onto his left leg, pushing off of it bounding his body to the left of Reishin where he would close the last of the distance by performing a running slide maneuver used to try and take the legs from underneath the opponent. His momentum would carry him there as his body slid across the grass. If successful his legs would lock onto his brothers ankles stopping his forward movement and he would twist his lower body performing a scissor take down of sorts. If it failed or was avoided he would continue forward till his velocity slowed and he would right himself, readying for a counter. He just hoped that something was done to preoccupy his brothers upper half while he worked on the lower.

WC 2573

The spar would finally be underway as the two took their stances against the clan leader and this made Reishin's own blood boil in excitement. It had been awhile since he had actually sparred against multiple people and the feeling that he had gotten when they had all clashed and worked together only made his life all the more better. Reishin watched Ko first noticing her basic stance which had shown that she had been training in their own original style for sometime and with the activation of ther Byakugan showing she was commited to this it had only made him even more pumped. With the addition of his brother this was proving to be quite the interesting spar giving that his brother had been sparring with him for as long as he could remember and each of their spars were nothing but a brotherly challenge.

With the first attack initiated by his brother, Reishin had stopped the bouncing of his right foot and instead stomped the ground as he held his two hands out a bit more. It was unknown as to what his brother was going to do when he had decided to run straight towards him, but Reishin would calm himself and center his chakra in a just in case basis. When his brother had begun to slide towards him his golden eyes would glimmer for a second as he slid forward and at the moment his legs would have met up with Mayuri, he would begin to swiftly run up the leg of Mayuri using no strength. This maneuver would send his body directly over Mayuri, but the ascension did not stop there. Once his body was clear of his brother as he continued to slide forward, Reishin's foot was already in the formation of a dive kick that was heading directly towards Ko.

The attack was simply a feint however as in his right hand he had been channeling his chakra as a just in case for when one of them would have tried to attack him while he was in mid air. The moment would soon be upon Ko as the flying form of Reishin came crashing towards her, his foot aiming to hit directly in the center of her chest and knock her flat on her ass or quite possibly away from them and into the river behind them. The decision to dodge or attack was swiftly coming onto the young girl and with her partner still sliding away, she could only use her own skills..what would she do?

Ko followed close behind Mayuri in order to aid in a twin assault. If the path they had taken had been changed by only a few degrees, they would even be side by side. The small distance between them subtly marked a dynamic between them. Ko could follow Mayuri. She could attempt to read his movements and complement them. She could even possibly defend him. She wouldn’t take the initiative however. Once they had begun to approach melee range, Mayuri quickly bounded towards Reishin. Like all of his actions, she tried to emulate his movement though she wouldn’t attack in the same manner as him. She favored body blows and went high as Mayuri went low. She couldn’t have followed his movement even if she desired as that was a consequence of allowing the young man to move ahead of her. His body blocked her ability to also strike in the same area. What happened next took Ko by surprise. In a seemingly effortless show of skill, as Mayuri attempted to hinder his movement with a strike to the legs, he simply walked over him. Or to be more accurate, he walked onto the side of Mayuri’s leg and used him and a spring board. She might have been in awe of her Clan Leader if they weren’t closing in on one another. Dodging was out of the question. Another consequence of not taking her own actions though she was likely to be in the same situation acting alone. She would probably be worse off. Though her reach was somewhat impressive, she knew that she couldn’t reach his chest before his foot collided with her chest. With few other options, she extended her arm towards his foot before he made contact and pushed herself away. While she was able to avoid taking a direct hit, she hit the ground with a heavy impact and the impact of his kick left her arm sore. With her left arm still ready to defend herself, her next course of action would be to get back to her feet as quickly as possible.

349

Shivakamini Somakandarkram Hyuuga had awoken before the sun had peeked its head over the horizon.  She had a special lessoned plan for a very specific student.  He had been having a problem staying awake during the lessons.  So every morning around 4 am, she forced him to awaken and assist the local farmers take care of their animals.  Forcing the student to milk the cows and feed any and all live stock.  This originally consisted of feeding 57 animals and milking 26 seperate cows.  For every lesson he did not sleep in, she began removing duties.  In this way the incentive to pay attention was imbued into his skull.  She would spend the mornings smiling and watching the young Hyuuga boy work, often while she read up on the affairs of the village.  Honestly her lessons uasully had hidden meanings, but in this case she just wanted additional time to work, so as they say...two birds.

The boy had finished as dawn broke and she sent him home, as this was a day off for her students.  As she sat in the main house area she sipped on a cup of hot tea, enjoying how the steam moved through the hair.  At one point it seemed to make an interesting pattern, only for her to be startled by a large crash.  Looking up and gazing in the distance she watched as he rushed towards the training grounds.  Indeed she hadn't spoken with him in some time.  He probably would appreciate an update on the standings of the students.  It had been her charge to train and mold the youth into not only powerful shinobi, but responsible ones as well.  Knowing that he would likely train at first, Shiva went inside and to her room.  Their she dressed herself in her normal training attire.  The white of the tunic made brighter by the maroon of the trim.  Her own pale skin made to stand out by it.

Now dressed she made her way out into the forest.  She merely walked, enjoying the area and whistling in tune to the birds that fluttered around with him.  As she made her way to the training area, she stopped right before activating the training obstacle course.  Her head tilted to one side as she gazed at the ever familiar training course.  She knew the records by heart, and had the times of all the students in the Hyuuga compound memorized.  Her own amount of time spent here was larger than most, and because of this the course held little mystery to her.  Contemplating running the course, she decided not to.  Her own personal best was one minute and forty six seconds.  Though this was completely off the record and dashed from them so no one would know.  She had no desire for fame, instead she wished to remain the hidden flame.  To strike out and protect the clan was her only goal, fame, recognition were things that held no meaning for her.

Because she choose to walk around, it took her much longer to arrive at the waterfall that was nearby.  It was only a guess, however her instincts were uasully good.  Besides the sound of voices could be heard between the branches, so perhaps it wasn't so much intuition as it was paying attention.  Coming in closer, she appeared to have walked in during the middle of a spar.  She watched the initial actions of the young boy got for a scissor kick, and the the other member with her follow up attack.  Her leader appeared to be displaying why he was the leader as he countered.  Continuing to watch and ensure she didn't get in the way, she walked over to sit underneath a tree.

Here she continued to watch the spar, but not bothering them until they were finished.  If the leader made eye contact with her appearance at any time, she would nod her head in a form of respect before smiling, light catching the white of her teeth causing a sparkle to seemingly appear. Otherwise she would be seen sitting cross legged under the tree.  Shiva Hyuuga, the head of the pillar of flame, a member of the main family.  She held power within her hands, and yet she appeared underneath the tree as a delicate flower.  Her strength didn't come from hatred or the need to humiliate others, instead her strength grew stronger around others of her clan.  Her beliefs were solid in this regard, after all to fight for oneself can lead to greatness, but to fight for others can lead to a dynasty.

(768)

"Should have planned more"

Those were the only thoughts running through his mind as he continued to slide, of course he dug his feet into the ground as he slid along to come to a stop faster than what he would have. He hadn't anticipated his brothers movements,something that was his fault. A movement like that had not come into his mind as usable in this situation and now he was paying the price for his oversight. Finally stopping he stood back to his feet in enough time to notice his brother airborne. he had used Mayuri as a stepping stone to launch an aerial attack on his mock partner.

The way the attack was deflected wasn't the most gracious of ways, but it did prevent a lot of damage to come her way had she taken it directly. Mayuri was already off the ground and running to get as close to his brother as possible before he could hit the ground and turn to catch him in his visuals. Mayuri didn't know if his brothers byakugan had been activated yet, he hoped it hadn't giving him even more of a edge, though he doubted it mattered much.

Mayuri would have to attack quickly and effectively, since his brothers back was to him he would attempt to attack the spinal cord. It was a brutal strike string that ended in full body paralysis and he wouldn't use it if it was anyone but his brother, but he knew that Reishin would be able to counter all the blows perfectly more than likely.

Once he was in striking distance if his brother had not turned around t view him he would lash out with his right and left hands. The right would hit the sacral, the lower part of the spine and if connected his left hand would strike the lumbar, which was lower mid spine, these two locations alone were enough to take out a persons leg functions entirely. He would continue upwards with his right again , now striking the thoracic area which was mid back and finish with his left shattering the cervical which was right before the spine met the brain. This was an attack that he had been working on for sometime that would render an opponent a paraplegic in a matter of moments and of his attacks, once he finally mastered it, it would prove to be the deadliest, with even successfully attacking one part of the spine would cause all motor funtions of the lower body to stop. Of course Mayuri, would be ready for a counter at anytime, and have to respond when it happened.

Angel normally came to practice later on.  The reason wasn’t because she was lazy.  Quite the opposite.  Her normal day started well before the dawn.  Angel normally began her training early in the twilight before the first glimmers of light broke the skyline.  Angel had to work harder.  Harder than the rest.  Angel had found that her recent time traveling adventure had left her quite devoid of her physical prowess she once held.  Her body was sluggish and her form with the 8 trigrams techniques left much to be desired.  It seemed that the time vortex took a toll from those whom traverse the void.  Though, Angel found that the added strength of her father’s chakra made her even more powerful of a ninjutsu master.  However it wasn’t enough so Angel daily woke before the village to begin her training regimen properly.  She went to a secluded part of the training forest and would work hard on her speed and strength.  She punched trees for a couple hours building endurance and stamina.  Then she ran.  With the aid of her massive chakra she could definitely run.  But soon she would have to stop.  She was terrible about time and when a faint echo from back toward the village Angel would race back to join them in their training exercises.  She didn’t change out of her clothes being she was already wearing her training Hakama and tunic.  The clothes were a little beat up from her hard training but it was of little consequence.

When Angel had first arrived in the village there was some skepticism.  Hell who was she kidding there was a great deal of hostility as well.  Angel had come from another time period where things had been different.  Though ravaged by war her timeline still was more trusting and accepting of allies.  But the times had changed.  It took a while but eventually the clan accepted her.  She was the Earth pillar after all.  And the Clans function could not thrive if it abandoned the traditions.  She worked hard to protect the village as she could.  Most of her time was spent on guard duty as she had yet to truly settle into a position in the village.  She was unfamiliar with the ways things worked here for the most part.  But what she did know was military strategy.  It was one of the few things living thought the beginning of the war had inspired in her.  Back when the war was more organized and less…desperate.  Angel was surprised how rare the supplies and things were now.  But since she put in the work the Village grew to accept her and even allowed her to train with them.  Which she was totally blowing by being late.  

Sprinting through the forest she arrived at the training grounds.  The obstacle course was operational and it seemed that everyone was gathered around on the other side.  Most days had people filtering in and out so this must be some kind of occasion.  Unfortunately with all the obstacles in the way Angel had to go through them to see what was going on.  Angel activated her Byakugan the same as anyone else when entering this situation.  On top of that it was a necessity in Angel’s situation.  With her skills lacking she was very vulnerable in these courses.  Angel decided to go on a path least travel simply because she felt she needed the practice.  Leaping up and to the left as one of the first obstacles swung by and gle grabed it and allowed it’s motiong to flip her up to a hard to reach platform that began the advanced course.  This would push her abilities to the maximum.  The platform was high off the ground and the first obstical was a swinging trapeze some 20 feet below her.  She had to time her drop so that she would catch the trapeze in the right position.  If she did then she would be able to swing over to the next set.  

Waiting for the right moment angel dropped down and caught the bar and swung gracefully to the nest section.  The first trial wasn’t really a trial.  It was sort of the transportation to the first trial.  The next length was a log that she needed to cross while sharpened sticks were thrust at her from all sides.  This was to train the body for the rigors of the * trigrams 64 palms technique.  It focused on fighting several adversaries and learning to trust your eyes and always move lest you get struck in the blind spot.  This challenge was actually very dangerous but so was the battlefield.  Angel took her stance and began the technique as she remembered.  Her body faought her but it kept up enough.  Her rotation was good and she spotted each strike early.  Her foot work was decent keeping her one step ahead.  But her reflexes began to slow near the end.  Her endurance was her fault and she needed to train hard to bring back up.  At the very end the fatigue got to her and her foot placement was slow.  A stick flew toward her and she quickly had to activate a jutsu to Blink her the last couple feet.  She hoped nobody saw that.  Even though the training grounds were for training in general the obstacle course was to train your body through taijutsu.  Angel knew the slip would be acceptable being she worked hard enough but it had taken away from the purpose.  The next obstacle dealt with speed designed to humiliate some one who fails by dropping them back down into the normal obstacle course.  It was as if to say you didn’t make the cut.  

The obstacle was designed like this.  A series of platforms would swing to and fro pausing for only a moment at the top of its arc.  Only one side was able to traverse and the platforms came up staggered so that the path was available to the person for a brief time, and once you started you had to be able to keep up the speed or the platform would fall from under you.  Some 12 feet below was the entrance of the final trial to the basic course.  Angel readied herself and began right on time.  Unfortunately she was aware through her sight behind her that her window was closing.  As the platform gave out she knew that she had more work to do.  Dropping down she continued through the final obstacle.  This was the first time she had endeavored to challenge that part of the course and she had failed part way through.  The two minutes fifty seconds time was of little consequence as she had nothing of a personal record to compare it to.  But her training period was not done.  The final part of the exercise was to meditate under the waterfall.  Angel knew that it was a necessity for her right now as her mind was wracked with turmoil.  She looked on what seemed to be a sparring match and wished she could join in but right now she would be no match for any Hyuuga until she could remaster the traditional art.  

Sitting beneath the waterfall the thundering crushing weight felt like the burdens that her mind carried.  As she sat the burden became, not lessened but tolerated.  She held the water falling on her back because she had no choice but to endure it.  The epiphany did not go unnoticed and Angel slipped into her trance-like meditation.  Her mind was filled with thoughts of the past.  And she realized that there was nothing she could do about it.  Her father had died and she was now here.  She had no way back and she had no way forward while holding onto this weight.  So like the waterfall she would use it to temper her resolve and spirit but it was not a burden that she needed to be weighed down by.  And her in ability was also not a reason to hold her back.  She had no reason to think poorly of herself.  She may not be in her prime anymore But she was still one of the Pillars of the Hyuuga clan and Her power was still formidable.  She stood while still under the falls and walked out a new person.  Her doubt was gone as she returned to the group to finish watching the match.  Assuming it was still going on.. looks like it hadn't been. Better luck tomorrow.

[Exiting for the Sword event]

TWC 1424
requesting 14 Taijutsu CP

With Ko pushed back and his brother still behind him, Reishin was in quite a predicament without his byakugan activated but even to him this felt like a perfect challenge. Given that he would keep his back towards Mayuri, he would wait for the opportune moment and only listen to his footsteps as he continue to run foward. A deep breath would be taken into his lungs as he outstretched his arms and counted the distance between the two of them.

" One...Two...Three"

The moments he had counted until his brother had finally been upon him were finally here, his counter started now. When Mayuri went in for the first attack, Reishin's body would twist to the right, causing a half circular motion and his eyes to meet him brothers. With this swift moment he would quickly stomp and force his full body into Mayuri or more specifically his shoulder and side into his brother. With the first attack dodged, he would see the right coming and trigger his attack, a swift expulsion of chakra through the tenketsu of his shoulder and side would cause a light explosion of power sending his brother backwards.

The attack did not end there as through the small impact that would send his brother back unless avoided at a close range, Reishin would dash forward and hit Mayuri twice, one in the right side of his ribs lightly but with a little force, and again in the stomach with the same amount of force. These two moves would cause Mayuri to keel over onto his left side providing the hits landed directly onto their mark. With swift movements, Reishin would jump backwards and onto one of the rocks within the realm of the waterfall and smile," I commend the two of you on your skills so far, but you two still have a ways to go before you reach your full potential. Train hard everday and when you want to again...we can spar anytime," at the thought of that he had smiled and bowed to them both to show respect to them.

With the conclusion of the spar if everyone was okay with it, a messenger of the main family would have arrived near the waterfall and bowed before whispering to Reishin, which caused him to shake his head and frown," Well looks like business is calling as usual, Mayuri and Ko take good care of yourselves and until next time," with that he would jump back onto land and take the exit through the forest to get back to the compound where he would begin his long and tedious work.

TWC 3342
[Exit]
Requesting 19 stats [per the team training rules]

In the time that it had taken Ko to fall to the ground, Mayuri had already recovered and begun a surprise attack. However, Reishin effortlessly responded to the attack without looking and retreated towards the waterfall without effort. In spite of their performance in this battle, he still complimented their strength or rather the amount of strength they had. He had even bowed in respect. Nothing less could be expected from the leader of the most honorable clan in the land. As he left, Ko mused over a couple of thoughts. This was very different than training with her father or her grandfather. She had never witnessed someone so swiftly. If she could move like that, she wouldn't ever fear being hit. She didn't regret the training session she had taken part in. Maybe she would do something like this again. With these thoughts buzzing around in her head, she deactivated her Byakugan before departing for home.

[Thread exit]

159

"Tch"

Mayuri should have known even without the increased vision of the byakugan that his brother would be able to not only locate his whereabouts via the sounds he made moving through the grass and his steps, he would also be able to counter effectively. The young Hyuuga had wasted too much time recovering from his sliding tackle that had proved ineffective, which prolonged his time in reaching his brother while he was still in the air. As always Reishin was one step ahead of even Mayuri's calculations which frustrated him, but at the same time he could seek solace in knowing that nothing would so easily beat the master of the heavens.

Feeling the impact of being hit by his brothers shoulder was enough to stop the first blow from connecting on the spinal cord, however the attack was meant to be fast and he had already started his second strike. This too was pushed aside by what Mayuri could only calculate as his brother expelling chakra forcibly from his body via the tenketsu. The initial force was enough to again knock him off balance canceling all further attacks and leaving his body open for a moment, and a moment was all that Reishin needed to show his superior ability.

Two blows came quickly and fiercely into Mayuri's ribs and stomach. His body first felt nothing but the pressure from the blows that came faster than he was able to register that pain was in those areas. Dropping to his left knee and using his right hand to hold the bruising ribs he looked up at his brother once more who was now standing above both of them. He commended their skills and at the same time told them they need to grow more before bowing and walking off into the forest.

Gathering his strength to stand again, he placed his fist into his open hand then bowed in the general direction that his brother walked off in. Unrolling his kimono sleeves once again they dropped covering his entire arm and hands, he noted that the branch member Ko was leaving as well, she hadn't even bowed to him or shown any sign of respects. He would brood over this for the remainder of his walk back to the compound as well as what he could do to strengthen his abilities. Maybe it was time to pay the fire trigram dojo a visit, he heard of the unorthodox styles the leader wielded. He would wait till the sun set and then make his way there.

TWC 3464
(EXIT)
(requesting 34 stat points due to the team training rules i think that's right.)

Approved, those who exited

Shiva watched as people left. Well it was a bit odd for everyone to just leave at the same time. Apperatntly something important might be happening. With that in mind, she stood and melded into the forest. Having never given a proper introduction she didn't feel bad in doing so. She would rush back to the Hyuuga compound, and see what the messenger had wanted, and if there was anything that she could do to aid her clan leader.

(Exit)
(P.S. I don't like short posting )