Exhibition Extrodinaire

Mission Details:

Zen had walked through the gates of the village with the intention of signing up for the exams straight away only to find out that it did not start until tomorrow, with an entire extra day that he was not expecting Zen began to wander the village until he found himself standing in front of the mizukage's complex. Easily the largest building in the village, and in the busiest part of the village. Doing his best to not get in the way of the bustle of the citizens, Zen would move through the crowd until he was standing in front of a bulletin board. A quick glance over the board show it was some sort of information board with various jobs or requests as well as a map, as he was looking at the board something caught his eye. There was a request for two shinobi to come and spar in front of a class at the academy, "this is just what I need to test my skills," Zen thought aloud as he glanced to the map to find out where he would need to go from here before darting down the road towards the academy.

Yoshitsune had assumed there was some mistake when first heard the news of this mission. She had been given some basic information about her partner as she signed up. Normally she had no interest in glancing so perversely on the privy details of another- If it was important for her to know, she would find these things out. At the same time, with this information shoved into her face as it was she would be unable to do anything else but peep at it all. And peep she did! Somehow, she was being paired up with another one of her homeland, which in itself was somewhat surprising in this foreign land, but at the same time the more surprising thing was the young boy’s age! They were merely a child, not too much older than the children they would be teaching too. At least, that was how Yoshitsune, who was an adult, would feel about the situation.

She would thus wait anxiously in the academy’s training center, surrounded by anxiously waiting academy students, waiting for the child to show up. Yoshitsune did not want to hurt a child. Hurting a child,especially in front of other children, felt especially bad. Something about it was just so dirty and dishonorable feeling. Still, she had already signed up when she knew about this, and there was no going back.

Zen was easily able to find the academy, with just a short trip from the administration office. As he walked through the door he was greeted by the secretary. Who explained that his demonstration partner had already arrived and was waiting for him in the training yard with the class. As he walked down the hall with the secretary he began to mentally prepare himself for what he was going to do.

As he stepped out in the training yard he was met with the sight of an older looking woman and a rather large class awaiting the demonstration. He could feel his adrenaline pumping as he drew ever closer to his would be opponent. His opponent was not much taller than himself but her appearance showed she was much older, her long black hair seemingly flowing behind her in the wind as she stood waiting for him.

Once fully in front of the class Zen would bow to the woman, "Hello, my name is Zen. I suppose I am to be your opponent for this demonstration." Zen would state as he straightened himself back upright before reaching behind his back and pulling his bow from his baldric and looking to the woman in front of him. "Would you prefer to show them usefulness in weapons or basic skills?"

If the woman chose weapons he would pull an arrow from his quiver and notch it as he awaited the match to start, if the woman chose basic skills he would drop his bow and prepare himself in his basic stance and await the woman to make her first move.

The child would finally appear, after what felt like forever. Far too long, at the very least. She would watch him as he walked in. The child was a mere child, exactly as was described to her. Yoshitsune would watch him with an expression of horror as he spoke, and as he finished speaking she would approach him. Leaning in close, she would whisper at a voice that would disallow anyone else from hearing her. Fear was clearly written on her face, which would be obvious at such a close distance now, if it hadn’t been before. She would grip Zen by the shoulders with each of her hands, and drop her voice.

“You know that if I stab you, that you’ll die?” It came out wrong, sounding more like a threat than what she intended, but she didn’t notice. “You’re too young to die. Too tiny and small. Please reconsider this. If you were to die so young, what would your parents think?”

Her grip was tight. Maybe a bit too tight. She would also be a bit too close, to the point where she was seriously invading his personal space. The fact that the child was gripping a bow, and thus was armed when she approached him, was something that she would ignore completely.

Zen inhaled a breath preparing himself for the fight placed ahead of him, however the woman approaching him was a bit unexpected for the boy. The look of fear on her face made him second guess attacking her during her approach and before he realized it she was gripping him by the shoulders. As soon as she gripped his shoulder Zen would instinctively charge Raiton into his free hand, feeling the surge itching to be released. Her words seemed almost condescending, as if she was so much better than himself in someway, the comment about what his parents would think made what he did next easier.

As soon as the woman finished speaking she would be met with a Raiton charged fist to the gut, with this Zen would maneuver out of the woman's weakened grasp from the punch. Assuming everything went according to his plan Zen would be a few feet away from the woman before she even knew what hit her. "Don't you worry about me lady, I am more than capable of takin care of myself, thank you very much."

Zen would then notch an arrow aiming it at the woman, "you know if I shoot you, that you'll die?" Zen would ask in the same tone the woman held when she asked him the question.

---

OoC:

Chakra 100/110:

The young boy socking her in the gut had been unexpected. Being so close she hadn’t the time to dodge, even if she had seen the attack coming in the first place. That someone so young would be capable of such violence wouldn’t have been something she would have expected in the first place. The impact would cause her breath to be violently ejected from her lungs. A big nasty bruise would likely come later just from the punch alone, but the chakra that was charged into the punch only made it even worse. With it discharging through her body she would feel an immediate pain. Her entire stomach are felt like it was on fire from the sharp tingling of the electricity. She would be unable to breath for a few moments, but her reflexes would take control and immediately cause her to jump backwards as to provide some distance between the two.

She would catch her breath as Zen was knocking an arrow. This turn of events was altogether unexpected. Even in the context of a match like that, pulling out a sucker punch was incredibly dishonorable. They were from the same village as well! The realization made her frustrated.

The first breath she managed to take after being punched was a deep one. She would then exhale, shooting a highly compressed air ball from her mouth in the process. As foolish as Yoshi might be, she wasn’t about to get punked twice in a row by this kid. He had shown himself ready to fight, and so he clearly was capable of dealing with the consequences. Still, she wouldn’t reach for the sword attached to her waist strap.

As soon as the air bullet was released at the boy Yoshi would dash off. Even with the pain in her stomach and ribs she was still rather fast. She would move first to the right, but she would continue movement in erratic semicircles around the boy. The goal was to avoid the aim of his bow, and so she would match her movements to hopefully avoid any potential of him aiming.

---

Moving at B-Rank speed.

Chakra 45/50:

The woman surprised Zen with her attack, by the time he realized and tried to dodge it was too late, the air bullet caught him in the right shoulder. The force of the impact alone was enough to force him backwards shoulder first, causing him to flip backwards and land face first in the dirt. Pain seared through every fiber of his being, the boy was on the verge of tears but refused to let the woman see this due to her words before they had started. When Zen was finally in enough control that he could pick himself up off the ground and stand, he would look at his right should to see the blood, certain that it had pierced through to the bone. Zen quickly looked around for his bow that he dropped when he got hit by the bullet, through it wouldn't matter as he wouldn't even be able to draw the string of it if he tried with his arm in the condition it is in. Seeing his bow slightly in front of him on the ground put him at ease, even if he cannot use it knowing where it was gave him peace of mind. Between the pain of his arm and the speed of his opponent Zen found it impossible to even try to keep up with her movements, it was clear to him that he was outmatched in this situation, however his pride would not allow him to give up. With his right arm limp hanging at his side like a sleeve of a coat without an arm in it, Zen would use his left arm to reach into his holster on his left thigh and pull out a Kunai. Holding his kunai in a reversed style, Zen would close his eyes to try and focus his chakra, though he may not be able to keep up with the woman through sight perhaps he could through his sensing technique.

Zen was unsure what he was going to do against the woman, as it would seem that he had picked a fight he could not win. His only chance to win this fight was that sucker punch he gave her when she grabbed his shoulders, and that proved to be ineffective. Now his only choice was to go on the defensive and hope that he can somehow get close to her.

---

Chakra 99.5/110:

Once her wind bullet would hit Zen, Yoshitsune would skid to a slow stop. The way he did a backflip on impact and then flipped face first into the dirt was incredibly worrying. She would wait silently, unsure if she should come over and attempt to check up on him, before he would begin to rouse from his impact. The movements brought a great relief to Yoshitsune, although she would quickly find herself dreading what had just happened as soon as she saw the wound. It was incredibly nasty looking, and she could only imagine how painful it was for the kid. That wasn’t even too hardcore of an attack, that wild bullet. She was glad she had done that rather than some swordplay. If she had gone for that route, she definitely could have accidentally killed him.

“Child, you shouldn’t be doing this.” She would attempt again to convince him to relent with this whole attacking thing. He was just too young and fragile. Zen was already pulling out a kunai with his uninjured arm. The sight of it just made her cringe. “I don’t want to accidentally kill you or cripple you. It would break my heart if I had to do that. Please put down that kunai. There are other ways we can train… without hurting each other. Doesn’t that sound nice?” She would plead, hoping her begging would be effective. Considering the state that the kid was in, she could only hope it would be.

It would seem as though the woman had genuine concern for him, this was something he did not expect from an opponent much less one that he suckered punched. He was not use to concerning himself with others, or other's being concerned about him. Making this woman's words seem foreign to the boy, he was not sure if he should believe the woman or if this was simply a trick to get him to lower his guard.

Zen was unsure if he should trust the woman or not, he would relax only a little bit but keep his grip tight on the kunai. "I came here with the purpose of participating in the chuunin exams, if I cannot handle a fight like this I will stand no chance in them." Zen would look to his arm, "this is nothing compared to what I will face in those exam. I must be ready for it, and to be ready I must push myself further, no matter the harm that comes to my body. What doesn't kill me will make me stronger, and if I am to die then that means I was not meant to live and that is how it was meant to be. So come now and fight me, do not take pity on me, for if I am to die then That is what is meant to be."

Yoshi’s face would twist. This child… Seemed to have very strange ideas about what it meant to be strong. She didn’t know if he was just ignorant, or if someone had purposely twisted this idea for him. The pleading face of pity that she had been wearing moments before would be replaced with something else. Still pity, but as if she was looking at something especially odd.

“That’s not how training works, child. Just in the same way that you wouldn’t begin lifting dumbbells by trying to lift the heaviest one, training your skill in combat shouldn’t be done through throwing yourself immediately into a life or death situation. You won’t be able to make it like that.”

“Have you done any sort of build up at all? Weight training? Speed training? Stamina training? If you’re not ready for the exams, there’s nothing wrong with that. They happen fairly regularly, and you’re still young. It’d be better to train more and try them in a few years rather than throwing your life away when you aren’t ready.”

For once, she didn’t really know what to say. Was this child really ready to suffer so grievous injury for nothing other than his pride? She was almost afraid of continuing. Another wind bullet might literally kill him, especially if it struck him in the vitals. She would have to avoid the chest, stomach, and head. Although, if she aimed for the limbs she might permanently cripple them. It was hard to decide what exactly to do.

“At the very least, don’t throw yourself into a situation where you could be so easily killed through what’s supposed to be a training exhibition match. If I had killed you with that last attack by mistake, I would have never been able to clear my conscious.”

Zen looked to the students that were watching this exhibition, it was not that long ago he was just like them. Albeit a different village, but a academy student none the less. The eyes of the academy students were on him, he could see the fear in their eyes. Zen inhaled a deep breath as he closed his eyes, the woman was right, as much as it pained the boy to admit it. There was no reason to throw his life away now, on a task that was meant to be just a showcase of skills against another for the benefit of teaching the kids. Finally after several minutes the boy would speak, "I have trained everyday since I graduated the academy for the chance at the exams, I will be participating in the exams tomorrow for it is my destiny. If I fail in the exams then that is the way it is meant to be, but I will not be talked out of competing or give up simply out of fear that I am not ready or that I might die in my attempt."

Zen would pause for a moment while he collected his thoughts, "I respect you for your concern of my well-being, however if you could not live with yourself if you killed me perhaps it is you that should reconsider your life as a shinobi. Death is the only true comrade of the shinobi, death of enemies, death of allies, even death of loved ones. There is no escape from it, when you choose this life you choose a life with death by your side. In the end nothing really matters, except the impact you leave on the world when you die." Though Zen was speaking to the woman, his words were meant more for the observers. These students needed to understand what it truly meant to be a shinobi, and if that meant Zen would die in order for them to understand then he was willing for that to happen.

As Zen spoke his words had been monotonous and emotionless, looking down at his limp arm however a smile would slowly form on his lips. "Now what do you say we give these kids what we came here for, let us give them a proper showing. If you are scared of hurting me, then perhaps we can showcase our skills in other fields than Jutsu." With those words Zen flipped the kunai in his good hand gripping it so that the blade was pointed out in a standard hold before charging at the woman, his bum arm flapping behind him as he ran toward her. No matter the outcome of this fight, it was obvious that Zen was not going to give up easily.

She would let out a sad sigh. The situation had made the normally energetic and cheerful girl somewhat depressed. Yoshi was sure that this Zen boy wasn’t the only one who had this sort of mindset. The fact that they were in the center of a variety of academy students only made it worse. It was a strange dynamic, especially as they were both from Kumogakure, and yet all the students they stood in front of were from Kirigakure. They were killing each other for the entertainment of others in a foreign land? What a silly thing. How silly to let your pride get in the way of understanding something like that.

The moment Zen took a step forward Yoshi would blow out another air bullet. She wouldn’t give him a chance. There was no reason to.

If he dodged it Yoshi would react by giving herself some more distance. There was no reason for her to let him get close. She was something of an airhead, but Yoshi wasn’t dumb. With his one arm crippled there was no possibility for him to use a bow. He had no chance of defeating her.

Assuming it hit him as the first one did, she would stand still and wait for the extent of his injury to be revealed.

“Now, you’re going to die with no impact on the world, and I will live. That seems rather silly, doesn’t it? This is what happens when you begin to run before the race has begun.”

Yoshi would avert her eyes. It was distasteful looking at another’s pain like this. She didn’t really want to rub it into the child either, but for some reason she felt like she had some duty to impact a lesson here. Yoshitsune wasn’t truly the type that would be capable of doing such a thing, but she tried her best.

She would give a small, sad smile at him, and wait to see if he was able to handle any more.

---

40/50

Drilling Air Bullet

Zen would take a few steps channelling chakra into his feet before jumping up and double jumped off the air as if it were solid. After the second jump Zen would throw the kunai at the woman, before quickly grabbing another while the woman was distracted by the one he had thrown before throwing the second on his way back to the ground. Whether the woman blocked the two kunai or not did not matter, their purpose was not to cause damage but serve as a distraction. Zen's forward momentum during the jump and the distraction of the kunai would get him closer to the woman, from there he would continue his forward path towards the woman where he could have a better handle on the situation. With his right arm useless at this point it limited Zen from not only using the bow, but also any chance of him being able to use handseals of any kind. The only option he had was to get in close to the woman once there he would deliver a knockout blow with his one good hand.

It had all worked out so well in his head, Zen had it all planned out, thought he had it all planned out. Zen had just leapt up into the air when the bullet hit him square in the stomach, the bullet knocked the wind out of him and hit him with enough force to knock him back several feet before he crashed into the ground on his back. Everything went dark for the boy, he didn't feel the pain in his shoulder nor the fresh blow to his gut. Zen laid there in the void of darkness, unable to move or cry out. At first the boy thought the woman had cast some kind of genjutsu on him, it was then he heard the woman's voice slowly he began to see through the darkness revealing the sky above. Suddenly the pain was back causing the boy to attempt to cry out, but when he opened his mouth he started coughing blood. The woman was right he was going to die, he tried to look towards the direction he heard the woman's voice but he couldn't lift his head.

Zen would hear a voice in the back of his head screaming at him to stand up, to not let this be the end but all Zen could think was what would be the point. The woman was right he wasn't ready for this and got himself killed, but the voice grew louder demanding that he stood but he couldn't do more than move his left arm. It was clear that the fight was over, and had the woman wanted him dead she either wanted him to die slowly or would of ended him by now.

Yoshitsune would look down sadly at the boy. The shot she had made would be dead accurate this time, instead of veering off to hit him in the shoulder. A tinge of guilt did lay in her chest now, but she was fully aware that this was a situation that she had been forced to. She couldn’t prevent the kid from rushing into his own death, or impaling himself on her sword, no matter how hard she tried. That would just be something he would have to learn himself.

The rest of the academy students looked on in fear. As Zen went silent murmurs would begin around the room. People seemed to be wondering if he had just died. Considering what Yoshitsune had just said there was a fairly good reason to assume that he had. Especially with that first injury, and how he was coughing blood.

“Somebody call him a teacher. If any of you know how to perform first aid, feel free to use this as a test of your skills.” She would address the class. Zen wouldn’t live without intervention now. As she did, there would be an uncomfortable rustling in the seats. At first everyone had been stunned to silence. After a moment a student would get up though, and then two more would follow after them to the halls to search for help.

Yoshitsune would leave. She had accomplished what she had been contracted to do. The Academy Students had gotten a show, and hopefully Zen had learned something from this. There was nothing more that she could do now.

[Exit]

Zen awoke with a start in the nurse's office of the academy, he winced slightly from the pain in his stomach. Looking down he saw no wound causing confusion for the boy, looking to his shoulder he saw that wound was also gone. Zen racked his brain to remember what had happened, it all came flooding back to him at once, hitting him like a ton of bricks. He had been so foolish, made so many mistakes, and almost died because of his stupidity. Zen saw his bow propped up in the corner of the room, quickly standing to retrieve it and the rest of his gear the boy nearly fell over from lightheadedness.

Once he got his bearings about him, Zen would grab his stuff and started towards the door. It was at that moment the nurse would walk through the door, "you shouldn't be out of bed, you are not fully healed." The nurse stated with authority, however Zen would push past her. "I have wasted enough time, I will not be here any longer I must train and I must start now before it is too late." With that Zen would exit the academy the mission was done, he gave the kids what they wanted to see by nearly dying he would say his job here was done.

{Exit Thread}