Senbon Appraisal

Niko had been relatively quiet on the walk over to the training grounds thinking about how she wanted to test Oriana and gauge her abilities without wasting much in the way of time and without making her feel like a failure. The problem was that with her current mentality, she would have to come up with a suitable punishment if she failed, or she would wind up doing something to herself, even if it was something as simple as emotionally damaging herself. If Niko did something, it would mean that she wouldn’t have to, as the ‘punishment’ will have been fulfilled. Hopefully this mentality was something she could break her of eventually, but for now, she was going to have to get creative with her.

A flat patch of sand and dirt surrounded by stones about fifty meters wide would be suitable for what she had planned, and she turned to address her trainee. “Alright, so we are going to make this simple. You are going to attack me. Give me everything you got, and don’t hold back. It will help me gauge how best to use your strengths and find ways to cover for any weaknesses you have. If you manage to land a solid blow on me, I’ll make you a kunai or some other weapon of choice… won’t be the best quality, but I’ll upgrade it as I shake off the rust on my forging skills. But if you can’t after five minutes or when you are just so exhausted you need a break, you have to sit in my lap for five minutes without complaint and talk with me.”

It was a lot to take in, and she prepared herself for objections; she actually hoped that she would object. But this was a multi-layered attack; she won, she got a weapon she could keep, which was good incentive and a way to practice her smithing. She lost, she had to work on that personal space issue and recognize Niko as someone safe. If she objected to the ordeal, it was proof she was gaining a sense of being willing to think for herself. No matter what happened, Niko won.

[1]

When they arrived at the training area Oriana began to observe their surroundings quietly, trying to map them out in her mind. When Niko began to explain her task, the shorter teen focused on her. The conditions gave Oriana pause. Failing meant physical contact. With effort, she was able to keep her face from twisting into a scowl. Instead, she looked mildly uncomfortable.

"As Niko-sama wishes."

Perhaps she had underestimated her new master. The pink-haired teen readied herself, shifting her weight to the balls of her feet and loosening her muscles a bit. Landing a single blow would probably be difficult, so Oriana would need to be tricky and catch the taller woman off guard. This would be difficult considering the difference in reach. She knew a technique that would enable her to minimize that disadvantage, but the moment she revealed it Oriana would lose the element of surprise.

"When do I start?"

[1]

Niko had kinda sorta figured it would be this reaction and nodded, pulling the senbon out of her hair and watching her quietly with a smile on her face. The senbon were held like small daggers, and she had no intention of using them to harm her, but she also knew her hand to hand was rather trash. Sure she could dodge, but she also didn’t want Oriana to think she was going easy on her; stomping on her already underdeveloped pride was not on the agenda.

She asked when to start, and Niko’s smile faded from sight as she got serious, her bright green eyes locking onto Oriana and not letting go. Suddenly, the bright and bubbly, protective personality that Niko had been showing up to this point slowly ebbed into non-existence, replaced with conviction and focus. It was obvious at a glance that this would not be as simple as a walk in the park for the feline-like girl. “When you are ready.”

Niko was standing straight, her six foot height like a tower, the senbon in her hands at her sides, her body relaxed and loose, waiting for Oriana to make a move.

[2]

Oriana formed a hand seal and darted forward before Niko could finish saying "ready", using a burst of chakra fueled speed to close in on the redhead. As soon as she was in front of the taller woman, the pink-haired genin aimed a swift kick at Niko's ankle followed by another one towards her torso. Once her feet were under her, the shorter teen dove in as if to tackle Niko.

If she made contact, the redhead would be immobilized, making her an easier target. Oriana's attacks were brutal for someone her size with only a little more forethought than the scuffle in the window. There was no fear of being swiped by the senbon evident nor sign that the sharp needles would ward her off. Her whole being was intent on staying close and barraging Niko's defenses.

Oriana's face was twisted into an expression that was feral, almost a snarl: lips pulled back and teeth bared, eyes narrowed. Almost the opposite of before, the pink-haired genin wanted to be as close to Niko as possible. She could understand this, knew what to expect. Getting hit wasn't scary when she was allowed to hit back. In a way, Oriana had always wanted this, always wanted to fight back.

[2]

Technique:

Niko took note of the signature ‘Body Flicker’ technique as soon as it was launched. Technically, this would give her speed comparable to her own, and the Arhat Fist meant her strength was on par with her own as well. She had seen these techniques dozens of times, but just because your speed and strength were comparable didn’t mean your body could keep up. Oriana was likely dealing with tunnel vision with the burst of speed, which made this a simple matter of experience. Her ferocity was noted as well, along with her absolute lack of hesitation; it was an amazing sight to be honest.

The redhead stepped backwards with almost perfect timing to dodge the kicks, and then spun to the side and pressed the side of the Senbon against her wrist to push them away from her, completely untouched and allowing her to launch past her. She didn’t have much in hand to hand skills, but she was a master with a weapon, and her footwork nearly flawless. The senbon were merely a tool in which to deflect the young woman, coincidentally making it to where contact wouldn’t be made skin to skin; she thought that Oriana might appreciate that.

Still facing the young woman, Niko was counting in her head to keep track of the time; their spar had only just begun, but she wondered what Oriana’s stamina was like. She herself was a well of stamina, able to keep going even when she should have been completely tapped out, but what about Oriana? Would she push herself to the point of absolute exhaustion, or did she have the tactical mindset to be strategic? Berserker and Feral combat had their place in a squad, but it also required temperance and control; you couldn’t lose your head in battle or it would cost you your life.

[3]

Oriana hissed in frustration, body crouching to the ground to allow her to brace herself for a low kick that swept towards Niko's knees. The redhead would have to jump to evade her leg, during which time the genin withdrew the limb, and used another body flicker despite their close proximity and jumping forward. Both legs extended towards Niko's chest in an impressive show of coordination for someone who had been unable to train for so long. Once back on the ground, she moved forward to get within her master's guard and began to aim quick stomps at Niko's feet, forcing her to dodge or retreat.

Oriana wasn't done, she aimed a light jab at Niko's neck and then redirected her arm to grab onto those damn senbon. If she caught hold, the shorter teen would be able to yank the redhead forward. Niko would likely dance around the attack, which was fine. She needed the older woman to stop thinking about her reach and respond automatically.

The onslaught continued with Elbows, knees, grabs, punches, stomps, and more. Anyway Oriana could weaponize her body, she did. Snapping teeth, nails aiming to dig gashes, and even spit were part of her repertoire. Each movement seemed to rile the genin up even more. Every dodge spurring her to hit harder and faster.

[3]

[Spolier=Technique]Body Flicker 5
Arhat fist 3
Chakra 31/50[/Spoiler]

Niko knew for a fact, an absolute fact, that Oriana wasn’t going to have the chakra reserves to hold out the entire five minutes fighting the way she was. The woman was probably trying to burn out as best she could with everything she had right out of the gate, and while the red head was certain that she still had a card or two to play, she expected it soon because there wasn’t any way she was going to make it using these techniques as rapidly as she was. Still, Niko was more than willing to show her the mistakes she made after the fight; this was an assessment, nothing more. The incentives were only there as a way to motivate her to fight as hard as she could.

Niko sidestepped the knee-blow, sliding just out of range of the strike, and the Body Flicker was used again to try to get inside her guard. If she had been fighting for real, she could have just drove the Senbon into her at this point and called the match; charging was good but only if you had a solid plan. She was going for a double-kick towards her chest, using the combination of speed and strength to try to overpower Niko, who shrank to the ground in a crouch, getting underneath her and then rapidly pushing upwards. The result would be Oriana flying through the air, but for some reason, the red head was certain she would land on her feet.

She continued to bat away attacks, slipping the Senbon out of her grasp as Oriana tried to grab them, and continued to bat away the flurry of attacks using the Senbon to deflect or redirect anything she didn’t simply dodge. After a moment or two, she jumped backwards, giving them both some distance and twirling the senbon in one hand, looking at the pink haired girl and trying to get a judge of her stamina thus far.

[4]

This time Oriana stood, poised to pounce but didn't rush in immediately. She breathed heavily, but stayed standing more of sheer willpower than anything else. The redhead was annoyingly hard to hit and the genin feared she may have to sit on the tall woman after all. Part of her spitefully wanted to let the woman attempt such a thing and use the opportunity to stun her. She shook her limbs a bit to loosen her muscles and crouched, eying Niko warily.

Changing tactics was a necessity as well as predictable. Being so slow and weak was frustrating for Oriana but she didn't want to concede just yet. She had light scratches from the senbon that stung, a few red lines beading up along the shallow wounds and she was covered in sweat.

What to do now?

Oriana was running at Niko again a split second after another plan started to form. She didn't enhance her strength with Arhat fist this time, instead going for a series of jabs before attempting to elbow the redhead. She purposely shifted her weight to try and stab herself on the thin needles, jaw tightening as she pulled the injured limb back and hopped back a few times before examining the injury. She reached for the needle to yank it out, unworried about causing damage while doing so.

[4]

If her heavy breathing was any indication, Oriana was not going to last much longer, but at least she recognized that fact and was taking a moment to weigh in on her options. She was overexerting herself, but in a real fight, the only way you lost is if you died, so she appreciated this and only gave her a small smile of respect at the pink haired woman’s grit and determination. She was already much more advanced than most of the Genin she had ever dealt with, and that was not a small feat.

There was so much potential there, and it barely would need any super direct means of motivating her; Oriana was not someone who would sit there and take getting beaten lying down, this fight proved that. She had a warrior spirit, a desire to fight and win. All Niko was going to have to do was to teach her how to channel that into progress, and teach her ways of dealing with different types of opponents. Not too hard.

The incoming jabs of her next attack were swatted away with the senbon easily enough, but then she changed tactics and it surprised Niko greatly when she intentionally drove her arm into the Senbon. Because of the positioning when it happened, one of them buried itself into Oriana’s forearm and Niko was forced to release it less she damage her more, but the red head twisted the other one so it didn’t stab her, having just enough time to adjust that one and where she retained it. “Clever…” she muttered, now down to a single needle and watched as Oriana ripped it out without a second thought.

But what now?

[5]

Oriana winced as the senbon slipped out of her flesh before sighing in relief. She threw the needle so that it imbedded itself in the dirt outside of the clearing they were fighting in. One weapon down. Using the senbon to redirect her would become more difficult as the number of the needles was reduced. Granted, she wouldn't be able to use the same trick twice but anything she could do to tilt this conflict in her favor would be worthwhile. She pressed a thumb to the puncture wound to stifle the bleeding while she caught her breath and thought about her next course of action.

Her breathing slowed along with her pulse while Oriana tried to analyze the situation. She inhaled, focusing on Niko for a few moments before dashing forward once more. Despite being tired and the burning in her muscles, her movements were more coordinated than before. She aimed several strikes at Niko before aiming a kick right at the redhead's stomach, leg extending a bit further than was natural to follow the woman when she tried to evade the attack.

[5]

Techniques:

That was one of the reasons that she used Senbon for the training exercise; unless she hit vital spots on the body, the damage would be minor and easily something that would be repaired by the body over time. Her own studies into Iijutsu was going well, but she was not confident in it enough to try to perform any time soon. She had a long way to go before that became a real possibility, but considering she was responsible for others, a natural choice to take so she could better take care of her charges.

Niko could have pressed the attack here, especially as tired as she could tell Oriana was, but instead she simply stood there and waited, using the idle time as she often did and twirling the senbon rapidly between her fingers. This would be good for her though; with this, Oriana would be forced to acknowledge Niko’s strength and defer to her as a teacher, as a team leader, and as a mentor.

The pink haired woman charged again, and Niko stopped twirling and readied herself and the senbon, and deflected several attacks that came at her, but one particular kick came towards her, and she was caught off guard by the fact that the leg suddenly extended farther than it should have been physically possible. This is an Iijutsu technique! she thought to herself as she brought up her senbon to block the kick but wasn’t quite in time, only using the flat end to deflect the limb upwards and away from her, but not before it grazed her shoulder.

Did it count as a clean hit? Debatable… but that was hardly the point. She had held her final trump card to the end, and used it well. Not bad… Niko was impressed.

Grabbing the leg so she couldn’t retract it, she pulled and brought Oriana extremely close. She would let the woman make the call on if it counted as a ‘clean hit’ or not… it had certainly made contact, but it was up to her own judgement, giving her the freedom of choice in the matter. “Well done. I felt contact… and that is good enough for me. You really surprised me there.” Now that she had immobilized her and declared it over, she let go of her; she had only done it to get her attention and to make sure that she stopped attacking.

Giving her the needed space, she reached up and stabbed the single Senbon back into her hair and waited for her reaction.

[6]

Oriana contemplated refusing to be carried, but her entire body felt heavy from exerting it so much. Trying to make up for her weakness with effort had exhausted her, leaving her sore and weak. She lifted one leg a few inches off the ground and felt a burning sensation in the limb. She dropped it. If Oriana insisted on walking, the trip home would be unnecessarily inconvenient and long.

"Okay," she agreed to being carried just before Niko scooped her up. The genin stiffened, but relaxed after. It hurt to be tense. A displeased expression, not unlike a pout, crossed the teen's face at that. Oriana contented herself with the knowledge that if she truly needed to escape, she could easily catch Niko off guard with temporary paralysis. In the meantime, the pink-haired genin was docile. Even with accepting the redhead as her master, Oriana strongly preferred her personal space. Settling back into being someone's plaything was more difficult than expected.

"I need to get faster," she said after a few moments, remembering Niko's question, "and better technique."”

[6]

[//Thread]

20XP/Post (10 for group thread +5 for training ground and +5 for training with jounin sensee)

Niko smiled as sat down on her heels, seeming completely fine.  She hadn’t used any techniques at all, only relying on her skills and basic movements, but that was to be expected as a Jounin.  This wasn’t a competition.  “I’ll make you a deal.  You’ll let me carry you home, only as long as it takes to get there, and we can chat.  I doubt you can even walk properly and you need to recover your chakra.  I’m sure your muscles are on fire.”  With that, she would very carefully, with all the care of carrying something extremely precious, scoop up Oriana, only pausing to pick up her last senbon and with a bit of showmanship, tossed it into the air, stepping forward and it neatly sliding into her hair next to the other one.

Giving Oriana a smile, she began to walk towards their home.  “You really surprised me there.  You are head and shoulders over most Genin, and your potential is ridiculous.  With a bit of training, I know you will be able to compete with me no problem.  Some good weapons and a bit of armor wouldn’t hurt either.”  She looked thoughtful as she continued to walk, holding Oriana close to her as they took the path leading away from the training grounds.  “What would you like to train next time?” she asked curiously, knowing that true growth and development came from the things you were able to admit and recognize within yourself, and wanting to hear her opinion on the subject.

[7]

/// Exit Training Grounds, END THREAD