Kei and Rukaji [Training]

[Kei]

Kagemane no Jutsu, (Shadow Imitation Technique)
Rank: "C" Rank
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: The signature move of the Nara family, this jutsu allows the user to control their own shadow and merge it with their opponent's shadow, combining them. This links the movements of the user with the target; the target is subsequently forced to make any movement the user makes. It is an extremely versatile technique, as the user can contract and change the shape of their shadow, potentially grabbing multiple targets at once. The degree to which the user's shadow can be stretched is limited by its total surface area.
Special: Seals are used but unknown.
Drawback: Must Be Learned Multiple times in order to truly achieve something grand.
Description: Using the shadows of other objects, the user can extend their shadow beyond its normal range. The amount of time for which an opponent can be held is limited by the user's chakra, since the user must constantly maintain the jutsu. The jutsu is also more difficult to maintain at greater ranges or for multiple opponents, since the user's shadow must be stretched constantly. At closer ranges, it requires considerably less effort on the user's part. Additionally, the target can force their way free with enough effort, though the amount of effort required to do so is considerable. There are two tables or understandings for this technique that consists of the Difficulty class of the User as well as the Opponent, and as to how far the user is capable of using this technique. When first learned the user is only capable of using this technique at a distance of ten meters. Each time this technique is learned the distance increases by another Ten Meters. The user is capable of making their shadow split and by doing so takes up the distance of the total form of the original technique. This means that if a user has this technique to where they can use thirty meters and wishes to make this technique split to three shadows the maximum distance is ten meters per shadow.

0/30 (To extend it to 20 meters)

Kei tapped his foot impatiently as he leaned against a tree in a small park not far from his house.

She was supposed to be here now...

He grumbled, rolling his eyes and looking down at his shadow. It had been a while since he was able to extend it much further than ten meters. Frowning, he took out a kunai, his eyes glancing up along the ground, counting out a distance of about fifteen meters before he flicked the kunai into the dirt to mark the spot.

Okay...about fifteen...

Sighing, he stepped forward, standing out of the tree's shadow so as not to allow himself any help. He stretched out a little, the wind gently blowing his bangs around his face as he stared intently at the kunai.

Alright, here goes...

He bent his knees slightly, tensing a little and focusing his chakra as he made the necessary seals, muttering the technique name under his breath as his shadow started to shift and stir. Slowly but surely, it began to stretch forward, reaching out two meters, then five, then nine, and just barely slipping past ten before stopping short, almost as though it were writhing in pain.

"Rgh..."

Kei grunted, shutting his eyes tight for a moment and concentrating before opening them, focusing another burst of chakra into his shadow, causing it to stretch forward another three meters, then four, then, finally, it merged with the small shadow of the kunai. Kei could feel himself loosen up slightly, the kunai's shadow relieving some of his strain, though he was still rather tense. He stood there now, not moving, completely focused on holding his shadow at this distance. He would see if he could hold it here until that lazy Rukaji showed up, he had decided, though he could already feel his chakra being drained, a drop of sweat trickling down his forehead.

[Rukaji]

A smirk traced the lips of the female ninja that hopped up on the branch of the tree Keisuke was previously leaning on. She was silent, and almost cat like in the grace she displayed as she slinked a few paces toward the trunk of the tree, where the branch was thickest. Cold amber eyes watched the the shadow technique closely, though she'd seen it several times before. An eyebrow was raised as the shadow struggled to reach its target, strenuously being forced to stretch further and further. Soon it hit home, and if Keisuke didn't notice her before, he certaintly would as she plopped unceremoniously to her rear on the branch, fidgetting with the wrapper on a candy she pulled out of her pocket.

"Yo, kid." She said, sounding bored, and treating him as if he were younger than herself, even though in reality it was exactly the opposite. He had a year on her, and about 7 inches of height, which made the statement seem a little... off. Especially considering that, while assumed a joke, her tone of voice held no hint of playfulness, and her expression did not betray the fact that she was joking.

Successfully removing the candy wrapper and slipping the treat into her mouth, Rukaji once more reached into her pocket. She retrieved another, flicking it with rather precise aim and a fair amount of challenging force at Kei's head, making the exchange appear to be more of an attack than a gift.

"Aunt made me run errands." Was her blunt explanation for being late, no apology offered. Such was Rukaji; had a sorry been given, one might question her health. She remained up on the branch, leaning against the trunk casually as she appeared to lose interest in her training partner, instead watching a bird fly by overhead. A look of irritation crossed her face as it began squawking too loud for her liking. After a moment, she slipped off the tree, landing effortlessly on the dirt covered ground with a vague 'thud', a small puff of dust lifting around her feet from the disturbance.

Not even a glance was given as she walked silently past Keisuke, stopping at his kunai. She peered at it, then at the shadow linked to it, walking about 5 more meters before once more plopping lazily down, sitting indian style. Propping her elbow up on her thigh, Rukaji rested her cheek in her palm. "So how long can you hold it? You look tired."

While it could've been a hallucination brought forth from mental strain, one could almost swear the corners of her lips once again curled in a vage smirk.

[Kei]

He had noticed her long before she moved, not bothering to look at her though, even when he replied to her greeting with a bit of a scowl flickering across his face.

"You're late."

Going back to concentrating on the task at hand, he tried to push his shadow a little farther, the black wisp along the ground seeming to stretch reluctantly past the shadow of the kunai. Before it stopped short, Kei having to hold himself back for a moment as a hand shot up to catch the piece of candy, stuffing it into one of his pouches as he sighed.

"...thanks."

He shook his head slightly, not even bothering to respond to her next comment, though he eyed her suspiciously as she hopped off the tree and sat down on the ground. Narrowing his eyes, he gave a little huff, his shadow darting forward again toward Rukaji's.

[Rukaji]

Her smirk widened as his shadow moved toward her, though it was only seen for about a half a second before she was flipping backwards, further from the shadow. Her movements were quick; it'd be a lot harder to catch her as compared to a stationary kunai lodged in the ground. Standing now at a comfortable ten meters from the kunai, Rukaji stopped, brushing some of her unruly, two-toned bangs out of her face. A slightly amused laugh was given, though it faded rather quickly.

"It'd be a shame if you gave yourself an aneurism trying to catch me." She said, though she didn't sound very sad. Despite her uncaring facade, there were probably at least a few people that knew she'd be severely damaged if something were to happen to Keisuke. After all... no one else ever bothered talking to her anymore. She raised up a hand to point at his kunai, wary of the shadow it cast upon the ground... though she was rather far now, and probably didn't have anything to worry about. "You had trouble with getting to that. Perhaps you should practice reaching that length comfortably first before chasing someone who's out of your league."

Another challenging smirk was given.

[Kei]

Relaxing, Kei stood up straight, letting his hands fall to his sides as his shadow slipped back to its normal size. There was no way he could reach that far, he knew that for certain,but he did manage to reach a good distance beyond fifteen meters, which was an accomplishment for now. For a moment, he debated saying something to her, but ultimately decided simply to glare at her a moment before brushing his hair up away from his face for a moment and walking back to the tree he had been standing at before, sitting down and leaning back against the trunk.

He drew out another kunai and played it between his fingers, swinging it around aimlessly before holding it steady and beginning to scribble in the dirt with it. Finally stopping, he tapped it against his head and looked at Rukaji.

"Do you remember what we were going to do today?"

[Rukaji]

As he released the jutsu and started scribbling in the dirt, Rukaji sighed slightly and shook her head. With a bored yawn and a stretch, she folded her arms behind her head and walked over to him once more, hopping back up on the branch overhead and leaning against the trunk of the tree once more. One knee was propped up and bent, while her other leg dangled carelessly over the side of the branch.

"Nope. I wasn't listening to you." She replied, honestly, and uncaringly. She stayed quiet for awhile, seeming content in the fact that the other was near her, even if they weren't overly talkative, or doing anything at this particular time. A few minutes passed before she started fidgetting with her gloves, the sound of leather grating against leather heard over the feint rustling of the leaves from the breeze.

"You should probably practice your shadowy noodle jutsu more." She said, once more sounding serious though she was making fun of the way stretching shadows looked. Again she pointed out to the kunai lodged in the ground 15 meters away. "Do it again, faster."

[Kei]

Kei glanced up at her, blinking. He felt like he should say something. Snap at her, call her a fool, but he remained silent, his gaze turning back to the kunai. Standing, he paced slowly back to where he had been standing before. Resuming his stance, he once again made the appropriate seals, stretching his shadow out toward the kunai, this time reaching it with only a little bit of effort.

"Hrm..." he muttered, taking out the kunai he had been playing with before and tossing it another five feet past the first, being sure to hold his shadow in place.

Focusing again, he began to stretch and push his shadow toward the next kunai, finally reaching it, feeling slightly relieved again, he sighed, holding his shadow there for a moment before letting it return to him, just a little out of breath. That done, he turned to gaze up at Rukaji, just the slightest "Happy now?" look on his face, though he remained silent.

He closed his eyes; he couldn't keep looking at her. There was something about her that he was unavoidably drawn to, so that sometimes, when he saw her, he felt so utterly compelled to do things he knew he'd regret later that he had to look away. Things like that, well, they just wouldn't do. They were...a hindrance, at best. For now, he occupied himself by walking over and picking up the kunai he had placed in the ground, holstering them along his legs again before tossing his head to the side in Rukaji's general direction, though he merely caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eyes, staring off into the distance a few yards to the left of her instead.

"...are you just going to sit there?" he asked her calmly, though there was just the slightest hint of irritation in his tone.

[Rukaji]

By the time he glanced back up at her, Rukaji was leaned back heavily on the trunk, both arms folded behind her head as a makeshift pillow, her eyes closed. Indeed, the girl looked like she had fallen asleep. The rise and fall of her chest was steady and soft, and even as a breeze ruffled her bangs across her face, the girl did not stir. Keisuke's words seemed to fall on deaf ears; they failed to provoke a response as well.

At first, anyway.

"Yeah I think so. I'm comfortable." She mumbled boredly after a dramatic pause. Slowly, she cracked one eye half open, looking down at the irritated boy. "That's not a technique I can help you practice, short of running around and being your test dummy." She explained calmly before opening her other eye as well and looking at the furthest kunai. Both eyes remained half lidded, maintaining her half interested, or rather tired, expression.

After another pause, she sighed and surrendered. "Would you rather have me run around like a spastic child and try to catch me, then? Or did you have something else in mind?"

[Kei]

He shook his head.

"I'm done with that for now..." he replied, carefully drawing the replica wooden sword off his back.

...this should be interesting...

He let the blade fall into his left hand, flipping it around a few times, getting a feel for the weight before looking back up at Rukaji. Without another word, he darted forward, leaping up toward her and taking a slash at the shoulder farthest from him. He made sure her eyes met his as he glared at her, a wicked grin on his face.

[Rukaji]

Rukaji's eyes drifted back to Keisuke as he drew his play-sword, blinking once. Her hands were removed from behind her head as she used one to cover her mouth as she yawned, seemingly ignoring the boy as he got a feel for his weapon. The leg dangling over the side of the branch swayed back a forth, as a pendulum would, in a perfect rhythm.

Seconds later, she was lunged at. Lazily half lidded eyes were intantly narrowed and focused, cat-like ambers snapped to attention as she pushed off the branch with the leg that had been propped up, and landing easily beneath the tree on the foot she had been swinging. Her hand was in her pouch in an instant and flicking up all in one smooth motion, fingers loosening to release three shuriken up at her attacker.

They were real; they were sharp. However, they were unleathal, and not poisoned tipped - as they would've been had she been on a mission, or travelling somewhere potentionally dangerous. A vague smirk graced her lips once more as she tossed her head slightly, to get some of her bangs out of the way. The metal on the headband tied loosely around her neck glinted slightly in the sun; while she appeared lazy and uninterested, she -was- a ninja, after all.

[Kei]

The sword stroke easily put a large crack in the limb, but not so deep that Kei wasn't able to quick draw the sword out, flicking it around as he bounced off the tree limb, the shuriken sticking into the wooden blade, each making a soft 'thunk' as it made contact. Not wanting to slow down, he left them in, flipping himself around the branch and pushing off the underside of it, diving down at Rukaji, blade cocked back over his shoulder.

At about the halfway point, he swung the sword, letting it fly from his hand as it was hurled through the air down at the girl. As soon as he had let go, he vanished, reappearing behind Rukaji, kicking up a cloud of dust as he planted his right hand on the ground and swept his left leg around, aiming to kick her in the back of the knee and break her balance.

[Rukaji]

Rukaji didn't waste her time with worrying about the shuriken not hitting; such tools were more of a distraction as compared to an effective weapon anyway. Thus, when they lodged in his sword, all she did was take a more defensive stance, watching him carefully as he swung around the branch and pushed himself off, down toward her. A confused look crossed her face as he let go of his weapon; why would he do such a thing?

"Tch..." Was all she managed to grumble, stepping to the side and bending back a bit, catching the wooden blade by the tip; the thick leather gloves covering her hands protecting her from skinning her hand and/or getting splinters. The force caused her hand to swing down with the sword's momentum a moment before she gained control, but it set her off enough to not have time to deal with her next problem - a foot connecting with the back of her knee.

With a yelp, the assaulted leg buckled, causing her to fall at an angle. Gritting her teeth, she twisted her body as she fell for two reasons; one to catch herself with a hand instead of crashing ungracefully on her back, and the other to spitefully swing the upside-down sword in her other hand at Keisuke. Not bothering to keep the weapon she wasn't familiar with wielding, she let it fly at him as he had done to her earlier, instead using both hands to break her fall, pushing herself back up in a spring-like fashion.

Flipping herself back onto her feet, Rukaji wasted no time in forming handseals, her movements fluid and well practiced. "Katon - Housenka no Jutsu!" She announced as a hand was brought to her mouth immediately, four small fire balls then streaking toward Keisuke, one after another.

[Kei]

"Hrgh..." he growled, trying to put some distance between himself and Rukaji as he saw the sword being swung toward him, though it still managed to connect with his shoulder, causing him to stagger backwards slightly, gripping the spot where the hilt had struck him.

He only had time to scowl for a moment as his eyes widened at the familiar name. He quickly crossed his arms up in front of himself defensively as the fireballs struck him. However, only a singed log fell to the ground in his place as he apparently disappeared into the surrounding trees.

Out of sight, he quickly focused his chakra, visualizing an image of himself and creating a clone, which he then sent back out of the trees at Rukaji. The clone smirked as it drew the three shuriken off its arm and three kunai from its leg, throwing them in quick succession at the girl as the clone moved around to flank her from the other side, trying to back her up closer to the trees behind her, where Kei was waiting in the shadows.

Just a few steps...and she's mine...

He quickly performs the necessary hand motions, merging his shadow with the shadows of the bushes and trees around him.

[Rukaji]

Rukaji lowered her hand as she let her concentration on her jutsu fade, the attack finished. As the flames dispersed, she blinked. All that remained was some scorched ground and a smoldering log. She looked around for Keisuke, since he was no longer in sight, but upon not seeing him rushing her, she took another moment to look back at the log and admire her handiwork; that log was burning good!

She grinned to herself, mentally patting herself on the back. She could remember back in the day when she was still learning, and only managed to singe her hair or hands. However, her self-congratulating was cut short as Keisuke ran at her from the bushes. Wiping some ash from her face, she watched him ready shuriken. She then lowered her hand, retrieving a single kunai from the holster on her thigh, preparing to deflect the shuriken that would soon come flying forth.

And fly at her they did.

As her kunai connected to the first shuriken, however, no sound was heard. It was simply cut through, and faded into smoke. Illusions of a simple clone. With a frown, Rukaji cut through the next ones as well, recieving a similar effect - not wanting to chance a real one being hidden in the barrage - before turning and back flipping twice. Irritated, she threw the kunai at the boy that was trying to flank her, careless because she was fairly certain it was the clone.

What she didn't notice was that she put herself a lot closer to the bushes. Herded there, just like intended.

[Kei]

"Hmph..." he muttered triumphantly, smirking as he stretched his shadow forward, snaking it through the shadows along the ground, attempting to merge it with Rukaji's. His clone, meanwhile, was struck and disappeared in a small cloud of smoke, but it had served its purpose already.

[Rukaji]

Rukaji grinned triumphantly as the clone disappeared, watching her kunai lodge into the earth at an angle beyond where the fake Keisuke once stood. Not wanting to waste her projectile, and since the real Keisuke was still missing, Rukaji went to take a step foward.

Then realized, with a look of horror, that she couldn't move. Her eyes immediately darted down to the ground, fixing on her shadow. Her shadow that was now linked to one extended from the bushes. Damnit... She thought to herself, gritting her teeth in frustration. She had been outsmarted, and couldn't find words to lash out at Keisuke with, for once.

[Kei]

Grinning, he decided to let the realization sink in before he did anything, staying still enough so as to not immediately alert Rukaji to what he had done, instead letting her find out on her own that she could no longer move much more than tilting her head a few inches.

In the meantime, he glanced up at the clouds overhead through the trees. It had only been a day or so since the Hokage had been killed, and a new one had taken over. It was certainly going to be a pain to stick around anymore, but fortunately his parents had moved out of the village some time ago to his mother's home elsewhere in the Fire Country. He had no ties here except Rukaji, well, none that he'd think twice about cutting off, anyway, and considering she was in a similar situation, perhaps she'd be willing...no, he was getting distracted, daydreaming again. He blinked, frowning as he snapped back into reality and watched the girl intently, wondering if she'd noticed by now.

It seemed she had, the look on her face evident even from the sliver of it that Kei could see from his hiding spot.

Well then...

He casually took a few steps forward out into the open, of course causing Rukaji to do the same. At the same time, he reached into his pouch, pulling out the candy she had so kindly shot at him earlier, though he held it much the same as he would a shuriken, knowing full well that Rukaji's hands were imitating his own. His face seemed to calm, the smirk he was wearing before fading slightly as he stared blankly at her back, cocking his arm back to throw the candy. He held the position a moment, wondering if she had any idea what was coming, if perhaps she thought, even for a moment, that he would kill her in cold blood right now.

"...game over," he said, just loud enough for her to hear, throwing his hand out and sending the candy flying into the back of Rukaji's head, "You lose."

[Rukaji]

The steps Keisuke forced her to take forward were probably the heaviest steps she had ever taken. Rukaji could feel her heartrate pick up, instinct causing her fear. Fear from knowing that she was completely helpless, and could no longer even control herself; knowing that should he choose to, Keisuke could kill her on a whim. She adapted a look of aggitation, not wanting her opponent to have the pleasure of seeing her scared. She knew he wouldn't kill her, anyway.

...or so she thought. As her hand was forced into her pouch to retrieve a shuriken, her heart dropped and she instantly felt queasy. Her mind spun, and she forgot to keep her mask of irritation, her expression immediately turning to one of horror once more. She probably even paled a little as her hand rose up, preparing to throw the shuriken. She trembled visibly - he was really going to kill her?

"...game over."

She winced, eyes squeezing shut as she grit her teeth and let the shuriken fly, whimpering once against her will. The shuriken that Keisuke threw from behind would undoubtably connect to a vital spot, and it would be over. Instantaneously? Would it take awhile, would she suffer? It all seemed to go in slow motion as the metal ninja tool left her fingers, all her thoughts flashing through her mind quicker than they ever had before.

...it took her a minute to realize that, in reality, a small, wrapped candy had hit her in the back of the head instead of a shuriken. She stood there, frozen, eyes still shut as the candy bounced off her head with a soft 'thud' before falling to the ground behind her. A few seconds pass. All in an instant, Rukaji sighed heavily, no longer looking horrified and betrayed, but instead wore a look of frustration mixed with relief.... and it also seemed slightly pouty. "Yeah, yeah... whatever..." Was all she said to Keisuke, mumbling and barely audible. "How long do you plan on holding me captive, O Great One?"

[Kei]

He smirked, shrugging as he let her go.

"I think I'm done, now."

Brushing his hair out of his face briefly he walked over and picked up her kunai between two fingers, heading back toward Rukaji. Coming up behind her, he placed a hand on her head, letting himself press up against her left shoulder, his right arm draping down off her head behind her right shoulder, the whole pose looking vaguely affectionate as he held the kunai out in front of her with his left hand.

He smiled at her, if only for a moment, but he couldn't help it as he stood there over her shoulder. Catching himself, he sighed and rolled his eyes, his smile fading away quickly, though he wasn't sure if the girl had even noticed or not. Glancing up a moment, he noticed the shuriken she had thrown out in front of her.

She had a pouch in the same spot...

"Tch..."

How careless of me not to notice.

He scowled at his own little failure, but sighed again, that expression fading as well, until he was merely looking back down blankly at Rukaji's cheek.

[Rukaji]

Rukaji didn't move at she was released from his technique, save for a visible relaxing of muscles and her head sort of dropping to look down at the ground. She became lost in her thoughts; scolding herself for her mistakes, plotting ways to get back at Keisuke for humiliating her, and reassuring herself... that he, in fact, would never betray her as she just thought he had. He couldn't, after all - he was the only person, besides her aunt and uncle, that she had.

A hand on her head startled her out of her sea of thoughts, causing her to jump slightly and glance up at Keisuke. She didn't look at him long before her gaze fell to the kunai he offered back to her. With a sigh, she took the kunai and slipped in back into the holster it came from, looking pouty. While she didn't catch the smile, she didn't seem to mind the closeness. Had it been anyone else, however, Rukaji probably would have had an issue, but after spending so much time with Keisuke, even when they didn't get along have the time, it felt okay.

Maybe even better than being alone.

"Hmph..." Her arms crossed, the pouty look intensifying. "Just because I'm short than you doesn't mean you have to treat me like a little kid..." She grumbled, talking about the hand on her head, though she made no move to get rid of it.