You can already feel the bruises starting to form on your arms, the dull throbbing ache a testament to the power contained in the jab you just managed to block. With a thought two Kunai are clutched in your hands, arms crossed in the guard stance as you gazed warily at your sensei. Your heel digs into the dirt, you need to get away, to gain distance. Engaging him in CQC is a fools-errand, all the time's you've managed to best in spars you did it from a distance. But you need an opening, especially with the way he's raised the ante. Unfortunately, you don't get one, because just as soon as you have that thought he's on you again.
His fist slams into your guard, forcing you back, your arms straining as he leans into you. Then there is a flash of movement, and you frantically shuffle your feet in desperation to avoid his low-kick, only for for his knee to come up and slam into your gut. You can feel the air being forced from your lungs as he slams through your guard like it was nothing. You feel your breath catch in your throat, your lungs refusing to take in the air. In desperation you lash out with your kunai, but it only cuts through the early morning air, and his spinning kick in retaliation sends you tumbling through the dirt.
When you finally arrest you movement, coming to a crouch among the dust and grass, frantically sucking in breath Gai-sensei is still where he was.
"Tenten! Now is not the time for defense! We must unlock the power I know you are harboring inside! Hit me with everything you got!" He gives you his patented fist of encouragement, and you let out a deep breath. Pulling more kunai into your hands, you take aim. Then you let them fly, a cloud of sharpened steel all slicing through the air towards you teacher as you take the opportunity to leap backwards . But as you spot your sensei's smirk you already know it's not enough.
"Leaf Whirlwind!" His foot slams through air, a spinning kick so fast it leaves a shockwave in its wake. The wind buffets you as your kunai tumble harmlessly to the ground, and you grit your teeth.
Just like the fight with Temari. Then he blurs again, and you just have time to register his cry of
"Dodge!" as you scramble backwards, his foot slamming down into the ground where you were just standing with a brutal crack.
You skid to a stop, but you're already breathing heavily.
He's too fast you realize, the only way you've been able to dodge thus far is he's been telegraphing his attacks almost to the point of absurdity. And now that's he's starting to emulate wind jutsu with his taijutsu...you shake your head.
No, there's got to be a way to win.
"Not giving up yet I hope Tenten!" your teacher booms, "
My eternal rival said you struggled against wind jutsu! But with the power of youth by your side, you can overcome any obstacle! No matter how daunting!"
You grit your teeth and ready another set of kunai, but inside your head your mind is whirling. The last time you truly beat him you managed to trap him, trip him him up with with a kusarigama, and then finish it with the rest of your arsenal in your scrolls. But now,
now he's even faster than before. But still, you have to try. You let the kunai fly, spiraling towards your sensei as you ready one of your scrolls. The thin paper unfurling around you, revealing rows upon rows of carefully sealed weapons. But before you can so much as begin the process a blur of movement blocks out of the sun above you. Moving so fast you can feel the air being displaced as a kick scythes down towards you.
You react purely from instinct, some deep and primal ingrained within you as a cloud of smoke explodes from your scroll. The smooth steel flowing into your hands like you were born with it, a thin bulwark your only defense against the force bearing down on you. Your teeth clench as you block, every muscle in your arms crying out in anguish as the shockwave reverberates through your body, driving you down onto your knees. The summoning smoke clears, and for a heartbeat you both hang there, Gai's brutal overhead kick balancing perfectly on the flat of your sword blade.
But sadly it is not to last, for a sharp crack reverberates through the training ground, sending a chill up your spine. Your eyes widen as the steel blade shatters in your hand, shards of metal exploding outward as you are flung back.
Shakily, you get to your feet.
Gai really is a monster, the thought flashes through you mind, spitefully (if not seriously) as you rub your bruises. All this time you'd just been thrown around like a ragdoll, barely to dodge or block this level of taijutsu. You needed to gain distance, but that just wasn't possible. Even the trick you pulled against Temari isn't something you can try again, your chakra refusing to latch onto to any of the weapons around you. You need something...more.
The not-chakra thrums in your ear, teasing the edge of your consciousness. Like it wants to be used, but when ever you try to focus it, to
mold it like you would chakra it slips from your grasp. You grimace, already you can see Gai-sensei shifting into another stance. Then his foot shifts, kicking up dust as he launches himself at you again, and you
let go. Instincts, long-honed by years of practice, take over...and for the first time you feel it
flow.
Normally you didn't have enough time, not when he was really starting to move, to get a hit. But...even though he blurred a little as he began to get closer, running, you felt as if he was moving slowly. Time slowing down as the golden chakra flooded through your body, flowing into your hands. Your fingers twitched, and you already knew what they were going to do. IT was a simple trick, four kunai to box them in, one following a split-second later, right down the center.
You draw them, felt their weight beneath your hands, and
threw. They flew through the air faster and more beautiful than ever before, small corkscrews of golden light trailing behind them as they carved a path through air like bolts of pure sunlight. You feel something bloom to life around you, and you let it, an explosion of light as your weapons intersect with Gai. The fist four miss, as intended, but the fifth.
A small flash of blood, flecks of red in a forest of green spandex...
A thrill runs through your spine. You hit him. You hit him! Wait,
you hit him! "Gai-sensei!" you shout, you don't think the wound was that deep but-
"Tenten!" Suddenly he is towering over you, and despite your aura his face is completely obscured in shadows. You reflexively take a step.
"Gai-sensei I'm-*urk*" Your apology was cut off as you suddenly found yourself in a bone-crushing hug.
"I'm so proud!" In between the air being forced from your lungs you briefly notice the tears of joy cascading down your teacher's face.
"Tenten, truly that was incredible! So this is the power of youth locked with you? Astonishing!"
"G-gai-s-sensei...c-can't...breathe." You gasp out, and then you feel the pressure release and you stumble back, gasping for air. "Y-yeah, I finally figured out what I needed to do."
"Excellent! If I had failed to help you realize this, I would have been forced to do 600 push-ups as punishment. But now, we can continue your training! We must find out what your limits are, because only then can we surpass them!" He booms, and this time at least you can't help but get swept up in the excitement.
Normally, you'd wince slightly at the thought of training like this. You're already breathing heavily, and you're covered in bruises. But despite that, you feel better than you ever felt. "Yeah! Let's do this! I'm ready!"
"Then let's begin! Intensive Training Round Two! Start!" But you're already moving, leaping away as you feel the golden power surge through your body
When you stumble out of the training ground as the sun hangs low in the sky. Your body feels like it is one giant bruise, and you're running on fumes. But you stumble away with a contented smile on your face. You only managed to hit Gai a few more times during your spars, but you
earned those hits.
But now you've got a bit of time left after training. Even if you can already hear the sirens call of your bed from here, it wouldn't do to go to bed this early. No, you'll just go and wash up, and then you should have time to do something not training related. Provided you want to of course.
So what do you do?
[ ] Track down a friend/"friend" to hang out with?
[ ] If so who?
[ ] Treat yourself out. You've earned it. Maybe you'll even run into someone you know.
[ ] If so where? (Will influence encounters)
[ ] No, you're too tired from training to go out at all, just spend the rest of the day relaxing.
[ ] Write-in
[ ] Stunt?
From your vigorous training with Gai you gained +1XP.
Alright, well that was your fight with Gai. It went about how I expected. Gai wasn't really trying to hurt you, just rough you up a little and back you up into a corner until you managed to pull out something that would actually let you hit him.
Unfortunately, he still couldn't convince Tenten to wear the jumpsuit.