The Eye and The Kunai

[tenten]

It was a day like any other, or at least, that was what Tenten considered it. It happened to be one of those days that Tenten herself was left to train alone, in hopes that either someone who could civilly converse - usually, Neji - would show up, or the hope that Lee or Gai wouldn't show up. Granted, she'd rather have Lee there than Gai [or both of them], but regardless, today was a day she didn't want to have to deal with any sort of antics. Of course, she didn't want to relax, either; no, she wanted to use this time to train, and keep her skills [and her weapons] sharp. There was no such thing as relaxing when you could be immediately called out to a mission.

Today's training on the agenda was working on building a little more power behind her weapons strikes, at least when throwing them from her hand rather than summoning them from her scrolls. She hadn't quite got down summoning them straight from the scroll towards an opponent, because that required quite a bit of chakra control and concentration, but she could still summon them to her hand and throw them, which was useful. She rarely worried about her accuracy, simply because even after being tested numerous times by Gai - repeatedly throwing senbon needles into a small target - she would always hit the bullseye. A hundred times out of a hundred tries, with the weapons that were hard to aim with because of their size; senbon needles.

"Well, I guess being alone is at least better than dealing with Lee or Gai," Tenten mused as she casually made her way to the training grounds. She was in no rush to get to anything, as she had lots of time. She would only have a short while before she'd have to momentarily pack up and go, because she'd probably get hungry and need something to sustain herself. It was just one of those days that she was moving slower than usual in a casual situation, as she wasn't worried about anything oncoming. Her senses, however, were still tuned sharp to the oncoming of someone or something [or the presence of one of her teammates].

Reaching the training ground, Tenten first set to work summoning the kunai she would need for her work. She also had a very thin piece of chalk that she would use to mark the weapon's depth in the wood each time she threw it. Picking up one kunai, she hurled it at a tree, then walked over, drew a short line on it where it started to come out of the tree, then pulled it out, and repeated. She wasn't sure what she would need to do differently... Increasing the depth it would hit also meant increasing the speed, which also meant she had to compensate for the difference in everything else. All in all, it was a complicated process, and it would take a while, but she was determined to improve it as much as she could.

[hyuuganeji]

, all this time I've been called a genius

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DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW? YOU HAVE NO CHANCE OF BEATING ME!
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It was a day like no other for Neji. These mornings he would usually being seen training in a quite secluded place or trying to find a way to avoid Lee, and Gai. But today he wanted to hang with Tenten. They’ve been on the same team for over a year, and he thought he would train with her for the future exams coming up. Even if it was a few months away, he’d train everyday for that moment, always wanting to better himself than the day before. That motto got stuck in his head thanks to being around Lee for so long.

The Hyuuga walked to over the training field in a nonchalant manner. Training never really went his way because if Lee found him he would want to fight with him. It was a bother since he never understood his own limits. Though, Neji did enjoy beating the crap out of him each time, quite a bit actually. He put his hands in his pants pockets, and portrayed a stern look on his face; as he was always serious about most things. The closer he got to the training field the more he thought about how he should become stronger. He might have been the #1 rookie last year, but no one could say that a rookie this year would have taken his spot.

Thinking about such things even lit a fire under Neji, even if he would never show his amusement at such situations; well not in front of most people anyway. Thinking ahead that far wasn’t necessary for today though, it was all about training. He mastered his clans gentle fist art, but their were other areas which he needed to perfect. No matter the reason though, Neji, always thought taijutsu was the best way to fight an opponent over weaponry skills. Close-quarters combat, CQC, was his specialty; he wasn’t too fond of weapons even if he used them from time to time.

He finally set foot on the grass of the training field. He felt the presence of a familiar person, it was Tenten. He decided to head over to see what she was up to, though he had a good idea on what she was doing. They could help each other train for a bit, and he could try and convince her that taijutsu was needed more than weapons in the essence of combat. As he walked by a tree he saw her. “Good morning, Tenten.” He moved from the tree so that he wouldn’t intervene in her aiming; as if she’d miss anyway. “Have you been training long?” He took his hands out of his pockets as he sat on the grass. Hopefully, he could get some work done today.

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Hyuuga Neji

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Hyuuga Clans Prodigy[/font][/color][/SIZE][/center]

Tenten.tag
Daybreak's bell.music
Here!.wearing
457.words
Sorry for taking so long. Life's been hectic..notes

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[tenten]

As the kunoichi tried over and over again to increase her power in throwing the kunai, she began to become frustrated... As it was sinking no deeper each time. Granted, she realized it would take time to perfect, but at the same time, it was frustrating to see no results. Her arms were going to feel like lead if she kept this up all day... Already, she was panting, a couple beads of sweat running down her face from the physical exercise. Perhaps some of Lee's determination had rubbed off on her... Of which, she wasn't sure was a good thing or not.

Just as she picked up another kunai, she was alerted to a familiar presence. It was quiet, so she could only assume that it was Neji. He was probably the quietest member of their team [if he wasn't stating his opinion of course] and the only one with enough gall to one, sneak up on her, and two, trust her accuracy even if she was hitting a target inches from his aesthetically-pleasing [according to fangirls, at least] visage. It was a trust that Tenten had managed to build up over the first year of being on Team Gai, and one she didn't regret. She certainly found solace in the only other seemingly-sane member of their team.

“Good morning, Tenten.” His greeting was somewhat edged, as always, but as friendly as it could ever be. She could hear the hint of respect behind it, and as he walked past the tree she'd been furiously aiming at - numerous strikes from kunai could be seen chipping the bark - Tenten replied with a smile and nod of acknowledgement. She was a little more happy-go-lucky than her seemingly cold Hyuuga teammate. “Have you been training long?” He asked, and feeling now the need to reply verbally, Tenten spoke.

"For a fair while," she replied with a sigh. The fatigue wasn't showing clearly, but it was really starting to catch up to her. Nonetheless, she continued with her focused brutal striking against the tree as Neji settled himself down on the grass. Throwing the three kunai that were marked with chalk on the blade, she twirled the fourth kunai in her hand absent-mindlessly as she glanced at the Hyuuga. Strange that he'd seek out such accompaniment on such a day... Perhaps he was a little tired of solo training, and just wanted company. Or he was running from Lee and Gai. Either reason seemed feasible...

"What brings you all the way out here?" She asked, seeming to guess at his agenda, but not allowing it to escape through verbal communication. Her facial expression jocularly spoke of running from Gai and Lee, but that was just in light of the situation. A little humor such as that never hurt, and it had never caused her problems before. Perhaps if Neji was in more of a disheartened [if that was the right thing to describe it as] moods, it would brighten the day a little. Besides, it wasn't like it wasn't in Tenten's personality to do so, either...

[hyuuganeji]

, all this time I've been called a genius

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DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW? YOU HAVE NO CHANCE OF BEATING ME!
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As he sat on the grass he watched Tenten continue her training. He took responsibility for making sure everyone wasn’t slacking off or overexerting themselves; which sadly he couldn’t do for Lee as for he was too much trouble. This team needed to be up to his standards since he was the #1 rookie the previous year. Neji didn’t really care for that though since he never met any genin who was stronger than him. So he spent his time carefully, to sort of watch over his teammates, so to speak.

Tenten always raised his concern though; he thought she should train more on her taijutsu more than just her weaponry skills. The day may come when her weapons have no effect on the enemy and she would be helpless. If that day came would she be able to continue on fighting? That was what Neji wondered for awhile now. Since his training was sort of complete, he thought it would be best to train with her. It would help him handle, and get a grasp on weaponry better.

As he sat and watched he awaited her reply to his question earlier. He could easily use his byakugan to see her chakra levels, but he thought for the best he would just ask. It wasn’t like Tenten to overexert herself in training, not unlike Lee, and Gai anyway. When she finally replied to him he could hear her sigh, and he saw faint signs of her being fatigued. She seems to have been training for awhile indeed. Even if she doesn’t say she’s tired, it is starting to show. Nothing to worry about though. The young Hyuuga relaxed his mind for a bit after she continued throwing the kunai.

He closed his eyes for a bit, almost as if he were to meditate once more for the day. That was not his intention though. The reason he closed his eyes were because he was fatigued himself. He only decided to come to this field after his training was because he could meditate, and relax a little. When he arrived, seeing Tenten was sort of unexpected, but her being here would only make him think of her sharpening her skills.

After the short seconds of him closing his eyes he finally opened them. Neji looked at the tree that Tenten kept striking before looking back at her. She seemed to be deep in thought, and it made him wonder what she was thinking about. “What brings you all the way out here?” Was what she asked him though. It seemed saying he ran from Lee and Gai would suffice as a good answer, if it were true.

“No reason in particular. I just finished training myself awhile earlier, and decided here would be a good place to lay rest with my mind, by meditating. Luckily, I did not see Gai or Lee around so we won’t be put through any brutal training, hopefully…” He said quite a bit, surprisingly. But he had a certain calmness to his tone as he spoke.

He rose from his sitting position on the ground before grabbing a kunai from his pouch. Neji placed his pointer finger in the loop hole of the kunai, twirling it, before he took grasp of it by the handle. Now was the best time to find out why she was so fixated on mainly using weapons. She once said that she wanted to be as strong as, Tsunade, one of the legendary sanin. “Tenten, wouldn’t it be better for you to practice CQC without your weapons? He figured he should try to convince her now that her weapons won’t help her all the time. Neji calmly awaited her answer as he threw the kunai he held at the tree.

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Hyuuga Neji

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Hyuuga Clans Prodigy[/font][/color][/SIZE][/center]

Tenten.tag
--.music
Here!.wearing
638.words
For some reason I was at my wits end, sorry. Was it any good?.notes

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[tenten]

Even as Tenten continued to furiously chuck kunai at the tree in front of her, she was clearly paying attention to the conversation at hand. It didn't quite bother her when Neji took his time to answer her question; it was simply his way of doing things, and while most people would have been annoyed the the silence, Tenten was so used to it that she hardly noticed. Even so, Neji appeared rather calm today... That itself was something she'd noticed rather well. It wasn't as if he was constantly uptight, but even without focusing on meditation, Neji was exuding an almost abnormally calm nature... Strange, Tenten thought, but thought nothing more of it. Soon, however, he did reply to her question, and it only added more to the calm aura that appeared to be nearby.

“No reason in particular. I just finished training myself awhile earlier, and decided here would be a good place to lay rest with my mind, by meditating. Luckily, I did not see Gai or Lee around so we won’t be put through any brutal training, hopefully…”

Tenten couldn't help but agree more with not having to deal with brutal training. The light sigh at the mention of it wasn't from fatigue; it was from the mere mention of training with those two, or even the thought of being caught by such. Tenten couldn't fathom how she'd feel after that... And she thought Neji trained hard. Well, Neji trained hard, but Neji didn't train himself in his sleep, or so she assumed. He also wasn't an idiot who would go past his own limits, either, nor would he push others to such exhaustion, either. He seemed to actually care about one's physical stature, and clearly knew the difference between fervor and fatigue.

"H-hai," Tenten replied, her voice a little flatter than usual, as well as with a bit more of a high-pitched tone. The stutter was mostly in agreement and a complete wish not to have to deal with the green team. Picking up another kunai, Tenten put all of the might she could behind the throw, hearing the loud thud as it impacted the bark of the tree. She was surely breaking a sweat now from the physical exertion; one could see beads of sweat forming on her brow. She wasn't, however, too terribly tired; she still had a lot of energy to work with before anything was said and done with. Picking up another kunai, she was slightly surprised to hear the thud of Neji's own kunai impacting the tree, but she paid no mind to it, and threw her own as he spoke.

“Tenten, wouldn’t it be better for you to practice CQC without your weapons?”

"Eh?" Tenten replied, reaching up with the back of her hand to wipe the sweat that had formed on her brow. "Certainly not if it involves Lee and Gai," she replied, a shiver visibly running down her spine. "How can I start to dabble in CQC if I can't fix the imperfections of my best abilities?" she queried, both of her hands resting on her hips. Her face was questioning, and she gestured to the tree. "I've hardly started to dabble into CQC with weapons. It's not that I'm horrible, I've just been focusing on my true strengths more so than anything else," she stated, raising an eyebrow at Neji. Come to think of it, she'd never seen him try out anything with ranged weapons, either.

"I do, however, have an idea," she said, taking a single step forward, the idea shining in her eyes. "You haven't worked all too much on your weapons training, right? And you're the Taijutsu expert, after all," she stated, hardly noticing that her hand had come up with her palm facing the sky, bent at the wrist and held level with her shoulder. "I'm the weapons expert, you're the Taijutsu expert. Why don't we help each other out a little?" she proposed, wondering if the idea would fly. It was considerably difficult to work on one's Taijutsu without a real opponent, unless you were learning attack patterns through muscle memory and repetition training. Plus, she certainly trusted training with Neji more so than she did the jumpsuit duo.