Practicing in the Old Practice Field: Yamamoto, Keiko, Sukot

[Higa Yamamoto]

Sukotto stands in the middle of the field, slowly moving through the paces of a kata. Every few moments he would stop and take a drink of water from a flask at his side, then resuming his kata.

Lazily strolling out into the clearing from the surrounding forest, Keiko absently nudges down her headband and bandana, exposing her features to the cool air. Glancing about the clearing, she spies Sukotto but makes no move to announce her presence.

On his way to do some training himself, Yamamoto has been doing a hand-stand walk from Kouin Square all the way to this old practice field. When he sees Sukotto going through the kata form, he flips back to his feet. Slightly out of breath, he asks, "Pass some of that water here will you?"

Stopping his kata, Sukotto picks up the flask and tosses it to Yamamoto. Then removing his mask and goggles, and wiping the sweat from his forehead, he asks, "Look a little tired, just treck here from the town?"

Keiko releases a soundless yawn and slowly climbs into a nearby tree, careful not to announce her presence at all. Once she's settled down on a low, thick branch, she goes back to overlooking the clearing.

Taking a quenching gulp, Yamamoto wipes the few drops of water running down his lips. Tossing the flask back to Sukotto, he says, "Yeah, I was about to do a little training myself. I don't usually come by here, but it's nice to have a change of scenery."

Sukotto places his mask and goggles on the ground, taking a seat under a tree, he takes a deep breath and looks at the sky, "It is nicer here, not so many people and nature all around."

After awhile of watching the two genin talk endlessly, Keiko withdraws a small variety of long-ranged weapons from her pouch and backpack. Hopping up onto a higher branch, she closes a single eye and swiftly sends shurikens, kunais, and an entire assortment of senbons at the two.

Leaping to the closest tree, Yamamoto continues to jump higher to dodge the series of weapons thrown at him. Doing a flip in the air to stabilize his height, he also takes four kunais from his pouch and hurls them directly at the figure on the tree branch.

Looking towards the weapons, Sukotto throws up his arms, allowing several of them to hit him, then with a loud pop the only thing left in place is a log with several kunai in it.

Keiko drops down onto a branch beneath her, allowing the set of kunai to sail past her and into a tree trunk behind her with an audible *thud*. Keeping herself concealed by the tree's thick foliage, Keiko slowly detaches an emormous black blade from her backpack and settles it beside her.

To hide himself, Yamamoto jumps up onto a tree branch and masks himself from his surroundings. He listens carefully for any sounds or movement that would reveal his assailant's position.

Stepping out from behind a tree, Sukotto looks towards where the weapons came from, a clone slowly stepping out from behind him. He quickly starts making handseals, yelling "Suiton! Daibakufu no jutsu!" and a giant wave erupts from the clone, speeding off to where the four kunais were aimed.

Swearing hushedly under her breath, Keiko wraps her gloveless fingers around and through the circular hole in her large black weapon, hauling it with her as she leaps into the next tree beside her, barely being missed by the watery vortex as it crashes into the tree and tears it down.

Using Sukotto's attacking as a diversion, Yamamoto throws a kunai with a sparking tag to the vicinity where he saw the assailant fled to.

Keiko is caught almost completely unaware by the exploding tag. Sucking in a deep breath, Keiko throws up an arm and leaps back further into the tree, hoping to at least get away from most of the explosive power.

Letting very little time pass, Sukotto rushes off towards the trees where the tag was thrown, clearing his throat and letting out one long held note, "Do!"

Keiko releases a pained grunt, but vaguely ignores her chest. Instead, she stands up and flicks the large kunai-like weapon, drawing out all four of it's enormous blades and then lifts it up high in the air. Cringing as the pain increases, Keiko hurls the newly-revealed fuuma shuriken towards Sukotto's approaching form with all her might.

Dropping down to the forest floor, as Yamamoto races to go beneath his assailant, he sees above him a giant windmill shuriken coming straight at Sukotto, who was also dashing to the attacker

Sukotto tries to duck under the shuriken, mostly making it under only have it leave a long cut down his back. Gritting his teeth, he increase to volume of his voice, going to the next octive of his jutsu, "Re!"

Keiko shakily opens her mouth, intaking a deep breath of air before she begins to match Sukotto's steadily rising octaves with her own jutsu, "Do.."

Being caught off guard, Sukotto falls onto the ground holding his back. He quickly makes a few handseals, saying "Anki no jutsu" and is quickly brisked back to the town.

Keiko's wavering voice falls upon deaf ears as Sukotto disappears with in a whirling vortex of wind. Loosing her balance, Keiko defenselessly topples over and plummets down from her branch and into the ground at an alarmingly fast pace.

Seeing a falling figure, Yamamoto summons a large amount of chakra to his legs. Propelling himself off the ground, he ricochets between two trees intercepting the fall. Catching the figure, he notices something familiar about the minx coloured hair. However, landing a large branch, he pins the figure against the trunk.

Keiko lets out a soft grunt as Yamamoto pins her to the roughened trunk of the tree. With her face mostly concealed by the bandana and her minx colored bangs, Keiko dazedly stares into his face.

Yamamoto stares into oceanic blue eyes of the face hidden behind a red bandana. Realizing who it was, he loosens his grip and letting himself fall upside down. He catches himself with his feet at the bottom of the branch. Dangling upside down, he says, "I should have know it was you."

Keiko makes little to no attempt to support herself once the pressure from Yamamoto's palms leave her body. Slowly, her weakened form slides down the trunk and settles on the thickened branch with both of her lean legs dangling on either side, "I thought I'd try and surprise you both. I suppose it was a bad idea when I was down to half of my strength.".

Yamamoto scratches his head, "Sukotto sure left in a hurry when you let out your 'Do'. I've never seen anybody flee that fast."

Keiko releases a weak chuckle. She lifts her arms and curls her hands around two thinner branches just above her head, adjusting her torso into a much more comfortable position, "I'm not sure why..."

Flipping himself upright back on top of the branch, Yamamoto takes two riceballs from his backpack. He tosses a riceball at Keiko and says, "I made some food for after my training, but that was a decent exercise."

A delicate eyebrow perking slightly, Keiko glances down at the riceball as it lands on her lap, "Thank you..."

Stretching his arms and letting out a large yawn, Yamamoto says, "Days like this you just want to be lazy and lounge around doing nothing." Continuing his stretch, he leans further backwards with each passing second until he falls backwards catching himself with legs on the branch once again.

Keiko tilts her torso to the side and lowers her gaze down towards Yamamoto's descending form, "So, what've you been up to?"

Swinging gently upside down, Yamamoto replies, "There's been a lack of other genins in Time Village, so the Uchuukage always sends me on solo missions. The other genins are busy with their own tasks as well I suppose. What about you?"

Keiko closes her eyes and leans back against the tree's trunk slowly, an exhausted sigh escaping her parted lips, "Family affairs, training, and hunting down the riyoku."

"The Riyoku have gotten more active as of late. It should only be a matter of time before an official mission is set to deal with their leader. I wonder if the Uchuukage will assign me the mission. A party to deal with him would be nice." Yamamoto actually almost slips, but he catches himself and sits back upright facing Keiko.

Keiko's eyes follows Yamamoto's movement with a practiced ease. After a moment, she lifts up a shoulder in response, "I doubt you'd be able to take him on and defeat him, Yamamoto. The Uchuukage would send chuunin and my family out there who've had a bit more experience."

"I don't know much about your family except it's the largest one in Time Village. Both my parents are dead, and the only other family I know is missing right now. What's the Tsurugami Clan like?" Yamamoto asks.

With a subtle yawn from beneath her bandana, Keiko hiddenly smiles as she speaks, "They're like any other family. Our home is pretty huge and everyone's treated me like I'd been there all along, but they hold high expectations."

Looking up to the sky, Yamamoto absorbs what he just heard. "A big family..."

Keiko slowly rises on the tree branch. Holding up a hand and lifting two fingers at Yamamoto in parting, Keiko jumps down from the tree and disappears into the forest without a single word uttered.