The Sword and the Shadow (NSFW, 18+)

Kagura nodded at the first part of the instruction, moving over to where there wasn’t anything between them so they could practice the technique, and then listened carefully as the technique was described. She lowered into her own ‘Dance of the Heavens’ to better enable her to block the strikes coming her way, knowing that she was going to need every advantage she could get, and then Akari was upon her, the blade flashing forward. Even though her hands were able to keep up, she struggled to block the moves because her eyes couldn’t track them as well, the unpredictable nature making it particularly difficult and two of the strikes getting through. To her credit, she didn’t even flinch, the pain nothing to truly worry about considering that Akari had held back and her own physical resilience.

She did a quick hop backwards to give herself some distance, looking at the blue-eyed teen for a moment for her to confirm that she was indeed ready for Kagura to give it a try. Once that was there, she launched forward, falling out of the stance for Dance of the Heavens and trying the technique that she had just been shown. For the first time, she didn’t get it on the very first try, but didn’t even pause after her first three strikes were all too predictable, probably batted aside easily, and simply continued to press forward. The next three were not only randomly targeted, but still had strategic importance; one was aimed at the thigh, right where the main artery would be hiding under the flesh, the next near the heart, and the last right at the belly button… these strikes had all the right aspects of the style, and once she was solid on it, she took a large step backwards and lowered her blade and took a short breath, giving Akari a smile. “Got it… that one was harder, but I love a challenge.”

(Learned ‘Art of the Blade Mistress’)

[101]

Akari would watch as Kagura fell into the stance for her own style. That hadn’t been the idea behind this, but it would work in the end. Her strikes flashed out, unpredictable and quick, and two of them would’ve drawn blood if they had been done with a real blade. The practice weapon striking the black and white clothed Kagura. She noted how the brunette didn’t even flinch. Was that because Akari was holding back her own force too much? Or because of the woman’s natural hardiness? She wasn’t sure, but either way it did not matter in the slightest. Once she hopped back Akari would allow her to disengage without pressing the assault. This involved her reeling in certain combative instincts and she almost pressed it out of habit. She managed to hold herself back and shake her head to remind herself that this wasn’t an actual fight. Now it was Kagura’s turn.

The strikes would come, but they wouldn’t have the proper unpredictability that gave this style it’s trademark. Akari brushed them aside with minimal effort on her part. The next three though were indeed properly executed and the dark haired girl did indeed have more difficulty knocking them aside. She would still be able to keep up with the defense though, knocking each attack aside. They would definitely be closer to her form before she caught them though, but ultimately still unable to break her defense. This wasn’t surprising, as Akari knew how the style functioned and even without her Sharingan was quite perceptive. Once that was finished Kagura would back off, taking a breath before speaking. Akari would nod, a small smile on her features. “Very well done. The next two techniques are quite basic, but the important thing to remember is that all of them are meant to be incorporated into the style itself.” She would say, informing Kagura that these technique were meant to be used with the used with the inherent speed advantage and deceptive attacks of the base style. “The first two are the easiest, it’s just two different thrusting styles.” She would say as she dropped into her stance. “The first is simply a swift riposte, a quick thrust with proper form in the middle of the style.” She would say before demonstrating. It was simple enough to perform and Akari foresaw absolutely no issues with Kagura performing it quickly. “You try.” She would say, standing straight once more.

Spoiler:

[101]

Kagura couldn’t help but smile a little more at the praise; it wasn’t so much that she liked the praise itself, but instead the fact that it was coming from Akari. She enjoyed it, likely, more than she should have, but that wasn’t something that was anything worth dwelling over because they were here, in the training room, locked away from any prying eyes. She was still reeling at how quickly things had evolved, how fast the woman had fallen head over heels for the Hokage, and even more surprisingly, how the woman had felt towards her before she even knew the dark-haired teen’s rank. None of that mattered when they were alone… it just mattered that they were training to get stronger, striving for a goal, and spending time together. Idly, she wondered for a moment, if they should take on another student; most teams, even ones sponsored by the Kage of a village, consisted of more than just one Genin, after all. Dismissing those thoughts for the moment, she focused on the instruction for the next technique.

The first one was exceedingly simple, and was so similar to her own style, after watching the demonstration, she was able to perform it perfectly on the first try. It was a quick motion, much like her Falling Star technique made to puncture armor, but it used the deceptive nature of the style they were in now to make it more difficult for the enemy to dodge it while her own style used the sheer speed and number of attacks to overwhelm the enemy. Blinking at how simple the first one was, Kagura was somewhat surprised that Akari hadn’t shown her both techniques, but it wasn’t for her to say; it was better to be slow and steady when learning a technique anyway, even if they were exceedingly easy. “Got it… very similar to my style just used in a different method… I like it.” She flashed Akari a very large smile and then relaxed, waiting for the next demonstration.

[102]

Akari would nod with a small smile of her own at the woman before settling in to demonstrate the second thrust. “The next one involves a bit more savagery and far less finesse than I particularly prefer. However for what it is for it succeeds in it’s goal quite well.” She would say as she turned toward the training dummy once more before dropping into her stance once more. The thrust that came utilized a swift flick of the wrist and came from center mass, increasing the power behind it drastically as the blunted tip of the bokken struck the dummy it punctured through and continued, the dummy splitting in half down the middle from the force of the thrust. “It’s entire purpose is to overwhelm an opponent’s guard or their armor with a brutal amount of strength.” She would say, explaining the techniques ‘point’, get it? The dark haired teen would proceed to nod toward Kagura to demonstrate the technique on her own with another dummy, since the one she had just used was quite out of commission.

As she watched and waited her thoughts would drift, the prior night had involved far less sleep than she was a custom to. Yet she still felt wonderfully refreshed, if a bit sore, in a good way. Not to mention the feeling of waking up next to someone. She didn’t want to give that up, not ever. The thought of it brought another smile to her lips. Her thoughts would continue though, as she herself considered the prospect of eventually taking on a second student. Akari wasn’t one for students usually but things with Kagura had so far worked out rather well. Besides the ‘personal’ aspects of course. When you removed those, the amount of things they had gotten done over the course of yesterday alone was impressive. Was Akari simply a good teacher? Was Kagura a prodigious student? Or was the focused training upon a single student the cause? Perhaps all of the above? She wasn’t sure herself, for she didn’t have a ‘control’ group in this circumstance. She would consider the notion and decide later.

Spoiler:

[102]

Kagura nodded again, noting that this too seemed similar to her own techniques, but with the different style. Being able to pick either or depending upon the situation would give her more options in which to attack, making her capable of handling more situations that came her way. The ability to adapt was important considering that most plans when they were actually executed only succeeded when they could adapt to the situations in which they were in. That adaptability would make her more effective not only in accomplishing her missions, but in surviving situations that would otherwise be her end.

She knew too well how possible it was for even strong Shinobi to find themselves overwhelmed. An image of her parents coming home, almost completely broken physically, wrapped in bandages and casts, unable to ever serve again flashed through her mind and the brunette’s facial expression hardened a little bit as she nodded at the demonstration.

Lowering back into Akari’s stance, she looked towards the training dummy, her Bokken glowed bright green, and she lunged forward, piecing a hole straight through it with force. While Akari’s had been cleanly cut in half, Kagura’s had snapped off it’s base and twirled through the air and slammed into the tree behind it. It was the same technique, but the subtle difference being that the brunette had aimed slightly different, testing a different effect. Taking a deep breath, she sighed, then shook her head and looked towards her mentor. “Sorry… my head’s not where it should be…” The entire reason her parents had come to her mind was because she had thought about what she was going to tell her parents once they went public. Would they approve? The worry and regret that she hadn’t been able to help them more was heavy on her heart.

(Learned Savage Thrust)

[103]

Akari would watch the demonstration and a single eyebrow would raise in curiosity as the dummy was snapped off at its base and proceeded to flip through the air before landing with a resounding crash a ways away. Listening to her lover’s apology would cause a look of concern to cross Akari’s features. “You okay? You can take a few to get back into the right mindset if you need to.” She would offer, it wasn’t like her progress wasn’t insane already so taking a small break wouldn’t hurt anything. Provided she agreed Akari would nod and wait until she was ready, going through a few ideas for personal techniques. Should Kagura not Akari would nod before dropping into her stance. “You performed the technique well despite letting your go overboard a bit. Nothing to worry about there. We’ll move on. The next technique is a defensive one that involves utilizing technique over strength. Utilized well, it can leave an opponent disarmed. Come at me.” She would say, waiting for the attack to come.

Once it came, Akari would utilize one of her favorite maneuvers. She had dubbed it ‘Mistresses Parry’ and it’s entire purpose was to utilize her personal technique, or skill rather, to redirect the force of a blow without directly coming against the strength of the blow. Should the target be swinging hard enough, it could very easily cause them to fling their weapon into the distance. The technique involved meeting the weapon of the target, but upon the moment of contact twisting one's wrist to cause the blade to twist and generate sudden torque, which knocks the opposing weapon aside without any loss in strength. Once the weapons met, Akari’s sudden torque would potentially throw the weapon of her lover from her grasp. Provided the strength of the woman was less than Akari’s coordination. Should this occur the dark haired girl would step back. “Go ahead.” She would say, nodding toward the weapon which would land 20 meters away. “You’re turn, remember, it’s important to twist your wrist as they are landing.” She would say, waiting for the woman to be ready for her own strike. Once she was Akari would move and swing her bokken at her maximum strength toward the woman.

Spoiler:

[103]

Kagura heard the concern in the woman’s voice, and a part of her just wanted to shove it aside just to ease the woman’s worry, but part of her knew that no matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to lie like that… especially not to Akari. “No… not really. But We can handle it later. Not something I’m going to forget.” The pain in her tone was heavily outweighed by the brunette’s raw determination and willpower to push through it and handle it when they weren’t in the middle of training. She had promised the dark-haired teen she would try to not get sidetracked this time, however enjoyable that might have been the day prior. This one, there was no temptation at all… and while a part of her hoped Akari would forget all about it, a part of her knew that there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening.

She asked Kagura to attack her, and she did so without hesitation. She too was holding back on power, but not speed, so her surprise when it was not only blocked but actually wrenched the weapon from her hand and sent it flying was more than enough for her to momentarily forget what she normally would do in that situation. Most of the time, if someone locked up her hand or disarmed her, she would snatch the weapon from the air or pass it to the other hand, the advantage of being ambidextrous coming into play. The surprised look on her face settled quickly as she listened to the explanation, nodding and using a quick Body Flicker to retrieve her weapon and turn towards her beautiful girlfriend, lowering into the stance. Once she moved in to attack, she would apply her strength, letting the chakra flow naturally to enhance her body, focusing on the twist and sending her weapon flying up into the air. She then stood up straight and blinked. “Wow… that one is really effective,” she said quietly, but loud enough for Akari to hear. Looking upwards, and having guided the strike properly, she reached out and caught the dark-haired teen’s Bokken and twirled it once, handing it back to her hilt first.

(Learned Mistresses Parry)

[104]

Once the technique was properly performed Akari would nod in approval as the bokken was swept from her hands and up into the air. The wooden practice sword twirled end over end and Kagura caught the weapon deftly, twirling it a few more times before offering to her hilt first. Akari would smile at the woman and take the proffered hilt. “Thank you.” She would say before pausing and speaking again. “Oh, and very well done again.” She would say with a smile never leaving her features before she twirled the bokken around in her hands. “I’ve got one more and it’s probably my favorite. I call it “Blade Mistresses Waltz” and it really compounds the deception capabilities of the base stance and makes it far more difficult to keep up with for people. It’s a single strike that becomes nearly impossible to follow for many” She would say as she fell into her stance once more. “Ready?” She would ask, waiting for the approval before she began the technique.

Moving quickly, she would utilize her superhuman control of her body and dash toward Kagura, her body low as she moved. Every little thing that could be used as a ‘tell’ for the location of the strike was specifically designed to mislead. She’d look at one part of the brunettes form. Which would be a tell for most, her shoulders would be set just so to mislead her into thinking the strike would go to another location too. Meanwhile her low stance would cause one to believe the strike would be below the belt, toward the legs or perhaps the waist. When she finally did strike however the bokken swinging through the air would be aimed directly for Kagura’s side, whether it caught the arm or slipped through to strike her ribs was entirely dependent on the brunette's stance at the time. Once over Akari would back off, taking her stance once more. “It’s important to do everything in your power to mislead the target about where your strike is going to land.” She would say, holding her bokken into the guard position. “Ready when you are.” She would say.

Spoiler:

[104]

Kagura gave the woman a solid nod, and she felt like she was ready. Confident, she had her stance set, her senses on full alert, and was going to do her best to block the strike, and she thought she had been properly prepared. She was wrong, and her body showed it, reacting in all the wrong ways. Her sword moved upwards to block one strike she thought she saw coming, while her hand lashed out to try to stop another, all of which meaning she was completely out of position and off balance as the weapon smacked into her ribs. The only reaction was a barely visible wince, and then Kagura took a few solid steps back, but didn’t lower her guard or hold herself in pain, only ready if it came again. When it was obvious there wasn’t a follow up attack, she would nod and stand up straight. “My mind knew the first one was a feint, but my body reacted regardless. Using muscle memory against the target… smart…” She was clearly impressed, and then settled, mentally mapping how she was going to do the same thing.

Her lover would declare that she was ready as well, and Kagura bounced lightly on the balls of her feet twice before rushing in low, eyes targeting a shoulder, her shoulders squared for a headstrike, and even the stance suggesting that she was going high for the blow but towards the throat, but the swing of the wooden blade would come for the woman’s midsection on the opposite side of where she had been holding her blade just a moment ago. When she had rushed forward, her sword had gone behind her and she had switched hands all together, and even had almost thrust with the right hand even though her left was the one who committed the attack. Again, all the speed was present, but hardly any of the power. Even if it had been blocked, she would take a moment and stand up straight, give Akari a smile, and take a long breath to keep herself centered and focused. “I can see why that one is your favorite.”

[105]

Akari would nod at the explanation that Kagura gave before speaking. “That’s the idea, yes, and thank you.” She would say before dropping into the stance to let everything happen. When the strike came Akari would have difficulty deciding where the strike would land, her perceptions reduced well below their normal level. Granted, if she wanted to she could have activated her Sharingan and seen through it all regardless. However that would defeat the point of the exercise. Instead what she would do would be to watch for the when the blade began to move for the swing. That would be the important moment. Her crystalline blue eyes tracked the blade and when it swung she raised her blade, managing the catch the blade just as it was about to smack solidly into her midsection. “Well done, I definitely had difficulty tracking the swing. I almost didn’t make it in time.” she would say, approval in her voice before she stepped back a pace to disengage.

“That’s the last of my personal kenjutsu techniques. I intend to make more, I just haven’t really had the time to dedicate to it since I took office. I have a few ideas for some personal ninjutsu. But I don’t think you would be able to handle them yet. And yes, that’s considering your prodigious progress thus far. So I’ll work on those later on. For now, we could take a break, or start to spar. I’m ambivalent either way, so it’s up to you.” She would say, her blue eyes meeting the brown orbs of her lover.

[105]

Kagura nodded at the information given, taking another deep breath and letting it go slowly, letting her muscles and joints relax. “Let’s take a short break. I want to be fresh to get my ass kicked,” she said, sticking her tongue out Akari and looking around. Finding a particularly large boulder, enough to where both girls could sit side by side, she would move over to it and take a seat, grabbing a canteen of water and taking a deep draw from it. If Akari was nearby, she would offer the same to her before setting it down and laying backwards.

“I have one custom technique that I’m working on, but I’m no where near fast enough yet to make it work. One day.” She was using the talk about techniques to try to bury the topic that was so painful earlier, but knowing how intelligent Akari was, knew it wasn’t going to stay buried for long, if at all. It wasn’t like she didn’t have the capabilities in which to talk about it, especially because it was to Akari who she felt like she could trust with anything. It didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt. But there was one part of it all that did need to be talked about no matter what.

“So… when we do make ‘us’ public… before we do I think you should meet my folks… and I meet yours. I don’t want to blindside them and have them find out after we go public. How would that look, and when should we do it?” Akari was the smart one between the pair, so it only made sense that she be the one who would form the plans.

[106]

The dark haired hokage would nod at the decision to take a small break, smirking at Kagura’s claim that she’d get her ass kicked. As much as Akari wanted to be able to tell her otherwise, the bottom line was the brunette was probably right. She wasn’t going to hold back in the spar, minus not using any potentially lethal jutsu of course. That meant she’d utilize her Sharingan and such a hurdle was difficult for one to overcome in a weapons battle. Don’t get her wrong, the possibility of Akari ‘losing’ the spar was there. It was just very small. As she settled upon the boulder that Kagura had decided to sit on she would accept to water with a nod of thanks before taking a drink and passing it back. Then she would lay back herself, placing her hands behind her head as a pillow as they rested.

The next comment would cause the girl to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Were they not going to talk about what her look was about earlier? The crystalline eyed girl was tempted to bring it up, and find out all she could before she decided to simply let it lay. Kagura had been honest with her until then, if she wasn’t comfortable sharing what it was that had bothered her earlier then forcing the matter would be nothing short of rude and cruel. Her lover could come out with it in her own time. “I think the theory behind mine is sound, and I should be able to pull it off now. I just don’t want to start on it when my time is supposed to be devoted to you.” She would say taking one hand from under her head and reaching for one of Kagura’s to hold.

The next question would cause a momentary look of contemplation on Akari’s features before she decided how to answer. “The plan was always to do so in my book. I wouldn’t share such a thing without having told my own family first. I expect they’ll be happy for us. My brother too, but he’ll hide it behind indifference.” She would say putting some more thought into it. “I doubt it will need to be brought up before you’re strong enough to not need a ‘sensei’ anymore. When that occurs, we’ll talk to our respective families first. Tell them that we’re together and quite happy. Then we’ll go public with it, or at least, not hide it anymore.” She would say nodding her head as she finished. “The part I’m most nervous about is being involved as we are while I’m technically still your sensei. I want no one to know about that, even our families. It’s dangerous ice to cross and could cause problems in the shinobi forces.” she would say, further explaining why waiting until they were no longer sensei/student was important.

[106]

Kagura nodded in understanding after taking the smaller woman’s hand in her own. “Even if we are breaking the rules a little, to openly just flaunt it would cause dissension in the ranks and resentment. No one wants to follow someone who can’t lead by example. It’s not terribly uncommon for teammates to grow to like one another, but a Sensei is different, supposed to be impartial.” She then giggled a moment as an amusing joke crossed her mind. “But that means we have to fall for another possible student, if we ever expand the team.” She would then outright laugh, the possibility of that happening so far fetched it was obviously a joke. Being able to laugh… that made things easier on her heart… perhaps it was the right time after all. Akari had respected her enough to wait for Kagura to find the right time to broach the subject, but transparency and honesty were really important for any relationship.

Kagura settled down quickly, and gave Akari’s hand a squeeze. “Do you know my parents at all? I mean, there are a lot of retired Shinobi in the village, and I doubt you have read through every file, so no harm in not knowing them… but their history is pretty rough.” Compared to most Shinobi, who’s information would contain some dark truths, her parents stood out not because of the context of the content, but the brutality of the injuries they sustained. “Inuyasha and Cho Ezume. My father was a paladin, front liner that was always able to take a lot of hits… my mother was a fast spy. They served Konohagakure for years until… until they went on a mission and crossed paths with the Akumakage… no one knows her real name, or even if it’s actually a woman. Just that it takes the shape of a woman and is a master of death and shadow. My parents were maimed by the demon… to the point that they could no longer serve as Shinobi ever again and could not recover with Iijutsu. I carry their legacy as a soldier of Konohagakure, but more than that…” she paused, and for a moment, her tone grew cold, “I want to kill the thing that did that to them. It didn’t do it for any other reason than to send a message, and to crush their pride. Killing them would have been more merciful to them, even if I may never have recovered from it. I bring their sense of pride back… I’ll grow strong enough that it will never be broken again. I still see the pain they hold behind their eyes.”

It had been a lot of information all at once, but Kagura took a deep breath, a tear of pain and fury sliding from her eyes as she stared at the ceiling, still holding Akari’s hand firmly.

[107]

Akari would raise an eyebrow at the girl as she made the joke about adding another teammate for them to fall for. “I swear to god if that happens now I’m blaming you.” She would say simply, know how the gods of fate and chance acted at times when such things were said. Still though, it wouldn’t take long for things to quiet down and in those moments of contemplation Kagura would speak on the matter that was probably bothering her earlier. She’d go into detail regarding the tragedy that occurred to her parents. The teen wondered why no information of this ‘Akumakage’ had ever been recorded in the records. But that was for another time. Right now her lover was hurting and Akari wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Admittedly I never looked into the records for those retired from active duty. I was more concerned with getting those on it squared away. So no, I hadn’t heard about your parents.” She would admit honestly.

“Wanting revenge is natural in that situation, and you’ll have my support when it comes down to it.” She would say, holding the woman close as she considered it all. She wasn’t good in these situations. High emotions were things she never had to deal with. She’d never been depressed, or so angry that she cried. In speaking of that, the crystal eyed teen would reach up and wipe the tear from her lover's face with a gentle, feather-like finger. “I think the best thing that we could do for your parents though is make sure you’re so powerful that they don’t have to worry about you.” She would say, a confident tone in her voice as she resolved to handle that personally. “So now that that is in the air. I hope you don’t expect me to hold back in our spar. I’m going to drag your potential out kicking and screaming.” she would say, a vicious smirk upon her features as she finished the sentence. “Do you need a few more minutes? Or are you ready?” She would ask, deciding that the best time to start was then. But if her love needed time to compose herself then of course Akari would give it to her. Holding her tight for as long as the brunette needed the comfort.



[107]

Kagura had laughed at the fact that she would be to blame if there was another teammate that they could possibly fall for. But in the moment of weakness, pain and rage, the smaller woman did the one thing that helped more than any words ever could, even if what Akari promised certainly helped; she simply held her and provided that sense of peace and comfort that she needed in that instance of vulnerability. It made sense for the Hokage, who had fairly recently been appointed, to focus on the forces that were a part of their standing forces. She had to focus on the ‘now’, not the ‘then’, so not knowing about her parents was natural. But considering that they were going to meet Kagura’s parents in person, likely sooner than later, it would be important to have some context to when the dark-haired teen saw them.

She shook her head when asked if she needed a few more minutes. “If I’m ever going to catch up to you, be strong enough to protect you and this village, it isn’t going to happen if I can’t push through. Besides… having you… it’s better healing for my heart than anything I’ve ever had before.” It was true too; it was absolutely liberating to have that off her chest, out in the air, to someone she could say she honestly loved and could trust with her heart and soul. She looked up and gave Akari a deep, sensual kiss, one out of pure love, and not lust, and then very reluctantly pulled away. Taking a deep breath and emotionally centering herself, she finally got back to her feet and looked around for a good spot to have their spar, spotting the pond again.

“You still want to use the pond to spar on? You aren’t wrong about it being good for chakra control training too.” Because there was only one way to get stronger in her eyes, a mantra she had inherited from her father who had gotten the snot beat out of him for years and years, but by choice. “You only get better by fighting someone stronger than you.” She gave Akari a wide smile, almost glowing with a sense of happiness.

[108]

Her denial of more time to compose herself would be met with a nod before the brunette would speak about having Akari and the dark haired girl would blush a bit from the comments. The kiss that came would be returned, just as deeply, and just as sensually. It was hard for either of them to pull away from it but it was back to business for them. Kagura’s question regarding the pond would be met with a nod. “Yes, we’ll still use the pond. I hope you’re ready for this, I’m not going to be playing fair.” She would say as she moved toward the pond with her bokken in hand. She’d settle on one side of it, her eyes becoming a sea of red as her sharingan became active. Her focus would turn entirely onto the brunette. “We’ll start when you’re ready.” She would say, settling into a stance. In particular, it was the one for her Art of The Blade Mistress and she prepared herself mentally, physically, and emotionally for what was to come.

Contrary to her statement before about dragging the girls potential out kicking and screaming, the red eyed girl actually wouldn’t enjoy doing it. It involved situations like this, where to make her stronger she would have to give her the very best instruction that she possibly could. With that in mind there was nothing, absolutely nothing, that taught a lesson better than pain. Punches would not be pulled in this, speed wouldn’t be downplayed, and she would fight as a shinobi was supposed to. Her goal was to hone Kagura into a powerful weapon, and to do that the doe eyed teen would have to go through whatever crucible and forging process required. Her instincts were let loose, her competitive desire was allowed to play, and her bokken was gripped firmly, but not too tightly. She was ready for what she would have to do. The question that plagued her, was that would Kagura be ready? A niggling fear that her lover would hate her for this planted it’s seed within her mind and it started to bother her. In the end though, that wouldn’t matter, and it would be pushed aside. What was more important was this, making sure her lover, no, her student was prepared for whatever challenges that might come her way.

[108]

Kagura moved to the pond as they continued to talk, and she could feel her warrior’s spirit begin to rise to the surface as she did. Still… she worried about Akari. On the extreme longshot that Kagura pulled this off, and she was going to do everything in her power to do exactly that, and won the match it would hurt Akari’s pride more than likely. A Hokage losing to a Genin would be a serious blow to anyone… but to not give it her all and try to win in any conceivable way was not just something she couldn’t do because of her own pride, but would be downright disrespectful to Akari, and that was something she would never do. “There is no such thing as ‘cheating’ with this. All is fair in love and war.” She moved into position and rotated her arms a little bit, preparing herself for what was to come, and that was when an idea struck her.

“Winner gets to pick dinner. I’m cooking, but whatever the winner wants, I’m making.” This was an absolutely genius move on her own part; this was a solid indication that while she was going to be taking this seriously, as Akari would be as well, there would be no hard feelings after this. Win or Lose, they had each other, and that wasn’t something that was ever going to change. Slowly, Kagura lowered into her own stance, but didn’t activate her Dance of the Heavens just yet… she needed to conserve her Chakra if her plan was going to work. As soon as she was certain Akari was ready, a Shadow Clone would form in front of her as she would dash forward rapidly, the clone directly in front of her. Kagura had to be sure that she didn’t get hit with a Genjutsu right off the bat, and this would provide the mobile cover she needed. Assuming they both closed the gap, the first would begin a flurry of strikes with the original waiting behind her for an opening.

[109]

Akari would smirk at the bet and nod her head in agreement as Kagura lowered into her stance. The dark haired teens sharingan saw the chakra within her lover's body churn as she worked a jutsu and Akari knew it immediately. As such her hand would come off the hilt of her bokken and form a one handed Tiger seal and then her own clone would come into the world. This wouldn’t be an easy strategy to use for Kagura. Since Akari’s clones had the Sharingan too and could utilize it just as effectively as she herself could. The clone would watch carefully, letting them come to it. Some might consider this ‘giving away the initiative’ however Clonekari had the counter to this.

The moment the first strike from the clone would swing the clone would snake it’s own blade and just as they were about to meet, twist it’s wrist in a sudden motion. Mistresses Parry, an incredibly useful technique for this type of spar. Provided the strike continued as planned the blade would be forcibly ripped from the clones hand and flung off twenty meters away. Not only that, but the moment the parry was complete Clonekari would follow the motion with an elegant and simple thrust that was intended to be the follow through with this technique, the blow being aimed for ‘center mass’ of the clone. The strike should be more than powerful enough to dispel the doppelganger, and should Kagura still be behind it, would provide cover for the strikes continuation into the brunettes form as well.

Spoiler:

[109]

Kagura had been waiting for that moment. She had hoped that Akari would have relied on her own skills instead of creating a clone as well, but the plan she had in mind wouldn’t have worked at a distance, nor on defense. She knew how the woman’s technique worked; she would make the brunette’s own ability to defend herself much worse while enhancing her own, and that in and of itself would end in her defeat almost instantly. No, there was one strategy that Kagura could think of that might just work if she did it properly; the problem with any technique was that it used chakra, slowly draining your stamina. She wasn’t certain which of the couple had higher, but a war of attrition would be the best bet for her to try to snag victory.

Her father had taught her a great many strategies for war, different tactics that could be implemented, and combined with her mother’s teachings in how to fool an opponent and the importance of being the quickest on the field, she had a solid grasp of how to fight with her mind as well as her body. Kagura saw the clone coming, and prepared herself for it, knowing that this was likely going to be the end of her own copy… but that had been the plan all along.

Kagura stopped short, just outside of weapon’s range and focused, summoning three more clones into being rapidly, one to each side and one behind her, and forcibly dismissed the original clone the moment that their swords made contact and the Riposte began to force the weapon out of her hand. The three clones lunged forwards, two targeting Akari’s own clone while the third went low, between Kagura’s legs that were intentionally widened just enough for her to run low underneath them, and beginning to jab relentlessly at the original Akari. The strategy was in the open now; Kagura hadn’t used a single other technique, and dispelling the clone before it had taken true damage allowed her to regain her chakra without the loss of focus due to pain. She also was not going to give up on the attack; Akari needed to be on the backfoot, on defense, and slowing down multiple copies would be immensely difficult even for someone with the Sharingan. If she had enough numbers and focused on controlling them, she could win this fight…

Maybe.

[110]

The strategy was solid, and Akari was proud of her student. However this was far from over and her clone knew it too. Both sets of sharingan eyes watching the situation unfold. The moment the original clone of her lover dispelled and three more came into being. All three were around Kagura, who’s stance widened to allow the third room to move between her legs. Clonekari however would already be moving forward, her hand forming the one handed tiger seal. Having stopped her follow up thrust the moment the clone dispelled. Stopping just outside of the range of her clone's weapon ensured that Kagura would be in range with just a simple step and as such so would the three clones of her that come into being. Clonekari’s bokken would flash toward the clone on Kagura’s right, the Art of The Blade Mistress still in effect and utilizing the Blade Mistresses Waltz to compound the disorientating effect. The strike, should it land, would ream the clone directly upon the head. The strike, aimed from left to right.

Another clone of Akari would spawn, next to the clone, to it’s right actually, with it’s bokken thrusting between Kagura’s legs right as the clone that spawned behind her would be moving beneath them. The original clone of Akari would simply continue the swing of it’s weapon. Which would put it on a collision course for the original Kagura’s head. The force behind the blow being enough to dispel any clones should it land.

Akari herself would step to her right and forward and bring her bokken down upon the final clone, the one that spawned to Kagura’s left. Art of the Blade Mistress in effect and utilizing Blade Mistresses Waltz to give the clone the worst possible chance to avoid the blow.

Spoiler:

[110]

As soon as the clone lunged forward, Kagura knew that she was in a spot of trouble, but luckily for her, the clone didn’t swing at her. Instead, it was going for the clone to her left, which would stall the blade just long enough upon making contact to slow down the strike and give the actual Kagura a chance to dodge backwards with a quick leap while still facing the opponent. That was the safer bet too; dodging out of range of the weapon, rather than side-stepping it or something where the feinting tactic could still play a factor.

The one who was sliding had just enough time before getting hit by the new clone to jab furiously at the one that was front and center and had tried for the sweeping blow, but the one that Akari herself had attacked didn’t have a chance to counter at all, nor the one the clone had been hit by the one that was dispersed. All in all, Akari had only lost a single clone, leaving her with one more, and Kagura had none and was retreating. Focusing on ensuring she didn’t make eye contact was hard… and she quickly was trying to create space, making two more shadow clones to try to buy her a smidge of time to focus, both ready to defend the original.

Akari was simply too fast and had too many options… Kagura needed more time!

[111]

Akari had no intention of giving the woman that time.

The moment her clone was defeated the dark haired teen’s sharingan eyes would show her where Kagura would be before she was even there. Wordlessly, the crystal eyed girl would activate the body flicker technique. The jutsu not requiring seals for her to utilize as she dashed toward the location at her best speed. As she did she would hold the bokken with the tip forward, using it plow through any clone that might be in her path. Her clone would utilize the speed enhancing technique as well, dashing forward and following after Kagura. The moment the two clones came into being though the clone would stop and focus upon it’s fellow clones. The first swing would utilize her Blade Mistresses Waltz once more, the strike lashing out toward the clone she was in range of. The other doppelganger wasn’t in range so wouldn’t be able to be attack by Clonekari from her current position until she finished off the first clone.

The original Akari would continue to plow toward the original Kagura, her bokken pointed forward and now her hand in a familiar tiger seal. Again, another Clone of Akari would spawn who would utilize body flicker to meet the second clone at the same time the first clone of Akari was swinging toward the first one. This clone would utilize the Art of the Blade Mistress and perform a simple thrust that was designed to be quick and efficient. Neither clones would be in Akari’s direct path So the path should be clear for her to reach her fleeing lover.

Spoiler:

[111]

Kagura knew she was in trouble. The clones were dispatched faster than she could create them, and with her smaller chakra pool, even the fact that she got the chakra back was a moot point. The war of attrition wasn’t working, so instead, she activated her Dance of the Heavens and pushed forward through the smoke, using carefully controlled Body Flickers and speedy jabs, was able to disperse the other two clones in a blitzkrieg surprise attack. Tactics and Strategy had failed her, and now she was relying on speed and the element of surprise instead. She hadn’t used a single other technique this entire time, and was fresh. Surely the Sharingan was draining Akari at least a little…

Turning, she vanished outright for a moment, using Replacement to try to hide. It wasn’t going to work, but the goal was to buy a single second of time while those red eyes tracked her down. With another Body Flicker, she could start to feel the fatigue hitting her in full force. She had to finish this quickly… and with a solid determination, and knowing full well that Akari was probably predicting her movements with the Sharingan, she brought her Bokken forward in a powerful thrust right at the woman’s diaphragm, center mass with all the speed she could muster, locking eyes with her lover for the first time since the fight began on accident and out of desperation to score a single hit.

[112]

The turnaround wasn’t as much of a surprise as one might expect. Akari knew that the girl didn’t play defensively, her entire self made style showed that. It was all offense all of the time, using quick attacks and thrusts to hamper and debilitate before going for a kill. So when the brunette turned it wouldn’t be taken as a surprise for any of them, original or clone. However the lack of her making more clones was in fact a surprise in it of itself. It caused Akari to wonder if her lover had chosen to fight her straight up. Deciding that a kenjutsu fight might be interesting, if potentially one sided because of her eyes, she had the clones accept the strikes, looks of surprise on their faces for dispelling. To sell the idea that they had been caught flat footed.

When Kagura came for her however she would accidentally make the biggest mistake she possibly could have. A cardinal sin in the shinobi world that many people did not know was something that should be avoided at all costs. She made eye contact with an Uchiha, and Akari’s reflexes immediately activated the Sharingan genjutsu. The highest of the technique putting the woman entirely under her control. Immediately the illusion would differ from reality as in the illusion Akari would utilize her parry technique, which would throw the weapon of her lover away in its entirety before bringing the weapon the rest in front of Kagura’s throat. “Set match.” She would declare in the illusion, informing her lover that the spar was over.

In the real world, Akari would avoid the blow, dodging to the side to avoid the thrust and simply back step, before moving to the side of the pool and sitting down on a large rock that sat next to it. Controlling the illusion from there. Within the illusion, Akari would toss her bokken to the side and look toward her lover with an expression of love and approval. “I think that’s enough sparring today, and you did well besides. I think a reward is in order.” She would say before reaching forward, grabbing the front of her lovers dress and yanking her into a deep, passionate kiss. The sharingan would be deactivated and within the illusion her crystalline blue eyes would be back to their normal state that she knew Kagura loved. The illusion Akari would hold her lover tight, kissing her deep place her hands upon her lover’s back. Clawing at it lightly to show her that she wanted the clothing blocking her path gone.

[112]

In the real world, Kagura was frozen, her body relaxed finally, but just sort of, standing there, eyes unfocused as her mind was trapped in a Genjutsu that she had little to no chance of noticing she was under. It didn’t matter though, because inside the illusion, she knew she had lost. Her bokken went flying, and Kagura put her hands up a little bit in surrender, a gentle pout on her lips before saying “I guess you get to pick what I cook tonight… not that I mind in particular.” Hearing about the possible reward made a smile cross her face; she knew that tone anywhere… she had heard it several times just last night. This was the best loss in combat Kagura had ever had, already, hands down, and while her pride wouldn’t allow it, the fun thought that she should lose more often definitely crossed her mind.

Kagura returned the kiss, her arms moving instinctively and wrapping around Akari, breathing deeply through her nose as the anticipation and passion blossomed through her. She was kissing back deeply, and in a practiced motion as though she had anticipated this, she unclasped a buckle and the outfit fell away, revealing the sports bra and spandex she wore beneath it to hold her assets in place, and her hands moved to find out if she could find the best way to remove Akari’s as well, still kissing her with enough love and passion to throw away any doubt if there were any hard feelings for Kagura’s loss.

[113]