Staying in shape

Out of all the training fields, the secondary field was one he hadn't been to very often. Coming here now, he was a little disappointed with himself for not appreciating the scenery more, but, that was the past. He was here now and still had a long life ahead of him; he could enjoy them now and in due time. Setting Oritenaus and a small backpack down, he'd unclip the bokken from his side and began warming up with basic kendo styles as he waited. The area was pretty nice; an open field near a cliff with a waterfall, trees circling the area, and the occasional rock adding some character to the place. It was a good spot for a spar.

Earlier in the day he had sent in a request for a Jounin to spar with to the higher-ups, and he was told that they'd get back to him. It wasn't an official mission, so the best he could hope for was that someone had time to spare, and with it being more peaceful he was pretty sure he had a good chance of getting someone. In truth he knew he was stronger then most Jounin, and while it wasn't serious gave a kage a run for their money when he was inly a chunin, kinda like he was now, again. it did suck that he had to start back from the basic rank and not have his old rank of Jounin again. At least they started him at chunin, being as strong as a kage yet being a genin would have been insulting.

A few days after he had made the request he was told to go to the second training grounds and that there were a few Jounin available, and that one of them should be making the rounds to spar with him if they had time. So that's why he was here now, thinking to himself about what happened not even a week ago and it not being unfiltered becau-.

Mort stopped his warm-ups and took a deep breath. He was spiraling again. Already signs of the curse were returning again, which meant that in due time Id would be back to keep his head sorted.

He'd go back to his warm-ups, focusing more on the nearby waterfall to keep his mind at ease as he limbered up.

Jonin had many duties in a Village, far more than any young Genin could dream of. In addition to leading the Village’s forces in combat, should it ever come to that, and the responsibilities that come with any high-ranking individual in a military capacity - such as staying in shape and training the next generation of Ninja - they also took on the liberty of accepting requests from lower ranked Ninja, as well as various mission requests. These can range from something as simple as simple to funding or finding a lost doll, or just a lost Genin needing someone to talk to. They didn’t provide money, but Jonin are highly encouraged to take them anyway, as a means to help the Village foster.

It was one of these requests that Kubi took; some Chuunin wanting to spar against a Jonin. Probably some young buck who thinks he’s hot shit because he beat his sensei or something, he’s seen it a thousand times. Slicked back hair, some fuckin’ hotshit Clan that’s quote-unquote “unbeatable”. Best part is what happens when he beats their face in (non-violently), they react as if it was impossible for them to be beaten! No, honey, you just suck.

Training Ground Two wasn’t one he was intimately familiar with - he prefers number one! - but from a brief survey it seemed … passable. Well, it seemed durable enough to not be destroyed immediately, we’ll see how the night guys. He had to stoop to enter the arched entrance ringed by trees; the very first thing his opponent, casually warming up in the middle of the exercise area, would notice was his extreme height. Nearly seven and a half feet tall, his shadow filling the training grounds and falling upon his opponent today. Honestly, Kubi looked young; too young to be a Jonin. But there was a darkness in his brown eyes, the type of depth and age only time could bestow upon a person.

’So yer th’ Chuunin tryna fight someone? What, yer teammates not enough fer ya? Or did they get tired o’ ya?”

Truthfully, it didn’t matter; this was his job, the job he promised Masaki he’d carry on doing, so he was going to do it. Despite their obvious combative intentions, Kubi didn’t sink into any combat stance, or look in any way as if he had come for combat. The only indication he was preparing to fight was the almost casual way in which he shrugged off a leather backpack, tossing it to the side with a flick of his wrist, where it hung from the branch of a nearby tree. Other than this acknowledgement, however, Kubi did little to prepare. He merely stood, one hand hanging at his side, the other tucked into a pocket, looking for all the world as if he was bored to be there. Only the sarcastic smirk, perfectly calculated to infuriate whoever its aimed at, and a spark in his eye indicated that it was but a ruse.

”Well, y’ gonna sit there or y’ gonna hit me? Yer th’ challenger, y’ get th’ honor of first strike. Congratulations.”

If the sarcasm was any thicker, you could cut it with a sword.

Mort turned his head to look towards the approaching man, seeing the weight of life in his eyes quickly figuring out that he was the Jounin sent to spar with him. If Kubi were to try to glean some fort of info from looking at the Kurama's own eyes, he'd find that while there were bags under his eyes that showed experience, he still held the spark of youth and optimism.
Exiting his kendo stance he'd go and pick up a water bottle and made note of the man's height, something that was normally detrimental for the average ninja, but given he was a jounin either had a way of overcoming it or turned it into an asset. Probably meant he was stronger then the average person.

"That I am, though I have no teammates, not anymore. They both passed away several years ago and my mentor disappeared shortly before then. Never was reassigned to a new team afterwards due to extenuating circumstances." Of course, that was because he had been a Special Jounin when Ryuko had disappeared and a Jounin when his teammates passed away, but that was before his Wisdom Queen incident. While he could find another user of the Saiko Denshin to explain why, it wasn't worth the hassle; events were different here and causing unneeded concern wasn't something he wanted to do. Seeing Nova in a younger, physical body was enough proof for that.

When given the opportunity to have the first strike, he'd shrug, preparing for a bluff from the man. "If you insist. The name is Mort by the way." Clipping his bokken to the right side of his clothes and Oritenaus to his left, he'd take a new stance that any self respecting Jounin of Kumogakure would know: the Disturbance fighting style. He'd then preform 4 hand signs, clap his hands, and then use the resulting burst of wind to launch himself forward, rapidly closing the 10 meter gap in between the two of them as he prepared his next attack. Channeling more wind-natured chakra to his feet, he'd ignite his left leg with the Hardliner Revolving Cut and twisted his body so that his leg would strike the man in the right flank at a downward horizontal angle, possibly clipping his arm as well if Kubi wasn't careful. He knew he'd have to pull his punches a little if it did hit, many jounin didn't specialize in tanking damage but avoiding it like any fighter should and he could easily heal the man if it came to it, but he still needed to assess his opponent's skillset.

---

185/185 CP
Disturbance; -10 CP (++ Speed, ++ Coord, -- Opp. Perc)
Wind Release: Gale Palm; -3 CP (+1 tier Speed)
Nadeshiko-Style Hardliner Revolving Cut; -5 CP
167/185 CP

Analyzing Kubi, precog ready; 4 precog's remain

Stats:
➤STR: D
➤CON: C
➤STA: B
➤SPD: C → B++
➤CORD: B → B++
➤INT: S
➤PERS: B

’Ah. Sorry t’ hear that, then. Seems we got somethin’ in common.”

Almost unconsciously, his thumb and forefinger twisted the simple copper band, worn from age, that was kept on his ring finger. From the wear and tear on it, it was obviously old, probably several decades, but still immaculately taken care of. A soft, wistful expression crossed his face, and for just a moment, he crossed over that physical barrier into nostalgia, eyes taking on a somewhat glassy tone as he remembered better times. One in which he had his wife by his side and he looked forward to a bright and happy future. But now …

He shook his shaggy head, brown locks shaking like the branches of a tree. Now wasn’t the time nor place to be reminiscing about old times. They were dead and gone.

His young challenger had taken up the assault, seizing upon the offer for a first strike with all the gusto that youth provides. Ah, to be young again. Say what you want about him, though, the Chuunin certainly didn’t hold back. He boosted his speed and, though he wasn’t familiar with the technique himself, the slightly-vibrating form of his opponent seemed to indicate a Ninjutsu or Taijutsu, likely increasing offensive power, and it certainly made it hard to keep his gaze on him. Only gonna make it more difficult to focus on him in battle, but well … ya reap what you sow.

In the second Mort delivered his strike, Kubi shifted, moving into a style of fighting known as the Arhat Fist. At the same moment, Yellow lightning flicked across the entirety of his body as his chakra flowed with greater urgency. Now, onto the difficulty; trying to block this fuckin’ move. Shifting slightly, his arm raised just enough to fully block the blow. And holy fucks, was it a blow. A grunt was forced from his body, the ground shattered underneath the blow, dust billowing in the air, and the lightning flickering around his body picked up speed. A small trickle of blood and slivers of pain like glass were the byproducts, but better than a broken rib. A blow like that to his chest, might be a game ender.

As his opponent recovered from the attack, so did Kubi, skittering back with a speed that someone his size simply shouldn’t possess. He shook his right arm out, the limb quickly going numb from the force of the blow. Blood left a sticky trail down his arm. But despite the pain and injury, there was a grin on his face, as if he reveled in it.

”Well, color m’ brown ‘nd cook me fer dinner. What’s a guy like you doin’ as a Chuunin? Interestin’ story there, no doubt.”

With that, the grin tightened, and suddenly he rushed at his opponent, his left, uninjured arm darting out; Shatter Palm, a powerful technique. He followed this up with a jab to the rib cage. Painful, no doubt, but with his strength, enough to shatter stone. And the entire time, the same, almost ravenous grin on his face.

__
(185/185 CP)
Arhat Activated: 1 CP, +1 Tier Strength
Burst Strength: +1 Tier Strength
Shatter Palm: 3 CP, +1 Tier Strength
(181/185 CP)

Analyzing Mort, precognition ready; post 1

Strength: B (A++)
Constitution: B
Stamina: B
Speed: B
Coordination: B
Intelligence: B
Perception: A

Mort had noted the brief expression on his face as he had mentioned his sensei and comrades.  The man was a jounin, and probably had lost someone dear to him like many others. Even if there wasn't a grand war, death was something common in their line of work. But as he had launched his attack and noted the man's stance change to Arhat Fist, he'd note the small differences in his posture that he himself could never quite get. He'd also notice the sparks of electricity, thoughts of his teammate in the back of his mind and the knowledge of raiton being weak to wind, he'd reduce some of the flow so it wouldn't slice the man in half. That electricity though, his teammate had a similar effect happen when he fought...no, he was making connections where there were none, the Tamwyn he knew was dead, and so were his parents.

On impact he could feel the damage he dealt and kicked off of his opponent, Kubi clearly having similar ideas of giving each other some distance after the hit. He'd watch as the man assessed the damage to their arm, and grinned a little, he still had it. While the man clearly had the constitution to take his attacks head-on, a blow like that was sure to keep that arm out of the fight for a while, though he wouldn't count it out of the fight. A broken arm was still a physical object, and a flailing arm was just as dangerous as a functioning one.

"Interesting yes, but it's also a long story I doubt you'd believe. Maybe if you beat me I'll share it."

As the man rushed forward, likely natural speed given his stance, he'd watch as the man gave small tells to his next attacks, and figured he might as well let his instincts take over for this one, his yellow eyes gaining spots of purple inside them, but not fully changing. While he would never have the same skill, he knew how to use and recognize Arhat and its derivative techniques. It was tempting to use Ortenaus as he knew it'd be able to handle a few attacks or Five Elements to end the fight instantly, but this was an opportunity to not rely on his preferred methods. Instead, he'd twist his body to the side to avoid the man's palm, feeling the wind rush by him and giving him a very good idea as to what he might expect from the man's attack as he contorted his body to avoid the jab to his midsection. While he may have been getting his curse back, it wasn't completely back yet and he wasn't willing to test it.

Still, the man had made the mistake of giving him an opening to his arm. Quickly building up chakra in his right hand he'd flick said hand to launch a small yet powerful blade of air from it. As the blade came forth from Mort's hand as he'd also attempt to put more distance between the two of them knowing the dangers of taijutsu fighters, with the blade threatening to cut off the left arm of the jounin before him. After all, he could heal the man afterwards if the blade did cut through him, though given how the man took his wind-infused kick he'd probably be fine. Still though, he couldn't help but join in on the man's infectious grin.

---

167/185 CP
Disturbance; -10 CP (++ Speed, ++ Coord, -- Opp. Perc)
Wind Release: Beast Tearing Palm; -5 CP
152/185 CP

Precoging Kubi, 1/3 precog's used
Analyzing Kubi, precog ready; 2 precog's remain

Stats:
➤STR: D
➤CON: C
➤STA: B
➤SPD: C → C++
➤CORD: B → B++
➤INT: S
➤PERS: B