Along the Way..[Open]

So, you ready? The young liger cub said to his good friend/master as they left the training grounds. His master looked down to him with those same intimidating eyes as usual, revealing his tattoo on his left cheek. I suppose.. Better question are you ready? The Liger's eyes grew a little wider. He figured his master would've already known the answer to this, so it caught him off guard. The Liger's eyes met his master's then went back to their looking-straight fixture. You should know that answer already.. The liger said in a hushed tone. His master then started walking forward, leaving this rocky trail right outside of Iwagakure. The Liger Cub then started walking forward, trying to keep up with his master.

The winds rushed over the rocks and swirled around a little bit while in the rocky trail. They were swirling and spinning around so furiously, the hair of the Liger and Master were being blown all over and going everywhere. It's as if the wind rushed into the path, pulled and tormented the hair of the two, then quickly escaped as to not receive punishment. The path started to become a little more rigid towards the end, and that only made the wind more and more violent. We almost back in Iwagakure Torao? Almost..Just keep trying. I know this path is brutal, and this wind is annoying, but we'll make it back in time.

As they kept walking down the path, the master stayed ahead of his Liger and surveyed all of the area before the Liger could, as to keep the path safe and alert it to potential danger. Normally it would be the Liger in front of its master, but then again, this was no ordinary liger. Nor was it an ordinary master. For starters, the Liger had the ability to talk, and the master was trained and raised by the Ligers. He had a great deal of gratitude to them, and perhaps that suggests why he is ahead of his Liger. As the master kept walking, wind whipping at every lose clothing and all long hair on his person, he came to an abrupt stop and grabbed his side. The Liger now had time to catch up, and he approached his master.

Torao..You okay? Will we be able to do a mission or was that training a little to rough? Yes we'll be able to..Don't worry I'm fine Shi.Shi nodded at Torao's response, trusting the fact he was alright. The two continued down this seemingly endless path from their little training spot, heading back to Iwagakure so they can request a mission. Their wills to progress and become stronger seemed to be a fire in their eyes, and they almost seemed indomitable. These two were such enigmas.

On the third floor of an apartment complex Ryoushi was just waking up to get ready for his first true day of training. He was excited yet a bit nervous not knowing what to expect from his journey to the mountain ridge just outside of the village. Ryoushi heard how brutal the trails could be with sever gust of wind capable of knocking an unwary person clear off the path most likely resulting in serious injury before he could even begin training. I guess today is the day... He sighed as he looked out his window at the rising sun realizing that he was running late. Ryoushi quickly sprung to his feet and ran into the bathroom to quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth. With his toothbrush still in his mouth he pokes his head out the door down the long hallway to the stairs. His eyes widened as a neatly placed sign on the door stated. "Out of Order". Ryoushi slammed his door shut and put his toothbrush back to its rightful place in the bathroom and proceeded to open his window. Just before he jumped out of the window he paused for a moment and looked back to his bedside at a picture of his mother and father before he was born. Ryoushi smiled to himself before jumping out the window and landing on the busy street below eager to start his training.

As Ryoushi makes it further and further away from his busy main street apartment the thick crowd of people begin to thin out as he reaches the outskirts of the massive village. Ryoushi paused for a minute as he looked back at the crowded streets. Man I hate the morning rush. He whispered to himself as he looked forward at the massive gate to the mountain ridge outside the village. Ryoushi let out a deep sign as he straightened his back and walked forward through the immense gate only to hit by such a strong gust of wind it almost sends his headband flying. The Kage would have killed him if he lost another one. Ryoushi pressed onward through the treacherous trail when off in the distance he spots a small human silhouette which appears to be around the size of a small child along with a creature trailing not to far behind them. Ryoushi though nothing of it until he was close enough to realize it was another ninja of Iwagakure Torao. Ryoushi stopped as he waited for the boy and pet continued their way back to the village.

Ryoushi patiently waited as the strong persistent winds would cause his black spiky hair to wave vigorously. But what could be don't? He had no control over the wind so all he could do was take the full force of its' fury. His short sword tied on firmly to his back insuring that no matter how strong the winds he would never lose it. Ryoushi reached under the sleeve of his left arm pulling out a kunai and firmly grasping it with his right hand in sight of the Ninja walking towards him. He boldly says, Where are you heading from? His voice was calm and without worry as he awaited the reply of the ninja who was now in conversation range without the need for yelling with the exception of the loud gust of wind roaring past them. I never seen you in the village before.

The trail only proved to be as brutal the small training session Shi and Torao just underwent. As they began nearing the village, they noticed someone off in the distance, who appeared to have stature. Torao stood up tall and tensed up a little bit. To his knowledge, this person could be a threat. As they got closer, he noticed what appeared to be a sword on the silhouette's back. Torao tried to avoid this and just make it pass this person. He then noticed the man stop and what appears to be reaching for a weapon. Shi, be ready. Torao took his right hand and sneaked it into his kunai pouch on his back, readying a kunai. As Torao approached the man, he heard the man's voice yell Where are you heading from? from a short distance. Torao then paused about ten feet infront of the strange man. He quickly observed him and noticed an Iwagakure headband. I never seen you in the village before.

That headband.. Are you an Iwagakure shinobi? Torao though a little beat up still stayed tense and ready for combat. Shi was at his side with his eyes fierce and watching all of the strang man's moves. He didn't want to miss a thing, as it could prove fatal and end up costing them their lives. Shi prayed this wouldn't result in a fight however. He started to remember what had happened during the training session a little earlier, and about how Torao hit those rocks hard all to protect Shi himself from falling off the cliff. Shi was grateful to Torao like that, and for this man that strangely approached them, Shi was ready to put his life on the line for Torao.

I am Torao, and this is Shi. We are from Iwagakure.. Now state your name and business here. Torao tried his best to conceal the slight pain in his eyes. The wounds were easy to hide, but he could only think to himself how badly those rocks hurt from earlier. It was almost mentally that Torao told Shi to watch out for himself, as he was doing a bad job. It just showed the bond more and more of the two, and how each other trusted each other greatly. Torao, be a little careful. We don't know what he's capable of.

Am I a shinobi? What the hell do you think? Is this headband not proof that I am a shinobi? Ryoushi replied with an angered attitude. To ask a simple question such as that just seemed plain stupid when the proof was right their in front of them. He doesn't wear the headband for good looks though it is stylish and holds his hair back that is beyond the point. After Torao stated his name Ryoushi raised his right arm with kunai in hand and pointed it at Torao. His shape eyes could pick up on the pain that he was experiencing due to something most likely training related. However Ryoushi felt no pity for the boy as life is tough and everyone has to be tough to survive in this Ninja world soon the be enveloped in war. With Ryoushi kunai raised in front of him he was ready for anything as he replied to Torao second question. Even more enraged by someone such as this kid asking his business just continued to piss Ryoushi off. How dare you ask someone's name and business in such an impolite manor you bastard! I am Ryoushi and my business is none of your concern! His eyes narrowed as he stared down Torao with intense Onyx eyes as his body became tight and ridged. Ryoushi had lost all his nervousness from this morning and was now even more excited to begin his training and meet other Ninja of his village. Would you like to try again or will you be on your way? He asked as his calm voice returned to him. Though Ryoushi was excited and wouldn't mind fighting someone from his own village he was more concerned with training and developing his abilities further.

Ryoushi body loosened up as he stood up straight with his right arm now decending back to his side. He couldn't wait for the annoying kid to be on his way that way he could continue his treacherous hike to the mountain ridge. He sighed as he looked at the sun and realized that he has already lost over thirty minutes of time that could have been spent training. His eyes return back to Torao and his little Shi creature as he said I don't have time for this. Are you going to be on your way or what? Ryoushi pride kept him from backing down himself and instead he awaited for Torao's move and would base his decision off what his actions were. For Ryoushi it was easy to see that Torao attention was else where and a fight would most likely be one sided. The decision is yours. We can leave here as friends or as rivals. Ryoushi was very patient but every minute spent here is wasting his time that could be spent training.

Torao listened to this foul mouth ninja go off and insult Torao with every sentence he spoke. He saw the shinobi raise a kunai and as a response, Torao took his left hand and firmly grasped the Raiga-Tsume Tanto's hilt in his hand. He was prepared to draw it if such a situation happened. He still had his right hand in his Kunai pouch and had one at the ready, concealed behind his back. Torao then made a little mumbling sound that was pretty much Gibberish to everyone, except himself and Shi. It was a secret message to alert Shi of the what Torao thought and to prep himself for a possible fight. The man then seemed he was in quite a rush, as he asked with a certain tone I don't have time for this. Are you going to be on your way or what? Torao showed no sign of him leaving the area, as he didn't want to let down his guard. The decision is yours. We can leave here as friends or as rivals.

That depends.. After such an act like that, it'd be hard to get accustomed with one another as friends, and rivals, well, that'd make things interesting. At this point, I can care less. Torao then had a slight smirk on his face to show his fighting spirit and how he would not just give up. Hopefully this could mask the feeling of pain he somewhat had. He started to feel better, but his best bet would be to go home and get some much needed rest. Unless a miracle happened that could cure his pain. You know if we fight here, someone could get drastically hurt. If your going to decide to fight me, at least let's bring it to this small clearing up the path. Torao, what are you saying? You're in no condition to fight! Shi mumbled to his master. At this moment, Shi was unsure of whether to refer to this as bravery or stupidity, but just like always, their trust is strong, and if one feels its a good idea, then the other will oblige.

Ryoushi could see the clearing Torao was speaking up just a bit further down the path. Though he true intentions were to train a good fight could also be considered training. Ryoushi at this time had to make a decision. Either he was going to have to back down and continue to his training or he will engage in combat with Toaro. Ryoushi weighted his options against each other, stay and fight, or the other option is to ignore the brat and proceed with training. He sighed to himself as he knew that he couldn't turn down his offer to a fight. In a response he nodded to Torao before exclaiming You won't always be the one who pick the fighting location. If you are going to fight it is going to be right here. Mid way though his sentence Ryoushi raised his hand that had the kunai and threw it in the space between the two Ninja. Ryoushi refused to change fighting location thinking that there current spot though more dangerous will keep both Ninja on there toes for the better, for if they get distracted for even a second it could cost them dearly. He chose to accept the fight and in doing so Ryoushi assumed a fighting stance that spread his legs shoulder length apart with the knees bent slightly, his feet formed a right angle with his left foot pointing directly at Toaro. His right hand remained clinched tight as his left hand reached for the short sword tied to his back. He removed it from its protective cover and held it pointed to Toaro with the razor sharp blade facing his opponent.

This is the last time I'll offer you a chance to proceed to the village without risking injury. From here on out I can't promise your safety. Ryoushi offered Torao to pass once again but at this point he hope he declines his offer and fights him. This would be Ryoushi's first fight with another Ninja and he had no intentions of backing down. Ryoushi eyed down Torao as he glanced back at his kunai which was tied at the loop with a very fine wire so that he could retrieve it at will. Ryoushi was now ready for anything Torao could throw at him regardless it be kunai or a frontal assault with his swords. Ryoushi also chose to stay here and fight due to the narrow path allowing for only one direction to attack from. Ryoushi knew that Torao and his pet Shi were communicating due to there very slight lip movement, so slight that if it were not for his sharp onyx eyes he could have never noticed. Ryoushi knew that Torao woul most likely fight so offering him another chance to leave would be pointless so instead he taunt him by says. Show what you got kid. I don't expect you to hold back I might have to in order not to kill you.

Torao watched the man stay in a momentary pause, as if he was contemplating his thoughts. He then stated that he wished to fight right here, despite how reckless it would be. Ryoushi then threw a kunai in between them, which Torao figured marked the center of the battle field. However, without knowing much of his opponent, this could also be a tactical advantage. Torao was willing to take a reckless and blind chance, and decided to ignore the Kunai, which will probably be a bad idea. Torao then once again made a signal to Shi, which told him to stay close and do a certain type of attack pattern.

Alright fine, if that's your wish, lets go. Torao then quickly shifted his right hand from his kunai pouch and then brought a kunai with his hand. As he swung his hand forward, he whipped a kunai forward with precision and force. The kunai was headed straight for the torso region of Ryoushi, because Torao figured he might as well aim big. He then pulled his hand back and grabbed the Raiga-Hanone with his right hand. He drew both the Raiga-Tsume and Raiga-Hanone and got them at the ready. He then bolted forward at a fast pace while Shi was close on Torao's tail. Torao actually moved quick enough to catch up to his kunai with his small burst of speed. The kunai then left him and excelled in speed going straight for the torso of Ryoushi. Torao now had just passed the center kunai as he pulled his two Tanto's in and had them in an X formation in front of his chest. Shi was close behind him as they were a few feet now from the center kunai, getting closer to Ryoushi by the second while Torao's Kunai as well was getting close. Torao readied to do a strike which would include slashing his twin tanto's down with force straight across Ryoushi's chest, should he not evade the Kunai. Get Ready Shi.

Ryoushi was rather surprised that Torao would go for such a head on attack such as the one he just performed. The kunai though direct would prove effective if Ryoushi had not had his short sword extended out in front of him to easily parry it, with a slight change of the angle the sword was held out the kunai would simply deflect of the blade and fall to the ground a few feet away. Now this is where things get tricky, if Ryoushi retracted his kunai to soon it would easily be spotted and provide no sort of surprise, however if retrieved to later it would leave Ryoushi wide open with no way to protect his right side from any sort of bladed weapon not to mention Shi was following close behind Torao. With the kunai safely averted Ryoushi could now give all his attention on Torao who was closing in at a quick place with both his Tanto's drawn and ready to strike. Due to the strike being aimed at him with such fury Ryoushi braced himself by dropping his right knee to the ground. Though this means Torao would now have the advantage of being on top of Ryoushi it would give him that instant he needed to pull his kunai towards him and use it either offensively or defensively.

Ryoushi now on one knee with his short sword held above his head he tightened him back and arm muscles to brace for the impact of Torao slash. As Torao's tanto's made contact with Ryoushi's short sword he underestimated the strength behind his attack and due to that the dull side of his short sword banged against his forehead where his head band wasn't covering. Ryoushi left eye closed as the pain surged through his head as well as a trail of blood now flowing from the open wound on his head. Though Ryoushi was now in pain he remained focus and at that instant quickly tugged on the wire in his right hand pulling the kunai to him quickly. With the kunai now firmly grasped his Ryoushi's right hand he trusted it towards the side of Toraos' left leg. Due to the distance it was obvious that Ryoushi was going for a stab at the muscles in the thigh of Torao. Just as the kunai made it to Ryoushi yelled in an excited tone Not bad, but not good enough!!! Ryoushi was hoping of taking advantage of Torao's carelessness and this was the perfect time to capitalize on it.

WIP

As Torao's tanto's hit Ryoushi's short sword, they bounced back and slightly messed with Torao's stance. As Torao regained himself and his stance, he noticed a wire being pulled by Ryoushi. Torao instantly knew that this wire was connected to the neglected Kunai, something he feared. As the kunai slipped past Torao and into Ryoushi's hand, Torao saw Ryoushi come in with a fierce strike. Torao decided to take this, as this would work with his plan. As the kunai stabbed him, he fell to the ground. He then pulled the Raiga-Tsume and his left hand away from Ryoushi's sword, weakening his force as he quickly grabbed Ryoushi's arm as firmly as he could while still holding his tanto. His grasp wasn't an unbreakable one, but it wouldn't be super easy to break. Now his plan shall be executed.


Now Shi!And with that command, Shi quickly charged towards Torao. He then leaned back a little to give him some springing, bolting action. Shi lunged into the air as he flew over Torao. The wind brushed through his hair as he flew high above Torao in a powerful pounce. He charged right in for Ryoushi, being now, he could either take the Liger's pounce which was headed for his shoulders, no claws out, just a mere slam sort of technique, or break from Torao's grasp and possibly dodge the attack. Torao had this planned out, saying he would take a stab while Shi attacked Ryoushi, either leaving him weaponless or drastically hurt by a tackling pounce. It seems Torao was almost in control of the entire battle, despite the Kunai slip up.

Torao's actions once again surprised and shocked Ryoushi as his kunai was stabbed through Torao's leg muscles causing his to drop to the ground at eye level with Ryoushi. Just when he though the fight was his Ryoushi felt the pressure against his sword weaken as a tight feeling overcame his right arm. It was then he realized that Torao shifted his left arm away from his attack to immobilize Ryoushi's right arm. Now face to face with Torao, Ryoushi's intense focused eyes became truely apparent. He spoke to Torao with a respectful voice saying You're done, you can't continue any longer. It was just then that he yelled out to his battle pet Shi. This factor had previously slipped his mind as his eyes shifted franticly trying to figure out any possible option to get him out of this situation.

Just then Ryoushi realized a possible option but he had to act quick or else the pounce of the liger would surely result in his loss. Ryoushi acted quickly and shifted his body weight forward to throw off Torao's center of gravity as he quickly leaned back slightly giving him just enough movement room with his left arm to parry Torao's Raiga-Hanone downwards with Ryoushi's short sword now pinning it to the ground. With his sword now acting as a third leg giving him stability and support Ryoushi lifted his left leg and rested it on top of Torao's Raiga-Hanone. He firmly grasped his sword as to not lose hold of it when Shi pounced on him. Ryoushi's eyes raised off Torao and stared at Shi only moments before his pounce as he braced himself to fall against the rocks along the path. Shi's paws made contact with Ryoushi's chest and forced to fall back against the trail as he coughed in pain as most of the wind was knocked out of him. With Ryoushi now pinned down to the ground he smirks as he whispers How should we resolve this? It was then that Ryoushi lifted his left hand with the short sword, still firmly in his grasp, and pointed it just under the neck of Torao. His foot still pinning down the Raiga-Hanone. Ryoushi laughed to himself slightly as the tip of his sword lightly pressed against Torao's neck.

As Torao and Ryoushi were locked in combat, Torao managed to get his plan across, and from what it appeared catching Ryoushi off guard. As Shi made it over Torao and connected with Ryoushi, Torao eased up a little bit on his grip on Ryoushi's arm. He was going to pull the kunai out of his leg and completely pin Ryoushi, until from under Shi came Ryoushi's short sword, heading straight for Torao's neck. He quickly put his grip back on Ryoushi's arm, and went to pull his other tanto up, but realized Ryoushi had pinned it in the ground, something that he had not noticed. The sword slightly poked at Torao's neck, and if Ryoushi was to strike, Shi would end it, but if he didn't than this shall remain in a stalemate.

"Hey you two down there, sorry to bug ya' but..Watch out!!" Torao suddenly heard someone yell out from above, and looked up to see someone obscuring the sun, and only appeared as a silhouette, heading in straight for Torao and Ryoushi. Torao instantly relinquished his grip on Ryoushi and went for the kunai, which he swiftly ripped out of his leg. Despite being in much pain, he still hoped his enemy Ryoushi was focused on other things as he went and ripped his other tanto, The Raiga-Hanone, out of the ground. He had to apply much force and actually slightly hurt himself, but it seemed this silhouette was the perfect distraction. As soon as it was out of the ground, Torao alerted Shi with once again another signal, as Shi himself then jumped off of Ryoushi and ran away from the man's landing site, while Torao was already out of there slightly, but couldn't get far with his injury. Torao was gasping for air due to straining himself by pulling out not only a kunai, but his tanto as well.

Ryoushi knew he was in a firm position to clam victory. At any moment he could end Torao's life but would choose not to due to Shi being pressed against his chest pinning him down, he had no way to avoid any attack Shi might use and Ryoushi wasn't to fond of recklessly losing his life for his first fight. Ryoushi was breathing a bit uneasy which was caused by Shi's pounce onto his chest causing him to lose his breath. Ryoushi knew that even if Torao were to retreat and call off Shi he would still have the advantage due to the injury he caused on Torao's left leg. It was then that Ryoushi heard the yelling of a man coming from a higher trail of the mountain but descending rapidly towards where Ryoushi and Torao were locked in combat. Though uncalled for this is just what the two Shinobi of the Earth village needed to end their stalemate.

Great, just what I needed. With Torao's grasp of Ryoushi's right arm removed, Ryoushi is now able to use his arm freely to support himself and get back on his feet once Shi gets off his chest. After what appeared to be Torao calling off his summoning, Shi jumps off of Ryoushi's chest. Ryoushi sits up straight as he looks upward at the man falling toward him now as Torao retreated to a safe distance. Ryoushi eyes tried to focus on my man as he was very curious as to what idiot would put himself in such a situation, however with the sun shining brightly in his background this proved nearly impossible. Now the only thing left for Ryoushi to do was get to his feet and get out of the way of the fools descent. Ryoushi laid on his back flat with his knees up close to his chest as he placed his palms on the ground behind him to give him an extra boost as he kicked his legs forward bringing him to his feet quickly enough to jump to the left quickly, this way he would completely avoid getting crushed by the falling man. Ryoushi yells out to the man once he is clear saying Are you some kind of idiot!?

As the man collided into the ground with force, Torao was happy he was at a safe distance. He was standing at the time but turned around to face Ryoushi and the strange man who fell from what appeared to be the sky. Torao then fell down into a sitting position, with his wounded knee kind of popped up and closer to his person then his other one, as he applied pressure to it. He was injured very bad, and he was showing he teeth gritting with his mouth open. He was in much pain as he kept the pressure on it, as this was the only medical procedure he knew well. Torao's wound then began to steam a little bit, something he's seen happen to him only twice in the past. A reddish kind of chakra formed over the wound as it appeared to start closing up. Torao didn't know why this was happening, but everytime something like this happened, only thoughts of anger filled his mind. He simply just tried to shrug it off and forget about it.

After his wound closed up miraculously, Torao went to stand back up on his feet, but couldn't keep his balance perfectly, and started to fall as a result. He used Shi as a crutch kind of as support. At this moment, he noticed a shovel on the ground in front of him, and the sky-man reaching for it. The sky-man then remarked on Shi, and Torao looked over to Shi. A kitty? For that, I'm almost tempted to tell Shi to strike you. Torao kept looking down on the sky-man as he then just sighed to himself. Hurry up and take it..

The sky-idiot came down crashing into the ground at a decent speed creating a small plum of dust that made it slightly difficult to see through. As the cloud of dust settled and the visibility improved over time Ryoushi raised his left hand with his short sword still in hand as he returned it back to it's protective covering on his back. After returning it to it's place he rubbed his chest a bit with his left hand as there was a slight stinging sensation from Shi, Torao's liger's pounce. Ryoushi's arms dangled at the side of his body as he patted the dirty of his pants and shirt, after doing so he crossed his arms across his chest and glared with an angry expression at both Torao, Shi, and the fool that though he could fly. Ryoushi clenched his teeth and stepped forward extremely pissed off ready to confront the retard who ruined his somewhat victory. As he stepped closer he yelled out WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ABOUT?! He stood somewhat behind shovel boy as he tried to retrieve his shovel which had landed just feet away from Torao. As he referred to the Liger as a kitty it seemed to anger Torao a little.

Ryoushi observed as Torao stumbled about trying to regain himself even using Shi as a support as to not fall over. It was then that he threatened the idiot for calling Shi a kitty, this angered Ryoushi as he laughed at Torao. Someone in his condition giving threats out. Ryoushi doesn't know the bond Shi and Torao share but being in his current condition he is in no position to talk. Ryoushi yelled out to both of them as he picked his kunai up off the ground. Both you idiots are in no condition to fight. I suggest you both go back to the village and rest. You especially Torao. And you Flying idiot. I'm going to be training here frequently, next time we meet hopefully it would be for a better reason. At this point Ryoushi was half turned to Torao and continuing to turn around and head away from the village to get to some seriously needed training. This little fight made for an excellent warm up and Ryoushi was eager to learn a new jutsu. As he walked away about 10 feet away from Torao he paused and turned his head back slightly. I think we would make for good rivals and friends. He smirked slightly as he continued walking forward only raising his hand as a sort of wave goodbye. Ryoushi was still hiding the fact that his head was pounding with pain as few small trickles of blood streamed from the wound on his forehead. He rubbed it off as he walked off to a training area to learn a new technique.