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Orika braced for the ball that would roaring her way, but Baki seemed to be stopping his charge at the last second, spinning himself around and- Holy crap! The girl ducked and gave a feeble whinny as the ball slammed into the net backing just centimetres above her head. Her one, only, and very, very precious head. "Uh... nice shot, Baki!" Orika yelped without a trace of resentment in her voice, but only a nice big grin. She was playing with the strongest lion in the world; What did she expect, a gentle toss of the yarn ball? Putting on a brave face, Orika stepped forwards and grabbed the crumbling black and white ball in her hand. The school probably couldn't afford new balls so they were stuck with the ones the kids brought over from the mainland all those years ago. Orika dropped the ball and backed away a considerable distance, thinking she could fool Baki as far as the strength of the kick was concerned. The farm girl charged forth and though she kind of forgot to trick Baki in her adrenaline rush, slammed her foot into the ball sending it speeding forwards like an arrow and with just the right amount of curve so it would hopefully land somewhere in the far corners.

Penalty Kicks
1d20 + Lie 1 = 4
1d20 + Taijutsu 7 = 25
Balls: 4/5

Baki: 4
Orika: 1

Baki nudged the ball with his nose, and then, with another easy swipe of his paw, launched it at the net towards Orika, careful of her human body. He knew that it would meet the net; Orika wasn't limber enough to have stopped it. However, Baki knew that the girl was raw - she had amazing potential, and Baki growled softly at the knowledge. He shook himself out and trotted over to her, licking the girl's hand and letting his tail swing gently, lowering his head and waiting for her to scratch his ears. There was nothing like a good ear-scratchin'!


Penalty Kicks
Penalty Kicks (roll 2 dice)

Whoever wins get +Charisma mod to next roll
Kick!
5 + Fight[32] -> 37


Switch positions and do it again

Balls Used: 5/5 [Complete]

Score: 5/5 [Game?]

Maya's blank eyes looked up at him.

"I don't hold you to any promises," she said softly, standing and turning away from him. She'd been being her version of 'affectionate' and he brought up a promise of a spar? Maya didn't even feel like sparring - how horrible was that? He'd frozen and moved away...

So much for that. Balance...she lifted her lip in a growl, and looked at him over her shoulder, eyes narrowed in a glare.

"I am not Douken. I don't need balance," she spat, visibly annoyed - and hurt. She shook her head and walked away from him, finding a boulder and climbing up onto it easily, her legs pulled tightly against her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Balance...she was Tategami, and Tategami fought for themselves. Maya could provide for herself and for others; it was her strength that would help her survive. She growled, shutting down the part of her head that handled emotions. She let her eyes drift shut, and listened to the sounds around her.

[Enter from Uchiha Estate]

Sukotto made his way to the training grounds after having learned that the person who he sought out had been in the area. As he walked, the genin stared at the foggy breath that escaped his mouth as he exhaled. It looked very similar to the smoke that he would breath after training with a fire jutsu or launching one at an opponent. He thought of how strange it was that two polar opposites, the smoke from his fire jutsu and the fog from the cold air reacting to his breath, could produce such a similar looking phenomenon. After trapping himself in his mind for a few moments, the Uchiha shook himself free and set out for what it was that he had ventured to the training grounds for in the first place. He tightly gripped the top of the sack full of training weights that he had been carrying over his shoulder as he came within close enough proximity of the grounds to see the people who were present in the area. The first figure that he noticed was Maya's lion partner. Sukotto remembered when he had mistakenly called Baki a pet during his very first mission with Maya when the village was under assault by strange mercenaries. He had certainly learned his lesson and realized that the two were more like best friends or siblings than master and pet. There were also a lot of the younger shinobi participating in some sort of game that was most likely related to the festival. Sukotto recognized a few of them, but there were a few new faces present and he was happy to see such a fresh sight. For him, it felt like it hadn't been long since Ichi had brought him to the village that he had learned to call his home. While he knew that life could be very cruel, seeing the young new faces helped to stir up a sense of what Ichi had truly fought and died for during that fateful mission to the Orochi village.

Having heard Maya's voice take a tone that hinted towards an unapproachable mood, Sukotto took the time to wander through his mind a little more until she realized that he was trying to catch her eye. He decided that this would be an excellent time to do a little bit of scouting for the future ambitions that he had set out to achieve since there were so many younger shinobi in the area. The genin would keep his eyes open for special sorts of personalities and those with the ability to improve beyond any of the rest. While natural talent was something that most higher ranking shinobi would look for in the youth of the village, Sukotto knew that a hard working ninja who was capable of being taught the values of teamwork would surpass any other shinobi who claimed a higher degree of individual skill. In addition, the Uchiha had a knack for spotting people who really took the time to think through and reason out situations to find the best way of reaching a predetermined goal. While taking time to react in battle wasn't always the best way to handle a conflict, speedy thinking was something that could be trained easily, deep and focused thinking was not. To speed up this process of finding what he was looking for in the younger generations, Sukotto decided to make use of his kekkai genkai, since it would make the most subtle motions of the observed party much easier to notice. With a single blink, the dark hazel circles in his eyes were replaced by two bright red fields that would assist him in determining the strengths and weaknesses of those that he planned to focus his attention on.

Sense and Detect Training - Scouting the Grounds
1d20+Sense+Detect
DC: 20+Sense+Detect = 79
Train: 1/6

[1d20 + 35(Sense+Sharingan Bonus) + 34(Detect+Sharingan Bonus) = 86]


[Cp: 58-10(Sharingan Activation) = 48/68]

Sharingan activated

Xyn let his hand weakly slip to his side. Defiant to the end... it was something he'd come to learn about the girl. Still, being with her...

The boy started to adjust his collar in order to hide the unstoppable and strangely glowing smile creeping into his face, ignoring Munin fighting to get a better position in the conversation. The raven squawk a few times, but Xyn merely tilted his head to the left to nudge him. Once the static look had returned to his face, he turned his shoulder slightly, it brushing against hers as if to make her turn toward him as well.

"Earlier... did you want to talk...?"


Munin was a little surprised and how easily he could grasp these human words. If he just picked out the ones he heard most often and determined their meaning, he could build together what they were saying. They were definitely talking about fighting, not actually in a fight. Different ways of fighting? Maybe that was it. They had gotten into an argument over their different styles. It all had to do with some promise... a promise to fight? Munin cooed at the idea, knowing just by looking at the girl that Xyn would surely lose such a battle. Hmm... Munin started to wonder... if Xyn and Maya fought, would that mean he'd have to fight Baki? The raven started to bury his head in Xyn's collar, ready to hide if the conversation actually went in that direction.


Understand Humans
1d20 + Sense(2) +Int(3)
DC: 17
Train: 3/3

She could hear a small commotion coming from this direction even from the shore. It wasn't that long a walk, and she didn't know where else to go. It was always best to go where there were the most people. If she had the misfortune of encountering some person with less than respectable intentions, surely their would be someone else with more honorable intentions to guide her in the proper direction.

"Hold my hand in the dark street." She still couldn't be seen from this distance, and neither could anyone see her. She maintained a low voice, still practicing the song while she walked. She had stopped skipping the moment she made it to solid ground, but she still walked with somewhat of a glide, her wide skirt moving back and forth like a bell chiming. The cold air combined with the energy she was placing into her song made her cheeks appear even rosier than normal. She, of course, already knew this from the warmth in her face, deciding she could somehow use it to her advantage. From the direction she came, Sukotto was the first person she saw, but she paid little attention to him at first.

1... 2... 3... 4 boys, 2 girls, and 2 adults... wait... is that a lion?

She came to a stop while she quickly scanned the area, not wanting to be seen just yet. It was probably best to approach the adult first, but this boy was in the way. He seemed much older than the others, but still had the look of a child in her eyes.

"For if you do I know that I'll be safe." Eri continued her song, beginning a very casual approach just slightly behind Sukotto.


Eri's Lullaby
1d20 + Sing(0) +Char(3)
DC: 15
Train: 2/3

As he continued to examine and process the abilities of the younger generation, Sukotto heard the light footsteps and soft voice of a girl nearing him from behind. He raised an eyebrow and dipped his head as he allowed the music to flow into his ears. The tune that she sung was slightly sad in its tone, but had quite a beautiful melody. He began to slightly tap his foot, but ceased nearly as quickly as he had started as something instantly troubled the Uchiha. The song had captivated him as quickly as the most powerful genjutsu that had ever been cast upon him. He began to understand just how powerful a tool an opponent's senses could be in any situation. The genjutsu that had trapped him in a mirror on Haha Island had attacked the sense that nearly every Uchiha learned to rely on, their sense if sight. Sukotto wasn't sure if there were any genjutsu that attacked a shinobi's sense of hearing, but in those few moments of hearing the girl's song, he was certain that it could be turned into an effective weapon to utilize in a combat situation. The genin half-smiled and lightly shook his head as he realized that yet again, he had turned something beautiful into something deadly with his thought process. He figured that life would be much happier if he simply stopped to smell the roses instead of thinking of ways to use their thorns against an enemy.

While he began to focus on the youth once again, Sukotto heard a few thuds and then the sound of a net catching a ball. His gaze shifted to the unmistakable figure of the Kage of Shimagakure. Something about the man set him apart from any shinobi that the Uchiha had ever laid his eyes on, a unique quality that he had only ever seen in one other person, Uchiha Ichi. He hadn't figured Shinichi to be of the sort that was interested in playing sports, so the fact that he had so easily made a goal demonstrated how many different ways one's training could be applied to a person's daily life, outside of combat or life threatening situations. Sukotto had wondered if the man would address him after speaking to the younger shinobi about the events planned for the remainder of the day, and was glad to hear the Kage's voice aimed specifically at him. "I suppose that I've let my training get in the way of enjoying life to its fullest once again. Perhaps I will check out the other events and get a bit social for a change." He looked at Shinichi and smiled back at the man, wondering if his superior had been as obsessed with training when he was Sukotto's age. He then proceeded to explain part of what was on his mind, choosing to leave out his more ambitious goals for the time being. "Oh just watching the fruits of Shimagakure grow a little riper and savoring the fact, as I'm sure you have done while observing my age group grow a little more mature day by day." Sukotto traced his gaze from Shinichi to each individual shinobi in training as he continued to speak, continuing to see a little bit of himself in each of them. "I'm looking for a sparring partner to finish the creation of the taijutsu that I've been constructing. I figured that training with a shinobi as mighty as a pride of lions would put the taijutsu through the toughest test, so I have decided to ask Maya if she would assist me."

With that said, Sukotto thought back to the beginning of his technique creation and how far it had come in such a short amount of time. It started as a way to make up for his lack of chakra and had turned itself into a valuable learning experience that greatly strengthened his mind and body. The Kage himself had even had a hand in the creation of the technique when he had assisted Sukotto in finding information about the clan from which he adopted the foundation of the fighting style. After incorporating his own philosophy into the form, Sukotto felt that it truly belonged to him and that it would assist him in many battles in the future, both against tangible enemies and the demons of his own soul. The final stage of his training would mark the end of this specific lesson, but Sukotto knew that he still had a lot of growing to go through until he was sated with his skills, ability, and above all else, the way that he lived his life.

Sense and Detect Training - Scouting the Grounds
1d20+Sense+Detect
DC: 20+Sense+Detect = 79
Train: 3/6

[1d20 + 35(Sense+Sharingan Bonus) + 34(Detect+Sharingan Bonus) = 80]


[Cp: 43-5(Sharingan) = 38/68]

'Well, it's about time!' Serena jumped up at Shinichi's mention of lunch and started towards the Rice Farm before he had even finished what he was saying. She was hungry, she wanted to eat, and this time, Tomoko wouldn't be there to gobble all of the food down before she arrived! Before the Raiken had any time at all to escape to the heavenly sound of food, though, Shinichi summoned her, as well as Shisei, Karite, and Orika. Why was she getting called on for? She had nothing to do with them right now..

"Monster? Eh?...Ohhh" Serena took about five seconds before she actually remembered that there was an ice monster up at the Rice Farm. She took another five seconds to remember exactly what all she had learned over at the library from Tenko. Then she took two seconds to look at the older genin with the weird eyes and then started talking, ready to share her newfound knowledge. "So, it turns that this ice monster is actually a human, you know? And his name was ahh..Mitsuki-no, Mizugi, right, his name was Mizugi. And he lived long before we were here, I think." Serena started to follow Shinichi, forgetting all about lunch. She liked to learn new things, so it was fun to tell other people about it.

"Mizugi was a great shinobi, but he feared death. So when it was about time for him to pass on, he made this jutsu that fused him with the waters of Shimagakure, which would allow him to live forever, though not in human form..." The Raiken wondered if she should slow down or keep going. The important stuff had been said, already, though. The fact that Mizugi the ice monster is actually human was pretty much the crucial part of the entire story.