Unexpected Encounter

[Toboe]

"Has it really been that long already?... It really doesn't seem like it." The young Inuzuka said to himself as he pulled on his shirt, his head popping out with a 'fwoop' of the hair. His dark slitted eyes glanced towards the calender. It was still set to the wrong month. Seemingly ignoring it, he pulled on his pants, grabbed his jacket and gear, then proceeded to head down stairs. Once he made sure that Shiromaru had taken his medicine, he put on his sandals and headed out.

"It... really feels weird without him with me. It has been such a long time since I've gone out without him by my side." The young Inuzuka thought to himself minutes later as he walked through a crowded street. It was midday, and Konoha was alive with the hustle and bustle of it's occupants, going to and fro, going about their business as usual. Shirio could barely squeeze himself through at some points during his journey through the marketplace, one of his most favorite places to visit during this time of day. The smells and sights almost always changed day to day.

"Hey, Shirio-kun!"

Shirio turned towards the right to see who was yelling for him.

"Hiroshi-san?" Shirio pushed and shoved his way towards the aforementioned man. The young shinobi hadn't seen Hiroshi's stand in weeks, thus causing him a bit of grief. "Where have you been!?"

"My, my, no greeting or sign of worry." Hiroshi reached out and ruffled up Shirio's already messy hair.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that you disappeared without any warning. I had to settle for cheaper stuff. It's been a long few weeks I can tell you."

"Well, I guess I will be able to make your day! Not only do I have your normal order, but I also have some new stuff for you to try!" The vendor looked around with a puzzled expression on his face. "No Shiromaru?"

"Noooo...., he's home sick, but Hana-san said that he will be back to normal in a few days." Shirio pulled out his wallet and started to collect the needed ryo.

"It's on me, Shirio. And give this to Shiromaru, tell him that I hope he feels better. I want to see him soon!" Hiroshi handed Shirio a bag of his favorite beef-sticks and a large sausage for Shiromaru.

"Thank you Hiroshi-san!!" Shirio said loudly as he took the bag and sausage from the vendor, quickly storing them away in his backpack. "well, I gotta go, but thanks again!" Now with his day made, Shirio rushed off to find a place to enjoy his most favorite snack.

It seemed like it took an eternity for him to make his way out of the busy streets and out into the sparsely populated outer edges of the village. Shirio knew these streets just as well as any other shinobi, and knew exactly where he was heading. The training grounds seemed like a good place to relax. The academy students were still in class and most of the genin teams were out on a mission, so the fields should be pretty clear.

The impatient Inuzuka pulled out his beef-sticks as soon as he reached the fields, and started to walk around them aimlessly while munching away. Now paying very little attention to where he was going, Shirio was in his own little world; that is until he walked straight into a genin who was training. "Hey, watch it!" Shirio exclaimed as he struggled to keep from spilling his beef-sticks all over the grassy field.

[Sabaku]

Koji liked mornings. They were quiet, and calm, and as a result he habitually woke up early every day, liking to get out of the Hyuuga complex as soon as possible. Few people were out in the dim light that followed just after dawn, and the majority of those who were paid little attention to him. Rarely, he caught a disdainful glare out of the corner of his eye - a reminder that, to some, his half-Hyuuga heritage wasn't good enough to walk on their proud soil.

Pathetically haughty, from the branch family that were little more than throwaway servants to the main clan.

He exited the complex, and as he neared the edge of town, the amount of people passing by thinned more and more. As was usually the case, he was completely alone by the time he reached the training grounds. Good. And with so many of Konoha's genin out, he was likely to be undisturbed today...

Morning passed into afternoon. Sweat clung to Koji's body, making his hair stick to his face with every movement he made. Yet despite being out for hours, he had no desire to leave - what was in town for him? Sitting around wouldn't make him stronger, and as long as his team was short a member, they wouldn't be getting any missions.

He had proceeded from practicing taijutsu techniques to honing his chakra focus, and as such, he didn't notice the approach of another genin. The impact came as a surprise, but reacting on reflex, he turned, raising a kunai in response. As his white eyes met those of the boy who had interrupted him, he stopped his arm just before the blade would've cut into the intruder's cheek.

His eyes narrowed. "You're the one that walked into me. If you can't even pay attention to your surroundings, you should throw that headband away right now."

If he was no more observant than that, Koji couldn't help but wonder how he passed the academy's exam at all.

[Toboe]

"Typical response from someone like you..." Shirio retorted as he stepped back, clenching his fist. Koji's eyes were the first thing that he noticed, hard not to. Since it wasn't his first encounter with a Hyuuga, he felt like he knew exactly what to expect. "And I could say the same thing about you! You didn't even notice me walking towards you."

Who the hell was this guy, seriously?! Sure, running into him was Shirio's fault, but he didn't have to be an ass about it. In Shirio's mind, the Hyuuga was asking to have his face beaten in. The Inuzuka smirked as he threw his arms out to the side. "But hey, I will be man enough and take the blame. I guess with hair like that you have to be defensive."

That was it, demasculinize him. Shirio couldn't help it. It was only in his nature to make himself out to be more manly than the other.

[Sabaku]

Irritation deepened to anger more and more with every word the Inuzuka spoke. Koji stepped back at the same time he did, lowering the kunai at the same time. Someone like him? He wasn't stupid - he knew the boy had seen his eyes. It was a remark about his clan. Koji held no love for them either, but something about the tone with which he said it annoyed him more than he liked to admit.

He didn't normally use childish insults, but...

"Interesting, coming from you." He regarded the boy with an even expression, his stance relaxed despite his irritation. "I'd wondered if the Inuzuka clan bred with their dogs to get their abilities, but looking at you, it couldn't be more obvious."

If he was going to make things about their clans, Koji could play at that too. If it provoked him into a fight, all the better. At least he'd be getting back to his training.

[Toboe]

Shirio just stood there for a second, his smirk gone as quickly as it had appeared. Did the Hyuuga really just say that? Did he hear what he thought he heard? As soon as it clicked in his head that the Hyuuga really had said that, his face was ever so livid. "You bastard!! Never say anything about my clan like that again!" Shirio was so upset that he was almost screaming.

"You Hyuuga are all the same! Always too busy tryin' to make yourselves feel like you're better than anyone else that you're too ignorant to understand anything about your fellow clans!"

It was hard for the Inuzuka not to get upset. His clan was his life, there was nothing more important to him. Instinctively he reached towards his kunai pouch, but stopped short of pulling one out. This Hyuuga was a fellow Konoha shinobi, in his current state it'd be hard to pass off any attack as 'just training, hehe.'

He turned away from the other genin as he let his hand slip off the pouch. "You're lucky that your a Konoha shinobi like me, or I would've had you pinned to the ground by now."

[Sabaku]

Koji flipped his own kunai around, and when no attack came, slipped it back into its pouch as well. So he had some self-restraint. Surprising; it wasn't something his clan was known for.

Another insult to the Hyuuga? A humorless smirk appeared on his face. What a hypocrite. He could start the battle of words, but couldn't take it when the same thing was turned on him?

"If you could," he returned calmly. "Don't assume it would be so easy."

He watched the other, falling silent. Was he leaving, then? But Koji's mood had been fouled too much, he didn't want to let it go so easily. If he'd left without saying anything, that would've been one thing, but when he'd pushed things this far...

"It's not ignorance," he said a little louder, watching the boy's back for a reaction.

"There's no need to understand a bunch of dogs."

[Toboe]

Shirio stopped in his tracks as the words hit him like bee-stings, each one driving a spike into his already stretched patience. "I will make you eat those words...." He growled through gritted teeth as he slowly turned to face the other genin. If a fight is what the Hyuuga wanted, a fight he shall have. Shirio's appearance was that of what one would expect of an Inuzuka about to fight, feral and intimidating.

"You just couldn't let me walk away, could you?! Can't keep that arrogant mouth of yours shut!" He violently tore a kunai from his pouch and held it out towards the other. "I don't care if you are a Konoha shinobi, I will not listen to anymore of your insults!"

Who was he to say such things? A Hyuuga would know nothing of the Inuzuka clan. Calling them a bunch of dogs; the way he said it infuriated Shirio. He couldn't keep himself under control any longer. He dropped down on all fours and rushed towards the Hyuuga, rapidly closing the gap between them. Even though he was going into this without Shiromaru, he needed to put the Hyuuga into his place.

[Hiko]

Ayana dragged along the grass with tired, aching feet. Compound training was having its way with the poor girl, and she was fairly certain that her feet were cut – her sandals were torn to shreds during tree-climbing practice, and she had hit the trunk at a raw edge at least once after the fact. But, she'd improved! She'd managed to get to the middle of the tree this time – and had earned an approving smile from her onlooking mother!

Moments like this, it wouldn't have mattered if her feet had been cut off. It'd been worth it all to earn Mother's approval. She'd waived off Akemi's wants to tend to the heiress' heels, though, saying that her daughter could use the callousing. Somehow, Ayana thought her mother didn't mean anything in a physical sense with that remark.

So, dragging her fatigued body through the training field, she'd hoped to find good shade in the trees. Anywhere away from the compound where it seemed every set of eyes were on her, watching her progression as well as her failures. Yes, a quiet time cloud-watching – or perhaps even a nap, if she could sneak it in – would do just fine.

Quiet, peaceful, bliss –
What on earth was going on in the field?
Ayana stood immobile, face blank as she watched a young shinobi charge for her teammate. What had Koji-kun done this time? No, she chided herself, she shouldn't assume it the Hyuuga's fault – even if he was the antagonist in most situations she'd been a part of.
But... the other boy did look angry, didn't he?

Ayana edged closer to the conflict, careful not to bring herself so far in as to be in the way (though, she didn't doubt that in Koji-kun's mind, she was always in the way). She decided not to call out, more out of concern for looking foolish should this merely be a moment of training between the boys. Instead, she allowed herself to flop onto the ground. She rubbed at her feet, shifting into a cross-legged sitting position. If she was going to watch, it might as well be while she cared for aches and pains!

((Hai guise. :B))

[Sabaku]

Ah, there it was. So he had been right, the boy couldn't control himself any more. Prepared for the attack, Koji shifted stance, waiting until he had almost reached him before kicking dirt up into his face. Using it to his advantage, he made a quick leap sideways, preparing upon landing to meet his attacks with taijutsu.

Movement caught his attention, and briefly distracted, he glanced up to see who else was joining them. Ayana? And he'd actually expected to be undisturbed earlier...he should've known he'd have no such luck. As long as the girl had the sense not to interfere or run for someone to break it up, though, he didn't care what she did.

It seemed she did. Noting that she chose to sit, he turned his full attention back to the Inuzuka boy. Let him attack how he wanted, his feral style couldn't match Koji's taijutsu.

He wouldn't even need Byakugan for this.

[Toboe]

"Gah!" Shirio yelled as he skidded to a stop while shaking his head, using his hands to quickly wipe the dirt from his face. "You!" He snarled in the Hyuuga's direction while shifting his dark slitted eyes towards him. "If that is how you wish to deal with this, so be it... All the more fun for me." Shirio sneered, now determined to draw blood; be it with his claws or teeth.

Ninja dashing off towards the right, than left, than right again, the young shinobi zig-zagged towards his foe, running as fast as he could to avoid any potential attack and to try to keep the element of surprise. Halfway between where he had started and the Hyuuga, Shirio ran on his two feet just for a moment while performing a short set of hand seals.

"Just need to keep him guessing, can't be predictable."

Suddenly a second Inuzuka appeared and joined in the zig-zagging, mirroring the original's movements step for step. Shirio knew that this wouldn't fool him for long though, so he had to be quick. While the bunshin threw a punch towards the Hyuuga from the front, the original jumped and flipped over behind him, swiping his claws towards his back with as much force as he could put behind it.

[Hiko]

Ayana gaped, first in sudden awe and then in sudden pity. Though she'd kill for the sort of training that allowed the Inuzuka boy to split himself into copies wordlessly (Ayana herself still had trouble with basic henge, and the use of it mid-fight caused her to feel no small amount of envy), she doubted it would phase the Hyuuga – he'd endured worse from Akemi-neechan. The fact that she herself hadn't been fooled was enough to prove that matter.

But then, she thought, training was training. The use of any chakra-induced ninjutsu was enough to meter the mind and body into greater uses of one's abilities later in battle.
Not, she thought, that they'd see battle anytime soon. As genin, and more, as genin that had been out of the village at the time of Pain's assault, it would be long before they could manage to fend off invaders. Ayana wondered at that thought – Mother had seemed all too eager to latch onto the shinobi alliance. In fact, she'd seemed thrilled at the prospect. With so many shinobi now passing to and from the village, it did seem that training genin wouldn't be as needed, save for the missions that would earn measly income.

Ayana ponderings were broken abruptly at the sound of the Inuzuka's leap into the air. Oh, this wouldn't end well.
She rubbed at her feet, frown plastered to her face. Today would have been perfect to ask for a spar against Koji-kun, now that he was in the mood for it. Stupid trees.

[Sabaku]

The boy's zigzagging charge didn't distract Koji in the slightest. He remained still, watching closely, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he raised to perform hand seals. The Inuzuka wasn't as fast as a jounin or even a chuunin, but it was still impossible to see all of them while he moved; he had no sharingan. The jutsu was revealed soon enough, though, as a copy of him appeared next to the original, joining seamlessly in with his movements. Bunshin, hmm?

He'd have to do better than that.

Anticipating the attack, he braced himself, raising a hand in time with the bunshin to block the punch. His eyes flicked to the other just in time to watch him jump. An attack from behind? So he was smart enough to realize that a simple frontal assault wouldn't be enough. Keeping the bunshin's hand locked against his own arm, he pivoted his body, catching the boy's hand in his other. His eyes narrowed slightly. There was more force in that than he'd expected; his arm shook slightly with the effort of holding it.

Acting quickly, he released the bunshin, slipping the hand that had blocked it into his pouch and throwing a kunai at it in a single motion. Before it had a chance to disappear, he turned back to the boy's real body, confirming that he'd chosen the correct target. But then, with strength like that, he hadn't doubted it for a second.

"Not bad," he acknowledged. At the same time, he sidestepped and released his arm, intending to throw him off balance, then followed the action immediately with a kick aimed for his stomach.

"But not good, either."

[Toboe]

Shirio was surprised by the Hyuuga's ability to block both the bunshin and himself at the same time. It was impressive to say the least, though he wasn't about to let that throw him off. Suddenly finding himself thrown off balance, he had almost taken the full force of the kick if it were not for his reflexes; that isn't to say he didn't get hit. Stumbling back two or three steps while holding his stomach, he glanced up towards his foe. "Hehe... you're good. I like that." Shirio turned his head and spat onto the ground before speaking again. "If only I was able to show you more than half of my strength."

Shirio quickly reached into his back pouch and pulled out a smoke bomb, wasting no time in throwing it down;he created a wall of smoke that hid him from view. Seconds later the brown haired genin came running out of the smoke cloud, several feet away from the Hyuuga.

One kunai, two, three. Shirio started to throw a small barrage of the bladed weapons towards the Hyuuga, not necessarily aiming to hit, but more to distract. Another bunshin was out of the question, so he had to go at this alone.

Suddenly, he saw what he thought was an opening; putting the last kunai he had at hand into his mouth, he rushed towards it. Diving down, Shirio slid towards his opponent. If things went as he planned, he'd slid between the Hyuuga's feet, jump up and put the kunai to his neck. Now it was down to if the Hyuuga was quick enough to stop Shirio.

[Sabaku]

Instinctively, Koji's hand raised to block the smoke from entering his lungs. He stared into the haze, prepared for an attack to come from it, and as expected, the Inuzuka boy began flinging kunai as soon as he came out. Responding in the same fashion, he knocked one, then the next, and then the last out of the air with his own kunai, but focusing on his aim and his opponent at the same time proved to be too much. He was caught, and for all appearances, defeated.

But instead of relenting, he smirked. "Too bad."

And with that, he disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

The smoke from the bomb cleared then, revealing that their positions had been switched. Koji had taken advantage of the momentary distraction when the bomb had been thrown and created a bunshin, leaving it where he had stood while he circled around behind his opponent. With the distance now between them, though, he decided not to attack again yet, not wanting to get close with an obvious frontal attack and open himself up.

The boy's plan had been good, Koji had to admit...but he gave him too much time to prepare.

[Toboe]

"Hehehe...." Shirio chuckled as he shook his head, running his fingers through his thick messy hair. "You've countered everything I've thrown at you. As much as I despise your clan's ways, I got to give you all credit where it's due. You're pretty good."

Without saying more, Shirio got back down on all fours and launched from where his feet were planted, running far off towards the right. He was pushing himself to run faster and faster, digging up and flinging grass in his wake.

"I... I must try to trick him again..." He thought as he quickly worked out something in his head. Without Shiromaru there, this was a lot harder than he had imagined it'd be.

As the boy started to come closer and closer to the Hyuuga, he got up and started to run solely on his feet, pulling his fist back even at a distance. The attack seemed almost too obvious. Closer and closer he got, and still no change in his stance. Than at the last second possible, Shirio jumped up and over the other genin and landed down beside him in a crouching position. Wasting no time, the Inuzuka swung his foot hard up and back towards the Hyuuga's mid-section for a low blow.