Advanced Swordcraftery

[Takahashi Aki]

It was a quiet day at the office of the Kazekage tower. The Grid was offline and doing maintenance. Keystone was empty, due to a minor malfunction with the heating. The place was freezing and so the Steward was 'put out' in the sense that he could not operate there until the place was return to normal. Sousuke decided to visit the Dojo, after all he hadn't been to the home of the Toraono clan in a week. Last week they had feasted him for some major event... one which Sousuke was not too concerned about. The good thing about a feast though was the leftovers which Sousuke resorted to as his source for substance.

The Steward stood surrounded by target dummies. Upon the destruction of one, two more would appear. Once those two were destroyed, then three would pop up. This was part of the dojo's training exercise. He was using the Toraono's dummy system for practice. The Steward took in a deep breath. Eight targets, then sixteen, and onward and onward. The Steward wondered exactly if there was a limit before the entire room was full of dummies. The problem of course was ... the room. It was small for Toraono standards, but Toraono standards were huge in Sousuke's opinions. He gripped his choice of weapon being the black blade. He did a mental countdown to himself. "Five. Four. Three. Two. One."<i></i> The Steward began warping around the room slashing up various dummies, and then they began to replicate. The Steward continued his assault of hacking and slashing. Once their numbers grew he activated his steel plated armour. The Steward encased himself in steel plate and continued his assault, once the puppets were out of slashing range he proceeded to blast them a distance. A few hand seals and he held out his palm and proceeding the targets. The strategy worked until again the numbers proved to be slightly overwhelming.

The Steward then summoned the next phase of his armour which was still in development. The Steward was now encased in a steel exoskeleton with a completed helmet. The design was somewhat blocky but was meant for speed. The Steward resorted back to using the black blade. His form flickered through the room slashing targets and blasting them with even more fire power. Eventually the suit of armour overheated and had to cool. Sousuke himself was getting out of breath so he stopped. He unsummoned the experimental armour, and then his current set. He was out of breath. Sweat was pouring down his temples. "Too much heat, too quickly... the second stage is meant to last longer."<i></i> The Steward shook his head. "One-hundred thirty-two down... within thirty-seven seconds. I would think Lady Azame would be ..."<i></i> Sousuke paused thinking for the word. "Content?"<i></i> His sword instructor would then proceed to state that he could do better. Of course when your instructor is the Lady Azame ... everything could be done better.

(Kuro pop in when you can ... be it with Kuro, or Azame.)

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Toraono Nobuku Azame stood six feet two inches. She weighed a reasonable, muscular, 180 pounds, Toraono Nobuku Azame was Kuro’s mother. The resemblance between Kuro and his mother was in the thick lustrous silk like fervor of their hair, the eyebrows, eye lashes, and the cheekbones of his face. Azame’s eyes were green blue like the sea. She was perfectly proportioned for the skill of a swordswoman, her arms were lean and toned, her legs were like that of an acrobat or a circus dancer. She wore a white embroidered, sand tone, chain mail laced, silk fighting gi. Its colors were white upon a sand tone background with the image of a tigress and her lion king basking in the setting sun atop the corpse of a giant serpent. This pattern wrapped around her gi several times. Her skin was a creamy olive, she wore a pair of reinforced guards upon her forearms and beautiful silk and sandalwood steel under-laced sandals upon her feet. Around her waist was an gold and sand tone obi with crimson threaded runic terran sigils marking her as nobility. She carried herself with an aura of domination and power that accentuated her natural grace in a manner that could only be attributed to her being a Queen, a mother, and above all else a Warmistress. Today she carried three blades although she only fought with one at a time she carried three elemental blades to help teach her fourth most beloved student Takahashi Sousuke. She enjoyed watching him learn because unlike her daughters it was not a genetic memory or a skill picked up from a childhood witnessing the acts of others Sousuke was simply a genius and when he picked up a technique he invariably made it his own. It wasn't like sparring with her husband whom was so incredibly tough that she didn't have to hold back it was the certainty that Sousuke only needed to see a technique once or twice before he had his own way of using it.

"That was very good Sousuke-kun but you should have used your blade to anticipate their exponential numbers by now a prepared yourself to use an area affect iaijutsu technique. I am only going to show you this technique once and then it is up to you to find your own manner of use for it and make sure that if you must use armor that your armor is a weapon too, not just a method of picking up speed."

Oh how she loved lecturing her children, both natural and adopted.

Lady Azame went to the center of the chamber and stood where she was certain Sousuke could see her every movement and change in position, balance and most specifically the pathway of the blade strike. "Authorization Nobuku... safety override level 6, active engagement two hundred armored enemy attack HEAVEN and Hell... execute..."

The chamber began to reverberate with much of the same technological puppet enhancements of the grid but with an added touch of 'Toraono Clan Ingenuity' courtesy of Dr. Daibatsu Toa and her eldest son Toraono Raizen. With the safety limiter dialed back to six, the puppets could reinforce their battle postures and attack en masse like a more sophisticated enemy would when attempting to slaughter a superior opponent with excess numbers. The enemy attacked from above and below coming up from beneath the crimson sands and from the ceiling tiles in a massive rush. Blades and spiked gauntlets were the predominant weapon although axes, and claws could be seen as well. As they rushed Azame and Sousuke, the safety level being set back to 6 out of 10 also made both of them targets but it was for naught because there was no way all the puppets could reach her at once they could only attack like a massive tsunami's wave allowing Azame to demonstrate the 100 span iaijutsu technique. She leaned forward as if she was about to break into a full sprint with her left leg extended before her. She torqued her waist to a seventy degree angle before all her chakra and pent up natural womanly rage came forth just as the puppets from above and below reached preliminary striking range. There was a massive shockwave resounding sonic boom as her elemental lightning blade cleared its sheath and swept off in a two hundred degree arc allowing both its elemental properties and the blades subtly expanded cutting edge to strike everything with eighty feet by forty feet leaving a massive but already moderately fast repairing gash in the far wall amidst all the puppet components that were being reabsorbed and refitted to future attack dummies.

The chamber ceased reverberating as the puppets were annihilated by the technique and the amplified sword. It took Sousuke a brief moment to recognize one of his augments was the reason the sword was able to allow Azame to perform such a feat as Iaijutsu normally only struck one opponent. She had simply treated the entire legion of puppets as one rather large enemy.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Not to Sousuke's surprise, the Lady Azame was very much present. The Steward closed his eyes for a moment and tried to judge exactly when she had arrived. He was moving too fast at the time to have truly noticed since everything was quite literally a blur. The Steward thought he was well aware of his surroundings, but clearly he wasn't. The warrior-woman of the Toraono clan offered him some praise but then gave him a proper critique. The Steward was wondering what she meant by him using the black blade as a tool to gauge the enemy's numbers. He knew the math, but of course she was talking about some issue of the spirit perhaps? Sousuke understood the concept that some blades had spirits, and some carried with them emotions imparted to them by their smiths. The black blade was no exception to this as it was part of Mikaboshi. Perhaps the blade itself would have alerted Mikaboshi of the exponential foe increase ... but at the moment it nothing registered with Sousuke. The Steward gripped the handle of the black blade. He had re-purposed the blade to a degree, and applied a power core to augment his own abilities. Perhaps he was attuned to the blade enough?

Lady Azame offered him a solid education. Use an area effect technique. The Steward was better at dealing with single targets, but what she said was common sense. Sousuke wondered why what she had suggested to him didn't come to him naturally? Was it experience perhaps? Yes. It had to have been, Lady Azame had seen alot more than he had in her life time. The Steward watched her do what he was doing, but she was going to do it with livelier targets at a higher threat level. "By no offense Lady Azame, but are you sure? The manufactured enemy unit is ... going to be at a higher difficulty level that far exceeds..."<i></i> The Steward realized that what he was saying wouldn't matter. Lady Azame knew what she was doing or else she wouldn't have done it in the first place. What Sousuke did next was one of the things he did best observe. The Steward kept his eyes locked onto the swordmistress as she placed one leg forward. He expected her to move forward and begin phase moving like he was doing so earlier with the second mark of his armour. She didn't do that though, instead she released a single attack that annihilated the target dummies.

Two things struck Sousuke as odd though. Her attack had a lightning charge to the blade. The Steward focused harder upon the blade. "An augment... you're using one of my lightning power cores. Impossible. Improbable. How did you... when did you...?"<i></i> Sousuke had his security at top notch, but someone she had borrowed one of his power cores. It mattered little really, since it didn't fall into the wrong hands. Sousuke in his heart knew that Lady Azame would do things only for the 'greater good'.

The second thing that struck Sousuke as strange was that Lady Azame had expressed a sort of anger in her technique. It seemed innate, but usually she was of a cool and calm collected mind. The Steward couldn't quite grasp the concept that it was womanly rage. Sousuke blinked, and recollected as much as he could in those few seconds. "Did you let your emotions get the best of you for a moment to unleash that technique? If so ... why? You seem ... angered, but it was a sort of natural anger. Anger is a chemical imbalance of sorts ... caused usually by a slight or event of sorts. I don't quite comprehend it at all though... mother was angry at me for two days when I used her stove to create Kitchenzilla. She got over it of course. Father gets angry too sometimes ... usually when he's lost something and can't remember where he placed it. Both of them too are good at concealing their anger, but I can see the subtle hints..."<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

”Oh Sousuke kun, you remind me of Kuro when he was young, An intense enemy is necessary to unleash an intense counter strike. The reason I selected a blood seeking enemy is because simple targets do not attack you, you cannot draw off their intent and momentum unless they are after your head. As far as this augment, it is a take on one of your elemental cores from your first series of broken blades when you trained here as a boy. Using the spirits of my ancestor’s innate battle rage, and some of Doctor Toa’s alterations to the actual mechanism using his advanced puppet studies and ghola technology we were able to come up with an amplified version of that original core. The problem is to fuel it you must have an emotional connection with your weapon and enough chakra and physical stamina to withstand the drain its usage would cause. I wager you have made far more advanced designs since you were a teen but here is what our last minute research based on your battle enhancement research. As a swordsman of intellect, observation, and ingenuity you are my single greatest achievement and even my daughters know that but until you can learn to feel your enemy not just anticipate them you will never be able to unleash your full potential, even with your impressive reactive armor jutsu.”<i></i>

Azame sat down on a nearby bench and gestured in a motherly manner for Sousuke to join her. From beneath the bench she brought forth a reasonably large pot of Undersea scorpion claw soup, with red potatoes, and diced celery. Sousuke could now see that the technique had taken a lot out of her but not so much she couldn’t perform that counterstrike two or three more times. As she set aside two bowls and some shell crunchers, she laid two spoons out as she shoveled a large helping into a bowl for him before continuing her explanation.

” When Kuro was ten years old he saw the world much as you do now and rebelled against his father’s blood by clinging to strict logic and the physics of fighting. It was during this time that my mother and her concubine visited us before my royal coronation. Kuro loved his Grandparents very dearly for they always explained the world to him and told him how he was destined for great things as long as he was a man of honor and strength. He clung to their words like a dying man clings to his final breath. While out helping secure the tradeways for the nomadic peoples that still roam the desert, their caravan was attacked by a remnant of Baranyx, the sandwyrm, killed Kuro’s Grandfather, my stepfather as he defended some children. Kuro turned and attacked the beast but my mother was faster and took a guard position over Kuro suffering three mortal wounds. Kuro never actually recovered from that moment, his first channeling of rage over that moment flayed the mind of the sandwyrm before his true powers overreached his innate control and flayed the flesh from half the monster’s body. Since then Kuro has maintained a deep yet reigned in understanding of` rage, love, loyalty, and hate. He can now channel dark chakra at will and summon a wrath that can make even the celestials balk. You have this same ability in you but I don’t want the death of someone close to be your catalyst. I want you to understand the power of emotions and the spirit inside you and be able to reach out and feel the spirits and emotions of your comrades and your foes and learn to draw from it.”<i></i>

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward understood what his instructor meant when she told him that a living enemy who will kill will drive the other to act accordingly. It was understandable as one's actions would naturally cause another to react. "A riposte requires one's action to work out properly."<i></i> Sousuke stated. He nodded his head coming to a complete understanding of what Lady Azame meant. As for her augment the impossible situation he was thinking of was not so much impossible now. He nodded his head as recollected now that some of his old training blades were put to good use, but not by his hands. The Steward would admit though he was sloppy in not removing the power cores. When she spoke of having an emotional connect to the weapon Seitoshi looked to the black blade. He didn't really have any good emotions connection to the blade he held. At best the blade wasn't breakable as far as he knew, and secondly the worst the spirit of the blade originally tried taking him over. He looked over the blade. "I don't think I'm as emotionally connected to my sword as you would be yours. I've always been ... in control of my emotions, or as some say I mere lack such potential to have emotions."<i></i> The words were if anything hollow, but that was mainly due to Sousuke's constant nature of neutrality. His words always lacked a sort of liveliness that others had.

Praise followed, and so did a spot of lunch. The Steward's eyes widened as he looked at the lunch. He licked a fraction of his lips as he looked at the delicious soup. He was about to dive in, but he noticed how tired his instructor look. Sousuke turned his attention to his instructor first though. He didn't partake in having some soup first until she had her first spoon-full. The Steward once content that she would be fine proceeded to have his own share of soup. The Steward always enjoyed the cooking of the Toraono clan. He scrapped the bowl for more soup. His eyes looked over to the pot, and thought of asking for more, before he knew it he was asking for more. "May I please have more of that delicious soup?"<i></i>

The Steward listened to the story of Kuro and how emotions got the best of him. Kuro to him seemed controlled for the most part, but it seemed that it was not always the case. The Steward would have seemed down trodden, but that was merely conveyed by what he said next. It was the words, not the expressions on his face which spoke more often than not. "At ten years old I was still going through academy. I must be defective in the sense that Kuro accomplished more in way of actions and emotions."<i></i> Was Sousuke jealous? No. He was merely stating fact. Sousuke was well aware that it took quite a bit of time for him to find out what he was good at. The final thing that Azame said was encouraging though. "Empathy. I suppose that it does indeed go a long way. Once you detect that a person is angry though or unfit, do you use that against them? Blind rage is ... if anything inaccurate."<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Azame filled Sousuke's bowl to the brim once more before going over his thoughts and explanations. "Oh no dear Sousuke you are not defective in the least I think I owe you an explanation over your emotions and how distant you are from them and why out of all your family you are so naturally gifted with the sword. Your mother and I attended the same schools for ladies and functionaries of the royal court even though she was a shinobi, she and I became best friends. When your mother finally gathered her strength to have a child for your father she asked me for the secret to getting exactly what you want from a child before birth. She asked that you be beautiful, quick of mind, and skill, and above all else able to bear the burden as steward. That technique is a bloodline technique it is not something I could teach her. So we combined our chakras as her pregnancy went along or whenever she had complications. In this sense you are almost as much my son as you are hers. It is because of the mixed chakras that molded your preconditions to give you an ideal birth that you have yet to experience true emotional bonding and for that I am sorry. I only came to realize it after I reviewed your scholastic ties and interviewed your teachers. Without friends you normally will never experience the full extent of your capabilities which is why only around myself and your extended family here do you feel at ease beyond creating objects. You are everything your mother wanted in a son but my blood seal robbed you of your emotional content. Kaibudo, Dr. Toa, and I came up with a way to compensate for your emotional distance. Kaibudo had slain and sealed the soul of a massive rampaging demonbeast known as Behemoth many years ago. As Dr. Toa understood the ghola technology, soul symmetry, and the advancement of your power cores he combined all three to place the spirit and knowledge of the great beast inside a broken sentient blade once wielded by Homura. As you know only the Ancients were truly capable of making blades fully sentient so this sword is neither a normal size or a normal make. Reforged by Doctor Toa using Kaibudo's strength at the hammer and forge and my ancient Nanjirou techniques to ensure the spirit of the demonbeast and its knowledge were transferred completely we had a gift created for you that was to be given to you once you took a bride. Seeing as how my niece Tia dotes on you I suspect you will need this blade now. The seals on this masterwork giant blade are complete but without your will and intuition into how swords function it cannot be wielded. This blade will allow you to sense the world through it's eyes where your emotions are detached you will be able to experience emotions without them truly effecting your judgement. The natural empathy of the blade is a double edged sword however because once you know how the being you are about to strike feels you may ponder a bit longer on actually following through. I doubt that will be the case with you, we also left room for 3 more augments of your desire should you choose to take this blade as your own. If you like I can escort you to your coronation day present now or we can wait till the soup pot is empty."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward worked his way into the next bowl of soup. He finished it and listened to what his teacher had next to say. What she said was quite a lot really. The Steward always wondered about his birth and apparently his birth was not entirely naturally. It gave the Steward pause. To know that things were not entirely so simple. In a way it troubled him, and in a way he somewhat expected it. What surprised him was what Lady Azame claimed, that she was as much his mother as was his own mother who gave birth to him. At least what the Steward feared most had not come to pass, which was the fact that his parents weren't his parents and were instead foster parents.

The Steward's education was controlled more so than he thought. It came as a slight annoyance and a farce to him that in the years he spent with mediocre grades that things were so controlled. Was he being tested to see if he could survive? Was he being tested to see if there were any other additional side effects of his birth? That the Steward did not know, nor did he want to being theorizing as to why things were set up.

To compensate for Sousuke's emotional inferiority, it seemed that House Toraono as a whole had put something together. It was the stuff of legends in modern day which the Steward was skeptical of. He wouldn't openly admit to it, but he had doubts whether or not this blade would make such a monumental bridge. It seemed a bit much, but whenever House Toraono was involved the impossible seemed to be more possible. This blade seemed more of a risk than anything else really. Sousuke for the moment was content with the Black Blade. He ran his fingers around the pommel. The blade wasn't his originally, but it felt that it was properly his own.

When the offer was made to be given the blade early, Sousuke merely declined. "I think... I will wait until it is the proper time to receive this sword. To have such a rush of new experiences would be a shock to what I know and have felt this far within my lifetime. I am well educated in theories, algorisms, and some ancient texts. I do not think of myself as ... wise. Wisdom takes time to have, and while I may be at an infinite stage ... be that as it may I do not think it wise to accept such additional wide-ranging experiences in my life just yet."<i></i> The Steward coughed. Tia of course was the next topic of discussion. "As for your niece. Yes. I am fond of her in ways, but I doubt that I would be ready for marriage or for a fuller relationship with her just yet. Perhaps in a few more years... but I will admit she is indeed a handful."<i></i> It would have been terribly awkward if things didn't work out with Tia, and to have taken such a gift from the clan. One last thing troubled Sousuke. Coronation? He was no king. He was as the family motto went 'King's Men'. The Steward blinked and wondered what she meant, and so he asked. "I am confused... I am no king or Kazekage true. I am a Steward. The King's Man. Why would I need a coronation...?"<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

"Even as a Steward, you are the head guardian and leader of the hidden village of Suna. You would also be marrying royalty so your coronation would be a dual event."</COLOR><i></i> With the soup eaten and the pot empty Kuro entered with a large satchel of sandwiches and snacks for his elder cousin Sousuke. Kuro looked rather well despite the time he spent in the dojo and the kitchen.

"Sousuke-san, I have made you twelve meals with garnishes and instructions for hot cider and sweet tea that can be made by handing the ingredients in their numbered packages to your kitchen-zilla. Tia-san told me your cupboards were bare so I wanted to make sure you had some balanced meals for your time spent in the lab."

Kuro set the man sized satchel down, if Sousuke ate to his heart's content the large leather satchel would still serve to feed him for two weeks. <COLOR color="indigo">"I will escort you back to the grid when you are done with mother we have a few things to discuss."<i></i>

 

[Takahashi Aki]

It took Sousuke a moment to respond. Was it really like marrying royalty? Azame was a queen and Tia was her niece. At the very least Tia was some form of high nobility. The Steward was usually humble about what he was. Granted his father was prideful that he was Takahashi Sousuke the third of his name. Both prior Sousukes were well known historical figures, but it was already said that they were humble men. Especially the first Takahashi Sousuke who was said to be the rival puppeteer of Chikamatsu. "I... am not too sure about this."<i></i> Sousuke spoke with what would have seemed to be hesitancy if it wasn't for the tone of voice. "It seems a bit outside of my comfort zone for something of this level."<i></i>

By this time Kuro had entered. The older nin carried with him supplies. Sousuke was very much fond of food supplies, though you wouldn't know it due to the lack of a smile on his face. "Tia would be most accurate in her descriptions of the cupboards. I do have you to thank for not starving sixty-eight percent of the time. The other time is from the hospitality of Lord Nekozuka and his emergency wares which he deploys with his daughter. I still am at a lost at how I failed to boil water to break my fast one morning. It was disturbing to say the least."<i></i> The Steward was considering to return, but he remembered one last thing. The technique. Iniajutsu. "I would like to try that technique your mother showed me. I merely need to think about the best way to use it."<i></i> The Steward got up from the table and began to pace. He was thinking about how best to deploy the technique. He didn't have the emotional output. He stopped for a moment. Emotions were a problem. Once they were involved it was difficult to separate them, which unfortunately for Sousuke was national. It was perhaps something else he needed. The drive to live in the face of death? Perhaps so. The Steward paused for the moment. Even then there was perhaps some sort of fail safe. It wouldn't work. The Steward took to pacing once more. "I think I have found my counter to make use of the jutsu proper. You may have your emotions, but I have my wits and with them the drive to create. Imagination. Creation. Innovation. Powerful agents indeed. Let's give this a try."<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Azame shooed Kuro away well aware of his sibling rivalry with Sousuke but unaware that Kuro had already managed to achieve a second mastery beyond the way of the intercepting fist. Kuro was uncertain whether she would be proud or horrified with how he was changing. "I see my mother is getting impatient and you need your lessons so I will be outside the training hall when you both finish up, I still have some matters to discuss but they aren't urgent. Train well Brother..."<i></i>

Kuro set aside the food and utensils and quietly left the training chamber to go busy himself with repair modules and lesson plans for students while Azame keyed the training puppets back up to a mass attack for Sousuke.

"Feel free to adjust the settings for your needs, and begin when you are ready. I will be here on the bench and outside of the puppet's sphere of attack radius."<i></i>

Azame hid her smile but she so loved how quickly Sousuke adapted any technique he witnessed to his own specifications.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward shrugged. "I require my studies in order to become a hearty fighter... but you don't need to leave..."<i></i> The Steward watched as the older demonic nin left the room. The Steward wondered if Kuro was able to use an unarmed version of the technique. "Okay then. Mark One - assemble."<i></i> The Steward's body was encasing itself in armour. Metallic plates slid out of his wrist and ankle areas and began assembling his armour. Once completed the Steward threw a few kicks. "Operational."<i></i> The Steward once content with his status proceeded into the prototype stage of Mark Two. The heavier armour phased in combining with his current armour.

The Steward looked like he was going to topple over due to the weight but he gave himself a moment to adjust. His form straightened and heightened. He unsheathed the black blade and called out to the Toraono dummy system. "Authorization Steward ... safety override level four, active engagement one hundred armored enemy attack HEAVEN and Hell... execute."<i></i> The Steward was working with two drives. One he was going to be majorly injured if he botched this. Secondly it was the drive to create. The Steward began to overcharge. His white armour began to rapidly heat up. It began to even turn red as steam began to rise. As the mechanical foes descended upon him the Steward gripped the black blade. He called upon the black flame that the blade was known for. The sword essentially ignited into a burning blade. "Inajutsu - Shadow Flame Engine."<i></i> The armour began to power up even more so as the Steward spun around and around at top speed. After two full rotations he unleashed the technique. He had to use some aspect of speed, which he did as he spun around. The technieque unleashed a ring of black fire which raged through the room. One would have thought that the technique was akin to wildfire in the sense that it was uncontrollable, but the reality was that the technique was highly controlled. The jutsu's destructive heat melted the armored enemies and left them inactive. Once finished the spinklers went off due to the jutsu being an unintentional fire hazard.

The Steward fell down on both knees. His armour was steaming. He could indeed feel the heat and it was somewhat overwhelming for him. He struggled as he attempted to unsummoned his armour. Critical errors were amassing so he pulled off various parts and threw them. He tried again to unsummon them this time having more success. Once he was down to his Mark One, that armour too was overheated as instead of a grey it was bright red. The Steward toppled backwards and laid down staring up at the sprinklers coming down. "I think I miscalculated on the level of heat this technique would give off."<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Azame quickly checked over Sousuke as he finally removed his armor applications just as the sprinkler system came on. "Sousuke kun, just because you can invent it does not mean you should test it on yourself. Your harnessing elemental flame along with spiritual flame through your armor and blade respectively is very effective and unique but the drawback is on your health, were you not of Takahashi stock your body would have literally burned to ash. I highly approve of your use of inertia to build up speed for your focused flame iaijutsu. As always your ingenuity is your second greatest ability, your confidence in yourself is your greatest asset. Don't worry about this chamber the self repair routine will take care of everything. Try not to over exert yourself as you discover new ways to perform jutsu that require other means to power them."

Azame quickly wrung the water from her hair as she patted the leather satchel with his food and snacks which remained safe and dry because it was on the bench in the rear of the chamber. "Hurry up and get changed into your reserve training gear, Kuro is waiting we will clean and send off your heat damaged armor to your lab as is so that you can study them at your leisure later as always."


Kuro sat outside the training hall with a set of training weights on his arms and legs as he prepared to walk Sousuke to his home away from home, his lab.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke would have argued on the matter of test runs and how testing the technique first hand was the only thing he could have done in the situation, but decided not to. The reason being that ... he couldn't argue well against motherly women. Certainly he could argue against Tia, but she wasn't a mother. His own blood mother could not be argued against.

After having taken off his armour and taking a cold shower, the steward changed to simple wares since he didn't have extra training gear. Instead of his white lab coat he wore a simple linen gi. It was far too big for him due to the fact that it was probably Kuro's during his teenage years. Even then Kuro was much bigger than Sousuke. The Steward flapped his arms for a moment. The sleeves were too long for him, but it didn't seem to matter to him. He tried to roll up the sleeves a bit, but found that it was creating weight for him. "I would think this was custom made, since trying to buy clothing for Kuro must be difficult due to his size."<i></i> The Steward never had difficulty in getting his clothing size. This was due to the fact he was slightly smaller than the average exceptional individual in suna. The Steward forgot that Kuro was waiting for him so he merely went to meet up with the older nin.

"How is that you train in this? It seems so heavy. ... Are you wearing training bracers?"<i></i> The Steward looked at the weights. "Training again?"<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro smiled broadly as Sousuke came out of the swordsmanship training area wearing one of his old linen gi's. Kuro had always forgotten how much bigger he was than Sousuke simply because Sousuke was an expert at mass manipulation and at any interval of time could change his gear and items to have up to three times his actual mass. "Yes little brother I am always training at least five hours a day, unlike you I can't just put on a suit of armor I actually have to use physical and mental strength to outlast my potential foes. I never got to ask if you wanted me to teach you telekinesis, it could help you get things done in your lab."<i></i>

Kuro being thoughtful had packed Sousuke a separate pack of food stuffs specifically for rations and snacks for guests that Sousuke could carry and as his mother came out she tossed Kuro the large leather climate controlled satchel with Sousuke's actual meals. Kuro also did not want to tell him that the extra density of his training weights was part of his punishment for bringing Yamazaki Suzuhime through an easy path and skipping tests so that he could present her to Azame for judgment as a potential wife.

Azame kissed Sousuke then Kuro on the forehead after she wrapped her hair in a towel "Okay boys, you two get a move on, and I expect to see both of you at the main dojo above ground tomorrow for Kuro's official engagement party."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward almost pouted as Kuro said it was a matter of wearing armour. The Steward folded his arms and turned his head. "I eat all my meals. I drink plenty of water. I work out daily. I do push-ups. I do chin-ups. I do sit-ups. Do I gain muscle easily? No. I work very hard, and I'm not going to use any form of chemical or mythical force to change my body." The Steward folded his arm to show case this. "Maintaining a suit of armour is just as demanding as you maintain your muscles. I have to change my armour designs based on certain or needs."<i></i> The Steward wondered though if his armour could match Kuro in a strength test. The Steward was confident, but here Kuro was with training weights. The demonic-nin could probably pick him up and toss him pretty far even if he was in full place.

"I never got to ask if you wanted me to teach you telekinesis, it could help you get things done in your lab."

The Steward scratched his head. "Telekinesis? The ability to move things around using one's mind? That's for psychics ... alone isn't it? It's not like ki or anything of the sort. The math is completely different ... not to mention that ki is a spiritual blast of energy."<i></i> The Steward wondered how exactly Kuro mastered such an art. Was he a psychic? "If you're a psychic ... should I be putting up a mental block or something around my mind then? I cannot say I'm comfortable with someone being able to read my thoughts."<i></i> It was an innocent statement. The Steward wasn't the sort to think of malicious thoughts, he merely wanted to keep all of his theories to himself since ... some would probably think him crazy. Most importantly he wanted to keep Kitchenzilla's sentient structure algorisms a very low key.

"Okay boys, you two get a move on, and I expect to see both of you at the main dojo above ground tomorrow for Kuro's official engagement party."<i></i>

The Steward looked at Kuro and then his mother. "Uhm... yes Lady Azame. Thank-you."<i></i> Kuro was engaged? Wait. No he knew of this. His father mentioned it to him briefly. "You're engaged to the immigrant aren't you?"<i></i> That was Sousuke's word for Suzuhime. It wasn't that he disrespected her or anything of the matter. That was merely the word that Sousuke thought described her best. "She hasn't been here all that long Kuro, are you certain about this? I know I'm not ... how does the saying go... 'I'm not one to talk'."<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro laughed out loud as Sousuke explained his personal training regiment, then went on to question his understanding of telekinesis and how it worked. "Sousuke-kun you know as well as I do that muscle density outside of special enhancements is genetic and your size is not an issue it will serve you well in being able to wear normal clothes and not having to make your own or hire special tailors. I've worn alot of training armor as well and after witnessing your armor designs I actually went to the forge and had a suit of ultra dense iron alloy made just for my strength and chakra training as it requires me to use all I have physically and mentally to put it on and move in it."

Kuro displayed what he meant by removing his training weight from his arm and placing it on a nearby scale showing that although it was normal in size and reasonable structure, its dense nature made what would have been a ten pound bracer weigh two hundred pounds. "I consistently wear weighted clothing and perform gravity resistant training in an effort to maintain extremely dense muscle fibers with maximum flexibility. The downside is I will never be as big as my father but then again he can't fit inside many places inside the village, my height and size allow me to just about make it. As far as being a full telepath, I'm not, I can hear thoughts when I question people and truly listen to the words that come from their mouth in concert with what comes to mind, many people think their sentences or their actions out before performing the act or saying the sentence so I can easily anticipate someone or tell when they are lying but I can't just read your mind, although if I worked at it I could learn to do just that. Telekinesis however is different, all puppeteers have the potential ability to master telekinesis, many just go the easy route and manipulate electromagnetics, but I am certain that if you apply your chakra and will in mental exercises like the ones I give my baby sister Haizame and the more gifted monks that your mind and spirit if you choose to call it that are more than capable of performing telekinetic feats."

Kuro thought about Suzuhime a moment..." Yes I am engaged to that special immigrant so to speak but my family investigated her before she was even allowed to settle into Suna and kept their eyes on her as she was kind of drawn to me by other circumstances, Mother seemed to expect me to end up with her because of her exotic features."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward at first time to image this suit of armour Kuro made. Apparently he was having problems properly using it as it took up all of strength . "I should look into that for you. The weight problem in the armour. It sounds like you've got a crossed chakra wire and an inter-graviton error. Sure you may want it to be ultra dense but ... you need to move in it."<i></i> The Steward stroked his chin. "I'll have a look into it for certain. It's the least I can do after all you've done for me."<i></i>

The discussion on telekinesis was a fascinating subjected. Sousuke did seem a bit down trodden when Kuro said that most people go the easy route to use electromagnets. He paused and thought hard. "That's not proper telekinesis. That's cheating. Well I guess it depends on how you look at things. To me it sounds like cheating... since I'm of the mind that proper telekinesis is based on proper psychics."<i></i> The Steward next listened to how Kuro's powers worked revolving around the concept of his ability to mind read. It had limits of course, and for Kuro it seemed to be more based on the concept of being an empath. "Can your baby sister pick you up and toss you? I would think it to be difficult and quite a strain. Let alone the fact that she is a child..."<i></i> The Steward couldn't help but think of Kuro being picked up by a hidden force and then being turned around and around like a top. "How terrible to have a sister with such potential... at a young age."<i></i>

On the topic of Suzu it seemed that the Toraono clan had done their research before he even had his interview with the immigrant. The Steward wondered at times if the Toraono clan ever did sleep. "Exotic features? She seems ... ordinary if you ask me. Her tan is different. She's into martial arts like you. She's got a mind of science. I don't quite comprehend how your mother can ... come to such a conclusion."<i></i>

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro thought about it for a moment and reasoned that Sousuke would know best about the armor's settings but Kuro still had to explain why he wore it...
"If you decided to look at it I would appreciate it but the actual usage of it is to improve my telekinesis to the point that I can literally control gravitic mass manipulation. Where my muscles fail I must use my mind, where my mind fails I must use muscle, where both fail I can only call upon my soul. Its not that I need to move in it, I simply need to be able to focus in a manner that could stop the juggernaut itself should I ever have to face such an unstoppable force."<i></i>

Kuro then directed his thoughts to electromagnetic control "True it's not proper telekinesis. Magnetic manipulation can scar the world and takes a much larger toll on the body if things go wrong where all I get for telekinesis is a nose bleed or a headache. It is a psychic form of manipulation but it has a mathematic correlation to one's brain activity and the amount of energy your body can generate specifically for your mind. In this I know YOU are more than my equal. Now that you mention it my baby sister Haizame CAN indeed pick me up and toss me around I simply have to counter her telekinesis without causing a strain upon her. I am quite happy she is so gifted. It means I worry far less for her safety."<i></i>

Kuro blushed visibly when he thought of Suzuhime "As far as my fiance goes, her hair and her eyes are exotic in my clan, her height, and ummm ((Kuro made the sign for large chest with his hands)) delicate nature are also rare in my clan. She will bring an age of change to the Toraono Clan and future children."<i></i>

Kuro began to lead the way to The Grid with the food and snacks he had prepped for Sousuke.

Topic left for the Grid after Sousuke's reply.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The discussion about Kuro's armour and why he needed it to be so heavy came to light once more. What Kuro wanted was something in the event that his body failed him that could take its place with the use of mental force. It was a different way of approaching things. This of course brought the Steward to wonder about the use of the final trump card, being Kuro's soul. "What exactly do you do with your soul? Isn't that the most dangerous thing to even consider using?"<i></i> The Steward inquired. The Steward wondered what sort of power the soul had. If Kuro was going to be using it as a trump card, then it certainly had to have some great power behind it.

Something next occurred that gave the Steward pause. Kuro flushed. Never before had Sousuke seen this before and given what he did, the Steward could hardly blame him. Sousuke's eyebrows furrowed as he was surprised by the characteristic that Kuro had illustrated with his hands. "I didn't think you were ... that sort of person."<i></i> The Steward said. He always thought that for Kuro the personality of a woman was held in higher regards than certain features. The Steward himself was more interested in the intellect of a woman more than her features. "Change to the Toraono clan? You really think that one woman will change the genetics of your clan that much?"<i></i> It was a rhetorical question, one that Sousuke didn't expect an answer to as he followed Kuro out of the dojo.

(Topic left with Kuro)