Nestled along the dunes near the oasis is the dojo an ancient stone building a former coliseum converted by Toraono Kaibudo and his wife Queen Nobuku Azame into a special domed dojo; a place of perpetual learning for the martial arts, and combat at its finest. One side was dedicated to weapons more specifically the sword but weapons the other side of the house was dedicated to unarmed combat. A finesse and power that was understandably overwhelming and set for bloodletting. The stone pillars upholding the building were set with skill, chakra, and care to promote maximum stability throughout the entire structure. The dome was added to promote an atmosphere and provide air conditioning in a round-about way through specially placed vents. The floors of special marble in some areas were be-speckled and set apart by floors coated with special disinfected sand that wouldn't infect a bloodied warrior. Weapons racks lined the walls of the second area with meticulous care in stands. On the northern side of the dojo were padded wraps and leggings, for martial arts training. The Toraono Clan Dojo once sat at just over thirty feet in height with an additional ten feet higher in dome. The steps leading up to the main antechamber were an odd sand red marble, brown marble stained by bloodied sand. Six chambers were divided in shapes necessary to provide optimum training in various forms of combat. Two more additions had been made due to the children of the Toraono clan actually becoming full-fledged ninja were dedicated to ninjutsu and genjutsu. The ninjutsu chamber was in an underground cavern while the genjutsu chamber was in a calm hand dug bath chamber irrigated ever so slightly by the Oasis itself and heated by the sun.
The entire east wing of the Dojo and a portion of the coliseum itself were restructured from a small mountain. The massive amounts of Earth chakra released by its formation helped to significantly repair the master seal pervaded the underbelly of the dojo. The resulting work had caused many once sealed underground chambers to open and with the newly forged mountains the Toraono Dojo now had a natural barrier to prevent further access to Sunagakure from the west and it also provided a new area to train for future students. Over two hundred chambers existed in the Toraono dojo and the general public only had access to fifty percent of that. The remaining rooms were specially sealed chambers for specific clan members affiliated with the dojo and their blood relatives.
Demon Kuro sensed an odd presence just outside the dojo, as he approached the main foyer he found a rather large bandage wrapped man. Laid out amongst the couches and pillows. None of the servants had noticed his knocking or he would have been tended to. Still the main doors were always open for emergencies. As Kuro approached him he grabbed a large glass and a pitcher of cool tea and set it on the ground before the now horizontal giant's reach before speaking. "Greetings, I am Toraono Kuro, Sennin of Sunagakure and leader of this dojo. I apologize for your reception being less than adequate. We have been rather walled in and lethargic since my recent wedding. There is cool tea at hand and I will sit and wait here till you gain the necessary strength to speak. Please signal me with any kind of sound or movement you find yourself capable of so that I may find the best way to help you."</COLOR><i></i>
Kuro wore a sand tone kimono with matching hakama. Kuro laced a brown obi around his waist where he kept his sheathed honor blade. Kuro wore his battle pouch atop the obi just above his right hip. Kuro wore a leg holster on the interior of his hakama just atop his silk gi shorts. A convenient cut in the silk cloth of his left hakama pants leg allowed Kuro full access to his summon scrolls without showing exactly where it was till he motioned to grab it. Securing his royal arm guards and leggings were his enhanced runic terran marked leather hand and leg wraps. Kuro wrapped his tail around his obi making sure it appeared to be a furry black tiger skin tail with silver stripes added onto his obi. His silver hair was braided in ancient ceremonial fashion making his black oxen horns look much more pronounced but also making him look more human. Kuro’s eyes were pure violet orbs of power instead of their normal violet with golden slits. Kuro had slowly learned that these were his true eyes after noticing how natural they felt in relation to his normal feline eyes which he had learned were his natural demon eyes. He looked upon his visitor with fear that inattentiveness might have caused his most recent guest further harm from dehydration.
Meanwhile in the fighting arena of the dojo:
Kuro had one active partner to keep track of his growing capabilities since he took on the power of Hyakujuuonouu. His Uncle by family rites ‘Dr. Daibatsu Toa’ kept careful notes on Kuro’s progress and exactly how his alternate bodies functioned after every training session he wrote down the flaws and strengths of each aspect as of Toraono Kuro the Akuma Sennin. Hashigaki Kuro hopped into the training ring, his opponent Gau of the Byakko Clan stepped into the other side of the ring. They both began to stretch and twist readying themselves as they both looked each other over as if neither was sure what was about to happen. Hashigaki Kuro was smiling despite the information overload his senses were getting save when he closed his eyes. Gau was a little apprehensive but he had a stark look of determination, as one of the top fighters of the Byakko Gouzoku. After wrapping their hands and putting on helmets they both turned to each other and bowed, Daibatsu Toa was impressed at Hashigaki Kuro’s soundless movements, which he instantly took note of. It seemed as if he was truly focusing on Gau’s full presence. The chakra crystal harness he wore under his fighting gi allowed Toa to record his movements and chakra flow throughout the match for comparison against his original body’s wavelength’s and abilities. Hashigaki Kuro did something that Toa felt was odd, he closed his eyes and as he did so Toa noticed his chakra wavelength stabilized. Speaking into his headset “Are you going to be okay using blind fighting techniques?” Hashigaki Kuro chuckled as he replied through his own headset “It seems my senses work far better when I close my eyes in this form, as I am now I apparently locate objects through sound and movement, echo location from my chakra and natural vibrations, I don’t actually see so much as I feel my opponent and everything around me for about two miles although without walls I can almost hear everything for twenty to thirty miles when I focus.”<i></i> He leaned over to Gau and whispered “Could you use some of your best moves as we test our limits?”<i></i> Gau nodded as he whispered “Sure just keep up with me and don’t hit me in the head too hard, it’s hard to concentrate when you get hit real hard.” Kuro nodded as Toa stepped up pretending he couldn’t hear the two planning their match.
Gau was taken aback as Kuro kept his eyes clothes so he decided to activate his Byakkogan and saw that Kuro was actually pulsing chakra through his ears and bones. It was an odd thing to visualize but at least he was certain Kuro wasn’t playing him for a fool he actually planned to use blind fighting techniques. With that in mind Byakko Gau rushed in with an obvious right cross and to his surprise Kuro did the same attack with almost the same speed. Although they tried not to hit one-another too hard the impact of their fists upon each other’s helmets knocked each of the young men back. Kuro smiled, Gau grinned but noticed he felt a little dizzy despite the strength of Kuro’s ounch being taken down by at least three notches according to his memory of Kuro’s monstrous strength. It felt like his head had become a bell yet they rushed each-other again. This time Gau threw a right sidekick, Kuro reacted with a block, Gau followed up with a left hook, Kuro blocked this as well then countered with a spinning roundhouse that grazed Gau but the wave of energy from it made him feel as if he had been hit head on. The fight was on, Kuro kept learning about himself as he kept up with Gau’s techniques and Gau gradually began losing his shyness.
Gau’s chakra wasn’t rising near as fast as Kuro’s and Kuro’s control was just as perfect as his original form so it seemed that Toa might have to call the match early. It seemed was showing remarkable restraint or was he. Toa paid closer attention, as he noticed Kuro was truly going all out, it was Gau that was tempering his techniques and allowing Kuro to counter. In truth had Toa not looked closely he wouldn’t have noticed how much faster Gau actually was compared to Kuro. As Gau’s mindset eased up his abilities increased as if he had been in a slump of some kind. The kicks were the first to become too fast for Kuro to keep up with battering him about the ring much to his sister’s satisfaction. Then the punches came in much much faster demolishing Kuro with body blows. Gau was still holding back, when Kuro actually managed to catch one of his hooks, he looked up with a bruised face, “I’ve seen this combo already Gau, show me something new.” Gau nodded as if they had some unspoken agreement that no one else could ever know “Ok, I’ll show you three of my strongest techniques, keep your guard up..” Kuro interrupted “Don’t worry about me, we have watchers to keep us from hurting each other too much.” Gau nodded again as he closed his eyes and chanted to himself “Wari wa motikinai, nothing can withstand the might of my Kage Tora, with these techniques I am unstoppable!!”<i></i> Toa nodded as he realized what Gau was doing. He was using self-hypnosis to unleash his full potential, and as such Gau’s chakra increased exponentially.
Kuro smiled as Gau realized his full attack and defensive ability. <COLOR color="indigo">“I feel the change in you, that technique is very impressive, I have something like that, my first teacher told me to never use it when practicing swordsmanship, but I can’t see her getting mad at me for using it in hand to hand combat.”<i></i> Kuro took a Toraono channeling stance. Toa shook his head as if to say no as he realized this was something else Hyakujuuonouu had unwittingly taught Kuro without prior conditioning. It began as a small spark as a violet aura began to leak from Kuro’s hands. Gau’s chakra could now be seen as well as it had taken on a vibrant crimson, as slowly more chakra began to leak from Kuro’s body in wisps then like gas caught fire it exploded forth around him in flame as pieces of the ring flew off into the air as the both unleashed their all. Gau became a massive blur as he whipped in with his second technique. “Kage Tora Jutsu -Juuichi Senpuu Ken!!!” Eleven whirlwinds roared to life and stringed into shapes that resembled one hundred and ten punches as they connected one after another into Kuro flinging him into the air as Gau appeared above Kuro “Kage Tora Jutsu Fray!!”<i></i> A series of eleven explosions followed by a massive earth shattering fist slammed Kuro into the center of the ring as Gau landed exhausted. He got ready to exit the ring content he had given his all when a massive surge of chakra told him the match wasn’t over. Kuro walked from the crater that he had created in the center of the ring his instinct for combat egging him on. He was a battered mess but healing rapidly “That was great Gau, I’m really impressed, it gave me the idea for this technique; I’ll name it in honor of your family school and my Uncle’s Toraono Clan Jutsu Sunder…”<i></i> Moving nearly as fast as Gau had Kuro appeared just beneath Gau’s guard giving him a fierce uppercut that connected not with his head but his body which launched him into the air. Where Gau’s technique allowed him to appear above his opponent Kuro instead appeared beneath Gau striking him in the stomach three more times, swiveling mid-air to back hand Gau beneath him, and although his guard was still up Kuro kept pummeling him all the way down into a new but lesser crater than he had been bashed into. Both fighters stood exhausted after the impact. Kuro was gaining strength from being on edge yet focused on his opponent. It seemed this body had hidden potential, Toa could also tell by the chakra levels that their bodies would be in serious danger and signaled the med nin to take them down before it was too late. They were both too focused on their match which had somehow became a duel allowing them to be blindsided by sleeping jutsu in the form of a lullaby from one of the female medics as they passed out to be caught by blurs of skilled medics and taken to medical ward. Kyojin Kuro and Kaibudo had sat and witnessed the end of Kuro and Gau’s match via video tape although Kyojin had pretty much been there first hand.
Toa walked into the viewer room and presented the records of the match to Kyojin Kuro whom bowed and quickly stepped off to place them in the hidden lab that Toa had set up to monitor Kuro’s bodies. Kaibudo smiled evilly “My son seems to grow in skill every day, I have never seen him fight with his eyes closed so well. I am impressed, is this some new training regimen he has started upon?”<i></i> Toa smiled and presented the normal records of Kuro’s matches with the findings from this match before he spoke he let Kaibudo read over Kuro’s ever growing skill. “Your son is actually developing an altered forbidden clone technique that allows each clone to fight in a different manner than the other expressing all of Kuro’s skills over the years. In this way nothing is forgotten or sealed away, any ability he has ever learned is expressed through each of his alter ego’s so to speak.” Kaibudo returned the documents with a smile as he had reason to believe that Kuro was doing something a little different, Toa’s explanation however allowed for the Toraono Clan to save face and never be accused of forbidden experiments.
WC: 1670
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