Raining Steel [Open]

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

Standing out in the courtyard of the Grand Halls of Learning there was various area dedicated solely to outdoor activities. One of them in particular was a training grounds suited mostly for taijutsu. Off in this training area there was a small group of students who were beginning their lesson with their instructor, Jenosaido Bruinetto. Todays lesson was an advanced course in projectile use. The course had been modified from more than just several stationary dummies to one that was much more complex. There were all kinds of modified stationary targets in the area; ones close to the ground, some several feet above the ground, others reaching high into the sky, many positioned at awkward angles, and couple located around objects. Aside from the those targets there were kinetic targets as well; several attached to pendulums swinging back and forth in an arc, some attached to zip lines that zoomed back and forth in a line, a couple attached to pistons causing them either to raise up and down or pull back and move forward, and lastly a few that spun around at various speeds only having a target on certain parts of the objects face. While this all seemed very intricate these training items were something Bruinetto had constructed for use in this class and he was quite proud of them.

“Alright students. If you have never had a lesson with me before, my name is Jenosaido Bruinetto. If you feel inclined you may refer to me by my surname however my actual name will also suffice. Whatever you feel comfortable with. Today is a lesson in projectile taijutsu. Long range techniques are a powerful tool and being capable of performing advanced throwing skills could save your life some day. A shinobi should always be aware of their surroundings. One day you may find yourself fighting in a quarry against several shinobi. A well placed projectile could potentially cause a rock slide providing a chance to escape or produce an opening to attack. You must also consider the option that while you are a close ranged fighter, one of the biggest weaknesses of a close ranged fighter is a long ranged opponent. While you can overcome the range by closing the distance, a well trained distance fighter will be anticipating this and will do whatever they can in hopes of keeping that distance. Even just using your own long ranged ability to keep them preoccupied could give you that chance to close the distance. Many shinobi become too specialized in one type of skill causing their other abilities to suffer. It's part of my job to make sure you are all more rounded. In front of you all there are several scrolls which contain all kinds of projectiles. From your run of the mill kunai and shuriken to also senbon, arrows, and throwing spears. Depending upon your style you may find some of these easier to use than others. After choosing your weapon you can begin attempting to hit the targets in the course. I will be monitoring your process along the way and offer advice when I see you struggling and will answer any questions you may have related to the lesson. If you have questions unrelated to the lesson, save those for afterwards. You may begin when you are ready.”

 

[Nozumi Kano]

Kano had dragged himself from home and too the grand halls, or as he called them 'school'. He had dressed himself in the same simple attire he had used when exploring the village; though, his hair was pulled back in a pony tail. He stood in the back of the crowd hoping to blend into it as he listened too the lecture from the teacher, which just amounted too "Here take this sharp objects and throw them at the targets. Don't cut yourselves." His instincts were to run too the surface and take his chances, but Kano knew there was no way that would ever happen. He would have to endure being in this glorified hole just awhile longer. A shake of his head brought him out of his funk as they were told too disperse. The anonymity of the crowd was fading as people separated out in pairs. He looked around hoping he could find one of his friends before they were all paired off.

 

[Midori]

The task seemed simple enough, choose your weapon and hit the target and if you fail you try again until you get it. The only issue that Midori could really see was the fact that there were so many targets that ranged from big to small to moving. She was felt that she would be okay with the targets that were closer to the ground and that didn’t move. The moving targets would prove to be challenging, not to mention that Bruinetto would be judging them and coaching them. Midori had already had one run in with their current sensei and it was one that she was really hoping he didn’t remember. A small sigh felt her lips as she looked over crowd of students and noticed Kano. She smirked as she reached over grabbing two scrolls and headed over towards him. “I bet you, that I can hit more targets than you” she said as she threw one of the scrolls at him. She already knew that her weapon of choice would be a Kunai as that was really the only projectile weapon she had used before. She pulled her red hair back into a pony tail as she rolled out the scroll and grabbed a few Kunai.

“Don’t cut yourself…” she whispered as she took in a deep breath. Her first target was going to be one of the simpler ones that were closer to the ground. They weren’t moving which would make it easier for her to at least give her time to adjust herself. Holding one of the Kunai in her right hand she stared over at the target and with a flick of her wrist she let the kunai fly from her gasp. The Kunai hit the target which Midori though was good…even if it was on the outer edge as least she had hit it regardless on if her aim was off.

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

Without further explanation all the students in the group began to head off into smaller groups. More than likely each of these groups were students they were familiar with. It was times like these that comradery between students could be very advantageous for excercises like this. On one hand there could be coaching between these students. If one happened to be more talented or experienced with projectile techniques they could offer their own insights into the matter. Those who were like this would more than likely get even more out of this lesson than the other students. After all it was but one thing to learn how to do something but another to teach something. On the other hand in these groups knowing the competitive nature of people they may even be inclined to compete against one another. Something like that was a great driving force to trying even harder in their lesson. This could come at the cost of the frustration of losing but even in that event one could easily learn from their mistakes with the right attitude. It was up to Bruinetto to watch out for all of these things and help continue to channel these young and eager shinobi. As Bruinetto was making his rounds observing the students it was natural that most of them would start off trying for the easiest targets. It was a good way to warm up ones throwing arm and get use to the weight and feel of the projectile they were using. One good thing about being underground was that the chance of a draft was not very high so the wind conditions were optimal for throwing projectiles. The students would not have to factor in the direction and speed of the wind when they were throwing. Although, it was something he could simulate later, if some of the students found this lesson to be too easy.

In one group of students he had noticed a girl who was working in a pair with another boy. Tilting his head, there was something familiar about her that he could not put his finger on. While most of the students of the village looked familiar to him as he sees most of them coming in and out of the academy he felt like he has met her outside of the academy grounds. Perhaps he was just imagining things as he simply shrugged his shoulders. None of the students seemed to have questions at the moment so he figured he would join in on the lesson. Reaching into his shuriken holster he would toss a few warm-up projectiles to loosen up the muscles in his arm. Each throw was fluid as the shuriken flew almost effortlessly into stationary targets. It was clear that their sensei knew a thing or two about projectile taijutsu. In fact, this skill was his forte out of all the other types of taijutsu out there. Bruinetto didn't like up close and personal encounters. It kept his hands and his eyes out of harms way, two parts of him that he felt were vital to his life as not only a shinobi but to his passion for scientific endeavors.

 

[Nozumi Kano]

He looked relieved when he heard Midori's voice and he turned towards her. "My guardian angel. It would have been dreadful to do this without somebody too commiserate with." He said taking the scroll that was thrown at him and unrolled it. "Really you are betting that you can hit more targets than me, huh?" a few kunai materialized in his hand while watching Midori's form. "If we are going to make a bet, it should be something more than bragging rights. It should be something embarrassing." He quipped back while hefting the metal in his hand. The feel of the kunai and its weight distribution were important too feel before making a throw at the same target that Midori had thrown at. The throw had about the same accuracy as her initial throw only perhaps inching slightly closer too the center than hers. "Ha. So, what do you say too raising those stakes and try for a moving target?" Kano said goading her into making a more difficult shot, so that he could get a lead in their bet.

 

[Midori]

She watched as Kano’s kunai hit the target. “Fine, the person who can hit the most target in the center wins. As for what we are playing for…I’m always a big fan of food” She picked up another kunai looked up towards another target that was slightly higher. Midori thought about how she threw the last one, and what mistakes she could have made. She already knew that she had thrown it with a bit of a curve. So if she moved her wrist more trying to have it more centered she should get closer to the target’s center. Once again she took in a small breath as she held onto the kunai tightly. She felt the weight of the kunai within her hand as she pretended to throwing watching and noticed the movement of her wrist. “Alrightly” She pulled her hand back and threw the kunai. This time the Kunai had hit about 2 inches from the center of the target. “With practice…I think I will actually get good at this”

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

After his brief warm-up he stopped to take a look around at the other students. A majority of them were still working on stationary targets. Which was fine because in order to learn how to best use the projectile it was best to start off that way. Off to the one side it seemed one of the students was starting to get a little overzealous. The boy continued to toss kunai after kunai at one of the swinging pendulum targets. No matter how hard he seemed to try he could not even hit the outer rim of the target. With each additional toss his frustration grew as his attacks were coming no where close to the mark anymore. Walking over towards the boy Bruinetto stood behind him and simply placed a hand on his shoulder. "Allowing your emotions to get the better of you is not going to help your accuracy. Take a moment to breath, and to calm down. I will give you a little tip when it comes to a moving target."

Reaching to the side and revealing a kunai from the holster he would take a second and watch the swinging pendulum target. After a brief moment he would toss the kunai and as it traveled it didn't even seem like it was aimed for the target. However as the projectile flew through the air the pendulum target swung in range of the kunai as the pointed end struck right into the center. "One thing about a moving target is that you cannot aim for where the target is when you throw. You have to anticipate the movement of the target and aim for where it is going to be. Otherwise you are never going to hit the target, unless you end up getting lucky. However, it is better to make a skillful shot than a lucky shot." With that bit of information handed down to the student he said it loud enough so that most of the other students would be able to hear. Knowing this tid bit of information they may be more inclined to tackle some of the harder targets provided.

 

[Nozumi Kano]

"Food, huh? I thought you would up it more by wanting to take me clothes shopping." He said taking a step back and watching her throw her next kunai. He did a slow clap for her once she hit the target. "Well, you know the common saying practice makes perfect." He said with a bit of a snarky attitude as he tossed his other kunai in his hand and watched her step back. A confident smile was on his face as he stepped up and hefted his kunai up. The words of the instructor came too him, so he would try for a little more difficult shot and switched his focus too one of the moving targets. Kano took the time too lead his target getting used too its pattern of movement before making his shot. It had the same shoddy accuracy of his last one, and it barely stuck in the target. "Hey, it counts don't it?" He said with a smirk as he stepped away too let Mid take her next shot.

 

[Midori]

Midori watched as Kano’s kunai had barely hit the target. “Do I really look like the kind of girl that likes clothing shopping?” She asked raising her eye brow to him. Midori couldn’t remember the last time she had actually gone clothing shopping, it wasn’t like she had put on weight so there was no need to waste money on something so little as clothing. Midori stepped forward so that she could see the moving target perfectly, it was than that she had over heard Bruinetto’s words about his knowledge regarding the moving target, and where to actually throw it. Midori watched as the target moved from side to side in the same slow steady motion. ‘Throw it about 3 inches in front of the moving target….’ She thought as she tried her best to memorize the movement. She let go of her Kunai and watched it as it sailed threw the air and hit the target about 2 inches from the center. Midori smiled as she looked over at Kano. “Remember aim your projectile to where the target is going to be” she said in a bratty voice as she quote what Bruinetto had said earlier.

 

[Nozumi Kano]

"You look like the kind of girl who could use a few new clothes and a hair cut." He quipped back as he watched her take her shot being more engrossed with the trash talking and competition than the actual lesson plan. "Why thank you Mid, I never would have thought of that if you hadn't told me." Kano said in a dry voice as he took out his last kunai and stepped forward as she had stepped back. He focused his attention on one of the farther away moving targets, the competitive spirit in him not accepting anything less as he palmed his kunai and studied it movements. A few seconds passed before he made his throw and hit the target four inches from the center. Kano turned around a triumphant smile plastered across his face as he stepped back and bowed in front of Midori. "I believe that is how it is done; perhaps, you should take notes on what the teacher is saying next time?" He said airily.

 

[Midori]

Midori wanted to give him a good punch in the arm for the clothing comment, but knew that this wasn’t the time or the place. Plus there was no way she was going to lose to him. Something within her sparked as she pushed him aside so that she could get a better look at the target. Looking over at where his kunai had landed, Midori studied the target. She would need to put more force with this throw as the target was far. Taking in a small breath Midori pulled back her arm and flicked her wrist sending her Kunai towards the target. The smile on her face grew as she noticed that her Kunai was about 2 inches from the center of the target. “All is far in Love and War.....and if Bruinetto has something useful to say I will listen” she said still looking at her victory.

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

It seemed that some of the students were definitely getting pretty accurate when it came to simply the stationary targets. However when taking a closer look there were two students that were starting to stand out amongst the crowd. One of them was the girl that he felt he has seen before outside of the academy and the other was a boy that was competing with her. Seems the two of them had listened to his advice on how to hit a moving target and were actually applying it to the lesson. Bruinetto would head over towards the students and stand behind them for a moment before speaking up. "You two seem to be getting the knack of this. However once you get a better handle on the pendulum targets you should attempt some of the other moving targets. The pendulum are an easier moving target because they continuously go back and forth at the same speed. This makes it much easier to anticipate the movement and judge where you need to throw your kunai. The other ones are a little bit harder."

First he would point to the targets which were on the zip-lines. "When the target first leaves the one side it heads off with a small burst. That burst eventually starts to level off as it constantly gains speed along the zip-line. It will continue to gain momentum along the way until it reaches its maximum speed near the end of the zip-line before it stops. This is something applicable in real life as I am sure you can guess. An opponent you face when attempting to either run away or run towards you will continue to increase their speed until they hit their maximum. If you misjudge their speed from the start you can easily miss them if you cannot anticipate their speed properly."

 

[Nozumi Kano]

He gave a slow clap as her shot landed. "You've certainly got a handle on throwing, but you still haven't hit the dead center of a target. I wouldn't want you holding back because of me." Kano said with mock sincerity as he took out another kunai and stepped up. It was then he heard the teacher behind them talking about the zip lines being the harder target, which brought a smile too him as he turned towards Midori. "So, I guess if I get this one then we can call this competition won for yours truly." He said flashing her an impish grin before turning around and focusing on one of the zip line targets. Kano took the advice to heart as he spent some time studying the target before making his throw at the target, which proved accurate enough to hit it near dead center.

 

[Midori]

Midori looked from Bruinetto to Kano. She did very much enjoy a challenge and she had to admit that Bruinetto really knew what he was talking about. She took a step back and watched as Kano took his turn hitting the target almost right on. Midori let out a small whistle. “Impressive” she said as she took her place and studied the target. The first time she threw the Kunai, she missed the target completely as her Kunai went off in the wrong direction. “Damn it” she said letting out a heavy sigh before picking up another Kunai, knowing that Kano would be smiling at her failure, after all this would count as him winning their bet. Once again she missed the target as her Kunai went flying by where she was supposed to be aiming. Biting on her lower lip Midori would try once again. Like most people she was learning from her mistakes, and knew what she was doing wrong. This time however when she threw the Kunai it would actually hit the target bang on in the center. She smiled to herself and looked over at Bruinetto. “Third times the charm”

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

Bruinetto was quite impressed with how Kano took to his advice. All it took from a small moment to process that information and waiting it out and he struck the zip-line target on his first try. At this point he was going to give Kano the benefit of the doubt and to say that it was a skilled shot as opposed to a lucky shot. "That was pretty good there Kano-kun. Do you plan on taking a more long ranged approach to your fighting? If so, you may excel in that field with some more practice and dedication. It may be something to look into for the future." With that he gave Kano a pat on the back as he looked over towards Midori who was now trying to match the results of her partner.

While it seems with the first few tries she did not even come close to the mark it was not something that deterred her. There was no frustration as she remained focus on her target. Perhaps it was her drive to not lose in this manner which allowed her to keep her cool. Regardless of what was driving her she finally ended up making her mark. Even though it took her three tries to hit the target she managed a direct shot in the center which was slightly better than what Kano pulled off in one shot. "They do say the third time can be the charm, but that implies luck was involved. I wouldn't sell your hard work so short Midori-chan." Bruinetto said that with a soft smile as he stared down to Midori. Taking a good look at her face, it finally dawned upon him where he knew her from. "This girl.. she was the one I met in the Red Light District that one night. Her brother was the one that attacked me. Well, this is.. awkward."

"Now next in difficulty when it comes to these targets would be those that are attached to pistons. There is a moment where they move at a constant rate but that constant rate is much faster than the pendulum that you dealt with earlier. It's oscillating motion is hard to predict and its sudden jolt in movement is hard to catch with ones eye. Just when you think its position has been settled upon and you go to aim it can quickly jerk to another position and throw off your attack. You can compare it to when you are attempting to hit a stationary target but you are anticipating it to move one way or another in response to your attacks. Sometimes it is easier to just throw a mass of projectiles to cover all your bases, but wasting resources in battle is not something I would advise."

 

[Nozumi Kano]

"Ooooooooooooooooh, that was pretty bad miss. I wonder if you can win with those misses, or if you are going to concede." He said goading her as she stepped back after she finally hit the target. He stepped up and took out another kunai balancing it in his fingers as he looked at the target the teacher was wanting him to hit next. It was the hardest target on the field, so it was realistically going to be the determining shot. "Its worth thinking about I guess, but I am not really interested in projectiles. My mother is a puppet maker, and I've always had an interest in those." Kano voice trailed off as he studied the target. He thought he saw a pattern in the movement of the target, so he would take his shot, when he had the best chance to hit. The shot would just miss the target, and Kano would give a slight hiss as he shot a glance over too Midori to see what she had to say about it. "I'm still one shot up on you." He shot back as he concentrated once more and took his shot, which was much better than his last one in that it hit the outer ring of the target, but it was a hit. "Let's see you try to come back from this."

 

[Midori]

Midori at this point choose to say nothing to Kano, instead as he was doing his throwing she was actually paying attention to the target, and was learning from Kano’s mistakes. When Kano’s threw the kunai the second time, Midori has noticed something about the movement and about how she should throw her own Kunai. She took her place in front and one again looked over at the target once Kano was done. With a bit of force and a flick of her wrist Midori sent her Kunai flying towards the target. Her Kunai had made contract with the target and was closer to the center than Kano’s. She would smile as she looked over to Kano and than back up at Bruinetto.

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

"Puppeteering is a rather intricate field of ninjutsu. It is much more involved than your casual techniques. There is a lot of passion that needs to go into puppetry considering that most puppeteers build their own eventually. I recently have been studying the art of puppeteering along with the design of them. I hope to implement the designs of these puppets into some of my inventions. I will more than likely use one of them in a future class of mine once I work out the kinks. I am sure with what you learn here today with this class, you could apply it to your puppets. Many of them have long range functions after all."

Bruinetto could not help but to smirk slightly at the words of Kano as he continued to try to get under Midori's skin. It was this type of talk after all that was meant to get an emotional edge over the competition. Tactics like this was something that Bruinetto would often use against opponents or challengers of his. After all as soon as one starts to lose control of their emotions it is far easier to manipulate the course of their actions with your words. The word was a powerful tool for a shinobi. If anything now the words of Kano appeared to be having an opposite effect of what he intended. Her throw managed to find a much clearer hit on the target despite it being his second throw as opposed to her first. Then again she had the benefit of learning from watching Kano. "Seems like you two are pretty neck and neck in this situation. However, there is one target that I would consider the hardest. If you two wish to go into the ultimate challenge of this course to see who emerges victorious."

 

[Nozumi Kano]

Kano gave a smile as Midori hit her target with one throw instead of his two, but he still maintained the edge when it came too the least amount of misses. "Good job." He said patting her on the back as he shifted his focus too the teacher who was talking about puppetry. Kano gave a shrug of his shoulders "I'd like to study it further, but I have to get through the basics first before I can move onto making anything at all, let alone using kugutsu." Kano shifted his gaze over towards Midori and flashed her a smile "Well, you heard the man. There is a target here that is supremely difficult to hit. Let's get over there and see who can hit it first, then we will know who the real winner is. Well, just confirm who it already is, me."

 

[Midori]

Midori was feeling really good about herself. She was learning from her mistakes and seemed to actually be enjoying herself. She was also proud of Kano and how far he was coming along, Midori knew that he was better at the long range weapon then she would be but she was okay with that. After all the two of them would make a good team once they were trained fully. She than looked up towards her sensei and smiled as her golden eyes met with his “Lead the way Bruin-kun”