Toshu looked across the lake, admiring the view. For all its faults, this place had its own peculiar beauty to it. Toshu knew he was a bit odd for it, but he'd always considered ruins to be beautiful in their own right. He hummed softly to himself, enjoying the quiet. As much as he loved the bustle and noise of the forge, it was nice to get some peace. Lifting a hand, he pointed towards a nearby rock. With a flick of his fingers, the stone lifted up and skipped itself across the lake. He'd never gotten the knack for skipping pebbles the normal way, but his doton made it easy. It was handy for a bit of light training. He started whisking more stones across the water, matching the tune of the music. As was often the case, he was completely oblivious to the world around him.

Spoiler:

Xi, had been across the lake, partaking in his usual endeavors of praying. Until the young man heard the audio melody of the pebbles galloping across the mass of water with each impact upon it's surface. Xi, closed his eyes, and focused as he had begun his slight to find the creator of the skipping stones song. After a two minute expedition, Xi opened his eyes, and he saw a very large man.. With several rolls of body fat, and muscles to match. However the most notable thing about the man before his very eyes, was his size. Compare to 5'9 Xi this guy was something else. As Xi, payed closer attention to detail, he was able to detail that this man was also a member of the same party he belonged to. The vibration from the ripples could no longer be felt by the chunin, as soon as they ceased, Xi had begun to question the man, as he bowed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Chubby. I am also a fellow member of the Shirotori. I would like to ask you for a moment of your time to engage in a fray of combat arts."

The young shinboi said as he bowed towards the elder.

Toshu looked up at the strange young man before him. He'd heard that they had a member who insisted on using nicknames, but he hadn't expected the lad to be quite so odd. He didn't rise when his comrade addressed him. He decided it was better to remain seated at eye level than to loom over the younger man. The insult had gotten on his nerves, but he didn't want to give the impression of threatening the boy. He took great pains to remind people that he wasn't the sort of brute who would respond to a jab at his appearance with violence. He was a man of taste if not wealth, and he had to keep his dignity. "I would rather you used my name." he said, turning over a rock in the air in front of him. "I will accept your offer, but first what should I call you?" He kept a calm, even tone. The larger man didn't return the bow. He considered it only fair after his junior cohort had greeted him with an insult.

Xi, eyes met the larger Shinobi's and Xi simply, bowed his head as, if Toshu hadn't said anything at all. The place was silent except for the heartbeats he could hear in his realm of the ruins. He did not smile, nor did he blink, he just held erect for a few minutes, before asking the larger counterpart, another question, while also giving an answer.

"I'd rather call you Mr. Chubby. as for me I don't have a name. Would you like to pray with me before we begin?"


He asked as he watched the stone overturn. Taking a moment to view the rest of the surroundings, Xi, had begun to pray as he waited for the man with the unwanted alias to signify that he was ready. He would not strike a man sitting down, so Xi began his disposition into a seated one where he had begun his praying.

Toshu frowned at the man's insistence on calling him chubby, and rose to his feet. This boy was certainly an odd one. He wondered what had inspired Lord Uchiha to invite him to their ranks. He rose to his feet, watching the younger man sit down to pray. "I'm not a praying man." he said. "As I see things, anything that could be behind all this," he gestured around them "would be beyond our capacity to understand or communicate with. If it is aware of us at all, we have as little chance of communicating with it as an ant has with us."

He stood patiently, waiting for the younger man to finish his prayer. While he didn't partake himself, he didn't begrudge the lad his customs. The Shirotori were a varied bunch, and it was that aspect that made them great. All were welcome, from expatriate artists to eccentric mercenaries to rude but devout young shinobi. Toshu had come to enjoy seeing what oddities would arrive at their sanctum here.

The young Shinobi, had also began standing upon his feet. The chakra continued to flow under his feet as he stood upon the lake itself, he had begun to weave the handsigns to begin his jutsu.

'Yes, anything could, but that's the part where faith comes along. Is it not better to believe in something instead of nothing at all? It helps to believe in something, and even trying to understand could give you more insight then nothing at all. Somethings you don't have to speak with to understand. When ant's march in a line, or move in and out from their burrows. We know they are gathering food. But I guess everyone has a certain outlook on life. As long as I have life, Mr.Chubby, I will continue to pray for you, and maybe you'll join me one day. Shall we begin?"

Xi didn't necessarily need a verbal response, so he raised his right knee, and slammed it into the body of water below him. His right hand, had finished preforming the movement for the hand seals, and his jutsu was given birth. One Thousand Water Needles of Death was the jutsu, He directed the One Thousand Needles upon his ally. Aiming to impale the man's very large hands. Xi was a long to mid range, fighter, and his battle tatics for such a large man was to disable his use of jutsu, but to do that he would have to take away his hands. It would be a temporary, but a good enough injury to cease the fight. The young shinobi jumped back a little bit as he slid further away from Toshu, on the body of water. He watched as the needles would be swift enough to interrupt any jutsu he planned on doing.

"Watch out Mr.Chubby please be careful!"


Xi called from a distance of fifteen meters. He didn't like injuring or inflicting harm on anyone so the least he could do was try to keep Toshu, from getting injured. Xi, kept his optics on the Shirotori, as he wondered what type of abilities, or unique jutsu he would surprise him with. Only time could tell, so Xi, waited with his eyes and ears open.

Jutsu used,
One Thousand Water Needles of Death
Water Walking Skilll.

"You misunderstand me, my boy." he said, frowning again. "It isn't a matter of disbelief, it's a matter of not trying to reduce whatever is out there. Most people try to make their gods small enough to fit into mortal understanding, and that is fine enough for lesser gods like Jashin, or other such spirits. But for something vast enough to oversee an entire universe, we do it a disservice to pretend such small creatures as ourselves can commune with it." he stood on the shore, watching the younger man's movements. When the needles flew his way, Toshu paused his speech for a moment and dug his hand into the ground at his feet. With a flick of the wrist, he brought up a wall of earth to block the attack. With that done, he kept talking as if nothing had happened.

"The idea of prayer has never sat well with me." he said, flinging a few more rocks with a doton jutsu. "It seems as though we either imagine ourselves as greater than we are that we may petition the universe, or imagine the universe as very small that it may hear us. Either way, it has always struck me as arrogant." He rammed his shoulder into the wall he had created, shattering it and giving himself plenty of ammo. A barrage of stones shot out across the water at the younger Shirotori.

Jutsus used:

The younger Shirotori released the chakra holding him above the water, and he immediately, became soused with water. However in doing so he had successfully dodged the onslaught of pebble and stone projectiles. Xi, was at a disadvantage, physically, rank wise and now element wise. Xi, pulled his body out of the water, and began to speak once more.

"You sure, attempt to provide a lot of insight upon something you've never taken part in. How can you give insight or try to explain something you've never experienced, Mr Chubby? The universe must be perceived by that person, as it helps shape individuality. You may never hear a dog speak or communicate with you in our language, but we have grown to understand them to a degree. Same as newborn. They do not understand nor speak, but eventually they developed enough to have their own thoughts, creating and beliefs. You believe that it's arrogant to believe the universe may hear us, but that is also ignorant of you."

Xi stated, as his fingers moved into creating a combination that would produced another jutsu. The yuki's cheeks inflated for a span, until he exhaled a very large stream of water towards, Toshu. He not only aimed to soak Toshu, but the area underneath him, and more.. With his left hand free from making the signs, as well as his jutsu being created successfully, Xi withdrew two kunai with blue balled tips upon the handle of them. He waited to see where or what Toshu would do next, as the droplets of water fell from his body, and return to it's realm. The ripples could once again be felt underneath him.

Spoiler:

Toshu chuckled, shaking his head. "Not all things must be practiced to be understood in theory. Worldviews and ideologies can be understood just as well by an outsider, perhaps even better because they do not bring their biases with them. Do not be so quick to assume that disagreement equals ignorance." He slammed his palm to the ground, raising a pillar of earth under his feet that carried him high above the sticky muck Xi was creating. "Your analogies are interesting, but flawed. Dogs and humans are not all that different, and human adults are even closer to infants. The difference between us and a universal entity is far greater. Even my ant analogy is inadequate. The best comparison I can think of is a lone bacteria in a human body trying to commune with its host, and even that falls short. The purely physical world offers no good comparison for a mind that can barely understand its surroundings trying to speak to one that spans all existence." Toshu gave a quick hop, and with a few gestures the top two feet of the pillar broke apart, shooting out and raining down on his opponent. He landed with a boom on the now-shorter pillar, shaking the ground around them.

Jutsu used: