[Enter from The Aftermath with Vox]

"Heh, I'm not sure if I would call it a mountain splitter, but I'll keep that in mind." Kenji's mood seemed to be lightening up a bit as he followed Vox into Training Field G, he could use a good distraction about now, and some training fit the bill perfectly. Moving over to a stone bench near the entrance of the field Kenji tossed the knapsack containing his partly ruined prom clothes onto the seat of the bench and swung Denji Karitoriki off of his shoulders, resting the hilt against the seat of the bench before sitting down.

"So what technique did you have in mind?" Kenji inquired while crossing his right foot over his left knee, slipping off his open toed boot and shaking it out upside down in order to remove a few small pebbles, then slipping it back on and doing the same with his other foot. Once his shoes were void of minuscule debris Kenji returned to his feet, took off his purple jacket, and began to do a few warm up stretches.

"It's one I found in a scroll a while back, when I first became Kage." Vox twirled his swords, stepping a few paces out into the field. "Meant for two swords, but it can be adapted.This is what you could do at your level." Vox jumped into the air, bringing the swords into a downward stab as he came back down. He restrained himself, keeping his strength around Kenji's level. The swords stabbed into the ground, creating a crater 5 meters across.

"As you get stronger, so will this jutsu. At the average chuunin level, it'll be twice as strong as this. Jounin, twice as strong as that. If you'd like, I could show you its full potential." Vox grinned at the kid. He'd developed a bad habit of showboating lately, though he was trying to curb it. Still, if Kenji was in the mood to see some catastrophic destruction, it might be good to give the lad something to strive for.

Jutsu used:

"It's one I found in a scroll a while back, when I first became Kage." "Oh?" Kenji watched on with curiosity as Vox armed himself with both Romulus and Remus then stepped out into the training field. "Meant for two swords, but it can be adapted. This is what you could do at your level." If he was sitting down Kenji would be at the edge of his seat with anticipation as Vox leaped into the air, peaking at roughly fifteen feet before crashing back down to earth with both blades pointed down, stabbing into the ground with enough force to leave behind a shallow crater five meters across.

Immediately Kenji scooped up Denji Karitoriki and slid off the cloth sheath, taking extra care not to twist it to either side to avoid damaging the inside, and then dug the tip of the blade roughly a foot into the ground, testing out hand positioning for a downward thrust. He was rather eager to give it a shot himself. "As you get stronger, so will this jutsu. At the average chuunin level, it'll be twice as strong as this. Jounin, twice as strong as that. If you'd like, I could show you it's full potential."

"If you don't mind I'd like to try it out myself first." Kenji replied in a fairly excited tone, a five meter wide crater at Genin level? He couldn't wait to give it a shot, but he also wanted to see how much damage it could do in more skilled hands, Kenji had a feeling that this training field was about to have a very bad day. Lifting Denji Karitoriki out of the ground Kenji decided on a simple grip with one hand at the top of the main hilt and the other palming the pommel.

Holding the blade with his left hand while resting the tip on the ground Kenji took a few deep breaths while looking across the training field, giving Vox time to move out of the way while he sized up a proper range and location. "Well, here goes something." Kenji said, mostly to himself, while he hopped on his toes a little to judge how much he would have to put into it for a proper jump. Then without hesitation he leapt into the air trailing Denji Karitoriki beneath him until reaching the peak of his jump, which was about five feet higher than Vox's to make up for the longer blade, before bringing the blade parallel to his body with the tip pointing at the ground.

With his left hand placed just above the cross-guard and his right hand pressing down on the pommel Kenji came crashing back to earth. First the tip of the blade met the ground, piercing it roughly three feet before Kenji's left knee and right foot hit the ground, which is when a crater about half the size as Vox's example formed. "Hmm, that felt sloppy." Kenji sighed a little as he stood up, brushing off some of the dirt that accumulated on his pants in the process. The hand placement didn't feel up to par with this sort of technique, he'd have try something a little different, something more natural.

[Word Count: 542]

Vox had a big grin on his face. His boy was a fast learner, all right. "Not bad, Kenji. I think you're learning it faster than I did. Pretty damn good, considering you're adapting it." He walked over to the edge of the crater, inspecting it. It was pretty impressive for a first try. Not as big as he'd done, but a respectable size. It still needed some refining, but he was making fast progress.

"Looks like your grip could use a little adjustment, and it wouldn't hurt to fine-tune the strike a bit too. What helped for me was having a target to aim for when I did the drop. Maybe use a bunshin as a target, should at least give you a better idea what you're aiming for." He thought back to his own training. Of course, with chakra Kenji had more options than he'd had. "Back when I did this, I used an old shirt as a target. Aimed for the chest."

Vox took a few steps back, pointing to an unspoiled spot of land for Kenji to try again. It would be harder to judge the progress if there was overlap with another crater. "Ready to give it another shot?" He pulled out a cigarette and lit up, waiting for the kid to unleash hell once more.

"Not bad, Kenji. I think you're learning it faster than I did. Pretty damn good, considering you're adapting it." "Heh, really? Thanks." Kenji replied in a slightly awkward tone, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand as he looked up at Vox. It wasn't all that great in his opinion, he wasn't even able to get the full five meters out of it, but that's what practice is for. "Looks like your grip could use a little adjustment, and it wouldn't hurt to fine-tune the strike a bit too. What helped for me was having a target to aim for when I did the drop. Maybe use a bunshin as a target, should at least give you a better idea what you're aiming for."

Just as Kenji thought, his grip was off, but a clear target to aim for was a good idea. Although he didn't really like the idea of stabbing a helpless mirror image of himself through the chest, even if it was intangible. "Back when I did this, I used an old shirt as a target. Aimed for the chest." That's it! Kenji snapped his finger as a realization dawned upon him, the bag with his prom clothes was sitting on a bench at the edge of the training field, and his jacket was pretty much ruined already. Picking up Denji Karitoriki by the secondary hilt Kenji made his way out of the crater, holding the blade so the tip was facing behind him.

Once he reached the lip of the crater Kenji noticed Vox motioning to a clear spot. "Ready to give it another shot?" "Just a sec..." Without wasting any time Kenji jogged past Vox and over to the bench where he sat his knapsack, leaning Denji Karitoriki against the bench before digging through his bag and pulling out his slightly bloodstained prom jacket, then picking Denji Karitoriki back up and jogging past Vox once more. "Don't worry, nothing bad happened. I'll tell you after we're done." Kenji said in a reassuring tone as he passed Vox, positive that the blood on the front was visible. He then went on to place his jacket in the middle of the area Vox specified before retreating about twenty feet from the jacket.

"Alright, now I'm ready." After a quick deep breath Kenji leapt into the air once more, peaking at roughly twenty-five feet up this time, holding Denji Karitorik by the secondary hilt this time. He positioned his left hand at the very base of the secondary hilt, the lowest possible grip before the actual blade starts, and his right hand at the base of the main hilt where his left had been in the last attempt. Kenji also held the blade a little higher as he fell, waiting until the tip of the blade was within a few feet of his jacket before driving it downward with as much force as he could muster.

Kenji could feel the force behind the impact in the core of his body, it was far more powerful than before, and his hand positioning felt perfect. However when he stood up and looked around at his handy work something seemed off, the crater he was in looked bigger than the one Vox had initially demonstrated, in fact it looked to be about ten meters across. Kenji had a puzzled look about him for a few moments, and looked back at Denji Karitoriki to make sure he hit his mark and didn't somehow stray into a different crater. Yep, the tattered remains of his jacket were there, pierced right through the chest. With a prideful, and rather cheesy grin Kenji turned towards Vox. "Heh, I guess I might be ready for the Chuunin Exams after all."

[Word Count: 632]
[Total Word Count: 1174]

Jutsu Learned:

Vox had expected Kenji to use a clone, but he wasn't too surprised at Kenji wanting to destroy part of that suit. It was much too formal for either of their tastes. What did surprise him was the blood on it. His hearts almost leapt into his chest when he saw the reddish-brown stains on the front of the jacket. Had it started already? Was Kenji defending that girl after she'd tried to maul him? He couldn't imagine his boy being that stubborn, but then again young love was a hell of a drug. Kenji didn't seem injured, though. What had she done to him? His reassurance that nothing bad had happened was small comfort. Vox wondered how bad the bloodstains on the rest of the suit were. Another possibility was that there was a fight and it was someone else's blood, but that wasn't a great option either. Back at the first prom, Yuuki had damn near caused an international incident by killing a few local scumbags. He didn't want a repeat of that. "Yeah, we'll have to talk about that." His tone was a bit more stern than usual. Not angry, but clearly serious.

The worries went away for a while when he saw Kenji perform the technique. The kid was a sword genius, mastering it to this level on the second try. He had been much stronger than Vox had anticipated in his demonstration. "Nicely done!" he called out, going over to check out the crater. It was about the Chuunin size. The Keukage felt a swell of pride when he saw Kenji standing at the bottom, amidst the ruins of his jacket. "I'd say you are." He hopped down next to Kenji, grinning and giving him a clap on the back. "That was one hell of a blast you made there. Learned quick, too. Much quicker than I learned it." In his excitement he forgot all about the bloodstains.

"Nicely done!" Kenji felt great, nothing like causing a few craters to relieve stress, he had all but forgotten about the conversation they had about the Hirano. "I'd say you are." Between the adrenaline pumping through his veins and Vox's praise he was grinning like a Cheshire cat, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly with his right hand as Vox jumped down into the crater and gave him a pat on the back.

"That was one hell of a blast you made there. Learned quick, too. Much quicker than I learned it." "Heh, thanks, I guess I don't know my own strength." Kenji laughed awkwardly, it was true, he didn't expect to be able to do this must damage. Let alone the fact that it was on the second try. Maybe he just had a knack for Kenjutsu. Nonetheless, there was still one thing to attend to. "Now I just need to name it, what's the original called?"

"Maguma, the Demon Bear. It's an old technique from the Time of Legends. Some nutcase with seven swords used it." He walked up out of the crater, gesturing for Kenji to follow. Standing on the lip of the crater, he dropped his cigarette on the ground and crushed it out with his foot. This always blew it out anyway, he'd get another when he was done. "Stay here, I'll show you what you'll be able to do someday."

Drawing his swords, Vox made his way towards the center of the field. He'd need a lot of space for this. He stopped about a hundred feet away from Kenji. He wouldn't need this much space, the radius was a bit more than half that distance, but this should give him enough room to be safe from any rubble. With a guttural roar, the Keukage launched himself high into the air, stabbing downward as he landed. There was a deafening boom as the ground under him gave way, forming a crater 35 feet deep at its center and about 115 feet wide. He stood at the center of the pit, waiting for Kenji to come investigate.

Jutsu Used:

"Maguma, the Demon Bear. It's an old technique from the Time of Legends. Some nutcase with seven swords used it." "Seven swords? How is that anything other than counterproductive?" Kenji laughed a little, shaking his head as he retrieved Denji Karitoriki and followed Vox out of the crater. It was more of a rhetorical question than anything, trying to imagine how a seven sword style would even work, but he could only see three at tops being feasible. Anything beyond that was simply alien to him, nonetheless the name gave him something to work off of.

"Stay here, I'll show you what you'll be able to do someday." Kenji nodded, stabbing Denji Karitoriki into the ground next to him as Vox drew his blades once more and headed out towards the center of the field. He was a little surprised at how far Vox went out before he stopped, roughly a hundred feet from what Kenji could judge, was Maguma really that powerful? Within a few moments Kenji's question would be answered as Vox launched himself into the air for the second time, however a little higher this time, before slamming down on the ground with such ferocity that the impact nearly shook Kenji off of his feet.

He had to shield his eyes as a small spray of debris came flying by accompanied by a weak shockwave of dust, but once the air cleared a look of shock and awe crossed Kenji's face. The crater must have been a little over a hundred feet wide, and as he jogged up to the edge he grew even more awestruck. "Holy crap!" Kenji exclaimed as he reached the edge of the crater. As he slid down the edge he gauged it to be roughly thirty-five feet deep where Vox was standing, it was definitely a sight to behold.

"I see why they call it the Demon Bear." Kenji said as he jogged towards Vox, gazing around the crater as he did so, still somewhat awestruck by the whole thing. The power of a Kage was a force to be reckoned with, that was for sure, but something that Vox said stuck in his mind. "You really think I'll be able to do something like this someday?"

"Seven swords? How is that anything other than counterproductive?" Vox shrugged before he went off to demonstrate. "Hell if I know. I've never learned any for more than two blades, they all seemed like a pain in the ass." He remembered the batshit insane forms he'd seen on the scroll. In most of them, none of the swords were actually in someone's hand. Instead they were tucked into joints. The whole thing seemed like the work of a lunatic.


In the center of the crater, Vox could hear Kenji before he saw him. The boy slid down next to him, apparently very impressed. He couldn't help being a little proud. That was one of his more intimidating techniques. Vox sheathed his swords, dusting himself off. "Of course you could do this. You learned this in about half the time it took me, maybe less." He gave his son a proud smile, patting him on the back. "And you exceeded my expectations starting out. Hell, you might even surpass this some day."

One leap carried him to the lip of the crater. He turned back, gesturing for Kenji to follow. "Well, you've had a long day. Trip and training right in a row, you must be starved. What you say to dinner out tonight?" A training this successful deserved a celebration. His festive mood was undermined a bit when he thought about the jacket. The kage waited for Kenji to reach him before asking about it. "By the way, what was the story with the blood?"

"Of course you could do this. You learned this in about half the time it took me, maybe less." Kenji could feel Vox's fatherly praise, and he couldn't help by smile right along with him as Vox patted him on the back. "And you exceeded my expectations starting out. Hell, you might even surpass this some day." Surpass this? His gazed drifted around the crater, trying to imagine performing a technique that was larger in scope than this, but if what Vox said was true he just might be able to do it some day.

Turning back around Kenji noticed Vox landing on the lip of the crater and gesturing for him to follow, so he did. "Well, you've had a long day. Trip and training right in a row, you must be starved. What you say to dinner out tonight?" "Yeah, sounds great." He replied, landing next to Vox on the lip of the crater, his stomach growling loudly at the mere mention of food. "By the way, what was the story with the blood?"

"Blood? Oh yeah, nothing to worry about. Just a nervous nosebleed." Between that last demonstration and the mentioning of food Kenji had forgotten about his bloody prom jacket, although after he finished Kenji was sure that he should of phrased it differently. He could see this leading to a line of questioning that could get dangerously close to revealing what he and Arumi did after the prom. Not that he was embarrassed about it, but given their earlier Hirano related conversation it probably wasn't something Vox would enjoy hearing.

Vox chuckled, immensely relieved. He'd been worried about what Kenji had done, but if the boy had had a nervous nosebleed it probably didn't get too serious. He was still a kid, after all, and not exactly a player for his age. Kenji had always been more of the shy, reserved gentleman. Takeshi had raised him well, although Vox blamed himself for some of the awkwardness the boy had developed. He did all right a lot of the time, but he could have trouble in social situations at times. Vox knew that he had never had the knack for dealing with people, maybe he had taught Kenji that.

"Well, it was a big night." he said, giving Kenji a smile. "But enough about that. There's a new ramen place opened up recently, I've been hearing good things. Let's check it out." He led his son back into town, trying to put the worst of the news from today out of his mind.

[End of thread]

Training Approved