Saio had just recently started fresh in Soragakure no Sato as a Genin. Although a top contender, wishing to be of higher status, it seemed as though the village in the sky wished more from him than just Katon techniques. Still holding this as a thought, Saio would grin, remembering he had already made a blueprint for himself. One could say his current position could be comparable to that of a chess game; starting with the pawns, then working your way up to the knights, bishops, rooks, etc. Of course, Saio did not wish to be the queen, for he wished not to be a female, nor one of feminine class. "Save it for Mavis..."Saio thought, laughing at his own joke.

He would wander around the training fields, examining all that went on within them. "Things seem to be packed today." Saio commented, still thinking on where to go. His objective today was plain and simple. He would start off by leveling up his Katon abilities, eventually upgrading his overall status, then work his way up again towards mastery. If he could do this in quicker time than expected, he had remembered studying about a special subject; the subject being Advanced Elements. With this being said, Saio's top goal in training would be to move on to his second Element, then onwards to the Advanced Element itself. As he and Mavis had worked together, he knew exactly what to train once he would get to this point. However, now, he would still wander, taking his time as power would not be his only priority today. No, the goals that Saio would have set would take more than just days, but months- possibly years, if be the case.

Anyways, the Genin would continue wandering until the jam-packed area became more distant, Saio now finding himself in a much more soothing area, free of any natural obstacles such as tall trees. In fact, the area in which Saio would be currently settling would just be a plain, flat area, free of anything he'd suppose. This area was open, at least. The air would make its way through Saio's hair as it'd be quite comforting, Saio completely prepared his exercise. "Let's start with this..." Saio thought, making his first move. Clapping his hands together, the words being spoken through his head, a clone would appear next to him. For training purposes, Saio would communicate with it, slowly moving his arms and legs as the clone would follow. "Perfect..." Saio thought to himself some more, smiling as he continue to play around with his clone.

Kiku had been working on a new fire jutsu, that was totally what he'd been doing. He hadn't been distracted reading historical fiction behind a rock, nosiree. That is his least favorite thing to do. He had just been a bit tired from his earlier training and needed to sit down.

It had been tough work, that morning. He'd been working with his fire chakra almost nonstop, trying to work it into something new. His training had been in a slump lately, so it was difficult. Kiku was pretty frustrated, to be honest. Training normally came so easily to him. It wasn't like him to be stuck in a rut like this. He closed his book, setting it in his lap and trying to think of what the problem was. Had he just reached his limit? Had he overdone it lately and burned himself out? The possibilities were endless, and they were driving him nuts.

He heard the familiar poof of a clone appearing nearby, and snapped out of it. How long had he been there? Was he infringing on someone else's training time? Kiku put his book away and stood, peeking over the rock. There was a dark-haired boy there, with a clone. Kiku stepped out, waving. "Um, sorry, did you book this field? I can go if you want..."

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Still managing to cooperate well with his clone, even able to copy face gestures with it now, a sudden peep would catch Saio's eye as he would end his time with his clone. His smile would become brighter, having seen a new face appear before him. He would glance at the figure ahead of him as it seemed to be a boy. He looked rather intelligent, his shaggy hair and formal look with the glasses, although his tone made him sound soft. Albeit, with his personality, Saio could still cooperate. "This field?" Saio would reply, pointing down, "No,no. I just got here. In fact, I'm just here because I don't like crowds..." With this being said, Saio would giggle, tilting his head to hopefully have the boy's attention focus on the many people distant from them. Repositioning his head to further focus on the boy, Saio would remain smiling. Although the boy had hardly said anything as of now, Saio could already sense a friendly impression. "Care to join me?" Saio would ask the boy in response to his thoughts, hopefully to receive a yes. The blue-haired boy did appreciate being accompanied, after all. He would keep things simple for now, having given basic talk to the boy before making any sudden actions. As he would await a response, more air would brush through his hair, shifting it over and back. "This breeze...it's so soothing..." Saio thought. He would keep these thoughts in mind as he would remain in his current position, already taking in a good impression from these fields, almost like a second home.

The boy smiled, and Kiku smiled back. He seemed friendly, and he was okay with sharing a field so those were two points in his favor. "Sure!" he said, approaching the other genin. He hadn't seen this kid around town before. He looked younger than Kiku was, although he still sort of looked older than Kiku looked. That was one of the disadvantages of being him, most people did. But something about him was familiar. The messy black hair had an Uchiha look about it, though he couldn't be sure. Rather than asking, Kiku just introduced himself and hoped the other boy would do the same. He offered a handshake, trying to put on his friendliest smile. "I'm Kikuchiyo Uzumaki, genin."

With the greetings out of the way, Kiku stepped back a bit to give the other boy some space. He still mostly trained alone, it was exciting to have a training partner. Kiku really wasn't sure what to do. He shifted a bit from side to side, trying to think. "So um, how should we start?" The other boy didn't seem to have the build for taijutsu or kenjutsu, but one could hardly be sure. He just let his new friend take the initiative here. He wasn't really the leader type anyway, maybe this other genin was.

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It seemed as though the boy would accept his offer the blue-haired Uchiha would only smile brighter. Appearance-wise, Saio had to judge the youngster before him. He did look younger, but in the same sense, still in Saio's age group. Mentally, it was confusing, yet convenient at the same time. The intelligent look this boy had still left Saio curious. "Is this boy of higher class?" Saio thought. Of course, from this point, Saio was just being prejudice, assuming this boy had high intelligence merely because of his glasses. You could only suppose Saio had never seen one like Kiku before. Having a hand stuck out before him so suddenly, Saio would be startled, wondering what to do until the boy would introduce himself. "Obviously a handshake..." Saio thought once more, relieved. He would accept the boy's handshake, taking it as a sign of true friendship. "Uchiha Saio" Saio would say in response to Kiku's introduction.

"Can I call you Kiku?" Saio would ask before starting anything. Long names normally bugged the Uchiha for some reason, despite how talkative he was, thus he'd only hope that the boy would say yes...again. As the boy seemed to step back, Saio would step back as well, assuming the boy was giving a mental order; the order being the start of a clean training session. It seems he would be right as the boy would ask him a question. "Where should we start?" Saio would say curiously in response to the Uzumaki's question, "I've never trained with a partner before...but...how about we start with hand-to-hand combat? No weapons. Saio would grin as he would ask this. With his attire, it didn't look like the Uchiha was built. However, the boy would sooner find out the truth if he'd accept the offer Saio would give him. Otherwise, he'd leave the choice up to the Uzumaki. As the boy didn't seem like a leader-type person, Saio had yet to prove himself differently. He would once again await a response, hoping all would go as planned in these short circumstances.

"Nice to meet you!" Saio seemed genuinely pleased to meet him. It was nice, he seemed to be meeting a lot of friendly people lately. Kiku was wondering if he would be more comfortable around other people soon. He'd been making a lot of progress on that, meeting people like Emi. Of course, there had been setbacks. His meeting with Aimi had been unbelievably awkward, and meeting that Stan guy had been downright terrifying sometimes. He tried not to think about either too much. Stan's mixed signals were too confusing, and his encounter with Aimi was something that should only be reminisced about in private. Luckily, Saio was there to save him from awkward thoughts. His question was a more than adequate distraction. "Oh, sure, Kiku's fine."

Kiku took a stance, a bit nervous about the idea. A lot of people had been offering taijutsu matches lately. It was like fate was conspiring against him. This guy didn't look like a taijutsu master, but even against one of his own specialty Kiku was kind of weak in hand to hand. "Okay." he said, trying to hide his nerves. "I'm more of a ninjutsu guy, but I can do this yeah." That was more to reassure himself than Saio. Right now, Kiku needed all the confidence he could get.

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Noticing the boy take a stance, Saio's motto would appear in his head- the one he and Mavis made together. "Live life to the fullest, and die knowing you made a good difference." Saio thought, still smiling as he was also making a challenge for himself. Until the boy would speak of his specialty, Saio would wonder if the boy was a taijutsu artist, someone who would definitely make things harder on Saio. In this training session, Saio would be taking things step-by-step. He would eventually work his way up from hand-to-hand combat to, of course, his Ninjutsu specialty. He had yet to master a jutsu that usually took a great toll on him if used: The Great Fireball Technique. Even his other Katon jutsu, the Phoenix Sage Fire had yet to create such an impact on the Uchiha. Maybe Saio was finding himself building a better chakra reserve. "More of a Ninjutsu guy, huh?" Saio would comment, giving a smirk towards the boy, "I'm a Ninjutsu guy, myself. However, I'm the type of guy who challenges himself, hence why I like to start things off this way." To avoid any objections, Saio would make his own stance, adrenaline rushing through his soul as he'd give some time for the boy to make his decision, or rather comment on the situation. Saio would once again await a response as time would pass, the wind that once brushed smoothly through his hair now beginning to fade.

Kiku nodded, steadying his stance. What the other boy had said had sounded really condescending, but maybe it just came out that way. He gave the Uchiha the benefit of the doubt on that one. And even if it had been meant to be insulting, Kiku wasn't really assertive enough to speak up about it. He just mentally braced himself for the fight, hoping Saio wasn't as nasty as he'd just sounded. “All right, let's do this.”

Not wanting to disappoint Saio, Kiku charged in first. He threw a kick at Saio's side, testing out his defenses. Kiku had good enough form, but he was seriously lacking in power. His strength was well below most of his rank, and he knew it. He just hoped that Saio wouldn't completely overwhelm him. Saio was a fellow ninjutsu specialist, but there was more to skills than specialties. He had no idea how strong or fast the Uchiha was, and Kiku himself was pretty weak against physical beatings. This would be tough.

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A grin would cross Saio's face as the boy continued to steady his stance. Both he and the boy obviously wished not to be disappointed in this fight, but rather impressed. The very few words the boy would speak in response to Saio's preparation would trigger him into becoming more serious, having Saio respond with the same actions as the boy. He would memorize the boy's position: his hip structure, the positions of his arms, hands, legs and feet- all of these things would need to be considered in this little spar.

As the boy would charge in, Saio would swiftly respond. The Uchiha would swing his body 360 degrees in a clockwise motion, the motion of his body being diagonal as, with his left foot, Saio would aim to hit Kiku's right arm, hopefully to knock him down onto the ground with his strength. However, seeing as the boy was in preparation of swinging a leg at his side, it would seem as Saio would be quite fortunate, the angle of his body already in position to avoid the boy's swing. Albeit, the boy would have the opportunity to avoid his technique as well, although it would surely take less time to do so with Saio's speed. Times would be tough, both for Saio and Kiku as they had yet to realize how strong the two were. For all he knew, Kiku could've been one with enhanced speed as well, able to avoid his strike, despite its great timing. Regardless, this would be a good start for the two.

Kiku was amazed. The other genin was fast. Uchiha often were, but this kid far outclassed him. Kiku could only try to brace himself as the kick plowed into him. He was knocked to the ground, skidding a bit. Saio wasn't exceptionally strong, but he was much stronger than Kiku was. The Uzumaki boy struggled to his feet, rubbing his injured arm. That was going to be sore tomorrow. “That was pretty good.” he said, trying to hide the pain.

Kiku took a stance again, trying to shake it off. That had hurt, but he still had a chance to get a good hit in. He just had to be smart about this. His first attack hadn't been smart, he'd rushed blindly in and gotten knocked on his ass. He was greatly outmatched in both strength and speed, but he hadn't seen how resilient the other boy was yet. Still, as things were he didn't have much chance of finding out. Kiku approached more slowly this time, looking for an opening. When he got in reach, he feinted with a right punch then went for a high jab with his left. Saio didn't seem to be using his Sharingan, so there was a chance Kiku might get a hit in.

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The Uchiha could notice things settle shortly as his hit succeeded, his predictions very precise. The boy was, in fact, knocked to the ground as Saio thought it'd hurt, yet the boy seemed to take it quite easily. "What a guy... Saio commented in his head, chuckling on the outside. His previous move might've given him an early advantage, but yet again, Saio had yet to see the true power this boy holds. I mean, the two had yet to even proceed to Ninjutsu, and the boy had not said a thing- not until he stood back up. He would compliment Saio as he could only reply with the words "Thank you."

Albeit, Saio was impressed to see the boy stand so proudly once more. Normal opponents would normally react with more anger, attacking more foolishly before. However, this boy had a scent distinct to these people. "Maybe it is his glasses..." Saio assumed jokingly, referring back to his past, prejudice impression of the boy. Saio would reposition himself more steadily as, this time, he would await a much stronger attempt from the boy, one that his sub-conscious could estimate would actually hit him. Although, at this point, Saio had no worries about getting hit. This was just practice, after all. Even so, his goal would still rest, assuring he wouldn't take a single hit in his fight, for he is one of high standards. More adrenaline would rush in his soul as he could sense his next hit having more force put into it. His instincts could begin sensing the struggles this boy had. "So he's hurt, after all... Saio would presume as it seems another approach would be made. He would watch the preparing motions the boy would make; his hip structure, movement of the legs and arms- everything. He would watch the feint come in as he would lean back swiftly in response. Quickly seeing as the boy had approached him with the right side of his body, he would attempt to avoid the other side of the body as he would launch a quick kick to the boy's chest, a stomping-like motion being performed as Saio would lean back further, providing more force into the kick. Hopefully all would go once again as Saio would await Kiku's response, hopefully to witness another hit connect.

The kick connected, and Kiku realized he had hid his injuries too well. Saio seemed to think he was unharmed, as though he was some sort of tough badass. That couldn't have been further from the truth. Kiku was one of the frailest genin in the village, and that hit him hard. He stumbled back, wheezing as Saio stomped his chest. The redhead tipped over backwords, gasping for breath on the ground. Saio was good, especially for a ninjutsu specialist. He was too fast for Kiku to hit, and Kiku was much too weak to just outlast him.

After taking a minute to catch his breath, Kiku sat up. He winced, feeling on his chest where the foot had hit him. He was going to have some fresh bruises the next day, that was for damn sure. He got up slowly, not taking a stance this time. He really wasn't up for more taijutsu right then. “Maybe we could try something else?” He gave a nervous smile, hoping Saio would go along with it. The Uchiha had been pretty harsh with him before, maybe he'd be more understanding after that beating.

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Saio, still unharmed, watched as his second hit would also connect, Saio now feeling quite sympathetic towards the boy. He would watch as the boy would gasp for breath. Was the Uchiha being too harsh on him? Was he taking this spar too far? Was he getting out-of-hand? Hopefully these questions would all be answered after this training session would conclude. Saio's sense over time felt much longer than it was realistically, the sun still shining brightly as Saio would feel as though several hours had passed.

Saio would continue to watch the boy, the boy seemingly catching his breath as it only made Saio feel worse. Again the question would come up: Was the Uchiha taking this spar too far? Saio would constantly watch the boy, slowly getting up as he would ask to try something else. "This boy sure is lively..." Saio thought. "Sure!" Saio would reply, smiling happily, "What do you have in mind?" His smile would disguise his sympathy as Saio would await a response from the seemingly injured boy, amazed that he still had the energy to commit to other things. Saio had never beaten a fellow Genin so energetic. It surprised him, Saio glancing at him in awe.

Kiku couldn't help noticing the other boy seemed worried about him. It was nice, someone being concerned like that, but he didn't want to be a bother. He just put on his best cheery expression and tried not to notice that it hurt when he breathed. Saio was being very accommodating right now. Kiku wasn't sure how much of it was because he was sorry for hurting Kiku and how much was that he genuinely wanted to try something else, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that Kiku wasn't getting kicked anymore, and that was a good thing.

“You said you were a ninjutsu type, right? We could do some of that, what element are you?” Kiku thought back to what he'd heard about the Uchiha. If he remembered right they were mostly fire types, but he didn't want to screw that up. Better to ask than assume. He focused a bit, feeling for the fire chakra inside himself. He still had plenty to spare. Taijutsu didn't use as much chakra as ninjutsu, even if you were using actual techniques. With that weak flailing Kiku had done, his only problem was working around his bruised ribs. He had enough to do a couple cool things.

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Saio would once again look at the boy as he spoke of Ninjutsu, something the Uchiha believed he was a master of. Albeit, the topic interested him, Saio realizing where this new subject would head to. Regarding this subject of Ninjutsu, Saio thought to himself of the element he uses: Fire. Proving to be quite hazardous in spars, Saio has always used to a gentle nature, ensuring his opponents wouldn't be incinerated if hit successfully by one of his jutsu. Worrisome about this, Saio decided to listen more about this topic, now regarding a question the boy would ask. "I am the Ninjutsu type." Saio would say in response to Kiku's question, "I like using the element of fire. People say the element is well known to my clan, anyway. How about you?" Saio would stand in his regular position, facing the bruised boy as he still wondered what he was feeling in his upper body, having taken two beatings to end a previous fight.

If Saio was correct, the Uzumaki nature had no original Element, although legends say Wind played a great role. Taking this into account, Saio would leave this thought behind, thinking before acting as he would await an answer to his question. As he was unharmed, if this subject would eventually lead to what Saio was thinking, the Uchiha would be at a slight advantage physically, having a completely unaffected figure, for the time being. This would be the perfect opportunity for Saio to work on his chakra reserve, seeing how far he could go with his jutsu before having to take a breather. It was clear to Saio now that a high chakra reserve would be his second strength to grasp in addition to his enhanced speed. Albeit, he knew a weakness would come about in the process, which he would gladly look for if it were to come up in this situation. Saio would've liked to pause here, taking a breather to ask his new friend questions about himself, although he felt as though the Uzumaki had the same adrenaline rush he did, thus he would speak no further. If Saio were to struggle in anything at the moment, it would be of his curiosity towards Kiku, his humble nature wondering if the boy was honestly okay. Saio wouldn't want to leave here with an injured boy. He could already 'feel' the bruises the boy must've had from his kicks, although he'd still sit there. Some guilt would run through Saio's core as he would await a full response, hoping that the boy wouldn't ignore a single word he spoke, and that things would run smoothly between the two, disregarding what just happened.

Kiku wanted to slap himself. In his excitement, he'd forgotten to tell Saio what element he was. It was cool that he was right about Saio's element, though. His nerdiness had paid off again. “Oh cool, I'm a fire type too!” he said, smiling. He wondered what sort of jutsu he could learn from the Uchiha. They tended to be prodigies, he was probably loaded down with all sorts of cool fire ninjutsu. Kiku would have to pay close attention. Maybe he could learn something new today!

“Maybe we could do some target practice.” He turned towards the posts at the other end of the field. They'd been replaced since his last session on this field, but the ground around them was still scorched. There had been some serious burns delivered that day. “Or just general practice or whatever, do your big jutsu. I can kick us off.” He laughed a little at the accidental pun. “Guess it's my turn to kick huh?” The chuckling wasn't easy on his ribs, but it did ease the tension a bit. Kiku turned to face the posts, focusing on the one farthest to the left. It was a bit further away from the others, giving him enough distance to not obliterate the others. He made the hand signs, and spat out a jutsu. “Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu!” A huge blast of fire, shaped like a dragon's head, shot out in an arc and slammed down on the post. The post was gone, leaving a smoking crater. “Your turn!”

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Jutsu used:

Saio would smile at the boy, cooperating well with him well now as they both seemed to be in excitement, the Uchiha now knowing that they were of the same element. Saio wondered what kinds of tricks this boy had up his sleeve; what kind of jutsu he could use as Saio would also consider his own. Maybe he could learn a thing or two from Kiku. Seeing the boy, regarding him as the highly intelligent type, the Uchiha was doubtful about how much fire power the boy had, yet how good he was with this 'fire' he contained already.

As Saio heard what seemed to be a suggestion from the boy, he would nod, agreeing to his statement. He watched him as Kiku seemed to turn to some nearby posts. "Now those are some things I've missed... Saio thought, a second impression of the area coming to mind. He would notice the ground around them being scorched. "Is this your area in the training fields?" Saio would ask Kiku out of the blue. The burns did indeed seem serious, and if the boy was indeed responsible for them, well, Saio would be very much impressed. Saio could continue to sense the excitement this boy had as he would babble on about what to do next. He seemed to be rushing to things as Saio could still see him struggle. "Be careful buddy... Saio would suggest, concerned. "I can see that you're bruised already. Don't knock yourself out." Albeit, Saio could hear him shout, watching his focus as he would stare in awe. Fire shaped into a dragon's head would shoot out in an arc, Saio watching it slam down the post, riding of it completely. A smirk would cross Saio's face as he saw this. "It is my turn...isn't it?" Saio would smile, a bit of arrogance included. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Saio would shout as a Great Fireball would shoot out of his mouth, the fireball aiming for a total of seven posts. Watching as the fire would burn through them so easily, all of the posts would be completely obliterated, two nearby posts also slightly damaged. "Good enough?" Saio would ask, grinning.

Kiku had to think about Saio's question. He did come here a lot, and not many other ninja did, but he really didn't consider it his area. Still, he could see why it might be called that. “Yeah, you could say that. This is my favorite spot, I can practice my fire without them spreading.” He wondered if Saio would be joining him on this field more often now, it would be a good place for them to work together.

Saio still seemed worried about his well-being. Maybe he hadn't hidden his injuries as well as he'd thought. “Don't worry, I'm fine. You didn't rough me up that much.” That wasn't strictly true, but he didn't want to make Saio feel bad. They were sparring partners, that sort of thing happened every now and then. No sense letting him beat himself up over it. Kiku had taken plenty of bruisings before, this wasn't as bad as some.

He watched as Saio took his turn, and was pretty impressed. The Uchiha had originated the great fireball jutsu, and Saio was pretty good at it. Kiku smiled, giving him a thumbs up. “That was great!” Kiku thought back to the jutsu he'd been working on lately. He still had enough chakra left over for it, and he was feeling a bit more confident now. Maybe he could make it work. “Say, there's another one I've been studying. Should I try it out?”

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Saio watched as the boy spoke to him about his injuries, and how everything was alright. "Phew..." Saio thought, relieved as he would no longer have to be stressed by this guilt. Even realizing that this was the boy's favorite area made things more comforting for Saio as he planned on returning here anyway. Seeing the face gestures on Kiku's face made him feel as though a true bonding was coming along, that Saio was indeed with a new friend. Morally, he felt happy here, during this time, thinking, and most importantly, having a good time.

Having performed a jutsu of his own, after the impact, Saio could notice a thumbs-up from the boy next to him, a compliment following. "Well, I try..." Saio would say in response to the compliment, "...Although I do have to say, I've never seen someone with as much focus as you when performing a technique. I can see you ranking up easily with your control of chakra!" A bright smile would appear on Saio's face as he would compliment Kiku, showing him that this was the truth, and nothing but the truth. However, seeing as the boy seemed energetic to do even more things, Saio would be surprised. "Don't wear yourself out..." Saio would comment in response to Kiku's question, showing that he cared about the boy's health, tolerating the use of another jutsu, yet feeling cautious of how much of the toll this jutsu would have on the boy. Again, Saio would not like carrying a boy home after his training session.

"How about I teach you one of my jutsu after?" Saio offered, trying to show some positivity while things were going on (you know, to make things more comfortable). Saio could feel his stature building up as the normal usage of a C-Ranked jutsu felt easier on his core. You could say his reserve was becoming much stronger. Thinking about it, Saio would sigh. "One more thing..." Saio would continue, sticking his arm out to the boy, his hand in a fist like motion, "...Friends?"

Kiku smiled at the compliment. “Thanks, I try. I've been having a little trouble training lately, but I think I got this one this time.” For once, he was feeling pretty good about himself. An Uchiha was impressed by his fire, that was no small feat. Except for being kicked a few times, it was a good day. He'd made some real progress. One chance was all he needed to make this jutsu work. Saio seemed a little worried about him, but he wasn't objecting. “I got enough chakra left for this, and a bit to spare.” He didn't know if he had his clan's legendary chakra reserves, but he had rationed a bit. He could do this.

The genin was more than a little excited at the idea of learning something new from the Uchiha. He could only imagine all the cool stuff Saio could do. “That would be great!” Kiku was confused by the fist at first, wondering if another impromptu taijutsu session was coming, but he soon realized the intent and returned the fist bump. “Um, yeah! Friends! Awesome!” He smiled wide, excited at the possibility.

“Just gotta try this and then you can teach me a jutsu! Well, maybe after a little rest, but then we could!.” He turned towards an empty, barren patch of training field. There was nobody around for quite a ways there, it should be safe. Kiku made a few hand signs and took a deep breath, shaping the fire chakra inside him. “Katon: Zukkoku!” A blast of fire in the shape of a bestial head shot out of his mouth. Kiku's eyes widened when he realized how much he'd put into that blast, and how close it was going to hit. He grabbed Saio, pulling him behind a boulder. His blast struck the ground, exploding into a massive fireball and sending waves of heat rushing around their cover. When the heat subsided, Kiku peeked over the smoking rock and saw a massive scorched crater. “Um...” he stammered for a moment. “I-I think I overdid it.”

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Jutsu trained:

Saio was impressed by the boy's confidence. He had yet to see another Genin so devoted to his jutsu. Even on the ropes, it seemed as though the boy was fearless, Saio's undivided attention touched as he would smile towards the boy's strong commitment. The Uchiha would feel greater as the boy seemed highly interested in what he would soon teach.

Saio continued to spectate as the boy seemed to prepare himself for the jutsu he wanted to use. As of now, Saio would remain focused, watching Kiku as he'd let him do as he wished. He would look at the few hand signs and the breath, excited to see what was to come. The Uchiha would focus even harder as he watched a blast of fire expel from the boy's mouth, yet again formed into some beast. He would wonder what kinds of interests this boy had in jutsu until he would be pulled behind a boulder. A great impact would redirect his attention. He would peep over the boulder to watch a massive fireball, looking over to the boy as he seemed quite worried. A smoked crater would appear before Saio's eyes now as the boy would speak, stating that the amount of power in his jutsu was too much. Saio would laugh with the boy, patting him on the shoulder. "It's okay." Saio commented, "We all make mistakes eventually. Let's rest a bit now before I teach you my jutsu. We need the smoke to clear anyway, and this boulder seems like a good cover."

Kiku nodded, sitting against the boulder. This Saio seemed like a pretty understanding guy. "Good idea." He was a bit out of it at this point. The day's training had used a lot more chakra than he'd anticipated, and he needed to rest. He'd just sit down and recover his chakra for a little bit. Just close his eyes for a second, and...


Kiku's eyes snapped open. How long had he been out? Looking around, he noticed that Saio was still nearby. "Sorry! Guess I kinda nodded off." He stood, bowing. He was still a little wobbly on his feet, but he had recovered his chakra almost completely. Like most of his clan, he bounced back pretty well. Those bruises would be staying with him a while, but he was ready to learn. "So what jutsu are you gonna teach me?"

Saio would watch as while they were behind the boulder, with his suggestion, he soon found the boy falling asleep. "Ha...what a kid..." Saio thought, smiling at the boy. He felt like resting himself, although falling asleep with one at this time might not only seem impolite, but unsafe as well. Who knew what those guys were like in the distance, anyways. Albeit, Saio would stand up and stretch, revealing himself strongly over the boulder as he would feel replenished. Such a sudden action would occur as he could see the boy waking up again. It seemed as though he would apologize as Saio still felt nothing. In fact, in response, he'd just smile brightly, patting the boy on the shoulder a couple times after he would bow, just to show his grace. "You have nothing to apologize for, my friend. If you need to rest, then by all means, rest." Saio's smile had yet to disappear as he spoke of this. In fact, Saio now found it quite difficult to have this smile fade before the boy. He just seemed too friendly; too innocent in that matter.

Saio would laugh softly as he noticed the boy wobbling on his feet. "So this is what sleep can do to ya, even for a few minutes..." Saio thought. Beyond his expectations, however, the boy seemed to jump back quickly into reality as he was now prepared for the Uchiha's lesson. "Alright..." Saio began, "...Today we're gonna learn something that, translated in English, is known as the Phoenix Sage Fire. It is an ace technique. Are you ready?"

Kiku tensed up a bit when he felt the hand on his shoulder, but soon relaxed when he heard Saio's words. He still wasn't quite used to physical contact that didn't involve hurting him. It was nice, but it could be a bit alarming when his first instinct was to expect a face-punch to follow any touch. He straightened up, smiling nervously. "Thanks." Saio looked pretty cheerful. He didn't know why, but he wasn't going to complain. Happy friends are generally a good thing.

His smile wavered when Saio mentioned the name of the technique. There was really no good way to put this, but he had to tell him. "I um, already know that one. Sorry." He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. It wasn't Saio's fault, really. Kiku had trained that on his own and in secret, and had only used it once on a mission. Even then, it was while he was mostly alone. Saio had no way of knowing. "Maybe another one?"

Saio would give a heavy sigh, now knowing that his lesson was a waste of time, for the boy already knew of his technique. Saio had gone beyond the limits of this technique, and created it so it'd be extremely difficult to avoid, even as a C-Ranked Katon technique. Albeit, the way this boy spoke made the technique sound, well, like a regular C-Ranked jutsu. It was funny how he was shifting over and back though, obviously making things awkward for himself before the Uchiha's eyes. Stretching one more, Saio would come up with a back-up plan.

"Alright..." Saio began, relaxing his muscles, "...Looks like I'll teach you about the jutsu I showed you a while ago- The Great Fireball. Does that sound good to you?" Knowing that Saio had not asked for confirmation beforehand, he would wait this time as he would look at the boy, his smile fading away to show seriousness, yet his gestures giving off that he was still in a positive zone. Hopefully the boy would understand...