Natsu stood back wiping the sweat from her brow the last of the 24 land mines had been placed now all she had to do was set them off. There were easier less destructive ways of expanding the chakra reserves but this was so much more fun.

Chinatsu took a glob of clay biting and chewing it. She could taste the crackle and cinnamon of her chakra. After a moment she spat bent over spitting it up. 

The hetrocromatic eye stared at each other before she directed the clone into the mine field, while she start contrution more minions. A expression of glee formed on her face as the first mine went off followed by a second. The clone had shattered sadly. Only two setting each other off was pretty good. But one at a time was perfect. She sighed conecting her cord to the minons directing them into the field, blowing up several more (12). She paused a moment looking at the damage, her reserves were a tad low, the point of it, but she still had to finish clean up.

Spoiler:

Kiku almost wondered if he had been born into the wrong village. The training fields here were mostly dry and rocky, with no risks of disastrous fires if he got careless with his powers. It was relaxing, reassuring. He wasn't going to risk a catastrophe by training. He was safe here.

BOOM

The noise knocked Kiku out of his happy place. Against all common sense, he rushed towards the sound of explosions. He didn't know what was blowing up, but there was probably something important going on and he had to step in and help. When he actually did arrive on the scene, something occurred to him. This was a training field, explosions were routine here. Kiku was about to turn and leave when he noticed a girl, probably about his age, using the infamous explosive clay. Kiku's jaw dropped. This was one of the great techniques from the Time of Legends! He'd heard of a clan here using it, but to see it in person was something else entirely. He wanted a closer look, but that was probably a horrible idea. Instead, he just stood on the sidelines and waved.

Chinatsu stood gathering her chakra again as she reached into bag pulling out her clay. The blobs fell to the ground followed by cord of clay, blowing them up into walking shapes. Chi looked up hearing the pounding food steps. She jerked back calling back the minions before they could set one off. Natsu watched a minute to make sure he didn't get close before she moved the minions into the field and disconnected them. She formed the confrontation sign, setting off the mines leaving a large crater.

Natsu sighed as she walked over, suddenly taking note of newcomer's stature; her hand's stuffed in her pockets. He was shorter than her and bright red hair and was dressed nicely, that alone without even looking at his headband told her he was a foreign ninja; no one is Donzo dressed that nicely or had hair like that. "Hey, can I help you with something?" 

Kiku damn near jumped out of his skin when the bombs went off. He stared at the crater, suddenly glad that he hadn't tried to approach her right away. Would those have gone off if he'd walked over them? He didn't even want to think about that possibility. Kiku wasn't the most durable ninja Soragakure had, he would have been pulp.

He snapped back to reality when she talked to him. He really should have been used to this by now, people talking to him. Girls in particular. And somehow, it still always caught him off-guard. He stammered for a moment before remembering how to words. "Oh um, just looking around really. Was in town for a couple days, thought I'd check out the training fields." He put on a nervous smile. "They're pretty nice." The girl sounded older than she looked, but considering how young he looked he couldn't exactly begrudge her that. Kiku held out a hand for her to shake. "U-Uzumaki Kikuchiyo."

Natsu took it, nodding; her mouth licking him. It was a pleasant surprise to taste the spice of fire. It was a  hotter than she had expected, making it that much better. She pulled her hand back and grinned a little. "Please to meet you Uzumaki-san, Taiyo Chinatsu. The fields are open if you want to use them. You can use this one if you want to train fire jutsu; you're least likely to cause collateral damage here. My family use it a lot."

She walked over to her stuff, setting her coat down and pulled out a water bottle before jumping up on the rock. Natsu took a drink before turning back to Kiku on the bolder sitting she was two feet taller than him. "So are you some genius that graduated early or is your look just you/clan thing?" Since meeting Arumi, she couldn't judge age everyone so had to place.

Kiku jumped when he felt something lick his hand. He should have expected it, really. He knew about the physical changes that came with her jutsu, about the mouths in her hands. He just hadn't known she'd lick him when they shook hands. He let out a squeak, turning slightly pink. "Um, n-nice to meet you..." He REALLY didn't know how to deal with girls licking him. That was an entirely new experience. "How did you know I was a fire type?"

His face fell a bit when she asked about his age. Once again, he was mistaken for an academy student. At least she left open the possibility that he just looked young, though. "Actually, I'm fifteen. I just look kinda kiddish. So no, not a genius really." He put on a smile for her. Taiyo-san seemed nice, he wanted to try to be friendly.

"Easy, I can taste you're chakra. Your's is super spicy, which taste amazing, so that tells me your element is fire." She took a drink of her water again and smiled sheepishly when he said he just looked young. "Sorry, I have...well I know a girl that could pass for someone older than she is so I have issues judging age."

She pulled a food pill out of her pocket, making a face as she swallowed. A moment later she felt some of her energy return. She set the bottle aside jumping down from the rock landing in front of Kiku. "So you going to train or do you want to watch a bit?" Natsu smiled pulling out some clay forming a humming bird sending it to fly by the younger ninja. "So if you don't mind me asking, what are your other elements?" The bird came back around before going upward exploding.

He was a bit flustered at her analysis. What are you supposed to say when a girl tells you you taste good? This was one of those essential life lessons he'd somehow missed out on. He stammered for a minute before finding words again. "Th-that's a cool power. And, um, thanks." Kiku started to turn a bit red, staring at the ground.

He jumped when she landed right in front of him. "I could train, sure!" This was a rare opportunity, training with a user of the Iwagakure Kinjutsu. Sure, he couldn't use any of that, but it would be fun to watch. He watched the hummingbird fly around, jumping again when it exploded. She was full of surprises, all right. "I haven't actually found any other affinities yet. Couldn't you taste anything else?" He was curious about how this power worked. Could it only taste elements he'd used so far? Did non-elemental chakra have a taste? He had so many questions, but he was going to let her answer the first one first.

Natsu grinned when he said he would train with her. "Awesome. We don't have many fire users to train with. It will be cool to see what you can do." Training with someone always helped her pass the time faster, and she was already running on empty so this could be really really interesting.

"Umm, I didn't taste anything else, but my mouths aren't as strong as my brother." Her face dropped a little at the thought of her short comings compared to her brother before shrugging it off. It was just something else to master. "There is a way to tell if you want to know." Chi's face tinted a slight pink before turning back to her clay making dragonfly this time.

"Great!" Awesome wasn't an adjective normally applied to Kiku, but he could work with it. This would be interesting, training with someone with as many tricks as Taiyo-san had. He'd never gone up against someone who could fly before. "So are we gonna spar or do something else?" He was a bit nervous about sparring in general, and especially here. They both had very dangerous, destructive abilities, someone was liable to get hurt.

"Well I bet they will be someday!" He gave her a smile, trying to cheer her up. It was kind of awkward being around someone who was self-deprecating like this. Karmi, is this what I'm like all the time? Kiku wondered. He figured he would have to work on that. He did like the idea of finding out his other elements, too. He was so excited at the prospect that he completely missed her blush. "Sure, that would be awesome!"

"Hrm I was figuring we could spar but even at firework levels it could be bad. I would work on my elemental stuff I'm Lightning and Earth so it shouldn't be so bad if I limit myself to those. Beside I have been kind of neglecting those as well." She scratched the back of her head smiling embarrassed. "How do you feel about Genjutsu?"

She smiled and nodded. "I know so, it just one more thing to master. I'll get there someday." Her face brightened again as she leaned down and pressed her lips against his. She pulled back after a few seconds licking her lips blushing brightly. "Hot, very hot. The only thing I could taste was fire." She paused a minute licking her lips. "That's not right, there something else there, but its not an element...What do you know about the Uzumaki clan and the Red-Hot Habanero?" She looked at him smiling, excited, her face was still tinted red.

"Sure, that could work. Just, um, be careful. You know how fire is." He mirrored her nervous smile. This might be pretty manageable after all. "Genjutsu? Um, I don't know much of it. Just academy stuff really." He shifted slightly, at least as nervous as she was. He'd been meaning to practice more genjutsu, but it was hard to find the time. He was busy enough with his missions and his ninjutsu training, he had no idea how he'd manage to do more. Maybe he could become more efficient as he practiced more, that would help.

Kiku froze when she kissed him. He turned bright red, freezing up entirely. He had not been anticipating this. He'd just wanted an element test, and here he was getting his first kiss. The licking her lips was just the icing on the cake. Was it that she liked the taste? Either way, he was unable to think at the moment. He was vaguely aware of her blushing and saying something, but he was still in a daze from the kiss. After a long pause, his cognitive functions returned and he realized he'd missed the results of the element test. "Um sorry what did you say?"

Chinatsu smiled, her face still burning. She was surprised that he had been so affected. "Your chakra tastes very spicy. Fire was all I could taste in terms of elemental chakra, but I could taste something else. I asked what you knew about the Uzumaki clan and the Red-Hot Habanero, because I think you have something special." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Her face was red as she pulled away and licked her lips. "Sorry, your chakra just tastes so wonderful." She stepped back looking at the ground awkwardly scratching her head.

Kiku nodded, listening this time. "Just one then." Classic Kiku. Even on just having elements, he screwed it up. He was a ninjutsu specialist who only had one element. Completely one-note. He was disappointed, but a bit curious about that special thing. "Yeah, I know about her. Um, I read about the Time of Legends a lot. What do you mean special?"

He froze again when she kissed him on the cheek. He turned even redder, brain melting. What was he supposed to do? A girl had kissed him twice. A pretty girl, at that. He'd just met her, and already she was telling him he tasted wonderful. "Thanks?" He had no idea what to do this. Kiku was just having a major malfunction right now. "I um what?" He was sputtering now, looking at the ground.

"No, it not just fire. It pure fire, Inferno. The other thing I taste was cool like metal. If you have read about her then you know what she was renown for besides her temper and her status. I think you may be able to use chakra chains, like she did." Natsu grinned, excited for him.

Chi smiled blushing. "Your chakra tastes really spicy and I like spicy food so.." She flushed as she started playing with her clay again. She hadn't meant to fluster him so much. "I'm sorry, Uzumaki-san that was forward of me." She bowed apologetically, her face flush. "Please allow me to make you some how later." She stood and smiled a little. "Do you still want train?"

His eyes widened. He had the potential for the Inferno Release? And chakra chains? This was a lot to take in. He hadn't been entirely surprised when he thought he was a failure with just one element. Disappointed, but not surprised. This floored him. The Inferno Release was incredibly rare, especially outside the Uchiha clan. "You're sure?"

This time around, he was keenly aware of her blushing. He didn't know how to interpret that. Was she just embarrassed, or could it mean she liked him? Probably just embarrassed, the alternative didn't really seem possible. "No it's fine! I um, didn't mind. Just surprised." He realized what he had just said, turning redder again. "Um, I mean, that's not too forward is it?" He was glad when she suggested the training, it would be something to take his mind off the awkwardness of the whole situation. Might help him calm down after his first two kisses. "Training sounds great yeah!"

"Yes I'm very sure. I can always check again if you want me to," She smiled and giggled a little. "That's not too forward at all. I was the one who kissed you." 

Natsu set her clay aside before stepping out to the middle of the field. "Ready Uzumaki-san?" She grinned a little forming hand signs for simple a earth jutsu. Her skinned hardened turning brown. "How long are you in town?" If it were for long maybe the could train together again. Kiku was really interesting, and cute, she wanted to get to know him.

Spoiler:

"Um maybe?" He DEFINITELY liked that idea, but didn't want to push his luck. He was already far out of his depth, and had way overdrawn at the good karma bank. It was more than he could have hoped for just to get one kiss, and he had two on his record already. If she wanted another, she'd go for it. She was an adventurous girl. He smiled back, face pink.

"I'm ready." He took a stance, considering his options. That defensive jutsu looked pretty tough, but he wasn't sure quite how tough. He would let her make the first move, then gauge it from there. He wanted to be really careful, making sure not to hurt her. "I'm in town a couple days, leaving noon the day after tomorrow." He gave a hopeful smile. "Maybe we can hang out some more?"

Chi laughed, "I'll test you again after we train." She attacked forward with basic taijutsu. Maintaining the armor was going to be a drain on her chakra that was the goal. She went for a kick to his side. Her movemnts were slightly flower due to her armorer. "Wonderful, and defiantly. Hey after this if you want dinner I know a good place. My treat." She grinned happy to hear that he would be in town for a bit.

"O-okay!" He'd never been more eager for training to be over. This was something new for him, but he knew he wanted more of it. Not to say Kiku had never been close to a girl before, he'd nearly been smothered in cleavage once, but never like this. He liked this way better, despite the perks of his prior experiences.

He stepped back, barely dodging the kick. By his estimation, Chinatsu probably outranked him. She was pretty quick even with the armor slowing her down. He had read about this jutsu before, and he was pretty sure he knew the details. Just as a test, Kiku threw a kick. He was holding back a bit, not wanting to break his foot doing this. He had a long walk ahead in a few days. "Um, dinner sounds great!" This was a big day for Kiku. His first kiss, and now his first date. He was pretty excited.

Chi grinned, as she reflexively blocked, her feet digging in. The food pill was starting to wear thin as sweat began form under the stone. The blonde grinned catching his leg before twsiting around and letting go hoping he'd stumble while she tried to tag him. "Excellent. I hope you don't mind spicy food, it's kind of my thing." She mentally hit herself remembering something as she reached for her bag remembering it wasn't there. "Kuso, I'll have to bring the paint bombs next time."  She jumped back forming a few hand signs forming a small electrical ball in her hands before tossing them at him.

Spoiler:

Kiku stumbled a few steps before regaining his feet, turning to face her again. Just as he had suspected, taijutsu was practically useless against that armor. His was usually pretty useless anyway, but that kick hadn't even budged her. "Sure, spicy food is fine." He was rather fond of it himself, although in the middle of a spar he didn't have much time to elaborate. He would be able to tell her about his favorite curry place after she was done kicking his ass.

He took a few steps further back, taking a stance and reviewing his options. Chinatsu wasn't following, instead starting to form hand signs for another jutsu. He made signs of his own when he saw the lightning ball forming in her hand. The blasts were already in the air when he launched his counter. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" He spat out a fireball, slamming into the lightning blasts that were coming his way. The jutsu collided in the air, annihilating each other and making a small smoking crater between them. Kiku coughed, waving the smoke away and preparing for what would come next. "Wait do you taste more chakra after it's used?"

Jutsu used:

Natsu grinned hearing he liked it as well. It was impressive how fast he was to respond to her attacks and creatively too; she wouldn't have thought to use fire, her first instinct was to doge. She paused a moment thinking. "I'm not sure I've never tried. Why?" She focused her chakra to her palms removing her armor, in its place the sparked with electricity. Natsu charged forward trying to tag him, or at the very least get in close to release the energy. If it worked it may floor him to go for the point.

Spoiler:

"Um just curious really." He flushed slightly, wondering if his chakra would taste better to her after this. That would certainly be interesting, he would have to find out. For science. He was snapped out of his daydreams of chakra-flavored makeouts when he saw her armor armor fade away. Her hand crackled with lightning, and Kiku prepared to dive for cover. He wasn't prepared for it to go goddamn EVERYWHERE.

Kiku lay on his back, slightly dazed. That could have definitely gone better. Chi had probably been holding back so as not to hurt him, but being zapped by lightning wasn't the best way to stay conscious. He felt his face, and was pleased to find that his glasses were undamaged. Kiku's vision came into focus and he looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

Natsu sat stradling him her kunai at his throat. "My win Kiku-kun." The blonde replaced the blade in its hostler as she stood off him and offered him a hand up. "Sorry about that, I'm still getting used to lighting. That was a bit too much chakra. You ok?" Despite her face she was drained, that last attack drew what was left, so there really was no real control and hold back.

She walked over to her stuff to grab her water bottle and sit and rest. Chakra exhaustion wasn't fun, she felt so empty and light headed. Chi waved Kiku to come and sit with her while she recovered enough to walk again. "So what's Sora like?"