[center][b]A Clan Should Stick Together

Katsu and Hisoka[/b][/center]

[hider=Training Session]
In the training grounds of the Uchiha Compound, Katsu was swinging away at the wooden dummy with his sword, somehow barely making scratches with the blade moving at a rather high speed. Upon impact, the only thing that could be seen was a small pressurized at the length of the blade but much wider. He kept repeating the movements, inflicting less and less visible damage with each blow.

Everytime Hisoka wondered why still bothered with coming to the compound to visit his father. It was not like he was going to get any sort of furfilment out of it. It was just like back in the days when Shozo had demanded Daisuke to visit them because he had "important matters" to discuss. Only now it was Hisoka who was the one being called in because he held an important position in the village. He wondered if Daisuke had felt the same. Of course, he could not say no to his father so easily. Shozo Uchiha was still head of the clan and was therefore still an important figure in Konoha. Besides he did want to visit his mother occasionally. And now his steps were carrying him back to the gates, passing a lonely trainingsfield where a young boy was beating a dummy. Hisoka halted for a moment and observed how the boy moved his sword. He had been like this boy, training here when he was young. His eyes moved to the road ahead of him, he should be heading back, but somehow his feet didn't let him. They moved him towards the field in the shadows of the trees that were lining up at the sides. 

And he watched. 

After beating the dummy for a bit, a rather deep cut, compared to the others at least, appeared. At that moment, the boy sighed and lowered the sword for a moment. Something around the blade of the sword changed as he did so, though it was difficult to say what since its shape and colour were still the same. He took a few quick and deep breaths and raised his sabre again. In his frustration, he hit it once more, sticking the whole blade of the sword into it. Realizing what he'd done when he tried to slide it off, he pulled on the hilt with all of his might. Grunting, he finally pulled it out, recoiling at the same time.

[b]"Not working to your liking?"[/b] Hisoka asked from his position near the trees. His voice easily carried over the rather small field. It wasn't quite hard to figure out what the boy was trying to achieve, but still he was interested. Wind Release. It was almost ironic as he could place a little girl there, where the boy was standing now. A girl wielding wind release. But that girl was gone and now there was only this young boy.

Katsu immediately turned to the voice in a reflex without thinking, only to see the Hokage standing before him. He slightly opened his mouth but for the first few moments, words didn't come out. He quietly cleared his throat and recomposed himself. [b]"I... uh, I was..."[/b] Well, recomposed himself as much as he could...

He had scared the boy and kind of thrown him of guard. Sometimes being the face that carried the Hokage title was a problem. People got intimidated. He pushed himself off the tree he had been leaning against and walked forward. [b]"You were....?"[/b] He asked. [b]"What were you trying to achieve that isn't working as you want?"[/b] He wondered why he was asking this. He had never been the type to train every person who he met. That was Zakito. Kiyomi had been the exception, but this was also different from that. This was... almost like he was facing himself. 

He didn't answer for a moment before being able to construct a full sentence. [b]"I was trying to blunt the blade, Hokage-sama"[/b] he answered, gulping. No more words came out to explain further. Not in a way to mean disrespect or because he thought the Hokage would know, but rather because he'd forgotten to say it.

[b]"I see."[/b] Hisoka replied only. The boy seemed so intimidated by him that he couldn't speak properly anymore or at least had difficulties formulating longer sentences. That was not a bad thing. Genin should have respect for their Hokage, but here in this compound things were slightly different. Hisoka flashed a seal so that the earth behind him rose up slightly to create a make shift seat and sat down. He would be more at eye level with the boy then which would be less intimidating then if he would tower above him. [b]"A very useful thing. You know that old proverb? Blades that can cut everything can cut nothing, but blades that can cut nothing can cut everything. My uncle used to tell me strange things like that when I was small."[/b] He leaned forward, his arms on his knees. [b]"So what seems to be the problem?"[/b]

Katsu raised the hilt to his chest and looked down at the blade. He was speaking slightly more at ease, [b]"I can't maintain the blunt coat for too long and then it loses its shape, sir,"[/b] he explained. [b]"So I keep trying to maintain the form while I hit the wood, comparing my progress over hours or sometimes days..."[/b] He lowered the sword once more and raised his head, looking towards the seated man.

A dedicated young boy it seemed. Keeping at this training for days? That was at least some discipline right there. He pondered about the boy's words. [b]"What kind of other chakra control training have you been doing besides trying to keep your sword blunt?"[/b] He asked thinking of a way to fix the problem of the Genin. There were quite some ways to improve one's chakra control and somtimes using another approach could really do the trick.

Katsu thought back to his training session with Aiko. Remembering the last and rather painful training, he thought for a moment. [b]"I never did it alone but Aiko-sensei had me meditate once,"[/b] he pointed out. He didn't dare try that alone, recalling how it had progressed. [b]"But other than that, sir, I haven't done much chakra control training."[/b]

[b]"Then that might be where you should start."[/b] Hisoka said. [b]"Blunting your blade takes more chakra control then you might assume. You need to coat the whole blade and then reverse the normal ability that that gives you, which is to sharpen it, and make it blunt. That is a lot at the same time. So maybe when you have trouble you can start with something a little bit easier."[/b] He looked up to the boy. [b]"I could give you some kind of help, that is if you want me to. But if you want to get this on your own I understand that."[/b]

A smile lit up Katsu's face as he heard the proposition. [b]"I'd be honored, sir,"[/b] he said, trying not to sound too excited. In any case, it wasn't everyday that one got the chance to learn something from the Hokage himself. He wondered why the Hokage, a random Uchiha, and a genin too. With a hopeful look in his eyes, Katsu continued to watch Hisoka while they were talking.

Hisoka smiled slightly and got up. He walked back to the trees and collected a handful of big leaves before returning to the boy and sitting down again. He placed the leaves before him and pulled out a senbon from his pouch. He beckonned the boy to sit down next to him on the raised earth and showed the senbon to him. [b]"I want you to draw me a picture on a leaf for me with this senbon. Can be anything. If you break the leaf you will have to pick another one."[/b]

Katsu sat down beside the man, looking at the objects in his hand curiously. He nodded, gulping once more. Thankfully, over the last few weeks limped over the desk, continuously drawing, he'd gotten somewhat better at controlling subtle hand movements. He took a leaf and the senbon Hisoka had taken out and leaned the leaf on his upper leg. Limping once more, he felt the leaf with the tip of the needle. Slowly pushing forward, he waited until he made a hole, however he didn't seem as disappointed as he was during the coating training. As a matter of fact, it looked like he was trying to break the leaf. He reached out for another one and got a steady start by making a small line, lifting the green of the leaf.

Hisoka pretended to look away. He knew the pressure of having someone watch over your shoulder while you were trying to accomplish something. He leaned back and raised his head while stealing glances in the boy's direction. He broke through the first leaf, which was totally to be expected. No one got that right on the first try unless they were experienced shinobi. He watched the boy try again with more precision this time. A small line appeared and Hisoka smiled slightly. He would have to tell Aiko later that he had helped her student. He wondered if Zakito would laugh when he would tell it. [b]"How long have you been training?"[/b] He asked the boy suddenly.

Just as Hisoka asked the question, Katsu had let go of the leaf, resting it on his leg and reached for the one he'd previously used. He froze and thought for a moment, mouthing some calculations. [b]"Only an hour or two before you came, sir,"[/b] he stated. Earlier when he was drawing the line, he seemed to be disconnected from the rest of the world, having been given a way to train that he enjoyed thoroughly. He picked up the other leaf and slowly put the tip of the senbon into the hole he'd created, not letting it come out of the other side, as if measuring it. He gently poked another hole in it, this time towards the end that would normally be attached to the tree and set it aside once more. He turned back to the other leaf, drawing another line, stretching from the locations of where the poked holes would be if they were on that leaf, making his line gentler as the senbon moved.

[b]"No, I mean how long have you been training as a ninja?"[/b] Hisoka rephrased himself. With slight wonder he looked at what the boy was doing before smiling once more. He was measuring. Very clever, he thought approvingly.

[b]"It's been a week over a month since I graduated from the academy and became a genin, sir,"[/b] he answered. On the same vertical line, Katsu found another spot, though he didn't try to measure its depth like with the other two. The imaginary line between the two points seemed to be paralel to the first drawn line, though it would be significantly smaller. He connected the dots by putting the senbon on the leaf, leading it from point one, to point two and finally to the root of the leaf. He did the same with the already drawn second line, leading it from the first point, past the second and onto the same destination. He carefully carved out the short line, though the line barely touched either point.

Just started, Hisoka thought. This boy had not yet experienced the world and yet he had already decided his path for the rest of his life. It happened with almost all of them. How did they all know that that was what they wanted to do with their lives? [b]"And how has that new life as a ninja been treating you?"[/b] He asked. [b]"Proud parents?"[/b]

A smile formed up on Katsu's lips but it faded just as quickly. [b]"I've met some interesting people that I'm proud to be able to call friends,"[/b] he explained as he locked the senbon between three fingers. [b]"Although proud is a rather strong word... I'm hoping I don't disappoint anyone, sir."[/b] When Hisoka mentioned parents, his mother and father didn't even cross his mind. He turned back to the leaf and drew the fourth line, finally piercing the leaf as his hand shivered a bit. Biting his lower lip, he set it aside the other and reached for a new one.

Hisoka turned his gaze away from the sky. Disappointing people, he knew that feeling all to well. Leaving his village, trying to escape the faith that had been pressed on him and... more things. But at least something had risen from it. In the end then. He should probably say something motivational now, but for some reason now words left his lips. How could he say that it would be fine? He didn't know that so saying it would be lying and he did that enough on a daily basis. He didn't want more. [b]"It's good to have friends."[/b] He said slowly. The leaf broke again and Hisoka suspected that his question was the cause of that. What was he even trying to accomplish here? With this talk? 

Katsu nodded solemnly at the opinion and let silence sink in as he repeated the memorized hand gestures with the senbon on the leaf. He took a deep yet surprisingly quiet breath and exhaled as he continued to draw on the leaf, now just as stably as before. He poked twice at the leaf, only enough to raise the uppermost layer of the leaf on the left of the large line, the gap being just a bit smaller than it and bigger than the second line. He drew the line between the two spots.

[b]"You seem to get that going pretty quick. That can't be said for everyone."[/b] Hisoka said as he observed the boy try again. While it was good that he was doing better it got harder to watched with every passing minute. He wondered what the future would hold for this boy. Would he too die in a horrible battle, giving his life for his country and for his beliefs? [b]"I see you have experience with drawing."[/b] Hisoka mentioned to raise the silence that had become uncomforable for him.

Katsu nodded slowly. [b]"I spend most of my free time drawing, sir,"[/b] he explained. [b]"Usually right outside the district on one of the busy streets."[/b] The same two shapes had appeared, seeming like a prism being observed from the corner. [b]"I'm used to controlling how hard I press the pencil on the paper."[/b] His hand speed was slowly yet steadily increasing. After a few seconds, one could see what seemed to be a roof.

[b]"I see."[/b] Hisoka replied again and with that he fell silent. Suddenly he got up and walked a couple of steps away from the boy. He stared to the trainingsdummy. He had hit it too when he was smaller. Well, probably not this one seeing as dummies didn't have a very long lifespan in general, but at least one that was extremely similar to that. Without looking back to the boy he started to speak again: [b]"Do you carry our bloodline ability?"[/b] He asked sounding like he was pondering about something. 

This time, the boy pulled the senbon away, setting it down on the leaves he'd used next to him, his fingers still gripping it. He waited for a moment before responding as if remembering something. [b]"No, sir,"[/b] he answered quite plainly. He spun the senbon between his fingers before putting it over the leaf once more. He sounded rather unsure about what to say when he spoke but he decided not to bore the Hokage with a rather stupid story.

Hisoka dragged his hand through his hair. Then maybe that was a difference they had, but did that difference really matter? The Sharingan was a useful tool and he did use it in battle, but there were more ways to beat someone besides relying on a döjutsu that ruined lifes. HHe turned back to the drawing boy. [b]"Do you wish you had it?"[/b] He asked.

He visualized his old shishou as he finished the drawing, adding the door to the house. He looked up at the Hokage and smiled. [b]"It would be useful to be able to... useful to have it but I wouldn't waste a wish on a sharingan, Hokage-sama."[/b] He held out the senbon to return it and held up the drawing of the house.

The reply made Hisoka smile slightly as he stepped forward to receive the leaf and the senbon. He looked at the small drawing, edged in green. The house looked cosy in that green surrounding. [b]"Very good."[/b] He said. [b]"I think it is clear what this training does. You need to focus your chakra to a very precise level to draw well with the senbon on the leaf. Since you are an artist yourself you do have a slightly easier time doing it I'd presume. Unlike other chakra control trainings where you, especially in the beginning, would like the assistance of a teacher to help you when things might get out of control, this is easy to do on your own. I am pretty sure that with this concentration your blade with definitely be blunter."[/b] He shot an expecting look to the trainingsdummy.

Katsu nodded, still smiling and got up. He turned his body to the dummy and drew the blade in a flash. He kept it in front of him, closing his eyes and concentrating, slowly making the chakra mold and turn into a blunt coat until it got disfigured again. The coat disappeared once more. When Katsu reformed the coat, it was as blunt as it was right before it got disfigured. He swung the sword sideways on the other side of the dummy with a rather significantly improved blunt blow.

Hisoka pocketed his senbon and after a second of thought he placed the leaf in his pouch as well. Approving he looked to the boy as he hit the dummy again. [b]"You'll get there."[/b] He said as he shot a glance back to the entrance of the field. He knew there was an ANBU waiting for him, hidden from view. He should go. [b]"Just keep at it and you'll get it done. It seems however, that my time is up. Any final questions?"[/b] 

The boy spun on his heel and quickly bowed. [b]"Thank you for teaching me, Hokage-sama!"[/b] he said, his gratefulness audible in his voice. He straightened his back up once more, smiling wider than ever. This conversation had finally reassured him that he'd done the right thing during his last training session.

Hisoka nodded slowly. [b]"I need a break too sometimes."[/b] He said, clearly wanting it to be a reason for the teaching, but it sounded more like an excuse to himself. [b]"Besides we are a clan. We look out for each other."[/b] As he finished that sentence the corners of his mouth curled down and he turned around. His own words sounded hollow to him. What did he do with his clan anyway? Not voicing that thought to the boy Hisoka raised a hand. [b]"Good luck."[/b] He said and he meant it. Not with the technique, but with everything. Good luck with... living. 

The sentence about the clan caught his attention. There was nothing Katsu would do for someone from his clan that he wouldn't do for someone else. If the reason Hisoka had helped him was because of his last name... Katsu felt a bit of disappointment, not in anyone in particular though. Just, disappointment. He gawked in Hisoka's direction, watching him as he left.[/hider]