Asa Meets Salem

## Participants

**Vanitaskiba**

**KingTDSJ**

## Logs

**KingTDSJ:** Inside Hoshigakure’s training grounds in the middle of the day, about 3:00 PM, there stood one ninja. He was a regular Genin, spending his time training in solitude just like he preferred. The training grounds was about 300 yards of open clearing, separated in half by a small river running through the middle of it. The outside of the area was a dense forested environment. The boy in the clearing stood towards the middle of the clearing, throwing kicks into a large wooden log that was stuck into the ground. The boy was dressed in an orange and white baseball tee, black pants and sandals. On the back of his hip was a tanto he always kept with him, that was the only visible weapon. His brownish face was dripping with sweat as he threw his legs into the log, alternating vicious kicks with each leg. His read hair was rather messy at this point. The boy’s name was Asa, Asa Uzumaki. He had been training his Taijutsu skills for almost two hours now by himself. At this point he was so focused on his kicks that the only thing running through his head was his kicking form and making powerful contact with the log. Kick after kick there was a loud thud that echoed through the empty area. That was his music for now and his only focus at the time.

**Vanitaskiba:** It had been exactly one day since Hoshigakure obtained a new member. She wasn't quite sure if others were new or just herself. She had no idea who resided in the village, what they were like, or what they were about. But surely she did have plans in that mind of hers-- or at least the potential to create plans. One thing she did know about the village and herself was that she was more advanced than some of the villagers-- Jonin was her rank. Only a day had gone by and she already seen the entire village. Only a day. Indeed it was a small 'home'. Only a few locations remained unexplored by the female. The Valley of Death, Training Grounds, and so on. However one location could be marked off of that list: The Training Grounds. She was there now and only one other figure along with her. A boy, young, he had no clue she was there. The woman was perched in one of the trees, standing upright and firm, with her arms crossed over one another just under her chest. Bright amber eyes peered down at him while dark red strands covered majority of her face. She had no intentions on revealing herself. Why would she? He was lesser and did not take her interest.

**KingTDSJ:** With one final kick Asa stomped as he slowly lowered his leg from the log. He stood there and panted. At he looked at the result of over 400 kicks to the same area. The wood on both sides had slow been dented in and knock off by his legs, removing the outer bark completely. Asa legs ached a bit as he turned away, slowly walking back a few feet in an attempt to walk off the pain. He then sat down, his legs out to allow proper blood flow. There was another person there,yes but Asa had no idea, at least not yet anyway. For now his was enjoying the time to himself. He sighed as he laid on the ground, looking up towards the sky. He then hopped up from the ground in a motivated kipping fashion before walking back towards the long, standing about an arms distance from it. Looking at the log and closing his eyes taking a deep breath. From a distance this would look rather strange. He then began a peculiar set of hand seals, a weave pattern very few ninja knew. Rat-Ox-Dog-Dog...the pattern paused a he hesitated then clapped his hands together gently before continuing with Boar seal then slamming his hand against the wooden log. A unique sealing inscription would appear over the log. Whether the inscription would work or not was a mystery.. Asa just sat there and examined it for now, brushing his read hair out of his face as he looked at the sealing formula on the log.

**Vanitaskiba:** The female continued to watch like an owl. The only movement she gave was a slight turn of her neck to keep her eyes on him, the rest of body was like a statue. The wind blew every now and then in order to make her hair dance like the trees that concealed her. She blinked. She sighed. What promise did this place even have for her, why was she even here? Where did she come from? It was a mystery. With an untraceable speed, she vanished, the appeared again. She made use of the Teleportation Jutsu. Where did she appear? Behind the boy. Her arms fell to her side before she took a step forward. Her eyes squinted while she took a closer look at him, still he was nothing in her view. Her footsteps were as silent as ever-- maybe even then he still failed to notice her. Still she didn't bother to look at the log or what he was bothering himself with. Really she didn't want to trouble herself that much. "Hello." Finally the female called out.

**KingTDSJ:** Asa stood there, still watching the log and reading the formula as he rubbed his hair in curiosity. A soft female voice said something randomly out of nowhere and it was close, directly behind him to be exact. Asa wasn't startled even though he completely failed to notice her. She was clearly of a higher rank. "Um.. Hello." He said as he completely stood up, showing his height of 5'5 as he looked up to the woman. "Who are you?" Asa said curiously as he looked at her. "I've never seen you around. You must be new." He stated nonchalantly as he stood in front of her. His face stayed emotionless and nonchalant the entire time he spoke to her.

**Vanitaskiba:** 5'11 was her height.. The female some what towered over the boy, but that was mainly because of the age gap. Salem tilted her head to the side once she was able to hear him speak. She did indeed give him mental props for not being startled once she appeared on him out of thin air. "You'll know what you need when you need to know." Was the reply she gave to his question. Nope-- Not a name given even though he asked. He did make the remark of her being new so he was not a newcomer himself, or so she would assume. Her head straightened up from the tilt. Her eyes refrained from the squint. "Tell me about this village. Tell me about you."

**KingTDSJ :** He frowned a bit at her responses and her following questions as he thought to himself a bit. She was already a bit strange. Asa was intelligent for his age, the woman avoiding giving her his name was a way for her to keep her identity secret. He was already starting to attempt to break down her personality. Since she was asking about the village she was indeed a new person. Asa shrugged a bit at her. "Meh..the village is small. Known for some chakra radiating meteor that hit this area about 300 years ago. Not much history other than that." Asa paused for a bit as he made sure not to reveal to much information about the village. The security of this place was everyone's not just Chunin and above. "As far as me. I'm the only Uzumaki in the village" He said as he pointed to his burgundy hair. "Graduated the Academy in a year from age 9 to 10. Um..dad works with the Daimyo of the Land of Bears. There's not much interesting about me." Just as she did, he too did not give up his name. Well not entirely at least.

**Vanitaskiba:** She didn't need his full name.. She didn't want his full name. Uzumaki was enough and that's what he would be known as to her. That's what he would be remembered as. "I already know that much about the village." She hissed. She wanted to know something not so.. Basic. Then again what could she expect from a child? "Friends, Mentors, Neighbors?" She was asking about who was usually seen around here. Those are who she wanted to know about. People like him. Surely he wasn't the only one of the village. He did know somebody, right? She took a step to the left, then the right. Salem had a fire that built up inside of her so often-- she needed was to cool it off. Walking was one of them.

**KingTDSJ:** Once again he shrugged at her remarks. "I don't have many friends. People usually irritate me. Very few of them have the intelligence to entertain me. I'm surprised we've held a conversation this long honestly." Asa said. "I'm my own mentor. My books and my studies teach me everything I need to know. " He added before glancing over his shoulder. "I'm assuming you're a higher rank than me. Hopefully you're not as ignorant as most Jonin I've met. Does that sealing formula look correct to you?" He asked even though he knew she probably wouldn't care or wouldn't know the answer. The seal was a unique one used by the Uzumaki clan about 300 years ago. If she did know anything about it Asa would be rather impressed at her knowledge.

**Vanitaskiba:** Salem stopped in the middle of her pace. Her eyebrow raised slightly.. It twitched even. Surprised they held a conversation this long? "What do you mean by that?" She questioned. Please.. Please let this not be someone to irk her heavily. That was the last thing Salem wanted. So he was a loner in short. Boy did she hit the jackpot with this one. Seemed as if any information she wished to obtain was a no go-- Salem would have to prey on someone else if given the chance. "I see you like the obvious." She stated. That.. Was a 'yes' to his question about her ranking. This kid was something. Something she felt like she wouldn't like at all. Indeed she did not care about his sealing formula, that, and maybe she didn't know the answer to if his jutsu was correct. Sealing wasn't in her area. Nor was Taijutsu, Healing, Genjutsu and a few more such as weapon usage.

**KingTDSJ:** "I'm simply saying I don't really... talk. Ya know? I find silence to be more interesting. Reading body language is more fun than talking. Like now I can tell you either get nervous easily or you like to stay constantly moving. That's a sign of curiosity... or ADHD. Whichever you prefer." He said nonchalantly as he turned his head back to her. He forced a smile. It was true, Asa wasn't like most his age he was a lot more mature and difficult to deal with. He extended his hand for a handshake as he continued the forced smile. Interacting with people wasn't really his thing at all. "I'm Asa Uzumaki." He said as he finally revealed his full name.

**Vanitaskiba:** "You are nothing to get nervous about.." Salem replied. "Nor do I have any disorders that you claim." At this point she started to pick her nails.. Which were painted the same shade as her hair. Salem's amber hues squinted again, looking as evil-- or creepy-- As ever. She then examined the hand once it extended. Not one attempt to shake it. Her eyes then came back up to meet his face. It was clear his smile was forced. Always a huge difference between a real and fake smile. The question was if the smile was a taunt or tease. The wind blew once more. The area-- Fairly quite-- Quite enough to hear the leafs rustle. The female took a second glance at the log. What was keeping her from burning it to ashes? Why was Salem sticking around? She could have been off making a name for herself. She wanted to be strong, feared, powerful, so why was she slacking here?

**KingTDSJ:** Asa looked at her, noticing more of her 'nervous habits' as he squinted a bit at her behavior. Her creepy looks had no intimidating effect on him. He slowly lowered his hand and allowed his forced smiled to fade away... so much for being polite. "I'm rarely wrong Miss. If you want to ignore those nervous habits go ahead." He slowly stuck his hands into his pockets as he relaxed his shoulders. "So. You're a Jonin. I understand that. I also understand that you're new to this village. But I don't really understand why you're here right now. It doesn't look like you're training. You're just kind of occupying space right now." He added as he looked at her before turning his back to look at the log, thinking to himself for a minute. "You're welcome to stay, but with the vibes we give off I feel like the conversation will get rather bland... unless something interesting happens that is." He finished before taking his hands out of his pockets and touching the sealing formula.

**Vanitaskiba:** Ah! It finally hit her. Salem's goal was to obtain information, which the boy failed to give up. She was becoming annoyed, and him, useless. The female only wasted her time with others if she had something to gain. But that's when it clicked. Maybe she did have something to gain-- Just maybe. Salem threw his comments to the side about the nervous habits. Another child who believes they know everything there is. He didn't tell her anything in depth about the village, he refused to share anything about his life, really all his answers were unsatisfactory. Only one final question remained-- A question that she could obtain the answer to without the use of words, an answer that he wouldn't have to speak. Why not test his abilities? Salem turned heel and began to walk away from the boy. Her leather skort and hair were the only things to sway with each step. "Seems you want a training partner." Asa claimed to have no friends or partners so why not change it up? Salem stopped once there was a good distance between the two. Lastly she turned back to view Asa. Well, if he wanted to take the offer, then so be it. This wouldn't be much of a training for Salem.

**KingTDSJ:** Asa slowly turned around as he looked at her. It seems that she didn't quite get the hint. He wanted to be alone, that's how he preferred to train. A partner only interfered with his custom training routine. He looked at the woman, about a good 20 yards back. He sighed... what was her motive behind this? It was a Genin versus a Jonin, on paper it was a one sided battle but Asa was no average Genin. With that being said even he would probably have trouble. He remained quiet, very nonchalantly stretching his arms. "I really don't want a training partner but if you insist...." He said briefly as he brought his hands together in the form of the Tiger seal. An unusual talent of Asa's was that his ability to mold chakra was exceptional, often forming jutsu with minimal hand seals. The Tiger seal then turned into him forming a few other seals needed for the Fireball Jutsu. However this was an illusion. All his chakra was molded at the initial seal. He made sure to perform his hand seals slow so that she could read them, making him appear to be doing the fireball technique. He inhaled heavily but right before he exhaled there was a poof of smoke. With very little time passing, Asa would appear over the woman. He used the Body Flicker technique instead to catch her by surprise and close the distance. He would be coming down from about 10 feet. He pointed his knees down towards her, attempting to crash into her violently,smashing her into the ground. If successful he would then take a technical mounting position to remain in control of her on the ground. If he missed he would roll forward, reducing the shock to his legs and then leaping away to avoid a counterattack.

**Vanitaskiba:** So he had tricks but was attempting to pull of tricks that she was simply better at. She too knew the Teleportation Jutsu, and aside from that, her base speed was just much more than his. For one, Salem had more training. Two, even her figure helped with the speed advantage. But in all honesty the puff of smoke that he incorporated into his jutsu gave it away. Salem could use the Teleportation Jutsu without the smoke-- Which would seem to be preferred. But back to the situation at hand. The Jonin wouldn't simply annihilate the kid. Where's the fun in that? Here he came-- Yet she didn't attempt to dodge-- Not even an inch. The Uzumaki came down with great speed, such force adding to his weight, and when they collided, she fell to the ground as intended. The two were face to face with Asa on top. Did he really want to be that close? Salem was a long ranged fighter.. And long ranged attacks used up close.. Only meant more force. Oh what would his reaction be? Chakra started to gather in her lungs-- Chakra infused with ash. 'Fire Style: Hiding in Ash Jutsu!' The female exclaimed in her mind before blowing out a deadly gust. A sea of ash started to spew out. If he didn't get away, not only would he take a blanket of ash to the face, but he would suffer burns as well.. maybe even get choked up and blinded. Whatever was to transpire would be had to see by the ash that tainted the air.

**KingTDSJ:** Asa reacted instinctively, he was in the mount and she was in a bad position either way. She then began to exhale black smoke and ash from her mouth. Asa grunted and without hesitation would attempt place his hands over her mouth. Palm on top of the back of the hand and leaning forward to apply pressure. The clothing he would have on would protect most of his body from the little smoke that came out, however his hands would suffer a few minor burns if this worked, but that was more of her problem as she would be tasting his burning flesh as he aggressively covered her mouth. Because of the position she was in this would be virtually impossible for her to stop him. Asa still had some chakra infused. He then activated a follow on counter. "Uzumaki Sealing Technique." Chakra would exit his hands and the sealing formula would spread all over her face and neck. She would then begin to be sucked into the seal itself. This would be quick and almost impossible to counter. The ground position he was in would limit the use of her arms, so forming a hand seals would be difficult. Because of how close they were, covering her mouth would be very easy, especially considering that he was sitting on her chest. The sealing jutsu came without warning either. This entire span of events would happen in only a matter of seconds. It was a perfect counter in Asa's eyes. Of course if it happened Asa wouldn't keep her sealed away.. not for long anyways. But if it did succeed, the woman would be sealed into the ground, placed inside of the sealing formula itself.

**Vanitaskiba:** Salem was proved wrong once the boy failed to retreat. Instead he stayed and endured the attack, which was both weird and foolish on his end. Nonetheless she pressed on with her offense. Salem wanted to get as much damage done as she could. But what was he doing? Trying to stop the ash by covering her mouth? Surely his hands were feeling the burn caused by the jutsu. Either way if Salem's jutsu managed to be contained-- That could only mean bad news on her end. It was always wise to have an attack going no matter what. Finally the Jonin decided to get out of there with use of the Substitution Jutsu long before he was able to completely cover her mouth. A puff a white smoke filled the air and in her place was a block of wood.. Salem's new location was in the outskirts of the training field. She formed the Tiger head seal while the ash and smoke still lingered, it was a decent smokescreen one had to admit. "Water Clone Jutsu." From the creek, in the center of the field, rose a body of water. It took form and molded into a picture perfect image of herself. However the clone just stood on top of the river for a while. It tried to take a step but it couldn't for some reason. Through all the smoke it even looked like the clone had trouble standing.. Salem remained hidden.

**KingTDSJ:** Asa grunted in frustration as the woman vanished. 'So she favors a long ranged fight.. that's obvious. Her skills in Taijutsu don't seem to be that great, or at least that's what I assume considering her go to counter was a Ninjutsu technique. A waste of chakra.' He thought to himself. Even as a Genin, Asa spent his time studying and training. It would be hard for him to not read battle strategies or see through tricks in combat. He stood up and jumped out of the cloud just to clear his sight of vision. It just so happened he would jump away from the clone. The clone more than likely wouldn't be able to see him through the thick smoke. Asa took hold of his tanto while looking around, watching the smoke first then slowly surveying the surrounding area. "This woman really wasted my time." He said aloud as he released the tanto and stood completely upright, still keeping his head moving as he watched the area. "I need to work on my sealing speed I see though. That's one benefit from this." He added as he stood a good distance from the smoke cloud, but still in plain sight of the vast open field.

**Vanitaskiba:** The clone started to shake and wobble. Deform then form again. Finally it fell back into a puddle. It was weird, the clone hadn't been attacked or anything, it just collapsed on its own. Perhaps Salem held no knowledge over the jutsu to begin with-- Perhaps it was something she was trying to learn in the middle of their battle. The female placed herself on one knee while looking out at the river-- All while keeping herself concealed behind nearby bushes. The female started to concentrate, with narrow eyes, before forming hand seals of her own. Ox, Monkey, Hare, Rat, Boar... Snake, Boar, Ram, Rat... Monkey, Hare, Boar, Dragon... Rat, Boar, and then finally, Bird. Salem had put together exactly forty four hand seals in order to execute this jutsu. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" This was a jutsu she knew and she knew it well. Suddenly most, if not all, of the water from the river collected and shot out at Asa. In no more than a second the stream of water actually took on the form of a dragon-- Its mouth open-- And white like eyes staring him down. The speed and size of the dragon was noteworthy, probably able to take down a healthy sized tree-- Or two-- With one hit. A train of formidable might headed right for the boy. However this would be Salem's last jutsu before ending the spar. The answer she sought at the beginning of this confrontation would be answered here and now. How would he avoid it? What would he do? If he could do anything that is..

**KingTDSJ:** Asa looked up in shock. From the corner of his eye he saw the river suddenly shoot upward in a loud uproar. As quickly as it rose up it came down towards him, taking the shape of a roaring dragon as it came towards him. Asa turned to his left, quickly sprinting away in an attempt to avoid the attack. He dove quickly, launching himself forward and to the ground, narrowly avoiding the raging waters as they crashed against the ground behind him, the waves and water washing him across the ground. Gaining control of his body his kipped his legs up to stand upright, looking around quickly as he panted heavily. "So she's finally taking this seriously...about time." He thought to himself as he kept looking around, keeping hhis hand on his tanto. His hair and face wet from her attacks as he looked around. "Hopefully she won't waste my time much longer"