Punch Your Heart Out: 2/3/399 A.M.

**Training session between Genin.**

Participants:

* Ayato Uchiha
* Masato Haruno

The participants both earned a Combat Star in Taijutsu.

## ──────────┤Session Started├───────────

**Ayato Uchiha:** February 3rd 399 A.M. The sun hung high in the sky as Ayato Uchiha made his way to the training grounds. He'd had a day or so to contemplate the advice previously given to him for improving his notoriously poor Taijutsu skills and had elected to return to scene of his first embarrassing defeat. Though; the loss brought with it a budding friendship with Masato.

Arriving at the Training Ground, Ayato started off with standard warm-ups. performing hopscotch across the boulders that dot the field and laps around the grains to get his blood pumping. Once suitably warmed up, he spent some time stacking a few rocks to create a small rough shapen mannequin to spar against. He raised his fist, creating a tight stance before throwing a punch, following through with his hips to make use of the advice. The punch was aimed to stop just before the stones so he wasn't punching rocks. "Oi oi" he mumbled to himself as he repeated the process over and over "Punching sucks"

**Masato Haruno:** Another typical day. One where Masato didn’t know what to do with it. He was fresh out of the hospital and his arms were feeling better although there was still some tension in them. To be safe he had them wrapped up in some compression bandages that helped a little. His main goal was to make sure and not reinjure them, but he may have been a little too cautious as Masami said he would be good to train 100% again today. Could never be too careful.

Masato decided to take a walk through the mountainous area and enjoy the scenes a bit when he started to pass the seventh training ground. What caught his eye more was his pal Ayato throwing a few punches in the direction of a stone dummy he made. Masato found it odd that he would be punching at the dummy but not actually hitting it. So much so that he snuck a bit closer and just took a moment to watch. The form seemed alright to him, but it could maybe be better. Maybe he should speak up and see what Ayato was trying to accomplish. For now Masato chose to just wait it out.

**Ayato Uchiha:** Ayato took his training seriously, often falling into the zone when he did so. While this meant he got the most out of his training it also meant he was otherwise completely unaware of his surroundings and as such, had no idea Masato had arrived. "Follow through with your hips huh" He would mumble to himself as he swung punches at the stone dummy, scolding what he felt was bad form or commenting on things that felt right. A good few minutes of this went past before Ayato, frustrated with the monotony of punching delivered it good solid round house kick to the dummy, sending the top stone flying.

He stood proud for a moment, before the pain in his foot finally reached his thick skull "Oi oi why the fuck did I do that" As he cursed his stupidity as he hopped about rubbing his foot. It was at this point that he noticed Masato standing off to the side "oh ho Masato! Moshi mosh" He hopped over to his friend and held a fist out for him to bump "Perfect timing, you consider yourself good at Taijutsu right? I mean i'd consider you good, but i also suck so I dunno if thats high praise or not" He'd grin, waiting for his response as he shook the pain from his foot.

**Masato Haruno:** As he watched Ayato train, Masato started getting a bit frustrated himself. Why was he not following through with any of his strikes? Why did he always stop short of the mark. Masato was just about to say something when Ayato surprised him by kicking through the dummy. Was he just trying to size it up the whole time. Then hearing Ayato’s word Masato would respond to the rhetorical question with a bit of sass. “The real question is, why havent you been doing that from the start?”

Finally it seemed that Ayato noticed Masato was watching the whole thing and with a few questions he confirmed Masato’s suspicions. “Huh? Yea, I’m pretty good at Taijutsu.” He returned the fist bump eagerly but continued the conversation forward a bit. “I see you’re practicing what I told you, but for real you gotta hit something. If you don’t then how will you know what it feels like to truly hit something in a fight.” Masato was pointing out verbally the fact that Ayato had been spending the last few moments punching the air rather than the rock dummy he made.

**Ayato Uchiha:** Ayato raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to drum his knuckles on Masato's forehead "Oi oi rocks in there? Why would I punch rocks, that would hurt and I'd get no where" He would grin when Masato confirmed he was good at Taijutsu but wave him off dismissively when he said punching the air achieved nothing "Maybe maybe maybe. I was more working on the form first to be fair. Buuuuut, If you reckon I need to actually hit something then I suppose I should thank you for volunteering" The grin on Ayato's face stretch and took on an almost manic appearance as he burst out laughing "No jutsus, no tricks, lets just have a bit of a scrap?"

If Masato agreed, Ayato would hold his fist out to be bumped which appeared to have become a bit of a tradition. He took up a similar stance to before, keeping his hands close to his body while bouncing on the balls of his feet, the bouncing allowed him to stay mobile, perhaps he could incorporate his speed, which he was confident in, into his taijutsu style, and maybe it'd work out for him. If Masato agreed and was ready, Ayato would open up the scrap with a quick right handed jab, aimed at Masato's face; in reality this was fake out as he performed a simultaneous leg sweep with his left leg, hopefully, Masato's focus would be on the punch aimed for his face. "Bandages are a look, you hurt yourself?" He'd ask as they sparred.

**Masato Haruno:** Masato listened to Ayato’s proposal of a straight up no jutsu fight. His mind went back to the field of flames that this kid was able to form in their previous bout. He seemed to think it over a minute as Ayato held his fist out for Masato. This was typically a quirk of his but it seemed Ayato picked up on the idea of touching knuckles before a fight pretty quickly. A smile formed as Masato nodded but instead of bumping fists he reached out his hand. If Ayato didn’t jerk back, Masato would place his hand on Ayato’s and hold it still. “For insurance.” Then with quick movements of his free hand he would jab Ayato in the arm a few times. He did this in the Gentle Fist method so there was little physical damage but he would turn off the chakra flow in Ayato’s arm. This would hopefully turn off the kid’s jutsu if he was allowed to do so.

After that Masato would let go of the boy's hand, bump fists, and take a couple steps back. It seemed like Ayato was eager to get things started. There was no doubt that the kid was fast. Masato brought his hand up to deflect the jab but missed that it was a feint entirely.  The leg sweep took him however Masato made use of the momentum to turn his fall into a cartwheel assisted pelè kick. This kick was aimed for the top of the boy's head hoping to test his resolve. However Masato held back some of his strength to keep the training going longer. He then addressed Ayato’s question as he returned to his feet following the cartwheel, “Yea Masami broke my arms but said I should be able to train today either way.” If Ayato knew the name he would recognize him as the head of the medical division here in Konoha. However Masato didn’t try to elaborate further.

**Ayato Uchiha:** When Masato blocked the chakra pathways to prevent Ayato from performing any Ninjutsu, Ayato feigned betrayal, laying it on thick "How hurtful that you wouldn't even trust me, your friend" He'd grin and wave him off dismissively. When the scrap began, Ayato's sweeping kick was successful, though, impressively, Masato managed to use the momentum to turn the fall into an attack, something that Ayato kept in the back of his mind. Ayato's quick reaction speed was likely all that stopped him coping the blow directly to the top of his head as he raised his arms above him in a cross position to eat the blow. "Oi oi that coulda knocked me out, but it was cool nonetheless"

He shook the pain out of his arms as Masato explained his injuries "Masami broke 'em? Isn't he meant to do the opposite? What a shitty doctor, Why does he still have a job?" Ayato continued to bounce on his feet, hoping from side to side rather than staying static. Lashing out again, this time he opened with wide kick with his right leg however, halfway through the movement he planted his right foot firmly in the ground, pivoted on it and attempted to catch Masato in the stomach with a back heel kick using his left leg. Ayato was putting enough force into his attacks to hurt but not enough to end it early. "You better not be using your funky eyes to cheat by the way"

**Masato Haruno:** Keeping with the conversation Masato would respond, “Yea, Masami said he did it so the really big guy wouldn't start a fight in the hospital after my teammate put his genin in the hospital.” By now Masato would be starting to working his footwork into the fight by rocking back and forth between his footing. This was to keep him light on his feet and ready at an instant. He proved this when Ayato started with a side kick and instead pivoted into a back heel. Masato dropped back on his left heel and used the side of his hand to guide the kick just past his body. “Good move. But if you come at me head on I won't need those eyes.” To punctuate his statement Masato would throw a left hook toward Ayato’s jaw. He tried to make use of the boys' attacks and settle into a counter attack style. Basically striking when he thought Ayato’s guard was lowest or when he wouldnt be able to react. However this boy had surprised him before.

**Ayato Uchiha:** Ayato raised an eyebrow "Weird, why are you guys putting other Genin in the hospital? Who was it?" Masato easily avoided the kick, guiding it passed him and giving some tips along with it. As he corrected his stance his quick reaction time picked up on the left hook coming at his jaw. Lifting his right arm he would attempt to black the punch, eating the force with his arm before wrapping his right arm around Masato's left and gripping the bicep area. Ayato than proceeded to pulled Masato towards him, trying to catch him off balance as he attempted to smash his forehead into his.

**Masato Haruno:** Masato found it weird that this was turning into a grappling match. However when his arm was grabbed he went with the tug and pushed off with his right leg to throw a head butt of his own. Likely the two would collide with twice as much force due to them both thinking the same thing. After the collision Masato would bounce back falling to a seated position as he rubbed his ringing knoggin. “Ow ooo ah. That's smart.” He shook himself off and was obviously not showing an aggressive position at this moment before continuing the conversation. “Anyway, it was some quiet kid. I think the name is Kidame, but that's what my team mate called him.”

**Ayato Uchiha:** The two knuckleheads collided sending Ayato reeling back before he fell on his ass, rubbing the place where their heads had connected "Oi oi you stole my trick. Is your head made of rocks?"

When Masato mentioned Kidame, he stood up quickly "Wait you put Chef in the hospital? You got shitty at my jutsu then put my team member in the Hospital? What the hell man" he held a hand out to help Masato up "I'll have to try to visit him before he gets out. Was it bad?"

**Masato Haruno:** Taking Ayato’s hand Masato would use his help to get up to his feet. “Huh, Chef? Is that what you call him?” Masato kinda took the verbal beating even though in reality he had done anything to injure the kid. However he didn’t protect him either. His head lowered as he thought of how to best answer the questions asked of him. “Y-Yea.. It was pretty bad. His whole right side was split open. By the time we got over to him he was unconscious.”

Masato’s words kinda hung in the air as a tinge of silence took over. Picking up on the awkward moment Masato would quickly offer more information. “But! There’s no need to worry. He is being looked over by Masami. The Miracle Man of Konoha.” Masato once again butchered the guy's nickname, but he got the point across he felt. He then put his hands up showing off the bandages.”I mean after that big guy left he did heal my arms and told me I should be good to go in less than a day.” He ended that with a carefree  smile hoping to liven up the atmosphere.

**Ayato Uchiha:** Ayato helped Masato to his feet as he explained what happened "Yeah, he doesn't talk a lot but insisted he wanted to be a Chef so thats what I've been calling him. Hasn't taken off though" When Masato explained just how bad it was Ayato winced and instinctively rubbed his side "Oi oi what the fuck. And you got snappy at me for almost burning half the field down" He shook his head as he processed it.

"Masami? The same guy who broke your arms before he fixed 'em? What did he rip Chef in half before putting him all back together? Still ... I suppose he's head Surgeon for a reason. I'm sure Kidame will be alright" Ayato got back in his stance again and motioned for Masato to come at him "So you met Lord Ieyasu then? He's my Jounin, he seems alright though. Built like a brick shithouse though".

**Masato Haruno:** As Ayato started to get on to him, Masato would snap back. “Oi! I wasn’t the one who diced him up. It was my team mate. I can't control him. Hell, I just met the guy.” In his sudden outburst Masato didn’t realise he picked up Ayato’s strange speech pattern in his own response. Instead he collected himself and tilted his head as they continued talking.

Ayato then turned the conversation to Masami. “Yea the same guy. No he just helped him out. Like I said he only did that to me so your Jonin wouldn’t have a hissy fit.” Masato then nodded sagely as he continued. ”Yea I met him. Can’t say I think much of him. He’s a big guy for sure. Kinda wanna know his workout routine. Other than that, from Masami’s words this guy seems like a short temper type. Be careful around him, he may be liable to snap and just beat you up for no reason.” Masato barely had any knowledge of the guy at this point. He could only go off of the things that other people were saying, and other people weren’t saying great things.

**Ayato Uchiha:** Ayato scrunched his nose "Oi oi, Sounds like your team mate sucks then, why is he using sharpened weapons?" He gave a shrug when the conversation veered back to Ieyasu "I mean thats fair, he's been nothing but nice to our team for the time being. The dude eats more food in one sitting than i'd eat in like 3 weeks though, its mental." He would eventually shake his head and start bouncing on his toes again "Regardless, if Chef's in good hands thats what matters. And as long as the muppet who hurt him knows he made a mistake then it should be okay"

With that Ayato stepped forward, hoping to catch Masato off guard now that he was a little shaken by the verbal exchange. He would shoot his right fist out in a quick straight jab aiming to catch Masato in the nose before following up with a left handed punch to his gut. Ayato was feeling more confident with his Taijutsu, while obviously not as experienced as Masato, a little bit of practice helped him feel comfortable when throwing a punch.

**Masato Haruno:** Quickly Masato snapped back to defend his teammate, “What do you mean? Are your Kunai not sharp? You should maintain your weapons. That could get you killed.” Then the conversation came back around to Ieyasu and Masato added in, “Well that's good. I probably only saw a bad side of him due to the circumstances. I hope.” With that Masato trailed off into thoughts of Tsurugi and how he had dedicated himself to sitting around by Kidame’s bedside. Maybe he would appreciate some onigiri today, Masato wondered.

Being a bit too distracted by his thoughts and the assumption that the training was concluded Masato didn't even notice the jab until it struck his face. HE threw his hands up quickly to cover his face and hold his nose after the shock. He only managed to squeak out “ HEY WHAT THE!?” before he was hit in the gut as a follow up. The combination of strikes drove Masato to one knee. Ayato didn’t have the strongest of punches, but with his guard completely down this hurt. Masato then cocked his head up at the uchiha and barked out “CHEAP SHOT. I thought we were done sparring for now. How could you hit someone when they aren’t expecting it.”

**Ayato Uchiha:** Ayato frowned "Of course they're sharp! But I'm not about to fucking stab you mid training. I have an old set at home that are blunted for training"

Ayato's rapid assault had been successful, almost entirely due to Masato being lost in his own thoughts. Ayato let out a cackle as Masato complained before grinning "Oi oi pay attention or you'll get killed" he held out a hand to help Masato back up "Sorry I saw the opportunity. Thank you though. I think I've managed to kind of grasp what's up. I don't think I'll get quite as good as you but I'd like to be able to hold my own for a little bit". Once Masato was back on his feet, he'd hold a first out to be bumped as a way of concluding the spar.

**Masato Haruno:** Standing back up, Masato would respond to the verbal jab, “Yea yea, you're lucky I don't knock your block off for that cheap shot.” He then listened to Ayato’s concerns about his taijutsu prowess before responding in kind. “You may want to work out those arms. Your punches are good if they land effectively but you need more power behind them. Have you been generating torque with your hips like I said?”

Masato raised his hand to bump into Ayato’s. Part of him kinda hoped this little gesture would become a tradition throughout the village. “You know what? I think your ninjutsu is top notch, but if you train your taijutsu to be something even better then maybe you could trick people into getting too close with you. Then you could surprise them with Taijutsu prowess.” Masato would then place his hands behind his head and smile a bit. “I need to work on the opposite myself. Maybe one day you can teach me some ninjutsu. OH I would also like to get better at genjutsu, that’d be cool. If you know how to do that stuff please teach me.” Masato seemed to light up at the thought of genjutsu. He never showed much interest in it at first but more and more he has been obsessed with what he could do with it.

**Ayato Uchiha:** Ayato grinned as Masato complained but listened as he asked about generating torque and building up his strength "Yeah I've been doing that; I don't eat a whole lot so I've always been skinnier than most"

When Masato complimented his Ninjutsu, Ayato puffed his chest out a little bit, it was no secret that Ayato thought highly of himself in that regard "That's a good point. Ive actually been considering trying out Kenjutsu and mixing in my fire release but I wouldn't even know where to begin for that. But if you want some Ninjutsu tips I can help you there, it's only fair I think". When the topic of Genjutsu came up he would tap his chin and ponder the topic "Genjutsu I'm not that familiar with. My brother Hanzo has it down pat though. But he's usually pretty busy. Oi oi if I learn from him I'll teach you!" Ayato completed the first bump before giving Masato a quick salute and turn to leave "Right. I'll be off for now, thanks again, means a lot!"

**Masato Haruno:** As the conversation turned to talk about Hanzo, Ayato’s brother, Masato took a keen interest. “Is he as down to earth as you are? If so, I may like to meet him one day. I can understand him being busy but maybe one day you can introduce us.” Soon after Ayato seemed to be getting ready to set off. His words verified this when he said so. Masato raised his arm to give a gentle wave and a smile. “Right see ya next time.”

After seeing Ayato disappear over the horizon Masato would throw a couple test punches at the air. He still felt pretty good after the spar. His arms weren’t even bothering him now so he wondered how far he could push it. The training Ayato and he did wasn’t fully enough for him so he wanted to try something a little tougher, but what. That's when he looked around to his surroundings to try and find a suitable pell to work on.

Masato’s eyes only fell on the multitude of boulders scattered around. He worried that testing himself against these would be ill advised, but Masami did say he should be one hundred percent by today. With that Masato squared up with a boulder roughly his size and delivered a few quick jabs to the rock. He noted that there was no immediate recoil to his strikes other than obviously punching a brick. He then activated his Byakugan and scanned the boulder for weak spots. He delivered one more punch right on seam with a crack in the boulder and pushed his chakra into it utilizing the gentle fist style as he watched it rip the rock in half.

“Excellent.” He said as he was now satisfied. Masato then pulled his arms back noting that they felt pretty good despite being injured the day prior. He then dusted himself off a bit before taking the bandages off of each arm. He placed the discarded bandages into his back waist pouch and started down the road toward his home. He was a bit more satisfied with his day training today, and hoped more would come of his friendship with Ayato.

## ──────────┤Session Ended├───────────

The participants both earned a Combat Star in Taijutsu.