Oooo! Cool stuff!
Digitigrade legs are the kind of legs dogs have. Its made of two Latin words: digitus and gradior. They mean finger and walk respectively.
Takai hummed, walking into the training ground. His one eye looked around lazily.
The clone appeared in the clearing. Not even a blur or a speck of dirt displaced.
"You're a bit late today, care to explain?" The clone said.
Takai rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I was sparring with Sasuke."
The clone nodded. "Well, at least it was something useful."
"We'll be doing something a bit different today." The clone said, pulling a katana out from behind his back.
Takai raised his one visible eyebrow. "Weapons?"
The clone grinned, dipping his head at him. "How sharp of you." He laughed at his own joke. Takai made a face like he had eaten a particularly sour lemon. The clone tossed the katana over to him. Takai caught it by the sheath. It was pretty bland as far as weapons went.
He drew the weapon and tossed the sheath aside. His Sharingan spun to life, tomoe slowly turning around his pupils. The clone bit down on his thumb, drawing blood. He soared through the boar, dog, bird, monkey, and ram hand signs. Last, he slammed his hand down on the ground. An array of seals appeared around him briefly before a puff of smoke obscured him.
Takai's lone Sharingan watched the jutsu, perplexed by it. He had never heard of applying seals without the tools required to do so. The smoke dispersed quickly. It revealed-
"Is that a monkey?" Takai stared.
The clone chuckled. A large monkey that towered over the Hokage appeared. He had white fur and hair on his head that reached all the way down his back. He wore a Konoha headband with black cloth. Interestingly, he wore clothes! He had dark green, almost brown shirt and pants on with a sheer chain mail underneath it. On top of it all was a tiger fur pattern tunic with a white fur pattern.
The monkey looked around for a moment before turning back to the clone. "Why have you summoned me here Hiruzen? I see no enemies." He glanced to the boy before the pair. "Unless he is the opponent. In which case, I'll break him."
The clone shook his head. "Nothing like that old friend, just training one of my Genin."
The monkey hummed. "Taking another student?"
The clone tilted his head. "Hm, I guess one could look at it like that."
Takai watched in amazement. "Are you going to introduce me or what?!" He questioned.
The clone nodded. "Yes, I was just getting to that part." He faced the monkey. "That is Takai." He then faced Takai. "This is Enma, my personal summon."
The monkey grunted, looking Takai up and down. "Doesn't look like much."
Takai was about to retort when Hiruzen held out his hand at Enma. "Staff form please."
The monkey obeyed without question, turning into a long black staff capped with gold on either end. Takai's eyes widened. "What?!"
"We'll just do some basic strikes for now, work on more advanced maneuvers later." The Hokage put one foot forward and shouldered the staff. His left hand was out, palm facing Takai.
Takai's Sharingan scrutinized every movement.
Before he dropped the sword.
The clone tilted his head. "Interesting strategy." There was mirth in his eyes.
Takai smirked, although, it wasn't visible through his mask.
He slowly raised his hands to his face, one to pull his mask down, the other drifting to his mouth. The clone's eyes widened as he leaped forward, hand outstretched.
"Wai-"
Takai chomped down on his thumb and sped through the hand signs. He slammed his hand down on the ground, thinking he had-
Poof
Takai awoke to a yellow-eyed, dark leaf green-skinned lizard-man hovering an inch away from his own face. Takai's eye went wide. He swung his legs up, trying to kick the lizard in the head. His opponent stood up straight, avoiding it without even looking. "Calm yourself warrior, you are safe."
The lizard's voice had a calming timber quality to it. It made Takai's bones vibrate. He didn't drop guard, but he ceased his attack.
"Where am I?" His voice was tense. He watched the lizard tilt his head up and to the side, as if he were thinking. it showed the rippling muscles beneath his scales. Now that Takai saw him, he wasn't confident he could take him in a battle. He was easily seven-and-a-half feet tall and was built like a fortress. He had thick muscles and biceps the size of Takai's head.
His face was angular with a relatively short snout. His ears were some sort of fin structure with spines the color of his skin and a thin, dark tan skin connecting them.
Starting around his throat, his skin went from dark leaf green to a dark tan. It was similar to how the colors on the underside of a gator work. It went from his throat down his arms, the insides of them being the dark tan color. It seemed to follow muscle groups. His chest and abdomen were both dark tan. Takai looked at his legs. They seemed normal enough. He was wearing dark red harem pants that were taped at the ankle.
Around his waist was a thick white cloth tied around him like a belt. He had no footwear on. Tied around his bicep was a black cloth.
He looked past the lizard-man, spotting a tail as thick as his neck resting on the floor.
The lizard-man nodded to Takai. "Stand, warrior." Takai did so, watching the lizard warily. "Tell me, what is your name?"
Takai looked around the room he was in. It appeared to be a tribal hut of some sort. There were several cots lining the hut in a circle following the wall. It was made of a number of hides.
"I am Takai Tekkan. Who are you?"
The lizard-man nodded, "I see. I am Qask Esk, Warrior of the Lizard-folk Clan. I am pleased to make your acquaintance." The lizard nodded respectfully.
Takai gave the lizard a blank look.
Qask shook his head. "I suppose you have not heard of us? That is understandable. Our last summoner died over two-hundred years ago."
Takai's eye widened. "T-two-hundred?"
Qask nodded, his tail twitching. "Indeed. We may not have the fame of the Toad, Slug, or Snake clans, but we are also quite old. We were the summoning clan to the shinobi clan Tsukiki."
Takai tilted his head. "I've never heard of that clan before. Our history is pretty hazy prior to the founding of the first five shinobi villages. I apologize."
Qask hummed in agreement. "Yes, I would imagine." The lizard looked to his left. There was a leather flap that let a small amount of light stream in through the cracks. "Our king, King Thaz, would like to meet you."
Takai appeared hesitant. "Do not worry. We would not want to hurt a potential new summoner since we have not had one for many a year."
Huh?
Qask approached the flap and held it open, gesturing for Takai to walk through.
Once Takai's eyes adjusted to the light, his jaw dropped. It was an entire village of lizard-folk. It looked remarkably like Konoha. Its what he thought it would look like forty years ago. Though, it wasn't all that big. They appeared to all be shinobi. Some had swords strapped to their backs. Some had kurasigama and other unique weapons.
He stirred back to the moment when Qask tapped his shoulder. "It is interesting, right?" He began to stride through the town. Several lizards stopped what they were doing to stare at Takai.
"My apologies. As I said earlier, it has been many a year since we had a human in our realm." Qask apologized again.
Takai waved it off. "Nonsense, I can't say my people would be better if one of yours visited my village."
The lizard nodded.
Soon, they arrived at a round building that looked sort of like an onion. It was quite large, towering over the other buildings. They entered through glass doors that were probably ten feet tall or more. A feminine lizard was sitting at a front desk to the left of the door.
"Ah, right on time Qask. The king is expecting you." The lady lizard reported. She had a very human sounding voice, almost sounding like an older Ino.
"Thank you, Chatu." The much larger male continued past the desk down the hall to a set of stairs. Each level had offices and archives. All were full of lizards working.
Four flights later and they were in front of a large pair of doors. They were wooden, inlaid with several carvings that depicted a large lizard-man sitting on a throne. On either side of the door were lizards. They were a much more modest six and a half feet tall. They each wore metal chest plates. They had metal pauldrons and plates on the upper arms, lower arms, and the legs. They held spears in their hands. Obviously, they were royal guards.
Their spears were crossed over the doors, but they moved them as Qask approached.
The doors swung inwards to reveal a room completely darkened by shadow. Takai followed Qask in. As soon as they were out of range of the doors, they swung shut. Takai distinctly heard a lock click softly.
He stared forwards.
A booming voice that filled the room spoke. "You there, human, what is your name?"
The voice was imbued with power. This being had the presence of a kage, easy. If it weren't for the fact that it wasn't aimed at Takai, he would probably shrivel up on the ground and cry softly...
...Or just die.
"I am Takai Tekkan."
The being shifted. "That name is a good one. I believe it will bring good fortune upon you."
Takai nodded. "I hope so." Sweat was building on his skin.
Silence filled the room for an entire minute, but it felt like an eternity. He would much rather take a beating from the Hokage than this.
The being shifted again. "I like your presence. I will allow you to summon my people. We will watch for now and judge you. If we find you unworthy, we will strike your name from the scroll."
Takai didn't question it, he just wanted out of that room. "Thank you, King Thaz."
The being grunted. "Leave now, I have other matters to attend to."
Takai was quick to follow that directive. The doors opened, allowing him to escape. Once they shut, he felt to his knees, shivering in a cold sweat. Qask looked down on him. "That was good for a first meeting. Our king has quite the presence. I am impressed you held up. Takai nodded shakily. His hands felt clammy. He pulled himself up and followed Qask.
Once they were out on street level and in the sunshine, he felt far better. "So, what scroll was he referring to?"
"Our clan's summoning contract." Qask answered, walking along the stone streets. "I am taking you to a good location to sign the scroll."
Takai nodded.
They pair stopped on top of a hill that overlooked the town.
It was barren for a ways away.
Qask stood next to him. He performed the hand signs for the summoning jutsu.
A moment later and there was a scroll on the ground. It was about as long as Takai was tall and as wide as his torso. It had two dark blue bars running around the top and bottom of the scroll. The space between was a lighter blue with white swirls. There was a label in the top that red "Lizard".
Takai watched Qask roll out the scroll, exposing spaces. there were four before him. It seemed that the writing style had changed drastically though as it was completely different from modern writings. It looked like a bunch of squiggles.
Qask gestured at the first available blank. "Draw blood from your thumb," Takai did so, winced as the flesh split beneath his teeth, "now, sign your name in your blood. Your full name including any middle names. Monikers are not needed." Qask said in his bassy voice.
Takai thought for a moment. While he had grown-up with the name of Tekkan, he was also biologically Uchiha.
He was silent for a long time, staring at the space.
Qask was about to speak but Takai moved. He signed his name.
"Takai Tekkan-Uchiha?" Qask questioned.
"Unique circumstances." Takai replied with a wave. Qask didn't question it.
"Now, touch each fingertip to your thumb and press the bloody prints beneath your name." Qask instructed. Takai did just that.
As soon as he did, he felt a shudder run through him. It felt like foreign chakra. He watched Qask experience the same thing. "Does this mean I can summon you and your people now?" Takai asked, the feeling dissipating.
Qask shook his head. "Yes and no. While you are allowed, you lack the chakra to summon our boss summons. You can however, summon me, anyone similar in power, or below."
Takai pursed his lips. "I suppose I should practice this then."
Qask nodded. "I would recommend it. Try summoning our different members. If you enjoy the company of one in particular, you can offer that lizard to become your personal summon."
Takai got up from the ground stretching out, eager to try out the jutsu. "Be careful Summoner, its incredibly taxing to summon a creature. Use the jutsu sparingly."
Takai nodded turning around for a moment. He then turned right around. "How am I going to get home?"
Qask appeared to smile, but it looked weird on his lizard face. "Like this."
Takai felt the lizard perform a sealless jutsu and then-
Poof
Takai face planted in the middle of the clearing he had been at when he was transported to that other realm. He coughed for a bit. At least he stayed conscious this time. Teleporting was not comfortable.
He pushed himself off the ground and started making his way back to his apartment. The stars were out. It was actually quite beautiful to see. He loved the night sky and the air. It always made him feel so free.
Unfortunately for him, Teuchi's won't be open this late.
He made it about two steps before an ANBU stopped him. This one had a raccoon mask.
"The Hokage must see you immediately."
Takai looked around. "I'm kind of hungry, can't it wait for a bit?" Takai asked, rubbing his growling stomach.
The ANBU shook his head. "Sorry, it can't wait."
Takai hung his head in defeat as the ANBU placed a hand on his shoulder and performed some sort of jutsu. Takai didn't bother looking up.
His stomach lurched for a second time and he arrived in the Hokage's office.
The old man dropped his pen and leaned forwards. Takai picked himself up quickly.
"Are you okay?" The old man asked simply.
"Yes. I arrived in some sort of strange land. It was filled with lizard-folk. One took me to their king and he allowed me to sign a summoning contract with them." Takai reported.
The Hokage gave no reaction. He was silent for awhile. "I've never heard of a summoning clan of lizard-folk."
Takai shook his head. "The one who led me around said their last summoner died over two-hundred years ago."
The Hokage nodded, rubbing his chin gently. "Alright then. I suppose the shadow clone will adjust to help prepare your chakra reserves for summoning, eh?" The Hokage mused, flashing an evil grin to Takai.
He winced at the thought of whatever cruel and twisted torture the clone came up with. Oh well, it was definitely helping him.
"Dismissed." The Hokage said.
Takai nearly cried in relief as he dashed off in search of food. He will not be stopped again!
Takai woke up inside his home. He vaguely registered the knocking on his front door. Probably Sasuke asking to spar. He stretched out like a lazy cat in the sun. It was quite soothing to finally be resting.
He heard several more knocks on his door.
"Damn it Takai you lazy bastard! Get down here now!" Naruto yelled.
Oh, it was Naruto.
Takai groaned. He should probably go see what his friend wants.
But is it worth it?
He was in the perfect spot and-
SMASH
"Uh oh..."
Takai sighed into his pillow. Naruto broke his door down.
Kami damn it all.
He slowly dragged himself up, still in his pajamas. He made his way down the stairs, arriving on the landing to the sight of Naruto laying on top of his busted down door.
Great. Takai yawned as he made his way over to his kitchen. He was up now and he was hungry.
He then felt Naruto hold him back by his shoulder. "Takai! We need to spar right now!"
Takai's shoulders sagged. He was silent for several moments. "Fine...let me eat first." He drawled out.
Naruto fist-pumped. "With my new training, I'll beat you for sure!"
Takai nodded. "That's nice Naruto, now, mind fixing my...ah...nevermind. You'll probably break the frame or something." Takai winced as he thought about the hit his wallet would take. He would have to pay a pretty ryo to get a handyman out there.
Naruto stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "See you at the training ground!"
He nodded, shuffling into his kitchen to retrieve some food. It was quite the chore in his opinion.
Naruto jumped from foot to foot, shadow-boxing the air. Admittedly, it was sort of funny. It was like he was trying to avoid ants or something. The morning light cast long shadows in the clearing. Watching the scene made him snort. Light streamed down and shined over Naruto like he was some sort of savior. Funny thought.
His best friend was a great person, no doubt. But a savior?
Ha.
Takai started stretching. "No holds barred?"
"Yeah! I'll win no matter what!"
Takai smirked. Sparring with Naruto never failed to show him something. Naruto would never stay down. Even though Takai nearly always won, Naruto was still definitely a skilled shinobi.
"Think so?" He assumed a basic stance. One foot forward, one back, body slanted to the left. His arms were in front of him, hands loose and ready for hand signs. His Sharingan spun to life.
Naruto dug a coin out of his pocket. The pair locked gazes, the coin flying into the air.
The world slowed down for Takai. Time warped and it seemed that the moment lasted so much longer. The perception the Sharingan granted was truly exceptional.
The second the coin hit the ground, Takai cast a Genjutsu on Naruto.
His eye opened wide as he cast the jutsu.
Such a handy-dandy little thing
Naruto took a step back in shock as Takai shimmered out of sight.
"Too easy!" Naruto shouted as he put his hands into a simple hand sign. "Release!"
A grin took over his face as Takai shimmered back into his sight. The pair charged each other.
Takai said nothing, no facial expressions, no banter, nothing.
Contrary to popular belief, Naruto was not stupid. Dense, yes, absolutely. But stupid? No. He was surprisingly observant.
So, he knew this wasn't right.
His eyes widened as he felt a fist sink itself into his gut. Spittle flew out of his mouth. Naruto growled, latching onto Takai's arm which he could now see. The pain of the strike threw him out of the illusion. He went to strike him in the side of the head, but Takai pushed his head away with the heel of his palm.
"Control the head, control the rest." Takai said. Naruto flailed as he lost his grip and fell on the ground. Takai took a handful of steps away and began signing. "Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field!"
The thick, sticky water spewed out towards Naruto. For his credit, he didn't panic.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He called from his grounded position. Ten clones poofed into existence, taking the jutsu for their creator. Naruto dispelled the clones and leapt through the smoke, the water falling to the ground.
Takai leaned backwards with impossible flexibility, his knees at a perfect ninety degree angle. Naruto sailed over him. Takai then leaned back further, entering a sort of back handspring, kicking into Naruto's gut once again.
He merely grunted this time as he went flying to the ground, landing with a thump.
Both Genin ended up facing each other.
"What was with that Genjutsu? You've never used any before!" Naruto asked, clearly more than a little annoyed.
Takai rolled his eye, pointing at it. "I have the single best tool for casting Genjutsu embedded in my skull, am I supposed to not use it?" He challenged.
Naruto snorted. "Sounds like to me you're taking the easy route."
Takai's one eye narrowed. "I could beat you with pure Taijutsu."
He lifted his chin. "Prove it."
Takai pursed his lips. He was fully aware of Naruto's ploy. Or maybe he was genuinely just annoying him. Oh well, might as well.
A moment later and they were locked in a heated exchange of strikes. Punches, kicks, palm strikes, elbow strikes, all of it. As soon as Takai launched a strike, Naruto would throw his own attack, keeping things at a stalemate.
Takai suddenly leaned away, taking a step back and back flipping, landing on his hands. Then, he pulled one towards his body. He spun, swinging his legs at Naruto. He jumped over Takai's swing and seemingly looked to take the ground. Naruto attempted to dive on top of him. Takai dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way of Naruto's dive attack.
He braced a hand on the ground and swung his legs upwards while pushing off the ground, throwing himself up onto his feet. Takai pulled out a kunai and jumped onto Naruto's back, holding the weapon against his throat.
"I believe I win." Takai said smugly.
Naruto grumbled as Takai got off him and he got up.
"Maybe you should go back to train with your sensei." Takai suggested.
"Yeah...yeah, I should." Naruto said dejectedly. He turned and started his walk to wherever he was going. "I'll just beat you next time." He threw over his shoulder.
Takai nodded. "I look forward to it. I believe in you, Naruto." He said. He looked back, perking up instantly. "Thanks Takai! I'll remember that!" Takai watched his friend leave.
"Good times..."
He popped his neck. "Showtime." He lowered his mask. He bit his thumb and went through with the jutsu. He immediately felt the drain of the jutsu. He slammed his hand down on the ground and out of the smoke emerged a familiar lizard.
"Summoner, greetings." Qask said.
Takai straightened and looked the lizard over. "I've read about summoning clans a bit. You usually have jutsu unique to your biology, correct?"
Qask answered quickly. "Yes. All summoning clans do. In the case of my clan, we have a wide range of applications. The term "lizard" includes many species. The more humanoid of my brethren have many variations such as digitigrade legs."
Takai blinked. It seems these guys have a huge range of use. Hm...
It took about two-thirds of his chakra to summon Qask. He wondered how strong he was.
"Spar? We should get a feel for each other's abilities." Takai asked, sliding into the opening stance of Lightning Fist and activating his Sharingan. Qask was silent for a moment. "Yes, that is a good idea." He fell into his own stance. He was quite low, with his left leg being forwards and almost being parallel with the ground while his right was extended back and to the right a bit. His right arm was out, hand loose and pointing down. His left was point up, ring and little fingers curled while the others were pointing straight up and together.
His yellow slit eyes were not locked onto his own, but staring at his feet. It seems the clan has encountered users of the Sharingan before.
Takai slowly slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "Go when the coin hits the ground, yeah?"
Qask merely nodded, his reptilian eyes looking at the coin intently.
Takai flicked the coin up. The sunlight bounced off of it, flashing him every time it spun. He was itching to start this fight.
The coin was an inch from the ground...half an inch...a quarter...it hit the ground!
Takai dashed forwards, determined to get the first hit. Qask did not move from his starting position. Takai launched forwards as soon as he was in range, arm extended and aimed towards Qask's midsection.
The lizard suddenly blurred and an elbow impacted his back between his shoulder blades. He coughed out spittle as he hit the ground hard, throwing up a small puff of dust.
Takai pulled himself up and backtracked rapidly. Qask didn't move.
"That didn't feel very good." Takai remarked, rotating his shoulders, eye on his opponent.
The lizard's eyes appeared to gain a bit of mirth and the corners of his mouth quirked up ever so slightly. "I would think not, Summoner."
Takai looked over his summon. That hit was way more than anything he could output. The lizard was definitely much stronger than him. Since he didn't even see him move, probably a minimum of Jonin level speeds. Maybe he could get one over on him by using a jutsu...
Takai's hands moved quick. His eye shot open as Qask went through the same hand signs, only much much faster.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu." and "WATER RELEASE: WATER BULLET JUTSU."
Takai expelled a large orb of water quite a bit bigger than him, but it was completely dwarfed by Qask's which was easily three or four times bigger than his!
Rather than destroying each other, the bigger jutsu absorbed the smaller one and kept moving!
Takai went through familiar hand signs and suddenly with a puff of smoke, a log was in his place.
Damn, he was going to have to write an apology letter later.
Takai watched from the treeline as the attack shot off into the woods, tearing up trees until it went out of sight. He heard a rumble a moment later as the jutsu destabilized and blew up.
It seems he would have to-
He felt someone behind him. Takai turned his head so fast he heard the pop, but it was for naught. Qask was already performing hand signs. "Water Prison Jutsu." Qask said. Qask's mouth contorted and a jet of water came shooting out, drenching Takai and rapidly enveloping him in water. He tried to move but found it nearly impossible. Qask's scaly, clawed hand was at just the edge of the jutsu. Not that it mattered, he couldn't reach his hand to do anything to break his hold over the jutsu.
He performed his Water Breathing Jutsu and looked into the lizard's eyes defiantly, but Qask did not meet his. Smart. He was planning on using a Genjutsu on him. What else could he do? Maybe he could-
His eye widened as far as it could go as Qask performed a series of one-handed hand signs. "Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder."
Oh shit.
The jutsu raced through the water orb like a break does in glass. Takai rapidly experienced paralysis and numbness. That damn jutsu completely disabled him! What a killer combination.
"Oh? Was that not enough? Good on you, Summoner, but how about I try again?" Qask mused.
Takai would have tapped out, but he was incapable of moving.
"Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder."
This time, his body jerked a little as he slowly slid into unconsciousness. At least he managed to copy the lizard's jutsus.
Takai awoke to the feeling of a scaly hand slapping his face. His eyes opened to the midday sun blazing above him and the blindingly bright blue sky. His eye drifted to Qask's. They disclosed none of the lizard's feelings.
"Are you okay, Summoner?"
Takai nodded gingerly. His body felt raw. Of course, he had just been electrocuted.
What a pain.
Literally.
He slowly sat up with some minor assistance from his summon. "What time is it?" He said blearily, eye still adjusting to the light.
"About noon." The Hokage answered.
"Ah, thanks. Wait, what?" Takai's eye flashed to the Hokage.
His eye narrowed, squinting at the man. "Are you the real one or the clone?" He asked.
The clone spread his hands. "You got me, Takai. Unfortunately, I can't leave my office for long."
Takai nodded. He then looked at his arm, then the clone. He lifted his arm weakly. "Mind healing me?"
The clone shook his head. "While I do know the Mystic Palm Jutsu, the more delicate the damage, the more delicate the control. I do have excellent chakra control, isn't quite fine enough to heal something like that."
Takai pursed his lips. "It'll probably be fine." He said, picking himself up carefully.
He looked at the clone once more. He gestured towards Qask who stood stoically behind him and to the side. "My pleasure, friend of the Summoner of the Lizard-folk Clan."
The Hokage bowed his head in respect. "The pleasure is mine." He looked back to Takai. "You should get to know your summon better. I'll give you this day to learn how to work with him. I'll be back tomorrow to check on your progress."
Takai said nothing as the clone dispelled itself.
He looked back to Qask who still looked as cool as ever.
"So, like the weather?" Takai began weakly.
Qask tilted his head in consideration. "Yes actually. It is a nice climate. Not quite like home, but not far off either. Very moist air."
He was surprised that worked.
"What's the weather like back in your home usually?"
"Very wet. Normally, it pours rain from the heavens. It feels nice on the scales." Qask explained.
That did sound nice. Takai loved the sound the rain made.
"What kind of education do your warriors receive?"
"Honestly? The education for shinobi is lackluster. The school alone cannot prepare children to fight. Three jutsu and only their most basic of applications at that."
Qask hummed. "Why is it not more difficult?"
Takai shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea. I'm not the one who made the rules."
The lizard gave no reaction. "The man who was here, he seemed very powerful. Who is he? The ruler of your village?"
A sharp lizard. "Yes. That is the Hokage. He rules over this village, Konohagakure, as a military dictator. It is the same for all hidden villages."
Qask looked around briefly. "Hidden in the leaves. How appropriate." He remarked.
"Was that a joke?" Takai questioned. Qask didn't seem the time to joke.
No reply besides a small twitch in the eye.
He made a joke!
It wasn't bad either.
"Anyway, yes. He is the strongest one in the village. By a wide margin as far as I know." Takai informed.
"Is the village's symbol on your headband?"
Takai tilted his head. "Yes, it is. Why do you ask?"
"It is tradition for my clan to adopt the symbol of our summoner to signify our allegiance." Qask said. "I will need a number of those headbands to give to my clan. For now though, only I will need one."
Takai reached back and untied his headband, handing it to Qask. "It's fine, I can get a new one."
Qask stared at his missing eye. "Where did you get that scar, warrior?" He questioned.
Takai made a face, but only the top half was visible. "When the Kyuubi attacked our village. It killed my parents and wounded me."
His summon bowed his head respectfully. "It is highly honorable to carry scars." Takai merely nodded.
He watched Qask untie the cloth around his arm and tied the forehead protector around his massive bicep, making sure the metal plate faced outwards. He then tied the cloth around his other arm.
The pair were silent for awhile. Only the sound of birds chirping and the wind rustling the leaves broke the lack of conversation.
"Would you like me to help you with your jutsu? It should be easy given your Sharingan." Qask asked.
Takai responded quickly. "Absolutely! That reminds me, how did you know to not look into my eyes?"
"The Tsukiki Clan were mortal enemies of the Uchiha. All the summoners before you were of that clan. The teachings eventually became the norm even though we no longer face the Sharingan in battle." Qask explained.
Takai was silent for a moment. "Does that mean you hate the Uchiha?"
"Why would we? It was not hate, but a sense of duty that drew us to battle with that clan. If an Uchiha had had strong affinity for our clan, we would have fought the Tsukiki, the Senju, and other famous enemies of the Uchiha."
Silence swept across the clearing. The two humanoids were working on just being comfortable in the other's presence. Slowly but surely, grey clouds lazily traveled overhead, settling over Konoha.
It was actually quite beautiful. Takai always loved the rain.
"It appears it will rain soon." Qask observed.
He received a grunt of acknowledgement.
Eventually, drops of rain began to fall from the clouds overhead. They stretched far to the horizon.
Takai reviewed his spar with his summon. He had been electrocuted...he remembered that quite clearly. But how did he do it? He had one hand in the jutsu, seemingly to maintain it, but...
"How did you perform hand signs with one hand?" Takai asked suddenly, disturbing the peace the pair found themselves in. The larger male was a bit startled by the quick outburst. He recovered quickly.
"Practice. It is all in how you control your twitches." Qask answered, reptilian eyes fixated on Takai's one.
"Twitches?" Takai asked, holding up his hand and watching it carefully.
"Yes. Every living creature has small movements constantly. It is nearly impossible to completely get rid of them, but you can control them. This leads to the next part: the signs themselves." Qask took a deep breath. "Every sign is carefully designed to create a reaction in your chakra and how it flows. To stimulate it. When the small movements you have as an animal take place in the hands, they affect the effect your signs have on your chakra."
Takai nodded quickly. It actually made quite a bit of sense. He hummed in thought. "How do I do that?"
"Meditation."
Huh?
Meditation?
"How so?"
The reptile's eyes twitched. "In the process of meditation, your active and passive movements completely stop. However, reaching the state in which they do and keeping it is difficult. It takes a long time to reach." Qask then seemingly smiled. "Or, you could be born with the ability."
Takai pursed his lips. "How does that work?"
"Some people simply do not have shaky hands. It has to do with the nervous system and its processes. It is more common in certain parts of the continent."
Takai hung his head. "I'm guessing I was not so lucky to have this trait?"
Qask laughed. It was an odd sound. Very raspy and he could hear the air traveling over his vocal cords. "No, unfortunately not, Summoner."
"I'm guessing I'll have to master meditating to use one-handed signs?"
"Indeed."
"How rare is it to be born with the ability?"
Qask hummed. "Very. In my lifespan I have only know three two have the ability."
Takai lifted his eyebrow. "Who?"
Qask gained a shit-eating grin. "Me, self, and I."
Takai sighed so deeply it looked like he had deflated like a balloon. Qask merely smiled at his suffering.
"That's on par with my sensei."
"That is wonderful."
Takai cringed.
"Well, I suppose we should work on my jutsu. We have been talking here for awhile."
"Yes, I concur."
The lizard-man suddenly flew through hand signs, spitting out a stream of water and creating a floating orb in front of him. His left hand was submerged in the jutsu. It was perfectly spherical and had no ripples. "It is the first step of my favorite combination." His right his right hand flew through five hand signs and lightning arced through the water from his left. It was beautiful. Not even a single spark flew from the orb.
"It seems very potent."
"Indeed. I have slain more than a few enemies with this combination." He said casually.
"Then it means it works quite well." Takai thought about his opponents. Really, the only two he worried about were Gaara and Lee. Both had a form of overwhelming power. Gaara had his sand, but Takai had a few ideas for that. One, he could throw water jutsu after water jutsu at it until it becomes too difficult to control, but that's not likely to work. Two, he could create a large storage seal on a huge scroll, throw it on the ground, bait the sand over it, and seal it. Since it would have to be connected by chakra, he might be able to seal every grain connected by his chakra. Of course, the difficult part would be not getting crushed.
Lee on the other hand...
Takai's only hope was his Sharingan's illusions. Lee was more than capable of simply blitzing through any other jutsu he put up. He would likely get knocked out within the first moments of the match if he couldn't get a hold on his mind. If he threw enough Genjutsu at him, he may be able to force a surrender out of him. He could also try to trick him. From the limited interactions he had with him, he wasn't all that clever. Stupid? No. Gullible? Yes. He may be able to convince him to use a handicap of some sort.
"I already copied the jutsu, I just need to practice it. I have both actually. But the combo is useless to me until I can perform one-handed seals."
"Quite."
This took a while. Its not that I was struggling to find time, I just had to write something that made me happy. This is also a bit longer than usual...and by a bit I mean an entire one thousand words more.
Thoughts on the original summoning clan? I thought it would be lame to go with the regular old toads and snakes and slugs. The lizard-folk will receive an arc (eventually) dedicated to their history, an expansion on characters, and the abilities that make them unique from other summoning clans, so watch out!
See you ladies and gentlemen next time!
I made a discord server! Join to bully me when I don't update for months at a time: T9sPwzGbMp