The Fundamentals of a Shinobi [Open|T]

[try4]

SPOILER: Click to show

-- to follow my linear timeline/plot/thread, this is to have occurred after ^{[Shinku Keimusho]}Amekage Tower, and before Amegakure Village Gates ^{[The Grasscutter]}.

As I turned to leave the tower of the Amekage, a rushing group of shadows soon surrounded me. I was well prepared to defend myself as I readied hand seals, yet the quick hand of a member of the masked unit rose to stop my movements. From behind the draconic mask came a stern feminine voice:

"You have been called to the training facility to test your skills. Come with us." There would be no time for me to riposte with a response, as all five of the dragon masked members moved as one via Shunshin towards the rooftops. I grit my teeth before I followed suit with my own body flicker. We moved quickly through the upper expanse of the Hidden Rain Village towards an area which I soon realized had been the Ame Academy. Rain fell copiously as my clothing became drenched, but I was offered a respite from the torrential downpour as I stepped inside the building. Immediately, heads turned in our direction. Smaller children had been practicing in the art of shinobi-iri; murmurs could be barely heard over the constant crashing of rain on the metallic rooftop as the black cloaked personnel escorted me to the back of the facility. The place had a massive tree erected in the center, wherein children climbed its face utilizing Kinobori no Waza. There had been pools located in the place, too, where I saw people walking across the water's surface with chakra emanating from their feet.

The lead Dragon member turned to me. "Wait here. The Amekage has sent word that you have to train here to further test your skills as an Amenin..." Had the mask not been present, I bet the kunoichi had been squinting at me. "She will have someone meet you here momentarily." In another flash, the five members disappeared from whence they came.

[-Angel of Ame-]

NPC: Ringo, Shiru

Coming out onto the grounds from the academy was a woman in her early fifties. She walked with rigidity, her head held high. It was obvious by the way she walked that she was from a prestigious family. Wearing her greying hair in a pixie cut, her body was hidden behind an elegant robe, large metallic jewellery covering her chest as it hung from her neck. "My name is Shiru of the Ringo clan. I am a member of the Amegakure council. I am in charge of the academy." She revealed to the young man. "The Amekage has instructed me to teach you the basics, or what we like to call Academy techniques." Shiru explained calmly. It was clear to anyone who saw the woman that she was a stern and very serious woman. Around the academy she was known as Medusa, for her gaze froze you in an instant.

[try4]

SPOILER: Click to show

Fearless
Rank: "D"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User has a strong grip on their nerves and are very difficult to terrify.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Whether it is through experience or sheer stubbornness, user shrugs off fear and continue on their way, unaffected by even the most fearsome beasts. User gain a +3 competence bonus to all saves versus Fear effects.
Limit: Must learn from Universal Miscellaneous. Must know Iron Will.

0000 // 0010

I turned to meet the cold gaze of an elder woman upon hearing her voice. This woman, Shiru, had been covered in fine jewels. I could've killed her right then and there and turned those precious jades in for a nice sized pouch of ryo had I not been tied to this village, or sought out aid to further advance my skills as a true shinobi. She would notice that my abysmal eyes had yet to escape the leer of her own--perhaps this would stun the woman had she been accustomed to instilling doubt or fear into the younger shinobi of Amegakure. I, on the other hand, had been conditioned against such tactics by my Master Wazaru. He had been the only person with dominion over my emotional status.

"Right.." I muttered, moving my hand out towards her slightly, as to acknowledge her presence in a physical manner. "I'm Mikutashi.. what is it that Mitsukai wishes for me to learn here?" The other students around had been sure to steer clear of the slate gray haired elder as we exchanged names. Even though she seemed to possess an air of superiority, that did not cause me to falter in disposition. I would address this woman in the same manner that I had with Mitsukai---as someone who hadn't had authority over me. This fearless attitude I possessed had been an incredibly steeled ethos which I had adopted years prior while in Shimo no Kuni...

While hunting alone in the tundra of the Land of Frost, Mikutashi had found himself pit against a massive Dire Gorger. This golden furred beast had been prowling around the white expanse for some time now as he finally managed to track it back to its den; the nearly ten foot tall creature lived in a dank cavern which reeked of blood and feces. Steeling his ethos, Miku entered into the malodorous dungeon with tanto in hand and rushed head-first at the mammal. The size of the creature had no effect on his emotions nor did its terrible howl. What he did fear, however, had been the "Dragon" Wazaru, who did not take a strong liking to his prized pupils failing a mission.

A skirmish soon ensued between man and beast: Mikutashi worked his way around the sweeping claws of the Gorger and slashed at it in riposte with his short sword, causing the beast to scream out in fury and pain; with alacritous movements, the Non-Ninja had been able to duck and roll under the heavy blows of the looming badger all the while keeping his cool in such an intense situation; after a series of dodges and well-timed counters, the golden Gorger's fur had been soaked in warm and hot blood. Finding its last breath to the crippling blow of the teenager, it succumbed to fatigue and injuries before his feet within its own abode. Who else but a disciple of Shukun Wazaru to topple an extremely rabid beast with no notion of fear to hinder his movements?...

Out of the corner of my eye, something broke my train of thought. Did I just see a boy displace himself with another student to avoid being hit by an attacker? "What technique was that?" I asked Shiru, sure that she had seen the Replacement technique.

[Draven]

+10 learned

[-Angel of Ame-]

NPC: Ringo, Shiru

"You will address me as Lady Shiru, or Shiru-sama, or Ringo-sama when speaking to me." The grey haired woman demanded slowly as she turned around to catch the Body Switch technique. It was one of the most simple technique available to any individual whom had graduated the academy. "Yes, the Kawarimi no Jutsu is a simple one. A mixture of both a natural progression of the Shunshin as you must move incredibly quickly." She explained casually as she vanished into thin air. In her place was a large piece of wood that she had been laying around the school grounds. Several of them had been placed to practice this specific technique. As she switched with the piece of wood once more to appear before Mikutashi she handed him a scroll that contained the basics of the technique, all with diagrams at that.

Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Switch Skill)
Rank: "E"
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: The Replacement technique. A technique where one quickly replaces their body with an animal or an object by making it seem like they were attacked, this usually distracts and confuses an enemy and create a chance to attack.
Special: ---
Drawback: A user may only switch with an object of similar size from the nearby area. A user must perform the jutsu ahead of time, and not within the same round they are attacking in. The Background must be explained correctly in order to perform. The user may not switch with an object on them, only something around them. The technique only works within a distance of five meters from the user. Objects changed may only be of at the most two feet in different fo size. A user may not perform this technique, and perform other techniques after because it gives out the position of the user. This technique does not work on area effect techniques that exceed the user's capabilities of performing Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Switch Skill)
Description: The Kawarimi no Jutsu, allows a ninja to dodge attacks, whether they are weapons such as kunai, ninjutsu, taijutsu, or any other attack type. Coupled with other jutsu, it can be very effective in confusing your opponent, and catching them off-guard. The only downside, is it often takes a strategic mind to effectively utilize it, not that it can't be useful in the hands of an inexperienced ninja.
Limit: An academy Jutsu that all is capable of performing if they wish to do so.

[try4]

SPOILER: Click to show

Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Switch Skill)
Rank: "E"
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: The Replacement technique. A technique where one quickly replaces their body with an animal or an object by making it seem like they were attacked, this usually distracts and confuses an enemy and create a chance to attack.
Special: ---
Drawback: A user may only switch with an object of similar size from the nearby area. A user must perform the jutsu ahead of time, and not within the same round they are attacking in. The Background must be explained correctly in order to perform. The user may not switch with an object on them, only something around them. The technique only works within a distance of five meters from the user. Objects changed may only be of at the most two feet in different fo size. A user may not perform this technique, and perform other techniques after because it gives out the position of the user. This technique does not work on area effect techniques that exceed the user's capabilities of performing Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Switch Skill)
Description: The Kawarimi no Jutsu, allows a ninja to dodge attacks, whether they are weapons such as kunai, ninjutsu, taijutsu, or any other attack type. Coupled with other jutsu, it can be very effective in confusing your opponent, and catching them off-guard. The only downside, is it often takes a strategic mind to effectively utilize it, not that it can't be useful in the hands of an inexperienced ninja.
Limit: An academy Jutsu that all is capable of performing if they wish to do so.

0000 // 0005

I could see why already why most students opted to stay away from this woman. Her head had been far too full of pompous air, despite her occupation within the academy. When she told me in which way to address her, I chose then to not even make note of her presence unless absolutely necessary. She would see just how cold I could turn towards those who thought they'd been superior to me. Having just witnessed the Replacement technique first from my peripheral and now by the woman, who had even given me a brief overview of the technique, I knew that this would be one of the easiest things I could have learned in Ame. There had been three kids eyeing me venomously since I had arrived within the academy; to their surprise, I turned towards them and beckoned them forth with my hand.

"Come at me." For a second, they hesitated. They had never seen me inside of Amegakure no Sato yet it would take them only seconds to realize the advantage they thought they had over me: three versus one. Two snickered while the other popped his knuckles. "Okay, man.. you asked for it!" These children had no idea what they had been up against. In unison, they lunged towards me, attacking from fore-left, the front and fore-right like they had already been accustomed to working as a team. I remained stationary, reading through their movements before they even followed through with them; my time spent fighting against Akuryo and the numerous elemental bunshin of Wazaru had fine tuned my awareness of taijutsu to a level that I was certain that these three could not surpass. Shiru had moved to the side and would watch along with a small group of students who clambered around to witness the skirmish.

The one directly in front of me was the first to reach my location. He moved quickly, yet had been too predictable as to not avoid. Using my understanding of the Shunshin, I pushed chakra through my core down into my legs in a reflexive movement; from there, I would move out of sight momentarily as I went to retrieve his comrade from his left, and immediately replaced myself with him to carry out my first attempt at a Kawarimi. The results had caused an uproar. As I stood to the side of the fight, opposite of Shiru and the gaggle of children near her, the middle child found his fist flying into one of his own friends in lieu of me. My eyes leered for a second as the punch connected with the boy's abdomen, which caused him to buckle at the knees and fall over, clenching himself in pain.

"T-Toyozo! I'm sorry!" tears ran down the attacker's face, which would trickle down onto his opponent as raindrops did upon the rooftops. The kid who had been to the left of the trio looked on in amazement that I had actually used his friend as a means to carry out the completion of the Kawarimi. He didn't look like he wanted anything else to do with this and slowly, he began to stagger backwards towards Shiru and the group.

"I'm over here.." I said in a dry vociferation. The boy who knelt over Toyozo snapped his head towards me and spat out curses before he brazenly rushed me again. These academy children had been conditioned in a way that was totally foreign to me. When I was their age, I was pit against the wilds of the world and the brutality of my Master. Here, these children simply played and progressed in a form of school that hadn't taught them anything about removing emotion from combat. I allowed the child to swing a few blows my way, yet nimbly I moved to avoid each one of them. I had been toying with this kid; he didn't even know it, but soon, this bout was about to come to an abrupt close. As I remembered the wooden plank that Shiru used to displace herself, I would counter precisely at the time the boy threw an uppercut at me. In a poof of smoke, I had vanished and been replaced with a piece of wood. Not seeing through my deception, he appeared at first confused by my sudden movement before I chopped him in the back of the neck. Whiting out, his eyes rolled to the back of his head before he fell down towards the ground. Now, it seemed that the children clung to Shiru and cowered from me.

"Enough of this--I'm ready for my next lesson." See? I addressed the haggard old woman without even mentioning her name.

[Nira]

Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness. -James Thurber

+5, Learned.

[-Angel of Ame-]

NPC: Ringo, Shiru

Shiru remained completely emotionally detached from what was going on between Mikutashi and the other individual students that had been challenged. Their skirmish had been quickly lived. Uncrossing her arms when he was done she did not nod, she did not give him any sign of approval. His insolence was duly noted. "Your lack of respect is insulting. If you wish I shall retreat myself and leave you be." Shiru demanded. She demanded respect from all her students. She could not believe Mitsukai was planning to have this young man possibly become her disciple. He did not know how to properly address those of higher ranks.

With one quick movement she reached into her pocket and from it released a single exploding tag. She threw it into the wind. Considering it was a small square of paper, it slowly made its way through the air, guided by the gentle breeze. As it got to knee length, Shiru would hold a single seal, forcing it to explode. The explosion would arrive incredibly close to the Genin.

"Refer to me as instructed or I shall simply leave." She said with second tag between her fingers. If he would accept and follow her simple demand, she would hand him the exploding tag. If he would refuse she would begin turning around and walking away.

If he did refer to her in the way she had asked, she would begin explaining how the exploding tag worked.

Jibaku Fuda: Kassei, 自爆札・活 (Exploding Tag: Activate)
Rank: "E" Rank
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: A technique used to detonate Exploding Tags and items that resemble the tag.
Special: "One Hand Seal - Ram"
Drawback: User may perform this technique once per tag unless user utilizes more chakra. For every tag the user wishes to detonate the user must hold onto the ram handseal for an extra handseal movement. If user wishes to detonate 30 tags the user must hold onto the seal for 30 handseal movements.
Description: Utilizing chakra, the user is able to activate the explosion mechanism of a distant explosive tags. User focuses the chakra to a nearby tag and detonates it. User must put a piece of chakra into their tag first before detonating. User is unable to detonate tags that is not theirs.
Limit: An academy Jutsu that all is capable of performing if they wish to do so.

OOC: You can control Shiru for your post depending on what you decide to do, be polite or not.

[try4]

SPOILER: Click to show

Jibaku Fuda: Kassei, 自爆札・活 (Exploding Tag: Activate)
Rank: "E" Rank
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: A technique used to detonate Exploding Tags and items that resemble the tag. Special: "One Hand Seal - Ram"
Drawback: User may perform this technique once per tag unless user utilizes more chakra. For every tag the user wishes to detonate the user must hold onto the ram handseal for an extra handseal movement. If user wishes to detonate 30 tags the user must hold onto the seal for 30 handseal movements.
Description: Utilizing chakra, the user is able to activate the explosion mechanism of a distant explosive tags. User focuses the chakra to a nearby tag and detonates it. User must put a piece of chakra into their tag first before detonating. User is unable to detonate tags that is not theirs.
Limit: An academy Jutsu that all is capable of performing if they wish to do so.

0000 // 0005

Standing near the elder, I witnessed as she pulled the exploding tag from her blouse. Shiru had appeared anger by my final words, which had then prompted her to pull a stunt so bold that I had no choice but to Ken'in away from the woman. An explosion soon settled across the academy which brought the total attention of every student to our proximity. It appeared that she had used a ninjutsu to cause the tag to suddenly explode and I was interested in learning it instead of bluffing like I knew it, as I had before with the mayor in Toshi... 

For me to continue this training regimen and further prove myself to Mitsukai and those of her company, I supposed I could comply with the wishes of this overly arrogant woman. "Hai, Shiru.. sama." Still, the code of  dismantling order resided deep within my bones. She looked at me in an annoyed manner, but accepted my offer to continue training as she had wished. I walked towards her and retrieved the tag from her as she then began to explain the Kassei to me.

"The Fuda: Kassei allows you to quickly active a tag of any variation before the six second window, which would be vital to any ninja in a difficult situation. It's simple. Put a bit of chakra onto the tag before releasing it, then cause it to explode by expanded the chakra pressure." The previous demonstration had been enough of an example for me to understand her words. 

Once the uproar settled, everyone returned to their group or individual training while I moved to a secluded area to test this technique. Judging by how advanced I already had been as a shinobi, I knew this technique would fall under my understanding quickly. I held the tag given to me and allowed chakra to course into the square piece of paper as it resonated with my spirit. I could tell by how the kanji present on the exploding tag glowed that my chakra had reached the medium. With a cool flick of the wrist, I sent the weapon flying upward in the sky, as I would have done with a shuriken while using Nagewaza. As the paper weapon sailed through the air above, I pressed myself to cause the seal to explode. My hands had formed the Hitsuji seal to aid in my endeavor as I felt the surge of energy resonate with what amount of chakra I had placed upon the tag. Within seconds, the resulting explosion filled the sky with a combustible plume of black smoke and flame. I had of course succeeded in using the  Jibaku Fuda: Kassei. Obviously my prowess did not appeal to Lady Shiru as she continued to look at me in a similar way as she had done before.

[Tieren]

Learned

[-Angel of Ame-]

NPC: Ringo, Shiru

The councilwoman remained silent as Mikutashi resumed his training, he quickly seemed to master the exploding tag activation technique, as was expected. It was one of the most basic things to learn. Shinobi tended to learn that incredibly early in their academic training. "Come along." Shiru told the young shinobi as she walked toward a pond that rested at the heart of the academy's school grounds. The rain was only a light drizzle by the time they made it to the pond. Shiru had slid her hood above her short grey hair. Taking a step into the water she did not sink into it, instead she walked on the surface as if it was solid. "By pushing chakra to your feet and create a thin layer of it at your soles, you are able to walk upon water itself." Shiru explained slightly.

"Practise using your chakra, sending it to your feet and test it upon the still water." Shiru explained.

Suimen Hokou no Waza - Act of Water Surface Walking
Rank: "B"
Skill: NinJutsu/Supplementary
Effect: Allows a Non-Ninja the ability to perform even more Advanced chakra techniques.
Special: ---
Drawback: Non Ninjas must learn in order to learn Advanced chakra techniques. Ninjas gain this technique for free in the beginning however does not add into Character Class like other starting techniques. Does not work on Animal Companions.
Description: A variation on the Kinobori no Waza (Act of Tree Climbing), the art of water surface walking allows a ninja to walk on water as if it was a solid surface. Focusing an even amount of chakra out of the soles of their feet, they can balance themselves on the very surface of the water. Allows a user to learn up to Any Rank Chakra related Techniques within the rightful restrictions.
Limit: Universal NinJutsu Technique.

[try4]

SPOILER: Click to show

Suimen Hokou no Waza - Act of Water Surface Walking
Rank: "B"
Skill: NinJutsu/Supplementary
Effect: Allows a Non-Ninja the ability to perform even more Advanced chakra techniques.
Special: ---
Drawback: Non Ninjas must learn in order to learn Advanced chakra techniques. Ninjas gain this technique for free in the beginning however does not add into Character Class like other starting techniques. Does not work on Animal Companions.
Description: A variation on the Kinobori no Waza (Act of Tree Climbing), the art of water surface walking allows a ninja to walk on water as if it was a solid surface. Focusing an even amount of chakra out of the soles of their feet, they can balance themselves on the very surface of the water. Allows a user to learn up to Any Rank Chakra related Techniques within the rightful restrictions.
Limit: Universal NinJutsu Technique.

0000 // 0070

After moving to another enclosure, Lady Shiru had prompted me to follow her out onto the water's surface. I had seen this technique performed before, yet I still knew not of its true mechanics. I guessed that this had been similar to the Kinobori no Waza, as both required one to place their chakra to their feet before attempting an un-human feat. As she explained to me the technique, I noticed what she herself had achieved: having knowledge of chakra control had aided me in understanding that she produced a steady and constant flow of chakra to her feet in a rather small portion. I assumed that using her spiritual energy as a sort of transitional medium enabled her to walk across the pool, just as it had allowed me to be able to will the water's waves in the art of Suiton. My eyes squinted as I looked at her feet nimbly moving across the surface of the placid liquid. The chakra present in her soles allowed her to calmly strut above the water, just as it had enabled me to climb trees without my hands.

The only difference between the Kinobori and Suimen Hokou no Waza was that one had been used on a still and fixed medium while the other required the performer to be able to constantly adjust to the movement of the water. From just standing there and seeing Shiru move across the water, I had already gathered enough information to attempt the technique, yet I wanted to be certain that my theory had been correct. For a while, I stood with my hands held into the Ram seal, drawing spiritual energy from my epicenter into the reaches of my feet as I would with a body flicker. I allowed the chakra to course through my thighs down into my calves and underneath my feet as I would during a Tree Climbing exercise so that I got the right feel for what I was trying to accomplish. It didn't take long before I had summoned enough chakra to my soles and stabilized it to a point where I felt comfortable enough to attempt to stride across the water. I was no fool and I was not going to allow myself to appear as one. Placing my left foot forward, I gradually eased my sole down onto the surface of the water. 

Initially, I did so lightly as to test the adamancy of my chakra. It seemed that throughout my stay in the village, my chakra levels had reached another tier entirely as my left leg soon began to move in tempo with the slow and calm waves of the water. This felt like I had been walking on air--my affinity with Futon had taught me how to use wind in my favor, so I used the same fundamentals in my attempt at water walking. Now, I pressed my foot down with more force against the surface, causing my gathered chakra to at first fluctuate from the pressure I added but then soon it returned to its benign state while my foot remained above water. The tabi boots I had on hadn't yet become wet from the liquid as I now placed both of my feet on top of the pool's edge. I was now half a meter away from the shoreline and had not fallen into the depths of the water. My mind was calm, which allowed me to continuously allow my chakra to course through my body. Lord Wazaru had taught me years before that one must be of sound mind to manipulate his spirit properly; in this case, I had followed my master's doctrine to perfection. 

[try4]

???? // 0070

Looking up from my reflection that had been cast by the pool, I saw Shiru staring at me. The woman smiled faintly, but enough for me to notice the haggard wrinkles on her face. She had now moved even further away from the shoreline and was about fifteen meters away from where I stood.

"Get over here," she commanded. I already did not like this woman, so the thought of having her boss me around made my blood boil momentarily----momentarily, for as soon as I began to become angry, I began to lose focus of the objective that lay before me. In doing so, my body became un-synced with my spirit, causing me to lose my balance briefly as ripples formed around me. I had to be more careful as to control my emotions during the training exercise. Had I lost all control, or even a bit more than I just had, I would end up flailing in the water like some idiot and I could not have that to happen. I steeled my mind as I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth; I closed my eyes and envisioned Akuryo standing before me, pointing and laughing at me whenever I had failed at gaining an understanding of a technique during our stay with our Dragon Master. This alone would be enough to draw in the reigns of my mind and focus on the objective. 

Keeping chakra pooling at the bottom of my feet had not been difficult at all: it was the same as with Kinobori no Waza through and through. With each step I took away from the shoreline, I felt more confident that I would master this technique. I looked around and saw children half my age performing this and I was certain that I had more experience performing actual techniques than they. My eyes returned to meet Shiru's own light jade ones as I now stood directly before her. 

"Now, Mikutashi." she said in a calm manner, circling me as she continued to talk. "I would like to see you run across the water. This technique will come in handy much more to you if you actually used it for this purpose." I nearly flinched. However, she reiterated her words to me. ".. If you can master this simple academy technique, then there will be no jutsu that you cannot learn." This piece of information intrigued me. So there had been a reason why ninja trained this technique other than just walking across the water. I pressed myself to gather another, much finer layer of chakra around my soles before I would run back towards the shore. Chakra began to form around my feet before I sprinted forward, quickly moving back to my original position on land as the water around me kicked up in a fashion similar to dust. Whether it be because I moved quickly or because my chakra control had been increased, I managed to remain above the water while moving at high speeds. I even managed to jump and slide across the water's surface while I returned back towards Shiru. She seemed impressed that I had proven to be more willing to listen to her now that I knew that another level of jutsu could be under my arsenal.

[-Angel of Ame-]

NPC: Ringo, Shiru

Shiru had to admit that she was starting to see how impressive the young Mikutashi was. He could be likened to a prodigy, but she still needed to see more of his power levels, of his chakra control and of his own way of the shinobi. Crossing her fingers together and putting her hands along her lower stomach she surveyed him for a while longer. "Alright, now jump into the air and land back on your feet." Shiru ordered the young man. "Try it a few times to get a good feel of it, you may lose control a few times which should be normal." She explained casually.

[try4]

???? // 0070

"..Jump?" I repeated slowly, unsure that I hadn't heard the woman properly; though she nodded. By now, my chakra had been rotating at a rational level wherein I was able to control the rotation to continue my spiritual gait above water. This finer level of chakra control allowed me to actually get a feel for all of the energy I held in me--it had been some time since I had felt strained to perform any task. Shiru had ordered me to jump. Simple. I bound energy into my legs and released it upward as I removed myself from the surface of the water. I bound some meter into the air before I returned to my original position, pushing currents out away from my proximity in the circumference.  With how uneasy the water felt once I returned to the surface, I had to find a proper stance to balance in lest I fall underneath the liquid surface.

The action of jumping had caused me to become more analytic of my own movements. I had to be certain that I maintained a decent level of chakra pressure around my soles as I leapt upward; it wasn't necessarily difficult to perform, but annoying. At first I kept getting the balance of energy wrong and one leg would slip underneath the surface. Each time I grimaced, angered at myself for this display of folly. It took me a while to get the gist of this movement; once I did, I began to jump up and down repeatedly, more confident in my ability to maintain my balance above water.

In addition to jumping around the pool, I would break out into runs and then long-jump. I wanted to test my maneuverability on the water's edge, so I made sure to keep my chakra flowing steadily at my soles while I performed this task.  As I would land from my long-jumps, I noticed something different about the way my body reacted on water than it had on solid ground: the water allowed me to skid at a much greater speed and distance than what the earth would have allowed me to do. After about ten minutes of jumping around and sprinting, I had called it quits. I began to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth to calm myself. The Art of the Water Walk was a strenuous technique to train, to say the least.

[try4]

???? // 0070

With jumping came the chance for me to test my acrobatic skill. I wasn't too fancy on land with fluid movements, but I felt I had a better chance on water if anything. I continued to mold chakra at the soles of my feet which allowed me to stay above surface; now, I was doubly tasked with maintaining a constant flow of spiritual energy to my palms as well. I looked out towards Lady Shiru, who just calmly floated above the water's surface---for her to appear so calm did not sit well with me... what could she have been thinking to test me next with?

Running across the water was a simple task at the point. I had become so focused on what I was doing here that it almost seemed to be second-nature until I remembered that I still had more to learn. The basics of water walking had been simple. With spiritual and physical energies bubbling in my legs, I sprang upward at an angle to prepare to flip and land with my hands. My somersault had been executed smoothly as my hands touched the surface of the water, barely enough to keep my head from breaking the liquid layer. Once I flipped myself upward, I broke into a sideways sprint, zigging and zagging with speeds of a Body Flicker to further test my ability to stay above water. I moved in circles around Shiru. I used her as my focal point as I continued to stalk the water's edge, causing ripples to form with each quick movement I performed. Slowly I began to incorporate cartwheels into my actions to again test the level of chakra control I had in my hands. That made water walking easier to do, since I used my hands frequently as channels for my spirit energy.

To get a true feel for acrobatic movements above water, I took it to another level. Back-flips were by far the hardest thing to do on land, so I started with them. I had to move a bit quicker to finish the entire motion backwards, but it was easier to do since my hands had been coated in chakra. I needed to see how freely I could move above water and what were my limitations. So far, I really hadn't seen any, but I had a feeling that Lady Shiru would be doing something to make me perform at another level entirely.

[-Angel of Ame-]

NPC: Ringo, Shiru

The head of education smiled toward herself at the multiple attempts Mikutashi went through to remain afloat. He was getting the hang of the technique that was for sure, but it was time to test his water walking technique. Rarely was water so calm that in the body of water he was currently standing in. It was time to literally stir things up.

Performing a few hand seals, Shiru stirred the waters into a single wave that would hit Mikutashi along his side. He would instantly recognize the technique from his trial by blood, as it was the one used many a time against him to push him off the roof.

Suiton: Senpabanpa No Jutsu (Water Release: Art of the Onrushing Waves)
Rank: "D," "C," "B," "A," "S"
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: The user creates a multitude of waves on either side of the target, which crash into the target repeatedly.
Special: "Handseals"
Drawback: Use must have a water source readily available; the user cannot be performing any other technique while this is active.
Description: The user performs handseals and creates eight waves on either side of their target. The user has the waves crash into the target by whipping each hand in the direction they want the waves to travel, the left arm controls the left-hand waves and the right arm controls the right-hand waves. At "D" Rank the waves are four feet high. At "C" Rank the waves are ten feet high. At "B" Rank the waves are sixteen feet high. At "A" Rank the waves are twenty-one feet high. At "S" Rank the waves are twenty eight feet high.
Limit: Water Release

[try4]

???? // 0070

I had been right to assume that this woman was up to something. Once I saw her perform those specific set of hand seals, I knew what I was about to face: the same technique that had been used against me during my trail of blood with the seventh Amekage.

"Tch.."

With the wave rushing toward me, I had to strain my chakra to maintain balance above the surface of the water. This was a difficult task because I had been required to actually focus on not being hit so hard by the oncoming wave, which came along with a sudden shift in water pressure; basically, the way I had to channel chakra into my feet had altered entirely given Lady Shiru's usage of a Suiton technique to cause me to falter in position. Constantly, I had to try to distribute an even amount of spiritual energy into the soles of my ninja boots given the fluctuating surface of the water. Even though I had gotten hit by the water wave, I managed to maintain my ground above water, which required me to perform several back-flips to avoid been crushed by her technique.

With water walking training, I became aware soon enough that one isn't able to maintain an equal state of equilibrium above the water as they would have with tree climbing. This sort of exercise required one to always know how to control their chakra given the constitution of water and how easily it could be changed in a second's notice. While I wasn't necessarily fatigued at this point of the exercise, I was getting slightly annoyed. The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that with the understanding of this technique that I would be able to learn any technique within my limitation. Once the large wave resided, the surface of the water flowed uneasily still for a while, which demanded of me to use different variations of chakra control to maintain total balance.

Once the blast from Shiru had ended, I held a hand seal---the ram---to muster up more chakra while I stood totally still above the water. I had closed my eyes and let my mind flow freely as the water had done. This allowed me to not focus on what I was actually doing, but to focus on the inward portion of this exercise. My breathing changed from normal to an even slower and steady gulp of air; I would exhale through my nostrils as I envisioned myself becoming a leaf floating above the surface of the water.

".. The Mizu Bunshin jutsu," I said, opening my eyes to face Lady Shiru, "I wish to fight a clone or two above the water's surface, to practice my usage of chakra-related techniques in case I ever get pushed into a situation that calls for me to do so while on duty."  Now I felt comfortable with this technique enough to try to fight a liquid variation of Shiru. Hopefully this would enable me to heighten my own awareness while trying to fight and maintain my balance above the water's edge.

[Father 'Suke]

8+4+5+4+10= 31 TP @ try4

[try4]

Suddenly, I felt extremely aggravated and left the training facility. Apparently, despite all of my work here, I wasn't even half way through learning this fucking stupid technique.

SPOILER: Click to show

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