From Clouds, It Strikes [T]

[tentacruel]

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Dedicated training thread. 

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Ninpou: Shuriken Souki (Ninja Art: Shuriken Recall)
Rank: D
Skill: Ninjutsu.
Effect: The user causes a thrown shuriken to revert it’s path.
Special: "Handseals"
Drawback: The shuriken can only follow the exact path they were thrown along.
Description: The user forms the hand seal, focusing chakra through any number of thrown shuriken. These shuriken will revert their paths, flying back to the original point from which they were thrown, following their original flight paths to an exact reverse.
Limit: Universal Ninjutsu.

[0000] // [0010]

As a student of the body arts, Ranmaru found it just as pertinent to draw on the spiritual sources of ninjutsu, so one could then develop a sort of brotherhood between the two. He had been in some long abandoned training field on the outskirts of town, where most Genin liked to practice their -jutsu, but he alone stood in the tree-laden area of derelict Kumogakure. The overgrowth of green and tree had consumed whatever building structures lay here decades prior; now, it proved to be an even more optimal grounds for conducive training. There was little worry about damaging anything within this southern vicinity, and that brought a sense of relief to Ranmaru. A voice in his head had been gnawing away at him momentarily, but he shut out the sounds by instead focusing on the reason why he had come here.

With Raiton as his only means of elemental manipulation, he would also have to learn to rely on the sole element of chakra manipulation, or basic ninjutsu. Ranmaru had come outfitted in jet black clothing, with his tactical vest hoisted over his shoulder; inside lay over two-hundred star shuriken, which would be the medium of his exercise training. With a thud, the vest dropped to the grassy field and several shuriken slid out of their holds onto the plain. 

Ranmaru's objective here was to master the art of Shuriken Recall. He had seen it practiced several times before, and understood the mechanics behind the ninja art. Now, he would just have to put theory into practice. The Saigou genin knelt down and collected four ninja stars in his left hand; he possessed three in the other. As he arose, he channeled his energy into his abdominal region, where lay most of the raw strength to perform any motor task. With a strong spin, he flung his right wrist forward, towards a thick tree roughly four meters away; and before completing his full movement, he spun again, and hurled the remaining hira-shuriken in an opposite direction, some six or so meters away. Once he came to a poised stop, he turned to observe the areas where he threw shuriken.

Lodged into the thick bark of the tree that was to his right, were the three shuriken---it would have been ridiculous to have missed such a wide mark. These would be the first set in which he would utilize demonstration over the universal ninja art. Ranmaru stood facing the tree and pressed his hands together; instantly, an eruption of chakra shot from his core into his arms and legs, thus circulating throughout his tenketsu and out into his body's aura. He would complete the required handseals and shout, "Ninpou: Shuriken Souki!" While his chakra essence radiated outward towards the shuriken, that had been marked with his chakra signature from earlier when he first held them. For a moment, he watched as the shuriken struggled to free themselves from such a tough tree hide; he pressed more chakra out, and this burst enabled the shuriken to shake free and whirl back towards his location. Given the absurd and unbridled amount of chakra he had just used to get the shuriken to return, their speed had seemed to double on the retrograde. He had to nimbly dodge to his left side in order to avoid being hit by his own technique. Ranmaru let out a sigh of relief, having recovered the projectiles. 

He stood this time a ways back from the gnarled roots where the remaining four shuriken had been cast, and also acknowledged just how well he could throw... maybe he would practice some Nagewaza, following his chakra training. Ranmaru had again completed the handseals required to synergize his chakra to work with controlling the thrown shuriken. They began to slowly rotate and pull themselves from the knots of roots, and lightly flew back towards a more learned Ranmaru. Given his first take and over use of his own chakra, he had consequently decided to focus on just retrieving them, not about at what speed. With a fine control over his chakra, he noticed at what arcs the shuriken had been thrown, and which ones had crossed paths with others as they made their way back towards him. He found this art to be useful for retrieving purposes, but also as a means to distract any enemy while attacking them from behind with missed projectiles.

Feeling pretty accomplished with his understanding and practicing of this basic technique, he attempted it yet a third time, and cast seven shuriken forward, towards the sky. While in flight, the shuriken would seem to be drawn by magnetism back towards Ranmaru. He had cast the seals necessary for Shuriken Souki and like daggers of lightning from the sky, the shuriken came crashing down into the grass fields near his cast aside tactical vest.

[Starnaess]

learned

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Raiton - Raikyuu (Lightning Ball)
Rank: "D"Rank
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: Creates a ball of lightning used to where the technique is capable of being hurled towards the person.
Special: "Hand Seals"
Drawback: The user is unable to move while using this technique.
Description: The user does an amount of handseals as they quickly concentrate on the chakra along the palm of their hands. The technique is used to where they create a small ball of lightning to where the user is capable of hurling it towards the opponent. This technique is weak however and is only capable of paralyzing an opponent for approximately one round no matter how strong the opponent may be.
Limit: Lightning Release

[0000] // [0010]

The Genin would resume his training session, but would take a different approach on the matter. In lieu of universal ninjutsu, he would seek out the fundamental techniques of his innate chakra nature, Raiton. It had been some time since he had actually trained the release nature, so after Ranmaru collected his star shuriken, he would find a quiet place underneath a tree and meditate there.

An incessant, and all together annoying, voice plagued him. The aura of misfortune had caused him to lose his control and concentration, and a heavy tree branch nearly fell on him had he not moved away in time. Ranmaru sighed as he moved to a clearer area of the training field, and stood still as he allowed his chakra to circulate through his body. To practice the release of lightning, Ranmaru needed his chakra to flow erratically; he managed to create friction within his tenketsu by surging the amount of chakra up and down rapidly to create a sort of discord within himself. Ready to train his first technique, the low ninja began to perform hand seals while remaining still.

Once he had finished the proper seals, an amount of chakra spurted out of his palm; this would crackle and emit a flashing effect, as would the natural essence of lightning.. He harnessed this small ball of electricity and tried to take a step forward----his chakra dispersed and the technique failed instantly. Ranmaru scratched his head, trying to figure out why this had occurred. Perhaps it had to do with his concentration, or the overall ability to channel lightning chakra for this specific technique required one not to move. Noting his failure and quick to fix it, he again performed the seals necessary for the Raikyuu. Sparks fluxed in his palm and his white hair began to move in response to the electrical energy he released. His blue eyes studied the small ball of raw lightning... he could automatically assume that this technique would cause a paralysis effect, but one that wasn't as strong. Yet for a D-rank technique, it would work well if used in tandem with some other form of fighting style to render his opponent momentarily immobile.

Ranmaru had performed the technique a third time, and also a fourth before he gathered the proper mechanics to harness the lightning in his hand, as well as the technique to conjure it quick enough for it to have any chance to be deemed worthy enough to master. He would then sling the ball of lightning at the tree that he had meditated underneath; the Raiton: Raikyuu hit the tree's bark and caused it to become singed; not only that, but the shocking discharge caused leaves as well as small branches to fall harmlessly to the ground. Before long, he had began to channel his chakra fluidly to his palm; the process had gotten quicker and more fine tuned; his Lightning Ball had started to erupt with electrical energy and each time he hurled it at the tree, static jolted down the bark of the tree and caused leaves to shake loose from their branch abodes. 

With enough practice, the Saigou descendant had accomplished what he had sought after. A simple technique of Raiton that could be used to quickly disrupt an opponent's fighting pattern. Not only was it a low ranking technique, but also one that required little chakra; thankfully, how ever, his chakra control had been at such a level as to readily conjure the nature in which he called upon. He smirked wildly and pushed himself to master yet another technique of the Lightning Release.

[Hamura]

Learned.

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Weapon Form: One-Handed Weapons
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User learns to "Partially" transform a portion of their anatomy (usually the arm) into a single Non-Chakra One-Handed Weapon.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: When learning Weapon Form: One-Handed Weapons the user chooses a single One-Handed Weapon to partially transform into. If the user knows Weapon Form: Single Weapon Transformation they may choose to fully transform into that weapon. The user may not release the partial form as a ranged weapon. May learn multiple times. Each time learned user may transform into a new weapon.
Limit: Must be a Mabuki. Must have Demon Weapon Gene.

- for Longsword transformation
- additional TP for D class?

[0000] // [0030]

The Genin would finally return to Kumogakure after visiting the Hagane Mountains and the embassy in Enrai. It had been some time since he had last trained a chakra-related ability, but with these new set of scrolls containing information on the Mabuki ichizoku hidenjutsu, Ranmaru set himself to learn a thing or two about the way of the Demon Weapon. He would take off his tactical vest, and lay down his katana Shuurai and also his large disk known as Banrai. Since he himself could now learn the art of transforming himself into a weapon, these things may soon become no use for the growing shinobi of Kumo. He took the smallest scroll out that contained most D- and C-rank techniques. After reviewing its contents thoroughly, he chose the optimal technique of weapon transformation that could be used to create a longsword. 

With his heavy metal body leaning on a tree, Ranmaru thought of how to properly channel his chakra through his body to perform such a strange technique. He had to also visualize the transformation in order for it to be produced; so as he focused his spiritual energies to interact with the physical body, he felt a sensation similar to when the ichor had been first fused with his body. The Genin would cringe and then grasp at his left arm, which had been the one he sought to transform. In doing so, he dropped the Mabuki scroll and let out a sharp wince as pain coursed through his left appendage. It had taken a moment for him to understand how to properly attune his chakra to his new skeletal system, so the Genin opted to sit down underneath the shade of the tree and meditate.

In his mind, he thought of the length of his own katana. How its blade stretched nearly four feet and the sharpness it possessed. Ranmaru attempted to transfer these thoughts to reality as he poured chakra into his left hand again, but kept his eyes closed to keep the mental visualization steady. The pain came again, and then a cruel thought that caused him to begin to sweat. Before he had left the mountains of the Onis, they did tell him about the leaking insanity of the Mabuki ichizoku, and how he know must deal with that pressure. The low-ninja yet again had to stop in order to regain total composure of himself, lest he be lost to pain and choking insanity.

[tentacruel]

[----] // [0030]

A round of mental rest was much needed, as the talons of insanity had nearly clenched Ranmaru's consciousness, and perhaps he would have been lost in a chaotic maelstrom.

Instead, the genin had overcome this foreign fear and shut out the nagging pestering voice of failure. He would rise from his meditation with a clear mind. Learning this fundamental technique of the Mabuki clan had been something his father had been capable of, and Ranmaru had been more than just a chip off the old block. Again, he would muster up chakra from the tenketsu in his left arm. Focusing, he was able to materialize a rigid form---much like how something organic seemed capable of change. The teen's arm started to transition into its metal form the more he truly sought such a level of mastery. However, he would soon learn that the pain accompanying such a transformation was something that wasn't easy to depart; the Genin had to overcome such a trifle obstacle in his path to power, and thus, pushed through to craft his own left arm into an instrument of death.

It had been still crude, but something to be proud of. Ranmaru smirked as he looked down at the elongating sword that morphed on his appendage. With a steady supply of chakra and a mental fortitude to push past the threshold of pain that kept him from evolution, the Cloud ninja had obtained the ability of a partial transformation. In refining his manipulation, he was able to mold down the crude elements of the longsword to create something slender and sharpened. He went on to slice at the air in front of him several times, to get a feel for the weapon type. The blade-arm was much lighter than carrying an actual katana, but it also lacked the entire reach that wielding a true longsword possessed; he would have to figure out an answer to that later, for now, his efforts had been focused on maintaining this form for several minutes more.

A shadow flickered across the field, which he had assumed to be empty. With a sense of observation, the Saigou teenager turned around and swung his katana-arm at the entity that had thought it had snuck up on him.

"Better watch it, Kenji." Ranmaru warned. His friend lifted his hands and backed away slowly.

"Alright.. alright, sheesh." he deterred, sweat dropping.

[tentacruel]

[----] // [0030]

Silence hung between the air a moment before Kenji burst out into a string of questions:

"So what the fuck are you training anyway?" He scratched his head; once he gave Ranmaru a look over and studied his transformed appendage, he noticed that his friend had a steel-sword for an arm and that he wasn't lugging Shuurai around. "Nani!!? Dude, woah--! Your arm is a fucking sword??!" Kenji pointed at the freakish appendage and Ranmaru smiled, a bit proud to have held the transformation for this long. He would release his chakras from the molecules of Mabuki blood coursing through his veins and slowly his arm returned to its original state.

Kenji was asking rhetorical questions. Ranmaru pressed his lips at his closest friend. "Yanno, Kenji-----" "----Bro, that's the same freaky shit your dad knows how to do, huh?? Damn, I wonder were you learned that..." His voice trailed off into a susurrus as he put a water-bottle to his lips. "The Hagane Mountains." "Pfft!" Kenji spat out his water and Ranmaru had already been fed up that he was having his training interrupted for a question and answer with his comrade.

"Whaddya mean the 'Hagane Mountains?' That's were the oni supposedly live and I hear they eat humans." The exasperated boy wiped the remnant water from his face with the front of his t-shirt. "Well apparently I didn't get eaten, they gave me the ritual because they said I reminded them of dad. Anyway, why a---" "---I knew it! Damn, you really do look like that old bastard." Ranmaru produced a sweat bead, having been provoked. The genin grit his teeth and turned away from Kenji to gather his cool. The ichor of the Mabuki caused his blood to boil and if that wasn't enough, the bothersome voices brought on by his aura of misfortune picked at him right alongside Kenji. Ranmaru placed his hands on a tree trunk and stretched his arms away from his torso to get a better grasp on his breathing.

"I tell you what, Kenji." he said. "Be my sparring partner while I try to figure out how to maintain this technique." Curious as to what else Ranmaru could fucking do, Kenji opted to be his opponent.

The two would walk a distance a part and then turn to face one another. This would give Ranmaru the proper situational training to practice this against an opponent in battle. He sized Kenji up and focused his chakras through his tenketsu in his left arm as the two stared each other down. In a matter of seconds, Ranmaru's appendage began to again morph into a long and slender blade-form, that actually looked a bit more sharper than the last one, Kenji commented. As they both took into taijutsu stances, Ranmaru would disappear from view momentarily to blink towards Kenji; knowing his best friend's tactics, Kenji jaunted to his right in an arc and cast hand signs to perform a low ranking Doton technique. A chunk of earth rose from the ground and reduced itself into twenty or so smaller round pieces that he then willed to shoot towards the training Saigou. In a haste, Ranmaru lifted his bladed-arm to cut the incoming projectiles down. It had been so much smoother to wield one's own arm as a weapon in comparison to an actual longsword that restricted this freer speed of movement. Kenji was impressed by Ranmaru's swift swordsmanship and went on to follow up with a Shunshin towards the latter mentioned.

Kenji flexed his katana into his hands and swung at the bladed Ranmaru. Both swords would spit sparks into the foreground and neither seemed to be on the verge of giving up. "Heh.. you've gotten stronger I see, Ranmaru," Kenji said as he pressed down on the blade of Ranmaru's arm with his katana. The additional steel weight in his body due to the Mabuki ritual allowed him better reserves of strength than did regular human muscle. As his chakra and steel muscles coiled in his arm, Ranmaru pushed forward with a burst of strength that knocked Kenji off of his feet. The unsuspecting boy would drop his katana and fall to the ground a meter away from Ranmaru, who had already moved rapidly to close that small gap of space between them. The white-haired genin would press his modified appendage against the throat of his closest friend. Had Kenji been an enemy, he would be at the mercy of Ranmaru's deadly sharp blade. "Okay, okay: you got me, alright? Fucking aye, geez."

Ranmaru really didn't like Kenji's tone of voice, nor the fact that he had interrupted his training regimen in the first place. He pressed his blade so hard against the opposite's neck that blood had been drawn. The insanity tickled the brain of Ranmaru, whose friend screamed and scuttled backwards to avoid being decapitated.

[󠀐󠀐󠀐󠀐Y]

Learned.