Michi's Medical Mania! (Training!)

[♥~Malice~♥]

After taking a few minutes to rest and regain her composure, Michiru once more stood up, albeit a bit shakily. There were still small tremors of pain coursing throughout her petite body but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Afterall, she had felt much more severe pain throughout her lifetime. With a heavy sigh she closed her eyes and held out her left arm in front of her, deciding that she would rest her leg for a small while longer before she tried again. After focusing her chakra as she had done so many times before, she soon began to force it to travel to her willowy limb. Little by little the chakra began to coat her arm and after a couple of minutes it had been completely covered, something that surprised Michiru. Even though it wasn't by a lot, she had reduced the amount of time which it took to coat her arm, a sign that she was slowly but surely making progress.

As she did before, the healer attempted to mold the chakra to the shape of her arm and found this was much simpler to do than on her leg. The powerful chakra rocked and shifted against Michiru's will as it struggled to not be tamed, though she would have none of that on this day. A light yet angry growl would escape her pink hued lips as she began to bend the chakra and conform it to the shape she desired. This was so tiresome... It was the same exercise over and over again. Wash, rinse and repeat; Michiru had never been one to skip out on her training but this technique was really causing her to question that decision. ...No, she couldn't stop now, not when she was so close to finally mastering this legendary fighting style. So few had actually done so and it would be a great honor not only to Michiru herself, but also her Sensei whom taught her most of what she knew when it came to it. Besides, having such a technique in her arsenal would dramatically increase the chances of her survival in battle...and something told her she would need to be prepared for anything and everything.

Michiru silently continued to focus on her technique, running chakra throughout her arm in an attempt to spread it out evenly. Many minutes passed before she was successful but upon completing this objective she decided to move on to the next; now she would try to form chakra on both arms simultaneously. Upon releasing the chakra from her left arm she proceeded to hold both of them out in front of her. "Allow the chakra to flow freely... Do not fight it, guide it..." Michiru grinned lightly to herself as she repeated her Sensei's wise words, which she had spoken to her when she first became her pupil. Repeating the words in her head as though they were some type of mantra, Michiru immediately began to gather chakra into both of her arms. The chakra sped to her arms noticeably quicker this time but she had to be careful to not let too much flow, otherwise she would risk gathering too much and causing a small explosion.

Upon gathering an adequate amount, Michiru then moved on to the most difficult and time consuming task-- molding the chakra. This would prove quite troublesome for it was hard enough to conform the chakra to one limb while having ones sole focus on it, but splitting that concentration in two? Quite fearsome, indeed. Alas, she would have to learn to do this and more in order to finally learn the technique. Her focus now entirely on the task at hand, Michiru began to simultaneously mold the chakra on both arms though things were as difficult as expected. As usual, the chakra seemed to push back against her will though this time Michiru wouldn't respond as she did previously; when the chakra pushed back she would allow it to flow into other parts of her arm where it would become more stable. By doing this she would recycle the chakra flow in an attempt to make it one with the rest of her arm, meaning it would cease fighting back.

Of course, this was much easier said than done because the wild chakra continued to push and rage even admist more calm chakra. Sweat once more formed on the lithe figured beauty's brow as she struggled to make her chakra flow calmly. Time and time again the chakra rotated in her arm though with each passing moment it seemed to become harder and harder to control, the opposite of what she desired. Silently Michiru questioned just why she was having so much trouble with this; afterall, her chakra control was impeccable-- it was embarrassing for her to have to struggle this much with one technique. But then again this wasn't your "average" technique, this was a jutsu only similiar to Armor of Apollo in the way it worked. On the plus side, her chakra control would be as close to perfection as possible once she finally did master this technique. But when would she master this technique? That was the question.

[♥~Malice~♥]

"Ha, seems like you're having a hard time, kid." A deep yet feminine voice would suddenly call out, causing Michiru to almost lose what little control she had over the jutsu. The shocked expression on the angelic figures face was hastily replaced with a wide and toothy grin as she turned her head to the left and spotted her beloved Sensei, Seragi-sama. "Seragi-sama! It has been a while, has it not?" Michiru beamed as she observed the woman who had taught her everything she knew about the "Will of Kratos" fighting style. When Michiru looked upon Seragi she saw a powerful yet kind woman who had vast amounts of experience; a woman who knew exactly who she was and relished in it. Michiru couldn't help but admire how strong of a person Seragi was and could only hope that one day she could be a woman like that. Little did Michiru know that she had already reached her unknown goal and was steadily evolving.

"Yep, sure has. I heard about your success against that tyrant... Congratulations." Seragi would laugh lightly as she stepped in front of her pupil and crossed her arms. "Thank you very much. Tell me, what brings you here, Seragi-sama? I thought you were on a mission?" Michiru questioned as she once more began to focus on her technique, allowing chakra to flow through her arms. It was still a struggle but having her teacher here somehow made the task seem less severe... Probably because this woman was like a second mother to Michiru. She was one of the few people that truly meant everything to Michiru and hadn't somehow left her life. "That mission? Pfft, child's play. I completed it effortlessly. Anyway, what's wrong with me checking up on my student, hm? What? Have you grown too "powerful" to answer to an old hag like me?" Seragi teased as Michiru simply giggled softly to herself, "Perhaps. Though it is good to see you. Anou, while you're here..." The golden haired woman began but was quickly interrupted. "You need help learning this, right? I figured as much."

"First I need to see how far you've come. Please continue while I observe you for a little while." Michiru nodded to Seragi's words and began to activate the technique, flinching somewhat as she attempted to manipulate her chakra flow. The ever annoying battle once more continued as she tried her best to regulate her chakra but was having minimal success. It seemed everytime she made a little progress something else would go wrong; like taking one step forward then two steps back. Michiru began to pant lightly as fatigue began to set in, as well as ever growing frustration. Still she was determined to master this technique, and if that meant having to train in it exclusively for months...then so be it. Michiru was confident she'd eventually learn it but when...when? That was the question.

"I'm going to interrupt now but continue working. At the moment there really isn't anything I can tell you, for you do not have enough experience with the jutsu to move on to more difficult training. For now all you can do is practice, practice, practice-- once you have a better handle on the jutsu I will offer more sound advice. Ah, one more thing! Always remember to keep your chakra levels even." Seragi nodded briefly before going silent, allowing Michiru to once more immerse herself in her training. Keep the chakra levels even... That meant make sure the chakra was even on both arms. Michiru nodded silently to herself, she had also noticed that there seemed to be more chakra coating her right arm, making it seem heavier than her left. Using this knowledge to her advantage, she began to manipulate the chakra on both arms in an attempt to "even" them out.

Minutes turned into hours as Michiru continued this daunting task and finally she was beginning to see progress. The healer was breathing heavily now though her fiery determination had never wavered. The chakra levels in both her arms were now even and both arms were covered entirely and they matched the shape of her arms. Now there was one final test...maintaining it. Focusing intensely, Michiru slowly began to move her right arm to the right while simultaneously moving her left arm to the left. It was shaky and she was moving extremely slowly, but she found that she was able to maintain the chakra levels while in motion. Albeit a ridiculously slow motion, but motion nonetheless. Once more Seragi's voice chimed in, this time a more serious tone to it. "Very good. Now it's time to move on to the next level, coating your entire upper torso. Careful when you do this... If you make too big of a mistake...you'll die."

[♥~Malice~♥]

"Die...?" Michiru repeated as she dismissed the technique, a quiet yet simmering seriousness suddenly washing over her person. Cerulean hues would lock on her Sensei's sculpted frame, giving a slight nod towards her as an indication to continue speaking. "Yes. Unlike your arms and legs, your torso is vital to remain alive. Should you lose control of your chakra and cause it to explode, well... I think you know how the rest of this particular story goes." Michiru simply nodded once more, fully aware of the consequences. Ah well, at least she had more experience with the jutsu now; she would be fine as long as she remained focused. "Right, so get to it-- and be careful. This is the most dangerous part of this training. Well, mostly...heh." A slender eyebrow would raise at Seragi's words, to which the older woman would respond by simply cackling. "If you have time to stare at me you have time to train! Get it together!"

"Understood, Seragi-sama." The blonde would whisper as she closed her eyes and stood perfectly still, her mind returning to a rather meditative-like state. Her mind was completely blank at the moment with no sounds or colors, just an inky blackness that seemed to go on forever. Suddenly in this darkness a small orb of light appeared and this orb represented her chakra. If this orb were to be located somewhere on Michiru's body it would be at the very top of her head. Michiru was using this visualization to help with her chakra flow and was something she did often when she was first learning medical jutsu. After a few moments a steady stream of light would begin to flow from the orb, pooling on the "ground" as though it were a liquid. What Michiru was now doing was "filling up the darkness," though in the real world she was actually coating her torso. Once all the darkness had been replaced by light her upper torso would be covered.

The chakra waterfall was flowing steadily and freely for a while, to which Michiru was relieved. The coating of her limbs had been a most tiresome endeavor so she was happy that this might actually be "easy." Of course, in the ninja world things rarely went as planned and soon enough the chakra began to flow more fiercely. Michiru's eyes, while remaining closed, tightened slightly as she attempted to get a handle on the situation. Try as she might to force the chakra to slow down, it continued it's relentless assault. Michiru began to physically feel the strain as the lower portion of her torso began to feel heavy and uncomfortable, as though an object were pressing hard against it; this wouldn't do for if it became any heavier she would find it hard to breathe. It would be a struggle, but she would have to nip this problem in the bud now[/i].

"Guide the chakra..." She spoke aloud as she seemed to make the flow of chakra smaller, which in turned caused it to slow down. Alas, it was a slow going process and constricting the chakra to a smaller space was indeed effect but also more time consuming. Michiru wanted a faster way to go about this but she knew that would eventually come naturally; for now she just had to stick with what she knew so she wouldn't endanger herself. Time continued to pass as the dark space began to fill up little by little. Michiru smiled softly as she came to a realization; all this time she had been impatient, trying to find the quickest route to complete the technique. In reality all she needed to do was take her time and it would come to her. Goodness, why didn't she realize this sooner?

"Ha, finally figured it out, eh? That's my pupil for you." Seragi chirped as she took a seat under a shady tree and continued to watch her student. "'Sometimes the quickest route isn't always the safest.' Wise words, indeed. Once you have finished with this part of the training you will begin attempting to coat your entire body at once. Remember, don't try to be swift-- just focus on getting it right." "Understood, Seragi-sama." With that Michiru would continue filling up the black space until all the darkness had vanished. Grinning softly to herself, the blue eyed angel would once more open her eyes and observe the grand world before her. Casually she began to lean and twist her torso in various directions, being sure to keep the chakra stable. It was risky and she couldn't do too much yet, but there was a lot of progress being made.

[♥~Malice~♥]

Michiru continued to do a few more simple movements and noticed that it was becoming easier and easier to do so. Less concentration was required and she had increased the speed that it took to activate the technique, but it still wasn't ready for field use. After a few more minutes of moving her body in various ways, she deactivated the technique smiled warmly at Seragi. "I'm ready to continue my training now." Michiru would say in a rather chipper tone as she removed a few tresses from her face. Seragi, whilst remaining seated, simply nodded towards her pupil, "Yeah, well get to it, then-- I already told you what to do." The benevolent young woman would simply nod in response and close her eyes, silently preparing herself for the task at hand. All she had to remember was two things: take her time and be vigilant. With those factors in place the technique should move along as planned; at least she hoped as much.

Like before, Michiru would imagine that same chakra orb at the top of her forehead and visualize the rest of her body as an inky black space. This method, while simple, was quite effective with this type of training. Soon the chakra would begin to flow from the orb and Michiru soon felt the familiar feeling of chakra covering her body, though this time it was starting at her feet. Once the chakra had begun to flow she had to be careful to manipulate it in such a way that would keep it from moving too swiftly; however, eventually she would have to make this technique happen nearly instantly. Ah well, a battle for another time-- right now all she had to do was focus on actually executing the jutsu.

Minutes passed as she covered her feet completely and continued up past her ankles and thighs to the lower portion of her upper torso. In it's raw state like it was currently, this jutsu was just like wearing plated armor; but once Michiru evened it out and conformed it to her body it would be like an extra, more durable set of skin. More minutes passed as Michiru continued her training, though amazingly it was all going quite easily. Thanks to her former training, she now had a handle on how the chakra flowed and knew when to increase the flow and when to restrict it. It really made things go by much more smoothly. Still, getting the chakra there was the easy part. Molding it to conform to her body...that's where the real challenge would begin.

Eventually the dark space was filled up and Michiru's body has been completed covered in chakra. It was an odd feeling since this chakra felt so much different from Armor of Apollo, despite them being the same type of jutsu. This one was clearly superior and much more powerful and yet...it just felt odd. Oh well, it was probably because she had yet to perfect it. "Nicely done. Now remember what you did previously and be extra careful, 'K?" Seragi spoke out softly to Michiru whom simply nodded and began to manipulate the chakra and form it to her body; alas, this was an insanely difficult task. Not only did she have to constantly manage the chakra levels over every portion of her body, she also had to make sure it was spread evenly. This was like all her previous training on a much larger scale and nothing could have prepared her for how exhausting this would be.

Whilst Michiru was off in her own world training, Seragi chuckled slightly and shook her head. "I must really be getting old. I remember when she didn't know anything about this style and now look at her...about to master it. Hum, but there is definitely something different about her. It's almost as though her personality has become more...dangerous." Seragi's voice was but a whisper so it was inaudible to Michiru(who wouldn't have heard it anyway due to her extreme concentration). That same kind woman gritted her teeth slightly as she continued to mold her chakra, but was making little progress. "Focus...let the chakra flow..." She repeated to herself over and over again. It was slow going but progress was progress-- though Michiru severely hoped she would get the knack for this jutsu soon, for she didn't know how much longer she would be able to last before her stamina ran out.

[♥~Malice~♥]

"Finally..." Michiru would say in an exhausted fashion as she panted heavily with beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. It had taken a lot of time and effort, along with a bit of good luck, but finally she had molded the chakra to her form. While that was all well and great, now she would actually have to learn to move while keeping the chakra intact. After taking a deep sigh and focusing her concentration, Michiru casually took one small step forward. As soon as she moved she felt the suit of chakra shift and rotate with her motions, though she managed to keep everything under control. Her confidence a little bit higher now, she soon took another step...and once more the chakra shifted, though not quite as much. With every step she was taking note of how her chakra moved and doing her best to irradicate the problem.

"Well, I guess it's time I actually began to do my job..." Seragi would yawn briefly before standing up and stretching. With a sly grin she watched the almost comical display before her; Michiru, with a completely serious look on her face, was taking struggled steps forward and moving her body in such a way that she appeared...robotic. Though Seragi wouldn't laugh at her; rather, she'd go and help her out. Or try to, anyway. "Michi, Michi...you're focusing too hard!" The chocolate haired woman would call out before running over to her student, whom had now stopped and observed her teacher. "What do you mean, Seragi-sama? If I do not keep my focus the jutsu will deactivate or worse."

"Yeah, that may be true, but in order for you to truly master this technique it's going to have to become second nature. Now, deactivate it for now then try to activate it again. Remember to remain careful but try not to focus so much. This should increase not only your speed but your overall feel for the jutsu." Seragi nodded sternly before folding her arms over her chest. Michiru simply nodded and deactivated the technique, immediately noticing how much better her body felt without it. With a slight grunt she closed her eyes and activated the jutsu, allowing her body to be covered with the protective chakra. The words of her Sensei repeated in her head over and over and heeding them, Michiru decided to not manipulate every action the chakra took. Instead she would allow it to flow freely and give it a gentle "push" in the correct direction should it stray from the correct path.

Shockingly enough, the chakra began to flow much faster and coated her body in nearly half the time it took previously. Michiru giggled in an excited fashion as she opened her eyes and looked at Seragi, who had a smile on her face that seemed to say "I told you so." Without saying a word, Michiru deactivated the technique and repeated the same process over and over. Each time she did it she decreased the time it took previously, and was noticing that the technique was covering more of her body at one time rather than gradually covering it limb by limb. This alone made the technique excute much quicker.

Not only that, but Michiru was definitely getting a new "feel" for the jutsu. She quickly learned that this method was the quickest way to learn the technique and increase it's battle ability. This exercise continued on for a while; activate, deactivate, repeat. Over and over and over... Finally Michiru had a good hand on it and it was almost instantaneous-- something that surprised the healer. On her own she didn't know how long it would have taken her to figure this out... But the ever experienced Seragi had once more saved her not only time and frustration, but had taught her a little more knowledge that she could perhaps pass on to someone one day. "Great job, Michiru-- you've basically mastered that part of the jutsu. Now we move on to movement."

[♥~Malice~♥]

"Movement? Very well, Seragi-sama." The determined look returned to Michiru's face as she began to take a few steps forward, being as robotic as ever. Seragi scowled slightly as she suddenly spoke up, "Enough of that! You know very well movement is more than walking forward. It's motion, a constant flowing of actions. You have to learn to crawl before you can walk, so instead of focusing on walking...focus on actual movement. Turning your head, rotating your shoulders, throwing a punch-- master the basics before you go on to more difficult things. Understood?" Michiru simply smiled in response, knowing full well that Seragi was absolutely correct, as usual. It was kind of funny how such a somewhat gruff woman had so much wisdom.

"Roger." The golden haired lass would respond simply as she began rather simple exercises. First she started by rotating her neck in small circles, taking note of how the chakra shifted with her movements. She then went on to rotate her shoulders, arms, elbows, knees and even fingers. Little by little she was getting the hang of it and how much her chakra flow changed with each miniscule movement. In reality it was like she was learning how to read her own body, though it seemed to be much easier than one might think it was.

After a while she finally felt she had a handle on things and then, as requested by Seragi, moved on to actually trying to walk. Michiru had to remember to not be so robotic and to instead attempt to move normally. Gingerly she took her first step, though try as she might, the action still felt rather forced. "Natural... Move naturally..." She spoke softly to herself as she took another step, and this time she didn't seem quite as "robotic." Still, she had a long ways to go and as they say, "practice makes perfect." Keeping that in mind, Michiru began to walk a circular path around the large boulder in the middle of the training grounds. With each step she began to move more and more like she normally did until finally she was walking like she did in every day life.

"Nicely done. Finally have a handle on things?" Seragi would question as she looked down at her student from her new position, seated on top of the boulder. "Yes. I believe that I am now able to move fairly normally." Michiru would say without turning to look at her Sensei. Instead she continued her circular path, completely determined to master the jutsu. "Oh, really...?" Seragi would coo before she suddenly disappeared with blinding speed and appeared right before Michiru. "Sera-" Before the blonde could finish, Seragi aimed a devastating punch towards her face, to which Michiru barely managed to duck under before hopping back a few feet. "Seragi-sama! That was dangerous! I'm not entirely used to my body yet!" The young woman would yell in mild annoyance, to which Seragi simply shrugged her shoulders. "And? Come now, Michiru-- you know very well the enemy won't wait for you to be "ready." You need to be on your guard and ready to fight at a moments notice."

Whilst grinning in a rather malicious way, the older woman soon assumed an unarmed combat stance and eyed her pupil intently. "Remember when I first trained you in evasion? Well, now we are going to try that again; only this time instead of teaching you to evade, you're going to learn how to move with that chakra armor. Of course, I won't hold back... So be ready." Michiru nodded and assumed her own unarmed combat stance. She may have appeared calm and serene on the outside but inside she was rather nervous. Michiru quite vividly remembered her first training with Seragi and how she had beaten her quite badly... Now that she was older she couldn't imagine just what the woman would do.

[♥~Malice~♥]

"Yosh! Remember: the goal is to evade my attacks. Don't worry about counter attacking yet. Prepare yourself!" Seragi would yell in her heavy voice before suddenly rushing forwards towards Michiru. As she had been taught before, the golden haired beauty observed Seragi's body; the way she ran, her posture, her speed and even her eyes were all under heavy observation. All these gestures gave hints to the way her body would attack and because of this Michiru had a high chance to dodge her. ...Well, she would if not for her body being at roughly fifty-five percent. Quickly the attack came, a snap kick aimed for Michiru's legs in an attempt to sweep her off her feet. It took quite a bit of effort but Michiru managed to jump over the leg, only to feel the heavy blow of a fist into her stomach which sent her soaring backwards and landing on her back with a thud.

That...really hurt. It had been a long time since she had felt the power of a super strengthened blow, and the scary part was Seragi was holding back. Had she used the full spectrum of her strength, Michiru would have been dead for sure. ...Wait, wasn't this jutsu supposed to reduce incoming attacks of that caliber by at least ninety percent? What was going on? Confusion was written all over Michiru's face as she wearily stood up after wiping a small line of blood from her lips. "Ah, I see... It was good that I held back. Your shield still isn't up to par yet so it's even more important that you dodge." Seragi would comment whilst allowing Michiru to regain her composure. "You are quite correct, Seragi-sama. It appears I still have a long way to go." "Maybe not as far as you think, child." Almost immediately after speaking, Seragi would suddenly appear high in the air, her leg out stretched and ready to bring down a massive kick. Michiru, knowing this attack full well, used all she had to dive to the side and narrowly avoid the devastating blow that created a huge crater in it's wake.

Alas, Seragi wasn't nearly finished. Like a shot she fired off towards her pupil, aiming a bone crushing punch directly for her head. However, Michiru was somewhat more prepared this time and quickly ducked out of the way and flipped gracefully to the side, landing a couple of yards away. Little by little she was becoming more used to the shield and her body was beginning to move more like it normally would. Suddenly Seragi appeared infront of her, aiming a harsh kick for her stomach. The youthful woman quickly parried the attack and grabbed her ankle. Using the momentum, she attempted to throw her Sensei away from her, but the Seragi would not be taken down so easily. Using a type of move that could only be described as break dancing, she managed to knock Michiru off her feet, causing her to lose her grip on her ankle. Michiru once more hit the ground with a thud and only barely managed to roll out of the way to avoid an attack that would have smashed her head open. On the bright side, the hit to her legs didn't hurt nearly as much as the punch to the stomach did, but pain still continued to pulsate through her body. Still, she quickly rolled to her feet and awaited the continued assault of her instructor.

Michiru frowned slightly, she had to move faster! Like lighting her Sensei was behind her, aiming a particularly powerful blow to her side. Michiru was unable to dodge and would definitely receive the blow, but this opened up an opportunity for her. The kick connected but Michiru managed to quickly mold more chakra into the shield and drastically reduced the damage it would have otherwise inflicted. Still, it was a powerful blow and the medic was sent soaring but recovered in mid air and landed on her feet. Seragi grinned at her young pupil, taking satisfaction in the fact that she seemed to be getting the hang of it. "Excellent use of the technique, but you still have a long way to go! Try to make sure the entire shield is that powerful and not just one area."

"Understood, Seragi-sama!" Michiru spoke with a familiar determination, her eyes practically on fire. With that they battled on for hours. Michiru continued to take a heavy amount of damage throughout the entire training but also managed to evade a good portion of her attacks. Bit by bit her body was steadily becoming better and better, along with her shields strength. It still wasn't quite up to par but it would be there fairly soon. The constant moving and shifting of chakra, while simultaneously having to dodge death blows, seemed to give Michiru a more...intimate knowledge of her own chakra flow and how it worked. This would in turn effect how well she used her medical techniques and any jutsu in general; it was amazing how much you could learn from just one jutsu. Finally night time descend on the two and they decided to take a small break before continuing. Sighing in an exhausted fashion, Michiru fell back and observed the stars high in the sky. This action always seemed to relax her and for a while all she would do was just smile at the night sky... That is until her hellish training resumed once again.

[♥~Malice~♥]

"Well, that's enough rest. What would you say your body was working at now?" Seragi would questioned as she stretched a little bit. "I'd say...roughly eighty-seven percent." Michiru responded simply before returning to a standing position. She had deactivated the technique while they were resting but was prepared to activate it again on a moments notice. "Very good. I'm sorry I had to rough you up a bit but that was the only quick way to get you to learn." The chocolate haired woman grinned as she stood up and cracked her knuckles. "Anyway, it seems the only thing hindering you now is movement but once you get your chakra under complete control, that problem should solve itself. Let's now move on to the final training, shall we?" Michiru nodded as she closed her eyes and activated her technique and to her amazement, it happened nearly instantly. Wow... That evasive training really did help a lot.

"Now we are going to train the strength of your shield. I've called a ninjutsu master here to use jutsu of various rank on you. If your shield is at one hundred percent you shouldn't feel any jutsu below S-rank. Anything S-rank should be reduced by ninety percent which means while you won't get out without a scratch, the most significant portion of the damage should be reduced. Come out, now!" Suddenly a shinobi dressed in all black would appear. After bowing to both ladies he would stand perfectly still and await orders. Michiru, understanding what to do next, walked a distance that left roughly six meters of distance between her and the unknown shinobi. "Remember: keep the chakra flowing steadily. Begin!" With that the ninjutsu master would fire a small burst of fire towards Michiru, this attack being D-rank. It connected with her chest but bounced off harmlessly. So far so good.

The man now fired a blast of water, a C-rank technique that connected with Michiru head on. Again, bounced off without causing any damage whatsoever. "Well the kiddy stuff seems to be covered. Let's test your over all resistance. If you would?" Seragi spoke to the shinobi, whom silently nodded. After taking in a deep breath he suddenly released it, causing a huge wave of wind to soar towards Michiru. Her hair and clothes blew heavily with it but Michiru herself did not move a centimeter. The blonde couldn't help but smile to herself, this technique was amazing! Any other time she would have been sent flying backwards but thanks to this she didn't even feel it. Seragi nodded in approval as she spoke once more. "Time to step it up. You know what to do."

Suddenly the ninjutsu master hurled a huge fireball towards Michiru, whom stood as brave and tall as ever. This is where the real training would begin. The fireball quickly enveloped her and, to Michiru's surprise, she felt the burning. It wasn't anything too severe but it was enough to make her uncomfortable. After the smoke cleared she soon spoke up. "I felt some of that technique, Seragi-sama-- it appears we are stuck at this step for now." The older woman simply nodded and the shinobi blew yet another large fireball. Michiru did all she could to focus the chakra and make it more powerful yet she still felt the heavy heat that surrounded her body. "Again." Was all she'd say and the shinobi quickly obliged and fired another large shot. This time when it hit her she didn't feel quite as much heat but it was still there. No, the training would need to continue. So the two continued on, the night being disturbed by blasts of light appearing one after the other.

Michiru now had smoke rising from her form and had a few black spots scattered over her body and clothes, though she still stood strong and proud. The ninjutsu master was now breathing heavily but both women encouraged him to continue. After reaching deep within himself to find the strength to continue, he fired off round after round. With each blast Michiru felt less and less heat until finally there was none. To confirm this she took five more shots and each one didn't yield any pain. "It seems I've finally completed that part of the training, Seragi-sama-- but it appears my partner has reached his limit." Michiru smiled warmly to the shinobi who was now sitting on the grass and panting heavily. "Indeed. Nicely done, young one. You are dismissed." With that the ninja stood up and bowed before both of them once again before flickering off. "Good thing I called in another one for back up. Now for the final portion of your training... I hope you're prepared."

[♥~Malice~♥]

"Yes, ma'am!" Michiru spoke proudly as she beamed widely towards her teacher. This was it...the final phase. It had been a long and difficult battle but it appeared she was finally here. With that another ninjutsu master appeared, this one looking slightly more intimidating than the previous one. "First we'll start with A-Ranks and then move on to S. You know the drill. Begin!" With that the shinobi fired a massive A-ranked fire ball at Michiru, whom showed no fear despite the intimidating sight. All she was focused on was finally completing this jutsu. Like a battleship it hit her, forcing her to move backwards slightly and burning her delicate skin. It wasn't enough to do any permanent damage but it definitely hurt. Michiru winced in pain slightly but resumed her stance once more. "Again, please."

It appeared that she still wasn't quite ready for an A-Rank. Once more he hurled another fireball, and once more Michiru felt the pain and was pushed backwards slightly. The pain was incredible yet she knew she had to persevere. This pain was nothing to the pain she once felt in her heart... She could make it through this, no doubt. The man continued to fire towards Michiru and over time she began to feel less pain. Eventually the force of the attack didn't move her at all, yet she still felt some of the pain. Alas, she had to endure it... For herself and Waterfall. And so for a while the assault continued, until Michiru finally began to notice some real progress. Slowly but surely the attacks were doing less and less damage, though Michiru had to stop and heal herself from time to time to ensure she didn't die before the training ended.

And so it continues, fireball after fireball until Michiru finally felt no pain. No burning, no heat, no moving...it seemed her defense was finally solid enough to withstand A-Ranked techniques. "On to the final phase." Seragi would whisper to the ninja, who simply nodded. Quickly the teacher jumped backwards and was far enough to be safe from the jutsu but still close enough to observe Michiru. This would be the most dangerous part because if she wasn't strong enough the jutsu could kill her. Still, she had faith in her pupil. She could do it if she seriously tried. Michiru herself was also quite confident in her abilities and patiently awaited for the shinobi to attack.

Finally he sent his first massive attack towards her, another fireball since fire gave the most immediate results. Michiru's eyes did not falter once as she was hit head on, a heavy pain hitting her body so hard that she fell to her knees. So that's what being hit with an S-rank technique felt like, eh? Not good. After taking a few moments to regain her composure, Michiru stood up yet again and nodded towards the shinobi. Again he fired another massive blast, though this time Michiru built up her chakra to take less damage. It worked yet she was knocked backwards a few feet before flipping and landing in a standing position. The entire thing hurt like hell but she knew she had to continue on...no matter what it took.

The assault continued on, the ninjutsu master firing massive shot after massive shot. So powerful were these blasts that it scorched the immediate area where Michiru was standing, leaving only black dirt where she was standing. With each attack Michiru found it became easier and easier to increase the strength of her shield. However, this time she had to repeatedly stop to heal herself, something that was becoming quite taxing on her chakra. She wouldn't be able to last much longer... The firing continued on for a while until finally, after much determination, the damage was reduced by ninety percent. With a happy battle cry, Michiru soon fell over completely exhausted, though had a huge smile on her face. Finally... After years of practice she had mastered the fighting style. She could now call herself a master of the "Will of Kratos." This seemed like a new beginning for Michiru and she couldn't help but feel that the next chapter in her life was about to unfold.

[amane]

110/110

Learned