Snowfall Upon The Tower (Training)

[touketsu]

(??/80)

Ren awoke in whiteness, above and below him. He looked up blearily, looking from left to right. White was all around him. He was in some sort of infinite extension of whiteness. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up. In all directions, all he could see was white. He pushed himself up, standing. He glanced down at his hand.

Snow. So he was not within whiteness, but snow. The ground below him, a field of snow, the sky above, white clouds. And, squinting closely, he could perceive white snow falling against the white clouds. He looked around quizzically. He was alone. No ANBU surrounded him, no Yukikage tower loomed above him. How did I get here? He thought to himself.

"Not easily, that's for sure." A voice said from behind him. He whirled around, his adrenaline pumping. A tall man, dressed in a long white coat, stood before him. He looked neither old nor young, with silver eyes and trimmed white hair. His entire set of clothing, indeed, was white. He stood casually, with a confidence most men did not achieve in their lifetimes.

"Easy." The man said, raising his hands. "I'm here to help." Ren gazed at him suspiciously, his hand moving to grasp the scroll that held Retsu within. Or rather, the scroll that wasn't there. His eyes widened as he patted down his side, looking for the scroll. The man chuckled watching him.

"Who are you?" Ren demanded of the man. "Where am I?" The man sighed, shaking his head. Ren watched suspiciously, his hand finding his ninja pack had also disappeared. With a grimace, he awaited answers. The man did not respond for a moment, instead caught a few snowflakes on his fingers.

"Who, is not your concern." He said, smirking. "As for where, we're inside your own mind." He said, gesturing at the white around the two of them. "Or at least, the part related to Ice Chakra." Ren's ears perked up as he heard the words 'Ice Chakra.' The man chuckled.

"Yes." The man said, raising his hand. A whorl of water spun around his hand, then quickly solidified into a pillar of ice in his palm. "Here is where you'll learn to use the Ice Release." Ren grinned slightly. So this is what his father had meant about learning new releases. He widened his stance, ready to begin.

"Understand this, though." The man said, wagging a finger at Ren. "You have no weapons here, no power, no skills, only wind and water." Ren nodded, not quite understanding, but agreeing anyway. The man shook his head again, smirking. The boy really had no idea...

[touketsu]

A tap was felt on Ren's shoulder, and he felt the white collapsing around him. He looked around, feeling panicked. The white haired man waved at him, smiling cheekily.

"We'll resume this later." He said, as Ren was shaken back into reality. He looked blearily at the ANBU, feeling rather tired. They nodded at him, and he slowly stood, making his way back to the tower.

-Exit-

[//Talo//]

+9
+9
+9
______
{27/80}

*scratches head* Interesting, and you sigh a lot ^^

[touketsu]

(27/80)

Ren resumed his position in the cool snow, surrounded once more by the triad of ANBU members. He nodded at them, grateful for the protection. He closed his onyx eyes, dark hair falling over his eyes. His chakra flowed around him once more, and he focused on it, grating water and wind together. He winced, feeling the discord. He didn't give up, however, and forced them to become one.

Once white blasted before him, leaving his staring up at white skies. He pushed himself up from the ground, surrounded by the ethereal plain of snow once more. He brushed the snow from himself, looking around for the white cloaked man. The mysterious element of his psyche was missing, however. He frowned.

"Welcome back." The bemused voice said once more, and Ren whirled around to find the white-jacketed figment of his imagination standing behind him idly. "Straight to work, eh?" He said, looking at the determined expression on Ren's face. The young Yukikage nodded, his hand straying instinctively to his back pouch. He found it missing once more and grimaced.

"Ice is your only weapon here." The man said, his white hair fluttering slightly in the icy wind. He outstretched a hand, holding it expectantly before him. A moment passed, then a swirl of white twisted above his hand, elongating into a long, thin shape above his palm. As Ren watched in amazement, a pure white katana formed in midair, the hilt floating gently above the man's palm. The white enigma gripped the blade, grinning at Ren.

He flickered forward in the next instant, his blade dipping down to stab Ren through his abdomen. The aspiring Ice wielder's eyes widened as the man came at him, moving with tremendous speed. Ren rolled to the side, focusing his chakra. He felt the the warm and cold of water and wind flare within him for a moment, before they were smashed down harshly.

"I said Ice is your only weapon here!" The man growled, his katana swinging out at Ren's neck. The Yukikage ducked, swearing. He dove forward, his hands reaching back instinctively to his pocket to draw forth the scroll containing Retsu. The puppet was absent, however. He frowned, rolling to the side to avoid a downward strike from the speeding white demon.

He leaped up and backwards, sliding into a slight stance and trying to call on the ice within him. He felt nothing, however, only the constrained whorls of the blue and green within him. He grimaced, weaving to dodge further slashes, trying in vain to gather some form of chakra to him. He twisted, the blade of the katana coming dangerously close to nicking his shoulder.

"No weapons, no chakra." Ren said to himself, biting his lip as he dodged back from the blows. He was out of options! How was he supposed to fight if he couldn't even access his chakra, let alone perform jutsu? He ducked under another slash, swallowing as he saw the manic grin on the white haired warrior's face...

[touketsu]

(?/80)

Ren dodged under another slash, the white katana cutting through the white snow that fell from the white sky to the white earth below. He leaped back, his hair flying over determined black eyes as he fought. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to call chakra to himself. His sealed chakra swirled within, but he could feel the power cut off within himself. He couldn't even perform a Shunshin!

He opened his eyes again, finding the white figure before him with the blade dropping down, looking to cleave his head in half. He swore, whipping his head to the side and rolling, coming to his feet again as the pristine katana was hefted again. The man grinned at him, charging as he swung the katana again, the blade slashing out at Ren with lethal speed. The Yukikage rolled backwards, the robe of the Yukikage fluttering around him.

"Ice, damn it!" The man yelled at him, the blade flickering downward as Ren rolled, catching the edge of the boy's arm and nicking his bicep. Ren swore, the faint red of blood leaking out of the wound. He clamped his hand to it, eyes flicking up to the white warrior. Said warrior had appeared before Ren with blinding speed, his knee slicing up to catch the boy in the stomach. Ren gasped, wincing in pain.

He rolled to his feet, panting. The warrior stood still, two meters away with the katana held idly, a slight trickle of blood dripping of the tip and staining the priceless white of the snow with spots of red. Ren closed his eyes briefly, grasping at his chakra. He breezed past the wind and flowed past the water, seeking the median between them. A flash of white resounded in his mind's eye for a moment, before it disappeared from his sight.

"Now try it again." The man said, the katana rising to point at Ren. The Yukikage nodded at his foe, focusing his chakra and closing his eyes. He grasped at the white, which flickered on the edge of his vision, always out of reach. A sharp pain across his back brought him back into reality and he opened his eyes, stumbling forward to see the figment of white standing behind him with his katana dripping streams of blood. Ren felt the warm life splattering out of his back. He grimaced, pain running through his form from two points now.

"I didn't say we could stop!" The man roared at him, the katana swinging in another blow. Ren swore, bending under the blow and dancing out of the way of the following strike. He grasped at the white chakra, still trying desperately to gain a hold of it... Ice, ice, ice... Damn it, ice! He thought frantically, trying to extract the chakra from the depths of himself.

The white chakra swirled, before it was forced back within him by a powerful fist crashing into Ren's jaw, followed by a sharp kick that was barely deflected with an upraised arm. The young leader of the Snow Village spat out a wad of blood, his entire body pulsing with pain. The white warrior twirled gracefully, completing his barrage with horizontal slash that streaked across Ren's chest. Blood seeped out from the wound.

"Use it, or die." The warrior said simply, his katana held lightly. It raised gently, leisurely, hanging in the air above Ren, who fell to his knees, grimacing from the overwhelming pain leaking from his form. He trembled slightly, his mind digging deep into his psyche for the elusive white. The warrior sighed, the blade descending...

[touketsu]

(??/80)

Like the blade of Damocles, the pure white katana fell, descending towards the waiting neck of the kneeling Yukikage, baying further blood to stain it's pristine length. A flare of white erupted inside Touketsu Ren, snapping his eyes open wide and filling his body with wires of chakra so cold it burned. Time slowed to an near halt, his mind expanded under the influence of the chilling chakra.

His hand caught the blade of the katana easily, gripping the blade in his hand. The icy chakra sizzled over his wounds, knitting the flesh back together and restoring his vitality. A chilly frost spread over the bloodied katana from where Ren's hand grasped it, crackling down the blade. With a quick, simple motion Ren twisted his hand, snapping the blade off of the katana. The warrior looked at him bemusedly.

Ren stood, icy chakra twirling around him in curls. The warrior nodded, brushing himself off. With a swirl of white, the blade of the katana formed once more. Ren smirked, holding out his own hand and swirling the icy chakra around it. Blue tendrils whorled around his palm, extending into a katana of icy blue. He gripped it gently in one hand, his energy spiraling around him. He and the warrior stared at each other for a moment, a gentle wind passing between them.

Feet pushed off from the snow, and katanas arched in opposite directions, meeting in a deafening clash between the two warriors. Ren grasped the blade, striking up at his foe, who parried gleefully and lashed out a foot at the Yukikage. Ren held up his katana, blocking the strike. He gripped the icy blade, feeling his chakra run through it. The cool chakra was slippery, unfamiliar. He flowed it around his body, testing how it responded.

He leaped forward, swinging his blade at the foe. He winced, feeling the cool chakra running through him. The ice burned his tenketsu. He obviously wasn't comfortable with the chilly energy quite yet. His blade swept at his foe, he dodged backwards, his own sword flickering up from below at Ren's jugular. Ren parried, the swords resonating against one another.

"Now what?" Ren said with a faint grin, sliding to a halt a few meters away from the white haired warrior. He felt the cool chakra spiral around him, warming him and cooling him at once. The katana beneath his hands felt similar, almost as though it was an extension of his body. The white haired warrior smirked, his own blade held idly at his side. He held out the katana in his hands, drawing Ren's onyx eyes to it.

"Break this." He said, swinging it idly. "This blade I hold in my hands is the barrier stopping ice chakra from expanding into your chakra coils. Every release you could learn is protected by one of these, to prevent someone from having to deal with the mingling energies of all chakras in their system. Such a mixture would kill you." Ren nodded, hefting his own katana. A barrier, a limit... Merely an obstacle to be overcome.

The white warrior grinned at Ren, seeing the steel in the Yukikage's eyes. He waved the katana tauntingly before him again, then hefted it, eyes widening as Ren catapulted forward, his own blade slashing out. The blades rang harmonically as they struck one another, sending Ren skidding back. Oh ho ho... The white fighter thought bemusedly as he slashed out at Ren, who twisted away like a willow in the wind, his own blade lashing out horizontally. Where did this come from?

[//Talo//]

{57/80} Keep it up Yukikage ^_~

[touketsu]

(=P)

(57.80)

“Snap your katana?” Ren said, his onyx eyes following the white blade extended before him. He shifted his grip on his own, his free hand dangling at his side lightly. “Alright.” He leaped forward in the next moment, his blade ripping up from the ground to slash out at the white haired warrior. The pristine fighter smirked, his own blade rising to block the strike. The twin blades rang against one another, the harmony jarring down their arms. They sprung back a moment later, connected by a simmering glare.

Ren flew forward again, his sword flickering forward to stab through his foe. White, as Ren had come to name him in his mind, dodged backwards, frowning as his own blade twisted elegantly overhead to come down at Ren. The Yukikage’s eyes flashed dangerously and he wrenched his own katana upwards, bringing white and blue together in a deafening clash of metal. His foot lashed out, catching White in the chest and sending the man backwards. White chuckled, rolling up from the ground.

“Getting there, Yukikage.” He said, still chuckling. A moment later, a wave of chakra flowed off the man, overwhelming Ren’s senses. He snapped his eyes up, flaring white at the young kage. Ren’s eyes widened as the man almost disappeared from sight, moving forward with blinding speed. Ren raised his katana, sparks flying off it as the white blade crashed into it. He parried the following onslaught of strikes, grimacing as he was pushed further and further back on the snow. He was being overwhelmed!

A final kick sent Ren stumbling to the snow, just as he had done to White moments before. He growled, kneeling in the snow. Ice… He thought, focusing his chakra. He could match this. This was a world of ice. With ice chakra, he could accomplish anything here. He flared it around him, flowing it into his body and running it through his veins. He smirked, feeling the burst of energy running through him. He leaped to his feet, bursts of white and blue chakra flowing through the air around him.

“Copycat.” White murmured, smirking back at the Yukikage. Onyx eyes fixed to snow white ones, and the two stared at each other, the growing energy in the room palable. After a moment, Ren shoot forward, icy chakra trailing behind him. Slowly, surely, he was getting more and more used to his body using ice chakra to power his abilities. He flew forward, his foot spinning into a kick as he went. White ducked under it, raising his blade to parry the jab that came afterwards.

The two flew back and forth, striking out at one another as the fight continued on. Ren growled, powering his feet with ice chakra as he dashed at his opponent, blade spiraling in a precise attack. White deflected it, twisting elegantly to slash him. Ren rolled out of the way of the blade, striking out at White with his foot. Snow poured down from above in a blizzard as the two fought valiantly, matched sword for sword. White twirled under Ren’s strike, thrusting forward.

The blade swung true, stabbing through Ren’s abdomen, the white blade stained red as it poked out of Ren’s back. The Yukikage gaped, the feeling his hot blood splattering out unto the field of infinite red. His eyes fluttered, wide against the pain. He could feel his chakra building within him, racing around the burning sword lodged within him. It was now, or never! Ren growled, his own blade rising and slashing down at the blade caught within him. He sheared through it, slashing the katana in half.

“Well done.” White said, smirking. “Now finally, you need to learn how to wield it in the outside world.” Ren gasped, feeling the blade within him burning even hotter. The white all around him brightened, until his eyes burned with the radiance. He felt the heat all around him, coupled with an odd sense of cold racing through him… All of a sudden, his eyes snapped open. Ren found himself sitting cross-legged on the snow outside the Yukikage Tower, three ANBU standing around him. A cool rush flowed through him, the faint feeling of ice chakra. He stood, heading towards the tower. Not much left to do now… He thought to himself…

-Exit-

[Okami]

+10

Cloud pwns at giving you tp.

[touketsu]

Ice Release

(67.80)

Touketsu Ren stepped back outside the tower, watching the snowfall gently cascading down around him. He nodded to his ANBU, the red-haired woman who had been assigned to him. It was lonely, rather lonely, these days. He frowned. He needed some more training, in order to truly use the art of Hyouton. What had happened in the inner world had been, quiet frankly, confusing. He needed solid evidence, trained proof.

He stepped gently to look at the faint waterfall cascading down the edge of the ravine, pouring down infinitely into the dark, misty depths. With a sigh he gathered his energy, looking from side to side to ensure he was alone. The only person watching him, all around, was his ANBU aid. He sighed, nodding. He closed his eyes, calling to that energy. He needed to gather that chakra again… That special chakra.

First came the blue, the liquid, the warm, and the gentle twist of water running up and down his spine. The blue chakra, the Suiton chakra, spiraled around him, starting at the base of his feet and gently curling up around his legs, twisting around the appendages and wrapping around his waist, ponderously trailing up beyond his pelvis and caressing his chest. He sighed, feeling the cold as it lifted over his shoulders.

The next chakra was the same, energy of a mystical kind from within, but subtly different. This one was green… This one was gas, this one was chilly, and the whipping blast of wind as it struck him in the side of the face. He gathered this chakra next, circling it down from his head and spinning it, letting it brush down his legs and wrap around his feet. He inhaled, letting the wind gather in his chest.

The goal, of course, was to collide the two charkas, and combine them, to form that mystical white chakra that controlled the sacred element of ice. He smirked lightly. He was the leader of the village of snow… Ice Release techniques should be his bread and butter, simple and easy for him to use. With a smirk he gathered a burst of chakra around him, of both wind and water, swirling it about his form.

As he did so, he began to collide the twin pieces, grinding blue against green. As they had been in the inner world, and when he entered the inner world, the twin types chakra that made up the true nature of icy chakra were unwilling to join. He frowned, grinding them harder together. He needed to force them to obey his will… He growled, forcing them deeper and deeper together. They ground together, dissolving.

As the twin charkas rotated and smashed against one another, the blue began to mix with the green, each piece remained distinct, but with flecks of each color finding their way into each other’s flow. Ren smirked, focusing harder on the twin bits of energy. He needed them to combine, to become one! He forced them together, and all of a sudden the white light flared out again in his mind… Ice… ICE…

[touketsu]

His eyes snapped open, letting the ice chakra running up and down his arms. He smirked, enjoying the white energy twisting along his form. With a smirk, he let the twisting force run up along his arms. He smiled, letting it tug at his sleeves. He stood up, the energy tugging at his coat and swirling. He stepped over to the waterfall, gathering the ice chakra and looking over at the water… This ought to be good.

He smiled, releasing the ice chakra into the cascading water, focusing his energy into it. Cold. He thought. Freezing. He grit his teeth. Freeze. He smirked, watching as sparkles of ice crystals twirled around the water where he had immersed his hands, the already freezing salt water freezing further into crystals of icyness. He frowned, releasing the rest of the energy. In a flash of white the waterfall froze, leaving Ren smirking…

[|Ayame Unbound|]

Learned m'dear.

[touketsu]

=Exit=