Mastering the Art of Rain(Training Thread)

[kininata]

[Training in:
Chakura Kyuin Jutsu (Chakra Absorption Technique)
Rank: "C" Rank
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: The user is capable of draining a small piece of the opponent's chakra by pushing their arm off, making sure that they are close to the opponent.
Special: ---
Drawback: The user must have some sort of ground, or must be within close range of the opponent. What this means is that they must be at least couple of feet from the opponent in a maximum range, or they must have hold of something that is pure chakra such as chakra strings.
Description: The user focuses their own chakra within their body and pushes it towards their very hands. As the user does so they create a somewhat "vacuum" like effect within their own chakra along the palm of their hands. What this occurs is when the user grows close to the opponent and does a punching like motion the opponent will feel a small amount of chakra escape from their very own body and be used towards the user's own special like force. This can be used to further the strength of the user with their own chakra supply.
Limit: Anyone is capable of learning this technique.
Training Points - 0/10]

Kininata had spent days reading the scrolls he had acquired from Souzen's home. He understood the kind of power he had wielded then, and realised how is anger and madness drove him to believe what he had done. Now he wondered whether going down that same path was a wise choice... what if he succumbed to the same mental malady that his friend did? These worries were in his mind as he sat on the floor of his porch, the scrolls needed to master the techniques of his new blade beside him. 'I can handle it. After everything I have been through, I must.' He took the first scroll needed to master the technique, and began his preparations.

In order to use the sword effectively, he needed to learn how to draw in chakra from around him; through the air, the trees, the grass, and his enemies. For this, the Chakura Kyuin Jutsu needed to be learned; it was the first step in the long path ahead of him. He read the scroll in detail, seeing how the chakra needed to be shaped "in theory" to allow the user to draw chakra into his own body. Satisfied with what he had read, he placed the scroll on the ground, taking several steps out into the misty rain, and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply, creating a calm composure within himself as he prepared for his first trial. When he felt his body at ease, he clasped his hands together, separating them slowly as he focused his mind of gathering chakra to them - the main advantage of the technique was the lack of Hand Seals needed to perform it. He could feel the energy in his hands, the warmth generated by it flowing circularly within his palms.

He extended his hands outwards into the air, trying to draw the background chakra of the world around him, and found that nothing was happening. 'Hmm... maybe it needs something more substantial.' still holding the chakra within his hands, he stepped towards the small canals of water of his yard, and placed his hands into them. He could feel the draw of chakra from there, but it was so small that he could barely notice it. He tried it once more, this time on a tree in the yard, only to feel a slight increase compared to the water. 'Background chakra is simply not enough, it seems.' He released the flow within his hands, letting them ease from the sensation caused from that kind of usage - forming Hand Seals for a technique was one thing, but constantly surging chakra through them was a huge difference. He took several minutes, working out how he might gain actual experience in using the technique without harming others.

His eyes it up as an idea formed in his head. He formed several Hand Seals, and released a small portion of chakra into the air; before him formed five liquid copies of himself. They each have an amount of chakra that should be drainable with the technique, in theory. He assumed, and went straight to work in his next trial. He stepped forwards towards them, forming the chakra in his hands, and touched the first clone; he instantly felt a difference, feeling the energy of the creation before him being sapped - but before he could feel any significant amount the clone lost cohesion and collapsed. He repeated the process on the remaining four clones to prove his new theorem, and observed the same results; the chakra within them is required for their form to remain stable, and any disruption worked as though they had been damaged. 'Lets get your big brother in then.'

He formed several more Hand Seals, different from the first set, and then a moment later five more clones formed, differently from the others. Mizu Bunshin have no reserve chakra, but a Kouu Bunshin does. So, in theory, they should be relatively unaffected at first. The first clone stepped up, and Kininata placed his hand on the clone's shoulder; the technique worked. He could feel the siphoning of chakra from within the clone, and observed that it was in a state of near-constant flux from the drain. Within ten seconds, the clone lost its remaining chakra to maintain its form and collapsed, but Kininata had discovered what he needed to know. 'Now for a test. You, come at me.'

He took a simple taijutsu stance, and the clone responded similarly. The clone moved forwards, adopting a cautious attack strategy; Kininata countered the blow, deflecting the kicks and punches that came at him, until he found an opening to just touch the clone on the chest - the sudden draining of chakra forced the clone to disperse slightly before reforming, one of its pockets consumed by the touch. Kininata resumed the spar, but at the next opening, he made a solid strike at the chest. He could feel the blow hit full on, but at that same moment he could also feel the chakra drawn out from the clone; and the clone withdrew, its form taking a moment longer to recompose itself that it should have done. Looks like the double-effect is a fairly potent technique against my clones. I'm going to have to remember that in the future. He finished the brief spar a moment later, and dispersed the remaining clones. He had learned what he could of the technique, satisfied with the results of his training.

[goliath764]

+10

[kininata]

[Training in:
Chakura Ken Kinsei [Chakra Blade Balance]
Rank: C
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: The user focuses on balancing a correct amount of chakra for the blade to work properly.
Special: -----
Drawback: Training must be done without physical contact between the blade or any other object for the blade will break like simple glass.
Description: The user focuses on a reverse of the Chakra Absorption Technique, trying to push a larger amount of chakra into the blade. They must make sure it is at a balance, meaning that the blade is covered in chakra in all areas of the blade with the correct amount so that simple attacks would push through in turn shattering the blade into small pieces.
Limit: Must know Chakra Absorption Technique
Training Points: 0/10]

Kininata unfolded the scroll to the first step of mastering the blade left in his hands by Souzen Kaeda. He read from its scripture, soaking in the information like a sponge to water, and realised why he was reluctant in using it; its fragility made it as much a liability as its power was an asset. Still, the path to mastered power always has risks attached, and this was just another one in the long road that Kininata had walked down many times before. This would not deter him from becoming a master of that sword, nor would it deter him from using it should the time come for such measures.

He started by drawing the delicate blade into the open air of his garden, seeing the thin structure and feeling it truly for the first time since he acquired it. He held the blade before him, the back of the sword facing him, and he focused his mind, gathering his Chakra into the palm of his hands - this was where the importance of learning the Chakura Kyuin Jutsu becomes so important; for using this blade effectively meant reversing that jutsu's effects, and one cannot do that without first knowing how to use the initial technique. He let the Chakra build up in his hands, touching the hilt but never allowed to flow through it... he had to build a familiarity with the sword first, feel how it would take his energy into the blade before letting it flow freely. And already he could feel a spark of clashes between him and the sword, even though it was an inanimate object.

The sword was designed to draw Chakra into it to function, it was in its nature at creation to work that way; the moment his inexperienced hands grasped it the nature of the tool felt as though it was calling to him, and he was applying quite some effort to maintain stability over his Chakra flow while he held it in his hands. His initial instinct was in fact to let it happen, but he realised that it wasn't him controlling the effect, which was key in the learning of the technique. He placed the sword down on the ground gently, releasing his grip, and feeling that his Chakra ceased to be flowing with a degree of instability. 'Definitely a weapon that deserves respect, that one.' He sat down in front of it, closed his eyes, and meditated as he continued to hold his Chakra in his hands.

He felt the flow become stable in his hands, felt the flow moving calmly from the centre of his body to his palms and back. After a few moments he was comfortable with how he was controlling his flow of energy, and then took the sword slowly, gently, into his right hand. Almost immediately he was fighting against the flow of his own energy again, but this time it was no where near as hard as the first time; it was as though the sword was getting used to him, to his flow, and adapting as much as he was adapting to it. It was quite creepy for him at first, but the sensation passed after a moment, and soon he could feel the flow of Chakra become as stable with it in his hand as much as without the sword in his grasp. Giving a satisfactory nod, he slowly rose to his feet with the blade in hand, a slight blue shine now long the metalic surface, and he would now have to work on the harder part of controlling the Chakra - molding it evenly around and through the sword as a whole.

He could feel the way the sword was drawing his Chakra into it; it was rough, like and unshaped diamond still covered in sharp edges. If he were to strike with this now in its current form, he suspected that it might just simply shatter on impact - something he must avoid at all costs. So he started the long path to adjusting the way his Chakra was drawn and shaped into the tool, trying to create a controlled release that was even and stable all throughout. It was something that was testing his skills for sure, something he was enjoying almost as much as the first time he started work on Kouu Bunshin no Jutsu. It came across as a technique that was truly among those of "easy to learn, difficult to master"; it required constant concentration, for any lapse meant the flow was disturbed and the sword was at risk.

It was not easy; each time he tried to adjust the flow, the entire sword seemed to counter his changes. He would steady the flow in the hilt to find it became rampant at the tip, to then steady the flow there and find the centre was vibrating a stream of Chakra, and managed to correct that to find it too thin at both ends - the difficulties of manipulating the sword's flow were constant and seemingly endless, and eventually he placed the sword back down on the ground, trying to find a new way of dealing with this problem - and the solution came at the moment he released the grip; the flow stabilised across the entire sword for just a moment as he let go, and he felt how that sensation spanned across the blade. He did his best to mimic that flow in his hands, and then spent a long time reaching for and taking the sword back into his hands - and instantly he felt the sword was truly balanced as he held it firmly. 'You aren't such a temperamental sword after all.' He said quietly to himself, and sword the sword downwards - where all his problems started all over again.

The moment it moved, the Chakra flow distabilised instantly, ruining its formed shape before returning to its original state. He pondered as to why it reacted that way, and made the swing again, this time much slower: as the blade moved, the Chakra that he had formed around the sword was too dispersed, too open, enough that the momentum was disturbing the bonds between the Chakra and the sword itself. So he began to swing the sword extremely slowly, both seeing and feeling the variances in Chakra as he did so, then compensated and repeated the movement; each time he ensured the Chakra remained stable around the blade, and then as he did so he moved faster and faster, readjusting his flow to maintain that same stability, until after an additional hour, he could swing the sword as fast as he could use his other katana without so much as a shred of instability anywhere.

He sheathed the sword, pleased at his control of the sword and the technique for using it, and turned back towards the house. He was tired, worn out from his extended use of the sword. After a day, he would return to his hard training, further mastering the use of the Tenkyo Buryoku.

[goliath764]

+10

[kininata]

[Training in:
Name: Chakra Pressure Based Attacks
Rank: B
Skill: Ninjutsu/Taijutsu
Effect: The user now focuses on pushing the chakra out into a fine cut able to pierce almost limitless objects.
Special: -----
Drawback: Constant chakra drain. Objects such as stone or metal cannot be cut through, but if the technique is used correctly, it can deflect attacks of that strength. The blade must be at most four feet from the object before cutting through it with the chakra, or the chakra simply fades away. The chakra can be blocked, but it requires that the opponent knows what is to come or has eyes to see this invisible killer.
Description: Through excessive training, the user now must focus on pushing the chakra collected within the blade, out into such a thin yet almost solid form that its fine edge can cut very strong objects. Its strength practically rips through chakra like paper, of course not Genjutsu techniques and some Ninjutsu techniques, but defensive Ninjutsu techniques can be cut through quite easily. The user must meditate daily with this blade if they wish to have a true connection with it, and they must learn how to create a pulse within the blade that pushes the chakra out, and only with total chakra control can that be executed. Basically allows the blade to cut through many types of material as well as cutting the opponents flesh without the blade having to truly touch the person.
Limit:
Limit: Must know Chakra Blade Balance
Training Points - 0/60]

After returning from the capital city of Ame no Kuni, Kininata found himself at once in the back yard of his family estate, sat in a meditative position, the Tenkyo Buryoku lay on his legs - grip on the left left, tip on the right side - and his hands placed at the dead centre of the blade length. He had read the texts he recovered from Souzen's house several times, and in doing so recognised that he had to form a "connection" as such with the blade, in that he had to be able to let his chakra naturally flow into, through and out of the weapon with ease, like instinct, rather than forcefully. So, he started with the slowest, more delicate process of the bonding - meditation. He had spent months doing this during his year away from the village, learning to control his emotions, to control his disease, and that time spent was now benefiting him greatly in his current endeavor.

He would breath in deeply, taking in the moist air in the wind, letting it fill his lungs; as he breathed he would gather his chakra - just a trickle - into his body, letting it move through his body on its own accord. In that movement the flow of his energy would touch his hands, briefly touching the sword itself before returning to the body, and finally being gently released as he exhaled the stale air within his chest, only to repeat the process again and again, slower, steadier. When he had first started working on this, his own chakra would just move from hand to hand, completely ignoring the sword at his touch. After an hour it was finally reaching it - if only in a way that was described as a timid boy trying to dip his feet into cold water for the first time, retracting at the sudden shock to his senses. He did not anticipate quick mastery over this as he had done with Suiton and Hyouton - those were based on skill with ninjutsu, skill with gathering and controlling elements through hard training. This was different; it was something that required patience of mind and body.

The hours would pass. the daylight that had been there when he first started his patient meditation was now gone with the dusk, leaving him surrounded with a cold atmosphere, the moisture bringing the hairs on his arms and legs to stand in the air, grabbing at them to create a cushion against the chill. Yet his mind was past acknowledging such affects on his body; he was focused on his task at hand, focused on creating a simple bond with the weapon that lay on his relaxed body. He breathed in deeply, letting the cold air enter his lungs and saturate his body, his chakra forming through his body. The flow moved around freely, and now dipped into the sword by almost a finger's length, not quite in tune enough to make it a true extension of himself, but an improvement from his clumsy first moments in trying. A smile snuck onto his face, and it was in that moment that he faltered... pangs of hunger and thirst entered his mind, realisations of the temperature outside touched his relaxed mind, his body shivered in that realisation. He opened his eyes and his meditative focus was gone.

'Damnit.' He said softly, looking upwards at the sky to see a storm forming overhead, perhaps twenty minutes away. 'Guess I'll have to continue inside.' He grabbed the sheath for the sword, carefully returning the blade to its rest, then rose to his feet and went inside to his family abode. He placed the sword on the table, heading towards the kitchen to make a large cup of hot tea in order to remove the chill from his bones. once made, he sat down in front of the sword, his eyes moving not an inch from it as he slowly supped from the cup in his hands. He would wait until morning to continue his work.

[kininata]

[Training Chakra Pressure Based Attacks (B Rank) - second post]

The weather calmed down, and Kininata took the blade back to his hands before rising from his seat to head back out into the open air. The doors slid open, the fresh moist air filling his lungs with energy and renewed focus. This time, rather than sitting on the open grass, he set up a mat just outside the porch door and would sit himself there, under the cover of his home so that even when the rain came again he could continue his meditative training undisturbed by the ever-changing weather of his homeland. He drew the blade from its sheath, resting it on his knees as he had done so earlier, placed his hands at it's centre, and closed his eyes. his breathing slowed, steadying into a rhythmic pace, feeling his heart decrease its beats per minute. He let his mind relax, emptying all of the distractions around him and within his thoughts, his mind focused on the sword before him - feeling it with his hands, with his Chakra, with his soul.

Within moments he could feel the flow of his Chakra ebbing into the sword, if only an inch or so; it was still a good sign, showing that he was forming a bond as such with the tool. The scrolls said that a bond was a requirement to truly use the weapon with mastery, and the more he read brought up the same question - why had Souzen not used this weapon to its fullest against him? And the same answer always came back, one that made him realise just had far he still had to go before he could believe himself ready. He steadied his breathing, drawing a little more Chakra from himself into his body, trying to force a portion of it into the sword - a nudge. It flowed in, tip to tip, for a fraction of a second, before retracting back to where it was comfortable and stable. Well, at least I know I can link with it, I just have to be patient with it.

For over an hour he sat patiently, his body becoming numb and still with his focus still on the blade, with improvements to boast - his Chakra was now running long nearly half the blade with a steady, beat-matching pulse at a regular interval with his own flow. He could feel the sword drawing in his strength, feel it feeding on his Chakra at a slow, steady rate. It was an unusual experience, the sensation of the weapon drawing his strength into it, but as alien as it was, it was also quite exhilarating, like the first time he felt an adrenaline rush. It was an almost addictive feeling, and he wanted to let himself draw more Chakra out to intensify the experience - then he stopped. He opened his eyes, and found himself in a sweat; his body was exhausted, and he was now struggling to life the blade from rest to sheath it. 'Damn, no wonder this thing is dangerous.' In his focus, and his ecstasy, he hadn't noticed that it had been draining every ounce of stamina from his body to continuously feed it, and it had left him exhausted as a result - another ten minutes, and he would have lost consciousness from pure fatigue.

He placed the sword to the side, and let himself fall backwards onto the ground, his body feeling five times as heavy as it had done. He rolled onto his knees, barely, and jadedly took the sword - by the sheath - into his hand, then crawled into the house. After a brief struggle with placing it on the table, he climbed onto the couch, and took some time to sleep. He had not felt this exhausted since his first period of training in Kouu Bunshin, and that had taken a great deal out of hm then. This sword was a dangerous tool for someone who had too little experience with Chakra-intensive training, and if he ever handed this thing over to someone, it would have to be someone aware of the dangers involved in such a tool.

[kininata]

[Training Chakra Pressure Based Attacks (B Rank) - Third post]

Hours had passed since he had stopped letting his Chakra flow into the sword, his eyes opening to its sight on the table. He could not draw his jade-eyed vision away from its glimmering blade, from the intricate mastery of its crafted form; it was a thing of beauty for a weapon of death, and after his years of carrying Shippijin and Jinyasho, he could fully appreciate such workmanship. The more he stared at it, imagining what he would eventually be capable of doing with such a tool in his hands, the more he realised how Souzen could have fallen from his once honorable grace to his dismayed hallucination of godhood. Even his meager level of control with it now was enough to have his adrenaline pump, his heart race, his emotions of joy run through his calm mind - power: that was the symbol the weapon represented; pure power at the touch of a hand. This is why I must be careful. I must endure this sensation, or it will consume me.

He rose to his feet, taking the sword in hand - purposefully subduing his flow of Chakra - and moved outside into the open air, the rain finally on pause from its usual light torrent. He smiled from the corner of his mouth, and then held the sword out in front of him, the blade pointing towards the wall at the back of the yard. He let his Chakra flow freely to see how it would react with the sword; it flowed through the muscles of his body, the blood, the bones and skin... then freely into, through, and from the sword, matching the pulse and pace of his body. He had, for the immediate future, bonded with the sword successfully. 'Now for some practice. Lets see just what this thing can really do.' He raised the sword up above his head, blade facing outwards, and gathered Chakra within the sword; he dropped the blade, slicing forwards.

He felt the chakra release from his body, felt "something" move into the air, but his eyes saw nothing - no disturbance in the wind, no seemingly exerted force. He stared into the open air, to see nothing. 'Huh.' He said, lowering the sword. 'I guess it has a really short range then, or it's just for show.' He sheathed the blade, releasing his flow from its entity, then referred to the scrolls - indeed, it was of limited range, out to as far as four feet. Past that point, the energy of the force dispersed harmlessly. He sighed, hoping that it would have been somewhat more powerful, but quickly reeled in that thought - he had plans to enhance the effectiveness of this weapon anyway.

He pulled out a dozen old training targets from the storage shed, placing them at intervals of three inches from his reach with the sword up to four feet away from left to right. That way, as he reached one target successfully and clearly, he could simply shift to the next with little or no effort required, watching his progress as he did so. Once the targets were set up, he took his stance before the first one, which lay three inches past his blade's physical reach, and let his chakra flow once again. Powerful surged through him and the sword, filling him with confidence. He raised the sword above his head, then swung downwards with the same force and level of Chakra as before; and saw the slightest of shakes on the target; it was projecting outwards, but the level of strength was so weak it barely made a mark.

Seeing that this was still early in his training with the weapon, he paused for a short while as he brought out food, water, and towels. Once those were prepared, he took off his haori, folding it neatly before placing it on the deck of the porch, followed by his burgandy jacket, then by his white shirt, leaving his chest and arms bare to the moist air. He retook his stance before the target, raising his sword to check and confirm the distance. He summoned forth more of his Chakra, trying to solidify and intensify what moved into the sword as he raised it into the air, took aim, and then swung downwards; this time he saw a laceration-style dent in the wood of the target, nearly two inches long, and for a moment he could see a flicker of wind pushing around the target. 'That's a good improvement.' He said under his breath, starting to feel the strain on his body already - this was a B Rank technique after all, and even though he was powerful, this kind of training for a technique such as this would be exhausting.

Three more times he repeated the movements, each time getting a little more improvement; the first one creating a longer indentation of nearly three inches, the second creating one even longer and deeper than before, feeling a trickle of backlash from the strike. The third, however, was the marker of success; the strike cut - cleanly, neatly - into the wood, splitting strands of bark for almost three inches deep, the length of the blow cutting across its width with a diagonal angle. He panted slightly, feeling sweat beads on his brow and chest forming. He was getting worn down, certainly, but he was showing definite progression in the technique. He pulled out a kunai from his pouch on his leggings and stabbed it into the cut, putting a marker there so that he knew for certain he was at that range, and then he leaned back to sit on the deck. He was too tired to proceed with it for the moment.

He sheathed the blade, placing it on the deck beside him, as he leaned back onto a dry towel to let the cool breeze cool him. He closed his eyes and rested, letting his stamina return to him. he still had a long way to go before he was finished here.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

A barn owl flied through the night air; it had a silver-coloured carrier on its back. It then spotted the house it was after and dived down. Kuroyabun landed right next to a shinobi with crimson hair, who seemed to be resting.
The bird let out a small 'hoohoo' and nudged his thigh. It carried a letter in its carrier with a message to this person.

SPOILER: Click to show

Hello Kininata.

I know your birthday is coming up, so I thought we could go to Taki no Kuni to celebrate it. There is a summer event going on there and it starts tomorrow.
Please send your answer with Kuroyabun as soon as possible. I gave him some sushi before he left, but feel free to give him something light to eat.

Marii.

[/size]

[kininata]

Kininata opened one eye, looking towards the nudging owl by his leg, and smiled widely. 'I remember you, little fella.' He slowly sat himself up, patting the owl very carefully on its head before removing the note to read it. He grinned even wider than before, and headed straight to the kitchen. 'You wait there, I'll be back in a few minutes.' While inside, he sliced up some fresh fish from his fridge - what had been intended for his evening meal - and placed it on a dish, leaving it out for the messenger to regain its strength. The owl hopped along to the dish and began to enjoy its light meal while Kininata wrote a reply to his closest and dearest friend.

He re-read the letter he wrote, nodding that it was good enough, and placed it into the now empty carrier slot on the owl. 'You fly nice and swiftly, now, and watch the sky.' He watched with glee as the owl headed off back to its home, and started to pack his belongings.

[✗ Kaeor ✗]

27

[kininata]

[Training Chakra Pressure Based Attacks (B Rank) – Fourth post (27/60)]

A new day had dawned by the time he returned to his training with the sword, his meditations to maintain the bond with it completed for this day. His body was getting used to the strain on his system while he used this blade, even bringing a slight grin to his face as he saw visible improvements in his evolving skill. He took the sword into his hands, removing the sheath, and stood up before the practice targets again, his scar-riddled chest exposed to the cold moist air of Ame no Kuni. He stared at the previous mark he had made on the first target, still marked with the same kunai as before, and nodded. ‘Let’s see what a day’s rest has done to my sharpness with this thing.’ He raised the sword, focusing his Chakra to flow through his hands – within a fraction of a moment it surged into, through, and out of the blade with ease. When he swung downwards he could feel the release of energy through the blade itself, and watched with eagerness as to what would happen – the wood fractured completely, separating the target in half, letting his eyes watch the upper half of the object fall ungracefully to the ground. ‘That is a great start to the day.’ He said, easing the flow of Chakra in his body – if he let it run loose, the sword would drain it completely before he could make any decent progress with it.

He turned his attention towards the next target, three inches further away than the previous one as he had planned, and prepared himself to strike at the target again. He steadied his breathing, relaxed his muscles, and focused his mind; he envisioned the Chakra flow, how it was shaped, released, and would cut. He breathed in, drawing Chakra into his body, then he breathed out as he let it flow into the sword. He breathed in as he raised his sword above his head and left shoulder… and then he exhaled, swinging down quickly and precisely – the result was a target that received what seemed like a one-inch indentation, and tiny fragments of wood splinters. ‘Well, it seems as though this might go a little faster than what I had anticipated, if it continues progressing like this.’ He ceased the flow of Chakra, letting his body relax; the drain from the sword could kill if one let it just drain without caution.

After taking an appropriate pause of a few minutes, Kininata resumed his striking stance, holding the sword firmly in his hands, and restarted his concentration of his Chakra flow into the blade. After only a short moment it stabilised, then with one quick flow of motion his arms rose up, then swung with a left-diagonal downward arc; releasing the Chakra at the right moment, he watched as the fresh strike on the target was at least two inches deeper, splitting more of the wood than previously - again, respectable progress. He nodded in satisfaction, steadying his breathing as his Chakra flow returned to normal; he found that by doing that he could considerably reduce the drain on his body and therefore enhance his training time at least two-fold. He rose the sword again, taking aim at the target; when he swung downwards this time, the pulse of Chakra cut right through the wood, smoothly, cleanly. 'Alright, that's more like it.'

He turned his attention to the next target along the row, now reaching nine-inches from his blade's natural reach - only another three feet and three inches to go. He brought the sword upwards into the air, closed his eyes, and breathed. The air entered his lungs, moving with the flow of his Chakra into the sword; he opened his eyes and he held the air in his chest for a moment, and then exhaled with his swing downwards; the wood of the target before him was cut, slightly, but it was an impact he could see and mark with a smile. His muscles felt worn already, his focus starting to show signs of deterioration, but he pushed himself a little further; if he didn't he would never be ready for the exams. He raised the sword into the air again, repeating his previous preparation, and on this strike the wood was not just dented, but there were small splinters taken out of the target. He panted heavily, lowering the blade almost to the ground, and carefully kneeled down. 'That's enough for the time being, I think. Time for a real break.'

[yets3]

+10

[/font]

[kininata]

[Training Chakra Pressure Based Attacks (B Rank) – Fifth post (37/60)]

Almost four hours had passed since his break started; in that time, Terato had come by his home, asking for his tutelage in the arts of Suiton. He had accepted, something he had not expected himself to do, but maybe he was getting to that age finally; that age where he felt ready to start continuing his life. He would find out if he had a new student tomorrow, as for now, the blade awaited his performance. He stood there, refreshed and renewed from rest and conversation, and the third target of the sixteen stood before him, taunting him to continue. 'Let's see if we can hit the two-foot mark this time around.' He said openly, moving to the marked spot on the ground where he was to stand, and breathed in; with the air moving into his chest his arms rose upwards above his head, Chakra flowing into the sword; in the pause he took a firm grip of the handle and aimed; in the release of air he drove the blade downwards with confidence, with determination, releasing the Chakra at the key moment. The target was split asunder at the impact point, separating cleanly. He looked in wonder, and stared down at the sword. 'Huh... guess it's becoming more natural for me now. That's a bonus for sure.' He said to himself, still amazed at the sudden burst of progression.

As he turned to the next target, taking his stance, his confidence rose exponentially, feeling as though he could take them all down with one sudden, massive release of Chakra. However, as he swung down to strike this one, nothing happened - there was no impact, no sound, only the empty air. He raised his eyebrow, then moved over to the target to inspect it. After a minute of careful scanning, he found a single, minute mark that followed the motion of his strike, but that was all. 'Alright world, I get it. No getting over confident, the word is spoken.' He said with a grumbling voice, moving back to the mark to reposition himself for the next attempt; this time, with more patience, more control, more focus.

He calmed his mind, emptying the thoughts of triumph and confidence that had overwhelmed his better judgement, bringing back his calm resolve to the task at hand. He would begin with his breathing meditation, calming his body and mind to a slowing beat of his heart; once done, he would rise the sword above his head and aim carefully; and then he would strike - he made sure his form was clean, perfect, controlled. Satisfied, he raised the blade again, this time adding his Chakra to the sword, and repeated the controlled swing; the target was firmly struck hard, splinters sliced off the outside, though it remained in one piece; it was improvement over the previous attempt for sure, but he remained calm, remained in the stillness of flowing mind he had been taught over a year ago. 'Still quite a distance to go yet, Kini. Keep the focus.' He muttered to himself as he repeated the procession of movement to finish what his last swing started, severing the target into halves.

He turned slightly to his right, aiming at the target fifteen inches from the blades edge, And started his breathing once more. He recognised that he needed to let his body recover a little more each time he used the technique, even in brief bursts as he was doing now, to maximise his training. A minute passed by, and he raised the sword into the air, breathing in as Chakra filled the blade. He paused, taking careful aim at the target, repeating his breathing twice more; the swing was sudden, quick, almost at the best pace he could provide - and the results were exceedingly good. He struck the target, seeing splinters spreading from its form, then smiled as a moment later the upper half slid half an inch before falling off of the base cleanly. 'I can do this. Just focus, breath, and strike. It's almost like Iaijutsu training all over again, really.' He said to himself, lowering the blade to his side. His muscles were already showing signs of fatigue again, and he was seeing that his limit was not too far off already. 'Break time again already.' He spoke under his breath, then lay the sword by the side as he went inside his home for tea and a light bite.

[atem.]

[+10]

[kininata]

[Training Chakra Pressure Based Attacks (B Rank) – sixth post (47/60)]

He was getting further along in the training than he had expected. Five targets down, eleven to go... and he now had a rhythm. He knew exactly how to do the repeat performance, how much Chakra was needed, and how much physical effort as well as mental focus was required to perform the technique. All that was needed from him now was a stable repetition of his efforts for the remainder of the targets, and he would be where he needed to be - ready. He took his steps back out onto his family training ground, the sword tied to his side, and he took his position at the line in the ground, staring at the sixth target in the group. He had become accustomed to having the sword at his side now, and he was ready to accept the weapon as a part of him, as Souzen had done himself - only, perhaps, with less of the possible crazed intent for it.

He took his stance before the target, focusing his attention at the shape, and slowly drew the sword out into the open air. He ensured a firm grip of the handle, aiming the blade at a downward but leftways angle for a clean slice through the target. he raised the sword into the air, then swung down to test his movement and form. He nodded in satisfaction, and then trickled his Chakra into the blade. There was an odd sense of euphoria from the sensation now, as though releasing it like that was a pleasurable experience, but he held back that emotional build up to focus on his training again. He repeated the movements of just a moment ago, and he released the Chakra into the strike with clean efficiency - over the next four seconds the wooden target fell from its position of taunting into half its former stature, leaving a smiling Kininata to look down upon it. 'Nice and easy, Kini.'

He went through this process seven more times, and each time he was successful. Twelve of the targets lay severed before his gaze, with only four more remaining, though the last one was leaving him feeling worn out, losing his focus to continue. He was breathing hard, sweat beads rolling down his face as though it was raining heavily, and his muscles ached from his exertions. He sheathed the sword, purposefully ensuring that his Chakra connection with it was broken, and nearly collapsed as he tried to sit himself down to take it easy. Within moments he was feeling better, more alive, and now suddenly more concerned - was the price of controlling and using this power worth it? Why did Souzen bother to master something that was such a danger to himself? He was always curious about how Souzen had made the choice to accept this weapon for his own, and he was barely closer to an answer on that subject.

He sat there for nearly an hour, resting, recovering, pondering the question. Why this sword? He knew what was capable based on the scrolls for it, and what was capable based on what he knew he could create with it... but why not something less dangerous? His only answer was one that his father had told him: "Only the weak want something easy. The strong need something dangerous to keep themselves strong." He stood up, moved to his line in the ground, his face grimaced with effort. He drew the sword, letting his Chakra ease into it, and then she sliced downwards... and again... and again... and once more. Each swing struck down a target, until the last one was a mere dwarf of itself. All of them had been destroyed from his strike at distance, each one now splinters and tinder for fire.

'I do this because he left me with the charge.' He said to himself, sheathing the sword. He could take a break from his training for now, recover, and prepare for the final part - using it in a fight.

[← KIRA →]

+10

[kininata]

[Training Chakra Pressure Based Attacks (B Rank) – seventh post (57/60)]

Almost an hour after striking down the last target, throughout which Kininata had been taking a break via food, water and rest, he stood on a freshly cleared garden, all the splinters and wood fragments removed from the ground. The sword hung by his side, his haori and shirt folded on the side in cover, his hair completely bound into a single, thick tail, and his eyes closed. He was breathing slowly, deeply, focusing on his preparation for the final stage of his training - using it in combat. He needed to test his reflexes, his ability to predict movement, and his ability to plan in advance. He was rusty at best, his last real fight being against Muteki back in the districts of Ame's capital - and that showed he was still lacking in skill for a real fight.

He formed his hands together, creating Hand Seals faster than he used to for this technique. 'Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu.' Within moments five copies of himself formed from the water around him, surrounding him, each carrying replicas of the sword by his side. He slowly dropping into the Iaijutsu stance, letting his training take over his body reflexes for the time being, and then gave them a slight nod - the bout had begun.

The first two clones charged straight at him, one from each side, swords poised for strikes - one for a downward swing, the other for a horizontal slash. Kininata could see their movement, looked at where they would be, and then, only a moment before their strikes would begin, he leaped into the air, flipping backwards as he drew his sword, and aimed an upward slash with a seventy-degree angle; Chakra surged through the blade for only a moment, but that moment was long enough; he felt the wave of Chakra release from the blade, followed by one of the clones being sliced pen on the chest before exploding in a burst of water. He landed on his feet, spun around, his sword following with the motion of his body to parry a strike from behind - his clones thought like him, and he, to a degree, like them, except that he could learn from their tactics while they could not.

The force behind his parry far exceeded what the clone could apply because of the level of control he possessed with the sword, forcing the clone backwards, and with one quick slash the metal cut along the clones waist-line and dissipated it. 'Two down, three to go.' He turned around, facing the last three, and sheathed his sword. He could feel a slight twinge of muscle exertion in his body, and noticed that his Chakra had taken a slight dip; he could fight like this, but he was still not quite strong enough to do so against stronger opponents yet.

The three clones came at him all at once, two of them trying to flank around him. In response, Kininata charged, drawing large portions of his Chakra into the sword - some for the pressure strike, some for something entirely different, as an experiment. 'Tachikiru-Ame!' He yelled at the front clone as he drew down the sword to a directly level with its chest - a massive wave of Chakra was released, released into a tight, binding cone, and as it made contact with the clone it was lacerated in several places as well as thrown backwards a couple of feet before dissipating. The exertion, sudden as it was, drained from him greatly - enough that he only had enough time to use the Suigozu technique to barely avoid the attacks from his flanks. However, he raised his hands for them to pause, letting him catch his breath.

'Damn... it worked. I can do this!' He said exuberantly, and then called for them to carry on with the practice - he simply raised the sword into the air, and as one came close enough he released a surge of pressured Chakra into and through its body, ripping it apart, with enough time to parry the last copy's strike - the force of such pushing it backwards for another easy thrust into its watery form.

He had successfully tested the technique... and a new combination attack that seemed to have a significant force behind it. With further, more in depth study and training, he could take it much farther... and suddenly realised why Souzen wanted this sword and its power. 'It really is the perfect tool for a swordsman.' he said that as he sheathed the blade, collected his belongings, and headed back inside.

[OOC: Tachikiru-Ame = Severing Rain]

[yets3]

+ 3

[/font]

[kininata]

[Training in:
Rakurai Shunshin no Jutsu
Rank: "D"
Skill: NinJutsu/TaiJutsu
Effect: A Shunshin variation that creates swirling bolts of lightning to disguise the user's movements.
Special: ---
Drawback: Takes away the number of usages Shunshin no Jutsu - Oshi (Body Flicker Technique - Push). Same distance applications apply. Same drawbacks apply when over using.
Description: User is able to perform any of the 5 Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) with this Jutsu as well as any advancements of Shunshin. Instead of creating a puff of smoke the user uses an amount of electrical currents found near the user (such as live wire poles) to rise up and swirl around the user to in the shape of lightning currents to disguise their movements as they perform a Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique). If the user has the lightning release they may create their own bolts of lightning.
Limit: Must know The 5 Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
Training Points: 10]

It was about time that Kininata got around to using the knowledge that his heart gave to him, even though that using it openly would cause him to draw some unwanted attention to his other activities outside of the village. He ensured that he did this training in a far safer and secure location - within the Hensoku Shikijou, the former headquarters of the Tenreikouu. It was solitary, secure, and the only ones who knew how to use it were really dead now, so he was not too concerned.

He stood there with the scroll, following the details given to him on how to read the scroll, and studied it with interest. He followed the instructions, carefully noting the differences compared to Kiri Shunshin he was taught at the academy. He focused his mind, verbally recalling each detail to perform the technique with his eyes closed several times to ensure that it was ingrained into his memory, and then rolled the scroll up.

Placing it, and his belongings some distance from himself, he stood in the center of the chamber, wearing only simple common clothes, and slowing his breathing. He focused on his limited knowledge of Raiton, on controlling and manipulating it with his hands and his mind, and applied his similar knowledge of Kiri Shunshin no Jutsu into his thoughts. After several minutes, he opened his eyes, and drew his hand together. He focused on a point ahead of himself, and drew in the Chakra needed for the technique.

'Rakurai Shunshin no Jutsu.' He said under his breath and he felt his body move forwards several meters, hearing the crackle of lightning behind himself - he turned just barely in time to catch the ends of the bolt he formed from it. 'Well, seems like its a pretty flashy escape technique. I'll enjoy using it in the right circumstances, I suppose.' He drew his hands back together, focusing his mind then drawing his Chakra to repeat the training with the simple technique, and did so with minimal effort. Again the flickering occurred successfully, and again he heard the familiar crackle of electrical energy behind him in satisfaction. After performing it for a third time in a row without issue, without problem, he resolved to one last task.

He took the scroll up from his belongings, and tossed it aside. As the scroll hit the ground, he drew Chakra in from his stamina and performed a couple of hand seals in quick succession. 'Raiton - Rakurai Shuryuu.' followed by a stream of lightning that caught the scroll, incinerating it quickly. Without evidence, he didn't need to worry about who might find out how he learned the technique, or where it came from.

[Solus]

+10