Takara: Chuunin Blitz || Ev ||

[Takara]

SPOILER: Click to show

Tasukeru (Seeing Life)
Rank: C
Skill: Doujutsu
Effect: Allows a full three hundred and sixty (360) degree field of vision and some predictability to physical attacks. Unlike Byakugan, the user sees life in its normal colors during this tech, no details spared. Signs of life, thermal readings and X Ray vision is near perfect. Can also read a determine the difference of a regular shinobi to that of one with a bloodline or if they house any foreign presence by the different chakra waves displayed when observed through Tasukeru. This does not mean one knows the BL right away. Must have encountered the BL before in order to know exactly who they are. The ‘C’ ranked version grants the user up to 50 meters of observing. Each new rank for the Jutsu will add 50 more meters. This can be trained multiple times after all the ranks are achieved in order to add 50 meters onto one’s total. Each extra training is worth an S ranked training.
Special: Although one is born with this jutsu, one must activate the eyes through training.
Drawback: Heavy chakra drain over time, especially when multiple phases of the Tasukeru are accessed. While Taijutsu can be predicted, the Onigami are not designed to have fast twitch muscles. As such, perfect blocking simply won’t happen all the time.
Description: Summoned through will, the scarlet eyes of the Onigami will grow a very vibrant neon red and all life becomes theirs to fully observe. Once activated, the user has a three hundred and sixty (360) degree field of vision, as well as the ability to see into other people’s bloods. For those allied to an Onigami, this jutsu is revered for making the Onigami known as the ultimate scouts.
Limit: Must be part of the Onigami BL.

0/30

Kusagakure… it was a beautiful place The way the leaves shook when the wind blow; the way the sun shined on a cloudless day; the endless acres of grassland… it was poetry in motion. Barbs had tried for centuries to but the beauty into words; they’d all failed. The only way to capture the emotion, the splendor of it all, was to see it.

And I couldn’t.

I’d been bedridden for a couple of days now, coming down with a severe fever shortly after my graduation exam. I had always been a frail girl – my mental acuity had always more than made up for it – but this ailment was physically depressing. Even thinking about moving was painful. Any sound was like a cannon going off in my head. Lying in bed, with a hot cloth sitting on my forehead, I was the picture of agony.

I desperately wanted to at least see outside… if only just for a second As I could see through the wall, I turned my gaze towards it, and focused… for one, split second, I saw the village; the shock of it startled me, and the vision was lost.

For a second, I was certain I’d only been hallucinating, especially when another attempt wielded no results… but hallucinations didn’t have such perfect clarity. Something was amiss.

With a heavy head; literally, for my head was filled with fluid, I eased out of bead and hobbled over to the wall, my back hunched over as I walked.

My apartment was rather Spartan in design, and windowless. Not at all a fitting place for a young woman like myself, but it had the essentials. Transparent walls weren’t one of them, however.

I ran my hand across the wall; it was cool to the touch, but wholly solid. I frowned at it, my dainty nose scrunching up prettily, eyes narrowed suspiciously. I brought my hands up in the ram handseal – perfect for just molding chakra – and focus my energy into my eyes.

I’d noticed, during my year at the academy, that my chakra was more potent than others. Thicker, richer, whatever you want to call it; it was in a different realm entirely from the dregs I’d graduated with.

Chakra flowed from the depths of my soul, building behind my eyes. My headache worsened, and my legs rattled, but I held my ground, channeling more energy to my dull red optics. Alas, the wall wavered away as if it were an illusion, dissolving into nothing before my eyes,

I saw.

And then, with no warning whatsoever, the wall popped back up and I collapsed to the ground, my head thumping tremendously with every heartbeat. I felt dreadfully drained, as if I’d just spent hours running through thick forest, instead of a few seconds looking through my wall.

“Ugh.” I groaned from my spot to the floor. I glanced behind me; the bed seemed so far away.

[/size]

[Takara]

??/30

Two hours later my fever had lessened considerably to that point I was able to move without causing myself intense pain. My head still throbbed to the beat of my heart, but it was a mild throb, negligible even. Especially since my focus was one repeating the trick I’d done earlier. If that had truly been reality, and not a fever induced hallucination… watch out world.

I shifted in my bed, sitting up from my lying down position. My feet touched the ground softly, pale and small. My silken ebony hair fell against my back and front, covering my nakedness from the world. What a minute…

If I could see through walls… couldn’t someone else?

In a rush, I wrapped my sheet around my body, holding it securely so it wouldn’t fall. Then, another thought hit me: how much harder could it possibly be to see through a sheet than a wall?

With a huff, I dropped the cover. What did I have to hide anyway? I’d been a prostitute by twelve, for Kami’s sake. A peeping tom would lose me no sleep.

I held the ram seal once more, sitting instead of standing, just in case there was a repeat episode of earlier. My chakra flared to white, burning white in my mind’s eye. It was divine in its countenance; as a human, I felt inadequate basking in its warmth. Still, the chakra was mine to control; if it were divine, then so was I. Was this why Shinto had been so respectful when he’d met me? Why he’d called me “special”? That assshole; he’d known all along.

I pushed a mass of energy to my eyes; they began to itch, and if I had been looking in a mirror, I would’ve noticed them glowing. Whereas before I’d been so focused on the wall disappeared before me, now I saw the world drop away from behind me. My vision encompassed everything; it gave a new definition to the term, “eye’s in the back of your head.” The beauty of Kusa was presented to me, laid out on a platter in my own home. Nothing could hide from me now, not with eyes like these. Preparing for the inevitable crash, I let my chakra dissipate, thankful that I’d had the foresight to do so. No less than a second after I ended what was apparently a doujutsu, a wave of fatigue swallowed me, and I fell back against the bed, my hair splayed on either side of my head.

Whoever knew channeling chakra to your eyes could be so taxing!

[/size]

[Takara]

??/30

An odd thought struck me at the onset of darkness; my fever had all but disappeared, vanishing mysteriously without the help of any sort of medicine. Had my headache been a manifestation of my doujutsu? All the evidence pointed to that conclusion: I’d been sick for days, and all of a sudden when I channeled chakra to my eyes the pain had lessened and eventually disappeared. I might not have been a scientist, or a university graduate, but even I could put two and two together.

I’d since recovered most of my strength, both mental and physical. This led to my current position; standing by the window, eyes trained on the few people milling about in the waning light. In the evening, just before true night set in, Kusa would die down to a crawl, then build back up again when the sun fell behind the sky and the moon took up residence.

With excitement more attune to a child, I gathered my chakra, foregoing the ram seal. It built rapidly behind my eyes, plentiful and benevolent, responding to my beck and call. My chakra matched my personality; easy going and mild mannered, but with a hidden strength that could move mountains.

My eyes began to glow in the darkness; I could see my red orbs reflected in the window, shining back at me like demons in the night. It was unsettling, the sight of my eyes taking on such a demonic red glow. My vision stretched, taking in the sight of everything within the range of fifty meters, give or take. Without moving my pupils, I could see behind, below, and above me, all it once. It was disconcerting having such all encompassing vision; if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say I had a full three hundred and sixty degrees of vision. Humans normally had… hell, I didn’t know, but it was surely less than what I was capable of.

I focused harder, and in each person that walked through the streets, I could see faint white wisps inside and around their body. My instinct screamed “Life Force”, and somehow, that felt fitting. Another degree of focus was passed, and those people turned into walking yellow and ed blobs, reminiscent of heat signatures…

I could see heat signatures?!

Such a skill… I would be a kunoichi beyond value, with such a skill. Did my vision extend to chakra as well?

My eyes sought out a shinobi; there were bound to be at least a few out. There!

A man flitted across my vision, a faint blue glow surrounding him. Blue chakra was normal… I wondered, if I looked at a nin with a bloodline, would he or she look different? I didn’t know any bloodlimit users… none aside from myself. No matter; I’d have plenty opportunities to meet some, now that I had discovered my skill.

[/size]

[hotaru]

+30

[Takara]

SPOILER: Click to show

Dokudokushii Tashimae (“Å ‰Á) Venomous Addition
Rank: D
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: Warps creations from Mokuton no Jutsu into something exotic and poisonous.
Special: --
Drawback: --
Description: By manipulation of Mokuton no Jutsu, it becomes possible to change what should be healthy vegetation into a deadly, exotic and poisonous creations. Not only does the creation become poisonous, but its appearance makes it more alluring, causing a few of the weak minded to be sucked into its trap.
Limit: Grass Nin Technique. Must have Mokuton no Jutsu.

0/10

As a grass nin, it was expected that I have some modicum of grass related techniques. I'd discovered an affinity for Mokuton, but I wanted something else; something more sinister. I racked my brain to figure out just what I would learn, but my solution eluded me, until I wondered into the abode of a florist.

Poisonous plants. She cultivated them, the florist. She raised them behind glass shields, and explained to me that nothing beat poison plants. They could cause drowsiness, paralysis, even death; my mouth watered at the possibilities. I wasn't a particularly vicious nin, quite the contrary, but I knew that my profession would require me to kill I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't learn how to do it efficiently and effectively.

She'd given me a book on the biology of plants. It described in vivid detail exactly how plants manufactured poisonous secretions. Her book, however, was designed for shinobi, and contained a technique that was the embodiment of what I was searching for. Dokudokushii Tashimae it was called. It would turn any mokuton technique I learned poisonous. According to the book, it wasn't difficult to achieve, but required a certain mindset to put into application. Who better than me to learn such a technique?

I left the florists office, taking a detour to a field located on the outskirts of the city. I was clad in a black flower print kimono, with a deep red obi Not quite the obi of a prostitute, but close enough that I drew looks of ire from every woman that I passed. My sleeves hung low, hiding my dainty hands from sight. Geta sandals covered my feet, wooden, and very comfortable. I had my hair loose; it fell down my back in thick waves. For fear of some unseen, unknown specter, I didn't activate my doujutsu, though I longed to see. There had to be a reason I never knew anything about my power, or even my family.

Once I reached the field, I dropped to my knees, grasping blades of grass between my fingers. Poison was a negative word with negative connotations; therefore, it would require negative energy. I summoned up all of the hate and the rage that lay smoldering in my body, suppressed by my subconscious. Burning black hate rose up in side of me; my chakra responded, almost wilting from pure white to a sickly purplish color. The green hues of my mokuton chakra were infected by the purple energy. The purple seeped into the green, turning it into death personified.

It was that chakra that I pushed into the grass in my hands, feeding it my repulsive chakra, feeling nauseous the entire while. When it left me, it was as if a great weight had lifted from my shoulder. The grass in my hand withered, fading from tall and straight to short and drooping. A faint, noxious smell assaulted my nose at the change, and all around the few blades of grass held clenched in my palms, life began to fade.

[/size]

[hotaru]

+10

[Takara]

SPOILER: Click to show

Fuuton - Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu (Wind - Twin Dragon Technique)
Rank: B-rank
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: Requires the only seal of dragon. It utilizes the element of wind to create two dragons that swirl around the user and can be moved through the air by chakra usage towards a target. The two dragons become fierce winds and collect any debris or anything that swirl around within it, and charge towards an enemy, slashing at them with fierce winds and a powerful blow. If the seal is formed upside-down, the wind dragons can be used in a vacuum sort of way; basically when the dragon's hit the user, the only effect it has on them is that it sucks the air out of them, causing lack of oxygen and possible suffocation.
Special: Handseals : Dragon (reverse dragon)
Drawback: If used incorrectly, or not strong enough to wield this technique, the jutsu could backfire. Especially dangerous when using reverse version, if not utilized well, suffocation could become your downfall.
Description: When created, it becomes two twin dragons, about 5 feet in diameter, length varies to the distance of the opponent. They look like traditional Chinese dragons, no color since wind is transparent, color can change to the debris that is collected.
Limit: Must have Wind Release

0/80

The next day found me revisiting the field, a jutsu scroll clenched tightly in my hand. I’d found it tucked away in the library, under the section marked Fuuton. Above the scroll had been a plan that read, specifically, “Genin do not attempt.”

I was never one for rules. I didn’t abhor them, not quite, but I understood that some rules were made to be broken. Case in point, the rule that said genin couldn’t learn amazingly destructive jutsu. Rules like that were just waiting to be broken.

I picked a spot in the middle of the wide feel, holding my palm flat against the tall stalks of grass as I walked, feeling the life energy coursing through the blades. The sun beat down against my back, shining brightly in the clear sky. Grasslands stretched for acres, only bordered by trees, and even those weren’t tall enough to block out any light. I was at the mercy of Amaterasu, it seamed; thank Kami that my yukata was thin, allowing my lithe body to feel every bit of wind that happened to breeze by.

Hands shaking in excitement, I unraveled the scroll, falling gracefully to my bottom. The first thing that jumped out at me was the rank of the technique: B, it said, in bold black ink. My dull red eyes scanned the page for any other pertinent information.

“Hm.” As long as I didn’t try the reverse version of the technique, I’d be fine.

The scroll slipped from my fingertips, dropped to the ground in negligence. I didn’t need it anymore, not with the techniques description engraved in my head as if I had whittled it into my forehead. I wouldn’t be forgetting it anytime soon.

Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu. Chakra intensive, requiring intense concentration for first time practitioners, and a healthy amount of chakra. In essence, the technique created two dragons of cutting wind that could collect any sort of debris, from rocks to kunai, and hurl them into the enemy, attacking not only with the collected debris, but the slashing winds as well. Easily a killing move, and one that I would enjoy adding to my elementary repertoire.

The scroll didn’t outline any steps for the technique; whoever had written had probably relied on the fact that only seasoned shinobi would attempt to learn it, and seasoned shinobi would know the steps to follow to learn such a powerful technique. I was no such shinobi, but I had common sense in spades. It couldn’t be too hard, could it?

Before even attempting the technique, I had to learn if I could even summon that much chakra all at once. Bringing my hands together in the ram seal, reveling in the feel of my cool silk yukata sleeves shifting across my skin, I got to work.

[Takara]

??/80

My eyes were closed against the blaring intensity of the sun, not that it helped much. The sun penetrated even through my eyelids, irritating me and making it difficult to focus on my task. Throw in a couple dozen mosquitoes, a spider bite on my ass, and a sweat drenched yukata, and you had an immensely peeved Takara.

My only reprieve from the baking heat of the sun or the annoying pests that flitted about my head was the gentle breeze. If love were a true physical feeling; if it could be personified in an element, it would be wind. Wind had always soothed me, blowing away my woes just as it blew away dust. It was enchanting and exquisite all at once, a soothing balm that never once failed to ease my nerves.

This instance was no different. When the breeze picked up my worries drifted away to nothing; not even the sun cooking my eyelids could phase me - to hell with the mosquitoes, and the bite on my ass… it would heal. In the face of the wind, nothing else mattered.

Gathering my chakra came easily enough. I had an abundance of it, and since my chakra was particularly rich, I would have no problems executing the technique. Or so I hoped. That was what I told myself, but in reality I’d realized on the onset of my task that this would be far from easy… it could quite possibly be the most difficult thing I had ever attempted.

My hands were still clasped in the ram-seal; sometime soon I would need to learn a few one handed handseals, for practicality. With one hand free, I would be open to wield a sword, or a kunai, or whatever the hell I could hold with one hand. The possibilities were endless.

Pretty soon, I’d gathered enough chakra to power a small city; now came the hard part. The handseals were simple; there was only one, but actually directing the monumental volume of chakra I had gathered might prove to difficult. There was only one way to find out.

With my chakra still bubbling at the surface, waiting - no, demanding to be used, I focused on the technique description. Twin dragons, spiraling around the user, collecting all manor of debris and throwing themselves at the opponent. Two dragons composed of pure wind formed in my minds eye, roaring and angry, ready to exact their rage upon the world. These would be my dragons… now how to go about actually performing the jutsu?

I released the ram seal, quickly forming the dragon seal. My hands clasped together, with both pinkies pointing down, making a triangle. My thumbs were crossed, one over the other. Dragon.

”Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu!” I whispered fiercely, pushing my chakra forward into the jutsu. Around my the wind began to pick up, whipping my hair around comically, nearly lifting my small form from its place on the ground. My eyes grew wide with the premature thought of success, hope shining on my face… and then the winds died, and an intense fatigue overcame me.

Ugh. Chakra depletion was a bitch.

[Takara]

??/80

I awoke in the same field, with my head pillowed against folded arms. There were faint imprints in my cheek, probably from the wrinkles in my sleeve. A glance at the sky through groggy eyes told me that it was nearing night; either I hadn’t used as much chakra as I’d thought, or my Doujutsu was more amazing than I’d realized. Here’s to hoping for option two!

I sat up, raising a delicate hand to wipe the crust from the corners of my eyes. Even with only the grass and the sky as my company, a girl had to keep up appearances. I wasn’t vain, far from it, but something’s just became a part of you; like wiping the boogers from your eye.

Chakra depletion might deter some, but not me. After only a few seconds of lucidity I was back at it, hands embraced in the classical ram seal. The seal itself was too difficult to describe in words; confusing and convoluted was the best I could think of. The ram seal helped focus chakra; that was what was important.

Last time the jutsu had died before anything memorable had occurred, but I’d also passed out from chakra depletion… what was the solution to my problem. I entertained thoughts of using more chakra, but I didn’t want to pass out again. Using less might work… but it wasn’t likely. Still, I had no other avenue to try, and any other guess would be just as likely as this one. Or unlikely, I should say.

I gathered a considerable amount of chakra; far less than from before, but more than needed for your average run of the mill “D” rank jutsu as well. My chakra responded to my call readily, surging up to meet my grasping shadow hands as they pulled buckets of chakra from my well of energy and poured them into the ninjutsu I was attempting. Without blinking, my hands shifted from the ram to the dragon, and once again the name of the jutsu was invoked, slipping forth from my lips wit delicacy belying its destructive power.

“Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu.”

I experienced déjà vu as the wind around me picked up speed pushing the tall blades of grass flat against the ground, leaving my yukata fluttering soundly in the wind. I narrowed my eyes to keep debris from flying into them; the chakra began to take shap-

Damn!

The wind dispersed just as something that vaguely resembled a dragon began to form. Disappointment settled in my bones, whispering at me to quit. Fuck off! I told it. I wouldn’t dare let a jutsu beat me.

[Takara]

??/80

A tired sigh escaped my lips. The moon had risen now, casting the “field of dreams,” as I liked to call it, in a pale white glow that reminded me of the Geisha’s of river country. Alluring, sensual, and entirely feminine; the Geisha and the moon were more alike than just in color.

With the rising of the moon came more powerful winds. Not enough to tip anything over, but enough to cause my yukata to dance chaotically, blowing back against my torso and pressing my yukata tight against my legs. The silk had chilled considerably when the sun fell; now, as it caressed my skin, goose bumps rose along my arm.

A stickler for punishment, I couldn’t let bygones be bygones, trying once more to at least make some sort of progress with Tsuin Doragon no jutsu. To much chakra had yielded little results. A moderate amount of chakra caused one eighth of a dragon to appear… any less chakra and I was certain nothing would happen, and anymore and I would pass out.

What was the key? What linked it all? Too much wasn’t enough, and too little was nearly right… The words ‘chakra control’ flashed in my head, marked by bright, blaring neon green lights. Earlier, I’d probably used enough chakra, but with such an abundance of life energy, it was beyond difficult to control it. In that case, I would have to find the perfect balance between power and control. I’d come close with my last attempt, but even that hadn’t been enough. I needed more chakra and more control, but more of the latter than the former. I could think of no better way to quickly learn better chakra control than the elementary leaf exercise. Once only practicing in Konoha, now it was universally known and used by shinobi everywhere to better their control.

No it was my turn.

Blindly, I stooped to the ground and plucked several blades of grass, plastering them to my forehead and arms. The training was usually done with leaves, but it was an academy technique, and I was far beyond that now. Doing the training with individual grass would be more difficult than leaves, or so I hoped. I needed to increase my chakra control, and fast.

Minutes later, I grew tired of the exercise. It was near child’s play, using chakra to stick grass to my head; I needed something better. That, or,

*sigh.* “Repetition. Eventually I’ll get it right.” Somewhere in between too much chakra and almost enough chakra was the holy grail. I would find it.

[hotaru]

36+

[Takara]

36/80

Massive tendrils of chakra swirled around me, coalescing into two raging dragons composed of cutting wind energy. The snaked together, slithering through the air, gathering all manner of discarded kunai and shuriken, throwing them, and themselves into the nin across from me, tearing into his body with relentless vigor.

And then, I awoke from my dream, eyes snapping open with supreme suddenness.

Dammit! It had only been a dream. Hopefully, a prophetic one; never before had a jutsu kicked my ass like Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu, but I could feel that soon I would be the one controlling it.

I rose from my bed, slipping into a plain white kimono. I left my hair down, not bothering to tie it up into a ponytail. Today I would master the jutsu, or so help me god, things would burn.

Leaving my apartment, I walked at a leisurely pace towards my “field of dreams”, thinking all the while about what I was doing wrong with the jutsu. I knew that I had enough chakra, seeing as how I’d nearly bullied the jutsu into completion. My control was decent enough as well, because I’d manage to form a portion of the technique with too little chakra.

One bowl was too hot and the other, too cold. Discovering that middle ground would be quite the journey, but I was more than prepared to complete it.

Once again, I arrived at the field to find it empty, devoid of any other human besides myself. My only company were the hawks soaring overhead, their eyes scanning the grass in search of sustenance. Them, and the scores of insects that still plagued me. That was added incentive to learn the jutsu today; I couldn’t stand the pests.

The sun greeted me with its shining eye, beaming down at me in delight. On the walk here, the tall building in the village had mostly shielded me from its gaze, but for some reason, clouds didn’t drift over this field. Lucky me.

As was customary, once I reached the center of the field, I folded my legs under me, plopping down to the ground in a dignified heap. My dainty fingers found the dragon handseal; with focus belying my small, frail frame, I gathered immense amounts of chakra. It bubbled around me, visible as a spiraling divine white aura. It grew thick, shielding me from the flying pests attempting to assault me.

Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu!

The wind picked up, growing to a howl. It began to swirl around me, forming a localized tornado with me at its center. Had I looked up, I would’ve seen the vague outline of dragons forming, before the wind fizzled away, dying down to a slight breeze.

Not enough!

[Takara]

??/80

On the plus side, I didn’t feel nearly as drained as I had felt yesterday. But, I’d still barely made any progress in completing Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu. Maybe I was expecting too much of myself too soon… genin weren’t known for having a repertoire of killing jutsu; we were known for no repertoire at all. Then again, most genin had the physical prowress to learn taijutsu; I, on the other hand, had been blessed with a body that was to frial for such endeavors. It was imperative that I find solace in powerful ninjutsu, or else my time on this earth would be tragically cut short. That conclusion could be avoided, if I could just figure out this one jutsu. It would build my confidence to attempt other powerful jutsu, and, as I had learned over the years, confidence was everything.

Still sitting amidst the thicket, the tall stalks brushing against me shoulders, I formed the ram seal, sliding back to phase one in my training. I needed to find the right level of chakra before I attempted the jutsu, as I’d been want to do.

Soothing heavenly energy encompassed me; my heavily lidded eyes fluttered in delight as I basked in the warmth of my intense chakra. Off top I knew I’d summoned far too much, as it had formed a near visible barrier around me. It was too overwhelming, intense enough to have a smell. Loosening my grasp on my chakra, I allowed some to fizzle away, dissipating into the atmosphere.

My remaining chakra was held in place by my unrelenting iron-will and firm grip. I dropped the ram seal, shifting my hands back together to form the dragon seal.

The wind picked up its velocity, growing into a roaring tempest. Brisk, stinging blades of wind sharpened to deadly, cutting strands, spiraling about my form, twisting around me, singing to my soul. My hair flew all over the place, whipping back and forth, at the mercy of the strong wind. My yukata became tangled in my legs, pressing against my skin, becoming form-fitting in the face of the wind.

Nothing could compare to a girl with her hair blowing in the wind; it was beauty embodied.

The winds grew stronger, picking up tiny pebbles and broken blades of grass, throwing them around with reckless abandon. To my dismay, no dragon shapes formed, howver. Instead, the air reached a crescendo, shrieking in my air, volatile, and yet under my control.

Then, it died, with no fanfare or warning whatsoever. One moment a windstorm was building, and the next, nothing. My hair fell against my back, windswept and messy.

I held in my sigh. I’d made some progress, at least. I was humble enough to smile about that.

[Masakuni]

+18
(54.80)

[Takara]

54/80

After an hour break, I returned to the field, ready to give the technique another try. There was a very faint breeze; not enough to provide any reprieve from the beating sun, though I hoped the breeze would grow and bring clouds with it. The sun had long since been forgotten, however, in light of Tsuin doragon no jutsu, the fuuton ninjutsu I had endeavored to learn.

If I could find out a way to put all the pieces of the jutsu together, then I would be fine. So far, I had only managed the separate aspects of the ninjutsu in increments. On one attempt, I would summon the wind. On another, I would create the dragons themselves, shaping the wind into the basic outline of the mystical creature. With another attempt, the winds would increase to cutting strength.

I could not, however, do all those steps at once. What was I doing wrong? The chakra wasn’t a problem, so that wasn’t it. I’d displayed enough control as well, seeing as how I was able to do half the jutsu improperly. Maybe I wasn’t focusing enough… or rather, I wasn’t focusing on the right things. So much time had been spent focusing chakra and drawing energy, when I should’ve been focusing on manifesting the jutsu. Still, some effort would have to be made in order to draw the correct amount of chakra… hopefully I wouldn’t spread my mental faculties to thin, focusing on two entirely different aspects of the same jutsu.

With a loose, crooked grin, my realizations at the forefront of my thoughts, and the sun still beating down against me, I set to work.

I clasped my hands together in the dragon hand seal, but refrained from gathering my chakra right away. Instead, I built the jutsu in my minds eye, relying upon my dream of the technique as a model to build from. I imagined the two dragon’s faces first; serpentine triangles with great black beady eyes and rows of fanged teeth. I imagined a gust forming when they snorted; I imagined their long, spiraling bodies, entwined in flight, locked together at the hip. I saw them swirling around me, kicking up all manner of debris in their wake, the epitome of chaos and destruction. Their cutting winds bit into the earth, cutting out gouges of ground. There was no opponent in my vision; only myself and the jutsu. If their had been an opponent, their body would’ve been ripped limb from limb by the raging strength of the slicing winds.

My eyes opened, and the vision ended. If only I could make that into a reality.

Hands still embraced in the dragon hand seal, I began to gather my chakra, keeping the vision of the jutsu locked in my head, engrained into my brain by my overzealous imagination. My chakra flared, like lightning in the sky, building up to full strength in the blink of an eye. I supposed I was the best at gathering chakra for Tsuin Doragon no jutsu in the entire world; after all, I’d done it a thousand times now.

I exhaled slowly, struggling to hold onto the image as my chakra took the main focus of my thoughts. I couldn’t see it, but a vein had popped out on my forehead, indicating the severity of my struggles. In a rush, I invoked the technique.

”Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu.” I breathed, but nothing happened.

The image slipped away as my chakra grew too powerful to delegate to second fiddle. It too dissipated, and I was left feeling drained and more than a little peeved. Dammit! My eyes fluttered closed, and my breathing slowed, my body going into recuperation. The very moment my chakra returned to me, I would try this once more.

[Masakuni]

+10
(64.80)

[Takara]

64/80

A great yawn escaped me, taking with it the last vestiges of my fatigue. The sun had dwindled in the sky, falling behind great rolling clouds. My spirits rose with its departure; before, the sun had sapped my energy just as readily as the jutsu I was training; with it gone, I would just that much more energy with which to work. Hopefully, it would make more than a marginal difference.

I had a feeling, deep in the pit of my stomach, that soon this technique would be at my mercy, rather than I at it. My theories and speculations about how to perform the jutsu were coming to a head; I’d been getting closer and closer to mastering it, on my last attempt only faltering at the last moment when it came time to actually do the technique. Then, my downfall had been a severe lack of concentration. That problem would plague me no longer, that much I was sure of.

Once again, I envisioned the twin dragons molding in my head, wreathing around me, massive spiraling forms of devastation. I could hear the wind screech, hear it howl an unholy lament, as it sliced into my opponent, rending them limb from limb.

Now, if only I could replicate my vision!

My hands came together, casting the dragon handseal. Eyes narrowed in acute focus, I began to mold my chakra, taking care not to mold it too fast, save it spiral out of my control. I had failed often enough; I was tired of it. Just as the bird rises into the sky, my chakra welled up inside of me, plenteous and grandiose. I felt inadequate in its shadow, as if it represented something more pure than I could ever hope to be. But, it was also mellow, almost angelic, responding to my prompting efficiently and obediently. Alas, my mind seized the cut off point, already so familiar with this process.

With so much practice under my belt, it was easy to hold the chakra in place for the half moment it took me to formulate my vision of the jutsu. This training helped me learn that jutsu required intent as well as chakra. I wanted to complete the jutsu; needed to, and my chakra responded.

”Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu!” I invoked fiercely, the words leaving my barely parted lips with cutting power more akin to the winds I were attempting to control. My chakra left me in a great rush, vacating my body and morphing into wind.

As the name of the jutsu left my lips, an intense breeze picked up, churning around me. The very wind itself shrieked, a cutting scream that tore into the earth and cut deep gouges into its surface. All the while my eyebrows were furrowed in incisive focus, willing the wind under my control. Slowly, dragons began to form out of the spinning wind; vicious looking beasts, the things nightmares are made of.

Thicker than I was tall, the spiraled together, letting loose a great roar-

And, as I had grown used to, the technique failed at its onset, leaving me angry and oh so disappointed. Still, that attempt had been the best so far. I was close.

Very close.

[Uchiha Satoshi]

+8

72/80

[Takara]

72/80

Alas, I had yet to master Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu, though with each repetition I grew closer and closer and closer. My previous attempt had left my lying limply against the ground, my breath coming in heaving rushes as I lie there, regaining my precious chakra.

It took less time this go-round for my chakra to return to me; within minutes, I was ready to attempt the technique once more, dead set on this being the repetition that earned me a new ninjutsu technique. I resumed the dragon handseal with little delay or fanfare. I felt that now was the time, and if I waited any longer, my insight would leave me, and I’d be back to square one.

I gathered my chakra with supreme concentration, holding my body loosely so that every ounce of my mental acuity could be designated to mastering the jutsu. Every extra unnecessary movement detracted from my overall ability to concentrate, even little things like frowning. It took a great amount of body control to hold myself so freely, but my Doujutsu helped. Even without it activated, the knowledge of what went on in my body was enough.

My energy rose inside of my with fervor, channeling into the jutsu with minimal prompting. Almost immediately, dense winds picked up, gaining speed and ferocity with each passing second. It began to yowl, a high, keening noise that threatened to break my concentration. The wind formed individual blades, sharp enough to pierce skin. The slicing wind began to twine about my stationary form, creating a raging tempest of chakra and wind.

My hair blew erratically in the overwhelming breeze, dancing around my head like a crazed ballerina. The wind buffeted against my eyes, but I resisted the urge to close them, allowing the wind to press against my form. This technique was mine to control; it might unsettle me, but it would never hurt me.

The earth itself wasn’t even protected from the ferocity of the wind; grass was ripped up in chunks, and the winds cut into the ground like knives, leaving an array of little cuts and gouges. Any sort of wildlife had long since fled the area, if not scared away by my chakra, they were certainly frightened by the unnatural wind I had summoned.

”Tsuin Doragon no Jutsu!” I spoke with vehemence, imposing my unrelenting will upon the jutsu. The winds picked up speed exponentially, twisting and turning into the shape of twin dragons. The menacing creatures, formed of high speed howling winds, picked up any and all loose rocks and shrubbery; anything that wasn’t planted into the ground, excluding myself, was absorbed by the winds. The debris was tossed about in the air, following the path of the raging dragons as they cut through the expanse of grass before me, leaving a gouged trail in their wake.

Since I hadn’t been aiming at anything in particularly, the twin dragons winded through the air like slithering snakes, roaring great yells of potent wind before fading away into nothing, launching the debris forward with boundless gusto. The maddened winds died with the dragons, fizzling away to a soft breeze that barely parted the grass.

A huff escaped me, signifying the monumental effort it had taken to complete that one, single ninjutsu. In the back of my head a voice whispered that I could do better; that it would do me some good to practice the technique until I could do it with less effort, but I ignored it. I was hungry, tired, and sleepy…

I fell back to the ground, upsetting a patch of dust as I landed. The dirt was dry; it wouldn’t be too difficult to wash it out of my yukata, so longs as I didn’t sleep for too long…

[hotaru]

+8

Learned