Hidden Havens [P Training]

[Kuro Inpakuto]

Kuro has two favorite training spots:

Alone:
A few miles out from the sprawling complexes of Amegakure, it is here that Kuro chooses to train.

Once a small outcropping of trees in the center of a boggy swamp, little remains of the trees since some time ago when the collection of water in the area finally overtook the trees root systems. All that remains of them is there dead rotting skeletons, some cracked and fallen while others stand tall, simple husks of their once majestic selves.

Next to the outcropping runs and small river which in turn to wrapping around the area runs into a clean crisp looking pond. The pond and river as it turns out are both hot spots for fish, but few would choose to swim or fish there due to the massive overgrowth of weeds in some areas.

Overall the "training area" is slight rise in the land with a clearing of about 60x60 yards with crisp green grass forming a floor mat over the soggy earth. At the north and east edges where the hill begins to descend and the trees rise up to meet it, you can see the river flowing just beyond. To the south is the pond, with one small area meeting the hill which has yet to become overgrown with weeds. To the west is more sparsely placed trees occupying a growing muck swamp.

With Master Tohno Shiba:
A large building in inner districts of the city Kuro lives in, this is a Dojo owned by Tohno Shiba. It consists of three areas, one for sparing, one for training, and one for resting. Kuro spends random amounts of time here when his master is around, otherwise he rarely stops by.

[Kuro Inpakuto]

Fire Style: Fire Bolt Technique
Rank: D
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: Shoots a very small ball of fire, no larger than a foot in diameter, towards a target.
Special: Rat, Ram, Tiger, extension of one hand
Drawback: When the seals are over, the user extends their hands, shooting the ball of fire from their fingertips, which after repeated use (3 or more times), causes singeing which can slow down the speed of which a user can perform handseals or other finger movements.
Description: The user performs the handseals, converting chakra within the hands into heat energy. The hands are then pointed towards a target and a small bolt of fire, no larger than a foot in diameter, leaves the hand and flies rapidly towards the opponent.
Limit: Fire Release

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0/10

The time had finally come for Kuro Inpakuto to begin his training, something he knew which he must practice alone, away from others in order to avoid raising some questions about his past, something which the village elders had insisted he keep to himself until the mystery of his mother murder could be solved. The reason for the current timing of his decision was simple: After weeks of searching, Kuro had finally found the place to practice and master techniques by himself without anyone else around. He knew this would be difficult, naturally he had always been with his sensei when learning new techniques, but this time it would be different. Alone, in this dank place of solitude he would master his own abilities, of this he was sure… the only problem facing him now was the reason he was sprawled out in the lush grass, and that reason was he simply could not think of where to start.

What he did know was that he needed to master more fire techniques, being that his natural affinity and skill always supported fire; he knew this was a must. It was in the same way that he had originally come to learn his “hot ash breath” technique, but even then he had his mother to guide him. "Hmm..." he thought smirking to himself as an idea flashed through his mind. He may never have been taught fire jutsu by his masters, but that did not mean he had never SEEN fire jutsu. Recalling a previous experience in which his sensei had been explaining natural weaknesses in types of chakra when compared to each other, he had used an example which Kuro found to be quite useful now that he remembered it. The technique his sensei had shown him was relatively simple, a quick set of handseals and a palm thrust to produce a tiny ball of flame which he immediately shot into a puddle of water.

Taxing his mind, he tried and tried to remember more details, he could remember the seals, “ram, tiger and rat” but he could not recall the order. Shrugging, he figured he might as well start on his hunch, so he carefully began to farm each seal:

Ram he thought, placing both hands together to form a half closed half open symbol. Carefully he gripped his left hand with his right smaller fingers, rising up his left thumb and pointer and index fingers to form a flawless seal. Already from the formation of this one seal he could feel the power of his body focusing, drawing in around himself and beginning to flow through him.

Tiger he though keeping himself calm but forcing his hand form to break and immediately come together again, placing both of his pointer and middle fingers together vertically as he gripped his hands with each other. With the completion of this seal he could feel the power, now becoming more and more focused, he felt the burn, that sensation he felt with his other fire jutsu, the raw searing energy focused into a burning flame of passion.

After a second of taking in his focus, he broke the symbol and formed the last of the three, “rat” he thought as he brought together his hands for the final time, raising his right pointer and middle fingers, gripping them over with his left hand. Already with the formation of this last seal he knew something was off, he could feel the energy around and inside of him not quite coming together. Thinking that perhaps it was simply his own excitement getting the better of him he broke his hand seal and thrust forward with his palm, “KATON NO JUTSU!” Little to his preference, nothing happened besides a sudden and resounding pang of failure as his chakra began to break apart within him, his focus broken and the technique unraveled by his dismay.

Shrugging it off as a bad guess, he decided to switch around the order of the seals, thinking back to the burning sensation he knew he felt, he decided to end the technique in “tiger” since it seem that the technique had peaked there.

Recollecting himself he began the process over again, carefully forming his seals, he quickly went through the motions “Ram, Rat, tiger!” he thought to himself as he formed them, ending in a palm thrust again he felt no reaction to his surroundings as he pushed forward through the air.

Sighing to himself he decided that there really were only nine different combinations, and surely he would eventually get the technique.

Reforming his focus, he began to yet again form the hand seals. “Rat” he thought as he first pulled his hands together and formed the seal. “Ram” he pushed through his mind as he formed his hands together into the vertical seal. “Tiger” he urged as he brought his hands together for the final bit.

Before he even began to push forward with his palm he knew something had connected inside. That burning sensation, the raw power of his fiery passion rushed through, forming at his hands. “URRRAAAHH” he groaned as he pushed forward with all his might, he could feel the hot air, he could see the sparks forming, combusting in his palm as he pushed. To both his dismay and his own encouragement he saw it: a tiny ball of fire rushed from his hand, flying forward several yards before smoldering out in the humid air. Knowing he was close to the result he hoped for, Kuro again prepared himself for another try, one this time he hoped to solve with one tiny edit to the whole jutsu.

Again he flawlessly formed the seals, “Rat”, “Ram”, “Tiger” he thought as he formed them, finally ending with a double palm thrust filled with as much emotion as he could muster, Kuro pushed forward his hands and much to his excitement a much larger ball of fire, nearly one foot in diameter flew from his hands, careening off by about seven yards before it struck a rotting tree which was struck and scorched by the fireball.

As Kuro watched on the tree began to sway back and forth, finally toppling over, proving just as he had hoped that he had managed to do some damage with the small projectile. Smiling to himself he again began to for his hands, “Might as well try it a few more times while I’m so pumped up” he thought to himself….

[Uchiha Satoshi]

Learned

[Kuro Inpakuto]

Ochiru Ame no Jutsu (Falling Rain Technique)
Rank: "D"
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: User creates rainfall
Special: "Handseals"
Drawback: Nothing besides continuous mana drain.
Description:
• "D" - User uses chakra to throw water either summoned through her Kuchiyose technique or water randomly lying around into the air and suspended there for a few turns, dependant on how much chakra User uses.
• "C" - User uses chakra to throw water either summoned through her Kuchiyose techniques or water randomly lying around into the air and is suspended there for a few turns, dependant on how much chakra User uses. More water is able to be thrown into the air for less chakra and suspended into the air for less chakra. The use of the rat hand sign can cause the technique to repeat itself.
• "B" - User uses chakra to throw water either summoned through her Kuchiyose techniques or water randomly lying around into the air and is suspended there for a few turns, dependant on how much chakra User uses. More water is able to be thrown into the air for less chakra and suspended into the air for less chakra. The use of the rat hand sign can cause the technique to repeat itself for less chakra. Repeated technique flies higher into the air and falls down slower once the water is unsuspended.
• "A" - User uses chakra to throw water either summoned through her Kuchiyose techniques or water randomly lying around into the air and is suspended there for a few turns, dependant on how much chakra User uses. More water is able to be thrown into the air for less chakra and suspended into the air for less chakra. The use of the rat hand sign can cause the technique to repeat itself for less chakra. Repeated technique flies higher into the air and falls down slower once the water is unsuspended. At this point, User no longer needs to have a water source for this technique. Water will fall from the air and follow the same rules as the aforementioned levels of the technique. Very small amount of chakra is necessary for the continued rainfall.
• "S" - User uses chakra to throw water either summoned through her Kuchiyose techniques or water randomly lying around into the air and is suspended there for a few turns, dependent on how much chakra User uses. More water is able to be thrown into the air for less chakra and suspended into the air for less chakra. The use of the rat hand sign can cause the technique to repeat itself for less chakra. Repeated technique flies higher into the air and falls down slower once the water is unsuspended. At this point, User no longer needs to have a water source for this technique. Water will fall from the air and follow the same rules as the aforementioned levels of the technique. At this stage, water will fall continuously from the sky until User cancels the technique. Next to no chakra is needed to continue the rain.

Limit: Water Release

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0/10

Having just learned one of his first fire techniques on his own, Kuro had gone from hopeful to excited to ecstatic in just a matter of minutes. At this point he entered a state of mind where he felt like he could do anything, even going as far as to try to do a rapid style attack involving several firebolts! Much to his dismay, streams of fire tend to do one thing very well, and that is to cause fires! The tree line directly in front of him, no more than five yards away had started on fire! Though the fire was not anything dangerous by normal standards, the rapid release of smoke coming from the rotting wood could do little to keep his haven secret.

Calming himself down, Kuro sat upon the ground and pondered what to do next. The fire was slightly too large to simply put out with cups of water from his hands, and although it was no spreading, he preferred to end the smoky display quickly. “Drats!” he thought to himself, now infuriated by his lack of useful water jutsu. Finally that was when he remembered a simple water jutsu which he had been attempting to learn, one which allowed to user to infuse his chakra into the water laying about and throw it up into the air, allowing a soothing rain to fall over the landscape. Hardly in the mood for antics, Kuro stayed sitting as he tried to pull himself together. He had little to nothing when it came to “great” experiences when it came to water jutsu, but in this case he not only knew the seals, but he also knew the technique, its effects, and just how to implement it… all he had to now was get the water under his control and the minor inferno in front of him would surely die out!

Settling his core thoughts, Kuro began to focus on the seals needed for the technique “Monkey, Rat, Ox” he thought to himself, slowly he brought together his hands in each motion:

Placing hand over hand he intertwined his smallest finger with his thumbs, focusing his chakra. Verbally her spoke “Monkey” had he focused, and slowly he could feel his chakra beginning to build.

Pulling his hands apart he spoke “Rat” as he placed his left hand over his rights pointer and middle finger, closing it in over them. Inside his mind he thought ironically about the seal “Hmp one used to start the fire one to put it out”. As he completed the seal he felt his chakra spike inside of him, this time instead of focusing to any part of his body it simply felt as if it swirled at his insides.

“Ox” he spoke as he brought his hands together to form the final seal, locking his right hands “horns” symbol with his spread left hand. As the hands closed together he felt it, the chakra within spilled out, touching all the water around him.

He willed it to lift the water, raise it up and let it pour down he thought to himself. Slowly rising up, he could see it happening, the water from the muddy puddles all around him was rising, doing his will, as he bid it went higher and higher, until finally he yelled allowed “LET IT RAIN DOWN FROM THE HEAVENS!” The water, now released from his control did just that, though hardly in the way he had hoped. Instead of a slow wet drizzle, a small tsunami of about two feet thick of water came crashing down on him, hardly spreading out as it soaked him completely to the skin.

Sighing allowed, he again started the process but with a little more speed and a little less zealot like vigor. “Monkey” he said as he placed his hands together, “Rat” he spoke as he placed them over one another, and “Ox” he cried as he felt the connection inside. Again the water rose, faster this time, practically throwing itself into the air!

Taking a deep breath he regained his original focus. Slow he though, cloud like… serene and peaceful he thought. Slowly the water above his dissipated as it broke apart, spreading over the area high into the air, and suddenly as he let go it began to rain. Nothing amazing by any standards, but by far an amazing victory! He turned about feeling it caress his face and shoulders.

After about thirty seconds of rain the drizzle halted as he looked as his previous goal… the fire had hardly been affected! Sighing again to himself he began to wish he could simply make the effect repeat itself without the same routine… “bah, another time for THAT kind of advancement, for now I guess I'll just throw a little more chakra into it to make it last longer” . Smiling to himself he again began to form the symbols “Monkey, Rat, Ox….”

[Koori.]

+8

8|10

[Kuro Inpakuto]

8/10

Quicker this time…. Monkey, placing his hands together, Rat, placing his right over his left, Ox, intertwining his left spread fingers with his right hands “horns.” As he brought his hands together for the last seal he pulled deep from within himself, combining his chakras into a flow the likes of which he had never before managed to pull together. As he felt the chakra spill from him, he pushed it further, past the puddles of mud, all the way to the edge of river behind the trees. Groaning with the strain of so many jutsu so quickly, he lifted it, pulling it from the river itself! Amazingly as he watched, the river began to drop in level as a small stream about two feet in diameter flowed up from the stream.

“GRRRAAAAAHHWWW” he cried as dug deeper still, feeling the chakra inside of him draining, siphoning his inner energy to lift the heavy water around him. Not satisfied with what he had gathered so far, he pushed it further still, as he felt the water from the pond far behind him begin to fly up and join the center point of the streams.

For several seconds he pulled it harder and harder, knowing he was getting close to his limit. Straining now to keep the huge mass of water forming above from simply flooding onto the ground he stopped drawing up water and began to focus on spreading out the huge mass. He strained, knowing he was about to pass out from the strain… “NO! I must do this or I will forever be trapped as a slave to the water! I must be its MASTER!” He thought as he pulled from reserves he didn’t even know he had. Further and further the water pushed up, finally forming into a giant dark mass in the sky.

Teetering on the edge, Kuro dropped to one kneel as he finally willed the rain to fall. Seconds passed as he waited, confused as to what was happening. Finally, a small drizzle started to fall. Slow at first, the rain began to pound the ground, snuffing out the fire with ease and beginning to wash away the ground around as it rushed. The river around him surged as is pulsed with its renewed reserves. The rain fell for seconds, followed by minutes, for close to one hour. Kuro, now lying on the ground feeling his body screaming to simply pass out from the strain couldn’t bring himself to succumb. This was his creation, his creation which drained a small pond and surging river, finally resulting in the torrential downpour which was now occurring. Quietly as the rain began to dwindle, now returning to a small drizzle followed quickly by the same earlier sunny sky, Kuro smiled to himself as he fell asleep, more proud of himself than ever before.

[hotaru]

+2

[Kuro Inpakuto]

Meditation
Rank:: E
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The user kneels and focuses on clearing his mind.
Special: None.
Drawback: None. Though not commonly used in battle, if it is, it will leave the user open to attack.
Description: (Same as Effect)
Limit: None

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0/10

It was just days after Kuro had taken such drastic steps forward in his Ninjutsu, when he came to realize that he was indeed slacking in his Taijutsu training! To make matters worse, just before he had been unleashed from his sensei less than a week ago, he had been reminded that he was to be sure he had mastered the art of meditation before his coming training, something his master told him would be both grueling but also a “once in a lifetime privilege” which he would forever regret missing is he was not prepared. Starting to feel dazed with his sudden realizations, Kuro attempted to calm himself. No matter how hard he tried, the panic of the situation had managed to get to him, to touch his inner self and it shook up all the confidence he had managed to build so recently! Once in a lifetime? What could it mean? Perhaps his master was going to teach him some amazing technique, something passed down generation after generation, something so powerful and mysterious that it could indeed even be a secret or forbidden technique! It all made sense now, a week to prepare yourself to focus for a few weeks of training, training which would forever alter his life! Kuro had no choice. He would have to spend the entire day focusing, trying his best to not only achieve inner focus but also master the art of meditation.

His first act was to assume the meditation position. As his sensei had show him so many times before, Kuro kneeled down and began to look inward. Inside of him was a mix of feelings, harsh and embracing, fierce but subdued. Surely this was going to be harder than he thought!

He began to delve deep within himself, looking for just whatever it was that was creating such a buzz within him. Slowly but surely he began to look back over the last few days. Seeking a training spot, serene and secluded, the perfect place, the happiness he felt when he first found it and began exploring his new talents. The inner confidence he had built up as he threw firebolt after firebolt across that clearing. He then recalled the panic, not unlike his current situation when the trees began to burn. Oh woe to him, whatever would he do besides turn around and turn the situation into a way and reason to master a technique, not just any technique, but a WATER technique, something what he dreaded to the highest degree. Oh the years of toiling to learn just a few jutsu, watching others catch up and pass him, feeling trapped by his own past.

It was then that he realized that this place, the loft he lived in was one such point of turmoil! He couldn’t master his own mind here, no no, better to move somewhere else, but where he thought to himself….

It was at this point that Kuro set out, marching for a few miles to his new favorite place. The sun was getting low, only a few hours before dusk… nothing too terrifying for Kuro considering he loved the dark as much as the day, but he knew that a good night’s rest would most likely benefit his “special” training as much as clearing his mind. As he walked up that familiar hill he looked about; the freshly scorched tree and the extra band of mud left by the previously swelled river and pond… As he looked for a puddle-less spot to kneel down and focus he came to realize he was smiling without willing himself to do so. Relaxing his face, he knelt, closing his eyes and began to focus. The air around him smelled sweet, fresh, and clean. The faint smell of passing rain wafted about, reminding him of that day, the day when he collapsed in a pile onto the ground as the rain poured down.

Feeling more at peace than he could ever remember being in a long time, Kuro opened his eyes to look about himself. Noticing the sky was growing dark, he realized he had sat in place for hours, the time passing so seamlessly, quickly it was almost as if he’d been asleep! Looking up to the ending sun, he rose and headed back to his home.

Upon waking up, the feeling of anticipation quickly flooded through Kuro. Realizing what day it was he jumped from his bed and began to scramble about, looking for something to eat, and worrying that he may not have everything he needed. Looking at the sky outside he realized his sensei would be here soon, most likely very soon. Even within minutes he would be approaching and Kuro, like before, felt like he was in a daze, hardly focused at all! That is when he came to realize he needed to stop himself before he lost it in a crazed of panic. Kneeling down he began to focus, drawing on what he had experienced the day before. He could feel it, the wind, the rain, he could smell the sweet smell of a warm afternoon, he could feel the air around him breathing with him, and he could feel the water pulsing as it ran along the ground, he could sense the peace of the rain. This was it, the key to his peace… that place, a place he could go within himself at a moment’s notice whenever needed…

His sense of peace was barely broken as he heard a knock at the door. He rose quickly, feeling fluid and focused as he strode across the room and gripped the door handle.

[|Ayame Unbound|]

+10~

[Kuro Inpakuto]

Tensora Walking
Rank:: E
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: How a Tensora practitioner walks.
Special: None.
Drawback: None.
Description: This technique is used to move efficiently while fighting. It demands the user to use proper posture and stepping. Without balance, a Tensora student is nothing. Walking consists of keeping the dominant foot ahead, and balancing the other on the ball of the foot. The student will keep his back straight and his head moving ahead, with the front leg bent. Both feet must be pointed forward. The student will then lurch forward with the front leg, bringing the other foot behind. Dragging the back foot is not accepted.
Limit: Must learn from one of the five Tensora Masters

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0/10

As Kuro walked down the streets following his sensei, he face was towards the ground. He did not look to the ground out of shame, nor obedience, nor did he look to it to avoid eye contact out of shyness. Kuro Inpakuto looked to the ground for the simple pleasure of seeking the different types of stone which were lined about in brick patterns to form the road. The reason for his interest was simple: He foresaw life as a pattern, yes, far from a pattern of a brick road, the pattern of life was winding, and today his life had wound around to find himself serenely focused, confident, and most of all happy. For today was the day that he was going to meet a master of weapons, the well known master of the “South Wind” fighting style, Tohno Shiba! Tohno had apparently been the sensei to Kuro’s sensei, Zaan Kelipice and although he was far from Tohnos best student, Tohno and Zaan had developed an excellent relationship as he regarded Zaan as one of his most determined and respective students.

Zaan feeling that Kuro was an excellent student chose him to bring to Tohno, in hopes of not only furthering his Taijutsu skills, but also in hopes of helping Kuro feel better about his supposed lack of ability when it came to water jutsu. As they approached a rather large building, Zaan turned around and spoke to his prized student. “Listen to me Kuro and listen well. You have amazing talent, of this I have no doubt, but you must keep focus and push yourself with Sensei Shiba! He is a kind man, but a man with much skill in his position never finds himself lacking students! Prove to me that I have been right about you all along, and know this: We have only a few weeks to train with him before he plans to move on to another city. I do not know when he will return, and I am not sure just what he will train you, but be ready to work hard and learn quickly! Also do not be amazed if he forces you to relearn some of the basics, he demands flawless precision, something I find hard to justify but surely you will come to see his good points.”

Upon entering the building, A boy and a man in Black both with swords strapped to them, as well as a man in a brown cloak, approached looking at Kuro and Zaan menacingly. The one in brown had a polearm, crafted from shining steel and sharpened to the finest edge Kuro had ever seen. The boy had just a single sword slung over his back, while another man in black had three swords, two at his sides one behind his back on him. As the men approached the one with three swords came to poke Zaan in the stomach and said “Alright you two, gimme de dar wallets or dars will be some trooble!” With Kuro already having reached behind himself getting a grip on his naginata, Zaan suddenly reached over and put his hand on Kuros shoulder. Suddenly breaking out in a smile, Zaan spoke up and said “Toon you old dog! Always putting the fear into the younglings!” Turning to Kuro he said “This is a old sparing mate of mine, I do believe he has brought his son here to be trained by Tohno… did I mention that there was going to only be one person trained these next few weeks and you had to compete for the slot Kuro?” Kuro shook his head, signifying he had no idea what was going on. Toon turned to Kuro and spoke up “You der better be ready for some competition, my son is hardly one to lose to eeny one, specially some rain punk! Heh heh heh… and besides, its sensei Shiba, after all only joo got to call him by his first Zaan!”

Suddenly the door behind the three men burst open and a older but wise looking muscular man walked out. On his back was a Naginata, intricate in designs covered in dragons, and at his side was two swords on the right and one on the left. Suddenly letting out a bark like laugh he opened his arms and greeted Zaan with a warm hug. “Well well well! If it isn’t Z himself and his student? Not to shabby looking, from the looks of you build and your eyes I’d say you’ve gotta have some cloud in you boy!” He turned to Toon and stated “and who invited you?” He then broke into laughter and walked back into the room he came from crying out “Send em in guys, let’s get this show rolling!”

Inside the room was a well lit sparing area, dummies riddled with holes lined the walls as well as shelves covered in books scrolls and weapons.

As the group filed in, Tohno settled in a chair and looked at the group. “Alright, LINE UP. GET INTO YOUR STANCES!” Each of the three lined up and stood still staring forward. “Take a few steps forward! Keep in mind this is fighting stance walking here!” Each of the three walked forward with general steps related to the idea of “Tensora walking.” “Uhhhh” Tohno cried out as each came to a halt “Terrible posture! Simply appalling!” The man with the other naginata spoke up at this comment, stating “I know this walk well, I was flawless, and you know it old man! I came here to learn from a master, not practice the basics!” “Well…” said Tohno looking into the man’s eyes “it looks to me like you came here to leave! Respect is something you lack boy, so get out of my sight!” With more murderous intent than Kuro had managed to produce in his entire life, the man stalked out of the room. “All right then, just down to Toon’s boy and Zaan’s precious little apprentice!” he said as he turned about. “It’s amazing how bad you two really were, it’s like I trained a few idiot monkeys to be my students!” As the boy next to Kuro let out a muffed laugh, Kuro could feel his anger rising. This man was openly mocking and slandering his students! Zaan was like a father to Kuro, and this man would dare to call him a monkey? Though he could feel his face turning red with anger, Kuro simply stood and looked forward.

“Yes yes you like that eh? Morons they both were, but you won’t be like that right? Tell me what I want to hear! Respect my opinion!” Kuro went to open his mouth in furious rage, but the boy next to him beat him to it. “Yes you are correct master, my father is a moron, and judging from his current friends--" as he pointed to Kuro "--I’d say his master over there isn’t so bright either!” At this Kuro lost his temper. Turning to the boy next to him, he released a torrent of the likes of which few have heard since! As he finished with the boy he turned back to Tohno, and stated “If you wish to train me I only want you to respect one thing about me! Zaan is like a father to me and I will not have his name slathered in mud for a good laugh!”

“Is that how you will have it be? You’re determined to come here, but you would throw it away for your sensei? Well then I guess I know who I’m training….” He turned to the now smirking boy as Kuro began to gather his belongings, “Get out you little wretch! Letting anyone openly mock your father, let alone your sensei is terrible! Leave right now!” Frowning tears started to form in the boy’s eyes as he turned and ran down the hall screaming “DAAAADDDYYY”.

Turning back to a surprised Kuro he looked him in the yes and said “I suspected it would be you… good old Zaan would never bring me a bad student, you passed all the tests, what I said before was all fabrication!” Smiling Kuro looked at the wizened man and stated “oh good, I was sure you were disappointed with my Tensora Walking technique!” “Oh… well that wasn’t a fabrication… but you’re not bad, you just need more precision in your stance… and you drag your back foot slightly which you need to work on. Anyways, let’s get started with that then. Stand up straight, put your dominant foot forward and lurch forward moving your back foot into place. Keep your back straight… there you go.”

Kurn did as he said, Moving forward slowly, keeping his back straight was harder than he realized, and the foot shuffle was hard to do without dragging his weaker leg. Slowly but surely over a few hours, Kuro worked with Tohno mastering one of the most basic and simple parts of Tensora, the simple act of moving forward… Oh how the days would surely be interesting at this pace...

[|Ayame Unbound|]

Wait xD You confused me.

E ranks are 5 tp. Its +5 for both posts. Both techniques are learned.

[Kuro Inpakuto]

[[EHHH I could have sworn I read somewhere that its a minimum of 10 points for learning a new jutsu xD Maybe that was just the most a jutsu could be reduced too ]]

[[I'll start writing the next one so please don't take this as a spam post xD I'll just mod this and put it in under the comments...]]

Sky Whirling Technique
Rank: E
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The user learns how to spin the polearm rapidly, the basis for all Sky techniques.
Special: Naginata (Or other polearms).
Drawback: If this is done slowly, which is prone to happen with the heavier polearms, it’s rather useless.
Description: After using one of the Sky stances, the practitioner will learn how to whirl a polearm in the four basic two handed whirling techniques (diagonal up/down left, diagonal up/down right) as well as the advanced one handed whirling techniques (diagonal up/down left, diagonal up/down right, over the wrist/neck/leg/arm spins, transfers, and finger spins).
Limit: Must know Sky Ready Stance.

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0/5

Having spent nearly three hours “perfecting the walk”, Kuro was read for something fancy. After a short explanation of what he knew to Master Tohno, Kura was asked if he knew of the spin techniques related to Sky style, something which Kuro knew was coming but did not want to hear about. For you see, he despised the Sky Whirl techniques simply for one reason: Nenshou Kurayami, Kuro’s most prized possession and fighting tool was slightly heavier than the average polearm, due to its decorations and solid steel body. Though it did seem possible to master the spins, even with Nenshou Kurayami, Kura knew that this was still in the grounds of the “basics” and as such it interested him little, especially considering the amount of time needed to learn to use even slightly heavier polearms.

Ignoring Kuro’s lack of enthusiasm, Tohno reached behind himself and grabbed a short stick. “Basics my boy, understanding them is the first steps before you can become a master!” he stated as he handed over the stick which Kuro now recognized as bamboo. “Spin it! Vertically on each side! The cleaves you learn here are vital to later training!” Though he was no master, Kuro did know some of the ideas of the technique and managed to finish all the exorcises quickly with the light stick. “Alright, I’ve figured out you are attached to that decorated stick over there, so you best explain before I get annoyed by the gaudy thing!”

After going into some detail about the polearm, Kuro finished his story and ended by handing the weapon to Tohno. “It’s good quality, and honestly its not really any heavier than what you should be using, so you can spin it fine with some practice… just give it a “whirl”” Grinning at the joke, Kuro spun the polearm around, almost losing control of it several times during the exercise. “Well, now that you know you CAN spin it, let’s just go with something of similar weight that packs less of an… uhhh… point?” Kuro was handed large metal rod which he began to practice with again.

Diagonal up, followed by a arc down to the left, Diagonal up, followed by a arc down to the right. Over and over he practiced until Tohno asked him to stop. “Your looking good with the two handed spins, but now it’s time for the one handed spins… you’re going to love this, I promise you that!”

After some explanation, Kuro began spinning in the same fashion as before but now with random added intervals where he would spin the rod over his body, rotation it along himself as an axis until it reached his other hand. Now beginning to really like the technique, Kuro was doing it faster and faster, until the rod was more of a blur than a defined shape. For hours Kuro spun the rod, finally giving his own weapon a shot. With surprising ease he spun the weapon, the slight weight difference hardly noticeable.

“Excellent work boy!” I told you that you would enjoy it! Stated Tohno as he grinned up at Kuro.

[Okami]

learned

[Kuro Inpakuto]

Sky Polearm End Stab
Rank: D
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The user stabs at the terminal gate (center) of martial arts with the end of the polearm.
Special: Naginata (Or other polearms).
Drawback: This attack is easily blocked.
Description: When in a situation where the blade is not pointing to an opponent but a quick attack/diversion is necessary, this attack is useful in that the user will lunge forward with the right leg and stab at the opponent’s sternum.
Limit: Must know Sky Ready Stance.

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0/10

Kuro awoke with a start. Looking around at his surroundings, he could tell he had not been asleep long. Around him stretched beds, few occupied besides Master Tohno and one of the men hired to maintain the upkeep of the training building. The room smelled slightly of sweat, the scent of a hard days training, the sweat of the workout that Kuro had enjoyed so much. How perfect was it for him now, in just a few short hours the night before he had not only relearned several basics, but he learned them to perfection, creating for him a happy feeling of obtained inner perfection. He looked forward to the coming days hard training as he slowly closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

“Alright kid, let’s get started with another relatively simple technique, but this one is more for utility than for actual striking... although your opponent won’t see it that way” Grinning, Tohno flipped up a wooden stick lying at his feet with his toes, reaching out and grabbing the stick with his hands. “Assume the basic stance and hold the weapon in the normal fashion. Take aim at the terminal gate and step forward, swinging your weapon to meet the enemy. The key here is to lunge forward with just your right leg and stab, attempting to impale your opponent’s sternum.”

Stepping into his stance, Kuro gripped his naginata and swung it forward, stepping forward into a lunge with both feet. Much to his surprise, Tohno reached forward, gripping the blade and pulling it forward, forcing Kuro to lose is stance, weapon, and finally his balance as he teetered forward and fell to the ground.

“Your stance was broken when you stepped forward, and that in turn makes you unbalanced.” As Tohno spoke he reassumed the stance and looked at Kuro “The position, though basic is the core of your strength. Essentially it is your roots, and without your roots eventually you will simply collapse under the weight of your own growth. Again!” He tossed the naginata to Kuro who was now standing in place.

“Strike me, and keep your balance!” Kuro took the position, swinging the blade into place reach to stab forward. Being sure to keep his back foot in place, he lunged, stepping forward with just his right foot, stabbing with a good amount of force. Much to his dismay, Tohno knocked the stab aside with ease and looked at Kuro. “That was better… but keep your back straight! The power comes from your leg movement and waist; if your back is straight you can transfer more power!”

Doing as he was told, Kuro reassumed the position, keeping his posture perfect. He stepped forward, lunging with his right leg. Though he could feel the fluid force of the strike, again the blow was blocked by Tohno, but this time the force behind the block proved to be slightly more difficult for Tohno.

“Excellent” he said, “simply flawless.” He looked up at Kuro after he glanced to the side.

“But master, you easily blocked the strike!” He nervously rolled his weapon over in his hand as he looked to Tohno for an answer.

“Ahh yes, but it is as I said! This is utility, a distraction, a quick motion which forces the opponent to do as you wished him to do.” A large grin spread over his face “sometimes a fight is about more than making the other man bleed for you; you need to make the opponent obey your will!” Taking up a smaller wooden naginata from the ground he looked at Kuro, “Let us continue!”

[kujira]

Whooo! Keep up the good training Kuro! You're doing good! Don't forget to interact and stuff with your fellow rainies though! And come say hello in the OOC chat too!

...If this breaks up the rhythm of your training post I'll delete it XD. Just thought I'd give you some encouragement.

[Kuro Inpakuto]

[[Hehe thanks, I just figured I'd master some basics before I started to run around the village since I figured it can only make this easier. Don't worry about the post either, it just draws more attention to my thread xD]]

[Tieren]

Learned

[Kuro Inpakuto]

Sky Trailing Attack
Rank: D
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The user trails an opponent’s weapon and ends with a slash at the nearest opening.
Special: Naginata (Or other polearms).
Drawback: There’s no true form to this attack, and therefore it may be weak.
Description: After blocking an opponent’s weapon, the user will circle his polearm in order to reduce or divert an opponent’s attack while lunging forward toward the opponent, ending with a slash at whatever opening is available.
Limit: Must know Sky Basic Strikes.

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0/10

Tohno now stood before his student, wooden weapon drawn in ready stance, looking for any reason to suspect an incoming attack. As Kuro began to lunge, Tohno parried the strike with a downward blow, turning about quickly forcing himself between Kuro and his arm. He then brought up his weapon with blurring speed, letting it come to rest just inches from his throat.

“What I’m going to teach you now is how to counter attack. Sometimes defending can open up more attacks than sudden wild strikes, and fluidity in motion is the key to this technique.” As both re-assumed the stance Tohno kept speaking. “First of all, as I strike out think of how I’m attacking. What kind of block will open up the different areas of my body? Which area will you be able to openly strike and what areas will you strike to incapacitate me? Will you strike the terminal gate? Perhaps you will strike at my legs? Maybe even go as far as to strike at my neck delivering a fatal blow? In the end this is a freeform strike, and you choose the amount of damage you manage to do. It’s up you in the end, block and show me what you have learned!” he cried out as he swiftly pushed his weapon at Kuro. The strike, though sudden, downward and vertical was one of amazing speed, something Kuro obviously wasn’t quite ready for as he did manage to block the attack, but only after it would have cleaved through six inches of his shoulder.

“Focus Kuro! You need to feel what I am doing, know what I am thinking. Look for anything, the slight movements in the feet, and the twitches in the arms! Know what I plan!” Again he struck out in similar fashion but this time the strike was vertical in an upward motion. With much more speed this time, Kuro reacted and blocked the strike, awkwardly he attempted to push the weapon away and counter attack Tohno who reacting faster and stuck Kuro on the side of his left leg. “That was better, now you just need to make it more fluid! Remember; think of how you will open me up, always stay one step ahead!”

Again and again the two attacked, and slowly over a few hours Kuro began to understand the motions. Drilling into his mind to never take a break, Kuro felt like his mind and his muscles were on fire, burning together in unison, no longer separate parts but now one machine, working as if its life depended on the motions.

“Ok Kuro-kun, know what I am going to do! I can feel you getting close to mastering the technique, and with this out of the way we can move forward.” Nodding, Kuro slowly took his position. Slowly he two circled each other. Then with sudden movement Tohno struck, a quick jab to the chest! Kuro blocked perfectly, forcing the blade out. Twisting around like a snake, Kuro returned the blow directing his weapon to Tohnos right arm. Tohno in turn twisted his weapon and blocked the strike, countering as he pushed out Kuro’s arm and bringing the weapon to Kuro’s neck.

Suddenly it was as if the world slowed down for Kuro. He could see everything, the twisting muscles of Tohnos arm as he gritted his teeth in anticipation for the coming strike. “No!” Kuro thought to himself as he dipped backward and brought his weapons staff end up to parry the blow. As the weapon weapons connected there was a resounding slam of wood on wood, and quickly Kuro began to shove off the attack. The world returned to normal speed as Kuro pushed off Tohnos weapon, bringing his own down to bear.

The strike was perfect, a sharp twist of the weapon brought up the head as Kuro slammed it into Tohno’s chest, forcing him to lose his balance as he stumbled backward. Quickly regaining his posture, Tohno struck forward again, another blow to be blocked by Kuro’s as he brought the weapon in from the side. Again, the resounding sound of wood smashing into wood could be heard about the room, and with one fluid motion Kuro knocked aside the weapon and brought his own to Tohno’s neck.

“Excellent work! The fluidity of our motions was perfect; I bet it almost would have looked like a dance to anyone who would have witnessed it…” Smiling he looked Kuro in the face “Perhaps its time for a break eh? I’m starving.” Grinning, Kuro pulled his weapon from Tohno and smiled back nodding in approval to the suggestion.

[//Talo//]

+10

Learned.

[Kuro Inpakuto]

Sky Speed Stab
Rank: D
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The user lunges forward and stabs upward at the opponent’s neck.
Special: Naginata (Or other polearms).
Drawback: Unless the opponent is using a low stance, this attack is almost always blocked if not used as a follow up to another attack.
Description: Lunging forward with the right leg, the user pushes the polearm at the end and sends it hurtling in a straight line at the opponent’s neck.
Limit: Must know Sky Basic Strikes.

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0/10

After a quick lunch, Kuro and Tohno returned to the training complex. Returning to the same room they had been in earlier, Tohno turned to Kuro and spoke: “Well I don’t know about you, but today’s got me rather riled, and I’d like to take some time to meditate. Care to join me?” Nodding, Kuro came to kneel and rest next to the place Tohno had now taken upon the ground in a similar fashion. Closing his eyes, Kuro looked inward at what he had managed over the last few days. He was so proud to be training under such an esteemed master, and surely what he learned here would be enough to comfort him since the loss of his mother. Every technique he learned, every step he took, and every meaningful conversation was improving him, bettering him, almost sharpening his like some kind of weapon, a weapon that would be used some day to honor his mother as he became a truly useful tool of the village.

As Kuro began to let the inner comfort and peace settle within him he heard a sound which made him tickle with laughter: Next to him Tohno was snoring, and rather loudly at that. Opening his eyes he turned and looked at his master. Tohno was slumped a little to the side, mouth dangling open with his head tilted back. Smiling Kuro reached out and poked Tohno sharply in the chest “pssst” he whispered as Tohno stirred.

Tohno’s eyes fluttering, he woke with a start saying “What? No no I wasn’t sleeping sensei, I was just meditating!” Realizing where he was suddenly opened his eyes fully and looked at Kuro and said: “Haha bad habit of mine, I always get so relaxed I just get sleepy… anyways, I suppose we best not waste time on naps eh?” Quickly he stood up and stretched. “For this one I suppose you can use your naginata, but you’re going to be working on a practice dummy. I don’t want to get skewed while I’m half asleep mind you.”

Coming to stand up fully, Kuro reached behind him and freed Nenshou Kurayami from its bindings and he drew it in front of him. The perfect balance of naginata still amazed him, its cool grip comforting to his very soul. As he walked over to the training dummy, Tohno explained the attack: “pretty straight forward really, all you need to do is step low with your dominant foot and strike at the neck. Really this attack is best on opponents low to the ground, but it can be another utility strike to force your opponent to block.

Stepping into place, Kuro drew back his weapon and lunged, plunging the blade into the dummy.

“Not too bad, but you’re missing the point really. Instead of gripping with two hands, let the dominant hand go and thrust using just the bottom end of the staff so you get some real force and momentum going.”

Stepping back into position, Kuro again started the lunge. As he pushed forward with his left hand, he used the momentum of his feet and body to assist with the blow. As the weapon careened forward it stuck the dummy with far more force, literally forcing the blade through the neck to the other side. “Like that?” Kuro asked as he looked at Tohno.

“That was even better but you did one thing wrong! Make sure you keep your grip on the weapon, otherwise a miss will or block could cause you to lose your weapon. The idea is to sacrifice some manner of precision for power, but too much of a loss could cost you your weapon, something which no one can afford to do in combat on accident.”

Nodding Kuro again resumed the stance. Lunging forward with speed this time, Kuro stabbed forward with his lower hand, forcing the weapon again through the neck of the dummy, but as he felt the blade coming to a stop he abruptly pulled back and took the weapon from the dummy with his lower hand. With this motion the dummies head abruptly fell off, sheared by the force of multiple strikes.

“Great work, I believe you have it” said Tohno as he again picked up his wooden naginata.