Senbon Taitoku Dojo [T][P]

[The Heron]

[/b]

• Hana(Female) of the Hidden Village of the Mist - A whisp of smoke is the best way to describe this trainer. Her long gray and black hair mixed with her short and slender body she seems to be ethereal. She is quiet and patient with students only speaking when needed. She is young and youthful but something in her past makes her quiet. Maybe the scar on her face has something to do with it. A long scar down her right cheek is the most interesting feature. It is said Daichi asked her about it once, she refused to answer and he respected her wish. It must be something important.

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Dojo - A massive enclosed area of lush greenery.

Senbon Taitoku Stance
Rank: E Rank
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: A way of holding senbon that adds to all attacks made with them.
Special:None
Drawback: Required to know for ALL other Senbon Taitoku jutsu
Description: Holding the senbon between knuckles but also holding their wrist back and the senbon farther up then most senbon users hold it. This adds to power and accuracy and allows the Senbon Taitoku to master their craft.
Limit: Must be of the Senbon Taitoku

0/5

[Enter]

He had never before seen a young woman with gray hair, though the gray was broken by streaks of black. She seemed demure almost, speaking very softly, talking only as much was necessary - nothing more. Her face was soft and welcoming, save for the jagged scar that ran down the length of her cheek. She stood before a class of one; only Hiromasa.

“Mimic my stance,” were the only words she spoke, and the only instructions given.

He studied her for a few moments before attempting to rebuild what she had showed him. He studied the exact tilt to her harm, the placement of hand versus body - anything and everything he saw was catalogued, processed, and analyzed.

Holding his senbon between knuckles upon his middle and index fingers, the senbon wedged between the digits securely, though loose enough to allow him to throw the projectile if need be. He moved his left arm so that it was positioned across his chest, angling upward from his left ribs to his right shoulder. His wrist was curled exaggeratedly, just as Hana-sensei’s was. He appeared as if at any moment he would let the senbon fly forth from his hand with a simple sweep of his arm.

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[hotaru]

+3

[The Heron]

... you're joking.

3/5

Hana-sensei critiqued his stance, pointing out the minute issues within the way he held his arm and wrist - even the strength of his grip on the senbon.

"Your elbow should be higher," she said softly, pointing to the aforementioned elbow. "Your grip is too tight, as is your wrist. You must be loose and fluid, like the Heron."

He accepted the critique and sought to correct his issues. His first course of action was to lift his elbow several inches, putting it level with his chest, instead of his ribcage. His arm was still angled diagonally, with his fist up near his face. The senbon wedged between his index and middle finger was allowed some "room-to-breath", so to speak, as he loosened his grip just enough to hold the senbon without dropping it. He let his wrist sort of limp as if it were lifeless, using very little effort to hold the joint in place.

"Good." Hana-sensei breathed. "Very good."

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[I C H I R O™]

+2, hehe

[The Heron]

* Senbon Sogekihei (Senbon Sharpshooter)
Rank: C Rank
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: Throwing a single senbon from far away with extreme accuracy the user can penetrate certain parts of the anatomy that they learn in their training of this jutsu. By hitting these they can slow enemies down with a single throw, or even do minor damage from far away.
Special: None
Drawback: Only one Senbon allowed
Description: Using a flick of the wrist this silent technique can send a senbon soaring in. This does more damage than a random throw with the senbon and can add hit certain points slowing enemies down more then most believe possible with a single senbon.
Limit: Must be of the Senbon Taitoku, Must know the Senbon Taitoku Stance

0/10

“Now you must learn the art of throwing a single senbon.” Hana-sensei began, as she paced a few feet away from the kneeling form of Hiromasa, her steps as soft as a baby’s breath.

They had moved to the garden of the dojo, a wide expanse of space with several targets hidden behind trees and within bushes, to imitate the true conditions in which the style would be used. The garden seemed more a mini-forest than a true garden, as instead of being populated with flowers, there were scores of ferns and willow trees separate haphazardly, to imitate the wild naturalness of a true forest. Both Hiromasa and Hana stood in the center of the garden, ten meters away from the closest target.

“The speed, the accuracy… it is all in the wrist. The wrist must be loose – the power comes from the forearm, in the sudden, rapid contraction of the muscles as you flick your wrist forward…” she trailed off, deigning to demonstrate the technique.

Adopting the Senbon Taitoku stance, with her wrist held limply against her shoulder, Hana-sensei flicked her wrist forward in a tight, short, concise movement, allowing her hand to travel no more than six inches away from her chest. The senbon gripped between her fingers flew from between the digits with sickening speed, zipping forward with a silent whoosh and piercing deep into the bulls-eye ten meters away.

Hiromasa was stunned by the sheer ferocity in the simple, fluid motion. In moments, she was smooth and flowing, like a mild river, and the next, she moved with the ferocity of a tiger. He had thought little of the demure woman until that moment… she could easily kill him, with something as simple as a tooth-pick. Hiromasa hoped to attain such skil.

“You won’t be able to throw the senbon as hard,” she stated, “not yet, but the motion is the same.”

She stepped away, allowing him his space, and handed him a senbon as well. He grasped it in his left hand, letting it roll across his palm for several moments as he relaxed his mind, blotting out the world around, making the distractions disappear, fading like mist. He too adopted the Senbon Taitoku stance, placing the senbon between his index and his middle finger, holding the projectile just tight enough that it wouldn’t fall from his grasp. He lifted his left arm up to his right shoulder, and raised his elbow as well, creating a much tighter angle in regards to his forearm and his upper arm. His wrist hung loose and limp, as if it were devoid of life.

He tensed for one brief moment, inhaling a long, deep breath, further relaxing his mind. The target across from him acquired all his focus – he surmised, both from Hana’s brief explanation and his own experiences with projectiles, that if he focused to hard upon the act of throwing, he’d be more susceptible to mistake.

He exhaled, and in one, languid twist, he flicked his wrist forward, whipping it with all his might, releasing his hold on the projectile when his hand reached the apex of its journey. The senbon left his hand smoothly, slicing through the air in a linear path, cutting into the target. Its impact wasn’t as deep as Hana-sensei’s, nor was its velocity as fast, but his accuracy wrung true, and his power was decent enough.

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[I C H I R O™]

+10

[The Heron]

Sanjuu Senbon Tosu (Triple Senbon Throw)
Rank: C Rank
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: Throws three senbon at once but very accurately.
Special: None
Drawback: Must be Senbon Taitokue Uchideshi
Description: The user holds three senbon at once with one hand and throws them very accurately no matter how little set up time for the throw. The user can be very accurate and powerful causing minor injuries.
Limit: Must be of the Senbon Taitoku, Must know the Senbon Taitoku Stance

0/10

He and Hana-sensei stooped in the branches of a massive fern tree located at the rear of the garden, shrouded in the lives of the tree, effectively hidden from view. Tucked behind a thin, shallow grove of trees some twenty five meters away was another bull’s eye. Both Master and student had their focus affixed upon the bulls-eye, though Hiromasa had to split his focus both between Hana-sensei’s words and the bulls-eye as well. He listened intently to her words, as she didn’t speak often, but his eyes never once wavered from the bull’s eye.

“To throw three, you must remember the principles of one,” she began in her mild voice, speaking softly, as if afraid to break the tranquility of the still, quiet garden. “Place the senbon between the fingers; use the thumb for better balance.” She continued. She reached into a small pouch at her hip, withdrawing three senbon. Turning her body to face him fully, she slowly placed one senbon between her index and middle finger, another between her middle and ring finger, and the final senbon between her ring and pinky finger. “The grip remains the same, as does the fluidity of the wrist.” She demonstrated exactly what she meant by “fluidity of the wrist,” flapping it back and forth, making it appear as if it was boneless. “Then aim, and let the senbon fly.”

Hiromasa watched as she flicked her wrist forward, releasing the senbon to slice through the air and slice deeply into the bulls eye, her aim perfect, even from such a great range. He was once again awed, but confident that he could replicate the maneuver.

She didn’t speak again, instead simply moving away, allowing Hiromasa his space. He had his own pouch full of senbon to use; reaching into the pack, he too withdrew three senbon, eyeing the thin weapons with a disinterested gaze. He didn’t move nearly as slowly or deliberate as Hana-sensei when he placed the senbon between his fingers-

“No,” Hana-sensei spoke up. “You must withdraw them from the pouch that way; placing them individually will take too much time.”

Hiromasa held in a sigh, heeding her words and dropping the senbon back into his pouch. He reset completely, and then once again dipped his hand into the pouch, but he clenched the senbon between his fingers instead of pulling them out and sliding them between his fingers manually. He affected the traditional stance, lifting his throwing-arm elbow up to chest level, holding his left hand upwards of his right shoulder, his wrist hanging limp and loose. His gaze settled upon the bull’s eye, and he focused so intently upon it that he imagined his vision burning a hole in the target. With a quick, deft flick of his wrist, he released the senbon, using the sheer momentum and torque of his snapping wrist to allow the senbon to cut through the air with great speed. The senbon traveled along a strict straight line, never once wavering from their path, cutting into the target upon the middle bull’s eye.

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[I C H I R O™]

+5

[The Heron]

... am I losing my touch?

5/10

Hana spoke no words; her eyes said enough. Do it again.

Hiromasa nodded his obeisance, affixing his target with a stare fit to kill. Muscles clenched and breath hitched as he dropped his left hand into his senbon pouch, his fingers closing expertly around three of the thin projectile weapons. Loose and fluid… loose and fluid. The mantra rung in his head, echoing through his skull, until it became all that he was. There was a visible shift in his stance – in the way he leaned on his toes, in the tilt of his back, in the subtle incline of his head.

Like the Heron…

In one motion, he withdrew the senbon from his pack, the weapons gripped between his long, slender fingers, appearing as if they were claws. His fingertips rested lightly against his palm, his hand closed in a fist, the senbon wedged securely between his fingers. He drew his arm back, holding his forearm against his chest, his left hand sitting stock still at cheek level. His knuckles gently rapped against his cheek as he bent his wrist backward, preparing to throw the senbon…

He whipped his arm forward, and the muscles within his forearm spasmed suddenly, clenching in unison with the move. His wrist snapped, almost like a whip, and he loosened his grip upon the senbon, allowing them to leave his hand, flying with the combined momentum of his arm and his wrist, his accuracy granted by the special stance of the Senbon Taitoku. The projectiles leaped from his hand with fervor, the entire motion as smooth as perfectly cut glass. His body remained motionless in all of this, as if it had assimilated into the tree he stood upon. The style called for abject silence, and it was this principle that the senbon themselves carried, cutting through the air with as much sound as a falling pin amongst a raging river.

He didn’t follow their flight through the air – he felt within that they would strike true… was this the power of Senbon Taitoku? Only time would tell.

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[Uchiha Satoshi]

Learned

[The Heron]

Senbon Hayaku Jiten (Senbon Accelerated spin)
Rank: D rank
Skill: Taijutsu, supplementary
Effect: Adds additional spin to fast moving senbon
Special: Holds boar and selected senbon in hands at the same time
Drawback:---
Description: The user pools a very small amount of chakra into the the base of selected senbons. When the senbon is thrown, It spins at a higher velocity then usual. Doing so makes the senbon fly in even more accurately at the target and increases damage when hitting. This is meant to be combined with other senbon techs.
Limit:Must know Senbon Taitoku Stance.

0/10

Thick clouds rolling overhead blocked the sun, casting the garden in a dim, morbid glow. The wind blew softly, as if afraid to upset the tranquility of the secluded garden. Master and student stood before a great oak tree, overlooking a small hill. At the very bottom of the hill, as the ground evened out rested a wooden post. Mounted upon the post was a red and white target.

“Now you must learn Senbon Hayaku Jiten,” Hana-sensei uttered softly. “The jutsu will add an extra degree of… lethality to your throwing principles.” Her voice trailed off and she lifted a slim hand, clutched within it a single senbon needle. “Hold the boar seal, like so,” and here she clasped her hands to create the handseal. “Channel your chakra directly into the base of the senbon, and then throw it. The chakra will make the senbon spin faster, which will in turn increase the velocity at which the travel.”

When she finished her instruction, she gave a negligent flick of her arm, releasing the senbon needle held within her hand. Hiromasa could scarcely follow the projectiles trajectory for the speed with which it flew. Her technique was flawless, and it was this he would seek to emulate. Her speed, her accuracy… it was beyond amazing, and he, a mere student, could only hope to attain such skill. He watched with slightly widened eyes as the senbon cut deep into the target, burying itself all the way to the base.

“And that is how it’s done.” Hana-sensei breathed. She stepped away from her pupil, giving him space to work. “Now you try.”

Hiromasa nodded, withdrawing his own senbon. He made to pull out only one, but a short grunt from Hana had him dipping his hand back into his pouch to withdraw three more. In this instance, the focus was not upon how he drew the senbon from the pack, but rather how quickly he was able to imbue the senbon with chakra, and also, if he could stem his chakra flow swiftly enough so as not to overload the needles.

He gripped the senbon in his hand, with the base of the senbon wedged between his fingers. Then, his hands embraced in the boar handseals, and he molded his chakra, reaching within himself to draw only a small, steady trickle to seep into the senbon. The chakra flowed with vigor before he restrained it, as it responded to his call readily, like a dog devoid of its master, only for that very master to return with treats in hand. For fear of overloading the senbon and possibly causing some sort of destruction to the needles, he ended the stream of chakra in mid flow. He heard no sound of denial from Hana, and thus continued with the process, preparing to throw the senbon. Adapting the Senbon Taitoku stance, he lifted his hand up to his cheek, drawing his arm up to release the projectiles…

His arm snapped forward, like a snake, and he relieved the senbon from their confines, letting them fly forth from his hand. The needles were so thin that he could see if the technique worked, but he imagined that the spun so fast it bordered on violent, as they sliced a path through the air towards the target down below.

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[Tenkai]

+7
{7/10}

[The Heron]

7/10

"Far too much chakra," he heard her whisper. "Do it again."

His hand would once again delve into the pack at his hip, withdrawing three senbon, each of the needles tucked diligently between a finger, leaving only his thumb free. His jaw tightened with determination, and his gaze steeled against the target, leaving everything else to fade away into nothingness. It was only him, the target, and the senbon clenched between his dexterous fingers.

Hana words revealed the source of his problem, and he would strain to discover the amount of chakra needed, but only for a second, as the knowledge itself was intrinsic; he simply had to delve within the depths of his mind to retrieve it. He had to withhold the stream of chakra that would seek release when he began to draw it, using his will and knowledge of chakra molding to restrict the flow to the tiniest proportion he could manage.

He brought his hands together to form the Boar handseal, slowly and methodically reaching into his chakra pool to withdraw a small, minute amount of chakra to imbue into the base of the senbon needles. The chakra was released suddenly, but restrained to almost nothing, the drain beyond negligible. The chakra was spread evenly throughout each senbon gripped between his fingers. He felt as if the technique was incomplete, but something in his heart of hearts told him that the jutsu had been completed successfully.

He flicked his wrist forward, and the senbon were propelled from his grasp by the swift swing of his arm and the languid flick of his wrist. They spun upon exiting his grasp, increasing their velocity. The needles cut through the air with blinding speed, piercing the target at which he’d aimed.

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[Tenkai]

Learned~
Add it. =D

[The Heron]

[Exit]

[The Heron]

[ Enter ]

Odoriko Onchou (Dancers Grace)
Rank: "A"
Skill: Tai
Effect: Becoming more aware of their surroundings the user is unable to be caught flat footed or be flanked.
Special: ---
Drawback: The user may only learn this technique by the class that they are. This means that in order to learn the "C" Rank version they must be "C" Class, if they wish to learn the "B" Rank version they must be "B" Class.
Description: Training to heighten their senses in the heat of combat, the Senbon Taitoku user under goes training to become more prepared then ever. They slowly become aware of their surroundings on the battle field, to the point they become similar with it like their own back yard. With this natural sense of their surroundings the user can't be caught flat footed or be flanked. Which means if the user was walking down the road minding their business, and a ambush party burst out from the bushes. The user wouldn't be caught of guard and would most likely except it, and will sense someone was coming up from behind to attack and will act quickly and either attack first or get out the way. This works on whenever they are being attacked. This technique however has a major flaw. The user is capable of dodging only whenever the opponent's class is equal or lower to that of the rank of the technique they know. This means that a "D" Class user that knows this technique can not use this against an opponent that is "C" Class or higher.
Limit: Must be a Senbon Taitoku user

0/80

“Hiro-kun - what a surprise.” Hana’s voice was soft and flowery, like the wind pushing through leaves in the early morning.

“Konnichiwa, Hana-sensei.” The genin uttered respectfully, his voice equally soft, as if he was afraid to disrupt the tranquility of the dojo.

“You have returned for more training?” Though her question was asked aloud, it was wholly rhetorical, and thus, Hiromasa did not answer. Instead his eyes traced the gentle arch of her eyebrow down to the scar that ran down her cheek, knifing through her beauty - thoughts surged in his mind, but they were forgotten a moment later as Hana disappeared into the tree tops, Hiromasa following swiftly on her heels.

“We are assassins, Hiro-kun… we must carry within us the grace of a dancer…”

She trailed off, spinning away from him on the branch - a confused expression fell over his face before a thin whistling sound rushed past his face and embedded itself in the tree trunk behind him. It was a senbon.

“Grace, Hiro-kun - grace and awareness. Listen to your surroundings… feek them, and react accordingly.

It was his own turn to flee - his senses let loose a blaring siren within the confines of his mind, urging him to move. He allowed instinct to guide him, falling forward to avoid a second senbon.

“It’s good to see that you haven’t completely lost your grace - now we must improve it.”

Hana disappeared into the leaves, leaving Hiromasa alone to face the invisible senbon launching specter.

He crept along at a snails pace, listening intently for the rustling of leaves, or the snapping of sticks - even the soft huffs of inhales and exhales. Deep within the thick foliage of the dojo, in the mighty trees that composed the structure, visibility was near zero, and thus, completely unreliable.

!

The urge was sudden and unexpected, but he still acquiesced to it, spinning into a crouch, just barely avoiding a needle to the neck. The senbon had been thrown with more velocity than those previous, its ministrations orchestrated by extremely deft hands… was Hana-sensei the culprit? In truth, such mattered very little… all that mattered was that he avoid the senbon, or suffer possible death.

He continued to creep, keeping his body as low to the branches as possible, almost as if he sought to become one with the branch and melt into it.

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[The Heron]

??/80

Hyper-awareness consumed him, straining his eye and ears and nose to capture every sight, sound and smell. The thin, tiny, miniscule hairs that lined his arms stood on end, fragile to the touch, absorbing even the faintest breeze as it whisked through the tree tops. He wondered how one could become more in tune with their surroundings… and then a senbon whizzed pass his ear, slicing neatly into the thin of his earlobe.

“Kuso!” He cursed, raising a hand to stifle the trickling of blood. His eyes encircled his position, attempting to amass a visual of his assailant - but none was discovered. Only the varying green hues of leaves and flowers occupied his line of sight. But that was the purpose, wasn’t it? To restrict his vision and force him to rely upon metaphysical means to sense danger, beyond even smell and hearing.

!

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Hyper-awareness seemed to inhibit his reaction time, but the normal awareness born of his caste - that of the assassin - aided him immensely in avoiding a second projectile aimed for his chest. He leaned to the left of it, twisting his torso with an easy going, languid grace more befitting a majestic avian.

Hafta keep movin…

Feeling his stagnation morph into an issue, he hurried along, retaining his low position relative to the thick tree branches beneath his feet.

The purpose of the hunt - of the entire exercise - was to increase his awareness without effectuating hyper-awareness. Such a state was detrimental to his well being, draining energy and strengthening fatigue. However, if his standard awareness of both self and surroundings could strengthen to the level Hana inspired, his training would be complete… for the moment, until his body shed its restrictions and ascended to true greatness.

He slunk through the trees, remaining as calm and as loose as possible. His movements were orchestrated in a loping manner, giving a certain spring to his step to allow for near instant reaction. With each step, his weight traveled upward and then eased down onto his feet, silencing his steps. His breath came in short, quiet spurts…

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[|Ayame Unbound|]

=16

[The Heron]

16/80

Methodically, he pushed forward, wading through the trees towards destination’s unknown, only seeking to expand the brevity of his awareness to even more heightened levels. The sun, in her infinite glory, was hidden to him, her warm glow blocked by thick blankets of leaves that hung overhead. And though sunlight struggled to penetrate the vegetation, Hana’s senbon needles had no such trouble, piercing through the foliage to seek close encounters with Hiromasa’s flesh. To avoid the projectiles, he had to be truly in tune with himself and the world around him, both separately and in the unified. Anything less was unacceptable.

The key was to remain loose, flexible, relaxed, and alert as well. Not stressed alert, when eyes and ears were strained, the body was tense and a headache grew in the recesses of your mind. No, this was a very leisurely alertness - that of a jaguar as it slinks through the forest, aware of everything and yet still “oh-so“ graceful. The alabaster skinned genin wanted such a awareness for himself, and sought to imitate it in the loping walk he effectuate as yet another senbon flew across his vision.

He wasted no motion - the senbon had never been intended to truly hit him, and thus by accepting its presence and maintaining his solitude, no harm befell him. Such a tactic would not work in different situations, but for the time being, it was perfect, and it showed the genin’s increasing awareness.

A second projectile entered within range, this senbon’s particular flight path somewhat dangerous to Hiromasa. With a smooth twist, he turned aside the senbon, never breaking his stride. The manuever was generated in the swing of his shoulders, all the while his hips remained relatively stationary. He could only accomplish it with such ease because of his complete and utter relaxation. Without it, his body wouldn’t have responded as readily, and thus his evasion would have come at a greater waste of effort; which, in turn, would be detrimental in the long run.

This wasn’t training that occupied only an hour or so… try half a day - maybe a full one.

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[The Heron]

??/80

The game had changed. No longer did Hana-sensei lance senbon at him through the bush, seeking secret kill shots. Now he was stalked by both Hana-sensei and Kikko-chan - another young shinobi who deigned to delve into the arts of Senbon Taitoku. Though he was the hunted, he didn’t feel the fright that came with being prey - instead, he felt just as powerful as the predator. His ease was apparent in the tranquil lope of his run; in the gentle arcing swing of his arms, and the tilt to his head as he glanced back and forth with loose, languid swings of his head. He had fully morphed into his role, essentially becoming a true animal.

The Wolf

He could smell and hear everything. No matter how efficient the ninja, they would never be able to totally erase their odor. Nothing could accomplish such. Combined with his increasing metaphysical awareness - born of this very exercise - he would be impossible to surprise.

However, another concept of the game had been altered as well. He could utilize his own senbon and assassination tactics against both Hana-sensei and Kikko-chan. They were entrusted to return the favor - the difficulty would stem from the duality of the attack against him, and the singularity of his own retaliation. Simply put… he was outnumbered.

A forty foot drop put him on the forest floor - he melted from the tree almost like a rain drop, impacting the ground with similar force to the tiny water droplet. Quick and quiet. The mantra rung in his head like a broken record, fueling the noiseless nature of his movements. Each step was perfectly spaced to effectuate perfect balance; certainly a key component of complete awareness, as a balanced body was pertinent to a balanced mind. Still, he moved with amazing swiftness, his loping gait so wolf-like it was startling.

And yet, despite his speed and silence, he could literally feel his pursuers at his back, drawing nearer with every step. He was a talented child, but he battled against the master, and her most prized pupil. They performed at levels easily comparable to his own. But still, he reserved the right to fight back… and that was what he endeavored to do. Svelte hands dipped into a pouch at his waste - three senbon were revealed as he moved his hand away, gripped lovingly between his fingers.