Forest Training Sessions [P]

The fresh spring air wafted along in a crisp breeze this morning. The lush grasses were still wet with the traces of the dew. The sun was beginning to cast its warmth across the forested landscape in preparation for a new day. This was the perfect setting for what all was set before the young shinobi. Today, much to his delight, Kaiten would set out to get in some real training - isolated and unfettered by the nuisances of his peers and overbearing senseis. Setting out from his apartment just at the very crack of dawn, he left directions with the gollum to bring out his fresh water at the set times every so often while he was away - more a precautionary tactic than a true necessity, but wise nonetheless. This would be no typical training session. It would be a true date with the wilderness as he intended to spend no less time in the forest depths than he possibly could without being dragged back to the village for ditching his duties. And so, with little more than the clothes on his back, a canteen of water at his hip, and his small pouch of shinobi tools anchored snugly at his right thigh, he set out down the main street to the village gates. From here, he would again take to the wilds as he had lived for so many years before having come to this village of Konoha. Reaching the outskirts of the village proper, he descended into the thick brush to find for himself a choice training field. He required something far removed from the clamor of the village vicinity. And so he hiked on for some time until he a last found himself entering a relatively sizable clearing within a thicket. Here, he paused at last to glance about his surroundings. This was it. A perfectly secluded little area framed within the dense flora. Now, to set to work. Stepping out to the center of the field, he began by simply diving into some stretches to shake off the morning lull and the monotony of trotting through the forest up until this point. Extending deeply into some side to side leg squats, he carefully worked out each fiber of his muscles. Extending, retracting, extending, retracting, again and again he shifted from right to left. With each motion came the steady and perfectly guided inhalation and exhalation of his breath, fueling each cell to the fullest as he primed his body for the work to come. After the passing of a few moments, he began to incorporate a secondary stretch into his motions as he began to rotate his torso from the hips. Flexing his obliques in opposing conjunction with his legs, he repeatedly folds himself over with each swaying motion in perfect rhythm with his breathing. Continuing on for several minutes, he then slipped down fully into a leg split along the grassy soil. Remaining still now for another several minutes, he brought both palms together at the center of his torso. Holding them out in perfect symmetrical alignment he began his work of bringing together the flow and channel of his chakra network. Slowly and with the utmost of care, he worked to draw up the needed reserves of his inner strength - the very essence of his being as a sentient being and as a shinobi - to course into and through the connected palms. They gradually began to warm under the influence of the flowing energy. It was as if they had come under the friction of being rubbed rapidly together- but yet no such motion was found to be in play here. They were perfectly still and in complete silence. This gathering of power from the core of his being was in itself one of the true marvels of the human body. In all history only a select few had ever come to unlock the potential of the chakra which flowed through all living things. In this regard, Kaiten knew he was well blessed to have been born into such circumstances as he had been. He had been given the opportunity to learn of these arts and to work to polish and perfect them. For him, this was the ultimate goal of one's life. The goal of reaching each day a new and greater pinnacle than had been found the day before. Each new action and each new motion resulted in a new and more complete understanding of the limits and capacities of the body in all its vast and wondrous regards. As he sat here now in suspension along the ground, focusing and meditating well upon these principles as he was, he knew that there could only be all the more to be found beyond even that which was known. The growth would never cease nor be hindered by a finale. This experience in which he was now involved - the experience of shinobi; the experience of life - was one which would guide him to the far reaches of not only the physical world - in the form of journeys to come which were yet unseen - but even of the spiritual realms in which all true knowledge and wisdom did dwell. Only his own will and determination could dictate how far he would go. Only his own life's direction as guided by his raw and honest ambition would decide to what extent he would come to master these arts which he now worked to understand, harness, and master. Would he ever come to reach the heights achieved by the great heroes of times gone by? Would he dare even surpass them all and forge for himself a new and even more lofty legend for those who came after to aspire toward? Or perhaps he would merely fade into the depths of time along with so many who had fallen by the wayside under the weight of fate itself which had so cruelly felled countless and untold numbers of shinobi who had given their all only to be crushed and left to rot upon the endless fields of war. The answer was long off for this boy. For now, all he could do was to ponder these things as he worked toward the future of his deepest desire; toward the dreams which he had held in silence for so long. And so, he, with the passing of each of these thoughts, brought from within himself a newer and greater concentration of power. Each passing moment to eclipse the previous. Each bead of sweat which formed upon his brow a sign of his weakness and inexperience being forever banished from the realm of his being and swiftly replaced with the entity known as strength and resolve. Each exhalation of breath bringing with it a closer understanding and more definite unity of being with the power that flowed through his synapses and through his veins. The chakra he guided through his body began to take upon itself what could almost be described as a 'tangible' feeling, as if there were streams of rushing water coursing along their way through his flesh and tissues. This 'water' was pooled within his belly in a spiraling vortex like a whirlpool embedded in the vast seas. Each motion of his diaphragm brought the churning pool to a more condensed and more controlled state of being. Soon, he could feel the sphere of energy as clearly as if there were implanted a spinning ball directly into his lower abdomen. The boy knew that this was the beginnings of his true goal here today. He had gathered the force into a focused form. Now came the time to guide that form. It was not enough merely to have found the natural location of the power. He needed the ability to shape the power. He needed the ability to guide the power where he willed. He needed to harness this strength into his hands. From here he began the next phase of his efforts. Bringing the sphere into as compressed a point as he possibly could muster, he then shifted his focus to the channeling of the 'waters' within. There came over him at this point a feeling of sudden coolness. Possibly wrought by the morning breeze whispering softly through the trees, or perhaps more so by the shift of flow within his own body as the chakra pool began to fluctuate under his guidance, he felt as if a sudden cold sweat were descending upon his brow and sweeping over the entirety of his body until he was fully consumed in a tingling rush of exhilaration which permeated each pore of his flesh. In subtle transition, the chakra began to bulge gently outward from the spherical form it had until then held. It was as if the energy was attempting to burst through its shell like unto a newborn chick being released at last from its egg. Gently, still gently, the bulge increased. Pressing the boundaries of the sphere until they could withstand no more, the chakra burst through and finally poured forth into the boy's system as he had so desired. The release was met with even further intensifying of the cold sweat upon the boy as he struggled to remain steadfast in his position of absolute focus and lulled mind. Draining any excess thoughts and potential distractions from his mind, the young shinobi diverted his efforts into the careful direction of the now smoothly flowing streams from within. Knowing all too well that the slightest of malfunctions, the least of missteps, in this delicate art could lead to permanent injury of his precious internal organs, he was certainly not intent on taking any chances of distraction or lax devotion. (This, beyond the simple fact that he didn't care much for them to begin with, was the core and primary reason why the boy had decided to take off to himself for this bout of training. He knew that those around him would only serve to hinder his oneness with himself which he could attain only here in solitude and serenity within the secluded forest.) With the patience and precision of a seasoned surgeon he worked to guide the flow of energy around each winding twist and turn through his body as he worked the streams upward through his torso toward his arms. Breathing deeply into his belly he used the natural expansion and retraction of his lungs to propel the streams forth from his abdomen in carefully selected amounts. Just so much as could be safely handled for him at the time, and no more, is what he wished. This was a most tedious and all consuming task for the boy, but one which he most assuredly accepted wholeheartedly. Sure enough, the steady deliverance of chakra through the boy's form arrived true as intended, a testament to his diligence in the art up until now as he had worked tirelessly day in and day out for all of his time since he had first arrived in the village and been taken into the academy program so generously. Passing through his arms the streams of power now came to pool into the young shinobi's hands as they remained clasped ahead of his sternum. With the awaited arrival of his energy into his palms, his hands began to to sweat profusely as the heat generated from within quickly skyrocketed even from what had been gathered in the moments prior leading up to the climax. The force felt between his palms surged to the point of emanating a visible form which swept over his hands cloaking them within a radiant hue of soft green. The energy danced and flickered outward from his fingertips, projected forcefully from his palms, and burst through the backs of his hands to completely enshroud the boy's hands in an ever growing 'flame' of brilliant essence.

From here the boy realized that he had at last reached the next stage of control. Now then, he had come to the time of again condensing the power. To this end, he now began his effort toward drawing the excess chakra back into his palms. Bringing the power up to his hands would prove to be of little use without the ability to then harness the resulting surge of chakra. Knowing that he would only expend his chakra wastefully if the current state was maintained, he drew in his breath and tried now to connect the exiting chakra to the rhythm of his steady breathing just as he had done to guide it through his arms in the first place. The power covering his hands began to pulse and flicker. While still fully making effort to escape the boy's body into the freedom of the outer world, the energy was noticeably being tugged back by the young shinobi's will. Time passed in agonizing delay as the passing moments wore upon the boy's being, taxing his stamina as each trickling drop of the chakra which he had worked to set in motion as now being clashed against itself in opposing directions. Half now trying to burst free from his form, and the remaining portion attempting to draw itself back into his deepest core in effort to return to its origin. The channels through which the power flowed beneath his flesh were cast into a fury as the torrents struggled to stabilize and somehow reach some measure of equilibrium that might be put to use by the boy. As the writhing and tumultuous streams were caught in their battle for supremacy of direction, the boy's until then relaxed expression which he bore across his face amid the lull of his vacant focus began to grow strained and distressed under the increasing weight of the inner turmoil. There was now found within the ever rising sensation of a new kind, foreign to the cold sweat of excitement which had been over him from the initial onset of his training session of present. This new sensation did not bring with it the feelings of growth and increased power. This new sensation was in fact not a positive one at all by the standards of most. This feeling was pain. Beginning with the stings and scratches of a million pin pricks beneath his flesh, the steady rise of discomfort continued to escalate only ever further as the battle of wills within the young man wore on. His body began to ache and groan under the pressure. He found himself now beginning to have difficulty maintaining the steady flow of breath which he had exhibited in the moments before. Stressed and quickly tiring, the young shinobi nevertheless refused within his mind and soul to give in no matter what the pain he had to endure. He would not suffer defeat under any circumstances. His desire for this power had existed since his earliest youth which could be recalled. Having born witness to the mass atrocities of the warring era from even at the time he could walk, he knew all too well what the world was like. He knew that there could be found no peace of mind in this world for those who knew not the power which he now sought. He had seen how those people lived first hand. Their lives were merely meaningless pawns in the hands of those who held strength. Their existences were nothing more than failed wastes of flesh which had fallen short of realizing their own methods of strength. They would be inevitably cut down and fed into the machine of conquest driven by the hands of the warlords. This was an absolute truth in this world. Regardless of how or where or when, this fate awaited all who could not stand upon their own feet to be counted among the mighty. The pain he was feeling now, under the weight of this increasingly unbearable inner torment, was nothing at all compared to the everlasting and completely limitless permeating pain which belonged to those who were fated to live their lives as the stray mongrels of the streets. The boy would reach strength. The boy would reach power. The boy would become a man worthy of being so named. His fate would not fall to the dogs. He would rise. With this driving force behind his unyielding motivation, he struggled on with total and unwavering resolve. Each and every time he felt as though he would lose his focus of breath, he drove his body to recollect itself. Each and every time his body felt as though it would stumble over itself and fail his stance across the ground, he refueled his strength and became newly solidified as if a firmly rooted sculpture weighted perfectly into the soil by expert craft and design. All the while the pain only continued to ascend. Now his flesh felt as though it were boiling from within. The streams of power which flowed so serenely at first were now fully charged rapids clashing and churning in all directions and threatening to at any given moment burst out through his tissues in what any would imagine to be a bloodied and tattered mess of flesh and gore. Gritting his teeth heavily under the strain, Kaiten remained firm. Though every fiber of his being wished to scream out in the intensive experience of hellish conflict, he held his tongue in perfect form, never once losing his flawless composure of being and never once losing sight of the goal at hand. He must endure and he must achieve this newest level of control. Long and strenuous hours passed by in what seemed an eternity as the boy underwent his silent struggle. The time expired was fully lost on the young shinobi, however. His eyes remained in a perfect daze of only fractional consciousness. His mind was cleared of any and all external stimuli. All day he remained in position with legs sprawled wide over the grassy ground. The sweat of his body saturated his clothing and even had long since begun to spill onto the soil beneath him. The churning only went on. The boy's arms were by this point fully numb and held up in suspension only by his unconscious force of will which denied him the right or privilege of pause or of defeat. This would not end until he had done what he came to do. He would not relent until the pain did. That would be his sole signal of release.

As the day waned on approaching the eventide, there at last had slowly begun to be exhibited a change concerning the course of the seemingly endless struggle of endurance. The pulsating, churning, writhing rivers of power began to once more align back into their streamlined states. The formerly relentless splashing and bulging was starting to wane. Now, the pressure was returning back to a feeling reminiscent of what had been active during the beginnings of the trial when the boy had first set in motion his attempt to redirect the chakra back into his body so many long hours earlier. Now the streams were forcing against one another again in direct opposition. The balance of power was in constant transition. First the outward flow would take the lead and burst forth from the boy's hands once more in a flickering spark. Then, with no warning, the inward flow would return to the lead, drawing the force backward in crashing inflow which felt as though the young shinobi's body was being pumped full of water from the arms into the belly from whence the ordeal had originated. This feeling of constant ebb and flow, although still found to be most painful and displeasing, held within it a certain comfort for the boy. He knew that this was good. The worst had at long last passed and he was one step closer to bringing the power under his full control. Only a little longer and he could safely relent. Only a little more and the chakra could be finally balanced within his weary and sweat soaked being. This thought alone could be relied upon to fully drive and motivate him to dig even deeper than ever before. He saw the end coming to this trial at last and he would truly gain hold of it. More time passed. The night was growing darker by the minute as he entered the final stages of his struggle for the day. Each moment saw the back and forth struggle of power growing closer and closer to reaching a long awaited balance. The boy's breath became easier again as it had been at the start of it all. His focus became all the more natural once more as he felt the rivers beginning to intermingle and coalesce. Their incessant war was at last complete. His body burst with pure energy as the glow about his hands came to stabilize and return to a thin cloak cast over his exterior flesh. With the release of a mighty sigh of relief, the young shinobi opened his eyes to lay his gaze upon the fruits of his labor - the perfected balance of the chakra which flowed over his hands. This pose he held just a bit longer, allowing the feeling of equilibrium to be sustained for the next few moments as a sort of cool down to his extensive session and as well to ensure that he was indeed capable of holding the balance safely for a time after the battle had concluded. All seemed well. All felt natural and good as it should be. The time for rest was finally at hand. Slowly and with much care the boy began to release the focus with which he had so bravely and resolutely held his form in perfect composure throughout the long and arduous day. The glow of chakra faded and slipped back into his body where it could be replenished again. His muscles began to lower and relax from the lengthy strain they had endured. He came to lower his stiff and incredibly sore arms to their proper flanks. Feeling as if they were little more than wet and limp noodles at his sides, he wearily exhaled as he thought again to himself upon what manner of strain he had just endured. Though pushed well nigh the very point of breaking, endured he had. Now all that remained, for the night at least, was to drag himself back to his feet and head for some manner of shelter to restore his strength for the next day to come. Pitifully and with truly feeble efforts he managed to lower his body fully to the ground as he tried to draw in his outstretched legs from their places of anchor to which they had been bound for hours untold. This in itself proved to be quite the struggle fro the exhausted young man. Plopping his form head first over the ground ahead of him he wormed his way forward just enough to naturally drag his legs back to their normal straight lined pose below his waist. From here, while having his arms essentially useless for the time being, he could only hope but to begin a sluggish roll across the grass as he headed toward the bushes which lay upon the nearby outskirts of the clearing. This would have to do for the night. Knowing well that he had neither the strength nor likely even at this point the ability to construct anything resembling a proper bed for the evening, he would find his night's rest in a humble shrub. This was no real issue to him, though. He had done this plenty of times in the past and he held no aversion to it. After all, if the animals with whom he grew up could enjoy the humble leaves as their place of slumbers, then so, too, could he. With a tedious and awkward display, he soon arrived at his destination with a happy heart and a weary being. Here, he quickly went off to his dreams casually as if he were within the comfort of his own home and bed. Thus had ended the first day of his training adventure.

There came soon upon the boy a new sensation. It was the feeling of warmth softly caressing his face as he lay still motionless among the leaves and branches within which he rested. Provoked by this sensation to open his heavy eyes, he took for himself a moment to adjust his blurred vision from the remnants of sleep which still remained. The verdant tones of the forest came slowly into focus. Illumined in the rich golden rays of the morning sunlight, the scene was a superb vision of natural bliss. Still yet unmoved from his ordeal the day before, he took a momentary pause to guide his eyes about the area as much as could be seen from his point of view then current before at last taking to the task of checking the motion of his limbs. He began to recall that the night previous he had been fully incapacitated from his training. He was unable even to lift his hands or feet from their positions of rest. Would he now find the strength? Or would he be found to be still even now under the grasp of fatigue? The young shinobi would have his answer soon enough. Relaxing his eyes shut once more, he turned his attention to the fingers at first. It was as if he were now delving into an uncharted realm of action. The typical ease with which one might come to enact motion into their body was no longer quite so simple. The process was the same as he had always done. The thoughts of his mind were to simply lift his left arm, perhaps to perform the basic task of wiping the sleep from his eyes as would one so commonly do at the time of their waking. However, this would not be the result of his intentions. Rather than provoking a full motion of the extremity, the result was a stuttering twitch of the fingers. Erratic and poorly guided at first, the twinge scattered throughout his hand and into his forearm before expiring below his elbow. This caught the boy as quite the strange phenomena. Could he still even now not find the strength to move? He would not know until another effort was made. The feeling of subtle concern crept over his being with the stealth of the prowling lioness as he set to another attempt. Adding weight to his thoughts he motioned once more to lift the arm. This time, the results were more fruitful for the boy. The twinge of motion this time allowed for the shaky extension of his fingers outward to their full measure. Seeking to maintain the momentum of success as his feelings grew more positive toward his efforts, he carried the sensation of action through the upper reaches of his arm, setting int play the tingling of life once more as he gradually adjusted again to the use of his synapses. He had done it. Bringing the limb upward to hover above his face, he slowly rotated his arm where he could inspect each element of it. All seemed normal. He clasped and released his fist repeatedly as he worked to pump the life back into it and shake away the remnants of the twitching slumbers. Seeing fit that all was as it should be, he turned his attention to the opposing arm whilst descending the former to the grass as he prepared to lift himself up from his place of rest. Following much the same course, he adjusted his right arm to coincide action with that of his left. Placing both palms back upon the ground he began the effort of bringing his torso up with a valiant effort of fortitude. Releasing a heavy sigh as he did, he brought himself up to a sitting position propped up by his arms behind him at either flank. From here, he could gaze about his surroundings more freely and with far more success. All seemed to be quiet and still. There was found no sign of disturbance within the forest. The only sounds audible were those of the chirping and calling birds and of the whispering foliage of the trees and shrubs in the morning air. With no sign present of unforeseen event - or of any event at all, for that matter - the boy returned to the matter at hand of reinvigorating his body for the day ahead. First, he set into motion his legs. Beginning with a gentle and loose rocking from side to side, he worked to get the blood circulating well and disperse the static sleep. As he did, and continued for a moment, he directed his eyes back to himself as he came to recall his canteen of water which he had brought along. Having spent essentially the entirety of the previous day in a meditative trance, he found himself to be indeed quite parched for fluids by this time. Groaning softly, he shifted his weight to the left as to allow the freedom of his opposing hand to reach across and to take hold of his precious supply. Unlatching the canteen from his belt, he clumsily thumbed open the cap with a repeated shuffle of the threading to drop the item into his lap. Tilting back his head lazily, he took to gulp down a fair portion of the contents past his thirsty lips as he heavily swallowed each mouthful which entered therein. Taking about a third of the drink available, he then allowed for his hand to drop back to his lap while still gripping the container. Another sigh escaped him as he took pleasure in the act of refreshing his throat and belly. Finding within himself at last the strength to sit up unaided by his arms, he reached with his remaining hand to take up the cap and reattach it to the container. Then hooking the canteen back to its proper place of rest, he steadily drew in his legs to a crossed position upon the grass. Placing then both hands upon the ground at his sides, he groaned a brief release of effort to lift himself up to his feet at last. Shaking off the dust and leaves of the soil where he had lain, he began to stretch out his neck and shoulders as he shuffled out from the brush and back onto the open clearing. Now then, it was time for a bit of food and then back to work. Glancing around, he noted that there were several bushes of edible berries nearby. These would suffice for a good breakfast for the young shinobi. His leisurely shuffle took him over to the fruit buffet at a casual pace. Plucking away any and all delicacies which caught his eye, he slothfully chewed away at his meal until he found himself reasonably satisfied to stop. Following his morning snack, he then wandered out to the center of the clearing to enjoy the warming and invigorating rays of the soft sunlight as he awaited for his meal to digest before returning to his work. The day was a truly remarkable spectacle of beauty, and certainly just the type that Kaiten most enjoyed as he was at full and uninterrupted oneness with the natural world. Taking this time to relax and ready his mind and body for action, he for now simply enjoyed the silence of this tranquil place.
After the passing moments had expired their time and his belly felt well to return to his tasks, the young shinobi set his training once again underway with a bounce in his step as he began to activate his body once more through some basic aerobics. Pouncing from his toes with a spring in his feet he worked to loosen and stretch out his legs first. He sends his full body into an undulating vibration which courses through his extremities to loosen and disperse any remaining fatigue or stiffness from his joints and muscles. Accelerating his heart rate and deepening his breath, he felt the pores and cells of his body opening to a refreshed and awakened state of readiness. Completing his quick routine with a final bounce, he then stood firm as he stretched his hands high above as if attempting to grasp some unseen goal just out of reach. Elongating his form to the fullest, he then quickly relaxed once more to allow his arms to fall naturally to their proper flanks with a heavy exhalation. Now, he was set to continue from where he had left off the day before. Diving into a set of squats, he again lowered himself back to the earth below whilst extending his legs horizontally across the ground to either side. From here he brought his palms up with a deep breath and clasped them once more at the center of his sternum. Releasing his breath, he cleared away the excess thoughts of his mind and sought to regain the place of perfect equilibrium he had attained as the hard won fruits of his labor thus far. This time, he found that reaching this secluded place of perfect balance was not so taxing as it had been the day prior. His body seemed now to recall the feelings it had known. No more would he need to scour across his senses to gather just the right amount from himself. No more would he need to stumble along within his mind and body to find the right amount of effort to exert in each area. His being had come to know all of these things during its rigorous and all consuming trials. Now, the pieces seemed to fit together with perfectly natural grace. The boy required only a brief few minutes to gather and condense his chakra through the diligent breath work he had exhibited. Pooling the source of his power into the belly once more, he quickly was able to begin the act of channeling the energy through his body and back to the hands as it had been. The power burst forth and spread out evenly over the boy's flesh. Flickering and wavering only for the initial few moments, he was in little time able to bring the chakra back under his full control. Bringing it to a balance with only minimal effort and time in comparison to his previous attempt, the young shinobi reaches the desired state of control in scarcely enough time for the morning to have expired into the noon hours. Throughout his focus and devotion on this occasion he suffered only the briefest of discomforts, being primarily found in the form of the simple pin pricks and pains of the tumultuous beginnings of the chakra streams as they worked to stabilize. No great task would have to be endured this day simply to gain the first step, it would seem to him now. With this stage achieved in record time, he again held the pose as he was for a little while longer so as to even further align himself with the flow of power and to gain a closer and more natural familiarity with the steps required to attain such balance. This would surely allow him to become even swifter with his build up in times to come. His body would be able to instantly recall the feeling and tap into the strength almost without thought. This was his goal. As he became gradually more and more comfortable with himself and the use of his abilities, he felt ready to try out his control of the energy by attempting to move the concentrated point through his body at will. Guiding the flow slowly and carefully through his breath and focus of will, he began to draw in the condensed chakra from his hands through his right arm alone at first. Taking his time and searching to feel out every aspect of the transit as he went along, he brought the chakra sphere up to his elbow, resting it there for a time as he memorized the sensation for later application. From here he brought the sphere along route to his shoulder. Again he took pause for mental documentation. This continued on as the hours passed along in the afternoon. From joint to joint he carried the energy orb throughout the entirety of his body over and over again. First taking to the right, and then taking to the left. Back and forth he went. Soon enough, the speed and ease of his mental transit was showing signs of significant improvement. He could begin to relax a bit more with each trial run. The power was becoming one with his being and becoming ever more easily harnessed by his keenly attuned mind. To conclude the work, he again brought the sphere along through to his sternum where he split it once more in two to be sent along either arm and again to the hands where it could be generated thereupon. A small smirk signifying the delight of his success crossed the boy's lips. He felt he had truly gained a strong perspective into the workings of chakra control and a vastly improved ability to achieve it. For now, he could rest upon this fact as he slowly released the low to dispersion throughout his body. It was mid afternoon by this time, and he required another bit of sustenance before setting about the next order of his business. And so, he relaxed his form to the soil and gradually rose up to a stand. It was back to the bushes again to procure another bit of food, and perhaps a light rest and a drink before he would return to the field for work. Gathering some more berries and leaves from the varied bushes available, he plopped himself down at the base of a nice and aged shade tree to enjoy his afternoon snack in peace. Here he rested and took leisure for another hour, attending to his needs of rest and recuperation while pondering over the things he had just learned from his efforts of training in the flow of his energy. Among these things which he mulled over in his mind was the art of chakra projection. In fact, it was this that had most motivated him to undertake this training in the first place. He had long seen many shinobi of various lands who would often use their chakra as an external force with the capacity to perform varied feats. From walking upon vertical surfaces, to the use of chakra covered hands to both heal and destroy, to even on rare occasion a shinobi who might cloak an item of weaponry within a coating of chakra to increase its effectiveness. These things seemed to the boy as very useful indeed. It ws this which he truly wished to bring into his arsenal as a proper and easily controllable tool. He knew that the first steps would be to gain the ability to properly move his chakra throughout his own body. After all, how could he ever hope to project the chakra if he could not first easily and naturally move the chakra? Feeling that he had certainly come to grasp the primary aspects of this art, he would use his experiences to build upon and shape them into an even more perfected usage. This was to be his next act of training. He must begin working to increase the density of the chakra he guided so that it would reach the point of being physically tangible along the flesh of his body. Only then could he use it to interact with the external world. With this in mind, he raised himself up with a sigh and began his casual return to the field.

With the focus of his work now shifting to the art of chakra projection, he retains a standing position to begin this stage of training. Sliding his feet out to either side just beyond his shoulders, he kneels gently into a firm stance digging his feet into the ground for stability. From here he brings his hands together once more to form a clasped circuit through which his energy can flow. Again he begins to regulate his breath to build and lead his chakra through his body and into his hands. Fueling the flow of energy into a steady and evenly distributed layer emanating over his palms, he compresses his hands together more tightly as he makes effort to gather the energy into what resembles a small sphere. To accomplish this task, the boy must first draw the power from the whole of his hands and bring it to only one point of exit through his flesh. Narrowing his gaze as he strains his focus in attempt to move the energy across the surface of his hands through the guidance of his eyes, he pushes to visualize the flow reacting in synch with his will. The veil begins to fluctuate and waver under the young shinobi's direction. Slowly starting and stopping, ebbing and flowing, the chakra lurches along in sluggish advance over the boy's skin. The expenditure of diligent efforts to refine the chakra sphere wears on through the afternoon. While the sun continued to pass along across the sky, the boy took no mind of the time. He was fully focused upon his work. The sweat again took form across the boy's brow signalling his intensive concentration on the matter. His arms began to feel as though they were made of lead from the static suspension required to sustain the continuous flow of chakra which streamed through them. Unyielding still in his goals of attaining the proper mastery of this technique, the young shinobi held firm despite his growing fatigue generated in combination of his strenuous work and of the waning daylight.

Despite his relentless devotion to the attainment of mastery, it would seem that this stage of the training would require a bit more time to refine than had the previous. The idea was simplistic enough, but the actualization of a chakra sphere in external form was far more challenging than it appeared at surface value. Entering the time of darkness as nightfall spread over the landscape, the boy knew that this would not be achieved in a day. Perhaps not in two or three, either. Thus, with a long sigh, he released yet once more the accumulation of energy he had gathered and shuffled off to his place of rest for the night. Disappointed, yet not discouraged, he tucked himself away for another night's sleep. All was not total failure, though. At least he did have the use of his body this time. He would not have to roll away into the bushes as if a wounded animal. Approaching a nearby tree which looked to him as the right size and shape, he hopped up the bark in quick and agile fashion to grab hold of the branches one by one as he ascended the tree to take up a place upon one of the larger branches which overhung the outskirts of the clearing. Here, he would lean back and take his rest for the night. Gazing up at the vast starry skies, he pondered his efforts until he at last drifted off to his slumbers.

As such had been, so continued it to be. The boy continued his work in similar fashion for the next several days as he spent his time in the deepest of thought and meditation seeking to grasp the secret arts of his shinobi craft. Each day he grew just a bit closer to his goal. The chakra with which he worked as if a potter diligently molding his clay slowly began to bend ever more closely to his will as he sought perfection of the finest art piece he could by his means forge. With each passing of two to three days, the little gollum who called himself Kaiten's dearest friend and comrade would take up the journey out into the forests from the boy's apartment back in the village. Guided only by his ken sense of smell and his expert knowledge of the woodlands, the diminutive fellow carried out the boy's fresh water supplies and a few varied snacks to supplement the young shinobi's diet of berries and foliage. This sequence went on for another week beyond the former as the boy unwaveringly toiled away at his task. By such time, he had truly made some fine progress in the art. Now fully able to fill only the palms of his hands with the flow of energy, he was so very close to the manifestation of his goals. He had also discovered yet one more interesting supplementary addition to his training. Amid his regular trips down through the heavily wooded pathways to a small stream which he had located in the nearby vicinity, to which he had at first only sought respite for the purpose of bathing and relaxation in between training sessions, he had stumbled upon the idea of concentrating the power of his chakra not only into his hands, but also into his feet. Recalling to himself a time at which he had once witnessed some shinobi battling atop the very surface of the water, he thought to himself that surely this would be an excellent test of his ability to project his chakra into the external world. With this in mind, he had begun to spend quite a bit of his time here at the stream, working tirelessly to gain a stable and natural stance atop the gently flowing waters. Not only was this a more reliable and easily viewable measuring tool for his progress than simply standing in a field gathering energy, but it was also quite refreshing to his body and soul to be in the water and not out in the hot sun all day with little moisture for his throat. It was the best of scenarios for the boy as he could now both train and have a little relaxation all in one pleasant locale. It was also here in this very place that he came to note a new and very crucial element of his abilities. This discovery would be one which would shape the very future of his path as a shinobi.

On one particular afternoon, as the young Kaiten staggered shakily along the surface of the stream toward the center where he oft stood to perform his work, he was feeling quite unusually confident in his prospects for the day - even for one such as himself, who was quite well known for his rather high opinions of himself. Reaching the center of the waters, he slid out his feet to assume his stance as usual. From here beginning the work of gathering his chakra once more - albeit this time the experience was a near instant and most painless endeavor - he started at once to the task of powering his body to the desired level of output. Here, in the midst of such intent, his feelings of contentment with his ability this day met with fruition. As the chakra pooled heavily into his palms, he noticed something a bit different. The sensation was off somehow. His whole body was tingling with a brilliant flickering surge of force unlike what he had known from his prior attempts at this very same technique. The natural green hue of his chakra was somehow tinted with what appeared as glistening sparks of white and translucent blue here and there. It was almost like some speckling of sand had entered his energy somehow and was dancing about within the fray. Unsure of exactly what this might even be, whether it be for his benefit or to his detriment, he squinted in inspection of the phenomena as he continued to fuel his energy forward. Quickly, and without the least warning to the boy, there shot out a spark of electricity from his hands just as if he had been caught up in an electrical socket. Splashing out across the waters, the bolt faded as quickly as it had come. Startling the boy without question, he immediately lost the focus he had gathered and fell back upon the water's surface - promptly sinking through to place his back upon the shallow bottom as he had forgone his concentration of chakra which maintained his equilibrium with the surface of the water. Springing back to his feet almost as quickly as he had fallen, he gasped up for air as the excitement of what had just taken place found full root within his heart. Was this some mistake? Was it a freak accident? Or perhaps... perhaps he had just stumbled upon something very valuable indeed. Eager to test out the results of his theories, he at once took back to the surface of the stream as he again went to work establishing the flow of power he had had just moments before. Here again, in no matter of time, there they were. The small, glittering sparks began to manifest again, swirling and dashing about through his chakra. This was no fluke. This was the beginnings of his discovery of chakra nature. The water of the stream, unbeknownst to the boy who had so casually chosen this as his place of training, had served as a catalyst to bring forth the true nature of the boy's chakra. By working so tirelessly to gather and compress his energy while standing atop the water, he had inadvertently roused his dormant abilities from deep within. Quickly, the sparks leaped out from his hands and danced across the waters. This time he was not taken aback by the event. He held his composure firm and continued the supply of power to charge the streaming electrical currents. This was fantastic! Not only had his trials to gain the use of chakra manifestation and projection paid of in full with the skill of water walking, but now he had gained a new and fully unexpected power from his efforts. He had acquired the ability of conjuring his inner Raiton nature. This would require a new line of training altogether. He must now learn to harness and command the power of electricity at will. Standing firm as he was for some time - the rest of the day, in fact - he carefully examined the workings of this new energy which coursed through and over his being. Even well after the time had come for another night's slumbers within the branches along the water's edge, the thoughts of all the magnificent applications of this new found power raced through the boy's mind.

Upon the next day, it began to occur to the young shinobi that he must test something out concerning this electrical nature he had discovered. Sure, it worked while standing on the water. But, what about while on dry ground? He had not yet ventured into this area since he had gained the ability in the first place. Perhaps it would make no difference now. But, there was always the chance that enacting the technique elsewhere might not be as simple. Travelling off a bit from the waters he came again to his favored clearing where he had begun the training so many days ago. Assuming his position at center field, he charged his body with the cloak of coursing power which had radiated the lightning the day before. Here, he burst forth with an eruption of chakra. His entire form emanated the greenish glow as the air about him was dispersed from the output. Truly and indeed, he had come far since he first began his trip. What had been so difficult at the beginning was now as effortless as his natural breath with which he controlled it. However, one distinct obstacle remained. He felt no great electrical surge as he had upon the waters. The only reaction he encountered regarding this was a soft tingling over his flesh which produced a weak static shock, barely able to be noticed. This was a far cry from the visible bolts which pounced out from his being back at the stream. His concern was validated. Gathering and emitting the electrical power on dry ground was going to take more effort than had the same act upon water. But, it must be done. And so, he set to work at the production and fine cultivation of his Raiton element. Again devoting his day to standing in the field in trance-like meditation, he carefully procured the power over his being until he could more effectively sense the flow of the electrical currents as the passed through and over his body. Each time he discovered a new route, he worked to refine it. He worked to memorize the feeling of each and he worked to gain each under his subjection. Another two days were spent here devoted solely to this end. At the end of those days, he had become able to fuel the power surges along his flesh as if his body were a copper wire conducting the flow of power through the lines of a city. Though weak to the offense, these charges were coming into clearer and clearer view and with greater ease each time he performed the action. It would not be long until he would be able to replicate the wide ranging charges he had seen from other more advanced shinobi. The important thing here was that he had learned the art of conjuring the power. This was the most vital step and the one he most needed to gain. Now he could continue from here onward to refine and perfect the power which lay within his being. His true potential would not long remain trapped within obscurity. For now, though, he would take rest from his efforts. Having been absent many days from the village, it would not be much longer before someone would come to gather him up. The time had at last come to return to the apartment he called home and to catch up on some of his labors. He would return here again soon enough. And with his body then fully rested and prepared, while being armed with this vast new understanding of power and principle, he would ascend to the next tier of his power for certain. With these thoughts abounding in his young mind, he gathered up what little he had with him and set out for the village. Until the next time, he would retain all these things within the secret places of his mind. The villagers had no business involving themselves with his personal growth, nor did he harbor any desires for them to. This was his path, and he alone would venture it to the end. Only time could tell where this young man would take his strength and to what use he would put it. These would all be answered at another place and at another time.

[word count: 9,205; +46 stat points to be divided between chakra and stamina; +92 JP]

Approved.