Two Steps Behind (P, NK)

Altar let the strikes fall, paying close attention to where and how many. It appeared to be much more confusing in practice than in word. But he assumed it was something he'd get used to if he used the skill for a while. Activating both his dojutsu in kind of Haru's, Altar would nod as Haru told him to try it. Altar would step closer to Haru, take the gentle fist stance, and take a deep breath. He would aim for the first two, hitting them as shown. Then the next two, and four, eight, sixteen, thirty two. Well, that was...easier than he first thought. You just had to get the pattern down and keep the places and pattern in mind. Though, there was one thing he wondered as he stepped away from Haru.

"So... how do you barrage fast enough to get all the hits in and still manage to be safe about it? Is there any trick to it, or do you just have to be daring and have blind hope and faith?" Altar would ask, a curious look on his face.

Haru smiled satisfactorily as Altar managed to pull off all 64 strikes. When Altar inquired about using blind hope, Haru shook his head.
”Not blind hope. Confidence. The idea is to barrage the enemy so quickly that they can’t react. If you stay on the offensive, they won’t have time to set up a good defensive.” He explained to Altar. ”Like this.” He would say, taking his stance up once more, making sure Altar was ready. He would then begin the barrage at his maximum speed, something he had never shown off in front of Altar. He would quickly complete the technique, striking all 64 of his target tenketsu. After completing the barrage, he would step back, stance still held. ”Make sense now? You overwhelm you opponent with sheer speed.” He explained, beckoning him forward. ”Now come on. Again, as fast as you can.”
 

(Total speed of the barrage is 155)

Altar paid close attention to the barrage once again, noting the speed with which Haru struck him. He could barely follow it, and before he knew it it was over once again. So it was key to outspeed your opponent when using performing the maneuver. Once done, Haru stepped back and asked Altar to preform the strikes as fast as he could. Altar would do what was asked of him, but he doubted he'd be able to strike as fast as Haru had. He would step up to Haru once again, and begin. First two, thrn another two, then four... and so on, striking as fast as he possibly could. He wasn't anywhere near on par with Haru, but he felt he could still land them in an actual fight given the chance. Once done, Altar would step back once again.

"So...it's key to be able to outmatch your opponent in speed, so you can seal the tenketsu you target before they can really react to it. Is it possible to seal all the tenketsu, or does the effect wear off after a while and they become unblocked again?" Altar would ask, wondering just how lethal this style could be.

Haru watched Altar preform the barrage at his full speed. Altar had certainly improved a bit since he last saw him, his speed was getting much more impressive. Once he was done, he came back at him with more questions.
”Yes, it is possible to seal every tenketsu, but it’s incredibly unrealistic to think that you would ever need to do that. 64 alone usually is overkilling it considerably. The most strikes I’ve ever needed to subdue an opponent would be around twenty.” He told the boy, before indicating that he should take up his stance again. ”Your feet need to be wider. A wide stance makes it easier to maintain your balance, or move quickly to strike.” He would say, kicking Altar’s foot lightly so it would slide forward. He would take up his own stance, taking in a deep breath. ”Okay, now this time, you’re going to try it for real. I want you to hit all sixty-four tenketsu, this time with the chakra needles. We’ve done all we can for theory, now we need to stress test.” He would say, inhaling deeply.
 

”I should be able to heal my tenketsu as you block them, so there shouldn’t be too much worry. If I look like I’m about to pass out or something, stop.” He warned Altar, brushing his bangs away from his Yin Seal. ”I’m ready. Begin.” He would say, giving Altar permission to attempt the technique, this time for real. He was a little nervous about this, as he had yet to give the technique he planned to use any real stress testing, but hey, he might as well pay now, rather then later.

(TWC: 1799)

Altar listened to Haru as he spoke about sealing all the tenketsu. So, the most necessary was twenty, or so it seemed. Then he motioned that Altar should take the stance again, which he would. As it turned out, his feet were too close, and Haru remedied this put knocking one foot apart from the other so he was standing wider. The stance felt...awkward to him, but it was a necessity and it helped the technique he was learning, so it wasn't a bad thing, more one he'd have to come to learn to like.

Next, Haru told him that he was to try it for real, forming chakra needles and all. He said he should be able to unblock the tenketsu as he blocked them, so he should be okay, but to stop if he saw any sign of fatigue on Haru. He then stood at the ready, waiting for Altar to strike him. Altar would take a second to form the chakra needles, failing for a few seconds to get it focused enough. Eventually he got it down, and would then give a nod of warning to Haru, and he would leap into action.

The first two strikes came down, and Altar could feel the needles sink. Then the next two, then four, eight, sixteen, thirty two. That made sixty four. Stopping, Altar would move back, focusing on his work. He had performed the barrage as fast as possible, he had felt the chakra needles sink, everything had gone according to plan. Perhaps it was time to move to something else.

"Well...I feel like I have that done well enough, could work on speed, though... Anything else you could teach me? Maybe that rotation thing you do all the time?" A;tar would say, hoping he was capable of learning it. It seemed like a good defensive jutsu to have.

As Altar began his attack, Haru would leak chakra from his Yin Seal, applying chakra to his tenketsu, preparing to unblock them at the same rate Altar blocked them. As the first chakra needle struck him, he felt a bit of satisfaction as the tenketsu was almost instantly unblocked. The technique was working. That was a relief. Haru continued unblocking the tenketsu as Altar attacked, until he finished the entire technique.
 
Once finished, Haru’s Yin Seal would deactivate, Haru cautiously rotating his arms to make sure he had preformed it correctly. No noticeable injuries… Perfect. Altar seemed doubtful of his speed, but wanted to continue learning the techniques.
”Don’t worry too much. You’ll get faster as you learn. Taijutsu training tends to have that effect on you.” He said, patting Altar on the shoulder. He would then lightly push him, stepping back a few paces to make some room.
 
Taking up an unorthodox gentle fist stance, he decided to start with the more advanced form of the technique, so that Altar could get the general concept into his head.
”Okay, so I’m going to show you a much more refined version of the rotation, so you can actually see what I’m doing. I don’t expect you to have this level of chakra control yet. Take note of my movements.” He told Altar, beginning to weave a net of chakra around himself, which would expand, forming a shell around him. He would hold up the technique for a few moments, before dropping it.
 
   
”Yours should be completely solid. The idea is to expel chakra from every single one of your tenketsu, rotating as you do so, forming a shell that’s incredibly difficult to penetrate.” He explained, demonstrating the movements required in slow motion. ”The Hyuuga are naturally flexible, so it may be difficult for you to hit the correct angles. Give it a try, I’ll try to help you out.” He said, indicating for the boy to step back a bit.

(TWC: 2129)

Haru assured Altar that he would get faster with Taijutsu training. That pleased him, he liked the idea of getting faster. It made him comfortable to think that he would be able to outspeed people, which would assure him being able to land the strikes necessary. That thought made him very happy. Then, Haru moved on to teaching him the Rotation, but he said that he was showing him an advanced form of it, so the movements were visible, but he didn't expect Altar to be able to pull it off just yet. Haru then began to move his arms, hitting what seemed to be every humanly possible angle and then some, as a net of chakra appeared around him, slowly expanding outwards. The technique held up for a bit, before Haru let it drop and continued on his explanation to Altar. He said that Altar's 'net' would need to be completely solid, and that to do it he would need to expel raw chakra from his tenketsu, while rotating his body. Only then, though, was he informed that Hyuugas were naturally flexible, so it would be difficult for him to pull the angles off, but Haru said he would help if it was required. He then motioned for Altar to step back, which he would do, breathe in, and begin.

First was to expend chakra from all of his tenketsu, which he got down after focusing for a bit. Next was simple enough, just spin in place, right? Well, after a little while, the dome started forming around him, but it wasn't very solid. Altar would push more chakra, strengthening the barrier, making it less penetrable and more solid. After a little while holding it, the dome would begin to falter, and Altar would stop spinning, a feeling similar to light headedness overcoming him. He felt...drained. Perhaps he had put too much chakra into retaining the rotation.

"Okay, yeah, I can see how that'd be difficult to hold and get the hang of. Hopefully it gets easier, but any tips or pointers for me?" Altar would say, hoping Haru had something for him

~TWC: 1780~

As Altar formed the dome, Haru noticed it was not incredibly solid. With extreme force, Haru would thrust his hand into the dome, grabbing Altar by the arm, and pulling him free of the chakra dome, spinning him around, before tossing him away, not hard enough to do any real harm, but hard enough to send him flying a few meters. Shaking his head, Haru clicked his tongue.
”You’re not releasing enough chakra. You’re treating it like you’re weaving, like the technique I showed you. That’s too advanced for you at the moment. This is, well… Quite simply, it’s an explosion. Don’t be precise, expel the chakra from EVERYWHERE!” Haru explained, preforming the rotation himself, causing a huge burst of chakra all around him. Finishing the technique, Haru would spin on his heels, having torn a large crater into the ground.
 

”Like that.” He said.


(TWC: 2274)


+1000 Words towards Eight Trigrams: Sapping Palm
+250 Words Towards Yin Seal Wound Destruction

Approved

Altar was pulled from his rotation before he could complete it, having been grabbed by the arm and tossed a few meters away from where he had attempted. Haru told him not to try to weave the chakra, as he had, but to expel it from everywhere in force, creating a solid dome, a form of explosion of pure, raw chakra. Well, that actually made it much simpler. He didn't have to be intricate or artistic with it. It was just raw, brute force and strength. Being of Lightning nature, that was something Altar had come to excel in.

Knowing now what to do, Altar would nod to Haru, find comfortable footing, and attempt the rotation again. Spinning in place, Altar would keep his arms loose and hanging down until he started spinning, at which point they would rise to equal level, aiding the expulsion of the chakra from the tenketsu in his arms. It was surprisingly difficult to expel it from everywhere at once, and in such force that it formed a solid dome around him, but after a small bit, possibly a few seconds, Altar got it right. The solid dome would form around him, and Altar would keep it up for a few seconds before letting it down, stopping himself from spinning, and look at Haru, slightly dizzy.

"Okay, okay, so there's that done. Now...more practice with that, or am I good for today?" Altar would ask, holding a hand to his head. Just like the Byakugan, that would most definitely take some getting used to.