Water Walking/Tree Climbing Jutsu

Salzem walked through the forests of Konoha's training grounds, clutching a couple of scrolls in his hand. He had asked one of the teachers of the Ninja academy to teach him the Tree Climbing and Water Walking Jutsus. He wanted to learn these as maneuverability will be a ninja's best friend. Unfortunately, the teacher was tied up in grading the student's tests. Salzem offered to help but he was turned down. However, that teacher offered him the next best thing: Scrolls dictating how to do it. Salzem walked up to a rather large tree. This would serve as a perfect surface to begin his training. He sat down at the base, opening the scroll titled Tree Climbing. He read to himself, taking in the details of the jutsu. T'was a simple thing, focusing a certain amount of chakra into the soles of your feet. The real trick was finding the exact amount to focus. Simple did not always mean easy. That kind of thinking only ends in a head injury. Salzem closed his eyes and focused his chakra downward, towards his feet. He felt it course through his toes and heel. He made a dash at the tree, planting a foot upon the base of it's trunk. To his surprise, his foot smashed down into the bark, causing Salzem to loose his balance and crash down to earth. The back of his head smacked into the soft dirt and he gave a yelp in surprise and mild pain. He rubbed his head and sat up, confused. He looked back over the scroll again, this time reading the whole thing through. Apparently, focusing too much chakra causes your foot to crush the wood rather than stick to it. Salzem looked back up at the tree and drew his katana from its scabbard which he keeps tied to his back. He would need something to mark his progress. He focused his chakra into the souls of his feet. Much less this time, to keep himself from falling again. He ran towards the tree again, making progress. He made two steps up the tree before he felt his feet beginning to slip. He slashed the trunk of the tree with the blade and pushed off the tree with his legs. As he propelled himself, he curled himself into a ball, gaining his balance. He landed in a crouching position, standing up and looking at the tree. It was defiantly a lot harder than what the scroll made it sound. It was a time consuming and exhausting exercise. Salzem made slow progress up that tree, time passing as if it were on overdrive. Before Salzem knew it, he was standing in the light of an afternoon rather than a morning. He felt like his legs were made of two-ton led but he wasn't going to give up. Not now, not later, not ever. He drug himself to his feet again, feeling the tole of at least a 7 hour training session. Salzem focused his chakra again for the umpteenth time that day. As he focused, he felt that he found a sort of sweet spot. Now, there was no way to prove that Salzem had found the correct amount of chakra, but he felt... assured. His stagger eventually evolved into a run, with the aid of his 6th dose a adrenalin. His foot hit the tree and it held firm as if standing on a tile road. Salzem raced up the tree, feeling the earth's gravity tug at his back. His feet held and he raced to the top of the tree where sat on a large branch, breath clouding up his eyes inside his mask. Salzem was on the verge of passing out. The exercise had taken a lot out of him but he was determined to learn this other technique. He used the jutsu he just learned to walk himself back down the tree. He picked up his scrolls and went to find a pond where he could practice the Water Walking Jutsu. It was not that long of a search before Salzem found a clear pond surrounded by tall cat-tails. Salzem walked through the tall plants and sat himself at the bank, pulling out the scroll titled Water Walking. He read through it slowly, giving his body time to recover from the beating it took earlier. From what he had read, this jutsu is essentially the the Tree Climbing Jutsu but with a unique twist. Sense water is not a solid and cannot support your weight, it is no longer about sticking to a surface. It's about making a surface for you to stand upon. From what the scroll reads, the user has to emit a small continuous stream of chakra into the water which will propel you upward off the water as you sink, reaching an equilibrium where you can cancel out the stress your weight makes on the surface of the water. This allows a ninja to walk upon the surface of water. Salzem felt confident. His body was healed enough, the day was starting to cool off, and he had just mastered the precursor to this one. All he had to do was just apply his knowledge from the last jutsu and learn a new trick. Right? Wrong. Salzem poured chakra into his feet, feeling it leave through the heel and base. He stepped onto the water, feeling he was ready. He fell through the surface, water filling up his mask. He gargled and spat out freezing water as it rushed into his mouth as he swam hastily to the surface. Crawled onto the bank, careful not to splash water on the scrolls. Salzem was breathing hard from the shock as he tore his now soaking mask from his face. That would have to be dried at home. Salzem took off his Jacket and shirt, exposing his pale flesh to the evening sunlight. He was going to master this jutsu today if it killed him! Or knocked him out as the situation may be. After many, ill resulted attempts at mastering the Water Walking jutsu, He finally fell unconscious on the bank, using his last bit of strength to put his mask back on. He awoke three hours later, when darkness had consumed the sky. He looked up at it, staring at the full moon that had risen over head. Salzem's energy had returned and he felt he was going to master this jutsu now! He focused his chakra into his feet, releasing slightly more chakra than he did when he first attempted. He felt the same feeling as he stepped onto the surface. That feeling of confidence that he had just done it correctly. As his feet his the surface, he felt like he was stepping on mud. Wet, a bit unstable, but solid. He was walking on water! Salzem kept his focus and he walked around the perimeter of the pond, each step becoming more and more solid. By the time he reached the starting point, he had noticed little to no difference between wet rock and the surface of the pond. He stepped out back onto the earth, satisfied with himself. Only then did he comprehend the time that had just passed outside and his satisfied smile fell into a look of horror. It was at least midnight and he hadn't checked in with his father or anything! He cringed when he thought of the look he would be given. He shuddered. At least he had a good excuse and could prove it as well. Salzem made his way home, whistling a tune he never knew.

(TWK: 1271)

Claiming 6 skill points as well as Water Walking Jutsu and Tree Climbing Jutsu.

Stat points*

Approved of Appropriate Rewards