Takamitsu and the Army of Failed Clones.

Takamitsu looked over at the pitiful form lying in front of him on the ground. The skin was faded, the colors on the clothing were distorted. His clone was flawed, and he was already tired after his third attempt. He thought back to training with his brother, and wondered why he was able to go round after round while learning jutsu, but here, alone, his efforts seemed limited and futile? He formed the hand signs again, and the result was even worse than the first time. How was he supposed to become a pioneer in jutsu when he couldn't even do one of the most basic techniques? To say he was becoming angry was an understatement, his blood was absolutely boiling. He tried once again to channel his chakra into a clone, and this attempt gave him little more than a puff of smoke. He needed to take a different approach, but he wasn't sure what he had to do. Takamitsu closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He began to consider that this rising frustration was likely the cause of these failed clones and that he needed to calmly channel his chakra. Takamitsu formed the hand signs, which were by now engraved into his brain, and gave the jutsu one more try. He opened his eyes and glanced down at the ground, looking at another failed attempt. "...I'll give it another shot tomorrow."

He started training before the sun had risen with one goal in mind. Takamitsu would summon a clone today, even if it meant staying in that single spot for twenty-four hours. He quickly formed the hand seals, confident that this was the fresh start he needed. He was wrong. So he tried it with his eyes closed, wondering if the light was disrupting his concentration. He was wrong. Takamitsu clenched his teeth, trying to suppress his rising frustration. "You're not going to win if you don't correct identify what your problem is." His brother's words echoed in his head, words he heard so long ago now. Takamitsu knew there was something wrong, and instead of trying to force the jutsu, he should identify where he was lacking. He decided to take it step by step, trying to pinpoint just where he was going wrong. Takamitsu methodically formed his hand signs, making sure they were well positioned and had proper form. He then proceeded to make sure his chakra was stable enough to perform the jutsu, as that was one of the few points the instructors made sure that they had implanted into the mind of every blooming ninja. In the end, Takamitsu's only culprit was the amount of chakra he released. With some trial and error, he finally began to make noticeable progress. Eventually, he was able to form a full clone. Instead of excitedly cheering and deciding to treat himself, he moved on to his next focus, wasting as little chakra as possible. His instructor looked out of the academy window and quietly smiled, "The kid is making real progress."

WC: 506 (+2 Stat Points, +Clone Technique)

Approved.