Takamitsu's Stab (Training) (P/Solo)

It was never unheard of for a young ninja to try to learn about new jutsu from stories told by others, experiences shared from missions, war, and training. Takamitsu's newest goal came in the form of Lightning Release: Hell stab, a jutsu that was used by the Third Raikage, known to deal serious damage, and it would give Takamitsu a useful goal to train up to on his journey to learn stronger and stronger lightning jutsu. When he first heard about this jutsu, it was during a history lesson giving a brief run down on a shinobi world war. At the time, Takamitsu had absolutely no interest in the information that was trying to be given to him, so he peacefully slept through the class, not aware that months later he would desperately hunger for this particular jutsu. It was in the village's training grounds when he heard about the technique a second time, and this was the time where it really stuck in his mind. Lightning chakra molded onto fingers to pierce almost anything? Count him in. The look of shock on his old instructor's face when asked about the jutsu was slightly humorous. The boy went from absolutely no interest in the jutsu to desperately begging the instructor for even the tiniest scrap of information on how to perform it.
"It's an exceptionally difficult jutsu, Takamitsu. This won't be like Lightning Rod, I can almost guarantee that. This was a technique created by the Raikage, do you think that he intended for a genin who hasn't even been on a mission to learn it?
"Well... We won't know if I can do it if we don't try."
"...I'll give you the information purely because I think you'll get yourself hurt if I don't."
"See? You know deep in your heart that I can perform it."
"Don't make me regret this anymore than I already do."
His search led him to the village's library, to a select few books that focused heavily on the Raikage and different Lightning Release jutsu. Takamitsu eventually concluded that this would require an immense amount of chakra control, more so than any of the other jutsu that he had tried to learn thus far. A concentration of chakra just in the finger tips would be challenging for most ninja, but the results indicate that an intense amount of power can be dealt using this technique, and that was right up Takamitsu's alley. He sprint along the village streets, eager to arrive at the training grounds to begin his intense training. The streets were as busy as usually, leading Takamitsu to almost run into several citizens on his quest to learn Hell Stab. The weather wasn't too particularly hot today, which had been a problem with many of the boy's other training sessions. Takamitsu had wanted to get some sort of change from the usual intense conditions that he had been subjecting himself to, and he figured that a cloudy day was a big enough improvement over his usual conditions to give a small amount of inspiration to the young shinobi.

The training grounds seemed surprisingly empty when Takamitsu finally arrived at his destination. He assumed that during this time of day the majority of genin would be on missions, which was likely why he hadn't seen a soul during most of his trip there. He softly walked over the bright green grass, gazing up at the sky. He didn't know how long this training would take, but he didn't doubt that it'd be a long and strenuous endeavor to even make any progress towards this new jutsu, it was, after all, the Raikage's technique, so why would a genin like him be able to do it? For a few moments, he let these thoughts stir within his mind until he began to doubt himself. It was then that the boy thought of Tatsurama, the other member of his team. The Senju was still stronger than Takamitsu, and it felt like Takamitsu had been training nonstop to only find himself under the feet of the boy once more. This had quickly snapped him out of his moment of self doubt, and it made him look at the tree that would be the focus of his training. Takamitsu referred to the scroll that he had secured on his way out of the village, carefully examining every word to make sure he could absorb as much information as possible. The jutsu seemed simple, he was to heavily concentrate a large amount of lightning energy into his hands, forcing it towards his finger tips for maximum damage. The more concentrated the chakra was, the more piercing ability it had. Using this logic, one could obviously assume that focusing chakra in less fingers would result in more destructive damage, and that'd be absolutely correct. Takamitsu wasn't going to focus on individual fingers until he was able to perform the jutsu with the full hand, although he did plan to eventually be able to execute all possible variations of the jutsu. Takamitsu wasn't just excited because of the pure power of the jutsu he was learning, he was excited to use the Hell Stab as a stepping stone to stronger Lightning Release jutsu. This was all far away from now, though, so he'd focus purely on the Hell Stab, not worrying about what he was going to do weeks or even months from now.

Takamitsu took a deep breath, beginning to gather chakra in his center that he would eventually move to his right hand. Much like several other lightning jutsu, this technique didn't require any hand signs, which could allow for it to be created at a moment's notice provided he had enough chakra. Takamitsu began to move his chakra towards his hand, feeling slight pings of pain as sparks of the lightning energy escaped through the boy's skin, slightly burning and peeling the surface of his arm. When he finally pushed it towards his hand, he felt that most of the energy had already dissipated within his body, and that little to no damage would actually be done if he were to attack then tree with this jutsu. He stopped attempting to move the chakra and let it disperse, preparing to give the Hell Stab another shot. After a few minutes, he looked towards the tree as he once again gathered his chakra, attempting to make the lightning transformatiion and move it towards his hand. Once he felt the chakra change natures, he began to force it through his arm, despite the small amount of physical pain resulting from how much force he was putting into the lightning energy to keep it contained, by far the worst part was the physical exhaustion. Takamitsu hadn't even correctly formed the jutsu yet, but he was out of breath and slightly hunched over. He looked more ready to take a nap instead of in pain, and that wasn't very far off from the truth. He pushed the energy farther and farther down into his hand. Unlike with Lightning Rod, this technique wasn't going to be let go, it was going to stay focused in his fingers, where it would cause considerable damage to whatever it touched. Takamitsu didn't possess the chakra potency to do a lightning based attack with his full hand, or did he possess the chakra control to correctly push the energy into the tip of his fingers, but this would have to do for now. He charged forward at full speed towards the tree, reading his hand for the strike. He held a small grin as his fingers made contact with the tree, producing a loud crack. In most situations, Takamitsu's hand would have been shattered, and he'd have spent days in the hospital with medical ninja curiously questioning what compelled him to try and destroy a tree with his fingers, but this was not like most situations. His fingers dug deep into the tree, a burning smell and high pitched screech being emitted from his hand as it burrowed deeper and deeper into the tree, beginning to leave a sizeable hole. This, however, was not enough. The boy tried to focus more chakra into his hands, and chunks of bark and chips of wood began to fly past the boy as the tree splintered and cracked under the immense force that was being emitted through Takamitsu's hands. Finally, another loud crack sounded as wood erupted from around the opening that he had created with his hand, the tree essentially exploding, sending debris off in different directions. The sound and shaking of the ground was notable, even from over two hundred meters away. Had any ninja been training this day, there would have been plenty of odd looks from concerned people that were approaching Takamitsu. The boy slightly smiled, his hand covered in small cuts and light burns. Blood began to trickle from his wounds, and he slowly sat down under the tree, figuring he had made enough progress for now.

The boy rested under a tree that was close to his first test sight. He didn't quite consider the possibility of the tree exploding, so he had accidentally removed one of his favorite spots to rest from the face of the world. oops. The boy lounged in the shade, staring up towards the vast, blue sky. It seemed to be more clear, the sky. The clouds have passed and rays of sun were warming up the cool landscape, which would likely make it harder to train. Takamitsu didn't concern himself with thoughts like the difficulty of training when he rested, though, as he liked to have a clear separation between his work and the rest of his life. Despite the stress about his family that would occasionally show, he was beginning to think about his brother and father less and less, sometimes going days without even the slightest thought about the two. His days were just more enjoyable now that he had become a genin, time away from the academy and the ability to create his own schedule was more than he could have asked for from anyone. Takamitsu slightly rolled over, looking to a section of raised ground, an artifact from his first team meeting with Konoha Team 14, a rather enjoyable memory. He knew that he had started to replace the memories of his family with others in his life, hoping to clear the void that they had left when they deserted. Although Takamitsu probably wouldn't tell anyone, he knew full well that it was starting to work. Tatsurama became the object of competition, and Kanshi became the thing that drove both Takamitsu and his rising rival forward. When Takamitsu wasn't thinking about his brother was when he became more powerful, things like his contract with the Foxes and Lightning Rod didn't purely stem from his family's history, instead it mostly came from his new drive to become a more skilled ninja. Takamitsu's goal wasn't to become Hokage, or to be above everyone, it was purely to become skilled, and he didn't need to find or kill his brother in order to achieve that goal. Maybe he was just being naive, ignoring the burning hatred for what happened to his fractured family, but revenge was never a main goal, and nothing good came from ninja who wanted nothing more than to destroy something. The boy pushed himself off of the ground, feeling a soft breeze blow through the training field. Many of his teachers noticed that Takamitsu had incredible rejuvenation, but the boy was never injured or pushed to any limits, so he never personally noticed these abilities. He walked back to the remains of the first tree, smiling at it slightly before he walked towards a larger, older, and generally more resilient tree. A perfect target for his next round of practice. He looked towards the tree with a slight smile, wondering just how much more energy he'd need to channel into his hand to do the same amount of damage to this tree as he did to the last one. Takamitsu, destroyer of nature and feller of small trees, would soon learn the answer, beginning to acquire the necessary his chakra from his body, and putting it under the nature transformation. His energy was forcefully pushed into his hand, through his now slightly more adjusted to the energy arm. "This is much better." The boy said proudly, looking at the sparks being produced from his fingers. He tried to push the chakra down farther, beginning a very painful battle with his own body. Despite the amount of effort being put into trying to channel the energy into his finger tips, all he was doing was burning his hand and causing immense pain, so much so that he dropped to the ground, heaving. "Maybe...A bit too much... Effort." The boy struggled out, giving himself a slight laugh as his face met the ground.

He wasn't quite sure how long he was asleep, or even what actually happened. When he came to, the sun was beginning to set, the sky had turned a pale red, and his head really, really hurt. The first words out of his mouth were "Ghyuahh gyuh oww." But the second words were intelligible, "I guess I should have rested longer..." Takamitsu, despite the pain, which was beginning to fade, let out a small laugh. The boy stood back up, figuring that his nap on the ground was likely long enough of a rest to regain most of the chakra he had wasted while training prior. He immediately extended his hand, once again beginning the gathering of his chakra and the change to a Lightning Nature. He began to attempt to force the chakra through his arm, his attempt backed by immense power. Takamitsu, if nothing else, was determined to better himself, and this was just another example of that habit. Sparks began to fly from his fingers, and he attempted to take it, once again, one step further. The chakra began to burn his fingers as he forced them farther and farther down, eventually getting a large amount of his chakra into his finger tips. Figuring that he wouldn't be able to do much more in this attempt, he flew forward with a sudden burst of speed, driving his fingers into the hard bark, attempting to drill into the tree. It was obvious from the moment of contact that this specific specimen would prove to be a tougher opponent for the great Killer Of Trees, but Takamitsu wasn't yet scared off. He continued to push, his fingers starting to send cracks through the tree, destroying the bark and splintering the wood underneath, sending small chips, one again, towards the boy's body. He still wasn't done as he forced his way deeper and deeper, his chakra beginning to fade from his hand, and the pain in his fingers beginning to take a toll on the progress. Takamitsu ripped his hand out from the inside of the tree, watching large branches fall from above with loud crashes every time they made contact with the ground a few meters below. "Progress..."

After several minutes of regeneration, it was time for round two, and the boy was more determined than ever. He was making real progress on this technique, and was almost positive that he'd be able to perform it flawlessly before the day was through. He looked towards the nearly set sun, it painting the landscape a dark orange, tinted with red. "I'm sure I get beat that, at least." The boy wasn't positive, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to give it his best effort. He raised his hand, his eyes set on the hole he created in the tree moments before, preparing to strike. He began the familiar process of gathering chakra and changing its nature, now easily pushing the lightning energy through his arm and into his hand, starting to push it into his fingers. When it got to his fingers, he was met with a bit more resistance, but he didn't feel the pain or discomfort that he would have gotten from previous attempts. With little chakra last thus far, he began to move the chakra into his finger tips, replicating the movement of chakra that produced his desirable results the first time. He was getting close, and that tree was looking more and more destroy-able by the minute. He felt the lightning energy emanate from his hand, and although it was nothing close to what would be seen in something like Raikiri or Chidori, to the boy, it felt like he was one of the most powerful genin to live. He started to charge forward, reeling his hand behind him as he got closer and closer to the tree with each passing second. Finally, he moved his hand forward, stabbing into the tree and passing through it like it was made of butter and his hand was created in the depths of hell. It took roughly a second for the tree to fully be affected by the amount of lightning energy that had passed through it. When the tree did finally meet its maker, a large boom was produced. To say the noise was loud was an understatement, as the sound rang through the training grounds and towards the village. Birds were disturbed, cats were woken up from their naps, and there were many, many noise complaints. A shower of shredded wood and leaves rained over the boy as he stared up into the sky, looking at what he had done. Despite all of this, he still felt as though there were things that he could improve. Some would likely call them crazy, and they were probably right.

The sun had finally set upon the leaf village, and the training ground lit up every so often, as if there was some sort of festivities. Takamitsu was repeating the same jutsu over and over, beginning to adjust to the feeling of moving the lightning energy all through his arms and hands, with the power of his strikes increasing with each tree destruction. If Takamitsu decided to drop the shinobi lifestyle, he had a stable future in logging. Takamitsu was trying to push the power even deeper, channeling it into even smaller spaces. If he could get it into a single finger, then he would be able to destroy almost any enemy or tree that made the mistake of standing in the way of the young shinobi. Takamitsu pushed hard, harder than he had when using his full hand, and harder than he did when he managed to push it into his finger tips. Along with this strain on his chakra system, he also felt the physical strain of holding the chakra in such a small location without proper training. His body burned, ached, and cried for help in every way that it could. The boy settled on only using two fingers, driving them into the ground. A sizeable shock wave was set off, and much of the ground around him seemed to easily give under the pressure, but it still didn't feel like he truly had acquired the power he set out after earlier in the day. His attention once again turned to the pillar of dirt created by Tatsurama during their first team meeting, and he grit his teeth. Takamitsu wanted to, no, needed to become better. He needed to win. Takamitsu worked so hard to become strong, but he saw Tatsurama grow even faster, and it was agonizing. They were friends, but Takamitsu considered Tatsurama to be his most valued rival, the person he would strive to become better than. He once again began to channel his chakra through his body, making the nature transformation and moving it towards his hand. Once in his hand, he began to funnel the raw energy into his finger, grimacing at the effects caused by that amount of power in such an untrained location. Finally, he felt ready. He set off with a quick burst of speed, slowly becoming faster and faster as he approached the pillar of earth, the one example of how Tatsurama had passed Kanshi's challenge on that first day of team training. He drove his finger through the earth, sending a large crack directly through the middle of the tower. The earth began to shift and bend under the pressure that was being exerted from the boy. Eventually, with the crack of what sounded like thunder, the earth began to topple, the large mass of rock and dirt slowly crashing to the ground as Takamitsu slowly backed away, looking at what he had done. After a few seconds of a combination of pure fear and awe at the results of his small fit of rage, another feeling had risen in his mind, joy. The young shinobi allowed a small smile to slowly spread across his face as he turned around, beginning to head home. "Looks like I win this round, Tatsurama Senju."

WC: 3508 +17 Skill Points, +Lightning Release: Hell Stab