Ari's Training Tumble Weed [Private]

With what alone time she had in Sunagakure, Ari decided to get to work immediately. Finding her way using signs throughout the village before finally arriving in their training grounds. It was much hotter still than Konoha's climate was ever capable of producing, as if she were standing inside a D-Rank fire Jutsu. The discomfort she felt wasn't merely because of the heat causing her to sweat and grow thirsty, but also because her skin was starting to turn red with sunburn. It was Ari's first time experiencing such a phenomenon. Unsure of what to do about it, she decided to work through the pain and discomfort, hoping to come out on the other side a more experienced shinobi. Getting to the subject at hand, Ari had a few techniques she'd yet to learn before taking on the next stage of Jounin exams. She wasn't sure whether they'd be useful or not but they were on the agenda.

With a list of everything she wanted to learn before becoming a Jounin, Ari was motivated to do her best. She would start by practicing using a technique she already knew, but wasn't quite familiar enough with to use efficiently. The technique was known as the Taijutsu Style Block, a simple movement of the body using one's own fitness to deflect attacks. It wasn't capable of fending off outlandish things such as ninjutsu but in a hand-to-hand fight it certainly found use. Having yet to use the technique against a serious threat herself, Ari wasn't quite sure about how well her practice would lend to a situation where she'd be fighting for her life. Still, it didn't do any harm to try and learn more about it while she had some alone time. Positioning her arms in front of her body, Ari imagined a frontal kick coming towards her. Bracing the muscles in her arms and allowing flexibility throughout her joints.

It was important not to lock the body up while blocking an attack, otherwise you would likely end up dislocating or breaking something. Instead the limbs had to act like a spring and absorb the impact while minimizing it. Blatantly taking whatever force was delivered without using this method would only lead to injury. Understanding she couldn't very well practice without something hitting her, Ari decided to walk the grounds a bit to inspect their supplies. If she could find a dummy capable of spinning it would suffice to use such a device. As luck had it, with only a few minutes spent looking for their supplies she would find a small storage hut. Ari walked into the already open door to inspect what it held. Assessment showed they had basic dummies but none that could spin around or hit back; they did however also store industrial sized rubber bands and replacement sticks for brooms or what have you.

Grabbing a dummy, an industrial sized rubber band and finally a stick, Ari left the hut. She stabbed the stick into the ground first, burying it one meter inside and leaving only half a meter above ground. Doing this on a forty-five degree angle, Ari then shoved the dummy into the ground opposite the side of which the stick was pointing out. She then wrapped the industrial sized rubber band around the stick and the dummy's centre. As it was the dummy wasn't being pulled on by the rubber band but it would bounce back with the slightest movement away from the stick's outer end. Ari stood over the rubber band and threw her right fist at the dummy, causing it to flop onto the ground. She then braced both arms in front of her body as it bounced back, using her raw physical strength and flexibility to absorb the impact. The dummy smashed into Ari's arms; thanks to her knowledge of the taijutsu block she remained unharmed.

Releasing the position, she limbered up for a moment by shaking out her arms and legs. She would repeat this process ten times before getting bored of it and moving onto another. Legs were also capable of blocking attacks and Ari didn't wish to neglect them. Punching the dummy once again with her left hand this time, Ari raised her right leg. Keeping her muscles tense but the joint flexible so as to absorb the impact when it inevitably flicked back towards her. The dummy collided with Ari's right shin on the outer right side. Mostly comprised of muscle in the point of impact, the dummy left nary a scratch and she moved on, repeating this process but blocking with her left leg. To become fully accustomed to absorbing impact with both legs she would repeat the process a total of ten times with each of them. Finally she moved onto blocking with her abdomen.

Although not nearly as effective as blocking with one's limbs, the abdomen was comprised of muscle too and could in an emergency absorb a fair amount of impact, assuming the right method was used. Ari tensed her abdominal muscles and braced her body before shoving the dummy back with both hands, before drawing both her arms back and out to the sides. The dummy flicked back straight into her abdomen, while she remained standing firm. There wasn't as much allowance for flexibility and absorbing impact the same way one's limbs could when using the abdominal muscles, but they were sturdy enough to absorb impact nonetheless. Ari felt slightly winded after the experience even though she was doing everything correctly. The ideal way to go about fighting in hand-to-hand combat was not to take any hits, even ones blocked. Ari believed this to be true even though it didn't necessarily apply to every taijutsu practitioner.

Still, she'd made enough process with blocking attacks that she felt comfortable moving onto something else entirely. Having not quite "mastered" Chakra control thus far, she decided learning a technique that was entirely comprised of its manipulation, including the manipulation of other's, was an intriguing idea.


Wordcount: 1001
Claiming: Taijutsu Style: Block upgrade from C-Rank to B-Rank using 1000 words + 10AP

Sure.

While considering the Chakra Absorption technique to be the better option for her next training subject, Ari realized she'd grown extremely thirsty. She was so covered in sweat that her skin had gone numb and was beginning to wrinkle. Turning away from the training grounds, she almost immediately spotted a sign that pointed the way to a local shop. Without hesitation (or a lot of energy in her step) Ari began running towards the shop. There she purchased five bottles of water all measuring at one litre each. Ari also bought a one meter squared white rag to wipe away her sweat when she was finished. However, since she wasn't done training she left it inside its package. Carrying the water bottles and rag with her, Ari then made her way back to the training grounds. She didn't wait to begin sipping one of the bottles of water, having no wish to vomit she prevented herself from gulping it.

Upon arriving at the training grounds once again, it was time to get started. Throwing the rag off to her left side where it would land two meters from her feet, Ari then tossed the water bottles safely onto the rag which cushioned their landing. Keeping the water bottle she'd been drinking from close at hand was important so she set it down onto the ground only a few inches from her right foot. The next two techniques she planned on learning didn't involve a lot of bodily movement so there was no danger of tripping on it. Ari decided against learning the Chakra Absorption technique on her way back to the training grounds, opting to learn a funny technique named "Aerial Strip" first, followed by a medical technique known as the "Chakra Anesthetic." One of these techniques was a core Jutsu for people possessing its specialty, the other was a joke. However, they both had practical applications even if one's importance outweighed another.

Ari was happy with her decision and got started immediately. Taking stance to perform the Aerial Strip's attack first of all, she pulled her shirt off. The reason was because the dummy before her wasn't wearing any clothing and she couldn't judge the effectiveness as long as it was bare. However, Ari used the staple technique of the Hiyu clan to stop herself from appearing nude. From her cells she formed a new shirt beneath the real one before taking it off. The technique she used was none other than the Advanced Transformation. That wasn't the subject of training, so she quickly wrapped her shirt around the dummy. Buttoning up the front of the shirt to ensure it was firmly secured, Ari then assessed what she had done. She could firmly assert that the dummy looked stupid. Still, she could get started on trying to throw the necessary punch to rip its clothes off now. Taking a stance with her right hand pulled back in a fist and both legs firmly secured on the ground, Ari was ready to attempt the technique.

It was a very simple movement capable of sending an opponent flying and ripping their clothes off. The practical application being to send an opponent's equipment flying away with their clothes. Ari found the idea intriguing enough that she'd come this far and was prepared to see it to the end. A fondness for the shirt she put on the dummy held her fist back momentarily as she worried about it being destroyed. However, she did have ten more identical to it inside the bag she packed for travel. Putting its sentimental value behind her to focus on the training was all Ari could do. She prepared to punch the dummy hard enough that it would rip the shirt off it and send the dummy itself flying. Observing the surroundings until there was an opening with nobody standing directly behind the dummy or within its possible trajectory, Ari threw her right fist forward directly into its wooden face.

Adding a slight upwards motion to her punch, the force of it ripped the dummy out of the ground and sent it into the air. However, it wasn't spinning with nearly enough force to rip the shirt off it. Ari watched from a distance until it landed on the ground with a barely audible thud. The sand cushioned its landing and also the sound caused by it. Deciding to keep in mind how sand created far less sound on impact than other surfaces, Ari moved on. With a quickness in her step she walked over to the dummy and picked it up, carrying it back to the initial position before slamming its base into the sand. Ari buried it only one foot deep this time since a normal human didn't bury their feet in the ground. Brushing some sand off the shirt it wore before getting back into position to hit it again. This time she would use a different style of punch. It was important to use one that sent more force into the dummy instead of just a hard strike.

Ari aimed her right fist before throwing an even harder strike than before. Instead of simply striking it with a slight upwards motion this time, she also twisted her fist right before losing connection with the dummy's face. The result caused the dummy to spin violently immediately after being punched. As the shirt Ari gave it ripped open and flew off its body, she couldn't help but feel a little bit sad. However, there was also a sense of accomplishment as she successfully performed the technique. Next on her agenda was to be a Chakra manipulating technique, her least favourite aspect of being a ninja. It would have been better if everything could be solved with fists, but the medical arts allowed her to protect herself and others just as well. Ari walked over to the dummy she'd been practicing with before picking it up and carrying it to the storage shed; it did its job and earned some rest.


Wordcount: 1005
Claiming: Aerial Strip +10AP

Approved

The next technique Ari planned on learning was known as the Chakra Anaesthetic. It was an E-Rank technique which normally meant they proved to be very simple in practice. However, Ari's affinity for medical ninjutsu wasn't amazing. Even though it was a specialty she took for protecting the lives of others, she still wasn't a natural at it. This was one of the few techniques that required multiple handsigns that Ari had taken an interest in. Most techniques she knew were physical and didn't require handseals, or only involved a single handseal. With flashing hand motions, she performed the required handseals of Hare, Ox and then the Monkey. Chakra flowed into Ari's right hand and into her fingertips; she had to focus it correctly for the required outcome. Using the knowledge she possessed of medical Chakra, she attempted to manipulate its form in her fingertips. The result should have made a technique that numbed pain.

However, to test it she would have to use herself as a guinea pig. The technique caused small finger holes on the chest so she wasn't eager to use it on herself; still, there wasn't another option. Before using it on herself however, she'd spend some time focusing the Chakra into her fingertips. It was important to maintain the focus for a while to ensure it wouldn't fade too quickly. Ari's Chakra control was competent enough that this shouldn't have proved to be a challenge. Naturally, she was able to focus the Chakra without issue for a minute and could have continued longer, instead she released the technique allowing her to relax momentarily. Ari prepared herself mentally for using the technique on herself by considering the aspects that made this process worth it. Having the technique in her arsenal was important to her, so she naturally didn't want to give up on it. Without testing it she couldn't be sure she learned it correctly.

If Ari required to use the technique but hadn't learned it correctly, she could put a patient under immense pain. Therefore the only option was to test it on herself. Ari performed the handseals once again, Hare, Ox and Monkey. Sending the Chakra into her right hand's fingertips. She then moved her right hand to her chest while lying back on the ground. In the event she fainted she didn't want to fall over. Piercing her chest only slightly with her fingertips, Ari's Chakra flowed into her own body and numbed it. Feeling the effects immediately as the minor injury her fingertips caused didn't hurt, she was relieved to find this out. It was a strange feeling having a numb body, especially since it was a self-inflicted effect. Ari pulled her fingertips out of her chest slowly to ensure she didn't slip and injure herself any further. Her body's sense of touch would return shortly after, although it faded in and felt like she'd had pins and needles.

Sitting up to assess the injury caused by her fingertips, it was barely noticeable as the skin closed over upon taking them out. Just to be sure she'd properly performed the technique, Ari laid back on the ground once again to use the technique. Hare, Ox, Monkey, Chakra focused to her fingertips, stabbed them into her chest with a very shallow wound. A sense of numbness overtaking her body once again, Ari had properly learned the technique and was confident in its knowledge now. She once again pulled her fingertips out slowly and this time stood up. There wasn't much else she could do at this point, the technique was simple in its execution. However, she could think on its applications. Surely there would be surgeries in the future that Ari would perform where she'd require this technique. Surgery on a target that can feel everything would require her to hold them down to stop them from injuring themselves.

Chakra Anaesthetic was a strange technique however, Ari wondered if there was any possibility to use it offensively. This was unlikely due to the fingertips having to pierce at such a shallow depth and also the stillness required from the target. As unlikely as it was though, it seemed like the kind of technique that could be put to multiple uses. Considering this technique's use and how Chakra could be flowed into a target to numb them, Ari started to think about how she could simply use the concept offensively. This technique didn't necessarily have to be the one used, but it could act as a catalyst for a more offensive technique. Without her knowledge at the time, this thought process would lead Ari to creating the Cervical Destruction Technique. However, that would not occur for some time as she required to face further hardship before using such a deadly technique. Instead, Ari thought on how this concept could be used to pacify someone.

Numbing a person's entire body had its application in surgery, it also had an application in combat. If the target's body was numb they wouldn't feel certain injuries taking place which would allow Ari to take advantage of them. Performing moves which would result in the target losing their ability to use Chakra by striking pressure points for example, they wouldn't feel all of the strikes and could be taken off guard even after their senses returned. Naturally, this practical application would be no good against opponents that were too dangerous. Ari couldn't risk being killed by an extremely threatening ninja and she knew how to pick her battles. Although she didn't have the most combat experience, she was quite intelligent and had learned from Kurisu, a former Raikage. If anything, her learned status made Ari seem like she'd seen many years of fighting. Taking her knowledge for granted however was also not a mistake she wished to make.

Kurisu was smart, but she didn't want to take on his entire personality herself. Ari focused more on preserving life while Kurisu had solved many problems with violence that resulted in death. As a Konoha shinobi, that was not an option.


Wordcount: 1010
Claiming: Chakra Anesthetic, +10AP

Approved

Next on the agenda for Ari's training was a secret technique named the "Iron Chop", shared only between Hiyu clan members and their most trusted allies. Having spent a few days resting already, it seemed a good time to get a move on. Ari awoke early in the morning at the crack of dawn before briefly stretching her body and heading out. Making her way to the training grounds immediately without delay, she intended to get this technique down pat so the rest of the day could be spent meeting new and interesting local villagers. While the technique itself was a fairly simple concept and not difficult to grasp, Ari felt putting it into practise would require a lot more effort. She wasn't wrong, as the technique was A-Ranked and required an immense amount of force to achieve its effect. Iron Chop also required extreme precision in the strike for it to land and deal damage correctly. Slipping up on impact could do more harm to its user than the target.

Motivated still regardless of the technique's possible flaws or difficulty to learn, Ari arrived in the training grounds and stood alone to begin. Since it was a secret technique and she didn't want anybody watching her to learn it, she then headed into a building next to the grounds. Ari then headed straight for one of the private rooms set up for the kind of training she was intending on doing today. Thinking back, Ari had to create her own little private zone in the Konoha training grounds for this sort of thing. Maybe she just didn't look hard enough to find Konoha's equivalent, or maybe some additions would be made when she got back. Either way, Ari could begin training now without anybody's eyes on her. The Iron Chop would require at least an hour to learn by herself. While Ari wasn't very experienced in combat situations, she was very adept at learning techniques without the help of others.

Being self-taught for most of her life due to the loss of her parents and lack of company, she thought that would change when Kurisu came back to Konoha. However, with his newfound duties as the Hokage, they spent less time together by the day. Ari still remembered the first day he returned and they trained together for hours, such a fun and fruitful experience. The closest thing she'd had to it since then was acting as a teacher for the Sunagakure Genin known as Nobu. Even then, Ari didn't learn any techniques during that experience. Duties she was required to attend prevented her from receiving Nobu's knowledge on the techniques she'd yet to learn. Although she did say upon her departure that they could meet up sometime soon, she couldn't possibly ask his help to learn the Iron Chop. It was a secret technique, maybe even a trump card in the upcoming exams. Allowing anybody in on her abilities would only make the coming challenges more difficult.

So she thought, anyway. Even still it didn't seem a good idea to Ari for her to allow Sunagakure ninja in on her secrets. Whatever may happen in the future could make her regret such actions. Instead she would focus on the task at hand so more interesting things could be pursued after. It was after all just one measly A-Rank technique, Ari had learned them by herself before. Whether it was the Evening Elephant, a well-known Taijutsu; or the Aura of Malice, her own creation. Such a simplistic movement was required by the Iron Chop, the difficult part was building up enough force to cut through solid objects using one's bare hand. Unsure if she was even capable of performing such a feat, Ari lacked the confidence to get started right away. Instead she kept thinking about the movement required and how much strength she'd have to put behind it. Practicing the movement with her right hand slowly at a horizontal angle, she pictured a human shape being torn in half at the waist.

The Hiyu were a clan of assassins and their techniques revolved around killing. Ari wasn't proud of the fact that her arsenal of techniques was comprised of many killing techniques. As someone who preferred to preserve life where she could, it felt strange. Many times when facing a situation her first thought was to resort to a technique that would kill the target, before suddenly realising there was an option to simply knock them out. This killer instinct was something Ari figured all Hiyu members possessed. After all, she'd never met another member of her clan apart from her mother, the idea didn't seem too farfetched. Naturally she wasn't positive on this assumption and wouldn't base her entire opinion of other Hiyu members on it; it did concern her though. Were other members of her clan more bloodthirsty than she was? Would they even consider her one of their own when she was such a pacifist? Ari wasn't sure she'd ever have or need the answer to these questions.

Naturally, the only opinions that mattered to her were those of her family and close friends. Worrying about what people think wasn't part of a ninja's job. Compassion for one's enemy was quite lacking in the world though. For all the effort Ari might put into subduing an enemy and carrying them to prison, another ninja may just use a single swing of their blade. Depending on the threat one posed she would of course weigh the options of whether to kill them or not. However, it wasn't a decision she took lightly, unlike many other ninja. Ari had only killed a very few select amount of targets that deserved it or gave her no other choice, she intended to keep it that way. While mulling through these thoughts, the movement of her right hand was continuing. Ari attempted to perform a horizontal swipe with a perfect line. Until then she continued thinking about the things bothering her.

Sunagakure's heat was one of those things, even after spending a few days in the village, Ari still found the uncomfortable sweat just as bothersome as the day she arrived. Luckily buildings were insulated from the heat, the only nearby escape from their dreadful climate. It was still nice being somewhere away from Konoha where Ari didn't worry so much about random opinions. Whether she was wearing scrappy clothing or the best available fashion, it didn't really matter before people she'd probably never see again. Ari had in fact not brushed her hair for two days already and couldn't have cared less, she simply tied it up at the back in a mess. She'd even gone so far as to stop going out in her transformed state. After all the time spent hiding her identity and true appearance, it was now in another village she'd decided to stop. Partly because she didn't want to put the effort in but also because Ari felt too much pride in being Kurisu's wife.

It was never something she felt ashamed about, it was something she worried about being targeted for. Whether it put her into danger or not, she wasn't going to run from it anymore. She happily accepted the possibility if it meant being recognised for who she was. Normally she wore a burgundy jacket and cargo pants, both of which were long, although the sleeves could be rolled up behind her elbows. Ari wore black leather boots and a taijutsu cestus on each hand. It was important to be ready for a fight whenever one might break out; as such, she never held back on bringing all of her equipment along, especially since she was now recognisable in public as the Hokage's wife. All of this was really beside the point, Ari came to the private room to train and allowing anything else to side track her simply wouldn't do. Putting her mind to rest momentarily, she cleared her thoughts entirely while swiping her right hand back and forth horizontally.

The feeling of movement caused Ari to feel like standing up and giving the training her full attention. Swiftly springing to her feet, she continued swiping her right hand horizontally while keeping her arm tense and putting all of her strength into it. Even though Ari performed the movement slowly, if someone walked into her hand they'd probably get winded and knocked to the floor. This training was known as muscle memorisation, where the movement is ingrained to one's brain until they can subconsciously perform it. Ari wasn't aware of whether that was the training's proper name or not, it was just what she took to calling it with nobody to tell her otherwise. The training also proved useful for maintaining balance with many techniques, not to mention shifting into one technique or another at very short notice. By slowly observing one's own movement, it was possible to find flaws in the technique at hand and then it was naturally also possible to cover for those flaws, or exploit them when it was used by another.

Knowing that she would require a target to practise on for this technique, Ari headed out of the room momentarily. Something solid would have to perform as her test subject, she had an idea of what to look for but wasn't confident in finding it. Ari wanted a large stone block to carve something out of using the Iron Chop. Naturally this would exercise her precision and ability with the technique, attempting to carve something using it alone. Meanwhile, Ari thought about what she wanted to create. The first thought in her head was to carve a statue of Kurisu, although that might have been a bit weird. Instead going on to consider carving an animal out of the stone, there weren't a lot of animals that Ari could remember in explicit enough detail to carve a statue of. There was one type of animal however, cats. Having spent much of her life around them and even basing her taijutsu on their movements, Ari was confident she could carve a cat statue with ease.

The only challenge would be using the Iron Chop to do so. Naturally, there was still the challenge of finding a stone large enough. The Iron Chop wasn't capable of the same precision one could find in smaller carving tools. Finding nothing to use in the building, Ari left through the front door and headed for the Sunagakure markets. There had to be a shop selling materials for carving somewhere. Passing by several food and incense stalls, Ari would finally stand before a store seemingly holding what she required. There were carving tools at the forefront and large stones of many shapes in the back. The largest appeared to be a cube of stone measuring at one meter in width. It seemingly already had the imperfections dealt with, resulting in a smooth exterior layer that would be easier to work with. Ari also noticed there were trolleys for transporting one's purchase, she hatched a plan and walked to the service counter.

"Excuse me; I'd like to purchase one of your extra-large carving stones." Ari kept an innocent smile on her face as the man replied. "Those cost five thousand ryo, after you pay for it I'll get some help loading it onto a trolley." Digging out her available money, she only presented twenty ryo. "Sorry but this is all I have... What if, we make a bet? If I can carry that stone without using a trolley and without outside help, you let me keep it for free." The man then looked her up and down before chuckling and responding. "Be my guest, just don't injure yourself." Ari smirked and before touching the stone she spoke once more. "Thanks, I'll be on my way then." Grabbing the stone by wrapping her arms around the sides, she effortlessly lifted it onto her right shoulder before exiting the store and heading back to the private training quarters. The stone must have weighed about 2700 kilograms; Ari was comfortable lifting more than four times that weight, while the stares she received walking around in public were the only things causing her discomfort.

To make herself feel better, Ari thought of the people going home and telling their family and friends about what they saw. Maybe she'd become a legend in Sunagakure. This thought caused her to laugh audibly enough for people within twenty meters to hear. Additionally they'd probably say she was insane now, although she didn't think about that. Instead Ari hurriedly made her way back to begin training on the stone. She hoped the owners wouldn't mind but just encase, she didn't stop to ask. Supporting the stone with her right arm so her left hand could open the front door, Ari attempted to sneak back to her private room unnoticed. Luckily, despite how loud her footsteps were and the creaking floorboards, it appeared nobody cared enough to see what was happening. Ari happily took this as a sign of approval before entering her private room and shutting the door, placing the stone down gently in the centre of her room.

Considering its weight, she would have to avoid any downward strikes against it to preserve the floorboards. Unsure of how she was going to carve a cat statue out of the stone, she required some time assessing it to decide a good starting point. It was obviously going to make things easier if she could get rid of the edges. However, avoiding any downward strikes meant that being rid of them would prove difficult. Not to mention that Ari hadn't even proven to herself that she could use the technique efficiently yet. That was naturally the first step she had to take before even considering the problems with carving. Ari positioned herself in front of one of the stone's edges before assessing her hand's posture. She kept her pinkie finger straight while slightly curving her other fingers forward before finally locking her thumb into place at the index finger's base. With the correct hand posture it would prove difficult to injure one's own hand while performing the technique, as all fingers supported each other upon impact.

Ari then practised a few more swings with her hand at a horizontal angle as she became comfortable with the idea of striking solid stone. Regardless of whether her hand would be injured or not, she knew the first few attempts were going to suck. Just the feeling of skin and bone slamming into a stone that weighed 2700 kilograms, while she'd never felt such a thing before, Ari had no confidence in it being a pleasant experience. Ari hoped her strength would exceed the stone's durability, enough so that she wouldn't even feel the impact before seeing results of damage on the stone. Regardless of her hopes for this being a fun experience, she wasn't going to find out until making the first strike. Extending her right hand out until the smallest surface area on her pinkie finger's side rested against the stone's edge; Ari psyched herself up by thinking about shattering the stone in a single blow. That would in the very least serve as a rewarding experience.

Drawing her hand back to the left swiftly, Ari swung with a left to right horizontal angle into the stone's edge. Making contact with her hand an inch up from her wrist to the end of her pinkie finger. A surge of pain ran through her body stemming from her hand. In a slow movement of utter discomfort, Ari dragged her right hand from the stone's surface and assessed it. There wasn't a broken bone, although her skin had received a few scratches. The force of her hand smashing into the rock while causing substantially less damage than she hoped had resulted in immense pain, as her bones all clinked together. Turning her gaze to the stone's point of impact, there was at least some visible damage consisting of a few cracks. Naturally this wasn't enough to make Ari feel better about the results. At this point she could only continue the training and hope to improve quickly. Ari postured her left hand as she did with her right before, preparing to strike from the opposite side of the stone's edge.

Drawing her left hand horizontally to the right before swinging it into the stone's edge; once again, a surge of pain ran through Ari. However, instead of stopping to see what damage had been taken, she drew her right hand to the left and prepared for another strike. Gradually she built up more strength into each hit and improved the position of her hand to support itself on impact more. Whether or not her hands were broken by the end of this training didn't matter, she had medical ninjutsu and could have visited a hospital in the worst case scenario. This would prove not to be a problem as time went on, with Ari's skin receiving only a few scratches with each impact. None were deep enough to cause any serious problems. Luckily Ari's muscle on her hands protected her bones from being fractured or outright broken, as they cushioned the blows sufficiently. This didn't prevent her from feeling the pain of her bones clinking together with each strike though.

Ari was used to pain after giving birth to four kids; this kind of pain was more brief and easy to deal with under any circumstance. Gradually with each strike the stone chipped away from each point of impact. It wasn't the result Ari had hoped for, but it was a good start. Perhaps the technique just wasn't made to cut through solid stone. This thought seemed like a quitter's attitude to Ari, motivating her to keep trying until her performance of the Iron Chop could split the stone in half. No longer did she care about trying to carve something out of it, she just wanted to shatter the damned thing on impact. With care about the floorboards flying out the window, Ari went for an overhead swing at the rock's top surface in the centre. Slamming both her hands into it while spacing them out by an inch. She could feel and hear the floorboards beginning to crack beneath her. Considering it didn't simply fall through, she presumed there was a stronger layer of material beneath them.

This was good news as it meant she could keep hitting the stone without worrying about falling through the floor. Drawing her right hand back and moving her left out of the way, Ari struck the stone with her right hand before alternating to her left hand, building up speed as she pummelled the stone with strikes from each repeatedly. The stone's surface was cracking with the point of impact being turned into a fine powder. Somehow, Ari's hands were acting like a pestle and the stone was becoming the mortar. Although the stone was also acting as the material being ground down. This wasn't exactly the kind of damage Ari wished to inflict the stone; clearly she wasn't dealing enough force to split the thing in half. Deciding to take it from a side on angle once more, she began alternating between left and right swings with her right hand, performing ten repetitions before swapping to her left hand.

The edge chipped away before finally she sent a chunk of rock flying into the wall. It became lodged in the wooden wall on impact; Ari decided not to try and remove it and instead got a move on with her training. With a curve in the stone, she began striking it repeatedly with both hands alternating. This was at least building up the precision she required with the technique, as being off the mark resulted in the stone's edge coming into contact and causing a terrible pain. Dealing damage to the stone became easier with each strike as she whittled it down. After performing one hundred strikes with each hand, she stopped and moved back to the top. She alternated once again with swings from each hand to the stone's top and centre. While turning the surface into powder, the small specks of it gradually built up in Ari's scratches on her hands. The feeling was neither painful nor soothing; it did however encourage her to get the training over and done with.

This technique could be performed in more than one way; Ari had been practising the easier one. It was time to move onto the difficult part which involved striking with one's fingertips. Iron Chop could be used for stabbing just as well as slashing and the fingertips were a lot less capable of absorbing impact. As such she briefly considered going at only half strength for the first strike, instead however, Ari struck the stone with her full force at the flat side nearest to her. Due to the position her hands were in, the fingers supported each other and prevented anything from breaking. However, her fingernails cut through the skin on their edges. This would likely be a problem until she'd created a tough callus on both hands, so Ari threw her left hand forward just like the right. With each strike against the stone she dealt surprisingly more damage than the slashes from earlier. This was because the point of impact was much smaller and her force was focused into the small surface area.

Similar to a pick being used against stone instead of a hammer, Ari was now having more success than before. This taught her a valuable lesson on how to approach heavily armoured targets. Stabbing was far more effective and would likely cause them greater injury than any other movements could. While before now, Ari's only approach to them would have been to use punches and kicks, or perhaps a bloodline technique; now she had the Iron Chop in her arsenal to pierce their armour. With all of her attacks however, Ari still hadn't received the results she desired. The stone was mostly whole with only a few marks of damage on its exterior. She wanted to split it in half before her training was complete and would achieve this no matter the cost on the room's floorboards. Positioning her hands to strike the stone's top once more, this time she would alternate between strikes with the flat of her hand's side and those of her fingertips.

Mixing the two types of strike on the surface would cause it to loosen up and weaken its durability eventually. Ari hoped it would be sufficient enough that she could eventually perform a simple chop and split the stone down the middle. In the same way one would weaken the side of a tree with an axe, Ari worked her way up and down the stone's surface creating a gap with her strikes. The blood from her hands was also covering the stone and making it slippery, while she hadn't suffered any serious injury, the strikes continued and spread more onto the stone's surface. Ari hadn't really noticed the state of her hands as the pain had faded with the first few strikes. At this point she was just running on adrenaline and allowing whatever injuries she received to take place, the stone would fall before she gave up. Halting her barrage of strikes after seeing the stone had a sufficient crevice in its surface, Ari prepared to finish her training.

With a strong swing at the stone's surface with her right hand, she then alternated to her left. Each time she built up more strength and speed than before. Gradually she could feel herself surpassing her normal limits as the technique was ingrained to her memory. It was about more than blindly hitting something; it involved building up more strength and speed than was natural to achieve the end goal. The stone appeared to be applying more pressure on the floor with each strike, as she heard whatever was supporting the floorboards begin to crack. Judging by the sound, Ari figured it was cement beneath them. Nevertheless, it would have to wait for her to deal with it until after the stone was split in half. Relentlessly, with very little regard for noise or the state of her hands, Ari pummelled the stone five more times with each of them. Applying more strength to each one while envisioning the stone's ultimate demise, she went in for one last overhead swing with her right hand.

Suddenly with an incredibly loud cracking sound, the stone split in half vertically at the centre. Ari's right hand remained still between each half as she started to calm down. The pain of her cuts gradually sank in, although it was overwhelmed by her sudden realisation that the floor was also destroyed. Not knowing how she'd explain this, she quickly considered any options to get out of trouble. Poking her head out to see the building's owner standing before her, it seemed she was caught. However, after seeing the damage they simply walked away without saying a word. Ari was relieved to see they didn't look concerned. It was strange though, she wondered what kind of punishment the building had taken before her to elicit such a response. In any case, she turned back to look at the stone. Picking up one half with each hand, she carried the remains out of the private room and exited the building.

The only thing left to do was deliver the remains to the shop she acquired it from. Making her way back to the markets, she walked into the store and dropped the stone's halves onto the counter. It appeared the owner wasn't there to receive them, so Ari just turned and walked away. After exiting the shop and walking back to the training grounds to wash her hands, she then bandaged each of them up to stop any bleeding. Later she would have to dig out the stone particles and ensure they didn't get infected. Today was a success as far as Ari was concerned; she'd learned another A-Rank technique that could easily take an opponent off guard. If she could preserve someone's life while using it against them was yet to be seen however. Then again, if she were using A-Rank techniques against someone, the likelihood of surviving them was quite low. Taijutsu were all fairly similar and required the target to receive a considerable amount of force.

Needless to say, even lower ranked taijutsu were deadly in the right hands. Ari was capable of lifting more than thirteen tons and could deliver an impact sufficient to shatter metal, the human body was considerably less durable in most circumstances. While there were some who prided themselves on bodies that were solid and could take a beating, Ari had yet to meet anyone capable of receiving such an impact unharmed. She hadn't really met that many people though, so it was entirely possible. Next on her agenda would be a few C-Rank techniques, although her hands were in quite a state and that would likely have to wait until tomorrow. Ari flexed her hands by closing and opening them. There was a small amount of pain with each movement, not enough to make her stop moving them. Perhaps she would continue training immediately. Just then Ari's stomach grumbled and she realised it was midday, she hadn't eaten breakfast and it was boiling out.

Training could wait after all as she made her way to the local markets to buy some food and water.


Wordcount: 4609
Claiming: Iron Chop, 46AP

Next Ari planned to work on the Cramp Technique, otherwise known as Keiren no Jutsu. It was a fairly simple D-Rank technique but it would provide more stress than usual considering it required elemental Chakra weaving. Ari still wasn't quite comfortable using elemental Chakra since she'd used it so minimally up until now. However, that just meant the challenge would be more interesting. With her hands still injured from training the Iron Chop there wasn't a lot of flexibility in her fingers. Each movement for a hand seal would cause her a considerable amount of pain; no matter though, as she could endure it. This technique was one well known to many ninja and not one she felt the need to hide training. Sitting in the public training grounds on a wooden seat, Ari began weaving the signs for it. Bird, Snake, Dragon, Horse, Ox. She then allowed Chakra to flow through her arms and formed the lightning buildup in her palms.

While she could feel the electrical current there, she couldn't be sure of the results. There was really only one way to test the outcome as Ari turned the technique on herself. Touching her right knee with the respective palm, she felt a sudden electrical shock. The power was only thirty and well within the bounds of what she could endure, although it still stung. At this moment Ari realised it probably wouldn't be the most useful technique as it was so easy to resist. However, there was no point in not having it as well, it could prove useful at some point down the line. Nevertheless it was also good for training in her elemental Chakra capabilities as the rank was low and the technique was easy to perform. Deciding to perform the technique again, Ari formed the hand seals of Bird, Snake, Dragon, Horse and Ox once more. This time she tried to add more Chakra into the technique to power it up further.

However, it appeared the limit for this technique was indeed thirty power. At least the technique didn't seem to require a lot of Chakra as Ari barely felt it fatigue her with each performance. Unsure of how she could double check the technique was working properly and would have the necessary results, she stood up and looked around for a training partner. There were very few people in the training grounds today, perhaps they had somewhere else to train that Ari didn't know about? Either way, she did see one man around the age of eighteen. Ari approached him before requesting if she could use them as a test subject, to which he questioned her motivations. Going on to explain that she wished to test if the technique worked properly or not on him, he agreed under the condition that Ari could receive some of his taijutsu attacks. With a brief consideration, Ari agreed to the terms.

This worked in her favour also as she had been working on training the Taijutsu Style Block technique. With a little more time she would be able to achieve a higher rank of proficiency in it. For the moment however, Ari focused on performing the Cramp Technique on her new training buddy. She speedily weaved the hand seals again, Bird, Snake, Dragon, Horse, Ox. Building up Lightning Chakra in her palms with a power of thirty before pressing them into the man's chest. Ari could feel the current of her electricity being transferred into the man's body. Unsure of how much damage it may have caused, she pulled back after only touching him for a second. He did appear to be more durable than she thought however, as he remained standing. Although it also seemed he was less durable than herself as his knees began wobbling and his hands closed into tight fists. Ari asked if he was okay but received no response.

It seemed the electrical shock had caused the man's mouth to lock shut temporarily, no matter as she had time. Ari picked the man up from the back of his shirt and carried him to the chair where she sat him down to recover. He was breathing and didn't appear to be unconscious, in her professional medical opinion he was going to make a full recovery in the next minute or so. Further testing of her technique probably wasn't required gathering from his current state. Ari went on to tell him that she was prepared to receive his taijutsu whenever he was prepared, receiving a grunt in response as he regained some composure. It still didn't seem like he was capable of performing any yet however, so she would perform the technique once or twice first. Weaving the hand seals again, Bird, Snake, Dragon, Horse and finally Ox. Ari's proficiency with the technique appeared to be as good as it would get for now, as the electrical current quickly formed in her palms.

She didn't really have a target for it this time, so she dispersed the technique by touching her palms together. The tingling electrical current made her fingers feel like closing. Ari resisted through pure willpower and physical endurance as she allowed the technique to run its course on herself again. While she could feel the impact of the technique on her muscles as it attempted to cause cramping throughout her body, it began to feel like it tickled more than anything. However, the technique was limited and quickly ran out of juice. Disappointed in the technique's effects on herself, Ari didn't realise she should have been happy with her body's physical endurance more than anything. Putting it down to the technique's weakness instead of her strength. She quickly looked over at the man she'd tested it on to see he was recovering, moving his hands and feet. It still didn't seem like he could open his mouth as it remained tightly shut.

That wasn't really a problem; Ari could do with a silent training partner once in a while. She approached him before standing a meter away and asking if he was ready to begin training. With a simple nod, it seemed like things were about to get more interesting. He stood up and quickly sent a right jab towards Ari's left cheek with his fist. Raising her left hand, she used the taijutsu blocking technique to reduce his punch's power on herself. He then pulled his fist back while raising his left leg for a kick towards Ari's right shoulder, she blocked raising her right forearm to catch his knee, stopping the momentum of his foot and receiving far less power from his attack than she would have blocking the foot. Seeing she wasn't going to play this dumb, the man pulled his leg back and went in for another punch, this time towards her gut. Ari quickly shot her left hand into his wrist moving from her left to right, pushing his attack aside while turning her body clockwise until she was standing side-face.

Naturally, due to her movement his attack flew past her belly. The man rapidly switched his right punch's momentum into a thrust with his right knee. Thrusting her left elbow down, Ari blocked the softer muscle of his thigh using her bone to stop his attack. Naturally during this assault they were both performing differently, she didn't intend on using any attacks to debilitate him. Her intention was to train and become further proficient with the Taijutsu Block technique, while his was to land an attack on her presumably. The man hadn't really told Ari what his intentions were come to think of it. Shrugging it off, she had training to do and couldn't waste precious thought on his reasons. Seeing the man's body recoil, he suddenly raised his left leg before dropping it towards Ari's head with an axe kick. She raised both her forearms crossed over each other to block the attack just under his heel by an inch.

By doing this she ensured not all the force of his attack would go through, receiving only about fifty percent of the force that would have been taken blocking the heel directly. Ari continued putting her taijutsu knowledge into practice as she noticed he then pressed down with his right foot, using her body as a pivot to raise his left leg and go for a sideways kick. Ari raised her right leg while thrusting her foot forward to meet his shin with her heel. Effectively this stopped his momentum and due to the force of his right leg pressing down on her, Ari didn't lose balance. The man had overstayed his welcome pressing down on her forearms with his right leg however, falling backwards as gravity took him. A sudden thud marked the man's head as it hit the ground and he rolled backwards. However, to Ari's surprise he didn't lose consciousness as he stood back up. Once again he charged at her, this time dropping to a low angle. He could only have been going for an uppercut or a rising kick at this stage.

Knowing this, Ari prepared for a rising kick as he had previously been using mainly attacks with his legs. Due to her decision to prepare for this kind of attack she was ready when it came. The man turned and placed both his hands on the ground while attempting a rising kick with his right leg towards her abdomen. Ari threw her left fist forward to meet his shin and push it forwards, allowing his momentum to continue in front of her where he wouldn't hit anything. However, at the same time she effectively caused him to perform a split. Accidentally so as it turned out. The man then in what appeared to be agony fell over onto his back while panting. Ari could have sworn she saw tears, but he turned over onto his arms and legs before she could confirm such a sighting. The man then performed a backwards kick suddenly from his ground position using his arms to pivot from. Ari raised her right leg to move his shin aside with her foot, allowing his attack to barely miss her left leg.

This training continued for another hour before they were both exhausted. Ari was tired because the heat of Sunagakure felt like it was killing her, the man was tired because he couldn't land an attack. Either way they were both at their wit's end and could barely continue. With one final attack the man threw a right punch towards Ari's forehead. Deciding she'd let him finally get a hit in, she head butted his fist lightly. By applying force into his fist with her head, Ari minimised the damage he caused. However, it was still enough to knock her flat as she was exhausted. Going on to compliment the man's effort, he made a comment on how she let him win. Ari acknowledged that may have been true before sitting up and clambering to her feet. With a solid handshake between the two, it seemed the day was getting late as the sun was setting.

Ari tapped the man's left shoulder with her right hand before wishing him well and departing towards her quarters. It would be a while before she could resume training with her exhaustion and hand injuries; either way, today had turned out to be quite fun and she would have celebrated if not for barely being able to walk. Limping along through the sand, it was even harder due to the squishy material these desert people called the ground. Ari could hardly wait to get back into Konoha with the solid surfaces they enjoyed on a daily basis. Not to mention the average heat from the sun that didn't reflect off every surface unlike sand. The amount of hydration she required on a daily basis was getting ridiculous. Sooner or later, Ari arrived in front of the quarters she and the other Konoha shinobi were being assigned. Stumbling into the building and finding her room, she fell onto the bed and immediately went to sleep.



WC: 2019
Claiming: Cramp Technique, A-Rank upgrade for Taijutsu Style: Block, +20AP

Approved