Ari's Training Tumble Weed [Private]

The Leaf Rising Wind technique was one most taijutsu practitioners found crucial to their arsenal. It involved a quick movement to position oneself beneath their target to deliver a devastating upwards kick. Normally this technique resulted in the target flying into the air for a follow up attack. Ari planned to learn this technique next as it would unlock future possibilities for learning techniques and creating others. Naturally the movement was somewhat simple; pulling it off however would be another story. To properly deliver the amount of force required in a kick from that angle would be challenging to learn and succeed at with every attempt. Naturally, Ari was quite confident in her abilities to use taijutsu and wasn't concerned about learning this one. It was after all, a C-Rank technique. Having learned multiple A-Rank techniques and even an S-Rank technique, she wasn't about to give up before trying this one.

Reading through the way it was performed, Ari felt she possessed enough strength to easily pull it off. The difficult part would be manoeuvring beneath a wary target to deliver it. Whether or not she could accomplish this vital step would determine if she’d succeed in learning the technique. Being a member of the Hiyu clan meant she had some experience learning techniques intended for assassination, she was familiar with approaching a target to deliver blows whether they were aware of her presence or not. This technique was specifically intended for such a thing, so she was positive about being able to pull it off. Ari exited her room, refreshed from her long rest in bed which lasted eleven hours. She had spent the better part of yesterday training multiple techniques and was deserving of her rest. However, this did mean she had less time to complete all of her training. Attempting to rush learning what she could, Ari jogged to the training grounds.

Gradually becoming more comfortable with Sunagakure's climate, she wasn't already sweating profusely unlike the days prior. She still wasn't quite adept at running on their sandy surfaces though, stumbling a few times before finally arriving in the training grounds. Ari had spent most of her time in this area since arriving, whittling away what time she had on making progress to expand her arsenal of techniques. Her stamina was also vastly improving while training in the heat of Sunagakure. Unlike training in Konoha, she had to struggle three times as hard to stay standing after significant physical activity. While it probably wasn't healthy, Ari made progress like never before thanks to the climate forcing her body to struggle. Considering the benefits, in her opinion they outweighed the positive negative outcomes on her body. Especially since it was only possible she'd suffer them rather than the already guaranteed benefits she received.

Moving on, the training grounds were quite clean. Presumably they'd been brushed flat overnight since they were a lot messier yesterday. A quick assessment of the ground assured Ari this was the case as she observed traces of a large broom. So they liked to keep the training grounds clean? Probably to ensure people wouldn't lose their footing and suffer needless injuries, Ari assumed. Either way it was a good time for her to start training, there were only two other people in the training grounds right now. One appeared to be a woman around Ari's age, while the other was a girl around ten years old. Seeing them train together caused Ari to assume they were mother and daughter, she remembered her daughters back in Konoha and wondered what they were up to right now. Hopefully Kaya would be arriving in Sunagakure within the next day or two, Ari was getting lonely in the village since she didn't have anybody to nag her about making breakfast and dinner.

It was strange, the kind of things she missed upon departing her home. Ari thought of Kurisu and how he'd be slaving away at his duties as Hokage. Kyoto was probably forging more weapons or armour. Kaya and Kurisu Jr were probably goofing around together. Ari wasn't worried about their safety since they resided in Konoha with Kurisu looking out for them. Kasuga was probably getting into trouble since she hadn't seen him around Sunagakure after they split up. While this would have worried Ari for any of the other kids, he was a Jounin and presumably more capable than her. After performing a mission together she'd assumed as much. Either way, she felt quite lonely and to occupy herself to forget these thoughts, more training had to be done. Ari walked calmly towards the corner furthest from the mother and daughter, attempting to forget their presence so she could focus on her own training.

It wasn't normal for anybody else's activity to really interfere with her; the reason she had to put them out of her mind was only because it reminded her of Kaya's training. Thinking about her made Ari wish she could be training her daughter right this second. At least she'd probably have the opportunity soon in any case. Ari attempted to picture herself succeeding in the exams and getting promoted. This was something she truly wanted, progress on her path of becoming Kurisu's equal. She didn't want to be thought of as the weaker parent or to exceed him; just to match his capabilities would be enough. Whether or not he cared about the lower ranked techniques such as Leaf Rising Wind, Ari wasn't sure. One thing she did know is that he practised taijutsu like her, just not in such a dedicated fashion. While she relied on Jutsu most of the time it appeared Kurisu could do without them for most of his fighting.

Just how he managed it was beyond Ari's understanding, though she was planning to ask after the exams were complete. Hopefully he'd teach her some amazing new technique? Ari could only imagine the knowledge he might impart to help her grow stronger. Perhaps even learning what Kurisu knew would help her become his equal. Either way, it was time to train and put these thoughts away. Ari would start by ducking close to the ground and raising her right leg, slowly performing the motions. This technique was simple in its movement after all; the complicated part was getting behind your opponent's guard to deliver it. According to the text explaining how to perform Leaf Rising Wind, one's own strength and speed was most key to its success. Strength and speed were two things Ari felt pride in. All of her training had led to a very impressive body capable of performing taijutsu at an advanced level.

Although she didn't seem quite capable of learning an S-Rank taijutsu at the moment, Ari knew her body could pull it off. Able to rip a tree out of the ground or lift nearly fourteen tons, both had become fairly easy feats now. All she needed was the motivation and knowledge to move ahead. She did feel like her progress was beginning to slow, as if her stamina was nearly at its peak. Everyone had limitations their body couldn't exceed and whether Ari was finding hers or not remained a mystery for the moment. Something she did know is that training could be exceedingly easy at times. Her ability to pick up techniques and run through them had improved greatly; learning all of their intricacies could take only a few minutes for more basic ones, or an hour for more difficult ones. Sure there were people who learned the same techniques faster than this, Ari could only refer to her experience from before and after however.

According to what she knew, things were becoming easier along the way instead of more difficult, regardless of a technique's rank. Still on the ground while kicking vertically upwards with her right leg, Ari turned over to lean on her right side while kicking with her left. In her opinion, regardless of the technique, knowing how to perform it with both sides of one's body was vastly more important than rushing the learning process. Not knowing how to use a technique with one's non-dominant arm could only lead to trouble if the dominant arm were injured. Ari had tried to become ambidextrous at one point in time where she failed. Therefore learning how to use her left hand in more activities was vitally important. The benefits to one's brain functions alone was worth the effort. Still, this technique wasn't exactly the most complicated one. With a few kicks of her left leg, Ari felt she had the movement down and could go to phase two.

Naturally the second phase was just performing the technique at its intended level for combat. Ari stood up straight before relaxing her muscles and preparing to move incredibly fast. Slow movements often caused muscles to become stiff, so she couldn't go straight into using the technique immediately. Still, after limbering up for a minute she would get started. Throwing her weight in a downwards angle, Ari pictured a foe one metre in front of her. Ensuring that her head fell following her body and didn't get knocked on the ground, Ari then raised her right leg straight up into the air. The momentum of her kick also caused her body to lift off the ground by a few inches. Unperturbed by this, Ari then flipped onto her right side and performed the same kick with her left leg. Suffering from a small loss of force, she immediately attempted it again with her left leg. Still, the force of her kick couldn't lift her off the ground like the first one did.

Springing to her feet, Ari then dropped down again before performing the kick with her left leg once more. She had guessed that by not including the first motion, not enough force was generated in her movement to cause the same phenomenon of lifting her body from the ground. Luckily she'd guessed right, as her body lifted a few inches from the ground this time. So the technique was not only about kicking upwards from a low angle, it was about the movement before it. One's body generated momentum moving beneath their target to inflict a devastating kick from below. Naturally this was vitally important information for Ari as she intended to use the technique during combat. However, more important than that was the ability to move so quickly with a C-Rank technique. Her body felt as if it naturally glided to the ground before performing the kick. Such a fluid and easy motion, she had to be moving significantly faster than normal limits allowed.

Having not learned a C-Rank technique before, Ari wasn't sure what to expect from their performance. Naturally it came as a shock to her that they could also be incredibly versatile. At least she assumed this was the case. Not learning one before also meant she'd never used a C-Rank taijutsu while sparring with anybody or during a life and death situation. If it were capable of helping in either two of these scenarios, it was probably worth the time she spent learning it. Ari tended to value things higher than their worth, it was a problem she suffered for many years. However, at least on this occasion, she felt it was a technique worth having even if she may never have needed it. Especially considering that it was a technique capable of opening up into more attacks. After sending an opponent into the air they would be vulnerable to many kinds of assaults, whether it was thrown weaponry or another taijutsu.

Perhaps even a ninjutsu, although she was considerably poorer at using them. There was a specific technique named the Dancing Leaf Shadow, created for the purpose of following an opponent into the air after using the Leaf Rising Wind. Considering it required the Leaf Rising Wind which was why she hadn't learned it until now, the Dancing Leaf Shadow was probably next on her agenda for training.


WC: 2006
Claiming: Leaf Rising Wind, +20AP

Instead of moving on to train the Dancing Leaf Shadow immediately, there was a particular medical technique Ari figured she would have a use for. While it was lightning based, the intent was to get a subject's heart beating again if it should stop. Considering she didn't have anything remotely like this in her arsenal it seemed like a good idea to learn. Since it was lightning based and merely an E-Rank technique, Ari sat down to begin training. Focusing her Chakra throughout her entire body as she attempted to understand how to focus such a small amount of lightning into her palms. The challenge here was rather strange since she'd never tried to create something so weak before. Limiting herself and the technique to only a tiny fraction of what she was capable of. Ari performed the hand seals required to form the technique correctly, a single clap of her hands. This was not a normal hand seal to begin and end with, although it was often used for summons according to what Ari had read.

Manipulating the lightning Chakra in her palms, she focused it into a small but concentrated amount before thrusting her palms forward, shocking the air. Ari could feel the release of her Chakra into the open air and figured that it had worked. Since her own heart was still beating there wasn't really a way to test it, rather, testing it could have caused her heart to stop. Considering the danger in trying something like this, Ari had to put it down as being learned and move on. However, she really wasn't sure if it could cause a person's heart to start beating after it stopped. The only way to test it and ensure it worked correctly would be to find a subject. It was extremely unlikely to find a willing person to have their heart stop beating so Ari could possibly bring them back to life. Only someone that was suicidal would even allow such a thing. Therefore she would have to try it on wildlife that appeared to have died, she figured.

Standing from her position, Ari walked away from the training grounds and began searching the village for deceased animals. While there were a lot of dead animals that were rotting, she needed a fresh corpse to try the technique on. Searching in trash cans and alleyways, eventually she'd come to find a dead rat that appeared to have choked on something. Ari poked her right pinky finger into its mouth to remove the object before forming the technique once again. Clapping her hands together and generating a tiny amount of lightning Chakra. She purposely limited the technique to only one power, ensuring the rat wouldn't disintegrate on touch. Afterwards she placed both palms onto the rat's underbelly, barely touching it with part of each palm. As the lightning Chakra flowed into the rat, Ari removed her hands from it to see what happened. Seemingly nothing, so she tried once again by clapping her hands and touching it.

Before she could check for the results, Ari suddenly felt movement beneath her hands before seeing the large grey rat scurry away. 


WC: 529
Claiming: Shock Paddles, 5AP

Approved

The next technique on Ari's mind was of course the Dancing Leaf Shadow. This technique was previously impossible to perform without knowing the Leaf Rising Wind. However, since she now knew that technique it was free game. To begin training it she limbered up, stretching her arms and legs. Another training dummy would be required to learn it properly. Ari wasn't sure how to feel about using Sunagakure's resources in her training, considering she never asked permission. However, it seemed they had freedom to do as they liked, as long as it wasn't harmful to the village at least. Unusual as it was to feel so welcomed in another village, Ari was very happy with her first travel experience. Luckily she hadn't received a mission to travel outside of Konoha and visit a hostile village before, or it may have painted her opinion negatively. But then again, Sunagakure was awfully hot and uncomfortable to live in.

How the villagers remained there for their entire lives and endured the climate was beyond her. Surely a large number of them would have moved to somewhere cooler by now. Perhaps it was just too dangerous for the inhabitants to travel, or maybe they really liked the hot climate after all. Either way, Ari was excited to be home in Konoha where she could enjoy cold water from the tap and go outside without getting sunburn. While she wore clothes that covered all her skin save for her head, it seemed even they couldn't prevent it from happening. Ari imagined by the time she returned to Konoha she'd be fully tanned involuntarily. Eventually she'd probably resort to using the Hiyu technique of Advanced Transformation just to changer her skin colour back. How long did it even take for one's skin to recover and return to normal after being tanned? Ari wasn't aware if it was possible or not at this point and considered the effects permanent.

With her lack of knowledge, she decided to move on and begin training. Worrying about what she looked like with a tan could come later. Standing up, Ari turned her body to face the training grounds' shed as she began walking towards it. Hopefully they had dummies in stock and ready for people to practice with today, otherwise she would have to figure out alternative methods. Upon entering she saw a newly formed dummy just waiting to be broken in; with very little effort, Ari picked it up under her right arm and stepped out of the shed. Then she walked back to the corner she was training in earlier, away from the mother and daughter she was trying to forget existed. Those two must have had very impressive stamina to still be training; Ari was nowhere near as energetic as the woman's daughter at her age. A brief moment of nostalgia passed over Ari as she remembered training in Konoha's grounds as a Genin.

Those days didn't involve anywhere near as much commitment towards the village or her goals. To be young again; Ari then realised she would hate leaving everything she had now behind just for that. A husband, four children, life was good. Not only that, but to also be on the path to become a Jounin. Returning to the life of a youthful Genin hardly appealed to Ari when taking all this into consideration. Arriving shortly after having these thoughts to find her spot in the training grounds was still unoccupied, she aimed the sharp base of the dummy at the ground before slamming it down. One meter of the dummy's base pierced the ground, firmly locking it in place for the next step. Ari would have to launch the dummy as if it were a human being, which meant applying a generous amount of force from beneath it. Most people would resist the effects or at least attempt to in any case. This was merely a simulation of that experience.

Ari ducked down quickly, positioning herself beneath the dummy before launching her right foot up towards its chin. While she didn't connect this time, she was merely practising the movement. The reason for her hesitation was simply because the dummy might break upon impact. If Ari didn't get the movement right this first time she may have to go and get a new dummy, which she wasn't keen on doing. She already felt quite guilty for using Sunagakure's resources for her own training, even though it wasn't against the rules. Either way Ari figured putting a small amount of strength behind her blows could suffice for keeping the dummy intact. Starting with only fifty percent of her strength, Ari ducked down and launched her left foot at the dummy's chin. This time she made sure to connect, allowing her to observe how effective her attack was on it. Naturally with that kind of strength the dummy was unfazed, going so far as to not be removed from the ground.

Ari had after all used her full strength to plant the dummy's base into the ground initially. Using a significantly weaker attack from beneath it was unlikely to make it budge. Taking this into consideration, Ari grabbed the base and wobbled it a few times left and right, weakening the structural integrity of the ground surrounding it. With this Ari figured she would be able to launch the dummy skyward with a weaker attack. She walked in front of it once before, facing the dummy before ducking down and launching her right foot at its chin again. Forgetting herself momentarily, Ari pushed off the ground and used her full strength to kick it. Suddenly the dummy's head broke off and flew into the air. Figuring now was better than never, she stood up and attempted to follow it using the Dancing Leaf Shadow. It was a fairly non-descriptive technique, involving high speed to follow the target. However it worked, Ari attempted it by jumping after the dummy's head.

Suddenly finding she was unable to keep up with it, she quickly fell back to the ground with a thud, creating a small cloud of sand. Luckily for the sand she had a softer landing and remained unharmed, followed by the dummy's head which crashed into the ground a metre away from her. Ari simply lay on the ground for a moment to assess her situation. She hadn't successfully used the technique or given it much thought before trying. What exactly would allow her to follow the target into the air? Surely it wasn't just moving faster... Ari continued to think about this while the dummy's head stared lifelessly at her. Turning to face it with just her head, she glared at it before flicking it away with her left index finger. Since she stopped watching it, Ari failed to notice the dummy's head ricocheted off its body before flying into the shed. Lost in her thoughts, she considered what the next step was.

Using the dummy's body would be her best option, as it wouldn't fly higher than the head could due to its increased weight. Perhaps following that target would make things easier and open Ari's eyes on how the technique worked. Shooting up into a standing position, she walked back over to the dummy before dropping down in front of it. Ari's left leg then launched upwards as her foot slammed into its crotch. Seeing the dummy be launched skywards, she attempted to follow it once again, jumping. Seemingly able to keep up with it this time, Ari grabbed it. However, it didn't really go as the technique intended, with both her and the dummy descending at a rapidly increasing rate. Before she could really think about it, they hit the ground. Ari landed on top of the dummy luckily enough, as it suffered minor damage beneath her. This method didn't appear to be working for whatever reason. How was a jump meant to keep up with a target being launched into the air?

Ari still didn't understand just how this technique worked or the method other taijutsu practitioners used to learn it. She was after all not a genius, although her intuition was fairly good. All she could keep doing was practice it until the solution dawned on her. Naturally, Ari planted the dummy's base into the ground again where she would attempt the technique until she learned it. This process continued for an hour of her trying and failing to follow it into the air, as the sun rose higher and the day grew hotter. The discomfort would have been noted by Ari if she wasn't so frustrated with the technique already. Attempting time and time again to use it against this dummy. What made it so special that she had to learn this technique anyway? Her motivation began to dwindle considering it. There were of course useful techniques that required the Dancing Leaf Shadow to begin with. Ari wanted to learn them at one point in time, but the frustration was killing her.

Figuring she'd give it one last shot, she ducked down at the dummy's base and launched her right foot into its crotch again. Then seemingly out of instinct, Ari's body leaned forward to carry her momentum as she jumped behind the dummy. Before she realised her own movements, Ari was tracking the dummy's body with her own behind it. Wrapping her arms around it, Ari noticed what she had done as a giant grin appeared on her face. Followed by the realisation that the ground was getting a lot closer. Without much time left, she positioned the dummy between herself and the ground again allowing it to break her fall. This time after the beating it had taken, she shattered it upon hitting the ground. At the same time, Ari was so exhausted she fell asleep on top of it upon safely landing. Only an hour later she was awoken by the sound of a child laughing, opening her eyes to see the mother and daughter walking towards the markets.

With the two of them reminding her of Kaya and herself, Ari stood up and began to follow them. At the time she didn't realise what she was doing. Just thinking about Kaya was enough to keep her walking, or more accurately stumbling after the two. Ari's mind was blank and she had yet to think about anything else but the last thing she and Kaya did together. Kaya was begging to be taken along to Sunagakure, which Ari eventually gave in to. Although it was something she'd hoped to do at first anyway. Wherever Kaya was now, for some reason she thought by following the mother and daughter she'd find her. This was of course not the case, as Ari observed the mother and daughter simply stopping to buy some ice cream. No Kaya was in sight, however, she did realise just how thirsty she'd become while training. Suddenly Ari vomited into the sand beneath her before walking over to a public tap and gathering water into her mouth.

Resting by the tap, half an hour passed before Ari could stand up and regain her composure. She quickly forgot about how she arrived at the markets and ended up at the tap. Shrugging it off as a hallucination, Ari began walking back to her quarters to write a letter home. While she hoped Kaya was already on her way to the village, if not the letter was going to ask how she was doing. Only, Ari would never end up writing the letter, as she fell asleep the moment she sat down on her bed. Considering the events that happened, her dreams were of home. Ari longed to spend more time with Kurisu and the children when she got back to Konoha, or they arrived in Sunagakure. Whichever came first. While she was in Sunagakure at the time, Ari dreamed of Konoha and the Hokage's office where she spent most of her time with the family.


WC: 2000
Claiming: Dancing Leaf Shadow, +18AP