Starting Taijutsu

Hard to believe it had already been 3 days since Reizo had graduated the Academy, but he knew he couldn't slack off too long. He had given himself a celebratory break these past couple of days, but now it was time to get back on schedule. He wanted to become the strongest shinobi in the world, one so powerful that he would not only earn the respect of everyone, but he could also protect all of his friends and family. Most of all, he wanted to make the world safe for his mother, and protect the village he knew and loved and its ideals. Reizo was certain the road would be arduous and long, but he saw no other options ahead of him. He had the motivation and dedication, and now he wanted to truly prove he had the potential to become the greatest of all time. The world had grown cruel, and Reizo simply couldn't stand for the savagery that he had noticed take hold even in his own village. He remembered a time when Kumogakure was prosperous and kind, but that had since passed. Reizo wanted to become strong to take back the village he remembered.

Reizo had a very strong belief that a powerful mind and sturdy body could defeat any opponent. He had a natural talent for understanding how the world worked- chakra, taijutsu, ninjutsu; he knew he could figure it all out quickly. This combination of talent and drive was all Reizo needed to convince himself he could become strong enough to not only be the greatest of all time, but the greatest of yet to come as well. Sure he wasn't born into a clan with a bloodline, but that didn't matter. In fact the limitations helped focus Reizo on ignoring his shortcomings and becoming even stronger. The first thing Reizo wanted to practice were his standard kicks. A wise martial artist once said that he feasr not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but rather the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. Reizo wanted to take this philosophy even further. He wouldn't stop at 10,000. He planned to practice a single kick 2000 times every day for a week before moving on to a new task. He already had the talent to even get around the 10,000, and Reizo estimated he could probably be just fine with 5000 tries total per kick, but he didn't want to take shortcuts. Instead of using his talent to reduce the practice, he wanted to practice even harder to create as large a gap in mastery as possible.

Reizo positioned himself next to one of the tree stumps that was used for combat training and began to practice his first kick. His first goal was to master Taijutsu, the technique of the body. It wouldn't matter if he could outsmart and outplay his opponent if he couldn't even take a hit or hit them to make the difference in talent and intelligence apparent. Reizo lowered his body into a slightly squatting stance, his feet spread slightly wider than shoulder width, and threw out his first kick with his right leg so that his shin made a solid impact with the stump. Immediately pain shot up through his leg as he made contact with the hard wood and bark. "OWWWW!" Reizo howled. Thankfully no one was around to see this embarrassing display of weakness. Reizo glanced nervously around to make sure of it. His body was still so delicate, he wasn't used to it being subjected to such training. He had watched other Genin train like this with no problems, so Reizo mentally prepared himself to toughen up. His right shin was still sore, however, so Reizo used his newly learned medical ninjutsu to heal the bruise. He was sure he would get used to it as his bones and skin adjusted to the impact over time. Sure enough, the next time Reizo struck the stump, there was a lot less pain.

Reizo began to count off the hits in his head to see where his limit was. Reizo was only at 20 and he had already started to tire. Was he just that out of shape? Reizo couldn't believe how weak he was! It angered him, and only motivated him to try even harder. He began to set limits and goals for himself to achieve. He would only allow himself to drink from his water bottle after 100 total straight right kicks. Reizo started up again, discarding his previous 20 and starting the count from 0 once more. 1, 2... 24, 25... I have to keep going, don't slow down! 47, 48... a cold sweat broke out across Reizo's forehead, but he continued on regardless. 73, 74... Reizo was starting to lose his strength in his right leg, he didn't think he could do anymore, but somehow he still found the inner resolve to continue. 91, 92, 93... only a few more, but Reizo wanted to just quit right there. No, he had to keep going and finish, he wouldn't be able to drink his water unless he made all 100. Finally, Reizo hit 99, and was about to collapse, he struggled to even lift his leg and keep his balance. His clothes were soaked in sweat, but Reizo lifted his leg one more time and touched the stump. It wasn't even much of a kick, but Reizo complete the motion 100 times. Reizo downed all his water and just laid on the grass staring up at the blue sky and clouds. It was so quiet and peaceful. Most of his peers would just be getting let out of school right now, but since Reizo had graduated a little early he could use the time to train and relax.

After about 15 minutes of laying on the ground and catching his breath, Reizo got up to train just a little more. He had now done 100 right kicks (or 120 if you count the first group), but Reizo wanted to add on to that. He had to introduce chakra to the routine to get the best results. This way he could increase his chakra control and use, and continue to train his body and taijutsu. In particular, Reizo wanted to learn the Leaf Whirlwind technique. It was a traditional technique developed initially in Konoha, but it had found its way around the ninja world as one of the most popular and fundamental taijutsu moves for all taijutsu users. It was the ideal jutsu to learn as his first step to becoming a real ninja, and Reizo couldn't have been more excited to try it. He had already stripped a good amount of bark from the side of the log he had been practicing on, but now Reizo wanted to make an imprint to claim it as his own.

If Reizo correctly recalled, the Leaf Whirlwind was a basic technique that involved using chakra to enhance his speed and strength to deliver a strong high kick followed by a sweeping low kick. The high kick was supposed to force an opponent to duck so that the low kick could knock them off their feet and break their foundation. This would allow the user to go on the all out offensive on a knocked down opponent, where fighting ability was a lot less important because the attacker would gain such a massive advantage that they could essentially just beat down the victim on the ground. Having understood exactly how this jutsu should work, Reizo tried it out. He widened is stance a little but inched his left foot forward to develop a more solid fighting pose. Then Reizo swung out with his right leg first, right at head height, focusing his chakra in the leg to increase its speed and power. It flew through the air much faster than Reizo had ever expected or experienced, to the point where he almost lost his balance. Swinging that momentum back around, Reizo planted his right foot on the ground directly below him right next to his left foot as he completed his loop. He then focused chakra in his left foot to continue the momentum of the first kick into the second, with his heel slamming into the stump, causing splinters to fly in every direction. It was a solid hit, and considerably more powerful than his previous kicks. Reizo was still a bit concerned with how weak overall his blows were, but seeing the increase in damage just from adding some chakra gave Reizo hope for the his future Taijutsu endeavors.

Reizo had plans to develop another Taijutsu technique today as well. This one would be a bit easier, but also would require him to be much faster. Reizo was sure that he had finished this training today being quite a bit faster just from the leg workouts, and so he wanted to continue forward with learning the sequel to the Leaf Whirlwind, Leaf Gale. This technique was more simple than the Leaf Whirlwind, involving only the low sweep, however the speed at which it needed to be performed was greater in order to achieve the desired effect. Whereas the Whirlwind was focused more on hitting hard and guaranteeing a hit to land, the Gale was a counter-attack technique created to use an opponent's momentum against them, working on the trite philosophy that "the bigger they are the harder they fall". The Gale was a low sweep that took an unaware or otherwise heavily committed opponent (committed to an attack) and took the rug out from underneath them, causing them to trip and rapidly spin across the ground, using their head and body like a human mop. Before he could practice this technique, Reizo had to first train symmetrically, and he sought to do his 100 kick exercise with his left leg. His right leg was still a bit sore, so Reizo tried to soothe it with his basic medical training again before continuing.

Once Reizo was in shape, he restarted his regimen, first 10, then 20, then 50, and before Reizo knew it he was already at 80 kicks and only starting to break into a sweat. It was almost like his body was getting increasingly resilient to the training every minute, and Reizo was loving it. He had broken into a sweat when he finally hit 100, but Reizo didn't even waste time laying down to relax and soothe his muscles. He was already channeling chakra into his right leg to get ready to sweep the floor. Reizo tried it once and hit the stump with considerable force- not as much as he had with the whirlwind, but enough to cause it to splinter again. Reizo wasn't convinced it was fast enough, and so he practiced a few more times. His stamina starting to run low, Reizo figured he'd at least attempt it with his left leg. To his surprise, it was faster and stronger than his right leg. Reizo had always seen himself as a right-dominant person, but perhaps even that had changed when he became a village Genin. Having mastered two Taijutsu techniques in one day, Reizo felt it was best to call it a day for now, but he wanted to have a quick swim to cool off before heading back home.

Stripping down to his boxers, Reizo jumped into the small pond in the training grounds where he had learned to walk on water only a week earlier. The water was very cool and refreshing, seeing as it had now turned to fall. The weather was still relatively mild for fall, and Reizo was enjoying every moment of it. He dreaded wearing winter clothes as they were too restrictive. He would much rather strip to the bare minimum of clothing than be forced to wear layers. Reizo swam around in the pond for a short time, mostly just thinking about all the progress he had made and was going to make in the not so distant future. Reizo was hyped to think about all the possibilities he now had since he graduated the Academy. The boy treaded water for most of the time he spent in the water, but occasionally he would lay back and float and just day dream. He dreamt of the Kage and the other respected shinobi of the world, and imagined a time when he had reached that level of ability. He would, of course, earn that title no matter what. Just thinking about it made him want to practice even more, but he knew that would have to wait as he was in no condition to continue to push himself further. Reizo let the water trickle over his body as he reflected on everything yet to come. The water felt so nice after a difficult training session. It was these little moments that made life so worthwhile. Sure, it would be nice to be the best and to be notable- everyone dreamed of that. But what really counted in life wasn't fame or fortune, but being there to share in the happiness of all those you truly love. Even if Reizo wasn't able to make his dreams come true, he realized that he would be okay so long as he knew he had put in his best effort and had been there for those he cherished. That was what really mattered.

It was starting to get late, and Reizo had stayed in the water for far longer than he had planned to. His fingers had started to wrinkle into raisins, and he knew it was time to get going. The sun was going to set soon, and he still had to be home to help his mother prepare dinner. Hopping out of the pond and shaking himself off to dry (albeit very ineffectively), Reizo put his clothes back on and headed home. His shirt reeked of sweat, and it was more than damp already so the water wasn't even noticeable. Still dripping wet, ran his hair through his hair to try to dry it as best he could before heading back home to his mother. She would be expecting him, and Reizo hated to make people wait. The only thing he hated more when it came to timing was when he had to wait on others because they were irresponsible and late. Reizo's legs were still terribly aching, making walking somewhat difficult, but Reizo managed to drag himself back home despite the woes of leg day.

2421/2250 words
Leaf Whirlwind 1250 words
Leaf Gale 1000 words
+ 12 stat points