Gunbai Does all the Things (P,Training)

For the sake of the mods who review this, this post is a hodgepodge of all the trainings that I did this week but hadn't posted. You'll know when it's ready because I will remove the WIP tag at that point along with a final total on the last page showing everything which was learned.

On that note, let's begin!

        Around his tenth birthday Gunbai had begun to realize that it was becoming a routine that he would be left alone as the sole attendant of the clinic for extended amounts of time. Whether that meant his parents trusted him to that degree despite his age or simply didnt care was up for debate, but he chose to accept the latter both for his sake and theirs. Thus he sat there on his little stool behind the desk of his parents clinic, reading for once a book that wasn’t a medical textbook for once.

    This book in fact, was of self defense. While it’s nature was indeed dubious, what with the somewhat shoddy grammar and lack of an index, it was seemingly popular in other nearby villages so he had procured himself a copy behind his parents back at the weekly bazaar. If nothing else, it would make a good read. It certainly was at the moment, as currently Gunbai was trying in vain to detain the laughter spewing from his mouth at the latest technique. Labeled with the simple name of “Discipline” It simply showed a picture of a man in a cheesy bat costume slapping a young boy with the description saying just about as much. To be quite frank, all it seemed to be was a slap with a funny name attached to it. Then again, Gunbai supposed that anything could be considered a taijutsu technique with enough writing and perhaps a little extra effort on behalf of the user. He was probably oversimplifying it, but to be honest he didn’t care. He wasn’t a ninja and as such he could leave its classification to them. 

         Extending his hand forward in front of him, Gunbai waved his hand through the air halfheartedly in a lazy attempt to recreate the picture. He frowned at the decided lack of impact despite there being a rather obvious lack of things to hit in front of him, certainly such a thing would come easily? He swung his hand again, only to find the same result. Now, this was certainly annoying. Was he really incapable of doing so simple as a slap? He stepped back a bit and analyzed his movements as he went through the steps again, noting that he looked a bit like a crazed conductor waving his hand in the air while still sitting on his stool. Hopping on and onto the cold wood floor he was glad that he had shoes on otherwise he surely would have jumped right back onto his seat. Deciding for an experiment, he changed the angle at which he was swinging while at the same time doing it backwards, so as to mimic the picture. He felt a decided change in force, which he took as a sign that he was now doing it right. It was certainly hard to practice a technique without anybody else to test it on, but since he was not enrolled in any program like that it certainly wouldn’t be happening. Hopping back onto his stool and taking a moment to balance himself, he flipped to the next page of the humorous book.

         Gunbai blushed slightly in embarrassment as he read the contents of the next technique. A certainly ridiculous technique, the whole idea here was that one would punch their target so hard that they would achieve liftoff, with weaker people somehow being stripped of their clothes in the process through some sort of extreme rotational force. It was absolutely ridiculous but somehow it had appealed to the young Gunbai and now he had to at least try it once. Then again, was there really anything special to it at all in the first place? In reality it looked like it was just a normal punch with a lot more force behind it. Even so he tried it a little, punching forward into the air where a make believe face was to no avail. Apparently this technique wasn’t so simple that he could learn it alone. 
Gunbai sat for the next hour, considering what he perhaps was doing wrong. The book described it as a technique that took practice to master, obviously, along with being the sort that could only be mastered during combat. It took a sort of emotion that couldn’t simply be conjured up on a whim to properly perform the technique that could not be raised in a normal spar. As he pondered this, he failed to notice the footsteps approaching the threshold of the clinic and stepping inside until they were a few feet from him. His head snapped up.
“Oh, hello! Sorry the clinic isn’t open right now…” He trailed off, drinking in the appearance of the current visitors. Dirty was an understatement, these were men filthy in the way that only a hard life of fighting and trekking could make oneself. They were dressed in simple enough cloth, however the crude leather bits tied to themselves seemed to denote their status of warriors of some sort. Likely bandits, on a quiet raid to procure more funds. He counted out two, which while it was a small amount was certainly daunting to a ten year old child. Well, pooh.

            The first bandit laughed, a superior tone denoting it. “If you were closed, you should have kept the door closed.” He gestured to the open door, which had been left so for ventilation. “Sorry kiddo, but I’m going to have to ask you to escort me to your valuables right about now.” He slammed his hand into the counter for effect, Gunbai forcing himself to not flinch as he did so. Slowly rising from his stool behind the counter he walked at a nonchalant pace to stand in front of the first bandit, He was almost a head taller than him, and while he didn’t seem too muscled he was afraid of what exactly was to happen if he defied them. At the same time however, something within him was repulsed with the idea of going along with these two buffoons. They walked into his home, his clinic and demand his money? Who did they think they were? Slowly inside him the rage began to build yet Gunbai remained stony silent, standing in place.

          “Oi, I think the kids too scared to say anything.” Said the second bandit, moving towards Gunbai as to put his hand on the shoulder with a leer. As soon as he attempted to though Gunbai reacted, his reflexes going towards one of the most recent things he had performed. Before he even knew what he was doing his right arm had backhanded the face of the second bandit in a violent arc, forcing the man back a few feet from the sheer force behind it. His hand stung a little, yet he watched in awe as an ugly red handprint began to form on his face. Yet it wasn’t enough.
 
           “Get…”Gunbai’s eyes were to the ground, hair covering his face as he balled up him fist. “Out!!” With a burst of his full speed his hand reached up and connected right where the slap had been and through his cloud of rage noted in amazement as the man flew away from the impact, spinning with such force that his armor and clothing were flung away until he was left in nothing but his undergarments. He turned to the first bandit who was now evaluating all his life choices in the face of a freaky ten year old with strength that he definitely should not have for his age. “I’m Batman!” He yelled, trying out the phrase he had read in the book as his fist once again connected, the man screaming as he flew a good ten feet into the air before landing in a heap on top of his fellow companion. Grumbling in anger Gunbai didn’t even know he had the ability to summon, Gunbai checked their vitals to make sure both were not in life threatening danger but certainly unconscious before dragging them off into the forest where even if they woke up they would certainly have a hard time regaining their bearings. Tired and sweaty, Gunbai retired back to the clinic to find the sign turned to open and his father at the desk.

           “Ah, Gunbai.” His father stated by way of greeting, scanning his child once over. He noted the sweat and dirt covering his body from all the work he had just done, along with the slight stream of dried blood on his knuckles. “You are injured.” His father walked around the corner and in front of him before holding his hand in front of him. His father’s hands began to produce a stream of green light and Gunbai felt the tiredness he didn’t even know he had fade away thanks to its healing properties.

             “I’m hoping that it was no trouble.” His father said rather awkwardly, confusing Gunbai as to his meaning. In response his father merely gestured to the counter, where a dirty handprint was left behind along with a few muddy footprints on the floor. “I saw the signs that we had some unexpected visitors but I figured you had taken care of them when I found all the doors were still locked.” His father gave him a rare smile, causing Gunbai’s eyes to widen in astonishment. “Good job son, I’m proud of you.” But his face hardened again. “But next time, check yourself for injuries before dealing with others. It is a medic’s job to keep themselves alive before all others. Who else will heal the injured?” His father walked away, leaving Gunbai in thought over the last hours actions and his father’s words.


              A few days later found Gunbai once again in his room, but for once he was without a book for him to read. For the last few days he had been busy reflecting on his father’s words and had been struggling to find any form of motivation to get him back off his feet and working again. Reading had been a struggle and without any people or animals to practice on, which he supposed was a good thing, he hadn’t much to hone his skills with. On the bright side they apparently were scheduled to meet his grandparents at a restaurant in a nearby town for a family get together, which he supposed was rather nice. He mentally shrugged, while he probably wouldn’t get much done that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy him. Gunbai was a human too, and humans need breaks every once in a while. Raising himself from his bed, Gunbai began his normal routine for preparing himself for the day, getting up and stretching with a yawn before promptly walking into the bathroom. After using it and brushing the nastiness out of his mouth he hopped in for a wake up shower, his thoughts clearing as the cold water ran down his skin. After cleansing himself and washing his hair of the oils which had built up overnight he found himself again in his room, putting on the clothes he had put out for himself the day before to wear. A simple white dress shirt with green trimming was what he had decided for his top, with brown slacks and a simple pair of blue sneakers that he had gotten a few weeks before as a present from his relatives. It would have looked semi-formal if not for the fact that his shirt was untucked and slightly wrinkled along with the slightly messy look of his hair, but Gunbai preferred it that way and kept it as such as he did a quick once over of his room. Books in the shelf, check. Lamp off, check. Bed made, urgh. That was what he forgot. Quickly remaking it he descended the steps to find the kitchen empty save for his breakfast and a book with a note attached to it, seemingly for him.

           Picking up the note, Gunbai eyed the note with curiosity. “Gunbai,” It read in his mother’s handwriting. “Your father and I have gone out to the market for some last minute preparations. Finish up your breakfast quickly as the carriage to town arrives in about forty-five minutes, and don't forget to take the book that this note is attached to with you. You’ll regret it if you don’t.” He noted that the book had no title and was merely marked with the symbol of his clan. How curious and how strange at the same time. He made a mental note to peruse it later on the ride there before quickly eating his breakfast, while at the same time making sure to keep a pace so that while he was efficient he was in no danger of choking. That would certainly be an embarrassing situation for him to end up in, especially considering his upbringing. Around fifteen minutes later he was done and he found himself pacing the house until around the thirty five minute mark, at which time he decided would be good to make his way over to the area where the carriage stopped for riders.
 
           Gunbai met up with his family just around the forty two minute mark, having lost some time on the way there when stopped to chat with an old neighbor of theirs for a bit. The book was secure under his left arm and otherwise he looked none the worse for wear as he had been before. He stood silently next to his parents for a while, noting that they had obtained a bouquet of flowers which he could only assume was for his grandparents as they themselves weren’t into the sort of mushy business. Granted, they were the kind of people who fiddled around in the insides of people daily but even so. 
 
           His inane thoughts were cut off by the arrival of the carriage, a simple wooden thing carried by two strong horses. His parents payed the fee for a round trip and they were off, heading towards town at a decent page and only feeling a slight jostle as they went by. Noting that both his parents had opted to bring books in lieu of conversation Gunbai followed suit, opening up the book he had been handed and found that it had no known author. Flipping the page he was assaulted by information he had certainly never read about in other textbooks before. This...this was something valuable. Clan secrets, Yuka secrets. He had never even considered that something such as this would even be recorded on paper. Was it real? He continued on, reading avidly as his interest grew. He found the book explaining the ins and outs of the Shining Medical Eye, a thing which while he found difficult to use had now figured out along with pointers on how to activate within a few simple steps. He found it slightly frustrating that he didn’t get his mitts on it until today as that certainly would have helped out when he was trying to activate it in the past. Sighing, he decided to put that behind him as he turned the next page and happened upon something that he found astonishing. An advanced release. Sure, Gunbai was no ninja, but he knew that things like that were sought after and coveted for their potential and unique way of altering the world around him. Even more, he had one waiting within him to be awakened! His eyes glued to the page and he continued.

           Purification, it read, was the advanced element carried within the lifeblood of the Yuka clan. It’s main use was in healing, which he appreciated, however what he found most interesting was its description. An energy that discriminates between certain items and manipulating it, often to the eradication of one. It was a marvel in the sense of healing as one could do things such as discriminate against poisons, or perhaps cancers within the body but what if it were to be applied to other things? What if it was made to discriminate against...humans? Gunbai shuddered mentally, subconsciously drawing the book closer to himself as though that would keep its writings better protected. This was dangerous knowledge, especially for someone about his age. He was certain that anybody else knowing this would probably go out and try it just to blow somebody’s leg off. But why were they showing him this?

           The carriage suddenly stopped, making him close the book and hold onto his seat to prevent him falling over. As he got out of the carriage he paused to hand his mother the book, noting how she was looking at him with appraising eyes as she stored it safely away within her bag. Was she testing him? Seeing his reaction to the contents within? He wasn’t quite sure what the right or wrong answer was in this case and resolved to simply not react outwardly at all despite his internal worrying and curiosity.

           Worrying turned out to be a thing Gunbai didn’t have any time for at all, what with the hustle and bustle of the town. It was over three times the population of where he lived and often he found himself jostled by passerby every so often until he found his family and himself in front of a none too shabby restaurant with a statue of a crane in front of it so as to draw attention. His father walked in and spoke briefly to the waiting staff before he motioned for the remaining two to follow him in, his grandparents having been already seated seemingly.
“Oh Gunbai!” He heard his grandmother say as he approached. Slightly about 4’, Grandmother Yuka was a kindly looking grandmother with short gray hair which only seemed to add to her role as one. He was wrapped in a smothering hug and smiled despite being slightly uncomfortable with the physical contact. “Theres my little man!” That was his grandfather, giving him a little noogie which he wriggled out of quickly to avoid messing up his hair. His grandfather laughed at his actions.

           They sat down to eat, Gunbai noting that their booth was covered by a curtain for privacy. Despite this, Gunbai found the get together to be surprisingly normal. They talked, shared stories, told a few rather impressive jokes and in all seemed to be having a rather jovial evening. Gunbai ordered a simple chicken plate and ate silently, throwing his two cents in from time to time when prompted by the conversation.

            Yet as the day went by and the meal was almost over, he sensed that there was some sort of trepidation in the air. An unanswered question barely contained. Finally, his grandfather broke it. “Well, sonnie?” He said, looking towards Gunbai so as to denote who he was talking two. “Have you done it yet?”

             Gunbai was a bit confused at this comment, wondering what he could possibly be talking about. Then slowly he began to piece it all together. The unexpected visit to see his grandparents, the book on the table, the note to read through it. It had all led up to this moment, four Yuka together to see their offspring and descendant unlock the secondary part of their bloodline. Gunbai suddenly felt very self conscious and his grandmother stepped in sensing it.
             “Oh don’t be like that honey, no need to be nervous.” She said, her kindly voice already stripping away some of his earlier concerns. “Tell me, have you at least read the book we sent ahead to you earlier?” He nodded and she smiled and nodded. “Good, this certainly would have been more difficult to do otherwise. Alright then, focus into your chakra.” Gunbai gave him a look. “What? I may be old but I certainly know what I’m doing. Don’t give me that look.”

             Gunbai complied and felt within him, feeling the coils of his chakra move throughout his body to evenly distribute it throughout him. He heard his grandfather speaking but it was almost as though it was far away, on a distant plane he could not quite reach. “Alright now, I want you to reach towards your core and find your chakra. Do you see it?” Of course Gunbai did,doing such a thing was basic after so much time spent on chakra control techniques. “Good. Now, I want you to focus on your elemental nature, but this time go through the earth and deeper inside. Go deeper, and deeper, until you find something new.” These odd instructions were all Gunbai had, but he mentally shrugged and attempted to do so anyway. Feeling around the area where all of his earth elemental chakra originated from, he lingered for a few seconds before noticing with a start that there was an almost invisible flow of it being siphoned off somewhere else. Had he failed to notice it before because he had not been aware of its existence? He followed it deeper into him until with a start he felt as though he were put through a screen. It could only be likened to being put through a heavy search before being cleared, a sense of nervousness yet relief flooding him.
“I can tell by your expression that you’ve found it.” His grandfather said, although he could not see him as his eyes were still closed. “Quite daunting, isn’t it? Relax, panicking will do you no good here. Now, I want you to draw it out as you would your other elements and towards your hands like any other medical technique. Don’t bother going any further, today is just to make sure that you can utilize it.” Gunbai nodded affirmatively before attempting to do so, noting that he was able to move it with ease through his chakra coils into his hands. Feeling a tingling in the physical plane he opened his eyes to see his hands shimmering with a faint light, a seeming sign that the chakra was currently concentrated in the area. It was disconcerting to look at, but enchanting at the same time. Cutting the flow Gunbai suddenly felt exhausted as though he had done a full run. It had certainly been hard trying to find the stupid chakra. His grandmother smiled.
         
             “Good job sweety, glad to see you doing it on your first try. Care to do it again, just in case?”


              Gunbai groaned.


3732 words
+13 stats
+Discipline (500/500
+Aerial Spin (1000/1000)
+Purification Element (2000/2000)

In present day, Gunbai sat alone in his apartment feeling rather alone and unsure of what to do. He had moved in only recently and to be quite honest there was not much to do. Sure, he helped out around the place and generally did his part as required now that he was and official ninja -he cringed at that thought- but other than that hadn’t really been called upon to do anything extra. He would have considered it boring, if he didn’t know that anything interesting here would probably result in his death. The place’s whole atmosphere still unnerved him as it was quite literally a monument to what medical ninjutsu could be used to do when put in the hands of somebody who wished to use it to rule. It wasn’t that he hated the new leader, he could hardly do so seeing that he didn’t even know the guy, but it was certainly spooky to know that there was somebody out there so knowledgeable that they could make horrors like this appear in the land of the living. He was repulsed by it, yet for some reason there was an unshakeable urge for him to seek out the man and ask him how he had done it. He shook his head and put the thought aside for now. Another time, perhaps. Maybe when he had settled down further so as to not look like he was being nosy immediately after moving into the village. They might think he was some sort of spy and kill him on the spot if he was lucky, he’d be an experiment if he wasn’t.


            Shaking himself of his grim thoughts, Gunbai ran his eyes over the area around him. He had been able to secure himself an apartment and the next few months rent with the money that he had accepted from his relatives rather begrudgingly upon finding out that he had basically been sacrificed to the ninja corps for the good of the town, however it was quite bare besides the basic amenities. Sure he had a bathroom and small kitchen, but other than that it was quite bare of any furniture. The living room was devoid of any furnishings and his bedroom was just the same, only containing his bed where he slept and a small bookshelf. This bookshelf however was all he needed to entertain himself as within it he had amassed a small collection of books, both from home and from local vendors he had swindled into giving him a discount price. While some were admittedly leisure reading, many were important texts that would feed him more knowledge and more importantly, stay alive.

            Walking into the kitchen he pulled out a loaf of bread from the refrigerator along with a few slices of cheese and a stick of butter. Pulling out a small plate he began to read from the text on his book while turning on the flame, grabbing a knife to cut the butter as he did so.
“The Rope Escape Technique,” He read as he cut the butter slab. “Is a simple technique used by expelling chakra from the body to loosen knots tied around oneself. By doing this, one can easily escape from even complex bindings by simply surrounding themselves in chakra and pushing outwards at the offending knot.” He paused his reading when the butter was completely melted, dropping a slice of bread and three slices of cheese so that way they would begin to melt. “Huh, sounds easy enough.”

             Dropping to his knees he looked down at his sneakers, both tied up into knots as they should be so that he wouldn’t trip over them. As an experiment he drew chakra from his core towards his feet, feeling a sensation as to what one might feel when performing the water walking technique. This time however he pushed up and to his marvel the knot untied itself leaving it free hanging. “Heh, that wasn’t too hard.”
He suddenly realized that right about now would be a good time to flip the sandwich and thus he did, adding another slice of bread so that way the other side would toast as he turned the page. Only another minute till gooey goodness, yum. Flipping through the book he groaned as he found that many of the other jutsu involved were ones that required natures which he did not have. Lightning, Fire, Water, Wind, all those things beyond his reach until he reached the level where he could perhaps spend the time finding them within himself. Unfortunately for Gunbai now was not that time, so instead he went ahead and flipped until he found a rather interesting technique.

             “The Moving Earth Core, huh?” He mumbled to himself, taking the now completed grilled cheese and putting it on his plate before cutting it in halves, putting the pan he had been using into the sink to be washed later. As he absentmindedly munched on his lunch he had to admit the idea behind the technique was quite simple, merely using one’s nature to manipulate the surrounding terrain, it certainly could be used for quite a variety of effects if used. If somebody perhaps used the Aerial Spin technique that he had learned so long ago alongside this they could perhaps catch their target in mid air after their spin for more damage. He shook his thought at that, embarrassed that his first thought was how it could be used in a fight. Already it seemed that the atmosphere of the village was beginning to influence his thoughts. Using it to gain a safe area away from a fight against normal civilians would certainly work, as he doubted most people could climb 10m up a sheer rock surface in a reasonable amount of time. Perhaps to reshape the surroundings, to disorient an enemy and plan one's escape? If lowered it could become a pitfall or perhaps a corral for animals that needed to be captured or corralled, maybe even a temporary hiding spot if made small enough and then covered. He had psyched himself up enough the he needed to try it and thus after washing his hands and stowing his book away in a drawstring bag made his way outside.

             Once again going outside was interesting, people all looking depressed yet somehow hopefully at the same time due to the state of the recovering yet still rather freaky looking village. While he couldn’t fully sympathize with them all due to not being a native of the village, he too had certainly felt the impacts of this new Raikage and as such could see why they made such faces. After passing through all the needed districts he eventually found himself in a cordoned off section of forest, one of the many training grounds set aside for ninja to train their techniques out of the public eye. He noted that here and there he could find evidence of others training, a scorch mark on the ground here, a large gouge in the ground there, sometimes he could find what probably were trees and what were now splinters. He got goosebumps thinking about what kind of monsters would be able to do that before composing himself. Not monsters, just people. Really strong, really scary and very capable people employed by the village’s government to take on jobs such as assassinations and helping little old grannies find their kittens. Where had his life went wrong?

            Letting out a stress filled sigh Gunbai stretched slightly, keeping his bag on him for the moment as he could remember most of the text on the performing of the technique in his head. Breathing in and reaching for the earth elemental chakra within its core, he felt its firm and, heh “grounding” presence before drawing it towards his hands in preparation for the technique. Clapping his hands and slamming the ground Gunbai let out a start as all of a sudden the earth around him began to rise in a 10m radius until he was standing in the middle of his own personal platform. Suddenly feeling very disoriented now that he was at the height of most trees he marveled at how easy it was to perform the technique that the first try had yielded such results. Performing the technique twice had lowered him into the ground and giving him the sense of a mole poking its way up to the earth’s surface and one more use brought him up to solid ground again, the only evidence to his work being his slightly tired out face and the stirred up rocks and grass within the area he had raised and lowered. Ah well, it was nothing to worry about if the activities of the other ninja were any indication. It was probably a mission to clean these places up anyway so it wasn’t like he was just leaving it here to remain like that forever. The thought made him feel better again as he pulled out his handy dandy ninja book, looking again for another technique for practice.


              “Little Book, Little Book, don’t fail me now.” Gunbai mumbled, flipping the page and letting out a small sound of triumph upon discovering another technique that he was eligible to learn. The Rock Section Cane, classified as an E rank technique due to its rather flimsy nature and simply execution of drawing earth from the ground into the shape of a “cane”. Gunbai was not about to go and criticize it however, so instead he began to think on it’s usage as he once again pulled chakra from his core towards his hands.
The whole idea of the Rock Section Cane was to create a small staff of rock. But why? According to the official description it was to be used as a melee weapon or perhaps a ranged one if the user was fighting, however he found that idea to be laughable considering how even the author had noted the weakness of the technique being that the little amount of chakra involved caused it to have a rather lousy durability. His hypothesis was that it was likely used alongside another technique, perhaps one that tempered it into a usable weapon thus validating the need to create it as a jutsu in the first place and not simply as an exercise in chakra control. Of course, he had no knowledge if such a technique existed and if so where to find it. He could probably check the ninja restricted libraries to see if any such text existed, but since he wasn’t exactly planning to be a weapon’s expert he probably would just make excuses and end up not going at all. He shook his head at him nonchalantly admitting his own laziness, making a resolution to hit up the library sometime if not for research that at least to broaden his horizons on his medical techniques.

           Bringing himself back into the present,  Gunbai made the half version of the tiger seal, letting his chakra flow out into the earth and feeling it pulse back in response. Within a few second a long, earthen looking smooth staff had grown from the ground before standing there, a good 2 meters long and slightly heavy. Gunbai picked up the staff and swung it experimentally, noting that he had quite a bit of unneeded movements due to his inexperience with such a weapon. It seemed that if he planned to make this a piece of his “fighting style” if one could even call it that, he would first need to learn how to use such a weapon without making a fool of himself. He experimentally tried a few combos, taking a few short swings with the staff before switching to the backhand slap followed by his Aerial Spin however he felt that the transition was awkward and would likely require editing and perhaps a few more steps to make it a seamless technique. Contented for now at his current mastery level for the technique, he sat down for a while and contemplated the sky above him and what would be his next move in this game people called ninja.

            The best way he might describe himself at the moment was a single cirrus cloud, drifting in the winds of the sky throughout the world looking for a purpose. Right now the winds were pushing him onwards towards whatever destiny held in store for him, good or bad. Play his cards right and he might just sail onwards unaffected. Mess up and he might end up just being swallowed up by an cumulonimbus, just another stepping stone for somebody else’s ambition for power or world domination, whatever evil masterminds did these days. Perhaps the sun might shine down upon him and he would simply evaporate, all traces of him scattered through the earth where nobody would ever find it. He frowned at that thought, it certainly wouldn’t be nice if one day he just up and vanished without anybody ever knowing what had happened. In the plays and movies the hero always had a decency to leave a note before vanishing and if he was to do the same he would hope he could at least do as much before taking his leave from the mortal plane. Gunbai began to grow concerned, wondering why he was having such morbid thoughts of his future before realizing that more than likely it was the very atmosphere of the area affecting him so that his thoughts turned towards more negative alternatives. Maybe when he met the Raikage person he could perhaps suggest a more...tasteful, yes that was the word. A more tasteful appearance, more likely to incite hope than dread. Then again, perhaps that dreadful image was all that kept other nations from invading in the wake of this new leadership. He wouldn’t know considering that he wasn’t in the loop with that kind of thing and as such put it out of mind to focus on what he was supposed to be paying attention to.

            Once again Gunbai fingered through the pages, lingering on a section about water type ninjutsu merely due to the theories behind it however not staying too long as he could not learn much from it without actual practice. Once he found another technique he liked however, he kept his finger in the page as a bookmark before checking the sun. Almost three o’clock,  it was beginning to get cold but he could certainly get in a bit more training if he made it quick. Diving back in, he read his marked page with rapt attention.
While not quite the elemental technique he had been looking for originally, Gunbai had happened upon a section of taijutsu techniques that he felt might be around his current skill level. While of course this left him with a variety of choices considering that many taijutsu techniques didn’t require a certain chakra element one stood out simply because of its potential to be used in conjunction with his other moves. Move being, the Leaf Whirlwind.

             According to the description the Leaf Whirlwind was a combination of kicks comprised of as much strength as it was tactics. The first high kick is rather powerful, however opponents then are unwary of the next segment of the technique. The user would then switch to low kicks, going back high and low whenever they feel like to throw the enemy’s beat off balance and be unsure of what to expect or where to block. It was a simple yet effective idea and to be quite frank he felt it was perfect with what he currently had in his catalog of techniques, if he could even quite call it that yet. Certainly this could be an opening move, followed by the discipline technique and his aerial spin if he could pull it off. Ah well, no other way to find out besides practice.

             Settling himself into what he felt was an appropriate fighters stance, with his left arm close to his chest defensively and his other to his right side for movement, he moved forward with his maximum speed, focusing chakra into his limbs as he followed up with a succession of kicks. High, low, low, high high high low was the pattern Gunbai had ended up doing on a whim before on what would have been the next high kick switching to a backslap. While not nearly as satisfying without a target to use it on it felt certainly good to follow it up with his Aerial Spin, feeling the impact on his skin as he found that by accident he had moved too close to a tree and impact it with his fist. Gunbai cursed under his breath and shook out his hand to make the pain go away faster, although he was bost slightly impressed and kind of scared that he could have sworn the tree had shook slightly from the impact. There was no way that had happened though, was it?  No, definitely not. Gunbai was just a normal kid drafted into the ninja corps, not some hyped up monster with super strength or some other weird gimmick that people tended to look for when recruiting people into it. No, certainly not and he had no intentions to become one of them. Then again, did he really have a choice at this point? At some point he was probably going to have to go down that path or die and to be quite frank Gunbai was quite fond of his life having been taught the value of it since birth. Practicing the combo a little bit more Gunbai began to notice a chill in the air, a sure sign of the ending day as the sun set behind him. Surprised at how he had let the time pass him without him realizing he stopped his exercises, noting how he was slightly less tired than he thought he would be before setting on his way to home and rest. He was still human after all, and humans needed rest.


3015 words
+15 stats
+Rope Escape (500/500)
+Moving Earth Core (1000/1000)
+Rock Section Cane (500/500)
+Leaf Whirlwind (1000,1000)

Totaling to:

6752 words
+36 Stat points
+Rope Escape (500/500)
+Rock Section Cane (500/500
+Discipline (500/500)
+Moving Earth Core (1000/1000)
+Aerial Spin (1000/1000)
+Purification Element (2000/2000)
+Leaf Hurricane (1000/1000)

Leaving 252 words which we will burn to make pretty lights.

Once again I curse the copy paste of the mobile phone, which somehow has deleted all the indents and spaces between my paragraphs. However, I believed that it should be indeed fixed now.