Blind rope

Hanabi stepped out into the morning air. She took a deep breath and smiled. Mornings had always been her favourite time of day, the coolness and quiet of the night still lingered. She didn't care much for bright sunlight or the business of people, so this was the time for her. She had no responsibilities for the day, nothing she needed to tend to. She started trotting out of the small corner of Kirigakure that the Yuka clan called home. Though she had no specific plans, she intended to use this day as a chance to grow. A simple place to start was her body, and so she began with a jog.

She stayed within the confines of the village, nodding to those few out this early as she passed. To occupy her mind, she tried to look at the same places she'd always gone by with a new set of eyes. She thought of how they would be of use to a shinobi. Some places she'd never set foot in before seemed invaluable, others seemed to lose their meaning. It caused her to reflect on how much her life was going to change if she continued down this path. She jogged on in silence for a while, then decided she was okay with that.

After some time she found herself on the academy grounds. Hanabi made her way to the library. She sat down with a scroll on introductory ninjutsu. It would be a good idea to at least get a head start on learning some new techniques. She would need to be able to do more than creating clones if she expected to be of any use on the battlefield. True, her role would be support, but that didn't exempt her from needing to hold her own. She skimmed past the basic techniques she'd already been introduced to, looking for something new any basic ninja would know.

"Genjutsu...release?" The Yuka stopped skimming and paid closer attention to the section she'd found. So, there's one basic technique that can be used to counter almost any genjutsu. This is definitely something I'll need to learn, but I don't see how I can without having some genjutsu to counter. I'll have to come back to this when I'm not on my own. For now, what else is there? She further along the scroll to the next technique. "Rope escape? ...great, I'll just restrain myself. Easy." She sighed and put down the scroll, letting her head fall back on the windowsill she was leaning against. "I can't do this alone..."

She returned the scroll and left the library. Hanabi jogged across the bridge out of the village, heading into a forested area. For now, she thought, placing her hand on a tree, I'll work on my physical technique. Pedaling back several steps, she then sprinted forward and leapt at the tree. She brought her feet in front of her, landing on the side of the trunk and then pushing off again. The rebound gave her enough air to reach up and grab the bottom-most branch of the next tree. With a grunt of effort she hoisted herself up and, with a bit of wobbling, carefully stood herself on the branch.

Not exactly an elegant execution, but the job got done. Now... She looked ahead, planning a route across the branches. Once finished the Yuka leapt off hers, using a higher branch to swing across to the next. From there she had enough momentum to propel herself to the third branch with just her jump. From there onto the fourth, where she toppled to the ground.

"Ow..." She looked up to the offending branch, still vibrating from her landing. I guess that one was too thin. It's strong enough to hold me but too springy to land on. At least not without being more careful. She stood and dusted herself off. "Come to think of it, I guess landing is a skill, too. Or maybe I'm just trying to be optimistic, using falling as a learning opportunity." She once again ascended into the trees and resumed her maneuvering practice. After an hour or so she concluded, feeling weary from the exercise and carrying the bruises of more than a couple falls.

She started the walk home, considering what to prepare for breakfast while practicing hand signs. The question was answered for her, upon arriving she found her mother preparing broiled fish over rice. "I saw you had already gone out when I got up. I figured you skipped breakfast again. I hope you're hungry, I made plenty."

The two women began eating while exchanging some shallow conversation. Hanabi had always had a pleasant relationship with her mother, but it rarely showed depth. Their talking died out when the dead of the household entered. Around him, a conversation could be pleasant if it was a topic he wanted to discuss, but what topics were acceptable was almost impossible to tell without him bringing it up himself. Today he didn't, so the three ate in silence. As they were finishing, Hanabi finally built up the courage to speak.

"Um...father?" He looked at her, sharply. It was a look she knew well - the one that said 'this better be worth my time or you'll wish you'd stayed quiet.' "I was wondering...if you could, um..."

"Spit it out." He grunted as his wife started clearing away the dishes.

"If you would help me learn...some ninjutsu." She finished in a small voice. He regarded her in silence until she felt the need to break it. "For releasing genjutsu and...escaping bindings." He stood and walked to the door.

"...Well? Are you coming?" Hanabi obediently jumped up and followed him outside. He led her to the center of the yard, turned towards her, and placed a palm against her forehead. "Try this." He said, and pushed her backward. As she fell he formed the tiger sign, and she landed in complete darkness. She touched a hand to her eyes, stunned. I'm...blind? A hand she couldn't see gripped her shirt, lifted her to her feet, and released her. She just stood there, staring into nothing. Something hit her cheek, and she recoiled. "Are you just going to stand there?"

"I don't-" She started, but was interrupted by something slamming into her stomach. She retreated several steps and lifted her fists. He's not going to stop until I get out of this. She felt a brush of wind to her left and leapt to the right, not quick enough to avoid the blow, but it at least became a graze. The hand seal was a tiger, so let's start there. She made the sign, but as she started to focus on performing the jutsu he struck again.

"You can't stand around taking your time in a fight." His voice echoed out from behind her. She dashed ahead in case his words were to be followed with an attack, then processed them. She turned sharply to the left and kept sprinting, hoping she'd bought herself a few seconds. Hanabi came to a stop before she ran herself into something, bringing her hands together as she did so. She immediately surged her chakra as much as she could, stopping only when another hit landed and knocked her to the ground. When she opened her eyes, now a bit dazed, she could see again - just in time to roll away from a kick.

Hanabi regained her feet and assumed a defensive posture, watching her father. The last time he'd taught her something, she'd assumed the lesson was over, and he knocked her flat. She wouldn't make such an assumption again. Sure enough, her eye contact didn't deter him from moving in again. This time her father came at her with a high kick. She thrust her palm out, knocking the kick away, then stepped around to his side. She took the moment he recovered from the kick as an opening and delivered a jab to his neck. It didn't seem to faze him at all, but he dropped his combat stance and stood straight.

"That's alright." He said, and went back inside. Hanabi smiled. It was probably the closest he'd come to giving her a compliment. She started back inside as well, only to run into him in the doorway. "Where the hell d'you think you're going?' She stumbled back, hurrying to let him through. He started through the front gate, a rope slung over one shoulder. His daughter followed faithfully after.

They left the village, continuing along the road aways before diverting to a narrow path. The path winded through some mangroves, ending at a field of reeds that extended to the shoreline.

"Stand here." He commanded, then pointed her shoulders to the water. She heard the rope sliding across the shoulder of his robe, and then felt it slip around her. He coiled it around her body several times, restraining her arms and knotting them over several times. He finished by pushing her to the ground and binding her legs. With that finished he stood, and she watched him follow the path back through the mangroves until he vanished from her sight. She was alone.

Hanabi looked down at her body, as best she could, and tried to move. He'd done a thorough job, she didn't even have full movement of her fingers. She strained against the ropes, hoping she could loosen them a bit, which only caused them to dig into the many bruises she'd developed that day. She sighed.

There was one thing that became very , to her now: she was tired. Athleticism was new to her, and she didn't have the stamina for prolonged exercise. In other words, she was out of energy. Laying in the warm mud, watching the reeds above her drift in the breeze, listening to the ebb and flow of the water, her eyelids drooped...

A bit of ocean spray splashed against her face, jarring Hanabi awake. She suddenly realized why her father had brought her here to tie her up. The high tide line was a several yards inland from her, hidden initially by the reeds. She tried to sit up only to find it was impossible, her back was held taut. Instead she attempted to clumsily roll up the bank, but the mud was significantly softer now and she only slid back down.

I can only get out of this with jutsu...[i] She thought, trying to fight down her panic. This wasn't down to the second, she might have as much as half an hour before she was in danger. So she took a couple of minutes to steady her breathing and focus. Already she could feel her chakra flow improve. Closing her eyes, she pushed her chakra outward from all across her body. The rope seemed to vibrate a bit, but gave no signs of loosening.

[i]Brute forcing it isn't going to work. She stared up at the sky, slowing her breathing while she thought. This must require something more precise. Maybe some kind of ripple effect, to push the rope downward?...I have no idea how I'd produce that. Okay, I know chakra can extend beyond the body. If I were to focus on emitting chakra in more specific places, I might be able to sort of emulate hands.

In short, it didn't work. For her third attempt she tried running her chakra directly beneath the rope, and then applying a slight rotation to the flow. At first it didn't succeed, but she felt a bit of give, so she tried again. And several more times, adjusting the force, rotation, and timing to varying degrees of success. As the water was reaching her ears she was able to move it along for several seconds before losing control. From there, it wasn't long before she was free.

Cold, wet, hurt, and tired, Hanabi began trudging off towards home. A tree rustled near the water as she regained the path.

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2,071
Claiming 10 stats, Rope Escape Technique, Genjutsu Release