Toughen Up Satomi [Training/Private]

It was nearly a free fall as it slid down the narrow green surface, catching the edge just in the nick of time as it reached the end its life line. Having grown quite heavy it was sadly too weak to support itself for long before being forced to let go, entering a true free fall now as it plummeted towards the earth below.

“Hey!” A little song bird thrilled with a soft giggle as a droplet of water made tapped him on the noggin. He had come out to Tachibana earlier than usual today, so early that the morning dew hadn't had time to evaporate away. It already looked to be a rather serene morning too, the sun having had just barely broke over the eastern horizon to treat Satomi to a vibrant skyline of brilliant blues and auroral orange. Just perfect as he had decided the previous night that he would remain within the forest from sunrise to sun set, although he may have over-prepared just a bit as the heavy backpack the genin carried clanked away with the sound of a pair of pots clashing with one another as he trudged onward.

Today Satomi had gone off the beaten path, quite literally as he set off to forge his own trail through the forest. He had explored the nature reserve quite a bit in recent months and had made a mental note of more than a few interesting locations in that time. This one was of particular interest for what he had in mind today, a small clearing a kilometer or two due east of the main path half way to the lake. Trees formed a natural barrier to mask the clearing from a casual glance, not that he was worried about anyone finding him there. If someone would happen to stumble upon him then great, the more the merrier. However, more importantly, the border of trees meant ample shade from the sun for most of the day.

Upon reaching his own little slice of paradise Satomi sat his pack down with an crass groan as he stretched his arms out high above his head, discovering that the clearing needed a  little tidying up first. Broken branches and stones of all sizes were strewn throughout the clearing and would definitely be in the way later. It's always something~ Satomi hummed as he got to work collecting the wood and stone into neat piles just outside the edge of his new training grounds. The cheery genin beamed once things were finally orderly, quite prideful of his work. Even if it would most likely look worse than before he cleaned the place up.

“Okay, now for breakfast!” Satomi clapped before diving into his backpack, the surprisingly well organized child didn't have to dig far to free his meal from its confines. Two rice balls bulging from it's salt salmon interior, a recipe his father claimed came from the small Bear Country near the eastern sea, but regardless of where it came from it was going to find its way into Satomi's soon to be happy belly.

Satomi's quick breakfast was enough to allow his legs to recover from hauling that jam-packed backpack that now got to take it easy and lounge under a nearby tree—how lazy. He shed his usual maroon high-collared as he stood at the center of the small clearing, tossing it aside to reveal the short-sleeved mesh shirt that had been hidden under it. His fingers combed back through his hair leading to the realization at how long his hair had gotten since graduating as his blonde strands cascaded across his face as the fell back into place, a thought that received a small smile of approval as Satomi adjusted his headband to help tame his golden mane.

The young genin had procrastinated enough and was ready to get down and dirty. His hands came together in front of him to form the clone seal with his chakra already swelling. “Shadow Clone!” Two perfect clones appeared in a puff of smoke and from the shadow of each of them stepped out another clone, each one staring down the original with a sharp gaze set on him as they shuffled and formed a circle around him. “You guys know what to do; no holding back.”

“RIGHT! The clones chimed in unison before charging in on Satomi with fists ready. The real genin raised his arms as the first clone closed in and swung for his face, successfully deflecting the punch much to his disappointment.

“You're holding ba—” Satomi was cut off as he was caught by a second across the face from the side. The blow knocking the boy for a loop and sent his world spinning as the force spun him on his feet and right into the path of a knee destined for his stomach as the last clone hammed down from above onto his back to drive the him even harder into the knee strike. In an instant Satomi regretted everything as he collapsed to his knees, a howl of pain echoed through the forest as a swift kick connected squarely with his ribs. Satomi had only been in combat once and it was with a puppeteer who was more intent on pummeling him with her tea set than watching him die of smoke inhalation than actually fighting, it was nothing like the raw beating he had brought upon himself. He just had to remind himself that this was all in preparation for the Chuunin Exams, catching another attempt to his ribs with his hands. He shoved the leg away before shoving the gaggle of clones back to make some room for himself, using the acquired space to recover onto his feet. A little perturbed that the exams weren't explained in great detail to him, Satomi felt that it was at least reasonable to assume that he might have to prove himself in combat as part of the examinations' requirements. An assumption that had him beating himself up over it.

Striking an iconic pose. Turning to his side with an arm folded behind his back, the other extended towards his clones to invite them to bring it on. The clones were more than happy to oblige, three of the four charging as one held back for a moment. Obscured by the more immediate threat charging him, Satomi couldn't see the fourth clone clap its hand and place them to the ground. He would feel the results however as ground shook and a wall of earth and stone erupted from the forest floor behind him to leaving him with his back literally against a wall, bracing for impact as his clones' strikes made him a fixture in the wall.

Taking so many punches could make a person sympathy for kneaded dough, fortunately Satomi was able to defend himself, having kicked his way to freedom. The clones remained relentless in their volley of attacks against Satomi as the genin did his best to defend himself in the overwhelming odds he placed himself in. Bruises spotted his arms and his face swollen as he dodged yet another barrage, though he was beginning to show marked improvement as he weaved under one clone and around another. Things were looking up until he was driven down into the dirt with an elbow to the back of his skull.

“Darn it!” Satomi spit out a mouthful of dirt as he rolled over onto his back, his eyes widened as the sun was blotted out by a descending foot aimed at his face. It wasn't a very dignified way to have a fight end, beaten by your own clone.  Adrenaline pooled into his body as for the first time in the fight his very real fight or flight instincts kicked, he hadn't even realized it himself that his arms had already come to cross one another to stop the stomp in its track. The only thing that reached him was a little dirt, but more importantly it didn't hurt. Satomi shoved the foot away before hurrying back to his feet, his arms feeling heavier than he remembered. He had been going at it for well over an hour against his clones, it was more than possible that his body was just growing too exhausted to continue as he lifted his arms for inspection.

His clones stood at bay as they looked on as well, all noting that the boy's normally ivory to porcelain skin had seemed to have taken on a new darker complexion and the bruises had disappeared. Just as he brought them up for a closer look everything began to fall apart and slip through his fingers, the dark dusky flesh crumbling away from his battered arms to shower the ground before his feet. The clones suddenly vanished in a cloud of smoke as Satomi flexed his digits in disbelief as he flopped onto his butt, the faint glow of chakra fading from his limbs as he sat there in silence and contemplated on whether or not what he witnessed what real or just a delusion brought on by too many shots to the head.

Prodding the pile of debris that once covered his arms, Satomi scooped up a sample into the palm of his hand. Moving it around with his finger he decided the smart thing to do after giving it a sniff was to taste it. Hesitantly poking his tongue through his parted lips he slowly raised his hand to it until the two met. “Ick! Ick, ick! It's DIRT~!” Satomi was more impressed by the dirt's ability to bolster his defense against the attack than it's taste, but he still didn't know what or how he did it.

What he wouldn't give for access to the vast archives of Hoshi village at a time like this, but he vaguely recalled similar Earth Release jutsu being used by a performer at a festival that he and his father attended. 'The Amazing Stone Man' he called himself, impervious to damage. A showman of the highest regard he was even nice enough to explain how his amazing technique worked, though at the time Satomi could remember not understanding anything he heard. With time, however, comes experience and wisdom. It was a simple concept; focus chakra to the surface of the body and exert control over the earth element to coat the body in thick layer of terra firma. In fact Satomi was already fairly capable in handling both these steps in his ability to use the Hiding Like a Mole jutsu, he just needed to turn it around and bring the earth to him.

“Satomi the Amazing Stone Shinobi!” The young ninja leapt to his feet, the injuries afflicted on him seemed to be pushed to the back of his mind. Perhaps his affinity for the Earth element could be responsible for his hardiness, or maybe it was just the fact he was plain stubborn. Whatever the case he had already produced a new set of clones, priming the earth element of his chakra as he faced off with them.

The ensuing fight went much different this time as Satomi managed to keep up with his four clones more readily. That didn't mean they wouldn't get in their shots, the numbers game was strongly in their favor and it lead to putting Satomi on the ground hard more often than not as training extended well into the afternoon. Sure he could have just sat there and attempted the jutsu safely, but the whole reason he came out to train was to work on his ability to defend himself. A new jutsu is nice, but Satomi thought it to be equally nice to still be able to defend himself should he not have his chakra to rely on. As such he was he was certainly doing better than that morning, growing into a tough little cookie.

Speaking of cookies, Satomi suddenly became distracted by his grumbling belly and took a right hook across the face for it. Knocked back by the force he stumbled until ultimately tripping over his own feet to tumble into his backpack. The trees tops spun around and were quite dizzying as he laid flat out on his back, or maybe it was just that he got his bell rung. Dismissing his clone once again, he managed to upright himself and sit against the tree next to his equipment.

Satomi's stomach was quite to complain again, who knew getting your butt kicked was so taxing. “I guesss~I should eat!” It was almost a jovial laughter that followed until he was reminded of his injured ribs in the form of a sharp pain, forcing the boy to gasp and cough as he choked on his laughter. A pitiful groan escaping from him as he slid down the trunk of the tree until he was again on his back. “Oh maaaan~...”

His body refused to move, his arms and legs covered in so many bruises he looked like some sort of potted feline. The once soft, youthful features of his face had been pounded into something lumpy and purple with a swollen eye. It was hard for him to admit defeat, but this was definitely something bigger than a day of training was going to help with. However; if that was the case then training would be extended until he too was an amazing stone man—but first lunch.

That night Satomi did indeed return home, limping through the door a lumbering mess much to his father shock and concern. Peeling the straps from his shoulders the boy's backpack thudded unceremoniously onto the floor, only able to muster a sheepish smile as he faced a new barrage. This time however it was fortunately in the form of an understandably worried parent, Takatoshi helping his hobbling son to the bath while delivering an earful plea for the genin to be more careful. Satomi would profusely apologize over and over, but he could tell it only helped so much to calm his father's worry. He couldn't blame his old man though, as much as he tried to hide it, Satomi could tell that the affect of his mothers death was deeper than even what his father showed—and this was a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve. Satomi learned to tread lightly in related topics involving his tendencies to through caution to the wind, instead opting to smile and assure his father that he would be okay. This time was no different as he turned to his father as they stopped at the door to the bath, a bright gap-toothed smile beaming across his face.

“I'm tough, father, sir!” It hurt his chest to speak at his normal voice, but for his father it was worth it. Satomi wearing a slight grimace as he spoke in his typical cheery trill. The affects were immediate as Takatoshi's eyes lidded slightly as he returned a half smile of his own. Deep down inside his father knew what was expected of a shinobi and the unfortunate truth of that fact, but he would also never deny his child of a dream.

“You're just like your mother, Sato-chan.” Takatoshi would relent, giving Satomi doing his best to not react to the pain as his father gave him an affection pat on the shoulder. “Now clean up, I'll have supper ready by the time you're out.”

Closing the door behind him, it became a struggle to peel his filthy clothes from his battered body. The reward would be well worth it as he soon after he would be treated to a nice hot shower as he drew his bath, the water washing away the dirt and grime as the heat helped to relaxed the boy's aching muscles as he timidly lathered up and scrubbed away the day's crud. After a thorough rinse Satomi would step into the bath, placing his wash cloth atop his head as he slowly sunk up to his neck in the perfectly heated water. The world just seemed to melt away for the child as he let out a blissful sigh. While the bath was all too rewarding, he knew it couldn't last and the aches and pain would be back not too long after he would leave it's warm embrace. He would have to help his body along a little.

Regret was immediate on his face as he lifted his shifted his arm across his chest, resting his hand on his opposite forearm. A faint glow was magnified by the water as he began to circulate his chakra out to his hand, letting that chakra move into his injured arm. Like giving an adult coffee, the nearby cells perked right up and promptly double timed it. Luckily his arms were merely bruised and easily cared for, the swelling would gradually lessen as the purple and yellow stains spotting his flesh would slowly dissipate as he used his chakra to encourage his body to repair itself. Satomi took his time, moving to his poor face after finishing both arms. Satomi letting out a pained hiss as his fingers came to rest on each cheek, the kid sinking further into the tub until he was capable of blowing some bubbles as he let his healing jutsu work to restore his undeniably adorable features to their former glory.

It was slow going, but as fortune would have it, his injuries were superficial. Or so he thought before letting out a shriek as it came time to tend to injured side. As Satomi fingers gently palpated the area for the source of his pain he stuck it rich as a sharp pain bored deep as if he had just been stabbed. With a whine he lifted his right hand to his mouth, moving to promptly gnaw on the offered thumb as he placed his other hand over his ribs to treat the injury with the medical jutsu. The poor child all whimpers and grumbles as he all he seemed to be doing is agitating it.

Darn it, I think it's broken! Satomi blew some frustrated bubbles as he partially submerged his head, glaring at the wall as if it was its fault. I don't want to miss the exams! What am I going to do? A mild panic would cast a shadow over the genin, suddenly submerged in doubt as well. “I won't miss out!” His head rose from the water like the giant lizard of favorite series of movies, determination burning in his eyes brighter than the flames the monster would breath. There was no doubt in his mind that similar injuries would become even more common after he became a chuunin and to be able to tend to them would be a valuable asset to himself and to any team he would be apart of.

The aura of chakra that surrounded his hand intensified as he narrowed his focus, Satomi was all grunts and snorts as he fought the pain of his fingers as he used them to narrow down the exact rib or set of ribs he suspected to be broken. Each nudge was another jab straight to the core of his body, that imaginary knife just twisting ever deeper as tears welled in the child's eyes. His whole body one tense mass as he nearly bit through his bottom lip to hold back an ear-threatening screech as he regretfully found just what he was looking for. His body quivered from the pain as his hand cupped over his lower ribs, concentrating the efforts of his chakra onto the spot. For all his efforts, however, all he could seem to do is heal the bruises and the small lacerations that accompanied them. The pain continued to throb under the surface, his side still very much tender and resistant to his touch. As stubborn as he was, Satomi was not going to miss out on training. Come morning he was going to be back in the forest with or broken ribs or not. He'd of course much prefer the latter as another whimper squeezed past his quivering lips, his toes clenching tightly as he tried to concentrate past the pain.

A rudimentary understanding of anatomy from the Academy and basic first air knowledge a medical ninja that did not make, but even so, Satomi continued to try and try until he was blue in the face. There something to say about perseverance, but in all honesty this was just genin too stubborn to admit he was out of his league. It was a good thing he never believed that there was anything out of his reach or his cracked rib would have never began to repair itself and he would have just let himself become a sweltering prune for no reason. Satomi would be largely unaware of his body's efforts as the pain remained largely the same as the new bone formed around the existing, but as his cells continued to work the pain would significantly lessen. It never fully dissipated, even with extended attention and after several minutes Satomi decided to call it good and finally get his wrinkled tush out of the tub.

The patch job must have taken a quite an amount of chakra from him as he delicately skittered across the hall to his room to slip into his pajamas before shuffling to the dining table where a nice hot meal of grilled fish and rice and a bowl of miso awaited him just as promised. “I see that bath has done wonders for you, dear!” Takatoshi beamed as the two shared their days with one another, of course Satomi decided to leave out some of the more harsher details from his—he didn't want to worry his poor ole pops again after all.

After dinner the father and son continued their discussion over their weekly game of Shogi, a tradition that his father claimed he adopted when he met Satomi's mother. Even though Satomi never really felt the man was all that good at the game, given that he could be beaten by a child, he enjoyed the game and honoring his mothers memory with his father.

“Checkmate.” Satomi grinned as he studied the board, his eyes slowly widening as he realized that it wasn't just another playful bluff from his father. His jaw nearly touched the floor as he blinked up at the unabashedly grinning man across the board.

“But-- But how?” He'd never been beaten before, even when he was barely paying attention he could play circles around his father.

“Sato, my boy. It's time ah take off the kid gloves an treat'cha like the man. Even if you do have a more than uncanny resemblance to your mother.” Takatoshi conceded, adding a little jab at Satomi's more rounded facial structure and less than impressive build for a boy his age. The boy taking it in stride however, knowing it was all in good nature and his fathers way of not making the situation too dramatic. “Shogi was your motha's favorite game, something she picked up from her fatha' an' him from his. Ya've grown a lot since ya became a ninja and it's time ah recognize that. So from now on, if ya want ta beat me in Shogi, yuh'll have ta try a 'ole lot hardah.” Satomi just smiled and nodded as his father reached over to pat his child on the head before the pair agreed that it was time to call it a night.

Satomi might as well had been dead for as soundly as he had slept through the night only rudely woken by the persistent rapping on his window by a familiar visitor. Slowly coming to, his eyes would shoot open wide as he wheezed out a sharp gasp as a stabbing pain jabbing him as his injured ribs returned with a vengeance. “Oh... da-damn--” He wheezed and panted with shallow breath, the boy jumping as he placed both hands on his side as he began to apply a new treatment of chakra to the injury. “Is... is it temporary?” Satomi huffed as he patched up his ribs once again before managing to crawl out of bed and to his desk to fetch a roll of bandages, careful not to disturb the injured area too much as he applied the medical fabric around his ribs and torso. Satomi only emitted a sharp hiss as he made sure that his wrap job was snug and secure before he spent a couple of extra minutes getting dressed, making sure to pack a bit lighter for his training today as he avoided some justifiably concerned parenting from his father. The boy dodging worry and paranoia, putting on an extra tough act through breakfast and on the way out the door so he could get on his way, the genin letting out a deep sigh of relief upon his escape.

Staring ahead, Satomi gave his tender flank a once over with his hand before returning to the woods where he would reinforce the patch job in preparation for another day of training. If he could hold himself together throughout training, just maybe he would think about applying to the medic corps. He had to keep himself from falling to pieces first and toughen up first, and that was no easy task set ahead of him as he yet again stared four barrels gunning for him. “I won't go easy on you guys this time!”

Life was just a blur as Satomi tumbled through the air in an uncontrolled spiral with a huge swing for the fences, one of his clones catching him with a one meter rod of solid granite just a bit narrower than his own wrist. Whether it was the increase in endorphoins or simply his own wild imagination, the world always seemed to slow down for him after taking a big hit. The days that had followed since his first outing were no different, the only thing that changed was his ability to take harder and harder hits. Unfortunately his quest to unlock to potential of the amazing jutsu he had stumbled upon on his first day was lackluster to say the least, only occasionally was he able to coat a small portion of his body with this chakra infused earthen material. This did however reduce the amount of daily injuries, though his ribs still required periodic breaks for attention which coincidentally was doing wonders in improving his basic medical jutsu. Another day would pass though where the child was left laid out in a crumpled heap on the forest floor as the end crude trail craved by his bruised body, his clones dispersing in their usual dramatic fashion as the young genin was firmly grounded in reality.

Satomi clawed his way over to his more modestly packed previsions, a layer of dirt cracked and crumbled to the ground as the genin reached up with trembling fingers in an attempt to unfasten one of the with one of the buckles holding the bag closed. The pale flesh under the earthen armor only looked partially leopard-like, rosettes in the form of bruises sparsely scattering his arm as he dug into his bag to fetch his lunch. The poor boy the proceeded to crawl up under the tree and use the thick trunk to prop himself open as he tended to his wounded flank, the throbs of pain shooting through him with each breath a kind reminder that it was time for another patch job. A small squeaky grunt was squeezed from the young shinobi as he lifted his shirt to inspect the bandages only to find them tattered and quickly disintegrating from around him. Sighing; he'd help finish the job by raveling what remained before replacing them with his hand. Moments later he had begun introducing chakra to the damage site again, coaxing his body to literally pull itself back together again. The fix was almost as painful as the injury itself as it was being performed, the only solace that he wouldn't have to feel nearly as bad for another few hours and could enjoy another meal prepared with care from his father.

It was more of the same following lunch, none of the clones willing to spoil the child or spare the rod as they attempted to treat their creator like a pinata. The sound of earth clashing with earth echoed through the forest as Satomi deflected his clones' stone staves with a pair of dirt gauntlets and grieves. Combined with his chakra the dark secondary flesh was almost indestructible, even cracking it was proving difficult for the clones as each strike seemed to stress their weapons more than Satomi's armor.

As the day carried on into evening Satomi would pack it up and head home for the night, dirt falling in clumps from his limbs as he limped towards the village. A shrill call from above the treetops greeted his ear; a cry he would recognize anywhere. “Aho, aho!” He'd never known the crow to follow him around so late, but judging by tone of the bird's cries, Satomi would put a safe bet that it was for the crow's own amusement at the child's expense.

Satomi would return to the clearing the next day and the next as the week quickly grew to a close. Faster, tougher... rougher. Satomi stood confidently in the middle between the clone army he'd be using to help him train, having four extra pair of eyes on the outside to watch your every move was help of equal help as he could observe his own weaknesses and strength from an outside perspective. It was sort of like proof reading, it was always nice to have another pair of eyes look things over. Learning to use that to his advantage allowed the genin to accelerate his training, working out the kinks in his new armored flesh as he stood looking as though he had received a severe tan during his week-long training.

The four clones would strike together in unison, swinging their stone staves with all their might. He had worked hard and literally shed blood, sweat and tears for this moment. However it might not have been the best to attack a mobile rock fort with a long, solid rod. Their weapons' impact with Satomi's armored skin sending back vibrations up the poles and into the clone's hands, the quadrilogy cursing together as they dropped their weapons to rub their poor sting hands. For their combined efforts Satomi armor would show signs of a few hairline cracks that quickly sutured themselves together again as he his chakra worked to help repair the damage. If only Satomi could as easily repair his own cracked rib so easily. That would be another battle entirely, he was not looking forward to admitting to his father that he had spent nearly a week with the possibility of a serious internal injury while risking further damage to himself.

Satomi eyes widened as various scenarios played through his head. The genin would shed his dirt coating as let his chakra bleed to the surface, using it to cleanse himself of any remnants as he shook off like a creature of the forest himself. “Can a shinobi be grounded?”

Approved Satomi